Host Sharon

This is a food and drink thread folks. Please start a new one for entertainment if you wish.

11 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

What a pity the Fred  ones are mostly from Liverpool apart from one and mega expensive!

True, but transport to the port is included so have booked. 

15 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm quite content to pass on the adult only ships if I get quoted silly prices.  Have 3 bargain basements to look forward at present

 

Iona inside for single occupancy 7 nights Norway fjords  29 April £589

Arvia booked 14 May for 2 weeks inside for £749 but upgraded to a balcony on deck 9

Britannia Med 4 nights single balcony for £1200

 

Cant fault any of them at those prices!  Trouble is I'm not very keen on fly cruise at present but I love Italian ports which are few and far between on ex Southampton cruises.  My QE fly cruise is a birthday treat and is going to Naples and Rome among other favourites. She also comes back via the place where my mum's ashes are scattered and Cunard will sound the horn for me when we pass over her

Both Saga and Fred have Amalfi coast cruises from S'ton 24/25.

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

Have you sailed in a lower deck cabin at all? Always wondered if there is any noise from the water flowing down the hull...

Not in my experience. They don't travel fast enough! Might be woken up by ducks outside though 🙂

14 minutes ago, Abnrrafflesaug3 said:

Yes, spoke at length to P & O yesterday. They told me that the cabin door width is 60cm, so as long as a mobility scooter is less than that, we would be fine. Will be trying to hire one tomorrow.

From P&O website - Mobility scooters will only be permitted on board if guests have booked an accessible cabin, or selected suite or mini-suite.  Mobility scooters cannot be accepted in standard cabins.  

There is no way I would eat dinner in the buffet unless for a very good reason - scenic cruising for example. I want to have a leisurely meal served to me, while chatting to other passengers. I also struggle to walk unaided now, and since buffets are almost always on the highest decks, that makes it an even worse option if the seas are bumpy. I would rather pay more upfront and know that I can go to the MDR and be seated immediately.

Are your river boats and any tours suitable for people with reduced mobility (not wheelchair bound), for example using a rollator? Thanks

Locking this thread due to direction it has taken - inappropriate for family site

3 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

We were impressed with Valencia, we went for the first time last year with MSC, we wondered why more cruises didn't dock there.

I've been there three times, twice with P&O, and yes, it is a beautiful city. One I would never tire of.

2 hours ago, Angel57 said:

It is a lovely place to visit if you have never been before.
Obidos (1hr away) is rather pleasant if you’ve “done” Lisbon. I especially like sampling the cherry brandy in chocolate cups whilst there!

Obidos is lovely, especially at Xmas. So are Sintra, Cascais, Setubal, Guincho and Fatima.

2 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Lisbon is nice to visit.  Apparently, there are others who don't share that opinion.

I agree, Lisbon is very nice to visit but after 14 calls there .....  Also the new cruise terminal is extremely disability unfriendly and involves a very long walk to get out to the street or coaches.

I would be very happy not to visit Lisbon or Vigo ever again and now stay on board in those ports. One reason I am increasingly booking other lines is to discover new ports - Oceania to go to Nantes, Gijon and St Malo, Saga for Toulon, Savona, Calvi, Elba and Siracuse and Fred Olsen for Propriano, Olbia, Sorrento and Salerno. 

18 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Something else I found interesting on Arvia was on our last morning when we were called to Headliners Theatre to wait for disembarkation.

 

There were staff there to help and I asked them if they were the singers and dancers. 

 

But they said no they were entertainment hosts and ran the daily quizzes and competitions and bingo etc.

 

The amount of guests who were coming upto them and thanking them by their names etc for giving them such a great time during the cruise.

 

These are activities I've never even considered taking part in on a cruise but clearly loads of people value this kind of stuff and it's clearly a big part of their holiday.

 

Like I say so much is happening on  Arvia you can't do it all. 

 

And you don't need to enjoy everything that's happening everywhere on the ship (or even know it's happening) to have a great holiday

 

Everybody enjoys different things

 

And we all know the saying

 

"It's hard to please all of the people all of the time!"

This happens on all P&O ships though, not just Arvia. I enjoy the quizzes and my friend goes to the shuffleboard, quoits and table tennis matches. All these activites happen every sea day so of course you get to know their names.

Well, I haven't even had the courtesy of a reply yet, beyond the automated one, although my friend and others have 😞

12 hours ago, Tink2000 said:

Where do we find the itineraries for April and July 2025? I have seen posts about the dates being released by P&O in April, but have also read that there are dates published on a website. Thanks

Please do not ask for travel agent sites. It contravenes Cruise Critic guidelines.

I am paying £215pp pn for my saga cruises in 2024. That is with a 30% discount in a standard cabin.

You sign up before 9.30am for morning or afternoon class (both are the same).

18 hours ago, Bill Y said:

Well done, the only problem is that we will have to wait until 2024 for your report. Please post it on this forum before you move to the Saga one as I am sure that a lot on here will be interested in your comparisons.

Happy to answer any queries as Saga is now my cruise line of choice, although I still have a few Aurora cruises booked. 

As Wowzz said, you do need to book early with Saga. Now they are on general sale, I priced up my May 2024 Saga cruise booked with a pre-registration against the price now on sale. I saved nearly £1000. 

It appears the capsized vessel was a ferry. Seabourn Ovation was also involved in the search and rescue.

I would be a very happy bunny if it happened to me.

Very encouraging. I wonder if P&O are starting to realise how many people will give up on them when these two ships finally leave the fleet.

I have read the entire thread and, since no one has reported any offensive posts, feel it is unnecessary to remove. 

On 3/25/2023 at 10:13 PM, Britboys said:

There are two main theories around the term Friends of Dorothy.

One relates to the Wizard of Oz, with Dorothy's little band of outcast friends and the fact that Judy Garland became a gay icon.

The second relates to the American Socialite Dorothy Parker. She was quite anti-establishment and had a large circle of very bohemian friends, including a number of gay men and lesbians.

I believe there are some other theories and no-one knows for sure but it became quite a common way for gay men in particular to safely check out other men by asking "are you a friend of Dorothy" or "Do you know Dorothy".

Fortunately, in most liberal countries we no longer have to resort to such tweeness. That doesn't however mean that for this 60-something man, it doesn't feel like he's 'coming out' every time he's asked if he's ever been married...

A bit like me always being asked if I have grandchildren 🙂 Grrrrrrr.

My understanding is that it was a burst pipe and only a few cabins were affected.