Charleyben

Setting aside your personal circumstances for which you have my sympathies, the crux of this thread revolves around making a payment to the maître d in order that he would provide a service that he would not necessarily carry out.

If the maître d, having listened to your personal circumstances, carried out what you requested and you subsequently gave him something as a thank you, this is a tip.

If you offer him money in advance in the hope that he will accept it and give you what you are asking, is a bribe, not a tip.

I'm not passing judgement here but if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck.........

Ps Our American cousins wouldn't think twice about it and I would agree with the comment already expressed, it takes a lot more than this to offend a maître d.

Um, stop trying to turn them into Thomsons!

 

I think one ship in the med is enough, bearing in mind they are having problems filling Ventura this year.

 

I like the idea of fly cruising with P&O. But feel there should be a mixture of 7 and 14 days, rather than the back to back they are doing now..i'm not a big fan of 7 night back to back cruises.

 

I do agree they should change the itinierary every year though whichever ship is based there.

The Ventura is not doing back to back cruises as such. The seven day cruises have two separate itineraries and the 14 day cruises do not return to their home port, mid cruise.

There is a mixture of 7 and 14 day cruises already. There are two embarkation and disembarkation ports which vary dependant upon dates for the 14 night cruise and for 7 night cruises, the variance is down to the itinerary you require.

Excuse my ignorance in this posting. What is a 'host' and what function do you perform? What is your connection with P & O cruises and with Cruise Critic?

Please do not think I am being difficult but as a not too regular a visitor to this site, I don't understand your role.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to enlighten me and those who may share my lack of understanding.

How could these pariahs of the cruise industry think for one moment that they would be able to change their dining arrangements? They should consider themselves lucky that they are being fed at all!

Why P And O are even allowing them to travel in the same shuttles as the select passengers is beyond my comprehension. Indeed they should only be allowed to sit behind pillars in the theatre and use the buffet restaurants when select passengers have had their fill.

In all seriousness late bookers have historically had the choice of whatever dining arrangements are still available. By the time saver fares come on stream the select passengers have already had their choice. Not very many people pay select fares when saver prices are available.

If a select passenger is wait listed for dining arrangements and overlooked in favour of a saver, this would be solely down to P and O not getting their act together.

Whilst we are on the subject does anybody have any thoughts on how P & O can make things any more difficult for those lower than low saver bookers? We must put an end to these freeloaders!

Check in generally opens 2 - 3 hours prior to departure and closes 45 minutes - one hour before departure.

It depends on you when you check in between these times.

A lot depends on a number of factors for me. If I am flying out early from Gatwick I stay overnight at the hotel, I pre book my seats, I do twilight check in when available and turn up at the check in desk with enough time to get through security. I'm usually at the check in desk 1 hour 15 - 30 minutes prior to departure and this gives me plenty of time.

I dislike hanging around in departure lounges for hours on end. I haven't experienced any problems yet but I would advise people driving to the airport to give themselves more time to allow for delays etc.

The times quoted by airlines and tour operators are when they open the check in desks and this when they are always at their busiest.

Isn't it about time that cruise lines started paying their staff a proper wage. The de luxe cruise lines did away with tipping years ago and with no drop in standards.

It does stick in the craw when lines effectively coerce passengers into subsidising the wages of stewards and waiters. Tipping is not about paying a per diem amount into a fund, it is a personal thank you for the provision of good service.

It is about time it was included in the price of the cruise and if passengers wished to provide a gratuity for good service, they could do so without being told how much they should pay or indeed whether they should or should not tip.

P & O may be not quite as bad as some of the American mainstream lines who expect passengers to pay the wages of their service provision staff but that does not excuse them.

Pre-paid tipping clearly reveals what a pernicious activity this is. I'm afraid I do not accept the argument that this procedure leads to better service, in fact I believe it achieves the exact opposite.

Having said that, will I play P & O's game? Yes I will because I don't wish to see hard working people lose out on a living wage. Do I like it? You bet I don't, I resent the fact that I feel that my intelligence is being insulted.

It would also put an end to the petty arguments that manifest themselves when this subject is discussed.

One point seems to be overlooked in this discussion. Of course select passengers should get a dining preference but when saver fares come on board, how many people book and pay the select fare? I would think that they would be rarer than rocking horse manure.

Why a potential saver booker can't have a choice of whatever is left is beyond my comprehension. This in no way interferes with the select passengers as they already have their bookings sorted. This is how it has always worked. The late booker can then decide whether the arrangement is suitable. Having to wait until you get on board is ludicrous.

I must agree with those who make the point that P & O are just making things unecessarily difficult for saver bookers in an attempt to appease select bookers instead of giving them some meaningful incentive for booking early.

My wife and I have often enjoyed a bottle of red in the Manhattan on Azura. They will provide a bottle of whatever they sell by the glass. Have not asked them for any others but I wouldn't have thought they would be willing to go to the MDR for you when they are busy.

My wife and I booked our first Azamara Cruise based on personal recommendation. We were told that the quality of wines provided at lunch and dinner were of a very good quality and when we read that the line was becoming all inclusive, we assumed that the bar offerings would be of the same high quality. This was based on the fact that Azamara happily promote their product in the 'luxury' range.

I came onto this site to learn more about our forthcoming cruise and we were intrigued to read Bill's post on 16th February. Bill did not promise the information on a particular date but it would not be unreasonable to infer that, as the first all inclusive cruise was only two months away, it was imminent. Otherwise why start the thread in the first place.

After a number of apologies for the delay, Bill posts a message on the 14th March when for the first time it is revealed that Azmara was introducing 'value priced beverage packages'. This information is provided less than two weeks before we board the ship.

The sad part of this, is that this was the first time that Bill was aware of such packages. What type of organisation engages a chief blogging officer and then proceeds to keep him in the dark about an issue that is clearly of interest to many posters and customers?

My expectations of a cruise are primarily commensurate with how much I have paid. When I book a three star line I do not expect luxury, however when I book a cruise that is marketed as 'luxury', I am somewhat more discerning.

I have not yet seen the full list of the all inclusive offerings but from what has been published, I am of the opinion that Azamara have provided the bare minimum. I don't wish to get into the semantics of the wording of what has been promised, I am more concerned with the spirit (excuse the pun) of what is being offered.

I get the distinct impression that the bean counters have been hard at work and have had second thoughts regarding the revenue stream from bar profits. I note that the liquor on offer in the 'premium package' is not significantly different from that in the all inclusive and that the wholesale cost difference would be extremely small.

What I find particularly annoying is having these packages promoted in a way that they are.

I am left with the impression that Azamara have gone cheap. The timing and the manner in which this information has been provided is nothing short of a P.R. nightmare.

I have every intention of enjoying my cruise and despite my complaints, I shall be looking for positives and have every intention of enjoying my cruise to the full. I am just sad that it has started like this.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to Bill but he is the voice of Azamara on this site and therefore he must shoulder their shortcomings.

I cannot understand why Azamara have bothered to go down the all-inclusive route.

I am just very pleased that I am not employed as a bar steward on one of their ships. What a shambles!

My fears have manifested themselves and had I known that this is how it worked I would not have booked my forthcoming cruise. I would have paid the extra and gone with one of the real luxury lines.

I am going to try my level best to enjoy this cruise but this marketing nightmare has left a nasty taste in my mouth.

Three different levels of sprit packages, water package, wine package or pay as you go on an all-inclusive ship. What a joke!