janny444

We had a cruise booked with a big cruise agent....Gill's ....that went bust in 2011. We had no hassle whatsoever....P&O just took over the booking automatically with absolutely no hassle and honoured the discounted price we had paid

In 1965 my first wage as an apprentice was £1.17s & 6d for a 44 hour week....stayed at that for 6 months....next 6 months went up to £2.00

As others have commented relatively easy as it isn't far from the train station BUT do pre book seats before you go as I doubt you would be able to buy seats on the day.....especially if you have mobility " issues"....it is a very very popular trip

My thoughts exactly.....our post practically non existent....bank statements....3 of....usually arrive on the 2nd day of the month.....not one of them has arrived ....a phone hospital appointment booked 3 weeks ago ...always backed up with a letter....nothing....Xmas cards....only hand delivered ones Goodness knows where all the unreceived post is being kept

His partner in the band Jon Anderson was born just up the road from us in Accrington

Cutback of Afternoon tea in the MDR wouldn't on its own be a deal breaker but when added to other " minor" cutbacks that all added to a more enjoyable experience which lifted it above 4 star hotels then it does become one. I would think that P&O realise that they can get away with the cutbacks as their target market is directed at younger .....maybe new to cruising ....passengers that haven't experienced any of the cutbacks so don't miss what they have never had and are perfectly happy to accept what they now offer. For us it has gone beyond what we expect so cruising is no longer for us but heh ho we are in the older passenger bracket not the up and coming passenger bracket. Fortunately we have found alternative holidays which for us are more enjoyable .

As already mentioned in" normal" times the best price is on brochure launch which is 2 years in advance so no way is June 2023 an early booking. If you have to have set dates want/need a particular cabin I would tend to book now if what you want is still available. If you have flexibility then I would wait to see what happens over the up and coming months as I think the situation that we are....financial/global will worsen and cruise prices may be forced to become more competitive. Whichever way you choose once booked don't look at pricing again....if it's a price you have paid you are comfortable with be content with that

Unfortunately I think a lot of P& O's " loyalty cruisers" are going to be very disappointed and find that cruising ain't what it used to be with all the little extras that made cruising more unique and an all round enjoyable experience with little pampering touches ....bit by bit they are being eroded away. I think the OP is right to consider Fred Olsen or Saga ....they may find that they offer a better cruising experience in a style that they want.

Yes it will be interesting to hear how it is with a 2 week cruise after doing 7 night cruises when maybe many of the passengers have left the ship before covid symptoms show. We tend to think of the impact of passengers with covid while on board and how it impacts them but of course the crew will be just as susceptible....if not more....so that must reflect in the service that they can give and consequently the overall enjoyment of the cruise. Methinks Covid.....once again... is going to become a problem with cruising.

Whooo....no thank you 😄

Thank you....that is just the information that I was wanting....smaller cabin but not smaller balcony. I think on a short cruise they would be adequate but on longer cruises may be preferable to have a larger cabin

There is a lot of discussion about differing sizes of cabins but has anyone actually stayed in one which when booking is classed as " smaller balcony cabins" and is it the cabin or balcony or both which is smaller ?

Are they classed as smaller balcony cabins ?

Can someone please clarify what smaller balcony cabins on Iona means....are they smaller cabins or smaller balcony or both ?

There is also the Stavanger Petroleum Museum which is very informative and interesting and gets very good star ratings .....some give it 5 stars.

Just had confirmation from P&O ....through my TA....that all sea view cabins on Iona have a window seat....in my mind an excellent feature in the sea view cabins

Because they are being allowed to ....they need to be challenged

Some years ago I booked a holiday with an extremely well know high street TA & airline. At the point of booking I was given a choice of flights and I made it perfectly clear...No night flight....I stipulated the point more than once. Several weeks later they changed the flight to a night flight and said I would have to accept it and quoted their T&Cs. I didn't accept that and said they had broken their contract with me and MY T&Cs at the point of booking. After being like a " dog with a bone" and many bog standard letters from them which on their part was a take it or leave it attitude they eventually conceded and returned my deposit. So while people just " suck up" whatever the cruise companies throw at us they will continue to do whatever they want....you sometimes have to fight your corner and not just roll over.

Didn't realise that....on my credit card statement it shows the payee as my TA not Celebrity/P&O etc.

On the payment page there is an actual box for payment with OBC....you just enter the appropriate amount.... Celebrity won't have my credit card details as I booked & paid deposit through a TA

Thank you ....your answer encouraged me to explore the excursions on offer and if you add the excursions that you want to the cart then go through to payment page it gives you the option of using any amount of your OBC for excursions chosen....great

It is quite some considerable time since I last cruised with Celebrity and maybe the clue to the answer is in the title but I will ask anyway. Can you book excursions pre cruise with OBC ?

Phew!....that's some working out but thanx for the time and effort....I only use our oven during the winter for maybe 2 hours a week as I tend to batch cook.....especially bread and cakes....slow cooker mostly takes care of the " other stuff" so according to Wozz's calculations it will take me 6 years for the payback.🤔

I think " buzz words" go in and out of trend....another buzz word that I am hearing at the moment is " cool" as well as " amazing"

Your first cruise....how wonderful.....I feel excited for you. You may be so " enthralled" with cruising that wherever you end up it will be an enjoyable experience. You say that you have got the cruise at a bargain price.....first cruise....how good is it....just sit back and look forward to a wonderful experience BUT be prepared to be bitten with the cruise bug.....cruising can be very addictive ! 😉