Selbourne

25 minutes ago, Funboy said:

It always baffles me on  a ship sailing with a capacity above 100%.   The term 100% means the ship is full to the brim with no spaces left.. If over 100%(which is impossible unless overloaded) then the ship would be overloaded and people would not have cabins! If the true figure  for capacity is greater than published then the ship is not 100% full until all the berths are filled.

 

It’s all down to the peculiarities of cabins versus beds. To take made up numbers to illustrate the point;

Let’s say a ship has 1,000 cabins and they all have two lower beds. The ships normal capacity will show as 2,000 passengers. Out of school holidays, let’s say that 900 cabins are occupied with couples and 100 with solos. The ship will sail with 1,900 passengers and yet will be deemed ‘sold out’, as all cabins are occupied, even though capacity is 95%. 

In peak school holidays there might be 500 children on board, all in upper berths or sofa beds. These beds are not included in the stated capacity, so all of a sudden, with the same mix of couples and solos, you have 2,400 passengers. All cabins remain sold, but the ship is now sailing at 120% capacity. 
 

It’s a bit like when people say that they sailed on Iona or Arvia and the cruise was ‘sold out’ yet the ship didn’t feel busy. There may have ‘only’ been just under 5,000 passengers on board, but as all cabins were occupied the ship is technically sold out. However, when we went on Iona (peak school holidays) there were 5,750 people on board and these ships can (and do) go up to around 6,250. Both the 5,000 passenger cruise (at 95% capacity) and the 6,250 passenger cruise (at 119% capacity) will be termed ‘sold out’ yet one has 25% more passengers and will be a completely different experience!

I don’t think anything has changed. It’s simply a case of supply and demand. P&O want all cruises to sail with almost all cabins occupied. Where that is achieved by balance due date there will be no late deals, as they aren’t needed. Where there are still plenty of cabins to fill you can bet your boots that, in spite of Paul Ludlow comments (no doubt deliberately made to pull many people back to booking early) there will be late offers. As I say, it will vary by cruise, time of year, itinerary etc etc

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

It seems you have your wish... 

Express disembarkation is from 7am 'at a time that suits you'... 

Absolutely no mention of a time slot, just as long as you can carry your cases. 

I will try to report back how it works in theory later. 

Andy 

 

This is interesting. The wording seems to imply that they are now trying to push people towards self (‘express’) disembarkation. Standard disembarkation, which is used by the vast majority, is now prefaced with “if you are unable to carry your own luggage……”. I can see the advantage for P&O of this but, as someone who usually dreads disembarkation morning due to the challenges of getting my wife into a lift with her wheelchair - even when only competing with those with hand luggage - it will be interesting to see if this more relaxed approach to self disembarkation makes this problem worse. 
 

Glad to hear that you had a great cruise Andy. I’d wish you a safe journey home but I know that you are a local lad so will probably be home by the time you read this!

1 minute ago, P&O SUE said:

We boarded Aurora on the Thursday before Easter. I was very pleased to get a 12-45 embarkation time. Don’t know how we managed it but we pulled up at CPS bang on 12-45, they actually took quite a while to get to us which surprised me as normally it’s so quick. We didn’t walk up to the terminal door til about 1-15 - the queue outside was quite long but I said to hubby don’t worry they should let us on.

We were just going in after showing them our boarding time and I heard a man call out ‘anyone with 2pm or before you can now go in!’

I was glad we didn’t arrive later, there were hoards of people waiting outside!

CPS was half the problem with our Aurora cruise. We were held in a holding queue for half an hour whilst later arrivals, many probably without priority boarding, were waived through to the drop off lanes before us (as the holding lanes were full). 
 

We are on Queen Anne in a few weeks and are trying Parking4Cruises again, as we found them much quicker previously. 

8 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

The low end of the range a good deal. I expected the high end to be closer to the difference, but still less than if you just paid for the upgrade. However, the math for my Alaska cruise doesn't bear out that assumption.

 

For my Alaska cruise, the range to bid on Q3, Q4 from PG is $715 to $2285 per person, so $1430 to $4570 per stateroom. 

