Selbourne

59 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

"From 1st April 2025, smoking will no longer be permitted on cabin balconies. This applies to cigarettes, cigars, pipes and electronic cigarettes that emit any vapour – even water vapour. Electronic cigarettes that don’t emit vapour will continue to be permitted for use inside cabins and on cabin balconies but are not permitted in any non smoking public areas."

Well I’m staggered. Even those that don’t emit the smoke clouds still smell, and imagine walking in to a cabin on embarkation day to find that the previous occupant has vaped in it 🤢. As we all know, give people an inch and they’ll take a mile, so you can bet your bottom dollar that this already relaxed rule will be stretched. I’m grateful to you for flagging this. 

33 minutes ago, lincslady said:

I agree about the possible percentage of smokers onboard.  I suspect this has been one of Fred's main attractions recently, a deliberate decision  by their management.

Yes, the same thought crossed my mind. They probably see it as a unique selling point as it’s the polar opposite stance that all the other lines take. Great if you are a smoker / vaper, but not for me I’m afraid. 

7 hours ago, showingdiva said:

 

Changes apply from 1st April 2025.    When smoking will no longer be permitted on balconies (with the exception of e-cigarettes that do not emit smoke, which will continue to be allowed in cabins / balconies and designated areas).    All three ships will still have multiple designated outdoor smoking areas across several decks where smoking /  vaping will be permitted.

 

Many thanks for the info. I have as much of an issue with e-cigarettes as I do normal cigarettes, so the fact that they will still allow them on balconies (and in cabins???, surely not?) continues to rule them out for me. I find the smell of both to be revolting, even when I’m some distance from them and not directly getting ‘smoke’, so it’s a risk that I just wouldn’t take - even if they were half the price of P&O! As the only cruise line that allows this sort of thing, their liberal attitude will attract a higher percentage of those who smoke or vape, which would compound the issue. 

7 minutes ago, zap99 said:

You could then top it up from the stuff you purchased in Tesco and take it to a restaurant the next night and the next and....not that we would ever Do such a thing.😂

I’ve always said that I wouldn’t walk around the ship with a part used bottle of wine as it looks naff, but you’ve got me thinking now 😂. All joking aside, I bet that plenty of people have wised up to that cunning ruse. Just one of the unintended consequences of the policy change, another being that we find that we now spend much less on wine than when we could always have a white and red on the go and have them within minutes of sitting down 🤔

Just now, twotravellersLondon said:

 We think that it's due to come in next year.

Thanks. They shall remain off our list until at least that time!

5 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

If you eat in Epicurean  two days in a row, can you keep bottles  to next night. My wife only drinks white , I  like a red. 

I’d be staggered if they wouldn’t do this for you. 

I would also be interested in the price comparisons, but as Jean usually books an inside cabin on P&O I can’t imagine that she’s booked a cruise at anything approaching some of the prices suggested. 

I’ve never considered Fred Olsen as on the two occasions I have asked they still allowed smoking on balconies. I remember the days when our use of the balcony was ruined by smelling cigarette smoke, and nowadays you have the added issue of vapes as well. Does anyone know if they’ve moved with the times and banned smoking and vaping on balconies yet?

1 hour ago, WestonOne said:

Selborne wrote: " Also, now that P&O has done way away with the ability to keep unfinished bottles in the MDRs..."

Really?  My wife doesn't drink at all and one glass a night with my meal is usually enough for me.  If this is the case, then for us - we go for 1st sitting - the packages are no use at all: it will wine by the glass for me.

I have since discovered that some (but not all) ships now hold unfinished bottles in club dining only. For example, on Aurora last month they would, but on Britannia they wouldn’t. It appears to no longer be possible on any ships for freedom dining. 
 

However, the revised prices mean that a 250ml glass works out at one third of the price of a bottle, so there’s no money to be saved by buying whole bottles (other than through wine packages - but choice is restricted with those). 

The private dining room is behind the Glasshouse, not Sindhu. We have dined in there several times and it’s quite small (capacity around 12). The room is also used as a meeting room by senior officers (daily briefings etc) so I don’t think it would be available for private hire. Worth asking, I guess, but as I say it’s very small. 
 

The only venue that springs to mind is the Uganda Room, behind the Crows Nest. That is rarely used and seems like the obvious place. It could certainly take 23 people. The only issue I can foresee is that it’s miles from any dining venues, so catering options may be a bit limited. 

Confirmation just received that OBC has been applied (having complained about how longs it was taking). Will await confirmation from TA before considering it done!

