P-L-B

John, as always very good and useful advice but hopefully you agree that the OP should be made aware of the fact that the balconies on Deck D and E are fully overlooked. Whereas on Deck C they are only partially overlooked. Not a problem for some I know, but could be an issue for others.

I think you have made a perfect choice for your first cruise.

I am sure you will get advice from the other forum members but IMO Cruising the fjords on Azura in a balcony mid ship on c deck sounds perfect.

I'm sure you will have a great time.:)

BTW, what time of the year are you planning to take your cruise.

My wife's sister and brother in law are currently cruising the med on board Oceana.

My wife's brother in law is a big F1 fan and his birthday happens to fall on race day this year.

Therefore, it being a bit special they paid for an excursion that included grandstand seats to watch today's Grand Prix in Monaco.

I'm sure we will get to hear all about it when they get back home.

So, If your husbands an F1 fan you can incorporate it into a cruise.

Thanks for that info, we will also on that cruise November 2019.:D

Thanks, have a great cruise I’m sure you will.:D

Unfortunately we can’t comment about the Taxi availability as we didn’t need to use them.

We used the bus services in Tromso which were very good.

Alta is very small and compact and very walkable.

We arranged our private Trips from this port as there is not much to occupy your time here.

Tromso is a lot bigger with lots to see. Most of the sights are walkable but we used the bus service to take us across the bridge to the Cable Car and Cathedral to save a little time.

We did that cruise last November and no, the shuttle bus service was not 24Hrs.

In Tromso (ship overnight in port) it runs from the ship to Fredrik Langes Gate 4, opposite the Radisson Hotel and the last shuttle back was 11.30pm

In Alta (ship two nights in port) it runs from the ship to Bjorn Wirkolasvei 11 near the Tourist information in city centre, and the last one back was 11.45pm on both nights.

Quite agree. Unimpressed and uninspired. Shame. Think it should have had some nod to the many years P&O have been cruising.

Paul Ludlow explains in his video the reasoning behide the name choice.

He says that they can trace their (P&O) history and roots back to Scotland.

Certainly looks a very nice place and should please our Scottish friends.

New ship is called IONA.

 

Neither here nor there really.

Yes, just watched it being announced.

I'm ok with that.:)

Yes, it would be good if ccc666 could specify how he/she thinks we should tip for the best result for the crew.

Yes, I would also like to know if there is a preferred method of tipping that ccc666 and his or her colleagues prefer.

There is a separate lane for drop offs only, usually the one closest to the terminal building. This is used by taxis as well as others dropping off passengers. CPS use the other lanes. When you arrive at the terminal, you will need to tell the parking Marshall’s that you are dropping off, then you won’t get tied up in the CPS holding queue. Then you can drive to the short stay car park where Parking4Cruises have their check in.

Thank you for the explanation.

Now you mention it, I seem to remember seeing the drop off lane you refer to.

Quite agree. You can pull up at the terminal, offload your baggage which will be taken as usual. Drop your wife at the terminal with wheelchair. Then drive to the short stay car park. Checking in the car takes about 10 minutes and then you have a 2-3 minute walk back to your wife. Honestly, it's fine.

We usually use CPS but may give Parking4Cruises a try next time.

Can I just clarify a couple of things.

As you know with CPS as you approach the terminal in your car there are marshals directing you to the front of the terminal where you are met by a porter. Then after taking details a representative from CPS drives your car away to their secure car park.

My question is, do you follow the same procedure as above but then just drive off as soon as the porter has taken away your cases?

Just thought, would we get a surprised look from the approaching CPS representative as we drove off.

There is no big queue at all. We removed our tips on Day 3 of an 18 night cruise. Simply asked Reception for a form regarding tips and it was given straight away. No problem at all. I certainly wouldn't wait until the last day. Why would I.

Agreed Jean, that's been our experience and that's what we do.

Not sure why you think that about other cruise lines. For everyone I know the AG's are incorporated into the basic cruise fare, so you know what you are paying from the start and evry other cruise line sold in the UK will have to allow AG's to be removed. Cannot sell if there are extras that have to be paid not included in price.

The impression I got was that us P&O cruisers should be grateful and think ourselves lucky that we only have to pay £7.00 pp pd in AG's.

Whereas on other lines the equivalent charges apparently would be higher.

It hasn't changed to another lines thread. But as I stated earlier, I will continue to provide a comparison of the charges other lines make regarding to gratuities/service to broaden the horizons of P&O cruisers who think they are being 'ripped off' by the line.

 

There are several people like me who sail on other lines as well as P&O so they may be interested. If you sail exclusively on P&O then my information lets you know that you are not that hard done to with regard the £7 pppd which most are complaining about.

The impression I get is that it is the other cruise lines that are ripping their passengers off not P&O. It's about choice not necessarily trying to bring P&O into line with the way other cruise lines operate. You pay your money and take your choice on the cruise line that you prefer.

Oh dear, its even easier to leave the auto gratuity on too. No messing about with getting cash however collected, no filling envelopes, no hunting down staff. How much time of your holiday are you wasting in line at reception to get cash (isn’t it in £s on P&O anyway, I was referring to exchanging currency into $), dividing up the cash, putting it into the envelopes, carrying them around? But then again some people love the drama of handing over an envelope, however discretely to a worker. I don’t, I find it very embarrassing for myself and the recipient, so once again I stand my decision to keep auto gratuities in place.

 

Let’s face it, whatever I say or do, you always, and I mean always have an answer on any thread where you like to try and rebuke me. So, you continue to remove your gratuities and reward those you feel deserve it in whatever way you feel is appropriate. I’ll continue to express my views and preferences that auto or pre paid is my preference, and that the amount on P&O is one of the lowest in the industry and I do not object to those on the other lines I sail on. Basically those who sail on P&O should stop moaning about £7 pppd as it’s nothing compared to other lines, but I happily pay it. What I get from reading the comments on here is that people object to the cost of £7 pppd. They think it’s expensive and that it has increased a lot over recent times. Maybe it has, but it’s still less expensive than on other lines.

