Cathygh

8 hours ago, david63 said:

And how will this be "policed"? In my experience of using tenders if you wait until the "rush" has gone you just go down to the tender and get on so there is nobody there to check if you have accepted the "invite" or not. I suppose it could flag up when you scanned your cruise card - but that would require IT to get involved, and we all know what would happen with that!

 

 

You need a ticket to get on the tender and you can't get a ticket until you have done the step test

I received this from  a TA earlier which might shed light on things

"it is very important that you confirm any mobility issues right from the outset as we are required to book an ‘Evacuation Chair’ for anyone who cannot manage stairs on their own, or a ‘One to One Assistance Guide’ for anyone who walks with the aid of a stick or requires any level of assistance when using stairs. These both need to be booked even if you are taking a carer as you could easily be parted during the cruise, and availability for such assistance is very limited, so adding this later may not be possible."

On Arcadia in August everyone was asked to do the tender test when they got their ticket. The loyalty cuise manager was in charge. It was the first time I had seen this on P&O, I had seen it on Cunard pre pandemic. On Cunard a customer kicked off big time as he had to collect his ticket in person and take the test. It was explained that someone had died when they fell between the ship and the tender, hence everyone had to take the test, no excuses. 

I can understand that some people would want to take the test in private, but at the end of the day all us should take the test, for own own safety.

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

DAY 15 - Saturday 11th November (Disembarkation)

 

They said that they had been told that it’s changing in December in order to try to minimise the abuse of the service and their understanding was that the only people who would be allowed to use the assistance service would be those who have submitted the on board needs forms declaring genuine mobility issues.

That explains why the  landlord of one of our local pubs was telling us he had just got the email about assistance for his next cruise, and didn't know why. Now we know!

Thank you, I'll book them

HI

Can someone please remind me, if we book tours with P&O before the cruise is our loyalty discount applied?

Thanks

I am just reseaching tours. I have found 2 great sites Caribbean Island Tours and Caribbean Excursions You Save They Benefit. I am trying to avoid beach based ones as DH doesn't do beaches, but I do want to find some Rum and Chocolate tours and would like to visit the Curacao Distillery.

I am sorry for your loss.

Over on the unmentionable social media site there is page for P&O cruises for resale. It is possible to transfer the cruise to someone else who will then pay you the cost of your deposit and is then responsible for the cruise. P&O will facilitate this. If you are not on the aforementioned site a TA can act on your behalf.

Britannia on 17th November is also Christmas themed, I amatrying to source a T shirt as it will be too hot, I hope, for the jumpers

The laundry is quieter on port days. There is no queue as such. If a machine is free then take it. You need to be back to empty the machine as it finishes because if you don't someone will take it out and put it in a basket (or on the floor if they aren't being considerate). Same goes for the tumble dryer. Take laundry sheets or your powder as it's expensive to buy on board

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I try to avoid having chips too often on cruises, but I’ve noticed that every single time that they appear on the menu in the MDRs or specialty restaurants on Ventura they are always ‘chunky’ ones. Wouldn’t mind some normal sized ones or, dare I say, French Fries on occasion!

 

On the subject of food oddities, can I mention toast? 😂 We always ask for mixed toast, as my wife likes white bread and I like brown. Is it just me, but I cannot discern one from the other. They all look identical. Also, somebody on a nearby table today ordered “thick toast”, given that the standard toast is so thin it is bone dry and retains no warmth. I did that once years ago when someone mentioned it on here, but never again. As with today, what arrived was so ridiculously thick I could almost not fit in my mouth 😂 

 

 

The brown toast looks white but has litle flecks of brown in it, but you might need a magnifying glass to see them.

The thick toast is too thick, the normal toast is too thin. P&O should just get a better slicing machine. 

The chunky chips on Iona were excellent, on Arcadia they were rubbish. I will see what they are like on Britannia next. 

4 hours ago, Purdey16 said:

We’re off to lanzarote and calling in on a Thursday and watching a few YouTube videos of what to do in Arrecife this time as we have done the north of the island and fire mountain and camels and 1000 palms etc , what I need now is Wowzz to come back on here and give us guidance of what to do as he’s a Lanzarote pro 😁

My son and DIL once went on the free blanket trip in Lanzarote, not realising they would be taken to a room for a heavy sales pitch for mattresses 🤣🤣 They thought it was a blanket tour of the island which went everywhere.

We have actually done the blanket trip twice but knew what to expect. the guide was a real comedian, very funny. We were taken to a banana farm and the AloeVera farm. If you can stand the sales pitch it's a good way to spend a rainy day. 

