PJL1973

That's a great review there Emily. Bodes well for my first Anthem OTS & RCL cruise on 15/10

1 minute ago, Denarius said:

Thanks. I am somewhat reassured. But why cannot P&O tell it like it is on their website rather than implying that only those travelling together can dine and socialise together? Communication is definately not their strong suite.

They do say this on their website, you just have to dig a bit deeper to find it. Here is there exact wording from the website about solo travellers:

Solo travellers

Solo travellers will be able to enjoy delicious dining, world-class entertainment and adventures ashore. We know solo travellers love to make friends on board and we’re pleased to say guests travelling alone are welcome to join others for dining and all hosted activities such as workshops, dance classes and shore experiences.

You can definitely share a table with others even if you're travelling solo. A couple of nights I dined alone but the rest I was asked if I wanted to share a table with others, which I accepted. There are no restrictions to mixing with others in a bar as well, all perfectly allowed. In additionan, there are still solo meetups as well, so you do things with other solo travellers.

I suspect the first international crusies will actually be from the UK to one other country (maybe multiple ports but stil all in the same country). That way it won't be any different from other holidays. Otherwise I can't see how things are going to work out without it getting very complicated.

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Isn't that what RCL have done with Anthem due to the uncertainty? It does seem to make commercial sense to have a backup plan.  With all the rumours about what might go red from our government based on numbers coming back with Covid rather than cases in the destinations I presumed that's what he may have been referring to, especially with the comment about not booking until after this week's update.

I've seen October RCL Anthem UK seacation crusies, but their at home/pharmacy PCR test regime puts me off, especially if there are issues validating them - not to mention the cost (though I think that is reimbursed though OBC). Right now, I think it would be unwise to book any non-UK cruises due to shifting circumstances in going out from the UK AND going back to hte Uk from the host country.

With cruises tending to have multiple country desitinations (unlike normal holidays), the problem will no doubt be magnified. For example a cruise going to Belgium & Holland from the UK could have interesting requirements - if you've been to Belgium first, do we go by Dutch requirements for entrants from Belgium, or since we originated from the UK will Dutch requirement from the UK apply - or both?

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

Interesting to note that on the Princess forum, "walk in" passengers are reporting that they are being tested at the terminal as early as 11:15. 

Seems the 12:00 start time refers only to the drive through  location..

 Well if that's the case and P&O are the same, then I could have walked to the terminal at 11:30 instead of 12:00 if the no earlier than 1 hour before rule also applied there. Still can't complain as it was fairly straight forward as it was (and preferable to airport embarkation under pre-Covid times).

You had to use the app to go the buffet on Brittania? That's news to me - I just turned up, got my plates etc and just asked for whatever food I wanted from the selection available. Drinks (tea/coffee etc) was even self service - no-one serving there. I certianly wasn't turned back at any time from the buffet. Only restriction I faced was on disembarkation day when I was directed to the opposite side I usually go to.

Of course MDRs & SDs were completely different, you had to book beforehand.

I don't have a printer either, but I live just a few minutes away from the nearest library and printed all my stuff there. At 15p a sheet, it wasn't that expensive, and I'll print less next time, knowing what I do now. Also, I've heard phone reception in the terminal isn't the best in the world, so I printed everything to be on the safe side.

Regarding P&O drinks packages, while I was on board Brittania last week, there was a rumour gonig round that they would be only be available for 7 nights or more in the future, rather than the current 5 nights or more. Personally I'm not too worried by this, provided they keep the drinks prices reasonable, since I probably wouldn't drink enough to meet the package price, especially on port days.

5 hours ago, thornegirl said:

Are you directed to testing once you've dropped your suitcases off, is that in the main terminal or elsewhere?

Once I dropped off the suitcase for embarkation I was directed to the testing site at the terminal.

1 hour ago, thornegirl said:

What time did you get to the terminal?

 Got to the terminal at 12:10 (boarding time was 12:30) and was in the ship atrium by 13:20. Was in the cabin by 13:30

Well I arrived on foot to the terminal and only waited about 10-15 minutes before the test when I embarked on Brittania on Sunday. So it's definitely not taking a long time to do it at the terminal.

My thoughts on my first cruise on the Brittania (or any ship on any line) on 15/08:

1a. Embarkation was thankfully largely hassle-free and faster than I expected or feared. I got to the terminal by public transport / foot by 12:10 (I had a boarding time of 12:30) and was onboard by 13:20. Didn't take long to have the covid test & was told that test result would come through after 30 minutes, which was the case. But this was more like 20 minutes waiting time as the health check questionaire was done straight after the covid testimg. Boarding / check in was fine. Then security and on to the ship.

