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  1. Depending on if you are booking direct with P&O, and particularly if you don't feel strongly either way (including position of the cabin), then it may make sense to book an inside cabin and then consider upgrading at a later stage, where the cost might be cheaper- that's a risk. However, I am not sure if you are getting a quote for a single cabin, where numbers are smaller, or a price for single occupancy of a two berth cabin. Upgrades are easier for two berth cabins as there is considerably more supply. One of the reasons for saying this is that the normal price may also adjust downwards. If it does, then you are less "exposed" at the higher price point before the balance becomes payable. Personally, you get very little for the 2k extra - not really worth it.
  2. Yes, best to follow the advice given and turn Mobile Data off, Aeroplane Mode on, and retain WiFi for the My Holiday app only. Heavy charges do apply for using Data at sea, but also for incoming and outgoing calls and to send text messages. These will rack up if your phone is on a contract and to the best of my knowledge if is ineligible from all data passport deals and such like. One of the ways all cruise companies make money is that Telenor Maritime selects preferentially when at sea, even when a roaming network is available. You are safe from these charges when away from the port, on land - you should receive a welcome text message from the country you are in. If the provider is not Telenor Maritime then you will be able to use your phone at the normal rate developed by your provider. Worth checking this though!
  3. They are all part of the 1% though, 99% of people never have anything to grumble about🤣
  4. Ring, Ring... "Hello, welcome to P&O Cruises, my name's Paul. How can I help you?" I want to complain about my cruise... "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, your feedback is really important to us. Did you know that 99% of customers on your cruise had a great time?" ...what?...how do you know about my booking? "Did you say "want to book another cruise?" No. "Sorry, I don't understand. I'll try and transfer your call, wait a moment...our offices are now closed. Goodbye!"
  5. Also responding to the bot saying, "Speak to a real person," also works, when done repeatedly, although Paul does try to answer back... To be honest, I wondered if it was a redeployment for some of the reception team...😂
  6. There has always been nitpicking, even many years ago. Examples which come under this category include (for me) how is the salt and pepper decanted - who cares - and the change of coaster type in the bars, similar...to me. What does feel fair though, and the company now promotes this in their statements, is that passenger sentiment is largely driven by price. I don't think that this is true but its the company strategy certainly. This isn't saying that cruise holidays need to be for the super rich only, but only that not everyone wants a mainstream, budgeted brand, coming in cheaper than a 3* hotel. Some want to have a British cruise experience and be made to feel special. They want, and some expect, customer service to be responsive, personalised, and high quality. Some of these special touches and what you would associate with a four star cruise line have been taken away. Yes, price is the same, or less, but these special touches are omitted even if you choose a bargain inside cabin, on a saver fare, or more expensive accommodation, like a deluxe balcony or suite. That's particularly the case with dining arrangements, hence the rub for some. The retort to this is pay more and go with another cruise line, however, for some, they like the ambience of a P&O cruise and want to be given the choice to pay for quality on board, without planning their holidays to the nth degree in advance. They want the company to adapt and diversify its offer, instead of just building even bigger ships. Hence, people moan, because they can't have the best of both worlds. Most of what they say is fair, as its a true, lived experience for that person, but you will always get diversity of perspective when good enough is set at a different level for all.
  7. To answer your question, my personal experience of this was on the Maiden (and no, I didn't book it as a Maiden voyage), and not linked to the Christmas Day debacle (where it was 11pm). I cancelled two further Arvia cruises as a result of that terrible experience overall. Some folks said teething issues, new ships always get a rough ride 1st season, it will settle down. I said, at the time, looks to be a systemic physical capacity issue to me, objective to get people in the buffet, Quays, and in to paid for dining options. With the setup of how to book keep changing, I'm sticking with that theory for now. I don't have another cruise planned on Arvia, but if I do, and the situation improves, then I will be happy to point this out.
  8. I can see P&O attempting to charge to "jump the queue" at some point, similar principle to what you see in some theme parks, where one buys a wristband, or a pass, to jump the queue. Simple, cost free, way of making extra money. Maybe that someone deletes these posts, before the bean counters get ideas!!🙂
  9. I can say, from personal experience on Arvia, that some guests in a "non paid for" MDR queue, were being seated considerably after the restaurant was supposed to close at 9.30pm. These people had joined the queue more than an hour earlier, sometimes more. Some do give up. So yes, they were fed, but still eating an evening meal at gone 10pm at night, when you don't want (or choose to), and sonetimes even where, is not really a choice. There is a question about if this is reasonable, and if it is comparable, to a land-based restaurant, or similar offerings on other cruise lines. This is one of the reasons why some guests are going earlier, and earlier; not because they want to, or necessarily because they prefer the spontaneity of being able to do so, but simply because they want a traditional, sit down, three course meal (like they could have at any land-based restaurant, on a table reserved for them), without it disrupting their other plans for the evening, whatever they may be. Often, the evening entertainment on board, particularly if not attending the theatre, is limited to certain times I.e., things such the pianist in the Crows Nest, the act in the Atrium, something like a Race Night or an Evening Quiz, or meeting up with friends. If you want to do one of these things, then many will build their evening around it. If you can't get fed at a reasonable, plannable, time so you can participate, then your choice and broader enjoyment of your holiday becomes diminished. For example, if you booked a table at a restaurant at home, let's say for 7pm, and then had a film at a nearby cinema starting at 9pm, which you may have prepaid for, you would think that was reasonable. You would expect your table to be ready at 7, or shortly before, or at least very shortly afterwards, and then be able to get to the cinema on time. You wouldn't expect to miss part of the film because, on arrival, you were presented with a pager, saying return in 45 minutes to an hour. You also wouldn't expect, if you were hungry, to be limited to just a main course, or not have timely service from the bar, because you were rushing. This type of expectation is one not associated with paying a lot of money for your meal, it's a basic expectation.
