9265359

Enjoy. For the last few winters since I retired I have been spending January to March outside the UK, this year it will be a few months in Tenerife, and there is nothing to beat not having to deal with the UK's worst time of year. One thing not to forget is your home insurance. Most policies have a limitation of 30 or 60 days, with very limited cover if you are away for longer than that (with the restriction kicking in when you *leave*, for that over 30 or 60 day trip and *not* at day 30 or 60) and most have clauses that mean that family popping in don't count even if they are staying overnight.

That doesn't seem out of step with anything else they charge for on board, such as hairdressers, spa, etc.

Yes you use a travel router - I use a GL.iNet router and they start at around £30. At any hotel (or cruise ship) you log onto the WiFi with your phone so the hotel has the MAC of your phone which it then uses to 'recognise' the device. You then disconnect and if you have not already done so copy your phone's MAC to the WiFi router and then connect the WiFi router to the hotel's WiFi. The hotel's WiFi seeing a MAC it recognises allows the router to connect and you now connect whatever you want to your router. Primarily I don't use it to avoid the 'multiple device' restriction as most hotels don't place any such restriction these days because they generally don't charge,, but to run a VPN back to a Raspberry Pi at home so bypassing any geo-restrictions on being abroad (the banned B word that has removed the ability to be able to watch streaming services outside the UK if you don't take similar steps).

Even if a couple on a drinks package were drinking 15 drinks each a day every day, P&O would still be making £1,400 profit from them on a 14 night cruise.

So an industrial estate with no security. Hmm...

Yes, instead of not being able to find space on deck to sunbath, it would not be finding space to set up your satellite connection. At the moment... The first iPhone was launched in 2007 and was a 2G phone with only very rudimentary web access, and yet 15 years later when they launched the iPhone 14 it offered built in emergency satellite communication access. Would you be prepared to gamble on what the iPhone 25 will be capable of in ten years?

Sure, as a 'get it out there quick' stop-gap following the restart then a webpage was OK. But now the requirement to book for restaurants, shows, etc. isn't going away, then after two years it is a bit poor that the stop-gap is still in place and a proper app hasn't replaced it.

Why on earth P&O don't bite the bullet and just release an app that actually worked that people can download before they get on the cruise ship ... Do that and leave the website as a fallback to those who hadn't downloaded it (and when onboard overseas had no internet access to do so) and it would solve many many issues.

Yes, you can personally buy a Starlink roaming setup, and plenty of people with camper vans are doing so. And also plenty of people in rural areas that cannot get a decent 'landline' broadband connection are buying the residential version. And that's before you get to the latest iPhones having emergency access to satellite communications for if you are stuck somewhere where there is no mobile phone coverage. A box 2' x 1' x 1' weighing about 10kg - so not too bad. People take dafter things on cruises, and unless there is anything in the T&Cs to prevent you... Realistically I can't see people doing so, but my point was that satellite internet access at £3 a day (or likely far less when bought in bulk) cost price is massively marked up by the cruise lines.

I would suggest the opposite given how the regulator has had to bring enforcement action down on some airlines who haven't been paying up for pretty straightforward things. Depends on the circumstances. The court fee and travel expenses would be all. Things are going in the opposite direction with plans by the UK government to water down the rights people gained whilst the UK was in the EU - Aviation Consumer Policy Reform (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Although if you do that you will inevitably have to take the airline to court to get the money back you spent on the new tickets.

Agree. I received the offer for my upcoming cruise in December and the bid prices seemed to be pretty much what the difference in price between the types of cabins was when I booked a couple of months ago - and if I declined to pay that price then, then why am I going to pay it now!

That's exactly why I avoid shared tables, especially at breakfast or lunch. I will frequently used the MDR at lunchtime for a single course such as the sandwich, and I don't want to be kept waiting for it whilst others have a three course meal. These days I pre-empt any such issues by requesting additional dishes of vegetables from the waiter, and if it something I particularly like the look of to bring a 'large portion' which are two portions re-plated as one, or if I am undecided between two things to bring both. Provided you ask when ordering the waiters don't care because they can collect it all in one go, it is returning to the kitchen that throws them out.

Correct. If the flight is late they will most likely delay the ship and in the unlikely event they don't (the aircraft is going to be really really late) then they will make all the arrangements for hotels and transport to catch up - but doing that for several hundred passengers on the flight is a right hassle so not delaying the ship is the last resort. 6pm or 8.30pm if fixed dining, or if the ship offers it freedom dining. You should look at how many freedom dining restaurants are on board - some like Iona and Arvia are 100% freedom dining, others are 2/3rds freedom and 1/3rd fixed. But if you get something you don't want, they set up in one of the MDR on the afternoon of boarding to take requests to change - they try and help out, although some choices are more in demand than others and can't be met.

Here - https://maps.app.goo.gl/7uy9P8v9Zc3gnZsH9

My wife likes physical books, but the issue is that she will happily read at least one a day (and we are not talking thin paperbacks!) so as a choice of a Kindle or actually fitting some clothes in the suitcase, well it was hands down to the Kindle. And having bought one of the original Kindles in 2012m she is now on her third one having worn the previous ones out... But being serious, one of the 'unsold' benefits of the Kindle (and I mean the 'proper' Kindles with e-ink, not the Android tablets) is that the font size can be adjusted to whatever is comfortable, so those with poor sight are not restricted to whatever is left in the large print stock, but can buy and read whatever they want.

Then they suffer the consequences! That might sound harsh, but frankly if you are going to hand your car and keys over to a stranger then you need to do a minimum of due diligence - and 30 seconds bringing up their T&Cs and looking at their company details at Companies House and googling their phone number told me that there would not be a cat in hells chance I would ever use them.

What you do? Well I would suggest that when you saw their website and googled their phone number then you ran away, you ran away very quickly indeed.

Frankly anyone who chose to leave their car and keys with the company mentioned... A google of their phone number tells you all you need to know.

Unsurprising though, as these days passengers who want to read normally have a Kindle with them.

P&O Cruises, the Carnival Corp brand, have not issued that statement, Carnival Cruise Lines, another Carnival Corp brand has.

Personally I would pick the hotel you prefer whether it is north or south, as the monorail between the terminals only takes a few minutes - and when picking a hotel, I would recommend an 'on-airport' one as the hassle to get to the terminal from an off-airport hotel isn't worth it.

There are plenty of aircraft seats, they are just seats that some people don't want to sit in.

They may not, but there have been many many many court cases that have been brought to resolve the issue of the the value of items when sold as a package for a single consideration - and it certainly isn't as easy as you think - particularly in situations like this where one item is sold at the same price on its own or in combination with the other.

It wasn't a question, just an observation that separating the flight fare on a fly cruise where a single price is paid for both elements is not a simple task.