More bad publicity for P&O

[Presto2]

12 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Given how late some of them had their dinner, can you blame them? 😂 I wonder if that comment was made in sarcasm due to how delayed things were? 
 

Edit - Thinking about it, wasn’t it Arvia that had the late Xmas Dinner problem or was it Iona as well? I’m getting confused 😂 

Seems like both ................... glad we stuck to the local Table Table and had a nice meal ..........

[Bazrat]

1 minute ago, Presto2 said:

Seems like both ................... glad we stuck to the local Table Table and had a nice meal ..........

Wish I was on a cruise not really bothered about Christmas dinner

[Presto2]

4 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Wish I was on a cruise not really bothered about Christmas dinner

 

Don't shoot me - I'm just responding to the comments I've heard about the apparent chaos on some ships. Re a cruise --- we love cruising, but we go to relax and unwind, not to be stressing because special meals seems to be chaos. If I go on a Christmas cruise I would expect something special on Christmas Day .. I would expect that 99.9% of people on any cruise ship would agree.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Presto2

[Bazrat]

1 minute ago, Presto2 said:

 

Don't shoot me - I'm just responding to the comments I've heard about the apparent chaos on some ships. Re a cruise --- we love cruising, but we go to relax and unwind, not to be stressing because special meals seems to be chaos. If I go on a Christmas cruise I would expect something special on Christmas Day .. I would expect that 99.9% of people on the ship would agree.

I am happy or should I say we are happy to be the .00001% but saying that someone mentioned there was Christmas dinner in the buffet which might have interested us, we did do a special Christmas dinner in the Disney Yacht club Orlando proper attire required, it turned out to be a buffet great food but not what was advertised and people walked in from the pool area, we complained got half the bill taken off and free drinks at the bar.

[Presto2]

1 minute ago, Bazrat said:

I am happy or should I say we are happy to be the .00001% but saying that someone mentioned there was Christmas dinner in the buffet which might have interested us, we did do a special Christmas dinner in the Disney Yacht club Orlando proper attire required, it turned out to be a buffet great food but not what was advertised and people walked in from the pool area, we complained got half the bill taken off and free drinks at the bar.

On our first cruise we went on Ocean Village 2 -- on their 'Posh Night' we had to go to the buffet as we had no 'posh' stuff to wear. We ended up with hot dogs and chips. Were we happy? Nope, but we have never forgotten the experience!!!!

 

I also remember on Oceana, a family all dressed up in formal gear who took their food from the buffet to the pool and ate outside. (We were in the Horizon Grill and saw them). They had a fab night.

 

I can see that for many it doesn't matter re the meal, but I do feel for those who find it THE special meal of the year they were looking forward to and it was a mess / disappointment.

 

We spent Christmas at our static caravan and ate at a local Table Table ---- surprisingly it turned out to be a perfect day. (At a fraction of the cost)

 

 

[zap99]

36 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

On our first cruise we went on Ocean Village 2 -- on their 'Posh Night' we had to go to the buffet as we had no 'posh' stuff to wear. We ended up with hot dogs and chips. Were we happy? Nope, but we have never forgotten the experience!!!!

 

I also remember on Oceana, a family all dressed up in formal gear who took their food from the buffet to the pool and ate outside. (We were in the Horizon Grill and saw them). They had a fab night.

 

I can see that for many it doesn't matter re the meal, but I do feel for those who find it THE special meal of the year they were looking forward to and it was a mess / disappointment.

 

We spent Christmas at our static caravan and ate at a local Table Table ---- surprisingly it turned out to be a perfect day. (At a fraction of the cost)

 

 

My mind must be going. We had half a dozen OV1 & OV2 cruises and can't remember any posh nights .Probably the wine wot did it. 😍😂

[Presto2]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

My mind must be going. We had half a dozen OV1 & OV2 cruises and can't remember any posh nights .Probably the wine wot did it. 😍😂

We went because we didn't want to dress up. I think it was that year they introduced the Godmother Night where someone was named God mother and passengers were encouraged to dress up to impress. We had nothing with us to impress anyone so it was a very strange evening so we gave up and went to the buffet (that had no food)! Not a good night and I remember being cross that they had had a night like this for a cruise for people who don't do cruising.