 

To book that cruise now in PG, Sailing Soon is $5,118 and Cunard fare is $7,998 (per stateroom)

To book that cruise now in Q3, Q4 Sailing soon is $7,998 and Cunard fare is $10,878

 

But with the way prices change, your starting point in PG could be more or less than the fares currently available. All you can do is try some dummy bookings to see what the going rate is and decide if a bid is worth it.

I appreciate that upgrades may be cheaper than the price differential at the time they are offered (when prices are probably very high) but, in the case of P&O U.K., if you’d booked at launch (or during a period when prices were low, given that fluid pricing means that cruise prices between launch and departure vary massively - up and down), you could have booked the higher grade cabin to start with for no more than the upgrade price, and you would have had the benefit of choosing your cabin. I was wondering if it was the same with Cunard. Of course, it could be different between US and U.K.  

We aren’t interested in bidding for P.G. We enjoyed our PG experience on QM2 but were disappointed with our accessible balcony cabin. It was no bigger than a standard PG cabin but configured differently. With Britannia Club, the two accessible balcony cabins are significantly bigger than the standard ones, so it feels like much better value. As I said, we are also keen to try Club as the concept very much appeals and it’s a lot more affordable. 

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

It says on website under suites that full suites board FIRST with Ligurian and both have access to hospitality lounge

I have a feeling that hospitality lounges were dispensed with during Covid and haven’t returned, or at least the complimentary drinks and snacks have gone?

5 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Suites , mini suites,  Caribbean,  Baltic and Ligurian all have priority boarding. That can be a lot of people. So if too many  have priority no one has priority.

That was exactly our experience when boarding Aurora in January. I believe that around 40% of the passengers had ‘priority’ boarding and, as a result, total chaos ensued, both with CPS and the terminal staff. It was the worst boarding experience we have ever had.
 

By contrast we boarded Iona immediately with no delay whatsoever but, of course, the vast majority of passengers on the mega ships aren’t eligible for priority boarding, so if you do qualify it actually counts for something. 

We haven’t bid for an upgrade on our upcoming Queen Anne cruise as we are keen to try Britannia Club, and the minimum upgrade costs were way too much. Can I ask those who have bid whether or not the upgrade cost is a big saving over the usual price differential?

I’m not as familiar with Cunard pricing as I am sister brand P&O, but in the case of P&O I have yet to see any bargains through the upgrade programme. The price differential in almost every example I have seen has meant that the passenger ends up paying pretty much the same as if they’d booked the higher grade cabin in the first place.

The unfortunate problem experienced by @Lainey123 is sadly cropping up fairly regularly now, either on this forum or elsewhere. It is almost always down to the same issue. The ‘Onboard Needs Questionnaire’ has not been completed.
 

The moral of this story is that you must complete and submit an ‘On Board Needs’ questionnaire for each and every cruise if you have any mobility issues or needs. Booking an accessible cabin is not enough. Mentioning disabilities or mobility aids when you book, or subsequently, is not enough. If you don’t complete the ‘On Board Needs’ questionnaire and you turn up with something like a mobility scooter there is a very high chance that you will be denied boarding.
 

I don’t wish to appear insensitive, but as someone who has filled in more of these ‘On Board Needs Questionnaires’ than I care to remember, I frankly struggle to see how people can miss this requirement. The number of prompts and reminders are bordering on over the top. 

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

It’s not that rare if QV (which even by modern standards is not small) has done it twice with me aboard. On both occasions it was the same captain, now retired, and on both occasions we had been delayed. I agree about the PR issue though.

I’m not saying it doesn’t ever happen, but I’m only going by what I’ve witnessed. We spend several weeks a year at Cowes where we watch the cruise ships depart each evening. Of the hundreds of cruise ships we’ve watched leave over many years, I’d say I could count on the fingers of one hand the number that have gone that way, hence my comment that it’s rare. Of course, I shall now be proved wrong 😂 

12 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

High tide tomorrow at Soton is at about 16.30 BST, I think. I wonder if she might take advantage of that to do what QV has done a couple of times when I have been aboard, and sneak in past the Needles, saving a couple of hours.