 

I am making comparisons which I am fully entitled to do to ensure a more informed picture is given and I stand behind my comments that it’s low on P&O and good value compared to other lines.

I happen to agree with you that P&O are good value compared to other lines, but to be honest that's one of the reasons why we prefer to sail wth them.

Our on board statement for our April cruise on Azura shows £98 for each of us, so £7 pppn applied on 14th April (first sea day after leaving Southampton). It looks like P&O are being as inconsistent as usual :mad:.

Thanks for the information.

Ok. Looking again at my On Board Account Statement it does show £49.00 pp pn for our 7 night cruise on Oceana 12th-19th April.

Therefore £7.00 pp pn, sorry about my previous basic maths error.:o

However Our Holiday Information Booklet for that cruise does state £6.00 pp pd.

Anyway, it looks like it is now and should be 7.00 pp pn.

P&O increased the AG to £7.00 pp after we booked our cruise last year, but to be fair our TA did inform us of the change.

As per my previous post I am not sure now whether we were informed by our TA that the increase was to £6.00 or £7.00pp.

However, I do remember receiving an email from our TA at the time informing us of an increase.

Interesting conversations! Our own beef about the AGs is that when you make a booking they are one price then are hiked up before the cruise. We were never informed that the £6.00 per person per day had increased to £7.00 per person per day though some people seem to have been advised. Seriously considering altering the AGs to reflect the amount in force at the time of booking.

Actually I'm a little confused now.:confused:

I must admit that I thought they had increased AG to £7.00 pp a little while ago. However I have just checked my on board statement from our recent Oceana cruise last month and it is showing at £6.00 pp.

Also, in our 'Your Holiday Information booklet for that cruise under Service Reward Programme it also says £6.00pp.

So has it literally just gone up to £7.00pp or is it still £6.00pp?

Us too ! When we booked they were £6 are they now £7 ? I am going to change them if that is the case back down to £6 because that is what we were told when we booked and we have had no notification that it has changed.

That's fine, as it's optional you can change the amount to what you like.

We remove the AG and pay individually as that's what we've always done.

Having said that you may end up with a letter trying to persuade you otherwise which is the subject of this thread.:)

To be fair (and to stop anyone about to sail from worrying) we have now done 3 fly cruises with Oceana with TUI and Thomas Cook and all flights and transfers were perfect.

Thanks for the confirmation, that's reassuring.

Sorry to hear about your Thomas Cook experience but hopefully this was a one off occurrence.

Glad it didn't spoil your cruise.

We flew out to Oceana on a Thomson charter flight and thankfully there were no problems for us.

P&O increased the AG to £7.00 pp after we booked our cruise last year, but to be fair our TA did inform us of the change.

We came off Oceana on Thursday and have to say it was an amazing cruise.

 

It started off on a wobbly as Thomas Cook removed a load of cases due to the plane being over weight, so we didn’t get them until 3rd evening. P&O helped us cope considerably and did their best.

 

The ship though was very nice, as were the ports (Split, Venice, Ravenna and Dubrovnik). We had an inside that was always kept clean and tidy.

 

I have to say the staff on this ship really do stand out, they go out of their way to help you! I can see why Oceana has a loyal following.

 

We also found the food on this cruise great, the buffet being the only one that isn’t a bun fight.

 

I’ve got a diary from the cruise on my blog and we’ll have a video up soon, so if you are interested the details are in my signature.

Yes, we also had a great cruise when we were on board Oceana last month.

We also like to do our own thing when in ports but in this case we did book P&O's Rome On You Own trip when we were in Civitavecchia.

Probably could do it cheaper under your own steam, no pun intended, but we wanted the reassurance that P&O would get us back to the ship on time.

BTW, we did manage to do the coliseum (brought tickets on line) trevi fountain, Spanish steps.

I think newcomers to cruising turn up at a travel agency with a good idea of a P&O cruise. They do not have much idea about cruising but are positive about giving it a go. The agent comes up with a price for a fortnight. They then get negative about the price and the agent miraculously reduces the bill significantly with a different cruise, line or itinerary on a second rate basis. They are happy as they have no idea the Range Rover they are buying is now a Ssang Yong Korondo.

 

They like it so much next year and forever more they book Ssang Yong and always on the Korondo!

 

Regards John

Yes, I am sure that happens.:)

Our Daughter and Partner who had not cruised before new that we had been on several cruises over the years and asked us last year if we would like to travel with them on board Aurora. We all enjoyed that cruise very much and the highlight was a proposal to my Daughter under a fantastic showing of the Northern Lights from her partner now Fiancé.

They obviously liked the cruise so much that they have booked their honeymoon next year, spending it on-board Azura cruising the Med.

Needless to say they haven’t invited us to join them on that cruise.:D

I have to say that I don't know anyone who looks for an itinerary, then goes and finds as many similar itineraries as possible and then compares the prices and chooses the cheapest.

 

 

Many people try and get the best deal for the trip they want from the line they always chose. For me I look for the itinerary I want, going at the time I want to go and then see what cabin I am willing to pay for on that trip. Another £50 a week pp will not make that much difference, might push me down a cabin, but doubt it.

 

It is not the cost that counts for PO it is how it works in taxation, remuneration package for staff and in the end what profit system of tips works for them.

 

The letters are just trying to bolster the present system because it works for PO and I doubt they have any reason to change it and unless they need to find a more useful, to PO, one it will stay.

That's what we do and being retired we are not normally limited to when we can travel.