groovechick

Thank you for this link. We are in Valletta for an overnight and wanted to see Mdina and it's great to see options beyond the Celebrity large bus tour.

If you are planning to use the public transport in Malta, please be aware that in the summer the buses are likely to be very full with tourists as well as locals, so you may not be able to get on the first bus that comes along, or may have to stand. Also some of the driving can be very - idiosyncratic - shall we say. :D

It's a while since we were there, and maybe they have upgraded the buses, but the majority were very old, in various degrees of maintenance and not air conditioned. We didn't mind, for us it was all part of the experience, and some of the drivers obviously take great pride in their vehicles and decorate them, but I know some people expect the same standards they find at home.

What is the tendering procedure?

 

Do you have to pre book a time, or get a ticket, or just queue?

Might depend on your ship. On Britannia when we tendered in Grand Cayman we had to go to the theatre. They were issuing blocks of coloured, numbered tickets at the entrance to the theatre, you took a ticket then waited for your number/colour to be called, then you proceeded to the tenders.

Good to know, thanks. :)

 

I think my only issue is those oversized cocktail glasses they serve them in. They're hardly subtle. Then again, at least they don't serve them with paper parasol, a cherry on a plastic sword and a sparkler. Now that would be embarrasing! haha

Isn't that the best bit??! ;p

groovechick, the cafe serves alcohol too. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g189167-d3609193-Reviews-Cafe_dos_Macarones-Funchal_Madeira_Madeira_Islands.html!

Perfect tartanexile, thank you. Sorted!

groovechick, sorry I didn't appreciate that you were in on a Sunday, the other one will probably be closed as well. It is the Madeira Wine company Rua Dos Ferreiros 82, 9000 Funchal, Portugal. It in the centre of the town up a side street near the main municipal buildings.

 

It nothing like as fancy as Blandys, just a few barrels with stools but they will do a Port flight for you.

 

If the wine lodges are closed most bars have a ressonable stock of port so you could just create your own event. If you walk along towards the fort (in the area with all the painted doors beyond the fruit market) they serve traditional food and drinks.

Thank you Eglesbrech. DH would surely be happy to create his own event, and I don't mind the odd port, but a little boring for DD who doesn't like port and DS who is under age. Maybe he could do that while we sunbathe and sip cocktails back on board in the afternoon? :D

There's only one cable car in Funchal - well, as far as I know and I've been there a few times. If you're at the far berth P&O offers a free shuttle into the town centre or if you're feeling energetic it's definitely walkable from the ship. You just walk along the promenade, keeping the sea on your right, till you get to the cable car station. When you get to the top the gardens are just there on your left and the start of the toboggan ride a bit further on. On your way to the cable car, you will see the market about a hundred yards up a wide street so you could have a mooch around there on your way and have a coffee on the roof terrace.

Thank you tartanexile, that sounds like a plan, although I have to say DH is not a great stopper-for-coffee-er. Now anything alcofrolic....

I'm curious, for those who've experienced other lines - do they offer any mocktails?

I'm sure I remember some on Royal Caribbean and a wider choice too, IIRC.

I've just got a back from a ship visit on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth...

 

I had phoned in advance to say I can't eat gluten and told not a problem. When got to the dining room today I mentioned it to the waiter who said "no problem - order anything you want from the menu and the chef will make it gluten free".

 

"Wow" I thought "That's impressive". So I ordered the goats cheese tart for starter.

 

When it arrived it was just the topping - no pastry base. As in, no tart! Just some goats cheese, a sauce and a garnish.

 

I'd imagined that as I was told the chef could make a gluten free version of the tart it would have a gluten free pastry base. But nope. Just the topping.

 

Can someone reassure me it's better than that on p&o?

 

I did read a while back someone on Princess ordered a dairy free cottage pie and it arrived without the mashed potato topping. So, a pie that's not a pie. A tart that's not a tart.

Like Florry my children had a severe egg allergy (now thankfully grown out of), but several times on P&O they've ordered things which have arrived "deconstructed" :D - spaghetti and meatballs with no spaghetti, just two meatballs in the centre of a plate! Would it have been so difficult to pop on some rice or potatoes, whatever was the accompaniment to another dish on the menu?

