ScotchBoy

Thanks for your report; really comprehensive. We have sailed P&O for about a decade, and Celebrity on 4 occasions, and Cunard on 4 occasions between 2007 and 2021. We've enjoyed our Cunard experiences, but don't think that they are worth the money, so won't bother again. P&O are our go-to cruise line, but we have sailed Celebrity when we fancy somewhere more exotic, such as the Far East. The Millie (as the Americans call her) is a lovely ship, and we're sailing on her again next year. We would agree that the Celebrity excursions are very expensive, and we try to find a way of reducing that expense. The Celebrity drinks package is very good; whereas I have never been tempted by the drinks on P&O. The Celebrity Specialty dining is also a bit pricey, but we felt it was worthwhile overall, whereas The Beach House and Sindhu were a huge disappointment when we sailed on Azura in November last year. We loved the easy checking in on Celebrity, plus you watch the Muster Drill online before you leave home! Fantastic benefit. On balance, for us:- Celebrity for exoticism/adventure every time, but possibly because P&O don't go to those locations, unless you're on a world cruise segment (and I won't do that again; too many cliques and too little sight-seeing). P&O for the Med/ Caribbean.

I don't know if this helps, but when we boarded Azura in Tenerife in January this year, we could visit the muster station as soon as we boarded. You just bleep your cabin card to prove that you have been there; then you can watch all the muster information on your cabin TV. It's a much better system than the bunfight for lifts/sailaway, etc, as there is a steady flow of passengers instead of a stampede.

I agree, which is why we didn't want to schlep up to the terminal the night before, only to find that we had to take our luggage back down the hill, to have to repeat the whole process at 4am the following morning ! The less we have to bother before the early flight, the better 😄

Thanks newport dave. That's great news! The flight departs at 5:55am, so we can just wander into the terminal half-asleep, and then go straight to departures. Happy days 😎

My understanding of Jet2 is that they permit you to check in your luggage the evening before a flight. We tried this is Birmingham when we were going to Tenerife to board Azura. We were advised that we couldn't check in as we were on a chartered flight. No problem, we took our luggage back across the road to the Hilton and we just checked in the following morning, as per usual. This summer we are flying to Malta to join Azura, but travelling on a Jet2 scheduled flight. Does anyone know if we can check our hold luggage in the evening before? We are flying from Bristol and staying at the Hampton, i.e. on site. I don't want to drag my luggage up the hill to the terminal, only to be told that we can't do an early check-in.

I agree. I was teetering on the edge of becoming apoplectic. The port staff were in more danger of receiving a savage tongue-lashing than any damage I could do with a tiny manicure scissors. But they have all the power, so we must do as they ask......... Had an amazing cruise though, on lovely Oceana 🥰.

I'm afraid that level of detail escapes me, but you are probably right. It was quite possibly a scheduled flight, in which we would obviously have had to collect our own luggage; makes perfect sense.

We have just booked our flights direct with the airline, as FBC quoted an additional 25% if we booked through them. It was a no-brainer. 25%!! more expensive 😲

We are doing a Celebrity cruise next year, and are considering their flight options. Can you tell me if their prices compare favourably to booking direct? Previously, we have always booked our flights direct with the airline.

In May 2017, seem to recall that we had to collect our luggage post-flight, and take it to the transfer coach. I recall grumbling "We don't have to do this in Barbados," etc..... Also, I had a very unpleasant experience with the port staff at that time, who wouldn't let me take one of my checked-in bags onto the ship, as it contained a manicure scissors (I kid you not!). They told me that they would break into the case unless I handed over the scissors, as it was a "security risk". I protested, but it was no use. I gave them the tiny pair of scissors. The following morning I went to the purser's desk armed with the fairly vicious corkscrew that was in my cabin, courtesy of P&O, and retrieved the scissors. Such a fuss over nothing.

We were on Azura last week and we had to call the engineer out on 4 separate occasions to fix this exact same problem. The flush button would not work. We woke on debark day at 6:30am to find a recurrence of the problem. Called reception and an engineer arrived at 7:45am. Not a great start to the day, as we had to keep running back and forth to the nearest toilets whilst getting ready to leave the ship. Just before 8am, we left the cabin and asked the steward had they discovered what the problem was. "Yes, madam", she replied, "It is you. You are putting wet wipes in the toilet". I was flabbergasted, and rebuked her accusation, but she was insistent. "Yes, madam, it is your fault". (At this point, I could describe my toilet procedure, but it's too close to breakfast!). We are fastidious about toilet systems, and NEVER put anything down the toilet other than toilet paper at home even, not even tissue paper from a box (which some passengers seem to think is okay. No, it is not.) Anyhow, she insisted it was me (specifically me) and said that she would get the engineer to 'prove' it to me. Over 20 cruises, 10 on Azura and never experienced a plumbing problem. This is why I asked the question: If my actions were fastidious, then, how did we have a problem? The cabin steward was insistent. I am aggrieved. No OBC offered for our inconvenience (!) either 😡

Does anyone have first-hand experience of plumbing issues on board Azura, or any other ship for that matter. Heard some horror stories at the weekend, but mostly anecdotal, so was wondering if it was a regular occurrence.

