zib_zib

Just checked our next cruise with Fred and it as gone up £100pp

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I can now answer my own initial question to an extent. No there is not.

 

 

 

Well we booked with the launch offer and what a mistake that has turned out to be . All we got was gratuities paid, they are now offering 200 euros per cabin spending money and £49 worth of photography onboard to people booking 5 months later and the same cabin price.

 

 

 

I know this is just what happns with cruises but it is really annoying. Can't avoid seeing it either as it is on the main web landing page! He ho

We've done the same thing. Grrrrrr

Last year when we booked our cruise, an inside cabin, and a week later it was reduced by £400. I complained and they gave us an outside cabin, but we only got the inside cabin onboard credit and not the outside cabins onboard credit. But even if we had booked the outer cabin in the first place it was still cheaper than the one we originally booked.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I posted this another thread covering the same subject.

 

 

 

Having completed 25+ Cruises on various lines and I have to say Formal nights just don't do it for us anymore. We enjoy NCL who are very informal and Celebrity who have relaxed their formal nights. However we cruised P and O last year and to be honest it didn't take much effort pack my dinner suit and dress accordingly. We've booked our first Fred Olsen Cruise on Boudicca, 7 night Malaga to Southampton next March and will of course be packing the dinner suit , I think it would be very disrespectful to the other passenger who do enjoy Formal nights not to comply, I just hope there's not too many on our 7 night cruise.

We had 7 formal nights over 46 days on Balmoral. So there shouldn't be many.

Personally we never bothered. We took the suits and jackets but never wore them, at the time we just didn't feel like dressing up. So we are not packing them. Less luggage

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I don't have any issues with your right not to attend formal nights or use the MDR during your cruise but I cannot see the point of paying a lot of money for a cruise and then not taking advantage of the waiter service in the MDR. We choose to cruise, not for the destinations which we have usually visited before but for the on board experience of fine dining and waiter service at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also I cannot see that being in the 21st century has any relevance. There are plenty of cruise lines out there, Viking Oceans for one, that have a relaxed attitude towards dress codes and dining in general, but having experienced this kind of cruise give me a "traditional" cruise where you are allocated a specific table at a set time and are requested to follow the dress code of the day. As the majority of Fred's cruisers are happy to adhere to the dress codes perhaps it is those that aren't who are out of step with the rest of us.

 

 

 

Pugwash123

You don't have waiter service at breakfast or lunch. Ok if you want something that is advertised on the lunch and breakfast menu then someone will gladly get it for you, other than that it's self-service.

As for the dress code and it being the twenty first century. Why can't a man wear dress short chinos for dinner in the palms, when after all it is a cafe and not fine dinning and a woman can wear a skirt up the her bat wings.

What's the difference between a man showing a bit of knee and a woman showing her thighs and other bits

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Don't get me wrong. We took our tuxedo's and other jackets with us. But in the end we didn't feel like it. (It was too hot )

As for the Indian Buffet night there was more people in the Palms all dressed up to the nines so the MDR was empty.

We are going on a 62 night cruise next time and we won't be packing any jackets

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Just been on Balmoral for 46 nights.

We never wore a tux or went to the formal night and we only went to the MDR twice in 46 days

It is the 21 century

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We also missed Honduras and Key West

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Just booked the same cruise direct with Fred and was told we need to pay another 15% in July

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We will be docking in Tampa Florida In March 2017 and was wondering if it was easy to get to Busch Gardens Theme Park from the Cruise Terminal

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The Str. AMERICAN QUEEN is also in on Monday February 27.

That will be a nice sight to see if we get there before it sets sail at 5pm

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Just a list of the ships that we will be meeting up with on our jollies

Sent from my iPad using Forums

The Celebrity Equinox is in New Orleans From the 26th of February. So it will only be us that as to go through immigration on the 27th

Our cruise is for 46 nights and there is no all inclusive package available for us. [emoji853][emoji853][emoji853]

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Just a word of warning about New Orleans, if that is your first stop in the US. I have read numerous complaints from other cruisers that they have queued for half a day to get through US immigration here and lost all that time. The answer seems to be to book an excursion for that first morning, since then you jump the queue!

We are also on this cruise.

I did a roll call for this cruise some months ago in the Roll Call section, this is the third roll call

We did a New Orleans cruise with P&O earlier this year in April and New Orleans was our first U.S port of call. All of the ships crew had to go through customs, even my dad (who is his 83) who never gets off the ship had to go through customs. It didn't take very long, we wasn't in any rush, we had to get a number from the reception and wait for our number to be called, we got of the ship about 10am and had my dad was back onboard by 11am.

Just like Mummy48 roll on the 3rd as we are stopping overnight in Southampton, we can't wait

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Great! We'll look out for a zib zib from Doncaster! We've done about 20 cruises with Fred, as well as some with Azamara, Princess, Cunard and CMV (ugh). FO is definitely our favourite.

[emoji16] See you onboard Mummy [emoji16]

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Oh yes, bars stay open as long as there are needed. Some cruises more lively in the bars than others. I've never cruised with P&O, but I have heard that the food has deteriorated recently. Fred Olsen food is excellent, particularly the soups. You'll enjoy Balmoral. We're on her again next February.

4th February 2017, same as us

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Sent from my iPad using Forums

So what I think you are saying is that,

1. I drop our luggage, my partner and friends off.

2. Then go and park the car in the ports car park

3. Then catch a bus back to the terminal and meet up with everyone

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We are traveling by car to Tilbury and wondered what the procedure is

With the car parking

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We've booked our first cruise with Fred on the Balmoral for next year too, after seven cruises with P&O,

We needed a change, We've got fed-up with the same entertainment acts and the same headliners productions shows, god knows how many time we'd met Fogwell Flax, The Beatles Experience, the piano brothers and many others. On one cruise they had five different piano playing acts

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We did both 35 nighters earlier this year. First Oceana in January to Panama Canal and Caribbean, But the ship is a rust bucket and held together with duck tape. We still enjoyed the cruise though, don't let that put you off. It just looks embarrassing next to other ships in port.

Second time in April on the 35 nighter on the Oriana to Caribbean and USA.

Both fantastic itineraries enjoyed the Panama, but New Orleans was the best for us as we were there for the jazz festival.

We are off again to New Orleans in February on a 46 nighter with Fred Olsens

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Our ship Fred Olsen's Balmoral is in port on the 27th, 28th February and the 1st march as well,

Also the Carnival Triumph leaves New Orleans on the 27th

Sent from my iPad using Forums

It happens on all the time, our first ever cruise with P&O was late because of an outbreak and had to be deep cleaned before we could get on the ship, but it still was there on our cruise. It did not stop our holiday

You just have to get on with the why the cruise company deals with it.

It happens everywhere.

When your at home they'd say that you're got a 24 hour bug. But on a ship it as a name that's all

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks Tring

I've booked the Holiday Inn (inc breakfast). Not the cheapest, but reasonable and you do get a view of the Solent or the ships

(Just checked and there's no ships in on that day and only ours on the day of the cruise)

We had already booked the ABP car parking for our cruise. Which was half the price of P&O's CPS. So really the money saved on the car parking as paid for the accommodation

It will make a change to have a look around Southampton, only been to the shopping mall on a back to back

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Traveling to Southampton from the north, in February, do we travel down or stay overnight.

Always travelled down to Southampton on the day of the cruise. But the weather could be bad at that time of year.

So I've look at a few hotels on the Webb, as anyone stayed at the Holiday Inn.

At least we can get a hearty breakfast and watch the ship come in.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

What the opening times?

on P&O It was 8am to 10pm,

Sent from my iPad using Forums