The dietary requirements meeting is a big improvement. Last time it was necessary to talk to the restaurant staff, I had to queue for an hour and a half with all the pax trying to change dining times, then they tried to send me away before I'd seen anyone because it was time for the muster drill - that wasn't happening!

I'm fairly happy with the trips I'm doing on my upcoming cruise with the exception of Madeira. I've been to Madeira before although I have a feeling it was a short-stop, we went on the cable car, toboggan and walked up and down the front. We are there again for a full day in October, and I've booked a tour 9.30-13.30 to the caves. I have a nagging doubt about this and wonder if we are better doing the market in the morning and gardens in the afternoon, has anyone done the caves and the market if so which would you pick? I've decided against Reid's on account of the dress code. Thanks all

Thanks for posting this Florry, as I have a couple of questions about Madeira too.

OH and I were there very many years ago and did a P&O excursion. This time we are DIYing (with adult children) and were thinking of visiting the Botanical Gardens and mooching round Funchal town. I have read on Trip Advisor, though, that the Gardens are quite run down, sections are closed and they are very steep, in short not worth the visit. Whilst we're reasonably fit, I don't know that I fancy hiking up vertical slopes in August heat. So my question is: has anyone visited the Gardens recently and are they worth it, or are the Tropical Gardens at Monte a better bet?

I know Blandy's is not open on a Sunday, which is when we are there. Eglesbrech - you mention another lodge in the town centre. Which is this please because I've only seen references to Blandy's and we would love to visit a lodge if possible (OH loves port).

Finally, I have managed to get myself horribly confused regarding the Funchal cable cars. Am I correct in thinking there is the cable car which goes up to Monte (for the church, Tropical Gardens, a museum? and toboggan) and this goes from somewhere along the sea front? Is this walkable from the cruise berth or do you have to get a shuttle/local bus to get there?

The other cable car goes to the Botanical Gardens but the base station isn't on the sea front? How do you get to this and is it far from the cruise berth?

Thank you in advance for clearing things up.

Am totally surprised as we met a crew member we had met on Britannia in 2015 and he remembered us from that cruise. It was lovely to meet up again. That was on freedom dining.

Similarly, last year on Oceana we met someone who had served wine on Britannia in Oceana. It was lovely to meet up again. Am just hoping that they remember us for good reasons !!!!!

On our cruises in Freedom Dining we have asked for the same table (and waited) and the staff have always remembered us and what we wanted...

Isn't it funny? Just goes to show what different experiences people have on the same ships and with the same line. Who knows, this year may be completely different.

We always book really early (18 months). If we book for fixed and are not happy can we change on the ship. I suppose our objective is to have the same crew as well as we love to get to know the staff and it means that we can definitely give them a 'thank you' on the last night.

Presto2, I fear you may not be able to get to know the staff. I don't know whether it's because they are spread more thinly and so have less time, whether it's their individual personalities, or other factors, but on our last 2 cruises we have tried to get to know our waiters and made very little headway. We are friendly, sociable and polite. On our last cruise, on Britannia, both our waiters were pleasant, polite and fairly efficient, but despite attempts by us to make a little polite conversation, they really didn't want to know. I had to prise his name out of one of them, just so I could say "Excuse me, X, could I have some more water/another bread roll" or whatever. Also, after two weeks, they were still offering me the bread when I refused it every day, and bringing me coffee after dinner, rather tea, which I also had every day. OPs have said here about waiters learning their preferences and acting on them - I've never yet experienced that. This is one of the reasons we've opted for Freedom dining this year.

Had a message from P&O that my cabin on Ventura 4th August has been upgraded, in their words, from mid way on Riviera deck to cabin A427, which is one deck down. The facilities are the same except the new cabin is directly opposite the lift access doors, I do feel this is a shabby trick to fill an unwanted cabin, do I have to accept this move?

 

mike

You can ask P&O to reverse it. They will usually say no, but if you stand your ground they may relent. They have generally allocated your original cabin to s.o. else as soon as they have moved you.

The limit is 18 as this quote from the web site. Trousers and a shirt are fine.

 

The Dress Code is applied in most restaurants and bars for guests over 18 years of age, from 6pm. Please wear the appropriate attire to the ship’s bars and restaurants; blue or worn denim, sandals, sleeveless tops (for men) and shorts are not permitted in ship's public areas during the evening.