Thanks majortom10, but for me, it's not a strong enough incentive to sign up to Fakebook 😒

I've spoken to someone at P&O who confirm that it is incorrect. They promised to have someone from the Loyalty Team call me back, confirming that it has been rectified. No such call transpired. I've emailed twice (after having been on hold for over 25 minutes on 2 separate occasions - and life is too short when you're my age!). Neither email has received a reply. Our past cruise history demonstrates that "Words and Figures" do not match, so I presume that it is a computer glitch. I'll call again when I can multi-task whilst on hold. BTW thanks for clarifying the position - we didn't think we could be "demoted" either.

Sorry to hijack your question, but I've contacted P&O on 3 occasions with this query but no answer yet...... In November 2023, we were Mediterranean tier, but for our next cruise later this month, we have been designated Atlantic tier. I don't understand, as this means our benefits are reduced. Can anyone enlighten us? TIA 👍

5 nights, I believe

Not any more. You have to book, but can only do so once on board. Friday embarkers (?) have an advantage here. This is something P&O need to address.

By Wednesday mid-afternoon, the only evening options available were Friday, at 6pm, 9pm, or 10pm. Nothing available for the Wednesday nor the Thursday. We popped in on the Wednesday evening (just in case) but our request to dine was unsuccessful. As we had a long day's excursion planned for the Friday, the 9pm reservation suited us, so we booked that. However, the Glass House was very quiet by 9:15pm, and we were practically alone by 9:45pm. No-one having a wine flight, or dining. What is going on............ ?

At this point, all we can say is that when we went for lunch today, we were informed that from this cruise (going forward) the Glasshouse no longer serves lunch on port days. No reason given; just a shrug. This is a big problem for us as it is our go-to restaurant. We haven't used the MDR in over 9 years, and we have lunch and/or dinner in the Glasshouse every day. On this cruise, we pre-booked The Beach House and Sindhu. Unfortunately, both were disappointing. We couldn't get a table in the Glasshouse last night, nor this evening. This might be the last straw..........

For all those Glass House fans, from now onwards throughout the winter season, the Glass House is not open for lunch on port days. This is detrimental to our holiday enjoyment, and would be interested to know others thoughts.

I am told by P&O that it is the carrier, i.e. Jet2, that stipulates the luggage allowance. I don't actually want more luggage allowance; I just want to take one carry-on bag of 10kg max onto the flight (and around the airport); and put the remaining allowance of up to 54kg into the hold. I don't mind paying for this personal preference, but we are not permitted to do so. Est quod id est, as they say. As an aside, I do not like the idea of cabin bags weighing 10kg, as I am always anxious that they may fall out of the overhead locker - ouch!

Well, having spoken to both Jet2 and P&O, it appears passengers are being mis-informed. Our booking states that if we wish to increase our luggage allowance, we must contact the airline. I did this and was first advised by Jet2 that it can be actioned directly with P&O. I disputed this, based on the information from the P&O booking. Then, Jet2 provided me with the portal address in which to achieve this. However, a tour operator number is required, i.e. from P&O. I did not have this, so I called P&O. I spoke to someone after 32 minutes on hold. They tried hard but could not answer the question, and subsequently called me back later. They state (contrary to their booking information) that when passengers are travelling on a chartered flight, we are not permitted any additional luggage allowance. So, case closed (or not ! if you pardon the pun).

We want to increase our hold luggage allowance on our next cruise. We're happy to pay for a little extra. Has anyone managed to do this on a Jet2 flight? You can do it through the Jet2 website, but require a tour operator booking reference from P&O. Anyone know what it is?

We did it last time we were on Britannia, and absolutely loved it. I still do the recipe that we had. Yes, you have to stand, but I'm sure you could ask for a stool. Well worth doing.

Great news that you managed to see the night-time views, after all. We've been to NYC several times, and always made arrangements independently.