Gettingwarmer

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Yes we won premium plus for our cabin so didn't have to pay for our gratuities 

Princess Plus includes gratuity internet and drinks and is very good value. 

2 minutes ago, david63 said:

I probably phrased it badly - I was meaning that you can order quantity wise whatever you want, not product wise - although it may be possible to have anything that is onboard but is not something that I have, or will, try.

Oh yes I agree

12 minutes ago, david63 said:

As far as I am aware you can order whatever you want, within reason, just as long as they have it.

No. There only certain spirits on the Room Service menu. I don’t think you can just ask for anything. 

Last October we docked at La Baie on Sky Princess but two other ships tendered. See picture

31 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

I know better now of course should I ever cruise with P and O again

I presume you meant Princess

32 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

 

If I'm going to spend more than P and O prices I want to see something back that justifies the extra spend

 

Don't think Princess is the answer for that

 

I do accept this cruise possibly a bad example of what they can offer

You haven’t really been on the right ship for you. 

38 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

I came on board expecting Princess to be a whole level above P and O

 

I will leave very unlikely (unless there's zero alternative) to cruise with them again

 

If I do cruise with them again I will at least be better prepared for what to expect

 

The modern, larger P and O ships are so far ahead of what I've experienced in terms or systems, organisation and choice 

 

The customer mix on our Alaskan cruise is US, Canadian, Australian and Asian. Brits very much in the minority.

 

They all must have much lower expectations and demands than the Brits

 

I think most on this forum would love Alaska but most (including you John) would not love the cruise experience Princess gives here

 

Standards are lowest I've experienced on a cruise by some way on here

 

 

It would be much different on a more modern ships in a different locality. 
You keep saying try the huge Iona and Arvia again, try the larger Princess ships from UK or Med

46 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I can't even pre-book anything

 

You prebook MDR before the cruise, in my sense preferable. I know when I want to eat, not worried about shows.

if you wait till on board less choice for dining times. This will change in September when there will be a dedicated MDRfor walk ins. 

16 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Shower only thankfully, I am not a fan of a shower over the bath. On my next Arcadia cruise I booked a deck 13 cabin as they were added in a refit and only have a shower. For my Fred Olsen cruise I managed to bag a shower only cabin. Premier Inn is a problem, the bath sides are just too high.

Arcadia does not have a Deck 13. There are cabins with showers in the aft of Decks 5&6 (D&C) and Bow of Deck 1 G and Deck 10 Sun

Shower cubicle

42 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

1 hour ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I hadn't realised that the dining times were available earlier for elite, I have just gone on and booked as soon as I have booked the cruise.

Where has it been announced that they are changing to having one dining room Club, second booked tables and third walk ups ?

We are going on Princess in June and I have already booked our dining and have not been notified that anything is changing. 

Sorry I got it wrong, it changes in September. See below on Princess boards

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3003226-41324-princess-rolls-out-fleetwide-dining-revolution/

Ruby Princess is quite an old Princess ship of the Grand class, queues not good. You can book dining times for every night once you have paid final balance, earlier if you are Elite. But if you want to decide each day it could mean walk ups.

Princess are changing there dining from June(I think) to one dining room Club(two seatings), second booked tables and third walk ups. This will make a big difference. 

19 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

I take it that a companion can provide one to one assistance and that it doesn’t have to be crew?  We clearly stated in the Queen Vic questionnaire earlier this year that we would provide one to one assistance to my mother. 
 

Single passengers requiring one to one assistance is a different matter of course. 

This is not correct. 

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

I agree but there are four cruises, 2 P&O and 2 Cunard.  One P&O and one Cunard state required one to one the other on each line says not required.  I have subsequently filled in new forms for the other two cruises stating we need it.  Interestingly it is the two oldest bookings saying it is compulsory whereas the newer ones state not mandatory.  The first of these sailings is not until August on Aurora so we shall see.  As an aside Cunard require a tender test which will be carried out privately once onboard P&O however say unnecessary.

Sorry I added to my post as you were quoting. 
I think that maybe by making it compulsory for stick users would lead to far too many one to one situations. They then maybe changed it to recommended. They do say if you are unsteady and need guidance and help it is mandatory. 

12 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It may indeed say this but I have out of four bookings two bookings as stated elsewhere in the thread which the booking agent at P&O has marked our reservation as minimum requirement one to one assistance.  This is for a man who uses a stick no more than two or three times a year.  I queried why the other bookings do not have this requirement and the answer is neither P&O or Cunard can explain why the same passenger with the same mobility/illness is required to have one to one assistance on one cruise but not another.

