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ozzysdad

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  • Posts

    348
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    Manchester
  • Interests
    Cruising
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Currently P&O
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Any Caribbean, Madeira

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. Thank you very much for your information and input, you've been helpful.
  2. * update which may be some use to others* I called the Premier Inn which is the transfer pick up point and they allow cruise passengers who are staying overnight to use their carpark for the duration of the cruise, all that is required is a £20 payment which they then donate to Great Ormond Street hospital, with that information we will drive up the day before and leave the car there. Thanks to those who've been of help. For information a Premier Inn Plus room is coming in at less than £50 for the night.
  3. Good evening, I'm hoping somebody may be able to help. I'm looking at a cruise out of Southampton and taking advantage of the coach transfer so i'd appreciate any help with a couple of queries I have. Nearest pick up appears to be at Bolton football ground which is 20 miles away from me, can I leave my car there for 2 weeks? Are there even car park facilities in and around the stadium?. What time roughly on a Sunday would we be picked up and how long is the journey down?. What time will we get back there on a Sunday, I appreciate this may vary but a rough idea would be of help. If I think of anything else I'll let you know, TIA 🙂
  4. I personally feel it's scandalous what we are being charged to book seats and leaves a bad taste for me.
  5. Not for me, I rang them and they assured me it was all done but it wasn't showing up on the booking, fortunately my TA chased it up for me and it was all rectified within a few hours.
  6. Came back last week, every day was 20°C or above, touched 30 a couple of days, some cloud and the occasional shower, Madeira is always hit and miss as it has it's own micro climate but still shorts and t-shirt weather, year before in December had two weeks of blue sky around 25°C every day, generally you'll have good weather and we were lucky as it was about -10 at home, great time to travel in my opinion, quiet airport, very few children and near on guaranteed some winter sun, great value for money cruise in my opinion and love Azura, as for the pools they are not heated and were a little chilly but nice once you got on them, jacuzzis were heated though.
  7. Fair points but I wouldn't allow any of that to spoil a holiday, it may be worth bearing in mind that brochures are printed years in advance, some of these staff now have multiple roles onboard and I'm thankful for the service they provide, I'd be disappointed if the speciality restaurants aren't open but I suspect this is done as a last resort and is really something P&O are loathe to do given the extra revenue they provide. Is anything ever as good as it used to be? Probably not and having introduced friends to cruising over the past few years all are more than happy particularly when you compare them directly to beach holidays.
  8. What needs remembering in all this is P&O like many are almost giving cruises away at the minute, you can cruise for peanuts now compared to when I took my first cruise in 2005, obviously this is going to be reflected in the levels of staffing and service you receive, it's not rocket science. Other factors to consider are they are being undercut by the likes of MSC whose base fares for Southampton cruises work out cheaper than staying in Southampton in a budget hotel, they are torn between a rock and a hard place trying to balance the price with the Silversea service many feel they should receive, I went on Ventura 12 months ago and really enjoyed it, value for money was outstanding and I couldn't find anything to complain about, was it P&O from a decade ago? - probably not but I'd paid half the money from a similar cruise in 2010, now if service and luxury is my bug bear there are plenty who'll allow me to pay for the privilege. Problem I have now with those doing the reviews is they expect Butlins prices with Hilton service, that mindset invariably leaves you disappointed, anyway I'm off on Azura in a couple of weeks and have Arvia and Iona to look forward to next year all being well, I shall enjoy them the best I can whilst my health and legs allow me.
  9. I love watching the YouTube vlogs, I find Jamie a little self absorbed at the best of times so no longer watch his content so will have to take others word for it, if he did experience poor service due to staff shortages that's a shame, if it was on the back of using venues and boarding at peak times then that is easily avoided for a seasoned cruiser.
  10. Yes it's a good point and if you want something specific it's always worth booking at launch.
  11. I changed a cruise only the start of this week which I booked months ago, moved an early saver guaranteed grade to a select fare, no regional flight charge, extra £780 obc and over £400 off the original asking price, no brainer really, went through an independent travel agent and they were inundated with customers wanting to do similar. I suppose P&O realised that having fluid pricing is pointless if the customer can chop and change if a better offer is released at a later date. I personally think there will be little point booking early as there will be bargains to be had in the run up to departure date. I've got two booked with P&O one in 16 weeks and another next November but won't be commiting silly money on any others until all the uncertainty dies down.
  12. Fortunately we went out of Southampton so I managed to fit my full allowance in my case 🙂
  13. When I last went with P&O back end of last year alcohol was 4 x litres of branded for £40, tobacco was also very cheap at about £60 for 250grams which is substantially cheaper than in the UK, my gripe with onboard shopping is although they have some nice gents clothing it is invariably not available in the sizes I want as they hold so little stock.
  14. It was a silly move on my part really and a lesson learnt, I paid around 2000 off last month with a view to paying the same of this but there is absolutely nothing to be gained from doing that. I will pop in and speak to them in the morning and hopefully I'll be able to rebook minus my lost deposits. At the moment I must admit with P&O or any cruise line for that matter as they are making it almost impossible for me to have any confidence in them, there is little benefit from booking early and commiting a deposit as all the bargains seem to be appearing much nearer to sail date, my dad is getting some incredibly good deals in the last month or two before departure date, MSC in particular are giving cruises away but he's also had some very decent deals with Marella and Royal Caribbean.
  15. Good evening, can I ask for some advice please, I booked Caribbean for December some time ago on an early saver with a local travel agent, I've just looked and the price is around 600 cheaper, not only that I can get over 500 obc on top of that, problem i have is I've paid 2000 off the holiday already, balance is due 11 August, can I cancel still? I know I'll lose £70pp deposit but will still be considerably better off. Will the travel agent transfer the 1840 to a new booking or refund me first?
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