Clodia

On 5/10/2024 at 5:15 PM, GSPG said:

On board Britannia just about to leave.

We made the decision to buy bottles on spirits on board. There’s not much in it with buying outside, and thought P&O would be happy us buying it from them.

 

Just rang reception at 5.05pm to order a bottle of Bacardi. Response, we haven’t got that. Asked when are you going to get some. Response, we are not.

 

Not very happy. Have they not got any because they want us to buy this drink from the bar?

 

Not a good start with this change in policy!

This is unacceptable. If they prevent you from taking your preferred drink onboard then they must have what is advertised. 

My bottle went onboard, not saying how, but I decided to buy something else. Told it was not available, I asked to see the Hotel Manager.

Surprisingly  they found me what I wanted in 20 minutes.

I had one too, only 117 weeks!

I nearly booked a forward suite on Arvia next April but a friend warned me about the wind. Then an aft suite came free so I grabbed that. It's deck 15 so there will be midday shade but don't mind that.

Deck 9 conservatory mini suites are great. Have had one twice on Iona

As I bought a bottle last week I'm taking it on. As they haven't emailed any policy change I shall plead innocence. In future it's buy room service or my faithful rum runner. They used to be undetectable but scanners are getting more sophisticated. If stopped I will be suitable surprised and then outraged at their appalling communication. The worst they can do is confiscate then lose it, which is why they stopped taking onshore purchases as it caused so much trouble.

And I am boarding Britannia tomorrow and still would not know about this policy change because P and O haven't told me.

I often disbelieve what I read on social media,  so....

I always pack 2 formal dresses and one cocktail dress, with appropriate shoes/bags. That works for most cruises and then I just wait and see what transpires.

Actually no. I've tried the 6 star lines where everything including decent champagne is constantly on offer, but the prices since the pandemic are eye watering for solos though I am looking at one such line for 2025. In the end, P and O is good value if you get a good cabin (I sometimes do a suite), use the speciality restaurants most nights, and get the deluxe drinks package because I drink quality rather than quantity. I'd never get to 15 alcoholic drinks but I like the more expensive ones.

I do the sums, and will continue to cruise with P and O. Just not every time, whereas before the pandemic I was very much a P and O girl!

15 minutes ago, Lee Jones Jnr said:

If gin, whisky and brandy drinkers are well catered for, vodka famously tastes the same from the bottom to the top, what spirits are you asking P&O to add?

Goading again. Well, for a start, Southern Comfort, Liqueurs like Grand Marnier, a wider range of vodkas and cognacs because unfortunately the discerning palate CAN taste the difference. As I have said more than once, I have no objection to buying from P and O, or I would go back to the truly all inclusive lines at their prices, but I expect a good choice.

At least the fact that I can buy a fairly decent cognac onboard means I can take a decent bottle of champagne on with me instead.

Thank you to those who posted the list of room service drinks. I am perfectly happy with Courvoisier VSOP cognac as opposed to what they used to sell, so will buy a bottle from Room Service for balcony nightcaps. They DO need to widen the range though; gin and whisky drinkers are adequately catered for but not the rest. I shall be writing to P and O on this point.

I prefer small ships, Aurora being my P and O favourite,  but was surprised at how much I liked Iona. The smallest ship I've  been on is Silversea Silver Whisper,  at 295 pax. Gorgeous ship, but you do not want to be on her in a storm, and I'm a good sailor.

Ambassador are still charging passenger 1 with the second going free. I've  never tried them. Attracted by traditional smaller ships and a great range of UK ports from which to sail. (strongly coloured by journey to Southampton being affected by train strike this week)

 But are they any good.

I had a bad P and O cruise in 2017, the only bad one I've  ever had since 1999, and went to the other extreme trying Silversea. They were wonderful until the pandemic, but the prices! 

Since 2021 their quality especially in food has deteriorated but prices have jumped even further. Their main restaurant fare used to be exquisite but actually the Epicurean is as good or better.

