showingdiva

Hold that thought. Voyager Club rules have changed a little with the introduction coming in of the new Blue Diamond tier. You now have 5 years, instead of 3 years.

Having not cruised with P&O for a while, I'm still only just off the bottom tier with them. However, having received my Cunard gold pin a couple of years ago, I started to pay a bit more attention to loyalty benefits on cruise lines. Now having got to diamond with MSC, I'm up to four pages of benefits there (admittedly some more interesting than others) and now benefiting from a specialty venue dinner of choice, macarons, chocolate, priority boarding / late disembarkation, as well as the extra OBC I received from silver level.

FWIW, I've cruised on Euribia in a Fantastica "corner-ish" cabin (not to the Fjords) and several times on sister Virtuosa - also in "corner-ish" cabins and to the Fjords - in fact, these extended balcony cabins are my absolute first choice, deck 10 especially. My personal feeling about Yacht Club .. I couldn't justify the huge extra cost, I would never make use of a butler, I don't drink alcohol, I don't sunbathe. But I do appreciate and understand why, for others, it's an absolute must. I also don't like the location of it so high / forward. Only you and your GF can make the decision whether it's justifiable. Whatever the decision, the Norwegian Fjords are fabulous.

The daily programme has indeed gone digital. However, anyone wanting a paper copy, for tradition or souvenir purposes, can either ask their cabin steward to deliver one as usual, or they can be collected from about 7pm at guest services the evening before.

Securing a KC (3L) solo cabin on the QM2 at any time other than at launch is rare, unless there's been a cancellation. They might be classed as the lowest grade, but they are, at least in my humble opinion, the best single cabins on any cruise ship (liner in this case). Elegant, well thought out, good location and the enviable double circular windows. Having also had single occupancy in a standard balcony cabin on the ship, my first choice would still be one of the single ones.

It will only be a partial disembarkation, as many will be staying for the whole repositioning. Depending on whether you are leaving a case outside the night before or disembarking yourself (I guess for one night, you will be carrying as little as possible) you will be given a time as usual. Little chance of it being late morning. Quite agree about falling for the ship. I can feel my credit card wince every time I plot something else.

We have had Nieuw Statendam here in the Firth of Forth a few times this year. Manageable number of passengers to get on and off sensibly.

And it was only after I read that she unfortunately had a coastguard medivac off Plymouth today that I remembered that Artemis ("Arty Mouse") started off as Princess' Royal Princess before being transferred to P&O. Now sailing as Phoenix Reisen's Artania.

Arcadia was indeed, and why she has a "Cunard funnel" compared to the rest of the P&O fleet. I'm sure that I also read that the original plans for her were for Holland America, who also now have Vista class ship variants in their fleet, and of course, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth of Cunard.

Unlikely, but there is always the chance that something could be transferred to the P&O brand from elsewhere in the Carnival Corporation, like Oceana and her then identical sister Adonia (started off as Ocean Princess and Sea Princess (she later went back to the name)) were.

Unfortunately, it is often cheaper to absorb the fine and cruise during term time than it is to wait until July or August. Given it's a two week cruise, there won't be as many children .. but there will be children. And a fair amount of them.

A sensible plan. Arvia will be at Ocean (46). I will take an educated guess that Britannia will be at Mayflower (106).

Mayflower Terminal is Berth 106 City Terminal - Berth 101 Horizon Terminal - Berth 102 Mayflower Terminal - Berth 106 Ocean Terminal - Berth 46 QE11 Terminal - Berth 38/9

Sorry to hear this. My thoughts go to her family and friends, to the crew on board and on shore at MSC UK dealing with the incident.

I hope all is okay. The tracking picture shows quite a tight turn, in a busy shipping channel, for such a huge ship

There will be a lot of children on the ship. The ship will be full, or very close to it. Pre-covid, I would have run a mile at the thought of being on a ship this size (and I was brought up on them). However, having now done multiple cruises on Virtuosa, and one on her virtually identical sister Euribia, one learns quickly to pick your battles with areas on a ship this size like where and when to eat and drink. You will always find a quieter bit of the ship, you just have to think creatively. Wonderful ship. Have a lovely cruise.

I haven't personally been in anything more than a Force 6 on Virtuosa, but have read and heard plenty comments that she copes very well in "weather". When I last looked on MT, you had Iona just behind you. Hopefully everything is okay on board her too.

Which is still the case on whichever ship is doing the winter loop which Preziosa is doing this year (and Euribia did last year). However, Virtuosa in the summer, home ported in Southampton, is English announcements only.

Sensible plan. No predicting how sea behaves, let alone that bit outside Lisbon and the BoB. Is Chris Pugh still the Master at the moment? Safe sailing to Virtuosa and her passengers and crew back to Southampton.

Interesting quote, as Virtuosa is a Meraviglia Plus class ship, and the second of three sisters - Grandiosa, Virtuosa and Euribia (she's ever so slightly heavier). The older Meraviglia class is the ship of the same name and her younger sister Bellissima. I honestly don't recall Virtuosa having an awkward berthing in La Rochelle. She's very similar in size / weight / draft etc to Iona. She's back there 9 times over the next two years.

I can't comment on P&O's "operational reasons", but I did La Rochelle, Bilbao (Getxo), A Coruna and Cherbourg this year on MSC Virtuosa and got into every port. No indication that any of these ports (I've also been to La Rochelle on Arcadia) have the same issues that Guernsey, which is of course a tender port - and a difficult one at that, has.

It was available at both lunch and evening. There was always one hot dessert with custard.

I have worked as a tourist information guide on board a few AIDA ships (Blu, Bella, Sol, Diva and the former Aura, Cara, Mira and Vita). AIDA as a brand are marketed at families, so there does tend to be a younger passenger age average. Yes, they sail from Germany, and most passengers are German. However, the crew (and a lot of the passengers) are able to converse in English.

Exactly. Or, rather than have a polite, quiet word with the waiter, restaurant manager or guest services, can't understand why a moan on social media doesn't rectify anything.

A lot of very fond memories of a lot of lovely cruises on this ship. Haven't been on board her since 2017, because I've left cruising with P&O for the time being, but always liked her size and layout. She had (maybe still has) a reputation that her passenger age demographic were older, but I never found this. She has had plumbing issues on and off for a number of years, but again, I've never experienced this. Balcony cabins are a bit larger than some of her newer fleet mates. The food and drink, I always enjoyed (as a teetotal pescatarian) - but that was pre-pandemic standards and the new restaurant booking system (not even sure if this applies to Arcadia, or just the new bigger ships).