1 hour ago, kruzseeka said:

I do agree your experience isn't good.  Presumably the change was meant to be more efficient - and in many cases once registered for many it has been quick and easy. 

 

I wonder whether it makes a difference who holds your shares.  Seems once Stockperks have you recognised as a share holder you don't have to go through the registration process again but presumably they do check that you still hold the shares each time you apply.  Are some providrs linked into their system and give more or less instant confirmation whilst others are not, and if not, perhaps delays are a reflection of varying response times from providers. 

Could be. Mine are with Hargreaves Lansdown. Doesn’t explain the delay in getting OBC applied once the shareholding has been verified though?

On 3/13/2024 at 4:37 PM, Winifred 22 said:

I got OBC for September Cunard cruise applied in under 24 hours applied Sunday. Confirmation e Mail from Cunard Monday morning 

Did you apply direct or via Stockperks? Have to say I am deeply unimpressed with Stockperks. I registered and uploaded proof of shareholding. Took well over a week to get it recognised and that was only after I chased them. Once that was done I applied for shareholder OBC for a Cunard cruise. That was a couple of weeks ago. I’ve heard nothing. When I used to apply direct to Carnival the response was far quicker. 

24 minutes ago, Peter Lanky said:

They could simply ask on a declaration form 'Do you need the wider doors of an accessible cabin in order to enter/exit the cabin/bathroom, and get people to sign up to it. If they lie on the declaration, there would be consequences which the cruise line would have to decide, but at least it would deter most who are just trying to get a larger cabin. Only a dedicated few would bring their own wheelchair simply to qualify.

Peter - people who are not disabled might answer yes to your suggested question! With respect, what you are concerned about (those who don’t have a genuine need for an accessible cabin getting one) is already covered in P&Os booking conditions. When we book an accessible cabin it is made clear that anyone booking one who does not have a genuine need for one is liable to have their booking cancelled with no refund. Our P&O insider has also confirmed that P&O has clamped down on this. I wonder if you are worrying about a problem that no longer exists? 

As using a mobile phone at the wheel in the U.K. is now deemed a very serious (and reckless) offence, carrying a 6 point penalty (or worse if you cause an accident), I agree that it comes as a shock now when travelling overseas to find drivers texting or making calls whilst driving.
 

On our recent cruise, where we visited 21 different countries, I witnessed this in almost all of them when on excursions. I must confess that I didn’t make a compliant, but I certainly felt that it was extremely dangerous, especially when in charge of a minibus or coach containing large numbers of people whose lives are in their hands.
 

Although the law in most countries still allows this dangerous practice, I think it would be a good idea to flag this with P&O. Even though it might not be illegal, P&O could issue instructions to the tour operators that they use saying that they should not do this when carrying their passengers. 

1 minute ago, Devon born and bred said:

Whilst I agree that the P&O system is far from perfect, until it is changed that is the system which we should all comply with. The fact some Brits love to queue is irrelevant, as Palaceman said if we all adopted the 'I will ignore the procedure' attitude it really would be chaos.

I think that those who feel that the world will end seem to think that everyone is desperate to be first off the ship. Those who fall into that category already have a self disembarkation facility that gets them off the ship before the rest of us. Others are governed by the departure times of organised transport, such as coaches. For those of us who drive, we are not all desperate to dash off at the first opportunity.
 

In our case we don’t leave the cabin until we have to (usually 8am) and we go to the MDR for a leisurely breakfast. We take our time over this in order to let the rush subside. When we are good and ready we just walk off the ship. Often, by this time the bulk of passengers have already left so it makes finding our cases significantly easier. 
 

For clarity, I am not instructing anyone to do as I do. Those who wish to vacate their cabins earlier, possibly skip breakfast and wait in crowded public rooms until told that they can leave are perfectly free to do so. It’s not our choice but we are all different. 

15 minutes ago, RJChatsworth said:

Something else I didn’t mention about the entertainment director was that on the last evening when the Headliners had completed an excellent show culminating in a Les Mis tribute and standing ovation, he said we’ll all get a questionnaire and he was touting for 10s for the entertainment department as we all want to keep our jobs, including me, he said!  I personally found this totally naff.

2 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

As did the captain in his last lunchtime address. Again, naff 

Exactly the same happened on our cruise, as reported in my live blog. I thought it was very poor form and showed a degree of insecurity. If they were confident that everything was perfect then they wouldn’t need to request this. I made a point of mentioning this, and stating how disappointed I was with both the Entertainment Manager and Captain for making these comments, on my post cruise feedback form. A few people commented that a stupid request like that would actually have the opposite effect and result in them lowering their scores!