I think P&O have changed this within the last 2 years Dai. Like John Watson, I think the dress code used to apply from about the age of 13, because on our first two P&O cruises (2012/2013) our son was below this age and so could wear evening casual, although in fact on formal nights he wore a pair of his dark school trousers, a school shirt and a tie, so a halfway house between casual and formal, at no great expense.

By the time of our 2015 cruise he was over 13 and so we bought him a suit and a dinner suit. As he was going to need a suit for his school prom and his uncle's wedding last year, they have been put to good use, and will be appearing again on Aurora in August.

Incidentally, our Holiday Information Booklet for this year states, under children's code: "On Formal Black Tie evenings children should wear evening casual dress, at least, and dark denim is not permitted."

So that's even more confusing, they can wear evening casual but not dark denim! :confused:

On most posts here most say t h ere boarding times are around 3/3.30pm

We're sailing on Arcadia end July hoping our time will come soon, but as were staying at the Holiday inn night before was hoping for an earlier time we have balcony room on D Deck.

How many get these times?

Do we h a v e a chance of being any earlier?

I have had luggage labels sent to us, just waiting for boarding times

Thanks

If you trawl through the "Embarkation times - recent experiences" thread on this page, a kind CCer provided details of when embarkation times are "supposed" to be. They are organised by deck. According this we should expect to embark Aurora for our cruise in August at around 2.40 pm. Of course there always seem to be variations on this - people who turn up early and get straight on, people who turn up at the requested time and have to wait. I think the same thread has lots of useful suggestions about what to do if you are staying in Southampton overnight and have to vacate your hotel (shopping, spot of lunch, cruise lounges at other hotels, drop off luggage, go, then come back at allocated time, etc.). It's a lot to read through, but worth it! :D

We are visiting the Sagrada Familia and wanted to know if we will be allowed entry to most of the cathedral if we are in shorts and t-shirts or do we need to wear pants and long sleeves? Their websites mentions certain areas that we can not enter if we are not properly dressed, but the rest of the family is fighting me on wearing pants. I just want to make sure that we can see most of it if we are in shorts. Thanks in advance for your help.

During my visit I wore light cotton cropped (capri) trousers, not as hot as full length but sufficiently respectful. My daughter was wearing a t-shirt with thin straps but took a lightweight short-sleeved shrug to wear whilst in the cathedral and to cover up if she started to burn outdoors. Hubby and son wore shorts IIRC, but they were very smart, on-the-knee chinos, with light, short-sleeved cotton shirt and polo shirt and no-one complained or looked askance.

Thanks for those replies.

So seems that P&O may not be an option for us.

Just another thought, wonder if we could just eat in "speciality" restaurants. Do they have balloons?

I kindly thank you for info re Christmas/Gala nights - we keep away from holidays anywhere over the Christmas period for the reason you mention. We find that with gala nights etc the balloons are generally in one area, which we can avoid.

For the last 30 years we have been far away for November 5th, the worst time of the year for my wife. Our first longhaul Nov 5th holiday was to Kenya - walking up the beach on day 2 we came across a large placard saying "November 5th - Big Bonfire and Firework Party. Bring your own fireworks". Fortunatelty Kenyans have better things to spend thier money on and we never heard a thing.

The only dining venue I can think of where there would not be balloons would be the buffet, that is assuming that passengers do not bring them themselves to celebrate an occasion. I have also seen them attached to cabin doors in corridors.

Hoping for some help.

My wife has a severe phobia regarding percussive noises - this includes a fear of balloons and the fear of them popping.

(I have had a previous thread in 2010 but would like to get more up to date opinions)

 

In 2010 we made our first, and last, cruise with P&O aboard Ventura. Imagine her horror when on our first evening meal there were six or seven tables celebrating birthdays etc with 4 or 5 balloons, supplied by P&O, floating above the table.

We spoke to the Head Waiter to ascertain if this was a regular occurrence. He assured us it was not and that he did not understand why it had been done. We never saw another balloon in the dining room after the first night.

 

The reason that it was also our last cruise with P&O is because, although the problem went away on the Ventura cruise, we are unable to find a definitive answer to this balloon situation.

 

We would really like to cruise again with P&O as they have some great itineraries.

So, do you still get a “bouquet” of balloons, supplied by P&O, at your table when you have a celebration?

(we realise that they maybe the odd occasion when people bring their own balloons.)

