Selbourne

That’s interesting. I’ve only booked Savers twice, once pre Covid and our most recent cruise. One was a late saver (although neither the P&O website nor any of the booking confirmations ever use the word ‘late’, and just say ‘saver’) and one an early saver. On neither occasion did we see the wording that you’ve quoted about being able to express a dining preference. In fact, on both occasions I attempted to express a preference and was told categorically (both by P&O and our specialist TA) that this is not possible on a Saver fare. Whilst frustrating, I guess it’s a case of not being able to have your cake and eat it. After cabin selection, the ability to confirm your dining preference (on ships where this is still relevant) is one of the main reasons why people will pay what can sometimes be a substantial premium for a Select fare. I guess it’s unreasonable to take advantage of the cheaper Saver fare and yet expect the same benefits as those who have specifically paid more in order to obtain them.

Is it an electric wheelchair? My wife has a manual one and we’ve never had a label put on it.

My understanding is that you cannot express a dining preference on any type of Saver fare at any stage. This is only possible with a Select fare. Even with a Select booking you can only have the type of dining confirmed (freedom or club) and, if club, first or second sitting, with table size always just being a preference, but not confirmed. With a Saver, your dining is only confirmed once you are on board. On Iona and Arvia this is of no relevance, as they only have Freedom dining anyway, but on the other ships if you aren’t happy with what you’ve been allocated then you can request a change on board, but this is subject to availability. We booked a Saver fare for our recent Aurora cruise. Our preference (which we couldn’t express) was table for 2, second sitting club. We were allocated second sitting, but on a shared table. We tried it for a week or so but then decided that it wasn’t working (for several reasons) so requested a change. We were told that Freedom dining was full (as it often is) but we managed to get a table for our sole use on 2nd sitting, so all was well.

A year ago, from what we were reading about P&O, we thought that our days with them might be numbered. However, having now done 4 cruise with P&O on 4 different ships over the past 8 months, we are now happy to continue cruising with them, albeit at a lower cost than we’ve paid in the past. We now use Cunard as well but, as already mentioned, we just can’t see the value in Saga given the relatively low worth (to us) of the included aspects. Like others, we prefer to pay for what we use rather than pay for everything (as you do with Sagas high prices) to only use some of it. I respect the fact that we are all different though and I have no doubt that the Saga product is better. As to whether it’s 2 to 3 times better (as it would need to be to justify the price difference) is, I guess, subjective. Where we differ though is that if ever we get to the stage that we abandon P&O, I would vacate this forum as well. Whilst still using P&O I feel that I can comment on the good and the bad aspects in a balanced way that is hopefully of interest to people. However, if all I had to say was negative things then I’d consider it to be bordering on spiteful to just rubbish the P&O product in a forum where people are spending their hard earned cash and looking forward to their cruises.

Interesting question. Our biggest worry was that we might come back to some issue(s) with the house, which thankfully we didn’t which was a huge relief. Within 24 hours of returning home I had done all the remaining washing and ironing and mowed the lawns. As I have to do everything at home, I often feel quite down after a holiday as I return to doing all the domestic stuff that I’m sure that none of us enjoy, but getting on top of everything so quickly really helped. In fact, it seemed less effort to get back on track than it did after our previous 2 week cruise! We've had a heck of a lot on this week so, yes, it does feel like some time ago that we were away, but we are so glad that we did it as I doubt that we will ever do anything remotely like it again and we will have those memories, aided by the blog and the photos, for life.

Yes, deck privilege was indeed the term used. Our MDR waiter and Glasshouse wine host (amongst many others) had free meals during our cruise. Not an issue as far as I’m concerned. Every time we used speciality restaurants (probably at least 15 times over the 65 nights) there were always officers dining there. I don’t doubt that they pay but, as I’ve said, it can be irritating when passengers cannot book, although due to the length of our recent cruise this wasn’t an issue.

