BandBlady

53 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

I agree,,there are lots of whisky to suit most people,,.personally I don’t like peaty Scotch whiskey so quite happy with Irish whiskey.

 

Im still waiting for those who are railing about taking away the bottle of spirits to say why they don’t just order a bottle from room service,,,they are cheap enough.

Take your pick of whisky or whiskey.

You can even buy whiskey flights to find one you want.the only thing that disappoints me with P&O spirits is the mean 25ml measure,,,I sail Celebrity as well as P&O,,,on Celebrity it’s US measures and a bit more.

 

The above is out of date .In the last year between AZURA Britannia and Ventura we have Spent 80 nights onboard and only 1 malt whisky available .Please note there is no E in whisky from Scotland .

8 minutes ago, Lee Jones Jnr said:

I would imagine that it is as simple as 'add simplicity and save costs'.

(Genuine question) Is one brand that he likes not enough? Is it normal to mix and match?

Pre Covid there were 7 to choose from check post 93 for the list .My husband says depending on the mood and what he has eaten can influence what strength he likes .

As we are Carnival shareholders we cruise with brands in the group our favourites are Holland America ,Cunard and to a lesser extent Princess but they too have a far superior choice .We have asked onboard ,and the answer is always supply chain,Brexit or Covid .

We,ve reached the stage with P&O that if the itinerary suits and the price is right we’ll go and not expect too much .For us we  can still have a great cruise eating in speciality dining most nights ,night caps in upstairs bars and sunbathing on our balcony ,avoiding the buffet and always washing our hands .

1 hour ago, Clodia said:

Thank you to those who posted the list of room service drinks. I am perfectly happy with Courvoisier VSOP cognac as opposed to what they used to sell, so will buy a bottle from Room Service for balcony nightcaps. They DO need to widen the range though; gin and whisky drinkers are adequately catered for but not the rest. I shall be writing to P and O on this point.

Malt whisky drinkers are not well provided for these days .To a Scotsman who knows his malts my husband can only  find one since Covid .We don’t take spirits on board ,our pleasure is a nightcap in crows nest metropolis or wherever is the top of the ship ,it doesn’t stop us cruising with P&O but you wonder what the issue is as we are about to go with Princess and there is a very good selection .Maybe someone knows the answer ?

46 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

We were shocked to see very many passengers last week pouring their own drinks in the bars, have never really noticed it before. 

Even saw a couple asking the waiters for 2 glasses with ice... 

Andy 

Witnessed it a lot on Britannia last year on our Baltic cruise .Quite disheartening really .

On 5/4/2024 at 8:14 PM, molecrochip said:

I believe this is true but the document shared online is not from P&O. Its been created by a travel agent based on the information their P&O contact has provided them. P&O tend not to let their contact centre / socials team discuss price changes until the day of change in the same way they don’t advertise the change publicly.

 

There is a price update coming - not unusual for P&O to review their prices at the start of the peak season. I suspect, but don’t know, that the prices are accurate. Also bearing in mind that bar menu prices are likely to rise on the same date.

Please remember that you are not required to buy a drinks package and if it does make financial sense at the new prices then buy drink by drink. For heavy drinkers, it’s likely to still generate a saving. e.g. 15 drinks x £5 is £75 so still a saving.

 

The removal of the 1 Ltr of Spirits aligns more closely with the rest of the Corporation. Indeed some cruise lines don’t permit any alcohol being taken on board.

 

Boarding limits on alcohol are not part of the booking Ts and Cs so it doesn’t matter if you’ve been told or not, or if you’ve paid in full or not.

 

Yes it is a policy change but one that impacts by less than £10 per person (onboard purchase for cabin less supermarket price) unless you were planning on taking a Malt. P&O have no obligations to announce price rises, after all, when you nip into the Supermarket you pay the price in the shelf.

 

If you want to lock in the current prices, you have a couple of days to buy online.

 

Finally, please bear in mind that P&O still has some of the lowest bar prices at sea, and no service charge.

 

I still say we will see a P&O Plus/Premium package before too long. It’s worked so well for Princess.

