P & O Baggage Allowance! Disgusted!!

I cannot understand why you are complaining about being charged for excess weight? If you know the limit is 15/20/25/30K and you have not bothered to weigh your cases or pack properly, you have NO cause to complain.

Hi, I think you kind of missed the point, our complaint is not about being charged for excess weight, we offered to pay whatever the excess charge would be, to increase our allowance! Our gripe was the number of formal/informal nights on a 14 night Caribbean cruise, with only a 20kg allowance was unreasonable, especially as we have upgraded our seats to premium. Having been before, we know it's difficult to squeeze it all in!

Hi, I think you kind of missed the point, our complaint is not about being charged for excess weight, we offered to pay whatever the excess charge would be, to increase our allowance! Our gripe was the number of formal/informal nights on a 14 night Caribbean cruise, with only a 20kg allowance was unreasonable, especially as we have upgraded our seats to premium. Having been before, we know it's difficult to squeeze it all in!

Until a couple of years ago P&O cruises in the Caribbean only had formal and casual evenings. Then for some unknown reason semi-formal was introduced on Azura, putting presure on packing with the need to pack a second jacket as well as a DJ. No other line, as far as I am aware, does semi-formal in the Caribbean. Surely with the lower 20kg baggage limit (it used to be 25kg in the old days) semi-formal should be dispensed with once more.

Hi, I think you kind of missed the point, our complaint is not about being charged for excess weight, we offered to pay whatever the excess charge would be, to increase our allowance! Our gripe was the number of formal/informal nights on a 14 night Caribbean cruise, with only a 20kg allowance was unreasonable, especially as we have upgraded our seats to premium. Having been before, we know it's difficult to squeeze it all in!

There is an easy way round this problem, "formal nights" wear a dark suit and tie, "semi formal" go for dark suit no tie, "casual" wear suit trousers and shirt, no problem, fill the rest of case with partners clothes!;)

We were only allowed 20kg on our flight to Cape Town. Fortunately we cruised back to the UK :), otherwise we wouldn't have been able to buy anything to bring back as presents etc.:(

I must admit I used to cringe waiting for the luggage allowance, however I now have it cracked.

I get everything out and then put half of it back and only take half with me. I have got rid of any heavy sequins and only take 1 pair of dressy shoes. I leave all the toiletries behind for returning home to make room for gifts and souvenirs.

I do however prefer to book our own flights to the USA as we can pay for an extra bag at christmas and we take gifts to exchange with our friends.

There is an easy way round this problem, "formal nights" wear a dark suit and tie, "semi formal" go for dark suit no tie, "casual" wear suit trousers and shirt, no problem, fill the rest of case with partners clothes!;)

A practical solution as long as you don't mind P&O traditionalists looking down their noses at you on Black Tie nights because you are not wearing a dinner suit.

A practical solution as long as you don't mind P&O traditionalists looking down their noses at you on Black Tie nights because you are not wearing a dinner suit.

Depending on where you come from, that is probably going to happen on P&O UK ships anyway. But it is only a percentage of the passengers - many of them are quite nice people.

Barry

I'm reluctantly leaving my beaded evening gowns at home on my fly cruise to the Caribbean. I'm taking much lighter weight dresses (still long) and dressing them up with nice jewellery. Regarding the problem of men having to take a DJ and another jacket, my husband used to wear the other jacket on the flight then he didn't have to try and pack it in his suitcase. My downfall is shoes - must try and cut down on the number of pairs this time!

Apologies if I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here, but about 18 months ago I bought a little electronic weighing device called "No-More-Excess!". It's described as an Advanced Digital Luggage Scale, and you can get it from Amazon.co.uk for less than £10. Works like a charm. We've used it on several short breaks when we're weighing cabin luggage, but the scale goes up to 40kg so you could use it for hold luggage as well.

The best thing about it is that as soon as it's got a steady reading it beeps and freezes the reading, so you don't have to try to look at the scale while you're struggling with it. You just use it to pick up the bag, wait for the beep, then read the result after you've put the bag down. Simples!

My Partner was unable to wear a suit, due to medical reasons, for 8 years. When we 'pushed the boat out' on a cruise he decided he would try a suit again.

As we wouldn't have much call for an actual dinner suit he asked a small tailors if it was possible to have a suit made that would cover all occasions, including dinner wear. The answer was yes. The suit was wearable casually or with a dress shirt and bow tie. It was amazing. The highlight was when after 8 years in elasticated joggers he said "Wow, I feel good". It looked like a dinner suit when dressed up and I think he looked stunning.

So the previous poster who said a suit dressed up for formal nights, with a tie on semi formal, and just trousers and open shirt on casual was right in our case.

Where are these stuck up P and O cruisers? We were on Oriana for l7 nights and only met really nice, down to earth and friendly people,. We certainly didn't meet anyone that would look down on anybody.

My husband when weight restrictions are a problem just packs a normal suit but wears a bow tie on formal nights and an ordinary tie on semi-formal, problem solved. For myself an avid book reader 6-8 per cruise, I have bought a kindle which now means that there is less weight in books and more for clothes and shoes, sorted.