If the answer is yes, then is it across the fleet or just some ships.

 

Thanks in advance

During our 2015 Christmas/New Year cruise on Britannia, not only were there balloons on individual tables for birthday/anniversary celebrations, they had an archway of balloons at the entrance to the MDR for Christmas Day/New Year's Eve. Plus they issued tables with party poppers and hooters.

My children had an adapted cabin on Britannia (not because they needed one but because it was what we were allocated) and I can confirm that the doors are not automatic. This was an inside cabin and was very spacious. They had the beds set up as twins and there was 8-10 feet of space between the end of the bed and the dressing table/wardrobe, also a large area between the wardrobe and the back of the door where you would be able to park a wheelchair out of the way. The bathroom was massive too, but very poor in terms of shelf/cupboard space to store toiletries. I understand the sink not being enclosed so you could get a wheelchair up to it, but there were no shelves or storage space nearby, likewise nothing in the walk-in shower. In fact apart from the extra space and rails in the bathroom, I thought there was very little in the way of "adaptation" at all.

I am looking for a child friendly beach to kill a few hours before our evening flight home.

Can anyone recommend somewhere near the ship?

Thank you

Look online at The Boatyard. Depends on the age of your child/children, but if they are old enough to enjoy platforms to jump off, ropes to swing on, etc. then it might be a good choice. Easy to get to from the ship by taxi, or you can walk it (takes around 20-30 mins?), I think the entrance fee (around $15-20 pp?) includes a drink, loungers/parasol and return shuttle back to the port. Quieter, on the same stretch of beach (I think), is Lobsters Alive. I looked at these for our 2015 cruise so am saying this from memory - I'm sure someone will corroborate.

If you check the Cathedral's website it gives details. From memory I think the front façade is covered in scaffolding, don't know if the interior is affected. You're unlikely to get a nice photo of the outside.

Hi all, probably a silly question, but do the kids club give the kids drinks, or do we have to pop back and forth with them? Also in case of emergency or the kids want you, how does the kids club get hold of you? This is our first cruise so apologies if the questions are daft.

There are no daft questions foodie06, especially when it's your first cruise. Yes, they provide them with drinks, just water and maybe squash. Have to say I've never known it happen, but I guess they would put a call out over the tannoy, such as "Could Mrs Foodie06 please come to the kids' club?". When you register your child for the club they will tell you how they make contact with you if the child wants you or in an emergency. My children were in their teens when we started cruising, but they loved the club. Daughter is now too old, son is very happy that he will still be young enough (just) for our cruise this summer. The staff are lovely, very caring and make sure every child feels welcome, safe and included. I hope you have a wonderful cruise - it's very addictive!

In Venice DH's usually impeccable sense of direction unaccountably deserted him and we ended up going away from where we wanted to go on the vaporetto, but it was lovely (and cooler) sitting on the boat and viewing the fabulous architecture. We just got another boat back and wandered round, but the humid August heat wiped out the kids, so I took them back to the ship via vaporetto and people mover (as we'd travelled in) whilst DH used our all-day ticket to go out to Murano. Confirm it takes about 10-15 minutes to walk from St Mark's to the Rialto Bridge - you can't do more than amble because there are so many people.

Although we have one, who made a big point of calling to introduce herself and sending us her business card, she has never, ever been there to speak to when we've called. We've always ended up dealing with whoever happened to answer the phone. Our PCC always follows up this call, usually to ask why we haven't booked or to try to sell us another cruise. We'd only been back from our 2015 Christmas Caribbean cruise one day when she was on the phone asking when we wanted to book again! She's never seemed to be particularly helpful, or knowledgeable.

And yes, Port Out, it is only about 3-4 years since P&O tried to cut out a lot of travel agents, including the one we had used. They appear to have relented in the last 12 months, as our old TA started advertising P&O Cruises again, so we have booked for this year through the TA. Our PCC phoned up to ask why we had not gone direct to her, and I replied - honestly - that the TA was also quoting us for cruises with other lines. That brought the call to a quick end.

Thank you for posting this info, cruisingcouple22. There look to be some new cocktails since our last cruise at the end of 2015 and a price increase, but DD will be overjoyed that her fave is still available.

 

:eek::eek: Were the waiters wearing masks and brandishing pistols? That's daylight robbery!!