Charleyben

I know this issue has been raised on other threads but is anybody able to assist me with regards to when cabins are allocated on world sectors. The fare I have purchased is a travel agent net fare where the travel agent has arranged the air transport. The fare is not a select or saver fare as I have been given my preferred dining choice but not my cabin.

We are due to travel in 9 days time and I was wondering at what point should I think about contacting P & O?

Thanks for any advice you may have.

I am pleased to be able to report that there has been a very satisfactory outcome to my enquiry.

 

I should also say that before I made my original post I did raise the issue with the travel agent who claimed that "Azamara say they do not do day rooms".

 

I emailed Mr Twynam very much along the lines of my original post above. Within 5 minutes I had a reply from him, saying he would get his team to look into it. I should also add that I sent the email just after 6pm on May 2nd, which was a Bank Holiday - so the speed of his response was extraordinary.

 

I have just received an email which says:

"As you mention the majority of flights from Montreal to the UK are in the evening therefore we will be providing day rooms for fly cruise guests.

 

 

Our hotel team are currently looking into different options and once they have finalised the details you will receive an updated confirmation invoice with the hotel details, in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions."

 

A most impressive response on all counts. Brilliant service from Azamara UK.

Thank you for this thread. I have just paid my balance with my TA and I requested that they contact Azamara re. This issue. They confirmed that Azamara will be providing us a day room on the final day.

If it had not been for your post, I would have arranged one myself.

Full marks also to Azamara for thinking about their customers on their last day. This is an area where other cruise lines should take note, they do a great job of looking after their customers until disembarkation, then they just want you gone.

Another reason to use Azamara in the future.

Is anyone able to tell me whether the corkage charge is payable if you have purchase the premium beverage package?

If we fancied bringing on board a local wine for drinking in the restaurant as a change from the wines by the glass would we still be expected to pay corkage?

Thanks in anticipation.

Thanks all for your responses. I don't particularly enjoy a tour on the last day. I think I will arrange my own day room and transfer to the airport.

It's good to get a shower before a long haul overnight flight.

Could anyone please advise me what I can expect on the final day. Azamara have arranged our transfers and flights and we are due to fly home at 8.00pm at the end of the cruise. Are they likely to just leave us at the airport with our luggage on the final morning or will they make some arrangements to make our experience more acceptable.

I have not had a very positive experience with certain cruise lines who really just want to wash their hands of you once you leave the ship.

Some lines put on a tour for those flying home late, others look after your baggage and allow you to do your own thing and transfer you to the airport at a reasonable time before the flight.

I would be grateful if anyone could tell me how Azamara fare in this regard.

Further to my last message, I have just read on another site that Celebrity yesterday cancelled Israeli ports of call with immediate effect.

We are sailing from Istanbul in two weeks time on Voyager. We recently did an Istanbul to Istanbul on Mariner and whilst we have no concerns about Turkey, we are more wary of the current situation in Israel.

We have three days there are two long excursions booked, the way it has kicked off lately I would imagine that Regent have the situation under review.

Whilst we appreciate it is a case of Palastinians v Israelis, the attacks are somewhat indiscriminate. These conflicts quite often occur in these parts but it has been stepped up a great deal in the past week.

Interesting times.....

The main advantage of staying overnight at the airport is that you have removed the potential for delays.

The last time we stayed at the Hampton Inn in the North Terminal which is actually closer to the check in desks than the Sofitel and cheaper.

We arrive at the check in approx 1.5 hours before the flight when there are virtually no queues. This gives us plenty of time to get through security and get to the gate but remember once your baggage has been checked in, the plane will not be leaving without you.

If in doubt ask the airline what time the check in desks close and be there prior to that.

We were on the Quest for the first, included drinks cruise. They seemed to take an age to decide what drinks were included and when they did, they came up with the current set up.

We were very disappointed with what was on offer and could not really understand their logic. The wines are perfectly acceptable with the exception of the lack of something with sparkles but the rest of the package is about as basic as they could make it.

