JeanieC,Aston

Soft drinks and Water,,,although there are free water dispensers on the ship.

Hi Here you go,,,,I like a drink and the DP is a go to for me. Soft drinks,Coffees,Beers a few wines,,,soon adds up.

I always travel with Eavesway coaches,,P&O never asked me how I’m arriving. I always enter 13:30 as that’s about the time we arrive,,,early or late we are never checked for arrival time. On disembarkation I believe the coach firms liaise with P&O as I always get a tag number to corresponds with coach departure requirements. Eavesway now have their coaches alongside fro 07:00 and ask that you try to be onboard by 08:00,,,,,we where given a debark time of 07:45. Although you always seem to get one couple who thinks the times doesn’t apply to them,,,,,one such couple strolled up at 09:00 on our last cruise saying we are not going to miss their breakfast,,,,someone told them breakfast started at 06:00.

Not the same but I love Boulangère potatoes.

In Gods Country west side of the Pennines they are Tater Cakes.

Hi Looks like the same balcony we had in February,,end one on hump. Great balcony,,huge. But did you not feel a lack of privacy when you was out on the edge from those above…the same for those balconies set back with you looking over them,,,,especially the balcony next door. Great blog Btw.

On the dummy booking I showed there was no option to request a preference. On my last saver fare (Oct) on Britannia there was no option to request a preference. When you board your dining time is on a card in your cabin. This is why I challenge those who,on this thread,say they do. This is pretty plain from SoA link…. Early Saver, Late Saver and other promotional fares Dining requests for bookings made on Late Saver and other promotional fares cannot be made.

Hi. Just done a dummy booking,,here’s a screen shot….. When has ‘Allocated dining time’ become the ability to choose? I have started to choose saver’ fares as for a few pounds you can now choose cabin location and deck,,,I pick Aft/Mid and we are never far from lifts,,,then work out the extra on Select for coach transfer against paying for Eavesway,,,,the deal is always on the Saver. But I have never been able to tick a box for dining choices.

They do say the old ones are the best.

You do now,with a small piece of carrot for contrast. And if they are really generous you might get a spoonful of spuds. Then the game starts to find a piece of fish underneath.

It’s changed now to ‘Green Beans R Us’.

Come on…..Fish &Chips in the Quays is no different than Fish &Chips in my local chippie. I recently returned from a Spanish holiday and the hotel buffet was better than any buffet I have been in on P&O ships I sail P&O and Celebrity,,,,,now Celebrity is what you call a buffet. Admittedly I pay more for my Celebrity cruises and expect better. At the same time I pay less for P&O and get less,,,,I expect that,P&O never got the nickname Spuds r Us for nothing. I actually think P&O MDR menus to be the most boring at sea. I can put up with that as long as the live acts are OK. I eat to live not live to eat.

I always think dwelling on the numbers in the queue is misleading. I not only depends on numbers in queue but table size asked for. On my Iona cruise one night we joined the queue at #40 and was called in 30 mins. On another night we where #14 and where will not called 90 min later at nearly 21:00,,,resulting in me and others demanding to be seated. Then we had to agree to share a table of 8,,,which meant not having desert to leave to get into the Club for 22:30 show.

Hi. The cabin staff were those in the restaurants with Grey polo shirts on showing people to their tables and giving them the menus.

Staffing. For FD to work you need the ship/dining rooms to be fully staffed. No matter what time I went to dinner on Iona in February half the dining room tables were empty,,not even made up for service with long queues waiting. On Celebration night after waiting with a buzzer from 19:00 till near 21:00 I demanded to be fed,,enough was enough,,,,,we were immediately shown to a table then having to wait until the table was made up. Sat in the Emerald Bar for over 2.5 hrs waiting for a table we were continually told by people coming out of dinner that the dining room was empty.

It seems the answer is to arrive by coach. I have had all times of boarding times,,,even people on the same coach have different times. Eavesway usually arrive from Liverpool around 13:30 and it’s all on the coach straight through,,,last October a port rep came onto the coach and gave everyone a lettered card,,,,they called the letter as soon as we walked through the door,,, Same in Feb on Iona,,,straight through at 13:30 checked in then hit the bottleneck that is Security. As an aside..I sailed Celebrity last month from City terminal and there was no queues. Does anyone think this is due to Security being before check-in?

Depending where the ship docks there is a golf buggy like shuttle for the less mobile to the terminal building,,,then shuttle bus into town.

Hi I was on Silhouette first sailing out of Southampton last month and Hideaway was closed,,,,but then they have kettles in every cabin on sailings from UK.

Cruise ships take staff from around the world,,,,,countries stop staff coming in from around the world. I don’t think the staffing,supply or pandemic issues can be used as excuses for poor service on cruise ships any more.

Hi Are the resident Pelicans still on the beach in Mykonos? Ive not been for a few years,,always good for a photo op.

Hi. You can do that on Celebrity app as well as most other things.P&O is miles behind. You can even look at the menu’s sat at home before you cruise. This is tomorrow nights main course menu in MDR on Silhouette app….

A duck is apt for MU. All serene on the surface but paddling like hell underneath.😉

Why has Iona done away with ballroom dancing and dance hosts,,,many people enjoyed this activity. There is plenty of room for it,,,like Ventura and Azura they could have it in the foyer (nothing else happens there except the Silent Disco now and then),,like the Ventura and Azura the Costa Coffee outlet is in the same room. It would certainly add some life to what is a lifeless area. I don’t dance ballroom or sequence but as it never finished until Midnight loved watching the good dancers with a Macchiato and Jameson’s nightcap.

Hi We had the same on Iona with cabin stewards,,,of an evening they became MDR staff,,you could pick them out as they were given grey polo shirts to wear,,,they showed you to your table and gave you the menu.

I wish I would have listened to the negative comments re Iona before I wasted a lot of cash. I have this theory when reading reviews of cruises,,,,I ignore the perfect and ignore the worst. This one time I ignored my own advice,,,,,,it won’t happen again.