Cpt Pugwash

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

In all honesty, if I saw someone wearing a T-Shirt with that logo on it I would be fearful of offering them assistance, even if I felt that they needed it. 

To be honest i only wear it at the gym now as many people automatically think you need help when i don't. 

I know my limits and stick to them.

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

I didn’t mean to cause offence by using the term carer. What I was trying to say was that P&O make it very clear that anyone who needs assistance must not rely on staff and must travel with a companion who can assist them. That being said, there is absolutely no excuse for staff standing idle whilst someone is clearly struggling. 
 

We haven’t been on Iona yet, but we have been on around 20 P&O cruises, most of which have been since my wife became disabled, and we have never experienced any of the attitudes that you came across. in fact, quite the opposite. Some cruise reviews suggest that there may be staffing shortages on the larger ships or, more likely, P&O have decided to work on tighter staff ratios on these ships in order to improve profitability. We shall find out for ourselves when we are on Iona in August. 
 

It’s a shame if this has put you off cruising. I’d like to think that your poor experiences on Iona are not representative of the usual high levels of service that P&O provide to disabled passengers. Levels of assistance may be better on some of the smaller ships but, being older, they weren’t  constructed with the needs of disabled passengers taken into account in the same way as the newer ships, so present their own challenges. 

Please don't feel you offended me with the use of the word 'carer' no offence taken maybe one day i may need one in the future but since having a Leg Amputated in 2019 i have been determined to do as much for myself as i can, as they say 'keep your independence'

When the Consultant in the hospital said to the Junior Doctors he was teaching i had a great determined  attitude to do as much for myself as i could my reply was more like stubborn and i have to admit it's true probably stubborn till i die. 

Take Care

Hope you enjoy your trip to Fjords, been there twice going back in June on Britannia hopefully with more considerate staff.

29 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Unfortunately, a very small number of disabled people have a sense of entitlement or ‘rights’ that must rub some of the crew up the wrong way when they are doing their level best to help. We have used some very steep ramps to get on and off ships, including last week when we were in Liverpool on QM2. Many organisations would say that it was too unsafe and those unable to walk on and off the ship unaided must remain on the ship. However, two members of staff got my wife on and off, one controlling the wheelchair and the other holding that persons back. We both always make a point of thanking them most sincerely as I know from experience that it’s really hard work. 

Good to know that there is staff on P&O who will do the right thing just like you thanked them though Iona is a no need to tip ship staff member that offered me help i gave a tip to because as i have always said i know the difference in 'giving' good service and 'saying' you give good service and have always appreciated 'good' service even long before i became Disabled myself. 

Should send those staff that helped you wife onto the Iona to teach there staff about considering other peoples wishes/needs. Yes there is times when something will be too dangerous but someone sitting in a office deciding what is and what is not is wrong.

As one of my T-Shirts has on the front of it say's Disability does not Mean Inability.

Yes there is things you cannot do but very few people what you can or can't do but too many who don't know decide for you.

11 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

I have been impressed by the care and assistance of staff on recent cruises, even staff with aprons emblazoned with "I am here to help" in the buffet. However, that is on the smaller ships so maybe another thing missing from the big ones. 

That was a point also i did not understand about Iona in the Horizon Self Service Buffet they have staff  there wit the same aprons with Happy to Help on them and they did help me the both times i visited but in the Quays where you have the choice of different foods as a Buffet nothing like that. And with the Tea/Coffee being situated right down at the end i even had Passengers who had carried my food to wherever i wanted to sit asking me as they were leaving if they could get me anything before they went.

It was the simple lack of consideration from staff that shocked me when so many Passengers could see at times i was struggling to carry things and staff offered me no help.

6 offers of help on a weeks cruise shows the facts how bad there service is when i couldn't even guess the amount of good hearted  passengers helped me the second they noticed that no staff were offering any.

Could anyone who has used one of these Partially Adapted Cabins tell me if you are allowed to take a folding wheelchair into them.?

I am not a full time wheelchair users but went on a cruise on Iona last week and found walking all day with my Walking Frame was very tiring.

I did phone P&O but all i got was complete the Needs form which i have already done.

I know i could hire one from Mobility at Sea and they will know exactly what is allowed in each cabin but driving down for the first time after booking CPS i found out that the drop off point for your vehicle is approx 200/300 yards from terminal and Yes they had someone take my luggage for me but was 'rescued' by one of the port staff phoning for someone to come with a wheelchair to help me after starting to struggle about halfway.

Something P&O do not tell you about there Assisted Boarding or CPS Parking with reserved Parking because you have a Blue Badge that if you are travelling by yourself you have got to get to the Terminal  yourself from drop off point which is NOT where you car is collected from and Assisted Boarding only starts inside Terminal so hiring a folding wheelchair and taking it myself would be more useful between CPS and Terminal where you collect Mobility at Sea hired wheelchairs.

