Denarius

Yes, it does. I have sailed with Star Clippers 8 or 9 times and have only known one occasion when a port was missed due to the weather; another port was substituted. But then, maybe I've been lucky. Arrival times tend to be a bit flexible depending on the wind conditions but departure times are usually adhered to.

Star Clippers ships do not always follow the standard cruise ship pattern of overnight sailings arriving in port early morning and leaving late afternoon; sometimes they do not arrive until lunch time, but may not sail until late. Sometimes they may arrive early but leave in the afternoon. Tours are tailored to fit in with the time the ship is in port.

I have read this thread and similar ones with interest and have picked up on a recurring theme; that nowadays P&O appear to regard changes in itinerary as a minor issue. Is this because in the brave new world of family big ship cruising the ship is now seen as the primary destination, and the ports mere diversions? A floating resort hotel which some passengers (sorry, guests!) will not leave during their holiday, like resort hotels such as Sandals on land.

They would have to pay me.

Or Oceana. I had a cruise on her cancelled when she was sold and as far as I can remember the timescale between the sale being announced and her going was fairly short.

Just "thinking aloud" In the club dining room the same people occupy the same tables every evening at the same times. So unused wine can be stored by table number, easily located and brought to the table by the same waiters. In the freedom dining room people occupy different tables every evening, maybe at different times and possibly in different dining rooms. So wine would have to be stored by cabin number and then tied up each evening with the table occupied by the residents of that cabin. Obviously more time consuming but also probably involves the wine being handled by another waiter - with possible covid connutations. Either of these "problems" could be used to justify wine being stored in club but not in freedom, if that is indeed the case.

An enigmatic post which I fear will do little to stem the rumours. But one with which I personally agree. I believe that both Arcadia and Aurora will leave the P&O fleet in the next few years and that they will not be replaced, putting an end to its adult only operations and leaving it free to concentrate on the family market. But Arcadia is a modern design and a close cousin of Queens Elizabeth and Victoria and some Holland America ships, so could well be transferred within the Carnival group instead of being sold. Leaving Aurora as the sole adult only ship until a buyer is found.

So do I. But as the cruise never included St Petersburg (I booked it specifically because of that!) ceasing to go there will not be a factor.

Could this be because other lines in Saga's market sector - such as Viking, Oceania and Azamara - do not have formal nights. And people used to sailing with them may, whilst they are prepared to conform out of courtesy to their fellow passengers do so in as casual a manner as possible.

I note that the domestic pass has now been discontinued, the only pass now available is the travel one.

That was the case on my recent (and first) Saga ocean cruise. Apart from a slightly more elaborate menu and an additional sorbet course it was pretty much the same as any other evening, apart from the fact that most people were wearing black tie. Several of my dining companions commented that they did not see the point of it, others commented that in normal "non covid" times there would have been some special function such as the captain's reception. Presumably these will resume once normal life onboard returns.

The last time I cruised the Caribbean with P&O I flew from Manchester premium economy. Whilst I no longer have the paperwork I recall that premium cost £399 extra and that the additional charge for a Manchester flight was £100 - figures for one person. This is exactly the same as the figures you quote.

Very true. But a for a huge ship like Iona navigating through a narrow fjord in inclement conditions is likely to be more challenging than for a smaller ship like Arcadia or even Azura or Celebrity Sillouette, which is roughly the same size as the latter. I would expect Iona and Arvia to miss more ports than their smaller sisters.

A very good question. My thoughts: P&O is part of Carnival Corp and its survival depends on the performance of that group rather than its own. But how much loss Carnival would allow P&O to rack up before it took remedial action is anyones guess. As regards the cruise market in general, those who stand to be most affected by the expected economic downturn are probably retirees whose only income is the state pension and younger people with mortgages or rent to pay. The former do not tend to cruise, but the latter are very much the emerging cruise market - the "family market". Cruise lines which target the latter group are probably the most vulnerable to the downturn. The people less affected are likely to be affluent retirees with inflation linked private/company pensions who no longer have mortgages; a group which used to represent a majority of cruise passengers and which still do for some companies. These companies are likely to be less affected. Indeed, they may even get a boost as those people spend some of their savings before their value is eroded by inflation.

Was going to reply but then read LondonLad60s response. I have read his review (suggest that you do the same if you have not already done so) and agree with it all, so there is nothing I would wish to add. Saga are more expensive, but on virtually every front beat P&O hands down. And I say that as a veteran of 33 P&O cruises! As they say, you gets what you pays for.

Agree entirely. And I don't do glitz, I prefer understated elegance. Recently sailed on Saga's Spirit of Adventure, which does not have an atrium as such. She just has a grand staircase connecting the main deck with the deck above. The space on the main deck which would have been the lower level of the atrium is taken by the Living Room, a cafe bar which is the focal point of the ship. A much better use of space.

On other threads it has been reported that independent exploration ashore is now allowed, and that the books have been returned to the library. Which leads me to wonder which other restictions have now been lifted, and which remain. Things like mask wearing, use of bar stools, maximum number of seats at tables, no self service in buffet........ Perhaps someone currently on a Saga cruise could enlighten us.