Teddy123

No. The price of our 2025 British Isles cruise has been dropped by over £1,000 in line with the price for new bookings, and our TA has processed it all.

Worked perfectly last October (Ventura) and this April (Iona). Joined queue in our cabin or elsewhere, got on with our lives (eg getting changed) and went to MDR when we knew there was a table for us. Much better than the "good old days" with a traipse down to MDR in the hope of a table, only to find the queue started at 5.30 or to get a pager that doesn't work in the cabin or many other locations. (Table size may be a factor in how beneficial it is - "sharers" may be much more able to just walk in). If P&O have dropped the "app" fleet-wide and permanently this will affect our decision of future cruises.

OK thanks. A retrograde step in my opinion.

A question: is the app now not used at all or just optional? (we think it's great). Thanks.

If you use a debit card you need TWICE the anticipated full amount of onboard expenditure in your bank account because every day Cunard puts on a reservation equal to the daily spend then at the end of the cruise makes a real charge for the full amount without removing the reservations. There are several threads here about the problem.

It's simple voice recognition - not AI at all. The term AI is misused consistently in the media and elsewhere but there is very little AI in the world (or natural intelligence for that matter!). Even the much publicised ChatGPT which is supposed to take over the world and make everyone redundant is mostly knowledge, not intelligence.

Double post

I got the already-deducted 10% for a July 2025 booking plus the £100 OBC (not gloating, just for info).

I got the offer on a postcard after a recent Iona cruise. A few days ago I booked a Select 16-night mini-suite cruise on Arcadia in 2025 and was surprised to get £100 OBC with the parking option, rather than the advertised zero OBC. I'd forgotten the See You Again offer but I assume that's the reason. All I did was book with my Peninsular Club number and the OBC appeared as if by magic.

Nothing to do with the way banks work - it's P&O (and Cunard). As was said at the beginning of this thread, any card (debit or credit) will be "charged" - albeit with pending transactions but these still eat up available balance - on a daily basis and then again with the full amount at the end, essentially "double charging" until the pending daily amounts "time out". As Molecrochip says, P&O could release the holds when they take the full amount, but they don't (and erroneously blame the banks).

In the past, aware of this problem, I've used my Chase debit card (on Cunard so with the advantage of no extra charge for dollar transactions) after first making sure the account was in credit for twice what I expected the onboard account to be. At 3% interest pa, this cost (2 x N) * 3% / 12 in lost interest, where N is the onboard account amount, allowing for the money to be tied up for a month. So 0.5% * N in lost interest, but 1% * N in cashback - ie twice as much and still a net gain. Admittedly, though, on my recent P&O cruise (in sterling) I just used my American Express card and got 0.5% back that way instead - much easier!

The key number is not how many people sometimes eat meat (which may well be the 86% quoted), but how many ONLY eat meat, since only these are "barred" from a plant-based venue. Surveys suggest 17% are "meat only" diners, so 83% might use a plant-based restaurant. It works both ways: Epicurean has an extremely poor choice for vegetarians and possibly none for vegans, so it doesn't offer a "universally available option" either. However, I suspect what problems there might be with MDR capacity are not down to either Green & Co or Epicurean.

Not on my map! Poland borders Ukraine. We are booked to go on the Baltic next year and my main concern is that P&O will cancel or change it unnecessarily!

Not just P&O. Our June Cunard to North Cape has just had 2 of the 6 ports changed (although still going to North Cape) and now the fjords are missed out altogether. This happened just after the full balance had to be paid.

I agree about Haugesund but I consider the absence now of any sailing into the fjords as the injury and the simple inefficiency/carelessness of sending out a message saying trips are available when they aren't as the insult.

Yes, conveniently just after the full balance had to be paid. And despite the claim otherwise, a new programme of shore excursions is NOT available on My Cunard. Claiming there is just adds insult to injury.

Yes. The dance floor is for everyone to use as they wish. One person's activity might cause a little inconvenience to others, but not as much inconvenience as is caused to somebody who feels they can't use the floor at all because of others' activity. No person or group has the exclusive right to the floor.

It's obvious the only source is the OP's opinion of P&O.

Would anybody like to guess, based on previous years, when the April 2025 QV 7 night cruise to Lisbon might go on sale? If it's before the beginning of September this year I might transfer a deposit rather than losing it! Thanks.

Well, I suppose a repeated description of anything but ballroom dancing as "jiggling" will let readers form their own judgement about at least some Cunard cruisers!

My understanding is that P&O Australia and P&O UK are different brands and not necessarily totally comparable. However, I agree about the dancing on Cunard. It's noticeable that on "ballroom nights" - typically 6 nights out of 7 or even 13 out of 14 on a cruise - the dance floor is often virtually empty, while on nights when anybody can have a go it's packed. I estimate at least 4 times as many people participate when it's not ballroom. This should be telling Cunard something!

I am Caribbean and Diamond level with P&O and Cunard, and have also been on Celebrity, Princess and Holland America, so feel qualified to offer a comment based on extended experience - always a good idea. Both lines are essentially British but offer somewhat different products, for (increasingly) different prices. However, both products are essentially fine. Simply to describe one as better than the other is far too crude. Something much more nuanced is needed to really assess them, and the assessment will depend on an individual’s needs and perceptions for a particular cruise: in one context Cunard will be preferable, in another P&O.

We were on Ventura in October and I thought they did have the vegetarian menu then, but perhaps not (because it could be we just had the option on the standard menu). Shame if it's gone. It was certainly available on Queen Mary 2 in December, although Cunard vegetarian sausages are not as good as P&O's and they don't do vegetarian bacon.

We are largely vegetarian (but occasionally eat fish) and while the choice on "standard" menus is rather limited - as is true globally (Geneva is one of the most vegetarian-unfriendly places we've visited) - you should find that the main dining room at least has an additional, separate vegetarian menu if you ask for it. Still not the same choice as for those who prefer dead animals, but it does extend the options. I also enjoy the vegetarian sausages and bacon available at breakfast.

I agree, but drink costs are not the only downside - eg identical excursions always cost more with Cunard and no gratuities on P&O. We have done about 15 cruises on each of Cunard and P&O, and have just dumped a 5 night Cunard cruise in favour of a 12 night P&O one at the same time - for the same overall price (considering fare, tips, drinks, excursions, lost deposit). The cabins are essentially the same (Queen Victoria Princess Grill/Ventura Superior Deluxe Balcony). Dining is different, of course. For us, even with a somewhat "inferior" experience, 12 nights at sea/6 ports with P&O is better value than 5 nights at sea/3 ports with Cunard for the same price. Of course, others may think Cunard are so much better that 5 nights on board are worth 12 on P&O, but we now question whether the Cunard premium is value for money. The OP seems happy with the Cunard price, and in that case, I would say certainly go for it.