 

Hence my personal interest in all this as I have personal concerns about the confusions arising on this issue.

I can only think this is because your husband has a condition that flares up. Sometimes he has no need of a stick but other times it is a necessity. They are taking the point that on the cruise it could be at a time when the condition is at its worst and one to one assistance would be necessary.

On certain cruises they are taking this attitude, on others they have looked at it differently. Yours is a unique circumstance. 

11 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

For instance, while walking sticks etc are mobility aids most people do not have that description spring to mind and may not believe they need to complete the form in such a way that one to one assistance is required, and yet that apparently is what P&O feel is the minimum level that walking stick users should request.

For walking stick users one to one assistance is recommended but it is not mandatory. Most occasional stick users would not require it. 
 

https://www.pocruises.com/accessibility/emergencies-and-other-information

Emergency assistance

22 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

But the question does ask if you would be able to use stairs with help, and then asks If you would need an evacuation chair. So I presume it's not automatic for wheelchair users to be assigned an evac chair.

Confusing for wheelchair users if that is the case. If it is not “automatic” that you are assigned one but it is “mandatory” that you request one. 

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

Now that’s an interesting question. I’ve just checked the On Board Needs form that I submitted for our Cunard cruise next week (I kept a copy just in case), which I think is the same as the P&O one, and this is the second question (which I hadn’t remembered answering for my wife);

 

What level of assistance do you require in case of emergency evacuation?*
✓ I require evacuation chair assistance and I am under 128 kg (282 lbs)

I require evacuation chair assistance and I am above 128 kg (282 lbs)

 

One would assume that if you don’t tick either box then you are self declaring that you don’t need an evacuation chair. However, they may determine from answers to subsequent questions that you do. It’s all very confusing!

Thank you for your reply. P&O state it is mandatory that you have an evacuation chair if you are using a wheelchair which you did. The OP said in their original post that they did not request an evacuation chair. Maybe there lies the problem. 

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

You don’t request one. They are allocated by P&O. 

Thank you. Having never needed to fill in the form I am not sure how it works. I presume there is a question asking if you use a wheelchair and if you answer yes the allocate a place of evacuation chair. 

12 hours ago, 9265359 said:

I'm unable to use stairs (emergency evacuation chair) For anyone who is a full /part time wheelchair or mobility scooter user this is a mandatory requirement."

 

Does mentioning you are using a wheelchair automatically put you on the evacuation chair list or do you have to specifically request it as a mandatory requirement. @Selbourne  can you advise. OP said they didn’t request one. 

3 minutes ago, Surprise50th said:

I'm looking at booking a week's Fjord cruise in June 2026 for my husbands 50th. I've looked at P&O and Cunard, more edging towards Cunard as the ships are smaller and think hubby would really like to go on a Cunard ship as well as it being more geared to adults than a mix. We'd also be adding the drinks package to whatever else book so not too concerned about drink prices (have read Cunard drinks can be pricey). 

 

Any thoughts / suggestions / advice etc? We are well travelled but new to cruising. 

 

Thanks 

The ports visited make a difference. Can you tell us which ones for each cruise? 

31 minutes ago, JollyMia said:

Just a quick update, I did complete the questionnaire when I booked January, but never heard back from P&O (I have done this on 2 previous cruise). I then resubmitted the questionnaire in April at my wife’s request because we had received no confirmation of any kind.

And you confirm that you mentioned you would be having a wheelchair both times?

Just to confirm P&O’s error. 

16 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

In my case only through being a CC user did I know to query this with P&O, I never received any thing from them indicating that I needed to update the medical questionnaire.

We received an email in respect of each of our outstanding cruises when this new procedure was started. We book direct. 

If neither @JollyMia nor their travel agent mentioned bringing a wheelchair then the first P&O would.have known about it was when Mobility at Sea advised them that someone in the cabin had requested a wheelchair to be delivered to the cabin. Hence the difficulty. 

13 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

JollyMia has had a post removed along with my reply - he mentioned his agent's name unfortunately, although I did not so I have no idea why my reply went which is a bit frustrating.

 

He did book through a travel agent, has had 3 cruises with P&O booked through the same agent in the past two years.  They apparently took his details and he filled in the form a day or two after booking and then booked his wheelchair with Mobility at Sea.  

 

 

Yes I saw it. I know the OP has come back and has not deserted us. Just waiting for them reply again. 

@JollyMia Did you book direct or through a travel agent. If so have you ascertained that they completed the form mentioning that you would be having a wheelchair on board.