NaomiW

1 hour ago, david63 said:

Another way to look at is whether the increase price of the "new" cruise is more than the deposit that you could lose

Yes good point! Think we'll just go to Norfolk instead-will work out much cheaper including the lost deposit 🤷‍♀️

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm told it's totally not possible to bend the rules.  I cancelled an Arvia Christmas cruise earlier this year which was a.move from 30 December 2022 as I booked for Christmas 2022 instead.  I had to forfeit my £354 deposit too as the new rules wouldn't allow a.move.

 

It's unquestionable practice but they are sticking to it.

How bizarre. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot. I was totally prepared to pay good money to go on a cruise that they are apparently struggling to sell but instead, computer says no, so we all lose out.. Also it will put me off booking with them again when we are back from Aus-think well look elsewhere next time

I would like some advice on whether people think there might be any other options for a ridiculous situation I have found myself in with our booking. We have a booking for next Jan (select fare) but we are now moving to Australia at the end of the year for work so cannot go. I phoned to try and transfer the booking to a Fjords cruise next month and were hoping to book a suite at around £4000 to make sure the booking was more expensive than our, but was told we cannot transfer as we have already transferred once (this was just after Aug 22 when the policy apparent changed, but there were lots of reports of covid quarantines etc at the time so we didnt want to risk it at that time)

I offered to pay the £100 transfer fee like we used to be able to, but was told sorry, no can do. So it seems my only option is to cancel. This means I lose about £500 which P&O wont care about but it seems absolutely ludicrous as they have loads of unsold cabins on the cruise we wanted to transfer to and they are also losing several thousand in my business because of an unflexible policy. I was hoping the woman I spoke to would be able to apply some discretion and common sense but it seems not. I've emailed customer services but given their wait times, I doubt Ill hear in time. Any ideas?

I found the Olive Grove to have the best feel in terms of intimacy and cosiness. Epicurean would probably be similar. A lot of the other speciality restaurants that were in and around the atrium didnt have that feel for me-it felt more like a meal at a shopping centre or food hall as they were so open and people could walk through etc. Even Sindhu felt less intimate on Iona-the bit we went in just felt like a big function room.. 

We stay at the Pig in the Wall. Its rustic, boutique and gorgeous..

Thanks all! Ill have a look at P4C and that article has some cheaper cruise and stay options than I had seen

So it seems like it may be tricky to transfer our cruise so looking for other ways to cut costs. CPS has gone up since our last cruise but it is still cheaper than train, coach, stay and park options I have looked at. Does anyone know of any other (reliable) cheaper parking companies that arent significantly more of a hassle?

3 hours ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

I was replying to the fact you stated you could transfer twice, not the case anymore, much stricter and you could not move to 2025 anyway.  Also the T&C's show that you would be liable to owe more money if you go within the 90 days.

Aah, ok. Apologies!

Sorry, what I was asking was if I do not make my balance payment by 90 days are they liable to cancel my booking and keep my deposit. Not what the transfer T&Cs are, but I do appreciate your reply. Its just that I want to wait until the new brochure is out before transferring and that might be after my balance due date

I am considering transferring my Jan 23 cruise to winter 25 when they come out but I suspect these will be released after my final balance payment is due. If I just dont pay it by the 90 days, what is likely to happen-will they automatically cancel my booking and ill lose the deposit or are they a bit more flexible. I know I can transfer twice but its such a hassle trying to get through to the call centre these days

1 hour ago, Tough Guy said:

We have stayed in a suite previously but didn't really check on what is and isn't possible.  In October we have a suite on Britannia and are taking two of my children of which one is autistic (12 years old).  With my daughter being autistic it would be helpful to understand what might be possible in regard to ordering food to the suite from various restaurants or whether it is purely restricted to room service as she can sometimes become overwhelmed with restaurants especially if noisy.

 

It would be great to hear whether anyone has had experience of ordering food to a suite from:

 

• main dining room
• Epicurean breakfast menu
• any other restaurants such as Beach House, Glass House, Sindhi and Epicurean (obviously paying all the extra dining charges)

 

Thanks in advance for any responses.

We have ordered from the MDR to our suite before and it was good. However dont expect the same level of service you would get innthe restaurant. I naively expected having a butler would mean they served us as if we were in the restaurant, but whilst he set the table nicely with the proper silverware, all our courses were brought at the same time in cloches on a tray and we were then left to our own devices tonserve ourselves. I did wonder if it was a one off but this happened on 2 seperate cruises.

I guess it would be the same for the speciality restaurants.

On our last cruise we made full use of ordering from the room service menu for lunches which is free as a suite perk if you order through the buter.

As an aside, I would agree with you about not knowing what the suite benefits are-the first time in a suite when we got married we had no idea about priority embarkation and were just ushered into the normal queue, noone told us about the welcome on board lunch or the special breakfasts (which are the best bit) Communication could be better I think!

On 8/22/2022 at 2:34 PM, bobstheboy said:

14th January.  Good luck.

Ooh, we are on that cruise too but I havent heard anything. Did you say you booked through a TA? We booked direct so may (try to) give them a call if we dont hear anything by balance payment date. Have you paid your balance yet??