Where are these stuck up P and O cruisers? We were on Oriana for l7 nights and only met really nice, down to earth and friendly people,. We certainly didn't meet anyone that would look down on anybody.

My earlier comment was made with tongue firmly in cheek.

The vast majority of people you meet on P&O cruises (and I have sailed with them 23 times) are normal well adjusted people with a "live and let live" approach to things like dress codes. A minority however, take such things much more seriously and tend to be over represented on P&O fora. This does P&O a disservice and gives the impression to others that P&O is full of stuffed shirts who judge people on what they wear. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I agree with every word of that Denarius.

It was my first cruise, and it was Oriana and yes I did wonder when reading some comments. Some would have worried. I didn't and went with an open mind. We had lovely dinner companions, the same two people every night and two from a table nearby. We loved their Company. We didn't socialise after dinner .. it just didn't happen, we were on a cruise with our partners and were enjoying our 'escape' from normal life. We met loads of people for a chat, some more than once.

I am glad they uphold the dress code, everyone made the effort.. some simple and some elaborate. We are all different.

Oriana.. yes please... stuck up.... no, not at all.

We spent 12 weeks on P&O UK ships in late 2010/early 2011. I was a bit apprehensive about it - as the "tone" on the CC P&O UK forum was quite different from that I have experienced on the P&O AUS forum. However, what people say anonymously on an Internet Forum and what they say to your face are two very different things :)

As Aussies, we do experience some "situations" where it is obvious that some Brits regard us as "common". Their "jokes" about criminals are just a little too sharp - (of course they forget that the convicts were actually British :)) Most of these have had little or nothing to do with Australia/Australians - but those who have had something to do with us, perhaps have visited and/or have rellies in Oz have an entirely different attitude. I am an Anglophile and just love coming to the UK - I have also experienced times serving with the Royal Navy. I find most Brits to be friendly (perhaps some a little aloof initially) - but there are some whose sense of "propriety" (properness) is a bit extreme. :)

I recommend my fellow Aussies to try out cruising with P&O UK - it is certainly a different experience :D

Barry

~Who cares anyway what others think. Be yourself is my motto. We both enjoy dressing up, but others are not so keen. So what.

Barry, I wouldn't worry about "jokes" about Australians, on Merseyside we are the first to poke fun at ourselves, but no one takes it to heart, or very seriously.

Phil

i.e. Did you hear about the two friends who got married on the same day, the first ones tells his wife he expects her to cook and clean. When he comes home the house is spotless and his meal is on the table.

The second one marries a Liverpool girl and tells her the same thing, on the first day he doesn't see anything, on the second day he doesn't see anything, but by the third day the swelling has gone down and he can see just enough out his left eye to make himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.

On page 31 of the new 2013 P&O brochure it states that the luggage allowance for P&O fly cruises is 20kg. If you struggle at 23kg you will be in real trouble next year.

We have booked for caribbean 2014 and on cruise personaliser have our flight details, which state, hold luggage maximum of 23kg per person. This is with Thomas Cook (worse luck) flight. But I must agree with most of the other posts it is not P&O it is handling regulations, we are travelling to Southampton by train in three weeks and they to have regulations with baggage weight.

We have booked for caribbean 2014 and on cruise personaliser have our flight details, which state, hold luggage maximum of 23kg per person. This is with Thomas Cook (worse luck) flight. But I must agree with most of the other posts it is not P&O it is handling regulations, we are travelling to Southampton by train in three weeks and they to have regulations with baggage weight.

Hope that this is so. I am flying to Atlanta shortly with BA and am allowed 2 suitcases each up to 23kg max. Why P&O need to restrict to 20kg whilst BA obviously don't is difficult to comprehend unless it is just another cost cutting measure.

We have heard the reason for the stingy weight allowance, is so the rest of the flights weight allowance is available to be sold as commercial freight, hence keeping their costs down. Mean!

ha! sail out of australia. we get 32kgs!

Necropost.

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Gosh if this is your only worry the baggage allowance I can't see why all the anger.

P & O provide free laundry facilities which you don't get on most cruise lines, so should cut down on luggage. Also remember P & O's gratuities are half the amount as the other comparible cruise lines, so a bonus there as well.

This is a very old thread from 2012 that’s been raised from the dead...

Hi, just booked a 14 night cruise to the Caribbean on the Azura for March 7th 2013, paid to upgrade flight to Premium, then find out P&O baggage allowance is only 23 Kgs!!!! How do they expect people to go to the Caribbean on a cruise with 5 formal nights and 5 informal nights with a 23 Kg allowance. They must have lost the plot! This will be the first and last P&O cruise we'll be going on! Even tried to pay for an increase to the baggage allowance, they won't have any of it...Anyone else got a problem with the allowance? Regards:mad:

The baggage allowance is nothing to do with the cruise line. They are imposed by the airline.

If it is a charter flight, the costs of extra luggage weight are determined by the charter company, in this case P&O, not the aircraft operator . Obviously maximum take off weight will still be determined by the aircraft operator.

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