TigerB

Yes, our was telling our lass earlier about someone in IT at P&O Towers pressing the wrong button. All to the benefit of some lucky cruisers.👍🏻

Thank you to you both for that information. It looks like the recent price increases on food are above inflation, and are inconsistent... Beach House: In February it was £9.50 onboard and £7.60 pre-booked. Now it is £11.50 and £9.20, so an increase of a gnat's hair over 21% Epicurean: In February it was £30 onboard and £24 pre-booked. Now it is £35 and £28, so an increase of a gnat's hair under 16.67% It's interesting that the Norwegian Taster menu has gone up by a higher percentage (over 33%); it was previously the same price as the regular menu. If I was a sceptical Tiger, I might think that Carnival are cashing in on the popularity of this menu.🙄 @mrsgoggins, I would be interested to know, from when you are on your cruise, what the percentage increases are on the menu items in Sindhu, if you go in. By way of example, these are the prices of the dishes we chose during a February visit... Yes, the £21 'special menu' is a new thing. I would also be interested to know what dishes feature on it. Me: "Yes, I would like that main course right there, and that main course right there; and for my third choice, I'll have that main course right there". #Yorkshire🤭 Graham, regarding the Spanish tax; being from Yorkshire, that is why we eat in the MDR or pre-book for those nights!😉

Thank you Graham for the report and great photos. I do like a bit of food porn, me!😋 We've only been to La Coruna once, and it hoyed it down, so didn't spend long off the ship. Hopefully, on our next visit we will be able to explore more. We are on Arvia in ####### (I won't say when, in case any of you on here are burgling scrotes!🤭) Seriously though, even though I'm not a social media freak (my online presence is limited to only occasional reviews on TA, and posting on here and two other travel forums, with different usernames), what you and other contributors say about insurance is very valid. I will resolve to only do post-cruise reviews in future. Even though it would probably difficult to work out our address, the insurance companies would only be interested in finding an excuse not to pay out. One more thing, have the speciality restaurant cover charges gone up yet?

@alpha whiskey, guilty as charged!😔 In all honesty, we've only been to Haugesund once, and joined the throng walking into the town. If we do a Norway cruise again, which I want to, and, if it is on the itinerary, I will plan to explore farther afield than just the town centre.

Thanks @MyriamS for the next episode 👍🏻 I'm glad you had a good day in Hellesylt and also Geiranger. That's something I have a problem with, paying so much for the P&O excursions, e.g, "Explore this or that place at your own leisure", and all they do is subcontract to a company to drop you off at the location and leave you to your own devices. It's good to hear that, like me, you're not shy about asking for an extra dessert or two! In Olive Grove I usually have the Tiramisu and Crema Catalana combo.🐷🐯 Be wary of having an early evening meal on your last night; the afternoon tea in Epicurean really is filling.

@smokey01, I wouldn't be surprised if it is on the itinerary more out of convenience for P&O, for filling up with fuel before the return to Southampton, rather than for the cultural enlightenment of their passengers.

If you fancy the fayre offered, and you get a chance to do so, book it. I loved it.

Thanks for the first report, @Funboy Having previously made the not-at-all easy trip from the port to the town centre in Haugesund with a wheelchair user, I also cannot understand why P&O do not lay on a shuttle for the physically impaired.

Many thanks @MyriamS for the detailed, well written and balanced reports thus far. I must say though that, by episode 4 I was feeling a little cheated, and had the distinct feeling you were deliberately teasing us with your food descriptions. Then, there it was, in post #22.......the food porn! 👍🏻 I agree with you that the food can be a bit hit and miss and, oh yes, why serve up a 'traditional British pud' when what arrives on your plate is nothing like one? I too liked the five spice cake.😋 You really liked the fish and chips in the Quays? It is fine enough, but if you really want fantastic fish and chips, and maybe a sage pattie, you need to visit Whiteheads in Hornsea, East Yorkshire. I know you're not visiting Sindhu on this cruise, but are you planning a meal in Epicurean? If so, then that is the time to really fill your post with food porn.😉 If you fancied it, you can visit Epicurean as a non-suite guest and pay for breakfast. It really is good. As you suspected, the 'mystery pool' is for crew. Sometimes, on a sunny day, you may catch the pretty boys from the entertainment crew topping up their tans in there. It was a shame about your nightmare journey getting from Germany to Southampton. Hopefully, you are now into the full swing of the cruise and have forgotten about it somewhat. Enjoy the rest of your cruise; I look forward to future episodes.🙂

