Triplalot

Yes it is the new review. I know Oceana is not the newest in the fleet and have realistic expectations, we plan to enjoy our holiday :). I would be interested to know what you thought of the select dining options,are they value for the extra surcharge? Also which bars are the liveliest should we decide to let our hair down, we are not really into quizzes and cabaret shows so will have to keep ourselves entertained. What did you think of the port at Genoa? We have not booked an excursion here since we thought a quiet afternoon on the ship might be nice but maybe we will take a stroll into town and possibly find a nice place for lunch. Finally (for now) my husband likes the odd cigar during the day and evening which I believe he can only do in a few areas on board, did you notice where the smoking areas are, I think one is close to the Pennant Bar, will he be made to feel like a pariah for his vice? I may have some more questions later :). Thank you for your assistance......

Presto2 and Daisymay I am so pleased to read your comments and Presto2 I also enjoyed your review. We are doing the 14 day Venice to Venice in July and the nice things you have written are very reassuring, thank you for sharing your positive experiences. Daisymay enjoy the remainder of your cruise :)

Yes they are offering pre booking in the personaliser. I like the idea of the Beach House since it is more informal, only 3 courses and most importantly not the buffet! When I'm on holiday I prefer table service :)

Very interesting. I have just rechecked my personaliser for 1st July and both restaurants still show, however I imagine this is probably a mistake, or maybe they will use the same area for both restaurants during the transition. Could be confusing :)

Since we have 3 days in Venice prior to our cruise (Oceana) and 2 weeks on board I will definitely need to use the launderette to wash our smalls and some garments a couple of times during the cruise otherwise our suitcases will be way to heavy. We are positioned fairly close to the launderette and I plan to put my washing in the machine on my way to the gym (8 ish) and dry it on my way back to the cabin to wake up hubby :). I definitely won't wash anything that needs ironing if I can help it ! I think I will also need to factor in a visit to Costa Coffee for a takeaway too for sustenance during this activity.

Definitely both show in the personaliser and are both in my Shopping Basket waiting for me to decide to book. I quite like outdoor eating in good weather and it would be nice to have both options. Also closer to the smoking area by the Pennant Bar so my husband can sneak away quietly for a quick cigar !

Hmm interesting since the personaliser will allow me to book both, maybe I will wait until I'm on board before I book :)

I am considering booking some Select dining venues for our cruise in July and noticed that they are taking reservations (Cruise Personaliser) for the Beach House which doesn't appear on the dining options on the P&O website. Is this a new addition? Please can anybody tell me where the Beach House is situated and is it a good option for a change from the MDR? We will also probably make reservations for Cafe Jardin and the Horizon Grill too. Would welcome your comments. :)

Since this cruise is due to leave it no longer shows online but will follow the same route as the one leaving on May 13th for which I have posted the link:

http://www.pocruises.com/e511/mode-itinerary/

I'm also doing this cruise in July.

Not as far as I'm concerned :)

Me neither :)

Have to agree with mominhouston that Le Club 55 is a great place for lunch and sunbathing :)

Driving in Monaco can be a bit of a nightmare since there are a lot of vehicles, one way systems and generally confusing roads. You may not travel very far very fast, however there are some lovely views to be had from the elevated roads.

I think I would prefer a luxury coach transfer rather than the hassle associated with flying since I am really starting to hate airports, delayed or cancelled flights and the evermore invasive airport security (despite appreciating that it is needed). By the time you factor in check in times, clearing security etc it probably does not save that much time, especially if you have to leave a day early for peace of mind.

I did my first cruise in the Caribbean during the Millennium on NCL Majesty (now a Thomson ship I believe) and myself, husband and daughter (and everybody on our table for dinner) took it in turns to catch a nasty 24 hour stomach bug (this was pre the norovirus hysteria). Basically we just stayed near a bathroom and the violent sickness soon subsided and only spoilt one day of the cruise. I actually started feeling unwell during an excursion from Nassau to Atlantis island which was very spectacular, I particularly liked the gold fittings in the bathrooms all of which I visited, however I didn't make it to dinner that evening :) It never crossed our minds to complain to NCL either during or after our cruise, we didn't feel they were responsible. This was nothing compared to the Salmonella poisoning that my husband and I contracted at our hotel in Tunisia a few years earlier, that took weeks to get over and yet we didn't complain to the Tour Operator on that occasion either.