1b. It helped that I had done a lot of prepation & printing of forms beforehand which greatly helped things - I later learned 20 passengers were turned away from the terminal due to incomplete documentation / misunderstood rules & protocols, including one woman from Edinburgh who thought 2 proofs of identity was all that was needed in lieu of a passport. She was travelling with a freind who ended up boarding the ship without her.

2. Couldn't really fault the service. Had no issues with the waiters or any of the crew members. There were a couple of busy periods where I struggled to get noticed, but it was never a long wait before I had service.,

3. Food in the MDR was excellent (well apart from the odd cheese platter selection). The buffet selection felt rather limited (though that could just due to covid issues), but was otherwise fine. Pizzas in the poolside grill / pizzeria was good, the hot dog & fries less so.

4. Loved the Crows Nest, both in the daytime & at night. Best part of the ship IMO.

5. Entertainment was excellent. The music was good & couldn't really fault it as long as you had realistic expectations of what was being played. Though I never expected to hear sea-shanties on a cruise ship. 

6. Met some lovely passengers at mealtimes & randomly elsewhere. Overall the atmosphere felt very friendly and safe.

7. Disembarkation was super quick and ahead of schedule - 20 minutes from the lido to out of the terminal.

Neither is the Channel Islands part of the UK, which might explain why I've seen some Channel Islands sampler crusies being offered. I believe ships can dock in Ireland too as it's part of the Common Travel Area (British Isles). So the 'UK' seacations could have duty free goods under certain circumstance. Heck even Northern Ireland could be a grery area on this now due to the post Brexit ararangements with the EU.

Apart from one questionable case (short sleeve shirt, didn't see a tie but may have worn one), virtually every maler in the MDR was wearing either DJ & bow tie or smart business suits & tie on Celebration night on the Brittania cruise I've just been on.

20 hours ago, daiB said:

Not sure you are going to get guest presenters on such short cruises.

There were defintely guest prensenters onboard the Brittania cruise I've just done - one was talking about marine conservation.

I was on board Brittania when it happened and saw the heilcopter come in while I was dining in the MDR (Meridien I think). All the passengers on the port side were told not to be outside on their balconies while the helicopter came in (this was strictly enforced - one passenger even had a knock on the door of his cabin and was told personally by one of the crew to vacate his balcony). It certainly made for an eventful first night. Speculation was that it was someone who was going to be married on the ship. 

My E-ticket & luggage label came via the TA I booked the crusie through. I thought this might be the case when I saw the e-ticket & luggage labels not light up after I had done the check in. So I phoned them up about it to confirm and they said it would be coming through 7-10 days before embarkation. Got them 6 days before I go. Having said that they're TA logooed luggage labels, so that should be interesting to see if / how the baggage handlers handle it.

Perhaps bookings should only apply for a limited period?  For example if they have booked a table for 7:30pm then they should arrive by 7:45pm, otherwise they lose their reservation and it becomes open to all.

10 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Can't you book online before boarding?

 For Brittania, only the entertainment in the Headlines Theatre & the films can be pre-booked. Everything else has to be booked on board. I presume the same is for Iona as well.

I didn't know this was a shakedown / test cruise - thought it was the actual maiden cruise. How do people apply to go on one of those? If it was free, then people shouldn't really be complaining. In fact I'd treat like I was a beta-tester for a game (for this is exactly what this is in effect) and activtely try and break the system for 'bugs', and then go to reception to report them.

This is the exact wording from their webiste:

Solo travellers

Solo travellers will be able to enjoy delicious dining, world-class entertainment and adventures ashore. We know solo travellers love to make friends on board and we’re pleased to say guests travelling alone are welcome to join others for dining and all hosted activities such as workshops, dance classes and shore experiences.

23 hours ago, EM35 said:

Hi @ScratchTheRat, hope you've had a great break. I'd love to know how you got on if you don't mind. I usually cruise solo but am not sure what it will be like at the moment and therefore are undecided whether to book a staycation. 

 

Em

P&O's website has been updated with the latest guidence and with the lifting of restrictions, the bit about solo travellers is now a lot more encouraging - you are not discouraged in participating in mutual activities with others on board, so should be much closer to normality in that respect.

6 hours ago, zap99 said:

A few folk ventured as far as Brodies and got paged ok.

 I will probably use my smartphone & onboard Wi-Fi if I can. Though I'm thinking of asking the onboard crew on where the best ship Wi-Fi hotspots are on the vessel, as I believe they use the same network as well. 

1 minute ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

Reports from the latest cruises are passengers are being turned away and told to return at the correct time for testing.

 

That's good to hear, will result in shorter queues for those who are supposed to be there at the earlier times.