I think that part of the challenge of making comparisons is that the prices that P&O customers pay for the same cruise can vary enormously, far more so than is the case with Saga. Some of us are quite anal about monitoring P&O prices, from launch right through to a month or so before sailing. It is quite common for those who aren’t as obsessive about these things to book a cruise at a time when prices can be more than double what they could have paid had they got the timing right. That can be the case with Select fares alone, but then there’s Savers just to complicate matters even further. I think I’m right in saying that the maximum discount with Saga is around 40% and, even booking late it is still possible to get 10% or even 20%, so the variations are much narrower compared to P&O. Therefore, someone comparing a Saga launch price with a P&O cruise booked at a ‘bad’ time will no doubt find the price gap to be much closer, especially if they drink a fair bit and so benefit more from the all inclusive aspects of Saga. However, when comparing the cheapest that I can book P&O cruises (no longer always launch prices) with the cheapest that I can book Saga cruises (pre-launch) I have never been able to narrow the gap below a level where the Saga cruise carries a price premium of at least £300 per day per couple (balcony cabin versus balcony cabin). I don’t ask this in a judgemental way, but would you say that the ‘included’ aspects that you get with Saga are worth anywhere near that? I accept that the quality of the Saga product (cabins, food etc) is probably much better, but even if we went mad on P&O and pretended that we were all inclusive I don’t think we’d spend half that difference.

That’s not always the case. On our recent cruise several of the crew who we knew well (not officers, but waiting staff etc) were allowed to have free meals in the speciality restaurants in small groups. It was under a scheme that they told me about. I can’t recall the exact name but it was ‘x privilege’). Also, there have been plenty of times when we have dined, or attempted to dine, in Speciality restaurants that are ‘fully booked’ but we’ve seen officers dining in them!

During our three and a half year pause in cruising (the staycation cruises and those with on board Covid restrictions didn’t remotely appeal to us), we became concerned, based on all the reports that we were reading, that P&O may no longer be for us. By contrast, having read loads of extremely positive reviews on Saga cruises, we decided that we would give them a go and we pre-paid for access to the pre-sale releases so that we could book before general on-sale dates. This was essential, as we need an accessible cabin (and they only have two at the entry level) and because this would also afford the biggest discounts. We were under no illusion that the Saga experience would be superior to P&O, but at a greater cost. We were fine with that, especially given the all inclusive aspects. Since then a number of things have happened that have changed our mind, both regarding P&O and Saga. Having done a lot more research on Saga, most notably informed by @Dermotsgirl excellent reports (a respected frequent P&O cruiser who tried Saga for the first time), many of the all inclusive aspects weren’t quite what they seemed. I might be wrong about some of this (and will be happy to be corrected), but my understanding is; Private transfers - Due to where we live, this would have to be shared, which doesn’t appeal. My wife is a full time wheelchair user so we’d need a large vehicle to accommodate us, luggage and wheelcair, plus the driver and potentially other passengers and their luggage. My understanding is that they generally use mini-van type vehicles for this purpose and they are too high for my wife to get in and out of. By contrast, travelling in our own car it’s just us, my wife can get in and out OK and we can stop for loo breaks whenever we like. Also, Southampton is half the travel time compared to Dover. Included Excursions - These are limited to a few per cruise and tend to just be fairly basic excursions. My wife cannot board a coach or minibus and would need a car or wheelchair accessible vehicle. I’m not sure if that’s an included option. Drinks Package - I believe that there are some limitations on choice with wine (we tend not to drink the basic wines) and frankly we don’t drink much anyway. On our recent 65 nighter with P&O (this blog) our on board drinks bill was only around £20 a day (admittedly I had a throat issue that meant that drinking alcohol aggravated it, but it helped with avoiding weight gain). I’d also be concerned that if I’d paid for an inclusive drinks package I’d want to get value out of it! Speciality Dining - The cost of this on P&O is very low, especially if you book pre cruise and get the discounts. On Saga, spaces in these restaurants, whilst included, are rationed. WiFi - We have never paid for it, so free WiFi wasn’t a massive benefit for us. However, due to the length of cruise I took it out for our 65 nighter and it cost less than £7 a day. Dining times - We have always been able to dine when we wanted to with P&O and have always been able to secure good tables for 2. @Dermotsgirl had problems with both these aspects with Saga. As for P&O, whilst it has undoubtedly changed its market position, the prices have reflected this. We used to book suites and have used them on Britannia, Ventura, Arcadia and Oriana. We no longer book them, partly because we now need an accessible cabin (and most ships have only one accessible suite - in a poor location - or none) and, with the poor suite benefits, we no longer consider them to be value for money. We would rather spend the equivalent (or less) to cruise with Cunard at Club level, which gives far better dining privileges. Our minimum cabin grade with P&O is a balcony cabin (the lowest level you can book with Saga), and we are now able to secure these with P&O for less than £100 per person per night (managed that on Britannia, Ventura and Aurora over the last 8 months). Even with the pre-launch access and discounts, we can’t get a Saga cruise for less than £250 per person per night. Given the limitation and restrictions of the ‘included’ aspects, we reckon that even taking into account our on board spend with P&O, a Saga cruise still works out at more than double the cost so, in our case and how we cruise, that doesn’t seem like a good idea. If paying double the price of P&O our expectations would be sky high and, based on @Dermotsgirl experience, it sounds as though we could be disappointed. Consequently, I’ve currently given up on Saga and have asked for our pre-sale deposits to be refunded. Never say never, but our next two cruises are with Cunard in Club and we shall see what we make of that in comparison to P&O.