It’s very rare for ships to use the short cut past Yarmouth, and on the rare occasion that I’ve known it happen they have been small ships, certainly nothing as large as Queen Anne. Even if it were possible, I would also think that, from a PR perspective, Cunard would want the ship to be passing the Isle of Wight coast between Seaview, Ryde (opposite Portsmouth) and Cowes, as this opportunity for the ship to be viewed from land by large numbers of people would be completely lost coming via the Yarmouth route. 

32 minutes ago, AchileLauro said:

Never say never. While its not logical to have a black tie night on the evening before disembarkation it does sometimes happen. We were caught in this dilemma a few years ago.

I’m surprised at that. I bet that the waiters weren’t happy, as I suspect that compliance was low and a lot of people wouldn’t have used the MDR, on the last night when the waiters might have been expecting some tips!

They will almost certainly change the Black Tie night to 22nd. As you say, they are almost always on sea days and never on the final night. From my experience, there are often errors in the pre-cruise information regarding Black Tie nights and they are often different once on board. 

26 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I think the old NW missed ports cover was far too generous, so it's no wonder the new underwriters have increased the price. Especially as missed ports now seem far more common than in the past, and if it conues to increase I imagine the cost of cover will have to increase as well.

Thankfully the remaining 2 cruise bookings that we have (both with Cunard) are covered under the old policy (£150 per person per missed port), but do you know what the price per 2 week cruise is now and how much the missed port compensation is?

4 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

It’s on a go slow from Ryde… 2 hours where an IoW ferry from Cowes to Soton takes just under an hour. 

A few things to keep in mind. Ryde to Soton is a longer route than from Cowes. Cruise ships take a longer route from Cowes to Calshot, as they have to take a wider route around Bramble Bank to keep in deeper water, necessitating two low speed turns. Cruise ships travel slower along Southampton Water than the Red Funnel car ferries, presumably due to the larger wake they generate, which would be problematic for all the small craft that use this waterway. There will no doubt be a flotilla of small vessels shadowing Queen Anne on her inbound transit, so a slower transit than normal will be necessary for safety. Finally, the arrival into Southampton is a big PR exercise where Cunard will want as may people as possible to get a good look at their new ship, so they won’t want to be rushing! 

Interesting. Nationwide didn’t even require the missed port letters, let alone the invoice, as they’d already had a claim from another passenger. Took the claim in complete trust. Very impressive. 

8 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Selbourne, I believe Queen Anne's actual naming is going to completed in the same way Arvia's was last year in Barbados - I posted a video link of that on the roll call last week.  The Liverpool port area with it's tunnel etc is presumably not going to host the viewing area, most likely more along the front where Eurovision was when we were on QM2 last year.

 

My Cunard PC indicated to me that fireworks/music will be much grander than the hastily arranged Coronation effort, more in line with the 175th anniversary ones which were very spectacular and not just shoreside, hence the large crowds expected.

 

 

That’s interesting. Thank you. I guess that would mean that the ship would still be quite close to the quayside, so those of us remaining on board might (hopefully) be able to see and hear something ‘live’ from from the ship (albeit the back of the performers) rather than just on screen?

If you recall, when we were on the Coronation cruise, QM2 was berthed with the starboard side against the quayside. When the ropes were let loose, the ship reversed back some way to the Cunard building, where she sounded her horns before progressing forward again. Could be a similar process with the ship holding in that position for the ceremony?
 

I know that we have been told that it will all be explained once we are on board, but I don’t think that being stuck ashore in a standing only area for hours would be comfortable for us. 

We are thinking of staying on board as well. My wife is disabled and whilst there is a dedicated viewing area for wheelchair users, the time that you have to be ashore is too long, especially as it’s standing only (for me) and we’d both need to use toilets at least once during that time!

Does anyone know the reason why the ship is moving off the berth and whether we would be able to see anything from the ship other than on the TVs? I wonder if the stage will be open or have a backdrop (which would screen it from the ship)? We were on the QM2 Coronation voyage and when we were in Liverpool there was a music and fireworks display which we were able to watch in comfort from our starboard side balcony. We are starboard on QA as well so was hoping we could do the same, but this may be optimistic?