Since then we have done the proper 'posh' PO nights and really enjoy the formality ------

[zap99]

59 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

Don't shoot me - I'm just responding to the comments I've heard about the apparent chaos on some ships. Re a cruise --- we love cruising, but we go to relax and unwind, not to be stressing because special meals seems to be chaos. If I go on a Christmas cruise I would expect something special on Christmas Day .. I would expect that 99.9% of people on any cruise ship would agree.

If we had paid a lot money for a Christmas cruise we would expect....Christmas. How about nice cruise at Christmas at the normal price .They could sell it as a Christmas free cruise.  Grumpy folk would buy it.. I would go.🥳

 

 

 

 

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

We went because we didn't want to dress up. I think it was that year they introduced the Godmother Night where someone was named God mother and passengers were encouraged to dress up to impress. We had nothing with us to impress anyone so it was a very strange evening so we gave up and went to the buffet (that had no food)! Not a good night and I remember being cross that they had had a night like this for a cruise for people who don't do cruising.

Since then we have done the proper 'posh' PO nights and really enjoy the formality ------

We can take or leave formal nights. On Britannia in October the had 4. We skipped 3 of them. On Azura in February there are 2. We are meeting up with DW's family.

 They like formal

...poo.

 

[Son of Anarchy]

4 minutes ago, zap99 said:

If we had paid a lot money for a Christmas cruise we would expect....Christmas. How about nice cruise at Christmas at the normal price .They could sell it as a Christmas free cruise.  Grumpy folk would buy it.. I would go.🥳

 

 

 

 

See you onboard!

[Britboys]

7 hours ago, tring said:

 

Presumably that also explains why our dining experience on our Aurora cruise was excellent, though I think it was especially so as we were freedom dinning and from what we heard, the set dining option restaurant was relatively full.  It was a four week Caribbean so a lot of pax were older people happy with the traditional cruise style of set dining.

 

I think our decision to go with more land hols is the correct one, though have three more cruises booked on Aurora.

 

Thanks for that enlightenment,

 

Barbara

I was on Club Dining aboard Aurora in September Barbara and whilst it was pretty full, everything worked well service-wise. Our waiters were good and keen to provide alternatives on the few occasions that there were no starters I fancied. On the couple of occasions I left something they were also keen to get me a replacement. Whilst I wasn't impressed with the menus, I was very happy with the service.

[Bazrat]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

If we had paid a lot money for a Christmas cruise we would expect....Christmas. How about nice cruise at Christmas at the normal price .They could sell it as a Christmas free cruise.  Grumpy folk would buy it.. I would go.🥳

 

 

 

 

Sign me up I love grumpy folk.

[tring]

5 hours ago, Britboys said:

I was on Club Dining aboard Aurora in September Barbara and whilst it was pretty full, everything worked well service-wise. Our waiters were good and keen to provide alternatives on the few occasions that there were no starters I fancied. On the couple of occasions I left something they were also keen to get me a replacement. Whilst I wasn't impressed with the menus, I was very happy with the service.

 

Interesting, thanks.  We were happy with both the service and the food in the MDR.  There was not the choice of expensive things on the menu like there used to be, but there was steak on the menu most nights if that is the sort of thing you like.  Our main criteria for food is that there is a lot of veg available and the food tastes good and both those were fulfilled as we always asked for extra veg, which was duly supplied.  We rarely eat sweets, but often asked for a starter and a soup as well as a main course, and again we always got that with no quibble.  The self service food did leave a lot to be desired at times, particularly any vegetarian items, (which I often prefer), as it was often looked as though it had been sitting there a long time - all dried up.  Hence we often went into the MDR for lunch on sea days and we had a lot of them going to/from the Caribbean, so made noce relaxed days.  In previous years when we have been on P&O ships we have been very disappointed with the food, so a plus for us that we were not expecting it. 