For us... If on a saver rate: P4C or Triangle, whichever is cheapest, but most likely the former. If on a select rate with inside cabin: CPS; you only give up £90 OBC for a fortnight. In on a select rate in another cabin: P4C or Triangle, if cheaper than the OBC to give up

That's correct, but @LittleTinker was referring to the queue to collect at the end of the cruise. Personally, we would use P4C, or Triangle at a push, every time and only CPS if we had a Select fare.

Just like @AchileLauro, we've never experienced a queue at the CPS office.

Perhaps the fixed grab bars may be something to do with the ships trying to appeal to American cruisers; after all, in our experience accessible public toilets and hotel bathrooms in the US tend to have very few adjustable grab bars, and the fixed ones are annoyingly hardly ever in the correct position.

@Selbourne, as we have come to expect from you, a well balanced review; thanks. As we are in the same boat as you and your good lady, it is disappointing that a modern cruise ship, which came into service four years after Iona, cannot match it for accessible features. Incidentally, were any of the public toilets touch free? You don't mention anything about the proximity of neighbouring tables to yours; how was that?

The rope walk was free for the first few cruises.... ...then, because it was so busy, the bean counters saw a revenue potential with it.💰💰

It's funny! When we first sailed on Arvia, on her maiden Transatlantic cruise last year, we went to the 6th Street Diner for breakfast, with it bigging itself up as serving 'the most authentic American breakfast' at sea, or some similar promise. Anyway, we found it to be just so-so, and nothing like the breakfasts we have had in the US. I mean, when I asked the waiter for my eggs to be cooked over medium, I totally lost him!🤭 Consequently, we didn't visit again for the remainder of that cruise. It was only when we cruised on her again in April last year that we gained an appreciation of the food on offer in an afternoon and evening. I wholeheartedly agree about Green & Co....great food but underused. I fear they'll give it a few more months, maybe a year, and turn it into something else. Perhaps at the next dry dock refurbishment. As for Olive Grove on Iona; we've sailed on her three times, and I'm quite certain it didn't open until lunchtime.

If you do a search on this forum for 'Arvia AND review' you will get a wealth of information back. Here's a few to get you started... https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/3010778-just-back-from-arvia/#comment-67438635 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2960207-my-arvia-review/#comment-65999213 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2961820-review-of-arvia-cruise-k416-6th-aug-2023/#comment-66050018 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2912128-quick-arvia-review/#comment-64748001 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2936055-arvia-k308-why-after-that-cruise-we-decided-not-to-go-on-future-cruises-with-po-at-least-for-a-while/#comment-65343298 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2969118-just-back-from-arvia-k320/#comment-66273143 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2905927-arvia-ta-k301a-initial-thoughts/#comment-64611149 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2904671-k301a-arvia-ta-inside-ada-cabin/#comment-64581082 https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2931167-arvia-k308-all-aboard/#comment-65211876 So, make yourself a brew and start reading 🙂

Welcome home Andy & Michelle, and the rest of the gang. I'm glad you had, in the main, a great cruise.

I know what his answer will be, same as mine: YES! Some folk like it, but many more don't. We've done it just the once, and won't bother again. But if you like getting dressed up to eat in a canteen, where you are right on top of your neighbouring table, then go for it!😉

That's good. It was the Assistant F&B Manager on Iona that told me in February the next increase will be in May/June time and it would be 'across the board'.

Thanks Andy👍🏻 Those are the same prices as February, so it looks like the anticipated price rise on drinks hasn't happened yet. Mind you, you may wish to check the physical menus too; in October we encountered a problem where the prices on the My Holiday app/non-app were showing old prices, whereas the physical menus reflected the September price increases. That was a fleet wide problem.

If you are really early they may direct you to the 'naughty queue' and you will have to wait your turn. If you are no more than about thirty minutes early they may send you straight in; it will probably depend on how busy it is and who it is you first encounter. If you have someone in your party that requires special assistance, and if you all need to stay together, you should be directed to wait inside the terminal, or may even be directed to proceed directly to check-in. Either way, you can drop off your luggage and return, if that suits.