Nancy48

Thank you both that has reassured me, six weeks to go now, very excited.

Hi, I am disabled and on previous cruises have taken my wheelchair.  This time I am thinking of managing with my crutches.  I have completed the assistance forms etc., and know I can get assistance at Gatwick.  I also know the system from plane to transport to ship.  I am just not sure about the embarkation process at Barbados.  Previously I have been wheeled through and it has all been very simple.  I know there is a long snake queueing system in the sheds.  Does anyone know if they have-ship’s wheelchairs there to assist with the boarding process. Any information would be much appreciated.

Thank you idahospud, all becomes clear now.  As they are advertising this cruise in the UK as a round trip from and back to Southampton it will be interesting to see how popular it will be in the USA.  Thanks for your help,

Nancy

We are interested in the New England/Canada cruise but being in the UK am trying to find out price etc.  Looked at the spreadsheet and there is a column NCF plus Captains Circle Launch column.  Can anyone tell me whether the launch figure comes off the price, or whether it is already off, and also what NCF stands for?

many thanks,

Nancy

Thanks so much everyone, have found it now.  Glad I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t find it☺️.

Nancy

Hi thanks for that, unfortunately that searches the entire forum, there used to be a search button for each individual site.  So for example I go into P & O and can then search in there.  So if that is the only search button I get results of my search on every shipping line and then have to wade through them.  Even putting P & O in the search question still results in all sorts of things - nowhere near as efficient as previously.  Ah well, I guess that’s progress.  I just prefer to search for an answer to my question before I post it.  Thanks again,

Nancy

I am being extremely short sighted, I know, but on the previous cruise critic boards there was an option to search which I cannot now find on these new design boards.  Certainly there is a Search Option at the very top of the pages, but this allows a search over the entire forum.  Previously I could go onto the P & O forum and then search there, but I just cannot find that now.  Will some kind soul please put me out of my misery and tell me if that option is still there, and if so, where.  Many thanks.Nancy

Don’t know whether it is relevant but my daughter is just renewing her passport. She has three first names and it appears she used just her first name and surname for her previous passport. However when renewing this time she gave all three first names and surname. They have sent her application back asking for proof of change of names from just the one name to all three! So to be on the safe side I think you are best matching everything up to your passport.

Well all booked and we did get the loyalty discount as well. Thank you so much for the information, advice and good wishes - now on a countdown 😄

Nancy

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. I have decided to prebook, as many of you say, it is such an important occasion for us it would be a shame to miss it because we think we might get a free bottle of cheap wine! But I do appreciate all your comments they helped me get things into perspective.

Nancy

Hi - we are on Azura in February and we want to book a table in Epicurean for our 50th wedding anniversary which is on a port day. There will be six of us - I know that Pre booking on the Personaliser will mean paying up front, but I also know booking once on board means we can use obc and perhaps even get a deal on price or wine. As we want a specific date I guess we need to book online but just wondering what others think? We have never used the Speciality restaurants on P & O. before so not sure how busy they get.

Many thanks,

Sue

The P & O website has a list which gives actual dates for every cruise when the seats are released. For a very long time now it has just had 'to be announced' next to this next Caribbean season, and today it has finally been released. It itemises each cruise and the release dates for each cruise.

It's just nice to see the exact date confirmed, although yes it is 14 weeks as expected.

Nancy

Just noticed on the P & O website they have released the dates for prebooking flight seats for the Caribbean cruises

Nancy

Just to update I notice that Flightmapper is now showing the charter flights, well certainly the Thomson's ones, and our flight, Gatwick to Barbados in February, Tom 046 is listed as a Dreamliner, 787-8 so if that remains the case then we know how many Premium seats will be available. Must say I am looking forward to being on a Dreamliner, so many mixed reviews it will be interesting to see for ourselves what it's like.

Good luck all with reserving seats,

Nancy

Hi, we are in the same situation as you, but as I am disabled really need to sit with my husband. Also we prefer window seats. I contacted P & O to ask them about the top two tiers taking seats before we could access and their reply was that they would be very surprised if there were many taken before we could book.

They reassured me that we wouldn't have a problem but did stress that a lot of people wait up for midnight to book as soon as the seats are released to everyone. So I guess that is what we will have to do.

Good luck with yours, we fly in February so we will be booking before you, will try to remember to let you know how we get on.

Nancy

i notice on the P & O website help pages that although they list the dates when flight seats will be opened up for prebooking for this summer season it is still saying that the Caribbean season flights are "to be confirmed". As we are now less than 3 months from the Caribbean season starting I wonder if this is normal? I am sure I have seen these dates released in good time previous years.