 

We felt the food on Azura was better than Aurora, with the self service having some good food, though service on Azura was chaos most of the time.

 

We decided we would go away for Christmas/New Year next year as coming home to cooking etc over Christmas was no fun and the only relative we see at that time is my brother who we could see any time.  We were thinking of a land holiday, but looked at cruises as well and we ended up booking Fred from Liverpool today.  Not cheap of course, but neither are the other options and the thought of having to drive south, or even take a flight from Manchester shortly before Christmas and just after New Year made it a no brainer to go for the 20 minutes by taxi to Liverpool option.  We are also very happy with the itinerary as well because there are late nights in Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Madeira and will see the fireworks after we leave Funchal, so it will be great to go ashore in the evening and see the lights etc. in those three places.  We have been to the Canaries a lot at that time of year with Fred and have always enjoyed it a lot, especially going ashore at night when those cities are lit up.  Just hoping it goes ahead as planned now.

 

Barbara

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by tring

[Megabear2]

Before I left on holiday one of my friends was far in advance planning a cruise in August on Arvia for herself, husband and 10 year old daughter.  Today she came round and informed me they were not now going as the type of cabins they required were sold out.  She then said following all the Christmas problems and publicity she was very glad they'd failed to book.

 

As a result of all the bad vibes they have decided not to undertake their first cruise at all and have booked a land based holiday.  Sadly it seems that this unnecessary rubbish in the papers may after all do some damage if this case is anything to go by.

 

Incidentally I notice that quite a large number of the Arvia cruises seem to have the forward and aft cabin sections showing sold out with the cabins sandwiched between them free, this includes my own I'll fated 22 December Christmas cruise.  Either this is an indication of these areas being particularly popular with certain cabin types or a move by P&O and t/as to fill them first.  Any ideas which is most likely causing this?

[terry2]

It may be dlifferent for P&O but I was on a cruise with fred in october, where all the front cabins (in front of the lifts) on my deck were reserved for covid patients (presumably crew) with a security door closed and signs saying don't go pass this point. 

[Plugtheleak]

When booking a cruise recently it defaulted to Aft cabins first when I indicated I wanted to chose a cabin. So this might be why these are getting booked first. Also I it is easy to get to the buffet and then straight down to the MDR's in the evening. We pick this area by choice.

[molecrochip]

On 1/6/2023 at 12:35 AM, terry2 said:

It may be dlifferent for P&O but I was on a cruise with fred in october, where all the front cabins (in front of the lifts) on my deck were reserved for covid patients (presumably crew) with a security door closed and signs saying don't go pass this point. 

No longer the case.

 

When Arvia originally went on sale, the midships areas were restricted for quarantine. Therefore lots of people booked forward or aft. Now that the quarantine restrictions are no longer there, there is a lot of midship capacity.

 

If you've marked to be upgraded then you stand a good chance of being moved to midship. If you're on an early saver, you may also have a good chance of acquiring a midship room. Expect these changes to occur before saver prices go on sale. Obviously you can bag yourself a midship cabin by phoning up and making the change however you pay whatever the difference was on the date of booking.

[Selbourne]

17 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Now that the quarantine restrictions are no longer there, there is a lot of midship capacity.

 

Could you clarify exactly what this means please? Has P&O dispensed with ALL requirements to quarantine (just as at home, or on any other type of holiday), or do you mean that there are no longer zones of quarantine cabins that people are moved to?
 

We have 3 Deluxe Balcony cabins booked on Iona in August at considerable cost and it was my intention to cancel all of them before balance due date if quarantine zones were being maintained, as the last time I checked they were in the quarantine zone, so we would have had changes to our cabins a few weeks before departure that would have been unacceptable to us. 
 

If, as I suspect, you mean the latter (I.e. people still have to quarantine, but in their booked cabin), I’m curious to know what happens to those in inside cabins who test positive when the ship is fully booked, as it could well be when we are on her. 