Presumably their strategy is that passengers will opt for the various packages on offer or to purchase them on a one off basis.

I am not privy as to what extra income is raised by this means but I am sure this is outweighed by the potential damage this apparent penny pinching has done to AZ.

The extra cost to upgrade this package out of the 'well drinks' range would be very little and would certainly enhance their reputation.

I find it hard to understand why they bothered going down the 'more inclusive' route and feel that they have missed the opportunity to enhance their product with an ill thought out compromise.

The wine has to be sourced from the dining room to which you are allocated. In answer to your question, it depends on how willing/busy they are in the bar.

If they normally stock the wine in that bar they can provide it and sort the logistics out later, otherwise the server will need to go to the dining room to fetch it for you.

With the exception of prosecco most of the wines on the commodore package are not sold in the bars.

The same applies to the alternative dining venues so it would be helpful to them if you gave them some notice of what wine you require.

Thanks Catpow were on 6th September cruise so we now have something extra to look forward to .

On our last Regent Cruise a Philipino Trio were on board, I think they called themselves the Nature Rhythm Trio.

We thoroughly enjoyed their music, they did not use backing tapes so they were somewhat limited when it came to requests. Their standard response if they could not oblige would be "sorry but this song is under construction".

We have two upcoming cruises on the Mariner and Voyager and it would be great to know if they were on board. They were extremely personable and were perfect to listen to with our pre-dinner drinks.

Can anyone tell me whether they are still under contract with Regent.

I hope you enjoy AZ...we certainly do. We were on the Baltic itinerary...just fabulous with excellent close-in berths. The ship was in good order, crew as fun and friendly as ever, and the food was great, in my opinion. This was our first cruise on AZ since the all-inclusive alcohol, and it certainly made a difference in the liveliness of the crowd. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. And I imagine that it won't take them long to add a bubbly to the list, after all the feedback they've received here and on the mid-cruise comment cards.;)

We are trying Celebrity for the first time in 2016...purely itinerary driven, but maybe we'll find a nice alternative to AZ.

We were on the Quest on the first all inclusive cruise which was in April 2013. Don't hold your breath on the sparkling wine issue. If they haven't included it after 21/2 years I wouldn't have thought it is imminent.

Never bother with the soda or coffee but always use the Commodores Wine Package. You save a approx. 10 - 15% dependant upon which wines you choose.

We usually drink red and we find the standout red is the Valdivieso Cabernet Franc.

If you fancy the wines in the package, it's a worthwhile saving.

On our last 24 night cruise we bought 2 of the 12 bottle packages - it worked out just right!

We are also going on X509 the 21 night cruise departing on 6th May. The notification we received from P &O refers to a generator being installed on the port side on sun deck which is required for essential maintenance.

I don't think this has anything to do with a restaurant construction.

This is interesting. P & O have a menu on their website for a non existent restaurant!

Has it been closed or was it something they intended to have and never got around to it?

Can anyone shine any light on this?

Having previously sailed with Regent on a port intensive cruise, we found that the excursions, whilst interesting for some, were somewhat onerous. We spent a great deal of time waiting to board coaches, hanging around waiting for latecomers and it felt like a 2 hour trip was being crammed into 5 hours.

Without wishing to be too critical and being branded a philistine I sometimes wished that they could include a trip to a local beach as an alternative for those who are culturally spent, to experience a bit of relaxation and chilling out.

Am I on my own here or are is someone out there with like views?

Victoria 82,

Freedom dining is in the Ligurian Restaurant. Marco Pierre White has put his name to Cafe Jardin, I am unaware of any new restaurant.

Cafe Jardin supplement for dinner was only £5.25 when we were on board. The starters, particularly the fish sharing platters were a meal in themselves with enough smoked salmon for a small buffet. We found the main courses not quite up to the starters but Marco's meatballs were very tasty.

You can find the menus for the alternative dining on P & Os website.

Hope you enjoy.

