kruzseeka

They issue a updated confirmation of booking with the amended obc. They don't itemise it as Share Holder benefit but you should be able to see the increase in obc appropriate to the length of you cruise. Tht update will probably go to your TA so if you don't get it I would prompt them for the updated amount. I always take this away with me in case! Print out your email from P&O and that - dated later than your original invoice should prove the point but best have an up to date statement.

FlexPlus is £65 p.a. for age 70+. If you have a joint account this premium covers you both. Medical screening of course can generate additional premiums which will be specific to the insured's medical conditions. Cruising is included but for missed ports and cabin confinement there is an optional additional charge of £40(?).

Agree completely. We've been several times and as Fjord villages go I think it's much bigger than many. There's a Visitor Centre which is very interesting, a HoHo which takes you up to a viewing point, then you can get off at Westeras and walk about 1Km to the Westeras cafe which has phenomenal views from the terrace and also waffles and coffee! Retrace your steps then pick up the HoHo again to the Visitor Centre then walk down the steps by the side of the tumbling river back into the village. Spectacular. There you have a choice of quite a lot of cafes and more shops than at most Fjord destinations. Like Britboys some of our fondest memories are of this destination. Hellesylt is a pretty (very) little place but definitely worth getting to Geiranger if you can.

Yes Alesund is indeed on the itinerary for this cruise (M325) and the photo in the itinerary description is of Alesund. However the picture in dispute is of the Lofoten Islands and as has already been pointed out, not only is this not on the itinerary but not anywhere near any ports being visited.

Nicely presented but bland isn't what you'd hope for. Just hoping feedback may bring about improvements before we go. 😏

Sorry to hear that the food isn't as good as you would have hoped for or expected. We've decided to book (first time on anything bigger than Aurora or Arcadia) hoping to enjoy more options for food but if the basic standard isn't great that's disappointing. Do your comments refer to MDR and buffet and did you try any of the speciality restaurants? We've got quite a bit of obc so could be using room service quite a lot! 😁

I've just been looking at a Fjords cruise on QM2. The cruise lead picture was beautiful - but I didn't recognise it as any of the destinations. I was interested to identify it. Having looked at each destination picture on the itinerary guide the picture advertising the cruise is not there. Having done a capture and identification of the view it turned out to be the Lofoten Islands. Not on the itinerary at all. Misleading - not that you would choose to go on a cruise without due diligence, checking out the destinations and not make a selection based on one promotional picture but surely you wouldn't expect a cruise line to post a picture of a destination not included on the itinerary.

Likewise. The new Sequence Quordle is quite interesting too and the Deluxe Waffle is a challenge. I usually manage to do it but despite my best efforts (thinking I've not wasted any moves) hardly ever have more than a couple of stars left. But I like a challenge! Byrdle can be a bit odd sometimes - answers can be a bit obscure, at least for me, and sometimes only guessed by eliminating letters by trial and error until an answer doesn't go red!

I got it but my friend who has the same phone and lives only a mile away did not. He rang to see if I'd had it - when he realised I had, he checked his settings and found the emergency alert option was off.

Hope you're doing OK happy v - apart from feeling exhausted that is! 😁. Take care and best wishes for a rapid recovery.

Sorry, there was no intention to be critical or personal and I can see that your comment I quoted had a different context to my response. I just picked up your comment (probably the wrong one to quote in hindsight) in defence of those who choose not to spend much on shore (following earlier discussions about whether or not folk eat lunch on or off the ship) which is often quoted in the context of the value (or not) of cruise passengers to the local economy. I think that criticism is unfair in that it is personal choice and in any event, having bought a cruise all passengers are contributing through port fees and tourist taxes. For reasons I expressed, even if some passengers spend little, overall there is significant financial benefit to the local infrastructure.

I understand the claim re visitors not spending much/anything in port but that is surely compensated for by those who do.....even a coffee and cake/beer/icecream sundae/souvenir - whatever - helps keep some businesses afloat. And then there are those who do spend quite a lot - meals/local taxis/local tours/beach furniture/admission fees for sites of interest etc. It all adds up and that doesn't take into account what the cruise line contribute through excursions - and berthing fees which are significant. It all adds to the income and employment potential for ports. Add we should't ignore the visitor taxes which are becoming more common. It's all a matter of choice but blanket statements about cruise passengers not spending a lot on shore is surely compensated for by those who do and the other income streams. My guess is that a lot of places would suffer dramatically should cruise ships cease visiting and there would be soon be a reversal of attitudes. However, keeping visits to reasonable numbers does seem sensible both for the locals and for visitors too.

You certainly make it sound very appealing. Will check it out on our next trip as in general we don't do main meals in the Buffet. My only hope is that fellow passengers are as mindful of hygiene as we try to be (for our sake as well as others').