24 minutes ago, Palaceman said:

Have you ever considered what would happen if everyone refused to play the disembarkation game and just walked off when they felt like it?  It would be absolute chaos! 

Brits like queues, so the situation you describe would never occur 😉. P&O make a complete and unnecessary meal out of disembarkation. They should adopt the hassle free disembarkation process adopted by some other cruise lines, such as sister brand Cunard. Until then…..

1 hour ago, Peter Lanky said:

Just as an aside, walking passengers will probably not have noticed that the number of wheelchair 'users' boarding flights, particularly long haul, far exceeds the number disembarking. Flying must have a Lourdes effect. It seems people like the benefits of speedy boarding, but don't like to wait until last to leave the aircraft.

This ‘Lourdes effect’ (as you describe it) happens in reverse on cruise ships. Many folk who walk around the ship and ports completely unaided suddenly need a wheelchair (provided by P&O, as said people don’t need one at any other time) with a pusher, in order to disembark, when it is felt that this might get them off quicker. In reality, the opposite is the case, as so many people now claim that they need assistance it takes ages.
 

Although we have a genuine need for assistance, we now avoid it as it winds us up so much. We just go directly off the ship, bypassing assistance, when it suits us (not ideal, as I have to put hand luggage on my wife’s lap and it’s her legs that she has the biggest problem with) and I grab a porter as soon as we get to the baggage reclaim hall as from that point on we cannot manage without assistance. 

2 hours ago, daiB said:

I am afraid if you want to cruise with a wheelchair you need to book very early.

That was always our view Dai, but two of our four cruises over the last year were booked within months of the cruise. We were told with both cruises that there were no accessible balcony cabins available, but subsequent calls resulted in success. My theory is that those with serious disabilities may be more likely to cancel a cruise just before balance due date, if their condition has perhaps worsened in the (up to) 2 years since they booked, or they need medical treatment etc.

1 hour ago, Peter Lanky said:

In these enlightened (allegedly) times, this should not be the case. Far lesser things have been classed as discrimination than this, and we (the disabled customers) need to put more pressure on the cruise companies to address the problem. I shall certain be making the application of this pressure a priority in my spare time.

I’m afraid that I’m with @Megabear2 on this one. It’s not discrimination, it’s supply and demand. Nothing more. They can only have a relatively small number of disabled people on a ship for safety reasons and there is more demand than there is supply. You can’t compare land based disability requirements with a ship for obvious reasons. As in my response to Dai above, it is sometimes possible to book late and still get an accessible cabin at a bargain price. 

@RJChatsworth Thanks for taking the time to review your cruise. We would have loved to have done that cruise had we not been on for 65 nights just before, although I’m really sorry to hear that you didn’t get a proper display of the Northern Lights. We had the same experience as you on our second Northern Lights cruise, but were lucky that we had absolutely stunning displays the year before. We should have called it quits then, as I now realise how lucky we were! I hope that you get a chance to go again and see all the colours with the naked eye, so that you can properly tick it off your bucket list (it was for the same reason that we went). 

I was fascinated to read that your feedback on so many things was almost a carbon copy of our experience. I also agree with some other comments that you made about issues that I hadn’t raised in my blog. I also found the entertainment manager to be over the top, irritating and not at all funny. I get the impression that he’s a failed stand up comedian who thinks he’s still a ‘turn’ rather than the person who manages the entertainment. 
 

As for embarkation and disembarkation, we were staggered at how much better Cunard does it and are at a loss as to why P&O makes such a meal of it especially when, as you say, they are part of the same group. Our recent embarkation experience on Aurora was the worst we’ve ever had and our priority boarding counted for nothing. I’m afraid that with disembarkation we refuse to play the game and just walk off when we are ready (not that early it has to be said). 
 

Your MDR experience was identical to ours bar one thing - we did at least have wafers in our ice creams 😂 Ice cream was usually served half melted though 🙄
 

Interesting that you had 8 Headliner shows. Thats about the same number that we had over 65 nights, so they weren’t exactly recovering from our cruise! We thought that they were pretty good but the female singer in Pulse was awful and I am at a loss as to how she passed an audition. Hopefully she was one of the 40% of the crew to rotate off the ship after our cruise so that you weren’t subjected to her!
 

Finally, I know exactly what you mean about loud passengers who spoil the experience for others. I call them the “look at me” types. Everyone has to know that they are having a great cruise. I didn’t mention it during my blog, as I knew that a few people on board were reading it and was worried in case I described one of them, but there were 3 people who stood out as being particularly annoying. I’m not trying to be PC or pacify the northerners, but these three were each from different parts of England.  
 

