majortom10

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

The new Aviva NW policy, charges £27 for missed port cover, but has to be paid for each cruise, and the extra charge for more than 31 days cover is significantly higher than  the old UK Isurance one.

Don't know who has told you £27 for missed port cover. We recently took out our new policy with Arvia at the normal £13 per month, pre existing medical cover was £40pp last year I paid £68 to UK. Now instead of annual missed port cover and cabin confinement ours for our next cruise for 14nts was also £40. The only thing I can think is perhaps the charge varies on length of cruise.

1 hour ago, so,ton saint said:

TBH CPS don,t move cars unless from from one berth to another I.E mayflower to ocean or Q,E terminal if the ship comes back to another terminal, as for Iona all parking is centred around ocean terminal and no way can be driven at 68mph.

That is incorrect. On Arvia in April we embarked and disembarked from Ocean Terminal and my car was driven 3.7 miles from the terminal and parked within port area. There is no car park near to Ocean big enough to deal with number of cats. Also if you read correct said 68mpg and not 68mph.

8 hours ago, Harryjacobs said:

The new way to book 710 club is far better than the old system.  Now its done after a certain time on embarkation day, at a time when all guests are onboard.  This ensures that everybody has a fair crack at booking a table for 710 club.  I have been on Iona 3 times and it was the last time under the new system that I finally managed to book a 710 slot. 

Under the old system where those who boarded first managed to book all the 710 slots before the last boarders even arrived at the terminal was pathetic especially as I overheard a lady saying to a friend that she managed to book a table for every night of the cruise but didnt actually turn up to some of them.

It wasn't that way in April on Arvia . We had an embarkation time of 12-30pm and went for the welcome aboard lunch for higher tiers of Peninsular Club and we had booked all our wanted bookings in 710 Club by 1-30pm.

2 hours ago, cruise saint said:

All of this strengthens my resolve not to sail on the bigger ships. We've cruised five times with P&O, four times on Britannia and once on Azura. Even the last cruise on Britannia, a ship we absolutely loved, we noticed that dining had become much more chaotic. To the point we probably won't sail on her again and it's hard to say that. However, our next cruise is on Aurora and it appears it's a much more relaxed experience.  We are very much looking forward to it. As others have said, a holiday should not require the level of planning that appears to be required on Arvia and Iona.

 

I should add that we must shoulder some of the responsibility for our last Britannia cruise. Being Scottish we forgot about the English school holidays and it was  a fourteen day Med cruise with a lot of kids aboard. While we have nothing against kids, it was very apparent that a lot of parents were willing to allow kids to roam freely and while most kids were OK, one group of teens in particular were very obnoxious in the first week.  (Not sure if their families were spoken to as didn't see them in week two).

In short, I think we'll avoid the mega ships and stick to the smaller ones in future. 

Don't believe all what you read on social media. We have sailed twice on At is and once on Io a in the last 12 months and never had any issues with queues or do I g bookings. Whether used virtual app or just turned up never seen queues of any length or more than 3-4 cold and only ever been given a buzzer once and even then only waited 10-15 minutes. Arvia did have teething  problems I totally with only having 2 official MDRs compared to Iona's 4 but that has been sorted. Use of Olive Grove as another MDR for breakfast and as an extension of MDR on Formal nights only in the evening.

19 hours ago, grapau27 said:

On Iona in March Epicurean and Sindhu was never more than 70% full in the 13 nights we went in.

Beach house was full the night we dined in there.

I actually prefer pre-booking because of the online discount and loyalty discount  taken off and knowing if we have a later embarkation we are not panicking to get the times we want.

The downside is we are pulling out almost £500 pre-cruise for speciality dining which our large OBC would be used for this if booked onboard.

Graham.

 

They have never to my knowledge sold Epicurean and Sindhu to full capacity of the room on any of the shops.

Sorry but considering that you have already paid for a meal and then charged an extra $58-50 is I am sorry too expensive for me.

1 hour ago, buchanan101 said:

It's been reported that it's more expensive on board... and prebooking closes 4 days before cruise. But hopefully someone can confirm relative prices. Reports also of it being very popular so may be better to prebook when you want; half+ OBC goes on the tips thing anyway, a few drinks and it's gone!

 

 

My OBC doesn't go on tips because I removed auto gratuity and pay in cash.

Anyone pre booked and Alternative dining on QA and have they received a discount or is it full price. Other than the risk of being fully booked cannot see the benefit of pre booking when I can wait until onboard and use OBC if it is going to be same price.

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

But that can only be done by booking a select fare, and many people prefer to book a saver fare which does not give the option of choosing a cabin location, other than a specific grade, which is likely to have cabins in many different li locations.

So therefore they have to accept by booking the lower Saver fare there is the risk that they could end up in a poorly positioned cabin which could impact on the enjoyment of their cruise They then should not whine about the cabin allocated which many seem to do on here.

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Separate teams.

 

Certainly today, P&O are getting a lot of calls re airline changes!

Poor excuse they have been like this for years. Last time excuse was things will improve as they are currently employing and training more personnel. But things have never improved. I had reason to ring Customer Services only recently and hung up after waiting for nearly an hour and immediately rang again but pushed number for booking a new cruise and was answered within 2 minutes. What a coincidence that was.

57 minutes ago, thornegirl said:

Same on Arvia at Easter. Even when an officer in whites went to speak to the ‘gentlemen’ about it they just laughed and carried on. 