What a wonderful idea. I would also second asking the special occasions team to get involved. We got married on board and nothing was too much trouble for them. They found quiet areas for our photos and even let us on the bridge as a special treat - perhaps you could ask them to provide a photographer for a special picture?? The ports arent always the most picturesque backdrop depending on where you dock, so would require a bit of research, but other great options would be in the crows nest where youd have uniterrupted views of the ocean at the front and is very quiet in the daytime-and they might be able to get the staff involved to provide champagne after youve popped the question, or maybe even the pianist to accompany the proposal. Alternatively, the sunset bar where youd have gorgeous views of the wake (might have to choose your times carefully here to avoid the crowds-mornings are pretty quiet but obviously a sunset proposal would be amazing)..  you cant beat an ocean view backdrop IMO

22 hours ago, Steffan Rhys said:

Hi There

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for vegetarian dinning at the speciality restaurants for the evenings?

 

Thank you in advance

Steffan

There were loads of good vegetarian options in each of the restaurants so I wouldnt worry.. Plenty of choice-not just 1 rubbish option like the good (bad) old days.. from memory I had a delicious sweet potato and leek pie in keel and cow, cant remember the others but all were good

I logged onto my cruise personalizer for my Iona cruise in Jan to the Canary isles and Portugal and I noticed that the shore excursions for Lisbon are not on, whereas all the others are. It is supposed to be doing an overnight stop there.

I am purely speculating but I wonder if this is because covid testing is still required for Portugal but not Spain and whether they are considering changing the itinery.

Tbh I would be quite happy if they did change it as Id rather have an extra day in the warmth of the Canaries and Id rather not have to pay for a covid test on board to have to leave the ship..

I know noone will know the answer for this, just speculating really..

I asked whilst on board last week and they werent 100% sure but thought 6 weeks or so. So late Oct/early Nov. Seems quite late so I wonder if theyll release winter 23/24 at the same time?

14 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Hi Naomi.

Did the white roof of the sunset bar affect your view of the ships wake at the back of the ship.

Thanks Graham.

Not at all for us, but it did affect the people in the standard balcony cabin next to us (the 2 cabins in the middle I think)

1 hour ago, silkworms said:

Hi Naomi

 

Thanks for your review, I have been waiting for one from a person

having a suite over the aft.  I am so glad the noise was not overly a

nuisance because I have been very concerned as we have a similar

suite on Arvia and I have seriously considered cancelling because

of the bars, entertainment, jacuzzis etc which are situated on aft.

So glad you enjoyed. Is it possible to PM you with further questions.

 

Terri 

Yes of course, please do. Happy to answer any questions..

We were lucky to have a series of very interesting talks from a conservationist about whales and dolphins, on our recent iona secation cruise (18-25th), and I passed the rest of the day just relaxing in the balcony or going to the gym. There were lots of films on in the cinema which I didnt go to as the weather was so good, but I agree if you like taking part in lots of activities then you might have been disappointed.

We were on this cruise too and had the best time! Iona is beautiful and there was just so much choice. We had suite 9739 which was great. The inside space wasn't huge but the very large wraparound balcony (best one we've had) and the bathroom more than make up for it. When we got allocated this cabin, I was worried about being above the clubhouse venue and also overlooking the sunset bar, however neither were an issue. I only noticed noise from clubhouse when the band were playing and it didnt bother us. With regards to the aft bar, it was actually quite nice being able to overlook it, as it felt like being part of the atmosphere whilst having a nice private area. It was pretty quiet and there was no smoking allowed there which I had been worried about. 

Weather was fantastic as already mentioned and we saw so many dolphins.

Same here! I thought it might have sold out but Ive heard from another thread that people are now having to book onboard.

I am assuming you are on the 18th Sept sailing? I have just been on and been able to book the headliner theatre shows and comedian, having not been able to yesterday. The skydome shows werent available to book however, so not sure if this means they are full already? I hope not as I was looking forward to those the most

As devastating as this must be for everyone involved, as a medical professional, I think P&Os response was completely correct and in no way over the top. Unfortunately we know that delta spreads like wildfire and even if everyone had worn their masks perfectly the whole time the chances of transmission on a coach journey of a few hours would be high. Those infected wouldnt then know for a few days, by which time half the ship would be infected. We are unfortunately seeing a lot of double jabbed people catching covid at the moment as immunity wanes a bit, although thankfully most only end up with mild symptoms.

I understand a lot of people rely on the coach to get there but it seems sensible to avoid this route if at all possible!

On 8/27/2021 at 10:05 AM, kentishfred said:

From my wife's research on cruise critic I know that when the first P & O cruises started there was a lot of questions asked about Nat West Black card insurance. However I cannot find the relevant threads. So at the risk of covering old ground can any one let me know their experiences.

 

i.e. Was there any problems at the terminal, what documents were required, do I have to get anything extra added by the insurer etc

 

Thank you

I would be interested in this too. I phoned up Natwest and initially the lady I spoke to said it wouldnt be covered but when I clarified it was a staycation she said it would. She didnt seem that sure though so it didnt fill me with confidence.

In terms of documents we only have the certificate that we got when we opened the account about 10 years ago and doesnt have our name on it I dont think, so was womdering what to take as evidence also..

20 hours ago, DS_Dean said:

Wondered if anyone has been successful in calling P&O today? I am trying to call in terms of looking at cruise pricing but when calling 0344 338 8003 no matter what option I press at the menu the call instantly hangs up.

 

Tried to reach P&O via social media but no reply either. 

 

I assume they are not out of business 😄 just wondered if anyone else has been able to make contact today?

 

It is also the same issue calling Curnard, I notice.

Same to both when I was having difficulty with my balance payment yesterday!