As you can see asked P&O a simple question can i take a folding wheelchair in a Partially Adapted  Cabin and the only answer i got was fill in the needs form which i have already done.

Just looking for a simple answer to a simple question has anyone travelled in a Partially Adapted Cabin with a folding wheelchair/, i know all the other stuff about being classed as Partial as a wheelchair cannot do a 360 degree turn in them but will only be using it outside cabin to get around ship easier not inside cabin.

Thanks for Any Info.

On 4/26/2023 at 3:06 PM, molecrochip said:

Not great to here about issues in the first place but so pleased the response was delivered well.

 

Issues and learnings really do get passed back to the ship. The captain gets copied along with head of department and relevant team members.

Good to hear the complaints get passed onto the relevant people on the ships because i learned the hard way the difference between the talk P&O say about assisting Passengers with Disabilities and the day to day assistance are worlds apart. They will not like my complain but it is the Truth the facts as i said to them not just my 'opinion'.

I had a little laugh to myself when they ask you to score each service on your recent trip and ask your permission to use your opinions for advertising materiel, they won't be using mine.  😁

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

I don't know what they promised to provide when you submitted the form in advance of your cruise. Although the web site says they won't provide assistance ,we have seen staff, particularly carrying trays in the buffet to assist folk. I think their back is adequately covered by their T&C's and FAQ's ,but I'm sure the staff will help if you ask. Unfortunately in this litigious age companies need to be careful what assistance they provide.

That is exactly what i was looking for simple things like carrying drinks or trays to a seat not staff running about waiting on me hand and foot as i am very independent and do the majority things for myself even the ones that are harder for me now.

It was just shocking how so many Passengers could see i needed a hand with something and helped me a couple even coming back to me and asking if they could get me anything before they left when staff were standing around offering no help at all.

As i said in my complaint to P&O this was not just my 'opinion' but when i was offered help by staff a total of 6 times in week is simply shocking.

They can 'say' how good they are at accommodating guests with Disabilities like myself but the facts show the real truth.

Like i always said in all walks of life 'Anybody can talk the Talk' but will they Walk the Walk' when it's needed. 

18 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

That’s a great shame, as one of the reasons why we use P&O is that they deal with people with disabilities so well, far better in fact than other types of holiday. My wife is a full time wheelchair user and cruising is the only type of holiday where she feels safe and (mostly) comfortable.
 

From memory, P&O make it clear that anyone who needs assistance must travel with a carer to assist them and not rely on the staff. Obviously that is a challenge if you are solo and don’t have someone with you to assist. Even with a carer, certain things (such as getting onto the Promenade deck through heavy sprung doors and over thresholds) can still be problematic. Whilst there are rarely staff on hand to assist with such things when you need help, I always find that a kind hearted fellow passenger always offers to help, for which we are always most grateful. 

I understand your point but i wasn't looking for a 'carer' as i am very independent and many people have commented on my great attitude from the Consultant to neighbours doing thins for myself but it was the lack of indifference by the staff when i was struggling with carrying things numerous passengers helped me when they seen me struggling staff either didn't notice or couldn't be bothered. It's common sense/manners if you see someone struggling in a Supermarket or outdoors for any reason you offer to help them not ignore them and leave it to someone else to do it. Maybe it was as someone made the comment to me 'staff that do the absolute minimum in the job'.

Or as the lady who i spoke to who worked with people with Disabilities and Autism who told me how she always looked at the facilities available for the people she worked with wherever she went on holiday and being her first time cruising with P&O she would not recommend it to any of the people she works with in a professional capacity.

And from someone like myself who has spent most of there life donating £10,000's to Charities, Volunteering to help Children/Adults with Disabilities, Autism, Strokes, people living with Lifelong Conditions before i became Disabled myself i felt the lack of offer of help from staff was disgusting.

As i have always said i have never been Career Minded and when my life is coming to a end i won't be thinking how good i did climbing the 'Corporate Ladder' it will be happy to know i did my little bit to help others

everything was not 'whats in it for' . I have upset a few people over the years because i 'do' what is right not just talk about it and if anyone only 'says' the right thing but not 'do' the right thing and doesn't want me to 'do' the right thing cause it doesn't suit/benefit them tough.

On 4/26/2023 at 3:02 PM, gary_w said:

Following the issues we had on K307 Arvia (the thread is long), I emailed P&O with a grumpy-gram about it and did not hear anything back, but today I got a phone call.

 

The experience was probably the best one I've ever had with customer service.  She did not try to tell me I was wrong and it didn't happen, she did not try to tell me I was the only one with a problem, she did not say the cruise had no problems.  She acknowledged the frustration, agreed that things were poorly done and needed to be resolved and explained that she is taking lists of issues back to the ships to ensure something gets done about it (I don't know if it will).