  10. Funny enough I also attended both and for me it was the other way round. Thought Kevin had a lot more content, had the crowd more, much more real with the interaction (even with the Brit Award overkill!), whereas Ray was good also, played his set, but seemed to be off just under the hour from coming on. Some interaction but felt more corporate to me. I do think that The Limelight Club, save for a few terrible experiences on Arvia, is one of the better innovations on P&O in recent years. Not quite got the 710 Club vibe yet. Definitely worth booking before boarding, as I think the price went up noticeably.
  11. I think that a good point is made here, and this isn't 1st season syndrome now with Arvia. If the physical capacity in the MDR is such that each table can be turned around twice during the dining times overall, the best way to maximise the available MDR capacity would to be abolish the Freedom Dining concept and give passengers either a 6.30, or an 8.30pm sitting, reserving choice of table size to the "select" fare guests. However, this approach comes with it the problem that more than two thirds of the passengers want the MDR experience, especially on first night and for celebration meals, meaning that P&O could not allocate a table to every guest in this way. The residual options would be sending some guests to The Olive Grove and 6th Street Diner, which would be unacceptable to some "traditionalists;" or stretching the session in to a third seating per table, which is not acceptable to guests or staff; or scrapping The Olive Grove in to a new MDR (not acceptable to the business concept); or not being able to guarantee a free, seated, restaurant style, evening meal at all - that would be a breach of the "full board," product (as currently advertised). Instead then of using one of these options, P&O instead are creating some new "freedom" within the existing physical capacity, but also hoping that when the "freedom" slots get booked up then some guests will respond by diversifying their choices to another restaurant (including paid for), as they will assume that they will wait longer for dinner if they go in to the standard queue. In essence, they are giving new freedom in some ways, but taking it away at the same time. This is trying a new tack to the original strategy when Arvia was launched, namely that guests are encouraged to try all of the Dining options on board as part of their holiday experience. Personally, as I have said, I quite liked The Olive Grove and the 6th Street Diner, so ok with me. I also approach now with the mindset that a greater guarantee of decent food, decent portion, and decent service is a paid for extra.
  12. As it happens, we are booked on the Arcadia sailing...we did get a more significant discount than what I shown on the web now, quite considerably in fact. Looking at the prices now, the Princess one seems to be better value for money.
  13. The current Feefo score for P&O Cruises is 3.7/5 ... for customer experience, which probably is as representative as is possible of wider customer sentiment. Yes, there is some evidence that people are more likely to review a negative experience, but with tens of thousands of individual views, and the fact that this is the same across all products, and is on verified customers only, its probably fair to use. The score used to be just over 4 out of 5. So, customer perception is getting somewhat worse, and the improved value for money is not the same as customer expectation, but also 3.7 / 5 is not terrible either. Kind of says to me, P&O are, as they say are focusing on "good enough," and "pay more" for a special experience, when it comes to key parts of the holiday, like dining.
  14. If an excursion is cancelled on board, more than 48 hours in advance, then the sum is returned, less a 10% cancellation fee. After then, the excursion becomes non-refundable, unless P&O cancel it I.e., the port is cancelled, or the trip is cancelled due to insufficient passenger bookings. However, there is no fee if you cancel before you board, and you do so (I believe) several days before you board. The Peninsular discount, I.e., 5-10% based on your "tier" comes off the cost, when booking in advance too. It does make sense now to book excursions before boarding, and earlier, as the pricing is capacity sensitive, although the ability to use OBC is lost by doing so. For example, we booked several excursions and saw the price go up by £10-25 per person in some cases, not all. I haven't (yet) seen an excursion come down in price, unlike the cruise itself, whereas you can (sometimes) lose out by booking early now. The ones to watch are not booking something which can be done simply yourself, for example HOHO buses, or in ports with very good access to the town/amenities like Cartagena. Another example of this was in Stockholm recently and an excursion to the Abba Museum. The cost of booking the ticket privately was around a third of doing so with P&O and, even allowing for taxi transport, you were still "quids in." No advantage, at all, to booking with the cruise company, and no risk of missing the boat - Voulez vous save money! The other one I remember in particular was the Flam Railway, a short walk from the pier - £40 extra with P&O than just booking the tickets yourself, either in advance or on the day. Generally speaking, anything which is further afield than the main port of call we are visiting, or relies on public transport in the other country to arrive, we tend to book with the cruise company (convenience) - there are alternatives available though, like taxi tours and private excursion companies from many ports now. Some posters never, or rarely, use the excursions, just a matter of convenience.
  15. Thank you for sharing this review. What I can say, being on the previous voyage on Britannia (and not in the school holidays) is that the dining issues are not limited to the "peak" season, as an increasing number of posters report. However, the experiences were more in the 100+ range in the virtual queue, and bad, but neither extreme delays for dining. Specialty dining was, in the main, excellent. I wouldn't be happy with attempting Freedom Dining under the current set up, only Fixed or Specialty only dining on the larger ships. I would concur with your opinions on the buffet, although was, it seems, more fortunate on the cleanliness, particularly the balcony area.
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