A brilliant blog. Thanks for doing it. I really enjoy your writing style and sense of humour. I’m not missing writing mine each evening 😂

I have.

It’s certainly true that it is not permitted to leave wheelchairs or buggies outside cabins, for the reason that you state. This is why scooter users have to book an accessible cabin (or larger cabin that can accommodate them) even if their disability doesn’t really warrant one. However, having used normal cabins back when my wife was a part time wheelchair user, it is possible to stow them inside the cabin, albeit a squeeze. I’m sure that the lady on Iona was misinformed, at least I sincerely hope that she is because accessible cabins really should be held for those with a genuine need for one.

I think it would be worth going back to the agent and letting them know that they are giving out incorrect information. They are going to be placing people who don’t have a genuine need for an adapted cabin into one. As well as depriving those with a genuine need for one, P&O conditions make it clear that somebody who books an adapted cabin but doesn’t have a genuine need for one risks their booking being cancelled!

40% of the staff were ending their contracts at the end of our cruise (not sure about the Executive Chef), so by the time you go I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance. Either way, half of the kitchen staff will have changed, so I suspect that things will be different. You never know, they may even have found the seasoning 😂

For balance, can I just reiterate that the comments regarding much of the MDR food being mediocre was specific to our recent cruise on Aurora. We heard plenty of similar (or worse) commentary on board, but also some who were fine with it. I have also been clear that we were very happy with the vast majority of our MDR meals on Britannia, Iona and Ventura last year, so we very much saw this as an ‘Aurora’ issue, rather than an across the board ‘P&O’ one. That being said, our view is that the MDR experience on P&O isn’t what it once was. It’s not a show stopper for us, as with the lower prices, rising food costs and pressure on Carnival profits post Covid, it is inevitable that a few things have had to give and this is one of them. These things work both ways though, and we now have a maximum price per day that we will pay for a P&O cruise, and that is lower than we’ve paid in the past.

We disliked the Glasshouse on Iona for the same reason - plus the restricted menu. We didn’t enjoy Keel and Cow either, again due to poor location (and my Primeminister Burger was luke warm). One lunchtime I walked through Keel and Cow and a couple were having steaks and they did look sensational though!

Yes, I would think so too, especially given how far out cruises are sold and if the change is effective from April. The extract you have posted makes it clear that the need for an accessible cabin would only apply to a manual wheelchair user if they need to use it to move around within the cabin. If this is not the case (which I believe may be @sandancer situation) then an accessible cabin is not required. That would not be a policy change as far as I know. Might be worth a repeat visit to the future cruise desk with the extract from the website, stressing that the wheelchair is not needed within the cabin.

Very different to the menu on Aurora as well. My two favourite meals were the 6oz fillet steak surf and turf with garlic prawns and the sea bass in banana leaf with curried prawn broth. Neither appears on the Iona menu although Keel & Cow will presumably provide dishes similar to these?

If true (let’s hope that the lady on Iona has misunderstood), this would be extremely bad news on several fronts. People like yourselves, who can presumably use a standard cabin and fold the wheelchair inside the cabin when not needed, would suddenly find your choice of cabins reduced by about 95%, and those of us who can only cruise in an adapted cabin due to full time wheelchair use or the need to store a scooter inside will suddenly have a load more ‘competition’ to secure the relatively few adapted cabins. Two of the four P&O cruises that we’ve been on over the last year were booked after balance due date at considerable savings and a policy change such as this would make that nigh on impossible. Let’s hope that this isn’t true. In our case, if we can’t get an adapted cabin we simply cannot cruise.