 

If I could name-drop her for a gold star I would but I don't know her name so I'll be positive that it is all P&O people.

 

This is the second time I had to deal with customer service-facing roles at P&O, the other is about me forgetting to organise parking and I have to say, dealing with these people is a pleasure.

 

I'm still not thrilled about how our cruise went but I do get the feeling that the people working at P&O care so a big thumbs up to them, and I hope that translates into the P&O wing of the megacorp that is Carnival making things better.

Good to hear of your Customer Experience because i have just returned from a week on the Iona for the first time since having a leg amputated and using a Rollator and the staff offer of help was basically non existent with lot'a of Passengers offering me help when they seen the staff offering none.

It will be good to see a company listening to customers complaints when something is not right rather just make excuses as i said to P&O in my complaint i have another cruise booked and paid for and if the service on the Britannia is the same practically non existent i will never book another cruise again with P&O or will they think though i didn't mention it will they think if they suddenly give me some more on board credit i will ignore all my complaints i won't be. I have always said i know the difference between 'giving; god service and 'saying' you give good service. In my case it was staff's lack of common sense you see someone struggling anywhere in life/situation you offer to help them i received  a total of 6 offers of help from staff on the Iona on a weeks cruise but numerous help from other Passengers who could see i had difficulty carrying things. As i said will be interesting to see if they take my complaints on board (no pun intended) or try to 'buy' my off with a extra bit of on board credit with for me no amount of on board credit would make me ignore the failings on the Iona and hope Passengers there to help me when i need it while staff offer no help.

I cruised with only P&O before becoming Disabled and would have recommended them to everyone but after my experience on the Iona if they do not change there ways i would not recommend anyone with a Disability travelling as a Solo Passenger.

The facts i have supplied them with, not just opinions proves how bad the service was so will be interesting to see what there reply is.

Well Done on receiving  good customer service and well done P&O for giving it and just not making up some excuse to 'cover there back'.

12 hours ago, shadow 123 said:

I'm sorry you had to experience that from the staff. Very unfortunate. But thank heavens there are good people in the world. Gives us hope!

So So true if there had been no staff there it would not have made a difference  to my holiday but if there had been no Passengers to offer me help like many did it would have been a total Disaster.

1 hour ago, Bob++ said:

When we booked our first accessible cabin, the paperwork made it clear that my wife must have a helper and that the staff on the ship could not be expected to provide that help.

 

In practice, we found that well-meaning fellow passengers were a bit of a pain as they don't know what was needed and usually just get in the way. Staff on the ship were great within their limitations. Restaurant staff happily moved chairs around and the gangway team pitched in to help when the high tide made it rather steep.

 

I too have stories about the difficulties we have faced, but I accept that most people have no experience of these situations and while I admire your courage in cruising alone with such a disability, I think that you should consider looking for an able-bodies friend to accompany you in future. It does make things so much easier.

I can see where your coming from but nobody can put up with me that long on 'closed' environment like a cruise 🙂 No the Consultant at the hospital after my op described me as having i fantastic determination to do things for myself which is true , there was many times Passengers asked if i would like help and u replied thanks but i'm a stubborn old sod who likes to do things for myself but there is times where i could do with some help but when it came to staff offering help it was basically non existent.

I mean anywhere you see someone with any kind of mobility problem struggling you offer to help them as all those Passengers that helped me did and most of those offers were straight after they seen staff not offering any.

I have have always said even before i became Disabled i know the difference between 'giving' good service and 'saying' you give good service.

Many people i spoke to who had cruised with other companies said i should try this or that one as passengers in general are given better service than they have had on the Iona, so i was going to not bother going on the cruise i have paid for on Britannia in June, but decided i will hire a wheelchair t help me get about easier but if the staff attitude or should that be lack of it is the same on Britannia i will never cruise with P&O again and take some of that advice by others to use another company which they have cruised with.

I don't want staff to run about after me just because i have a Disability just common courtesy  would be welcome.

I have just returned from a weeks cruise on the P&O Iona since becoming Disabled and could write a long story about my experience but won't bore you with all the facts which i will let P&O know but simply if you travel as a Solo Passenger and have any type of Mobility Problem DO NOT go on the IONA. I was offered help bu staff a total of 6 times on a weeks cruise but helped by numerous passengers who offered me help, they could see i required help but the staff just didn't care. I have only ever travelled with P&O and would have recommended them but after this first time travelling after having a leg amputated and now using a Rollator and seeing the lack of help from staff i would NOT recommend them unless they change there ways. I have another cruise booked on the Britannia in a few weeks and if the service is as bad as it was on Iona i will never book another P&O Cruise again. 