Email them . Maybe I've  just been lucky but the staff dealing with emails seem to be pretty good. I got 2 with a can do attitude and my problem was sorted in 48 hours.

If not resolved then you have 90 days to initiate a charge back with your credit card company on the grounds of an unrecognised transaction. Doing so will incur a fee for P and O too. It would be easier for them just to sort it out.

Wow! That glacier has really receded since my daughter and I walked to it about 16 years ago; we had a photo taken standing on it!

17 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Just to confirm, this was each ingredient being put in separately, ice added and then mixed. Or was it one ingredient, ice added and then mixed. 

Each ingredient added.At the Sunset bar.

20 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Another weird thing is having to log into each cruise differently.  Why on earth, once you have logged in, you should be able to edit all your cruises.  You can with Fred.  

Yes, that would make a LOT of sense and I've been with more than one line who does it that way.

Im' always pleased if I know it's going to be Robert Camby, Neil Turnbull , Paul Brown or Wesley Dunlop as I find them all personable and able to create a good atmosphere and a happy crew.

There is also one with whom I will avoid sailing after he ruined one cruise for me. Not saying whom.

After years of trying P and O on the phone and actually breaking one phone in frustration at being kept on hold, I have switched to emailing; the customer services form or address is on the My P and O cruises website.

I'm all sorted for my 2 back to backs on Britannia starting on Friday, but wanted to look at excursions for the next cruise on Aurora. I couldn't get in; the personaliser just kept saying "invalid booking reference" so I emailed.

I got an answer the same day suggesting that the problem might be my name being misspelt on their records for that cruise, and asking me to confirm all the names on my passport in correct order. They then came back the next day saying they had corrected their records and I should be able to access my personaliser. Great service, and it worked!

On 5/5/2024 at 11:17 AM, Megabear2 said:

Most of them are indeed premixed, it was explained to us whilst on Britannia that was the company policy.  Several people were complete frozen cocktails had little flavour.  The packets being used were from Funkin which you can buy in the local supermarket.

That's odd, because I had several frozen cocktails on Iona on my last cruise and watched them being made in front of me as I was sitting at the bar.

Yes. I decided not to have the drinks package on my last cruise, and bought gin, vodka and mixers to drink on my balcony. Mixers are expensive but spirits quite reasonably priced; you just call Room Service who deliver them usually within half an hour.

I've bought the drinks packages for the back to back cruises on 10th and 24th May at the present prices, so really not bothered except that I like a good cognac as a nightcap watching the sea on my private balcony. I've always taken on a 70cl bottle just for that purpose, so I may still sneak it on in a rum runner simply because the brand sold by room service is not my favourite. I have no objection at all to buying in cabin drinks from room service; since I've paid in advance for the package I can use my onboard spend for that and speciaity bookings, but P and O have really got to increase the range of drinks available; "covid" just doesn't cut it any more.

On 5/1/2024 at 10:48 AM, AndyMichelle said:

Yes, seems to be. 

You definitely can when first boarding. 

I think if you buy it in port, they 'can' hold it for you until the end of the cruise, but that doesn't seem to be being enforced. 

Andy 

I was told last cruise that they no longer enforce this; too many complaints about bottles "disappearing" and being stolen at end of cruise. I think if you just bring one bottle of something locally produced back in your bag, they ignore it. That was certainly my experience on my last 2 cruises.

I'm on this cruise and I expect it to changed to 22nd; indeed I've booked the Beach House on the 23rd on the assumption it will. Doesn't make much difference to me because on a sudden impulse a few weeks ago I booked to stay on for the cruise on the 24th. Have to move cabins, to the one a deck immediately below me so not too far.

I literally cannot stop laughing at the thought of a queue of cats waiting to board....

Some ladies do dress up for these lunches, more so than men. I always keep a smart dress for them.

THe unexpected early booking had a significant impact on what was left for my 10th May cruise on Britannia; I had to be a bit flexible with timings when I booked on Thursday!