[molecrochip]

26 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Could you clarify exactly what this means please? Has P&O dispensed with ALL requirements to quarantine (just as at home, or on any other type of holiday), or do you mean that there are no longer zones of quarantine cabins that people are moved to?
 

We have 3 Deluxe Balcony cabins booked on Iona in August at considerable cost and it was my intention to cancel all of them before balance due date if quarantine zones were being maintained, as the last time I checked they were in the quarantine zone, so we would have had changes to our cabins a few weeks before departure that would have been unacceptable to us. 
 

If, as I suspect, you mean the latter (I.e. people still have to quarantine, but in their booked cabin), I’m curious to know what happens to those in inside cabins who test positive when the ship is fully booked, as it could well be when we are on her. 

Hi @Selbourne 

 

Yes P&O have dispensed with all requirements to quarantine. There are now no quarantine cabins on board ship. If you report to the medical centre with Covid, you will be asked to quarantine in your cabin. This is a request not an instruction and certain additional services and amenities will be provided if you agree.

 

As I understand it, similar to at home, there is no requirement for your to present to the medical centre with Covid. There is no requirement to wear a mask. P&O just ask for a common sense approach.

 

This is a general comment and I note that a couple of cruises may have slightly different rules due to the countries they visit. These tend to be the longer/exotic cruises.

 

This is in a similar way to a friend of mine who was onboard at Christmas. No need to test before hand, no medical questionnaire, no questions at check-in or signs at terminals. With the exception of a few crew wearing masks (<25%), they described it as like pre-pandemic. Apparently you can sit at the bars again, all chairs and tables are open.

 

Given the Iona Christmas cruise was at lower-berth capacity, it couldn't have operated without returning to pre-pandemic state. I understand that Iona at Christmas was the most guests P&O has ever carried on one cruise ship.

Edited January 7, 2023 by molecrochip

[Presto2]

18 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Hi @Selbourne 

 

Yes P&O have dispensed with all requirements to quarantine. There are now no quarantine cabins on board ship. If you report to the medical centre with Covid, you will be asked to quarantine in your cabin. This is a request not an instruction and certain additional services and amenities will be provided if you agree.

 

As I understand it, similar to at home, there is no requirement for your to present to the medical centre with Covid. There is no requirement to wear a mask. P&O just ask for a common sense approach.

 

This is a general comment and I note that a couple of cruises may have slightly different rules due to the countries they visit. These tend to be the longer/exotic cruises.

 

This is in a similar way to a friend of mine who was onboard at Christmas. No need to test before hand, no medical questionnaire, no questions at check-in or signs at terminals. With the exception of a few crew wearing masks (<25%), they described it as like pre-pandemic. Apparently you can sit at the bars again, all chairs and tables are open.

 

Given the Iona Christmas cruise was at lower-berth capacity, it couldn't have operated without returning to pre-pandemic state. I understand that Iona at Christmas was the most guests P&O has ever carried on one cruise ship.

That's really helpful and encouraging to read. Thank you. We are on Britannia in May and a friend coming with us will be in her own cabin. We should have gone last year but postponed it as we were unsure about the quarantine (more so for my friend who is travelling 'alone') and cruising for the first time. Very pleased to read this post 🙂

P.S. The good thing that has come out of it too is that we will be on Britannia rather than IONA and my friend will be in a balcony cabin next to us rather than half a mile away 🙂

Edited January 7, 2023 by Presto2

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

If you report to the medical centre with Covid, you will be asked to quarantine in your cabin. 

Frankly, why will anyone report to the medical centre ?

 

[Presto2]

Just now, wowzz said:

Frankly, why will anyone report to the medical centre ?

 

I thought the same - but if someone was really poorly they would need to ????

[wowzz]

18 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

I thought the same - but if someone was really poorly they would need to ????

Yes, although you would have to be really ill. 

[happy v]

31 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Frankly, why will anyone report to the medical centre ?

 

Because they are 'doing the right thing!'

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, happy v said:

Because they are 'doing the right thing!'

Yes, but they could self isolate regardless.