AndyMichelle

We had 'Grandad' with us, mid ship. The lifts can get busy as the stairs don't go above 7, but nothing that caused any issues, only a bit slow on disembarkation day. Lift etiquette was good, we would often shove grandad in while we used the stairs, like many others. Andy

Yeah, it's just a new wool carpet thing, it will go shortly. Andy

Definitely the highlight of our cruise, partly because we had a bit of time to ourselves with great food, great service and fantastic atmosphere. Andy

Princess offering £1 deposit on 25/26 cruises for 2 days... That may sway us😊 Andy

I agree with your whole sentiment, but you do keep saying the 'odd bottle'. We took 5 new cruisers with us recently and a big discussion prior to cruising was how much alcohol they can take on board. We don't take anything, so they were asking us to take bottles for them. A big part of their cruise was 'pre drinks'. They are all looking to cruise again, but when we told them of the change, they all said they are not bothered and enjoyed having the pre dinner drinks in a bar, taking in the atmosphere. It certainly hasn't put them off. Quite often it's a case of 'if you can, you will'. If half the passengers boarding took 1 litre, that's a lot of potential income P&O are losing. Andy

This is done in typical P&O fashion, I think we all agree the way they do things is not right. The decision we have to make is whether this extra 'cutback' is one too far. For us personally, it won't make that much difference but I understand others considering it a deal breaker. 'Spoons' have just dropped 18 drinks from their offering. Their customers now have a choice to make, choose from the current menu or find another pub... We have the same choice to make. Andy

We walked straight in and we're seated straight away. The food and service was exceptional.

The top pic is this years 'British classic trio' in the Glasshouse, the bottom pic is last years. Last years definitely wins, but I do love chocolate. Andy

We didn't try the Beach House this time, but have previously and I am probably the only person ever who didn't rate the lava steak... Perhaps it's something to do with having to cook my own dinner😂 We had a fantastic late lunch in the Glasshouse, the day the Privateers were playing in the Atrium, that was a very pleasant afternoon. Andy

It doesn't matter what you pay, as long as you feel you are getting what you want, and obviously afford it. Andy

That's a good price Jean. A select balcony on the cruise we wanted was just shy of £200pppn. Her Highness wants a balcony as its quite a scenic cruise. Andy

Yeah, tell me about it... Looked at an Aurora cruise yesterday, the cost was eye watering compared to what you could pay on the biggies.. Andy

Definitely not solely blaming the newbies, as many have said before, they take their own drinks because they cannot get what they want on board. I had never noticed it so blatant before, but this time I did and it wasn't being discouraged. Andy

That's my point, it used to be the odd few, now it seemed commonplace. I don't doubt you are right about the baseline etc, but was just surprised how many were blatantly doing it now. As has also been said before, if we don't like it, we can go elsewhere. With all the ships sailing at capacity, there seems to be a stream of people willing to replace us, despite the cuts. Andy

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

On that other site, people still receiving emails saying there is no change... It is changing, we just need to let the P&O employees know😂 Andy

That's my theory out of the window then😂

Good luck, you may be lucky but we wasn't last week. They say it is allocated by floor, we were deck 8 on Britannia with a 3.15 boarding time, so I assume it goes from top to bottom. We tried our luck but had to wait, so no complaints here, we knew the rules. Andy

It's my absolute pleasure. From our perspective, we rely on others feedback, so very happy to share ours. Andy

That's a fair old walk to the glacier Derek, then the trek up... Rather you than me😊 Have a great day, Andy

Excellent summary, thank you. We never fancied Iona, too big etc, but positive reviews like yours have made us look to give it a try. Andy

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be in a cabin next to me😂

Have a fantastic time. Thank you for reporting in, we love 'travelling along' with other cruisers, we learn so much. Andy

You make good points, it's all about expectations. We only miss what we had before. 'If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor'... We just had a great cruise on Britannia, but we knew what to expect and made sure the rest of our party did too. All the first time cruisers (5) with us have fallen in love with cruising and are booking more cruises with P&O and taking others with them. We have opened our minds to other cruise lines but will still book P&O when it suits us. There seems to be enough people ready to replace us cynics if we do move on, the ships are busy. Andy

Have a great time Andy, thanks for reporting in. Unfortunately, some people do not understand the risks of not washing hands until too late. We love Olden, I am sure you will too. Andy