We returned from a 24 night cruise on Oceana in March. Overall we found the food to be very good ( a big improvement from our last few on P & O )

We tried the Horizon Grill & Cafe Jardin for dinner a number of times just for a change from the MDR. They were good value for money particularly Cafe Jardin. The main difference we found is that there is no fine dining restaurant on board for that special treat. We were left with the impression that the alternative dining was cobbled together using whatever space was available.

Cafe Jardin is also open for a light breakfast and lunch with no supplement payable but the range of food was somewhat limited.

The Horizon Grill was only busy when we the weather was warm, for the first and last 4 - 5 days. When the weather was cooler it was brought inside and was in a sectioned off part of the buffet.

We particularly liked the fact that the buffet restaurant was not the usual scrum and seating was always available.

We are both in our early 60s and we were some of the youngest on board so expect the average age to be appreciably higher.

Cabins on Oceana are smaller than normal as she was designed for short cruises around the Caribbean. That said we managed to pack our clothes away without too much difficulty.

I fear that RCCL are totally underestimating the power and influence of the Robotic Bar Staff Union. Unless they get their tips they are likely to seek the support of their colleagues in the engine room and throughout the ship.

Unless this matter is handled delicately it could have ramifications throughout the industry!

I was wondering whether the 15% service charge is added when you get served by a robot barman? Food for thought!

On a recent cruise on Oceana I attempted to buy a bottle of prosecco in the Yacht & Compass Lounge using one of my slips from the Commodore Wine Package. Despite the fact that they sold prosecco in that bar which was exactly the same as that on the Package they were unable to comply. They explained that they would have to go to the dining room to obtain it and that they were too busy.

I attempted to explain that they could simply provide one of the bottles from behind their bar and get it back from the dining room to replace their stocktake a time to suit them. This did not compute.

We then went into Magnums Bar where I asked the same question and received a totally different response and also a bottle of prosecco. Some waiters have a can do attitude and use their discretion others sadly do not.

We also experienced difficulties at the alternative dining venues. There seemed to be some reluctance to get your requested wine as it entailed someone going to the MDR to fetch it and then when it arrived we well into our meal.

I raised this issue in the mid cruise critique and a F & B officer tracked me down one evening to discuss the problem. He was most helpful and recommended when I booked the table I informed them of the wine I wanted.

When I tried to do this again it did not compute until I explained my conversation with the F & B officer and it was eventually sorted out.

I think the problem arises from the fact that when you buy the package it is charged against and the wine provided by the MDR to which you have been assigned.

I fully understand that requesting a particular wine in a bar that do not normally stock it, at busy times, is an unreasonable request. However if they do have that particular wine, they should provide it.

It is a shame that their internal procedures should impact upon the service that they provide. This clearly not a unique problem and it is one that could be easily resolved.

In answer to your question - maybe, maybe not!

Good luck.

I quite enjoy sampling local wines and enjoying some with dinner.

It's fair to say that the selection of wine on P & O is pretty good and I always purchase at least one of the Commodore's packages but it is a pleasant change to sample a good local wine when you find one.

It is not relevant whether someone might not understand why someone needs to take wine into the restaurant suffice to say that some people do.

I just find the corkage policy is somewhat bizarre.

Am I correct in saying that the corkage charge for P & O ships is now £15?

If this is right, it has been increased by £4 and is now higher than some of the bottles of wine that they sell!!

Is it me or is this P & O not wanting people taking their own wine into their restaurants?

I know that other lines do have higher corkage charges but they do not price any of their wine less than the corkage charge.

The delay going through security is somewhat irrelevant. Once you have checked in and lost your hold luggage, the plane is going nowhere until you arrive as your bags will be on the aircraft. The flight will not take off with bags minus passengers.

If you failed to appear, they would at some stage remove the luggage from the aircraft but this is an action they will avoid at all costs essentially because of the time it takes.

In essence if you have checked in and handed over your hold luggage, you will not miss that flight due to security delays provided that you act sensibly.