Another favourite of mine is going to Teguise Market, I can't remember which day it is on. I also enjoyed a trip which focused on Cesar Manrique and what he did for the Island

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Cathy. P&O go to Lanzarote on Sundays - when all the shops are closed! Suppose they have to be somewhere on Sunday, but it’s a shame it’s the ugliest place 🙄

I thought that when I first went to Lanzarote 30 years ago but it's grown on me. I love all the little white houses with bouganvillias and the work of Cesar Manrique. From Arrecife you can also get a local bus to Costa Teguise and I think Playa Blanca.

@Selbourne  in Lanzarote you can turn left out of the port and walk to the Arrecife Gran, there's a great coffee shop on the top floor. It's a bit of a trek with a wheel chair though. The town is not a pretty tourist resort, it's the capital city and is more business/industrial stle but the shopping area is great

17 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I can’t remember what ship you are going on Cathy, but are those ‘proper’ upgrades (I.e. to a better cabin type - e.g. inside to outside, outside to balcony) or what P&O calls an upgrade, which can be an identical cabin but just in a slightly more midships location which may bring problems that you wouldn’t have had in the original cabin? 🤔

I'm on Britannia and I would call it a P&O upgrade. However I'm happy as I have moved from deck 8 forward  (above the theatre) to deck 9 aft (cabins above and below). 

I can confirm that complementary upgrades still exist. Just had my GF moved to GD and someone I know has been moved from HF to GF. But if I wanted a super deluxe I would have had to bid for it

8 hours ago, Valfan said:

Is Wes Dunlop on Arcadia now?  I thought he just did Iona. I liked having him as Captain on my Iona cruises last year and this.  As you say, very friendly.  And good at giving updates on our progress each day, and letting us know in advance when we were going to be passing or berthed near to another P&O ship.

Sorry I was wrong, it was Christopher Bourne. Wes is on Iona. I've been on both ships this year, both very different experiences  but both had memorable captains

58 minutes ago, Capella Black said:

What's a pop up Glass House? Sounds interesting, and we have 2 sea days so lots of opportunity for this. 

 

And thanks, I'll see if we can get Arman!

 

Ocean Grill did look good - is the lobster worth the surcharge in your opinion? I'm a big lobster fan!

On the other ships Glass House is a wine bar/ tapas type place. On Arcadia they use one of the bars on deck 3 as a pop up, ie it's not permanent.

I can't say about the lobster, I had duck which was wonderful.

Pop up Glass House on some sea days. I liked the Spinaker Bar. Our waiter- Arman - was excellent. He was moving to Freedom dining but I believe you can ask for a table in his area. The panoramic lifts. The Captain, Wesley Dunlop,  was very friendly. Ocean Grill was excellent.

12 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

On Princess Cruises the lectures are shown on the TV in the following days so you don’t miss any and if you want you can watch them in the comfort of your room. I can’t remember if I have done this on any P&O cruise. 

P&O have done that in the past but not on Arcadia when I was on in August. I asked about it and was told there was a technical problem.

1 hour ago, jh1809 said:

If you get the opportunity, perhaps you could ask an officer?

 

Thanks for the excellent reports. I'm surprised at the shortage of guest speakers, as there were two or three on every sea day on my August cruise on Arcadia to Norway and Iceland. Maybe they have more on the adult-only ships than on the "family" ships?

I was on that cruise too. A good range of speakers but the best IMHO (the murder guy) clashed with the Art Talks. I do think there is a shortage of speakers as many have not returned since the pandemic. Some we know who haven't returned are fed up of staying in crew accommodation. 

If I had something I could talk about I would do it, it's a good gig and you get free bed and board, some free trips if you go as a helper on the tour. Pre pandemic P&O paid speakers but Cunard didn't. (According to friends who gave talks on both).

I did the tour on Arcadia in August, it was £75. We saw behind the scenes in the theatre, a dressing room,with the Headliners' Team Leader explaining how they do quick changes and have to launder and repair the costumes, and the sound and light area. Then the stores area, a kitchen and chat with head chef. We saw a crew only area at the front to the ship which houses the ropes and we could see the anchor. I liked that bit the best. There's no accounting for taste! We walked down to the crew area and saw their canteen. Then the engineering room - just computers. Then the bridge. If you haven't been in side the bridge it's very spacious. There was a look out and 3 officers on duty. Finally down to the Crow's nest for a sandwich and one drink. My only gripe is that the refreshments were stingy. Some officers came down to chat. I am glad I did it.

It should be available 72 hours before sailing

Hi how can we get from the port to Chobolobo please? I fancy the distillery tour

Thanks 

Menu looks the same as on Arcadia a few weeks ago. I hope the standard of cooking is better on Ventura