@TigerB I’m sorry to hear that you and your lass have experienced exactly the same issues with the lifts that we had when we were on Iona. I had told my wife that it was probably because we went in peak school holidays and that it would be less of an issue off peak, however your feedback leads me to think that it’s a permanent challenge. The lifts on Iona (and presumably Arvia as well) are just too small, and with the number of floors serviced by them resulting in almost everyone using them, trying to get a lift that is no more than half full (which you need in order to get a wheelchair in) can take a while, as you have found. We had the added issue of a lack of lift etiquette and people pushing in ahead of us. Whilst the lifts on Aurora were often like a sauna and the display screens and floor announcements were wrong most of the time, they are so much bigger than on Iona and Arvia and obviously serve less floors. Also, in spite of the high average age of passengers on our cruise, we were amazed to see so many people using the stairs. As a result of all of this, we didn’t have any issues whatsoever getting lifts over the entire 65 days, including disembarkation. However, on the flip side, the accessible cabin on Aurora wasn’t a patch on the one that we had on Iona. We don’t have any future P&O cruises booked at present, but I think that our experiences on 4 different P&O ships over the past year is going to result in Britannia and Ventura becoming our first choices now.

I could have written that myself! Aurora has always been our favourite ship as well, mostly due to the passenger profile and far better itineraries, but having experienced four different P&O ships post Covid I think she’s slipped down our batting order. MDR food was the weakest of the four (like you, we thought that Britannia and Ventura MDRs were much better - as was Iona), the air con issues were tiresome and the accessibility features are way behind the newer ships (which is more of an issue for us now that my wife’s condition has worsened). We still like Aurora even with these shortcomings, but I don’t feel that she can justify her premium prices any more. We were able to cope with the negatives by reminding ourselves how little we had paid for the cruise by getting a late saver. Had we paid the Select price I think we would have been less sympathetic to some of the shortcomings.

Well I’m pleased to say that I can assure you that they haven’t only been sent to those who wear rose tinted glasses, as I’ve had one 😂. As with my blog, I’ve given balanced feedback on both the good things and the not so good things.

That’s interesting about Covid & Norovirus. Early on in the cruise a steward at the aft of deck 11 (we were forward) was spraying in the corridor in protective clothing and when I asked what he was doing he said ‘Covid’ but, like you, we saw no signs of it and nor were we aware of it. We took some Covid test kits with us and when my throat started I tested and was negative. We don’t use the buffet, but the usual giveaway of a Norovirus outbreak is when staff serve people there. I didn’t hear anyone mention that was happening. Frankly, with a cruise of that length in the depth of winter we fully expected outbreaks of some form but, other than all the coughing, we thought that it had been Covid and Norovirus free!

As there have been quite a few comments about MDR food, can I just add a few points for clarity. Menu repetition - This wasn’t as much of an issue as we thought it would be. Whole menus didn’t seem to repeat (as we thought they would) but certain items did. One thing that we noticed a lot (especially with desserts) was items appearing on the dinner menu repeating at lunch the very next day. Menu descriptions - these were rarely an indicator of quality. Some elaborate and grand sounding meals turned out to be disappointing, whereas some bland sounding meals were very good. So those deciding whether to use the MDR based on the menu descriptions might be disappointed! Quality - whilst I have some sympathy with the view that a small increase in prices in return for better quality food wouldn’t have been a bad thing on this particular cruise, those who followed my live blogs from Britannia, Iona and Ventura last year may recall that I was very complimentary about the MDR food on all three of these ships. Therefore, I think it’s safe to say that what we experienced seemed to be an Aurora issue rather than a P&O one. With 40% of the crew changing on Friday, which will include chefs, the problem may have already been solved! One very positive aspect of the food being a bit uninspiring was that over 65 nights I only put on just under 3lb in weight, and all of that is probably attributable to the complimentary carrot cake in Raffles 😂. I have put on considerably more than that during a 2 week cruise before and somebody on our cruise has reported putting on two and a half stone 😱

We basically have a maximum net price (cruise fare minus OBC) that we won’t go over for a cruise with P&O, and that’s £100 per person per night for a balcony cabin on a Select basis with parking included. That’s easily achievable on Iona and Arvia, but we managed to get cruises for less than that on Britannia and Ventura last year. Iona cost us more as we had a deluxe balcony cabin and had to go in peak August school holidays. This cap pretty much rules out the adult only ships, certainly on a Select basis, but we booked a Saver on Aurora for our recent cruise and that worked out at £73 pppn.