Thanks for your update ,didn’t have an issue with the price increase or change .I'm surprised that P&O have been so generous allowing us to take so much onboard compared to the other cruise lines in the Carnival group .

I reckon it’s a scam as P&O website alcohol policy hasn’t changed .The corkage fee has been reduced too on this new policy .

On 4/17/2024 at 5:26 PM, jeanlyon said:

Hi, we have been staying at the Elizabeth House, but they don't do dinner on Sundays.  Anybody got anywhere else to the West or Southampton that they like - just for the night?

Hi there folks ,

just been in the Cowherds pub for a drink while waiting to check in to our accommodation .

Food looked lovely .

8 hours ago, TMSA said:

Happy Saturday everyone. Is anyone able to tell me their experiences of Northern Europe and Scandinavia/the Baltic sea in May? I've seen a very affordable 2 week Britannia cruise (B411). We've done Ventura and Arvia (also Virtuosa) and I'm viewing Britannia as somewhere inbetween. I actually liked Ventura but it was my first cruise and I do prefer the facilities of the larger ships but I did like the size of Ventura. I actually really like the look of Britannia but I think the things which would make it enjoyable for my children (will be 4 and 1) are the outside pools/splash zone which I doubt will be a possibility for that time of year. I rarely get the elder one to the kids club so I'm not sure there is enough to keep them, and us, entertained inside for 2 weeks. 

 

It's our last year of not being bound by the Summer holidays. I have looked at Arvia and all child places have gone, although i could check at balance due time, but the itineraries don't interest me as we've been to those places already. I dont want to pay money just for the sake of having a cruise when it doesn't actually appeal to me. I love the itinerary of this Britannia cruise.

 

Please feel free to enlighten me of freak heat waves and joyous times at sea 😀

 

Thank you in advance

We did Britannia last May ,it was superb .Seeing so many cities in that part of the World would have cost so much more if not for cruising .

The weather was great so we were lucky .

We did notice a lot of young couples with under 5yr olds .

Less mobility scooters ,more buggies .

Can’t comment on play areas sorry .

Britannia would be the perfect ship for us if it had the C deck balconies of Azura and Ventura .

We will definitely do that cruise again .Enjoy whatever you choose 

On 1/1/2024 at 1:56 PM, cuatbar58 said:

I only noticed this practice on my recent cruises. I am sure it has been happening a while but once you see a smartly dressed gent leaving their cabin with glass in hand you tend to notice more. I can never get over the penny pinching some people do.

We are not penny pinching at all and never take alcohol on board with us .We do however buy bottles of wine from room service and sometimes take the last glass with us to dinner .The price of a bottle is the same as ordering in the dining room so no difference .Also now they don’t keep your wine in the dining room for next day consumption ,your left carrying a bottle with you all evening ,so makes sense to take it back to the cabin. .We do always ask for glasses from room service .Happy cruising 

Just asked my husband ,he just sends a copy of our holding .You’ve have to open and close your HL account so that the current date is showing within 3months of travel to prove current ownership .Hope this helps 

He asked at the loyalty drinks party to guess the percentage of replies .

It was again mentioned at the loyalty lunch ,and then finally a Senior officer as we were self disembarking bade us farewell and said “don’t forget to do your review .

6 hours ago, Britboys said:

Feefo reviews are only as good as the reviewers. There is no structure to them and unless the reviewer states which ship they were on, you don't even know that.

I think it is very poor that P&O no longer issue the full questionnaire to all pax. It would be interesting to know what percentage of bookings do actually receive the full customer satisfaction survey.

Captain on Britannia 2weeks ago said only 13% of passengers do reviews .

Forgot to say they were handing menus out on Britannia last week only fixed dining though .

Kept this from my parents collection of cruise memorabilia.My first cruise as a young teenager .

We were on AZURA for 28 nights and our cabin steward was delighted that she had one cabin that wasn’t leaving after 7nights As most if you know it’s a Friday and Saturday turn around in the Canaries .We we’re very kind to her and said just leave the cabin on turn around days ,she was pleased and relieved .

