SquishTheWhale

Thank you!

Hi, I'd like to try Portside BBQ on Oasis on our May cruise. I can't see any reservations on the planner- do we need to book when on board, or is it just a walk in and wait for a table situation? Thank you 🙂

Sounds like the people wearing thongs were living their best life, wish I had the confidence! Good on them.

Wouldn't have known there was a service door there, we never heard it. Loads of noise from the Promenade parties though! Not for those who like a quiet cabin

We've stayed in it on indy. It was a lot of fun especially as I didn't warn my husband I'd booked it so his face was a picture. We were only on a 3 nighter so the fact a lot of the storage shelves were taken up with cow trinkets wasn't an issue but maybe would be on a longer cruise. The benefits were minimal to be honest. They didnt give us the suite lounge access, we did go and have a look but tailed someone in with the intention of asking staff in there about our passes. Didn't bother in the end as we didn't think we'd use it. Ended up giving away the ice cream vouchers as we were eating enough dessert in the MDR. Oh they did deliver some nasty canapés on formal night lol. It's a fun cabin to try though considering it costs no more

We've used Sun Transfers in the past

If you do want to precooked then Sun Transfers are great and will cost the same as grabbing a taxi

Can confirm I am definitely not against bribery 😂😂

That's very helpful thank you. 10 photo package is making sense then if it would be around £20 per photo out of the package. Although there is still a question around if I can get my 4yr old to agree to be in a photo...

Realise I'm in the UK and looking at a European sailing so different to what you guys are discussing. DBP is £64pd. Soda package £10.75pd. Some shore excursions are 30% but I wasn't tracking prices on any of them so not sure if there's an actual saving. 25% on some on board bits such as the cupcake decorating class which I still think is a joke at £25pp for 45 minutes putting some sprinkles on cakes. I did get the cooler with diet coke (£20.18) and $50 arcade (£33) as was planning to get those at some point anyway. I'm dithering over the 10 photo package. We used to get a lot of on board photos but haven't sailed Royal since Covid and I've heard there may not be many photographers on board now? Can anyone confirm how much it costs to buy 1 or 2 photos on board?

We did it several years and and I think you are standing the whole time.

Don't take this as gospel as its 3rd hand, but in recent years there's been lots of complaints including trouble with the speedboats, rudeness and people nearly missing sail away. There's a topic somewhere on here- maybe caribbean ports board? If you search spencer Ambrose on there Our experience many years ago wasn't perfect. They were very late picking everyone up. There was loads of waiting around as they couldn't seem to work out who needed dropping where as some people were doing the beach trip only. There was no local food samples as advertised when we booked it- I think they changed the excursion description after we complained. The lunch served on the beach wasn't enough for everyone. We still very much enjoyed the excursion but it was down to the location rather than spencer

A lot of it is virtue signalling. They like you to know that they tip extra and they feel superior about it for some reason. Sometimes the way it's worded makes me feel a bit ick as there's an implication of a benevolent master giving a lowly servant a tip to try and improve their meagre life. Either that or (predominantly from US cruisers) an expectation that they should get special service because they slipped someone an extra 20.

I don't know why people have to get themselves so worked up over it. P&O says your tips are included, so why are you worrying?

I did watch a little of that show but not that episode, I'll have to try and find it! I think cruising overall is brilliant for kids, just not so much Italian city ports. If we don't do much in these ports its not such a big deal as we have some good plans for the Spanish ones.

Taxi it would be then if we decide on that. Just not sure about the car seat issue.

I have- tends to be museums and things for older kids. Probably because people just don't tend to take toddlers on holiday to these places!

Lovely thank you lots of ideas then! Its so much harder planning with kids than when it was just us

Thank you I will definitely check that out! Not set on the Aquarium it's just the type of thing my son enjoys

Thank you thats useful. We can do the bus I suppose I just thought it might take a while! It looks like there is a beach nearby the aquarium too?

Thank you!

Hi, we'd like to visit the Aquarium when docked in Palma as we've done the city before. Has anyone done this DIY please- did you take a taxi or local bus? We have a young child with us so normally would just Uber it but not sure if we can do that with no car seat.

Hi, we are stopping at Naples and La Spezia travelling with our then 4yr old next May. New ports for us so would like to see something of them, but I'm also conscious they don't seem to be the best as far as entertaining little kids. My son is a typical toddler in that he's not going to enjoy being dragged around sightseeing or long bus journeys. My thoughts so far are: La Spezia- take the train to Monterosso and visit the beach, to at least see a little of Cinque Terre. Maybe walk round the port area in La Spezia which have gardens and a play park. Naples- walk down the sea front, past the gardens which have a small play park, down to Mappatella beach. I know its not much of a beach but I really can't see anything else he'd enjoy doing. Considered the HOHO bus but not sure how much he'd tolerate it. Any other ideas please? As much as we'd like to visit Pompeii etc it just won't happen with a 4yr old. Happy if it's just something to do for 2-3hrs and then we have a relaxing afternoon on the ship. We have more ambitious plans in other ports but just want a small way to explore in these ones.

Thanks, shame the pools aren't open later but then again it probably won't be warm enough. Going to attempt the kids club but you know how toddlers are. If we can stay with him the first session he might take to it. We have 3 cruises in the next 15 months after a 4yr gap! Now just got to pay for them all 😂

I received two and we're in our 30s and never requested assistance. There's definitely some confusion, as on a social media group for my sailing some people seemed to be interpreting the email as 'everyone has to fill in this form whether they need assistance or not'. Then because one person says everyone has to fill one in, others follow... P&O may get a load of forms saying no thank you I don't need anything!