6 minutes ago, jh1809 said:

I booked this cruise on P&O's website on the 16th, opting for the Select fare. I'm sure I asked for Club dining, but on the confirmation email that arrived the same day I've noticed that it says Freedom dining. I can't see anywhere on my cruise personaliser that would allow me to change it (even though I could change my bed configuration from queen to twin if I wanted to). Am I missing something, or will I have to undergo the palaver of ringing up P&O? Or, as it's hardly urgent at this stage, would emailing them get them to change it for me? If so, which email address should I use?

 

I did wonder if perhaps they are planning to phase out Club dining on Aurora at some point before summer 2026 and if that might explain it. Has anyone heard any rumours?

I suspect it’s just an error. There is no way to change it via the Cruise Personaliser I’m afraid. If you booked via a TA, a 2 minute call to them will sort it. If you booked direct I’m afraid you’ll have to phone them and endure the wait. I don’t think there’s an email address for this, but others may be able to help. 
 

I’d be surprised if P&O dispense with Club dining on Aurora, especially as a lot of us who have used Freedom from the start have been switching back to Club due to the problems that seem to have crept in to Freedom dining. I certainly didn’t hear any rumours when we were on her recently.

12 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I hope they do build modern adult only ships, or even maybe have adult only cruises certain times of the year on Iona and Arvia.  🤔

So would I, but I can’t see it happening. The adult only ships are mostly filled with retirees on presumably very good pensions. Sadly, that market is diminishing as the vast majority of those entering the world of retirement going forward won’t have anywhere near the same level of pension income, and those that do will have different expectations and want a more upmarket experience than P&O offers. Plus, of course, there’s the economies of scale issue that massively favours the big ships. The market direction that P&O is going in is the polar opposite of upmarket small ships. Having spent 65 nights on Aurora recently she’s looking and feeling a little unloved, which probably tells us all we need to know about the direction of travel. 

2 minutes ago, david63 said:

Although you could argue that "free of charge" is, from their perspective, covering you.

I don’t think that I phrased my post very well. I was meaning that the insurers never suggested, when I specifically asked, that I needn’t worry about a medical evacuation at sea on the basis that whoever provides it (coast guard, air ambulance etc) would always do so free of charge. They said that they would cover the cost, which lead me to assume that there was one. I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that people, or insurers, have had to pay tens of thousands of pounds for such things but, thankfully, I’ve never had to find out! There have been a few on cruises that we’ve been on though, as well as unplanned port calls to drop off sick passengers. 

28 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Sadly we didn't like Ventura for some reason.. though we loved Azura! Think we would be disappointed if this was the only adults only option. 

That’s coincidental, because we’ve only been on Azura once and didn’t like her. We couldn’t put our finger on why, as we’d enjoyed Ventura the year before! We’d like to give her another go, but she only seems to do fly cruises now, which aren’t an option for us. 

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

I appreciate what you say, but some of us of a certain age group would also like to be considered in the future. The two adult only ships in the fleet are the smallest, which is not a problem, but they are also the oldest, most expensive to travel on and probably most likely to be taken out of service and sold. Of course the family market is important and increasingly so, but so is the adult only market. This I think is a dilemma for where P&O are and where they place themselves in an increasingly crowded market.

I think that there’s a reasonable chance that Ventura could become adult only when Aurora or Arcadia (or both) are sold in the future. I don’t think that Ventura would cut the mustard with the market that P&O is now targeting. Other adult only ships (Saga etc) are very expensive, so P&O may still see an opportunity in that arena, albeit at the (comparatively) budget end. 

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Check out post 10.

In a way it’s cosmetic, as there’s no way that I’d take the word of someone posting on a forum (even an esteemed forum such as this 😉) as gospel, and I wouldn’t dream of going on a cruise without comprehensive travel insurance, to cover all eventualities. I know that you are the same. However, whenever I’ve changed travel insurers I’ve always specifically asked about medical evacuation from a ship whilst at sea (in the knowledge that the cost would be devastating) and they confirmed it would be covered, never suggesting that it would be free of charge. 

18 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Helicopter medevac is apparently provided free by the coastguard.

Interesting, although I wouldn’t like to test that theory!