Sadly the next port day after turnaround we forgot to put the make up sign out .Her reply was it’s your fault  no sign out no clean .!!!! .

I think solo passengers have a valid point here maybe install panic buttons somewhere in cabin .?

We are with Hargreaves’s Lansdown ,never had a certicate ,cruised with P&O mostly but no issue with Cunard ,Princess or Holland America in the last 15years of being shareholders .Best wishes 

Forgot to say the usual pick up for Edinburgh is the St,Andrews square bus station .I think 2.15am .Glasgow is 3.15am .

47 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Regarding Cruise Connect, we have had a number of cruises on P&O. Whichever berth they are in the coaches are parked there ready.As other ships are berthed far apart passengers from other berths do not come in. On all our coaches it has always been just the passengers from the ship in that berth where the coaches are waiting that board the bus. Maybe it has something to do with running to Scotland or the number of people wanting to return to Edinburgh.

Last year we went from Preston to Bolton to pick up one lady and she was doing a Princess cruise ..Then we went to Burtonwood ? There was minibus waiting that had brought folks from Liverpool .

Felt sorry for the driver .

We did this last year and wouldn’t do again .Coach and driver were lovely .We didn’t arrive in Southampton till 3.50pm .

Coming back we were transferred from a small bus to another terminal to pick up our coach .Long delays .

Cruise connect seem to pick up all P& O Princess and Cunard passengers on one coach ,so check which ships are in port that day .We dropped off Princess passengers before we went to our berth .

Just our experience .Happy cruising .

Thank you .I feel for the crew who work so hard and away from families for long periods .We had a brief chat with the head chef and congratulated him on producing excellent food ,given the difficulties of getting supplies to Tenerife on a weekly basis.

Just now, BandBlady said:

 

This is one of the reasons I don’t like replying to topics these days ,no matter how positive I am and how much we’ve enjoyed the experience there is is always someone feels the need to put such a negative view on the subject . Wish I had taken some pics of the 3bowls of vegetables too 

41 minutes ago, tring said:

 

We were on there last Oct and Sindhu + Glass House had no restrictions, just the MDR's and Epicurean.  The Blue bar was black tie attire only, which seemed very strange as it is a walkway in some respects, being right by the Atrium.  We walked through in smart casual wear to get to the Glass House.  We were on for 23 nights and at the time the Freedom dining MDR was chaotic with massive queues, poor service and generally felt overcrowded.  We had loads of OBC, so booked the Glass House or Sindu for the formals after the first week. 

 

We tried the Epicurean once on that cruise and would never repeat it.  It took a full 3 hours, with almost two of those before the main course, so I was starving by then, even though they let me have a starter and soup, both being negligible in quantity.  All starters and main courses on the menu were heavy on protein foods with virtually no veg or carbohydrate food available at all with rich, heavy sweets, being the only things to fill up on.  I was told veg options were only available if I declared myself to be vegetarian at least 24 hours prior and the chef would "supply something suitable" - no choice whatsoever. I am not vegetarian, but we eat a selection of food items as per what is considered a healthy diet nowadays and also our preference, we like veg with our meals.  I left one item which I considered appalling and the only comment from our waitress was to tell me how expensive the item was!!!!  Even a decent roll, or some bread and butter would have improved the experience immensely imo.  Our cruise was the first one when the Epicurean was open, do it could have changed since, but is not a risk we would take again.

 

 

 

Having just done 28 nights on AZURA ,the only speciality dining that required the dress code on Formal nights was Epicurean .Enjoy them all .We found food to be of an excellent standard .

We came Off QM2 yesterday after 9 nights .Extremely disappointed with dress code .Men were allowed in Britannia dining room in shorts .Gentleman sat next to me with a polo shirt .We had a lovely cruise but I would say anything goes .

We are still waiting for refund ,more than 30 days .Travel agent has tried too .Very disappointed 

We are booked on a Baltic cruise in May ,my only thoughts at the moment are the innocent people suffering .