TigerB

I did!😉 I expect to be doing the same in five weeks time.

We'll try and leave her in good order for you!🙂

G404 - The Canaries? We're on that one

That's great that you enjoyed your cruise with the grandchildren.👍 Be careful about being too positive though, some folk on here will think you work for the company!🤣 We will be on Iona for the second time in just under three weeks time, so looking forward to another good cruise on her.

In my experience, the irons tend to leak when the power goes off, and as they are on a timer, that's a fair few times if you've got a lot to iron. You tend not to notice the timer has finished until you see the water on your garment. A 'ping' would be a bonus.

Regarding seat selection with Maleth Aero: Out of curiosity, and perhaps someone that has already selected their seats on the Maleth Aero planes can answer this; are they showing the bulkhead seats as 'extra legroom' seats, and allowing them to be purchased? Or, are they blocked from advance booking; perhaps being held back for those with special needs, or with babies?

Has anyone used the above, and been satisfied with the service? I'm looking for parking for a two week Arvia cruise next September, and this service is coming out cheapest every time; with one site, at £93. I can't find out much about them, and the 'glowing' reviews make me a tad suspicious. On one site the logo for Cruise Parking Ltd appears next to the information. I seem to recall someone on here writing that they booked with them, and it was Parking4Cruises that met them, but I can't find the post. The description of how to find them reads about the same for Parking4Cruises, with whom I have been satisfied previously and would use again. I'll tread lightly just now, and won't commit until my confidence is boosted by replies from you lovely folk.

Thanks for the offer Michelle, but we'll leave it. The big draw for us was flying to Antigua and the length of the holiday at 22 nights. It was going to be a 60th birthday cruise for our lass, which falls in February. We've since booked a Canaries cruise on Iona, which falls over her birthday. And we've also decided to get back into our US RV trips, after a hiatus of four years, and booked a 26 night trip for May. So, we've got enough expense without this one too. Cancelling it won't be the end of the world.

Thanks Michelle!👍 I'm glad you have got a better deal. Don't you fly PE too? If so, I hope they don't change your operator. After booking this cruise, I researched flight details and historically, more often than not, Virgin had been used on the MAN-ANU route. That would have been perfect for us, albeit we knew the flights could be changed. So, the recent news was a big disappointment. I've just been on the site and, for us, a balcony cabin would be more expensive. We could go the option of cancelling and rebooking our existing sea-view cabin; however, after calculating the differences due to reduced OBC, and the loss of our £100 deposit, the net saving is only a little above £100. It really doesn't matter if the net saving was £400; not being able to fly PE is a certain deal breaker for us. So, it looks like we will be cancelling.🙁 Sorry, I'm going to have to recind our invite for you to come to our cabin for some drunken pole dancing!🤣

We have not received any email or other notification from P&O that our booked PE seats are no longer available for our flight next March to join Arvia in Antigua for the repositioning cruise. I've just checked our Cruise Planner and it shows our flight from Manchester is indeed with Maleth Aero. Some posts on this thread make reference to folk apparently making a fuss about nothing and the lack of entertainment being a first world problem. That may be so, and we would have no problem with using our own devices on the flight, but the major problem for us though, and others no doubt, is the loss of the PE cabin; for many, like us, it is a deal breaker. For my wife, and probably others who, like her, may have severe mobility restrictions and/or be nervous flyers, PE is the only cabin class in which she would be comfortable flying long-haul to or from a cruise in the Caribbean. Unless there is a u-turn before our final payment is due in December, which I very much doubt, we will be cancelling. Luckily, we only paid £100 deposit.

I am seeking answers from those that are actually booked on either of these cruises and flying from London or Birmingham. Have any of you had flight details through yet? If so, what are the airline and times from and to Birmingham for K423a, and the London airport, airline, and times from and to for both cruises? Thanks, in advance.🙂

As @terrierjohn writes, it is Sindhu where you pay a small advance fee of £10 per person, and get 20% off food when you order. That also applies to Green & Co, and any other a la carte restaurants that are available to pre-book; with the exception of Beach House, which drops to £7.50. For Epicurean you pay the full amount of £24 per person upfront; if you booked onboard it would be £30. The 20% pre-booking discount also applies to the Limelight Club. If you are eligible for it, you can also use your Peninsular discount to save a couple of quid more on pre-bookings.

That's fine, you have your opinion and I have mine. If we all have thought the same thing all the time, it wouldn't make for a very interesting world, would it? Again, my opinion only, but I think Haugesund was more of a port of convenience for the company than a 'wow' destination for the passengers.

