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We are currently travelling on Aurora. Four black tie nights and only two align with the dates given on our login pre cruise. Big nuisance as we were relying on the dates given to arrange pre booked dining, so has to make changes. Not unusual to have black tie dates changed, but personally do not see why they cannot get them right first time around. Moan over, but having a great time in Cagliari at present. Do not have to be back on the ship until 9 pm latest, so we have just sauntered down from the old city and hAving a drink in a cafe before searching for a restaurant for a meal. Lol veblate nights and not many with P&O.

Now clarified this with an onboard sales rep yesterday. The cruise you transfer to has to be within 1 year of the original cruise start date. That means a cruise cannot be more than one year before, or after that date. So there is some restriction if you want to book an earlier cruise, but can still book something up to a year ahead. Sadly that just misses a cruise we wanted to transfer one of ours to by about three weeks. Oh well have to think again, but plenty of time until our balance due date of June 2025.

I have no particular experience if bringing wine home, so cannot help there. Just thought I would point out though that your last port of Leixoes is the port for Porto - it is perhaps about 4 miles away, but not sure. You can take public transport to Porto, which you would need to find out about, or the ship will run various excursions, some to Porto.

Yes, I am pretty sure you are right on that as I had mentioned above. We have recently seen the T&C's on the P&O website as well, but not got link to hand and busy today.

Can get storms at times, but have had a number of hols at that time and most of the time it has been nice warm weather. We have had storms on about three hols, but only one of about a day in a two week hol. Weather gods do tend to have a mind of their own though. We tend to avoid the bob at that time of year though, admittedly that can often be bad then, but in the Med we have done well, unless we have just been lucky. We have had worse weather at the end of Oct and into November though.

We had tried that in the past and we were not allowed.

I do not think that is the case, I think we have changed to an earlier date in the past, but had to be to another select fare, cannot change to a saver fare and cannot be more than a year after the original booking.

No you have to transfer to two separate bookings before balance payment date. Need the cruises to be of a higher price and more than a year after the original booking start date and they have to have been select bookings, not saver. We are in that situation ourselves, having booked a cruise with another cruise line about a month ago which clashes with b2b Azura bookings. I was pretty sure they were the rules as we have had to adhere to them in the past, but did ask about a week ago and had those criteria confirmed, especially having to be two separate cruises, (though of course could be more b2b's). Our Azura cruises are not until late next summer, so we have a while to think about what we want to book instead. Of course you can change the cruises one at a time and leave the other a bit longer, as long as you do not pass balance payment date. Could always double check yourself, but think it was correct about a week ago. Edit One other point is that you can only transfer a cruise once, so important to check you choose a cruise you are sure about.

Thank you, that is very kind. We have had a lot on our plate recently, so I was taking the easy way by asking, but with no reply, DH had been able to look up the buses. We even took to Google Earth, so we could see the route, once we discovered how near it was and I meant to answer my own question here for future reference of others. You are right getting there looks easy enough and could even be walkable back to Casements Square if any problems arose, though not an attractive walk and pavements are narrow, so not a preference of ours. DH has managed to find up to date bus timetables, though as we are there on a Sunday, buses would only be about every half hour or so for us. We have previously used the buses and been able to get a day ticket very cheaply to cover most routes, but a taxi may be best in this instance. We have also looked into museums, but they are closed on a Sunday, as is the Moorish Castle, which is the only attraction up the Rock which we have not visited. You are right about subsequent visits belong a bit of a struggle to find something to do, but we will leave the ship for a stroll to somewhere. The beach area and marinas may well be our go to area this time, though we are also toying with doing a dolphin watching boat trip as a ship's trip. We looked into the dolphin boat trips and none are offering that Sunday morning to book direct and our ship leaves mid afternoon. If I remember on return, I will give feedback here. We will be going soon, so need to start packing 🙂

Everyone will have a specific disembarkation slot and if you ask for self disembarkation, it will be early as others have said. After that a lot of people will constantly be leaving the ship with just hand luggage. Someone going through with more than the usual hand luggage will likely delay the movement of passengers off the ship at that time. What P&O will do if you turn up then, I do not know, but you will not have been allocated that time slot, so in theory they could well ask you to wait until after the other groups have disembarked. Does not seem to be a good idea to test that system imo if you want off the ship early. I suggest you look at the route to the station from Ocean terminal on Google Earth street view and distance it on a map, to confirm if walking to the station is a good idea for you. With four ships in port, taxis may not be so easy to find and roads in Southampton do get gridlocked at busy times, though an early self disembarkation may assist with missing the worst of the busy spell.

We tried horchata in Valencia a number of years ago. The ones we had certainly fitted the bill as we were a bit peckish at the time, but eating anything like the fartons pictured with it could have provided enough calories to match our total normal daily intake. The drinks were just nice at the time, but very thick and sweet, though must admit the one in your picture looks more like a drink, so they must vary. Good to try different things when going ashore. We have taken to having lunch out in ports quite a lot now and the Med is a place where that can be affordable.

We have been to Gibraltar more than once and exhausted all the standard tourist attractions, but thinking we may just have a stroll and drink or two in Catalan Bay. Just wondering what is the best way to get there? Are there regular buses from Casements Square, or would we be better getting a taxi? Also wondering how difficult it would be to get transport back or if it may be walkable, not sure if it would be walkable along that road. Our ship leaves at 2pm, so an early dart as is often the case with Gibraltar.

Another point we have found with pre booking restaurants. DH booked one and I have booked a couple of others, all in place for two people. When we go into our login, and look at the itinerary the bookings are only showing for the cruise we had each booked. So the itinerary on my login does not mention the booking DH made (under the relevant date) and his login does not mention the ones I have made. I hope all is well onboard. That was very confusing, as initially looked like some bookings were not in place. I hope it all shows for both of us on the app as only DH uses that as he cannot go anywhere without his phone, but I do not carry mine all of the time. Must admit he usually uses my login and I have usually made any bookings, which is presumably why we have not had that problem previously.

Thank you for the information regarding both Sindu and The Beach House. Can I ask if a pre booking (made with CC) can be cancelled once on the ship, or if a date/time can be changed, subject to availability obviously? If it can be cancelled, is the cost refunded to your CC, or to your on board account?

Out on deck when at sea, you will need some very warm clothes. However, on a calm sunny day, with the help of the 24 hours of sunlight, it can be quite pleasant in Longyearbyen. We have photos of each other sitting in the Jacuzzi on the back of the ship taking in the views, one July several years ago, not that it was in any way sun bathing weather mind. It is certainly very special, just the sheer remoteness, rather than the scenery as such. Magdalena Fjord, as mentioned previously, was indeed a lovely place, we stayed a while with the ship (Balmoral) sitting calmly in the centre of the fjord, surrounded by small ice floes from the nearby glacier. The ships do not go there now though, (well the expedition ships probably will), but I think environmental concerns have stopped average cruise ships going there and it is further north than Longyearbyen, so sadly you will not be going there. The place to see icebergs is Greenland - somewhere worth going in the future, if you can. I am sure you will enjoy the cruise and I wish you good weather.