Funny how all those Passengers could see i needed help and did just that but the staff seemed to be oblivious to someone using a Rollator would need any help.

0 out of 10 for customer service if you are a Solo Passenger with a Mobility Problem.

10 out of 10 for so many Kind Honest Decent Passengers who will help you when they see the staff Do Not Bother to.

Always find it laughable when people say something wrong then try there best to get out of it rather than just put there hands up and say 'i was wrong'.

If Keith Lemon is a 'Character' so are Elton John, Helen Mirren and Michael Cain to name just a few.

Well 'm Proud to be 'lower class' because one of the benefits for me was not wanting a 'career' or to 'climb the Corporate Ladder' it let me live my life the way i wanted not the way others did there's.

I 'did' what was right not just say it including when others wanted me to do different to suit/benefit them.

I treat every single person with the same respect job titles mean nothing to me, if someone disrespects me i do the  same to them no matter who they are.

When my time comes to leave this earth i will be Proud of what i've given/done in my life not how far up a job 'Chain of Command' i managed to climb.

Always said i was Not everyone's 'cup of tea', didn't say the 'right' thing in trying to be if i had wanted to do that i would have to have gone against my principles.

Never ever seen a Job Description where  it said 'you deserve more respect than other's'.

Proud to be 'common'.

(P.S Still hate Ant & Dec Common or Posh)😜

15 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Wouldn't dream of flying on the same day of cruise far too risky. Fly day before and stay in hotel overnight.

I've flown twice on the day from Glasgow  with no problem just made sure i was there in plenty of time in case of hold up on flight leaving.

21 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

He”s a character played by comedian Leigh Francis. 
 

( you may well ask who is Leigh Francis ! ) 

Sorry he is not a 'character' but Leigh Izaak Francis 'Professional' name.

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

Oh dear, this thread is getting a bit like the other Arvia one. Maybe there is something in the atmosphere on the ship which gets people going??

No it's online chat/comment sections these days yes people should be able to post there opinions but just because one doesn't agree with there's too many people commenting on the post with as they used to say ' 'putting there tuppence worth in'. 

You can pick any subject on any Forum and you will see people commenting on others posts they don't agree with.

You can see this on more than Ariva thread on here.

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

Who the heck is Keith Lemon?

He is that little idiot that only advertises for one of the online betting sites. Used to have his own show where he thought no matter what he did was hilarious.

19 minutes ago, Graemeliv said:

Hi all,

 

Just a small question. Does anyone know what check in time and/or departure usually is for Iona departing to Norwegian fjords? Booking a flight from Belfast and want to make sure I have plenty of time.

 

thanks in advance. 

Not going on Iona to Fjords until a few weeks time but have been on the Azura to Fjords and it was about 5.30pm but remember there will be a last book in time which  for my cruise in 3 weeks time is 16.30.

Check in time you will only find out on your boarding pass which you can print off 3 weeks beforehand unless anyone knows another way of finding out beforehand.

1 hour ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Nobody has said that you can't post your opinion.

 

However, if you post an opinion, it's reasonable to expect people to reply with their thoughts, which may be different to yours. 

 

That's very different to 'complaining about a post' - nobody has complained about you posting, and they have listened, because they have responded.  I don't think anybody actually said there were fans of Ant and Dec either. 

 

 

 

 

Sorry don't agree i did not suggest anyone jumped overboard like i said i would, i did not comment on the posts by people who say they like them, but they comment on mine why do you think that is?

Also i was not the only person that commented they didn't like them, why d you think none of those who commented on the other ones, let me guess cause the other comments are by regular posters or 'friends' on here with them.

Why would anyone comment only on my post and not the others that say they do not like Ant & Dec as well.?

It was like another P&O Forum where i said politely that Olden must have changed over the years with everyone saying it was a lovely place because when i was there and the Captain summed it up when he announced 'what you see is what you get' because there was very little in it.

I got pelters for that post but not a single person mentioned what the Captain had said.

1 hour ago, david63 said:

How many can say that all of the entertainment on a cruise is to their liking - I certainly cannot.

 

If something/someone does not appeal then don't watch it - it really is that simple.

Well said David but as you can see people are not suppose to have a different opinion from what i call the 'flock' these days.

Wonder why no one mentioned my dislike of Keith Lemon, could it be because they dislike him as well.?

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

The answer lies within Google.

Just searched Leigh Francis Ahhhh i could think of a few names for him.😝

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

The answer lies within Google.

Sorry can't work a computer need people with the same opinions to show me how. 😁

P.S Is Leigh Francis related to Trevor Francis.?

22 hours ago, zap99 said:

Leigh Francis is quite talented and entertaining though.🤔

WHO????🙄