Thanks @bubsie for the update.👍 I'm glad your overall experience was fairly positive, despite several setbacks. It's a shame about Stavanger, it's a much nicer port than Haugesund, in my opinion. CPS is very expensive, as you've found out; we would only use them if we diverted some OBC to the booking. Like you say, you know for next time. This forum is great for advice; like you, I have found out so much information, and have in turn been able to help others. Good luck planning your next trip.🙂

The local rags around the country will no doubt be happy to facilitate the above; all of the poor hard done to cruisers will be practicing their sad compo faces in readiness.🙄

From @molecrochip yesterday: ' Do remember, there is surplus lifeboat / inflatable capacity so no need to be concerned. '

I had not noticed that before. When we're on her in October I'll try and remember to have a look. Thanks for allowing us to join you on your cruise, and experiencing the many good points and, unfortunately, the low points. Your reports have been well balanced and informative, and would, I hope, alleviate any anxiety for other members, non wheelchair users, who haven't yet sailed on her but were maybe concerned by some other negative reports. Having sailed on Arvia twice within the space of four months, and then on Iona two months later, I have to say there isn't much between them for us, but Iona just takes the gold by a nose, mainly due to the two smaller MDRs, the superior Olive Grove, and less problems with the My Holiday app. Despite the lift problems that we have encountered on both ships, we will continue to sail on them; we haven't suffered as much as you two, and will always seek to avoid school holidays.

That's good!👍 Stay safe

I hope there are no full-time wheelchair users ashore; it will be a nightmare for them, and in some cases impossible, to get back on board using a tender.

If you have breakfast early enough, with the intention of getting back to your cabin before 08:00, there's nothing wrong with leaving your hand luggage there. Although it's a bit of a pain, we take our hand luggage with us because we like to eat about the time you have to vacate your cabin. Also, on the two big ships anyway, the gangway is usually on deck 6; that means we only have the battle with the lifts once, on the way down to the MDR. We don't have to do it again to get off, often a nightmare with a wheelchair, as Selbourne is able to testify.

Typical! You wait all week for an empty lift and then on the last day one sneaks up on you!😄 I'm glad the disembarkation went well for you. Am I correct in thinking that the disabled bays in the CPS car park are near to where you collect your keys? Yes, the first time our doorbell went, we were ready to abandon ship too!😯

Yes, the shuttle bus provided by the port can accommodate at least one wheelchair. The fare is NOK70

Ah, someone has managed to get a brief mobile signal from Kent then!😉 Another good read! What a disappointing experience all round in the Limelight Club. Hats off though to the restaurant manager for trying to placate you. It is refreshing when someone like that takes the initiative and sorts thing at source. Hopefully, your last sea day went well and was as relaxing as it could be, with you having to pack. I hope you manage to disembark tomorrow without too much stress, and have a safe trip home. I would be interested to hear how your car collection goes, without incident I hope; we are using CPS for the first time in October. Stay safe

Hi Helen, We've sailed on Arvia twice and once on Iona, and have used the speciality restaurants on both. Not all of them are available to book before you sail, so you won't necessarily be able to benefit from discounts for pre-booking. The prices for Arvia are: Limelight Club: It varies depending on the act, but could be anything between about £28 to £35 if booked onboard. If booked through the Cruise Planner you get a 20% discount. Epicurean: Onboard price: £30 Through Cruise Planner: £24 (20% discount) Sindhu: Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish. Three courses plus drinks for a party of two will probably set you back between £40 and £50. Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit. Green & Co / Mizuhana: Onboard: It's a la carte, so you pay by the dish. Through Cruise Planner: £10 deposit per person. When you eat, all your food is discounted by 20%, then they deduct the deposit. Beach House: Onboard: £9.50 for three courses. There are several dishes that have a supplement. Through Cruise Planner: £7.50. You will then save a further 20% on the supplements when you eat. NB. Beach House has not been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner when we have sailed on Arvia, but it has been recently on Iona. Glass House and Keel & Cow: These have never been available to pre-book through the Cruise Planner. They are both al a carte restaurants. NB. When you pre-book through the Cruise Planner, as well as the 20% discount or the deposit, you can also apply Peninsular discount. There are plenty of examples of sample menus online. Enjoy your planning🙂

Sorry to hear about you both getting Covid; hopefully it's the very mild version and you'll get well soon. I will also read your review with interest; hopefully, a SAGA cruise will be in our not too distant future.