There were a number of reasons why we asked to move tables for dinner (2nd sitting) but one of the main reasons was an elderly woman with a stick (who I’m pretty sure was southern) who was, like us, sat near the entrance to the MDR. She had the loudest laugh I’ve ever heard and she found absolutely everything hilarious - continuously - every night. I swear that if someone just told her the time she would belly laugh. We moved to the complete opposite end of the MDR and, on occasion, could still hear her. As we exited the MDR and were waiting for a lift each evening she was still at it. Irritating beyond belief. I’m amazed that her husband doesn’t find her embarrassing and ask her to pipe down. I certainly would, not that my wife would ever behave like that (I wouldn’t be with her if she did 😂).
 

Sadly, having moved, we could then hear a chap (who I know was a northerner) who was a contender for the male with the loudest “look at me” laugh, but thankfully he wasn’t continuous every night as the woman was. Finally, to complete the trio, there was a woman from the east midlands who held court in the coffee shop (very loudly) most afternoons. I suppose that out of 1,650 passengers we were lucky just to have 3 that we would have happily chucked overboard, but on a ship like Aurora they can be difficult to avoid 😂 

5 hours ago, laslomas said:

 

Surely an option in this instance would be for P&O to offer storage facilities for electric scooters / wheelchairs and get them out for port days. The passengers could then book into any class of cabin and get about the ship with the help of sticks or folding walking aids if required on board. Does anything like this happen?

This is something that I have often wondered. My wife is a full time wheelchair user and if we can’t get an accessible cabin we simply cannot cruise. Through no fault of their own, some scooter users who may have a much milder degree of disability have no choice but to book an accessible cabin even when, other than the need to park the scooter inside, they don’t really need the fully accessible features. 
 

Pre Covid we met a number of able bodied passengers who had been allocated an accessible cabin. Some felt very guilty about it as they were worried that they were depriving a disabled person from cruising. I am pleased to hear from @molecrochip that P&O are stopping this, but there is more that they should do. I have suggested to them that they should have specific wait lists for those requiring accessible cabins, but they will only accept wait list requests when ALL cabins in that grade are booked, rather than when just the accessible cabins are sold. We would book more cruises with P&O if they contacted us to say that an accessible balcony cabin had become available. As it stands, the onus is on us to keep asking and, as a result, we tend to give up. 

8 hours ago, carlanthony24 said:

Honestly I found the crew canteen not to my liking that much. Mostly found it catered for the Indian/Philippine crew. It did have some British food like burgers, fish, chicken curry but repeated often. It was just better going up to the buffet or a specialty restaurant most days.

It’s the Indian & Philippine sections that I’d go to!

@paulscott Having re-read the posts that I made detailing the few dozen post Covid changes that we noticed on Britannia, it was interesting that the experience on the three other P&O ships that we’ve been on since then was slightly different. Some things that have been stopped on some ships have continued on others. Notably, the app system for booking MDR dining seems to be reserved for the larger ships. 
 

As others have said, the experience can vary quite a bit depending on which ship you go on. We found some aspects of Iona to be very good, but other issues that we had mean that I simply cannot convince my wife to go on her again (nor sister ship Arvia). By contrast, our favourite ship had always been Aurora, but having spent a long time on her recently we are now finding her to be past her best and the MDR food was the weakest of the four P&O ships that we’ve been on. For us, I think our priority for our future P&O cruises may now be Britannia and Ventura. We have also started using Cunard as well. 

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

I haven't been impressed with Sindhu for quite a few years, like you keep trying, it is far too bland for us, we have asked what meals were deemed the spiciest and asked for it to be spiced up but to no avail. I have had better curries in the MDR. 

Same here. I know that most people rave about Sindhu but it does nothing for me. I love Indian (and in fact all Asian) cuisine at home, but the ‘fusion’ concept of Sindhu just doesn’t work for me. Like you, I tend to enjoy the curries in the MDR far more.
 

The place that I’d really like to eat, but never will, is the crew canteen. They have different sections for each major nationality that the crew come from. I bet that the food there is far more tasty, as they won’t tone it down to suit what they perceive to be the bland palates of us Brits! 

Hi Paul. Welcome to Cruise Critic. We had exactly the same concern as your wife. Our first P&O cruise post Covid was on Britannia last summer (we’ve done 3 other P&O cruises since). I did a live blog from this cruise but afterwards I did a long post on all the changes and how they impacted on us (or didn’t). Hopefully this will answer all (and maybe more 😂) of your questions or concerns.