From my experience on 2 previous Xmas/New Year cruises in the Caribbean where there were shops at the ports they were open, and some ports actually had special souvenir markets set up for the cruise ships. Sometimes you have to travel out of the port for shops and restaurants some these will be close by.

Does P&O quote higher prices to cover the cost of the huge OBC

they offer?

 

We only just managed to spend ours last time. Especially as we wanted to pre-book a couple of popular official tours before we sailed.We had to pay when we booked. They don't let you use your OBC any more.

 

I am beginning to think the OBC deals may not be worth bothering about. What does anybody

 

Our onboard credit will cover our auto gratuities and maybe a SPA treatment since we didn't get very much, or I could purchase a wine package. I would probably do more ship excursions booked on board if We had the amount of credit others have mentioned and it would certainly help towards our 14 day drinks bill :)

My next planned cruise is not until January '16 (apart from a last minute bargain which may crop up meanwhile) but I am already keeping my eyes open for 'useful for the cruise' stuff!

Yes I've been doing this too for my cruise in July. So far have bought some interesting items including plastic covers for baggage labels, locks for my cases when I leave them at my pre cruise hotel pre check in, waterproof belts for phones and money for water based excursions, very discreet money belt for Venice and dry excursions, a four port universal USB charger for our iPads and iPhones (probably very useful and small) and clothing articles including shoes. Hopefully I will remember to pack them :)

Chariots this must have been very disappointing and distressing for you and it is a shame that your experience was not up to the standard afforded to the other travelers, especially since your husbands disability probably made a bad experience worse. I hope that you get a speedy refund from P&O who are probably addressing and remedying a number of related claims at the moment. I also hope that some sort of compensation is offered for your inconvenience and the upset caused. Please let us know the outcome.

I once forgot to pack driving licenses when we went to Albufeira in Portugal. Didn't like the resort and couldn't rent a car to get out and about. Managed a couple of bus trips but all in all it was a poor holiday. Most things I forget can be easily purchased, but that was a disaster :)

Another time we decided to drive from Estepona in Southern Spain to Gibraltar and didn't realize we had left our passports in the hotel until we got to the border, that was annoying but mildly entertaining!

I'm on Britannia, 2nd May.

 

I got my Euros a couple of weeks ago. but only because I was watching the exchange rate rise and when it started to fall so thought better now than later.

Living in the Eurozone I am hoping that the value of the Euro improves before July otherwise paying in Sterling onboard is going to be painful. I've just paid the balance of my cruise at the awfully inflated exchange rate too. At least most ports of call are Euro countries :)

We're leaving for the airport on Tuesday and packing tomorrow - Monday.

Again, it means that I have a clear picture of what is in the case so that we don't forget anything.

 

Also, if our cats even suspect that we are packing for a holiday they freak out. ;)

I have the same problem with my dog and we also have a cat. They will be safely deposited at the animal hotel before I get the cases out :)

My husband starts to pack and fret three weeks before we leave. I pack the night before. Inevitably we pack too much, especially shoes!

Loobs you can never pack too many shoes - you have to be coordinated :)

I have started to think about incidentals for my trip (12 weeks away) such as a discreet money belt for my pre trip stay in Venice and locks for the cases I will be leaving at our hotel to Checkin, cruise baggage tag covers ( since I will be printing my own) waterproof covers for my phone/iPad so that I can read by the pool/sea on excursions,USB travel adapters and clothing requirements since I have been losing weight and some of my Summer stuff will be too big and I like to take some new stuff anyway. I am buying these when I see them. Will probably buy toiletries, sun cream etc a week or 2 before and finally pack the day before.

I also need to buy a new battery for my luggage scale since we have decided to fly rather than drive down to Venice and Easyjet are very strict, albeit we have purchased 26KG each hold luggage plus hand luggage so weight should not be a problem - if it is I will have to repack :)

Quite. It`s like politics and religion. Other things you shouldn`t discuss at the dining table are the cost of your cruise and whether or not you remove the auto tip. :D

Quite agree :)

Also probably not a good idea to discuss tipping policy with stewards or waiters !

We booked a cruise from Venice without flights and were credited €200 each against the cruise for the flights (we are traveling from Amsterdam). I would have thought they would do similar with your cruise too?