Useful too if you have the right cards which do not charge for transactions abroad e.g. using an ATM. (Halifax and Nationwide were examples at one time - but worth checking.) Some cards have a flat fee e.g £2.50 for a cash withdrawal which is quite expensive if you only want say, £20 for coffees and cake. Or there may be a % charge when used. We always had a Halifax CC just for holiday purposes often avoiding having to get small amounts of currency for different countries or to access cash at an ATM if needed. Although it's on a CC interest accrues for cash withdrawals from the date of withdrawal so worth bearing in mind - but we'd just pay it off asap. With a near perfect exchange rate we found it was also the cheapest way of 'buying' foreign currency. Having read this thread though we'll make sure our 'holiday' CC for use abroad is now the one we register with P&O too for onboard expenditure! Thanks for the thread and heads up.

This is our choice, of what to do there. Nice cafes over looking the beach too. We still have time to sit and have a drink on the waterfront at Katakolon too.

I agree - it's not a matter of class or age in my eyes I would just hope for people who are respectful (of others, the crew, their environment) and behave in such a way that they enjoy themselves but not at the expense of others being able to enjoy their holiday too.

Depends on your appreciation of the scenery. Andalsnes, Eidford, Geiranger, Tromso, the Lofoten Islands are magnificent and the approach sailing for hours in such awe inspiring surroundings just fills me with emotion and wonder. Ships other than Iona visit Norway!

Reading this thread has made me think about the premium you pay for Select. At the least you should be reimbursed if they cannot fulfil the benefits which you're paying extra for (I suspect most of us pay Select primarily if not exclusively to choose our cabin location). But how many of us know how much extra we paid for Select and can we trust P&O to tell us? But that's what I would be seeking to be refunded. So.......its made me think that in future I'm going to take a screen shot of the two prices. Whether it helps is another matter but at least I'll know the price difference to quote if needed. I do hope I you get a positive outcome - its so annoying and morally reprehensible imo not to compensate you for the extra premium you paid. Good luck!

Pleased you've spotted a better deal for next time but bear in mind what others have said about Nationwide FlexPlus and just compare that too. You have to open an account but it doesn't have to be your main current account ( ie minimum monthly amount paid in or Direct Debits going out). If it's a joint account it covers you both, world wide annual insurance, multiple trips for £13 per month. Also covers for 2+ days booked breaks on the UK (iirc). There are add-on costs for age extension, crises over 30 days and medical screening may require an additional premium and optional cruise cover for missed ports etc. Might be worth just checking it out to see if it suits your needs and how it compares with Stay Sure.

Very true but cheaper still (if available!) if you can use your obc supposing like many you have a large amount to spend.

Only to be spent on board. You could wait until boarding and hope your chosen excursions aren't sold out.

It's a tricky one. We once had a cabin under the Jacuzzi on the lido deck. The noise of the pumps kicking in and out all night meant we had two sleepless nights. We had complained and they said theyd get their engineering dept to look into it. At 3.30 am the next morning we rang reception. They said a deck officer would come. He eventually arrived. No noise! But thankfully part way through our discussion the pump started up. He immediately changed his tack and said would you like to move to a cabin further down the corridor to get some sleep and move your things tomorrow. We did! (They really couldn't be unaware of this situation - they must have had complaints before.) But it has made us very wary of cabin location - checking out what's above and below. No doubt the greatest percentage of cabins you could be allocated would be fine - but it is just how comfortable you are with that uncertainty. (Sun lounges being put out on the lido deck early morning, being under the running track, nightclub etc.) Price differential is obviously going to be a deciding factor and obc contributes to that consideration but as already mentioned spending the obc can become a bit of a project. Nice to have no drinks bill and 'free' excursions/speciality restaurants etc. but the amounts involved especially with additional benefits like share holders can make it a bit of a challenge. Not one that would beat me though! We left with 6x bottles of gin last trip and some nice whisky (and did try to go through the 'Something to Declare' but no customs staff to be seen anywhere!) Of course obc is worth a great deal more to us than it costs P&O. It's a marketing strategy to pull us in and creates this very dilemma. 🤔

And if it does: a) it's not my fault and b) someone else should sort it out.

Also been early May. Weather a bit variable - best take layers. They'd had a late fall of snow and there was snow on the mountain tops - looked magical. Like others, I'd have no worries going again in May.

Pleased you enjoy visiting Nico's as much as we do. We've even made a point of going for an ice cream in the pouring rain - although a rest with a Spritzer (and huge bowl of crisps 😉) wasn't an option on that occasion. Hopefully we shall go to Venice again and ensure standards haven't dropped. 😁