It's about time P&O acted on some of the anti social behaviour onboard by a minority who are ruining it for the rest and damaging P&Os brand. The gentleman if he carried on should have been given a second and final warning and if he persisted he would be put off at the next port.

Yes sorry my mistake.

Anyone got any idea of heard rumours when QV Winter 25/26 cruises are to be released.

Cunard seem to be turning the screw with regards to large increases across all aspects of cruising. Can't help but think that it will be a backward step as it will certainly stop me from booking speciality restaurants. I should also imagine that onboard drinks will have increased along with recent drinks package increases and the stopping of taking spirits onboard. Where will it end.

12 hours ago, zjc said:

Does anyone know if the Always Available Chicken in the MDR on the Dinner menu has now been removed? 
 

thanks 

On Arvia recently they were never classed as always available like they used to they are now part of the main menu that doesn't change. Also very disappointed that the "daily specials" at breakfast seems to be a thing of the past.

5 hours ago, njpln said:

Hattie, Yes.  But we met a couple who weren’t in the grills and also had a $12 limit.  
 

We find these types of perks to be inconsistent with other cruise lines that usually give a suite passenger the higher level of beverage package.  And it’s annoying that there are inconsistencies within different bars on the ship.  
 

And the concierge is useless, to be very frank. I’m wondering who is her superior?
 

 

Just be thankful as there inconsistencies within Cunard. If you book a grill suite in US you get free drinks package and gratuities. In the UK if we book the same we get absolutely nothing no drinks package and they expect us to pay $18pppd gratuities.

18 hours ago, smj777 said:

We've taken a 2.25l wine box in our cases on our last 2 cruises with P&O. No problem. (A box this size fits perfectly in the 'fridge on it's side)

That was fine then but has since changed and now can only take 1 bottle of wine per person and most wines in the UK are 75cl as very few, if any, are sold in 1 litre bottles. That is where the confusion is not being helped by saying 1 bottle of wine instead of saying one bottle of 75cl wine.

3 minutes ago, frozenflowers said:

That is correct for leaving the UK and entering the EU, but not for coming back. 
 

Jeanlyon can enter the EU on her passport until 10 Jan 2026. She will have three months left because her expiry date is in October 2026. What she cannot do is enter the EU on 12 January 2026, as her passport will be more than 10 years from the date of issue. Then the three months are immaterial. 
 

People are being refused boarding because they are showing up with a passport thinking that they because have more than 3 months left they are fine, but discovering that because they have passed the 10 years since date of issue, they cannot enter the EU. 

No you are wrong you have to have at least 3 months validity on your passport when returning to the UK from your holiday. If you haven't you will be denied boarding in the UK at the start of your holiday. This is all from date of issue plus 10yrs. The extension is no longer an option. Everybody's passport runs out 10yrs from date of issue and has to have 3 months or more validity on that date or will be denied boarding.

Easy saying all these suggestions but when it is your first time in QG and rather green with practices it is a totally different matter.

Never taken spirits onboard a cruise whether Cunard or other, canapes would never miss because they are horrible and only eat them because can ot put them down the toilet or throw them overboard lol.

7 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes agree, no longer valid in Europe, but must be valid in the UK - as they issued it?

No as that was agreed by UK as part of Brexit deal that no passport can last longer than 10 yrs. There has been many reports of people arriving at UK airports for holiday abroad and refused boarding for same reason. They lose their holiday and cannot claim off insurance. No passport can last more than 10 yrs from date of issue.

15 hours ago, Isitme said:

I have already told them I do not regard this as a minor change and it is clearly a significant change and that I am going to pursue it and will.  I am just waiting to see what options they offer. 

 

The TA stated that they have had a number of people who are in a similar position. 

 

 

I had a similar situation with P&O few years back they said it was minor changes and I said were significant changes so could cancel with full refund. They pushed and denied until I said we will let the legal system in what was Small Claims Court decide. Guess what they backed down and said I could cancel with full refund. Anyone can see that the changes on QV cruise is significant compared to what you booked. They are trying it on because if they have a lot of cancellations they will struggle to fill empty cabins when you are stuck in Barcelona for 4 days.

Just now, jeanlyon said:

It's OK I will renew in April 2025, but I still don't get what they mean.  It says you need 3 months before expiry when returning to UK or leaving Schengen area.   So my passport would expire in October 2026 (that includes extension).  It's badly worded.

The extension isn't applicable no more since Brexit your passport is only applicable for 10 yrs since issued which was January 2016 so effectively runs out in January 2026. The extension is no longer applicable.

4 minutes ago, frozenflowers said:

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/identity/soon-to-expire-passport
 

Your passport will be valid for your October cruise as you can count the extra months for the purposes of determining the date of expiry, but not for the date of issue: the two rules are independent. 
 

To enter the EU your passport has to be less than 10 years from date of issue, so with yours you could enter the EU until 10 Jan 2026. 
 

You must also have 3 months on your passport after your return date, and for this you can use the date of expiry even if it is determined by extra months. So there is absolutely no reason your passport wouldn’t be valid for travel to Europe in October 2025.
 

It is confusing though, and for the sake of peace of mind you might want to renew it anyway as it’ll be no good to you for European travel after January 2026. 

But she returns in October within 3 months of her passport expiry  in January 26 so would not be valid for October cruise.

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I think you have you sums wrong. Jeans passport 10 years ends Jan 2026 and she is renewing in April 2025.

She initially said in her original post she was enquiring if her current passport would be OK for October 25. Clearly it won't do for safety she is going to do it in April 25 so my original answer was correct. Might help read the whole thread.