Also can anyone tell me when these dates are released are they always accurate, or can they be released earlier on occasions?

Many thanks

Nancy

I wonder if anyone can help me with this? We are flying to Barbados from Gatwick next February, Premium Economy, and although I am taking my wheelchair I will use my crutches whilst on the plane. I really need to sit with my husband and would really prefer to be nearer to the toilet. I am quite happy to pay to select our seats but I understand that the top two loyalty levels get access to the seats two days before they are released to the rest of us. What, therefore are my chances of getting two seats together, preferably the window and aisle seats. I would appreciate any help from anyone who has experience of this.

Nancy

Thank you all for your comments and advice. Selbourne I have taken your advice and written so we will wait to see what happens, I appreciate your excellent advice and comments.

Bell Boy thank you for your comments, mandylennon too.

Hopefully the issue will be resolved in the near future.

Nancy

Hi, I wonder if some of you may have some advice for me, as I am not sure what my next action should be.

Booked through a well know Cruise travel agency for a Caribbean cruise Feb 2018 to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and my 70thBirthday. At the same time I booked two adjacent cabins of our friends who are accompanying us. But they both telephoned independently to pay deposits and give personal details. From the beginning we have had problems with our friends not receiving paperwork even though we have requested that they receive their own papers. This last week we added something to our cruise, no effect on the other two bookings at all. We received copies of our amended booking paperwork in the post. So far so good. However they have emailed the same letters, booking details etc., to our friends. As these contained details we didn't want them to know, (a surprise we were planning) and Also personal financial information I am appalled.

Would like to hand my booking over to P & O but not sure whether this is possible. Also not sure how to handle this, do I complain to P & O direct or to the agents. I Have lost all confidence in them and dread what else they may do, before our cruise.

Any advice would be gratefully received,

Nancy

Hi I am disabled and British and did a Princess cruise in 2015 round the British Isles. I use a wheelchair but can walk up and down steps etc and short distances with my crutches.

I didn't go ashore in Edinburgh, by then it was nearly the end of the cruise and I was shattered so my husband did his own thing ashore and I had a nice relaxing day on board. I do have the advantage of having visited Edinburgh many years ago so had no great need to visit again. Guernsey was another tender port and I managed it, because we just wanted to have a little look at St Peter Port I just took my crutches. Lovely place and we just tottered up into town, not far from tender drop off point, had a coffee outside a little bistro, watched the world go by and then headed back to tender. I managed, BUT if I had known about the queues for the tender back I wouldn't have done it. Fortunately there was a low brick wall for me to sit on whilst my husband queued, but it was a hot day and not a good ending.

Other than those two ports all of the others were berthed. Again we have the advantage over you as my husband is used to driving over here (obviously😄)

So we hired a car in Glasgow and took a leisurely drive round Loch Lomond. The car hire place was a way from the berth but they picked us up and took us to the car hire place and then when we returned the car they drove us back to the ship. A lovely area and really easy to do. We did the same at Invergorden, there the car hire place was on the docks, so really easy. Had a lovely day round Loch Ness and went to the battlefields as well.

Perhaps surprisingly one of our highlights was Belfast when we went to the Titanic exhibition/experience. Amazing and really wheelchair friendly. We taxied there and back and used their wheelchair which I had booked in advance

Liverpool is also brilliant, although you may not go there as we docked right by in the city centre and the wheelchair was no problem.

As has been said previously most places give free admission or career free, and a lot of places have wheelchairs to borrow, so if you can manage to get into a taxi and out again that could be a way to go.

I must say that as Brits my husband, in particular, wasn't too interested in this cruise itinerary, but we booked it last minute at a good price and thought we would just have a nice time on board. We were wrong it's a brilliant itinerary. Do hope you enjoy it,

Nancy

Thank you, both of you, for your lovely replies. You are describing exactly what I want, and I will indeed be booking the table as soon as they open it up for reservations. Sadly I cannot order the right weather, will just have to keep my fingers crossed. It would be the end to a perfect day.

Thanks again,

Nancy

Hi we are cruising the Caribbean on Azura in Feb 2018 when we will also celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary by renewing our vows whilst on board. One of my "dreams" would be to eat that night, with our friends who are accompanying us, out on deck. I do understand that it can be windy on deck at night, and it may not be suitable weather, but that aside, can anyone tell me whether this would be possible. Having studied the brochure deck plan it looks to me as though we could do this outside Epicurean?

Any advice or information would be very much appreciated.

Nancy

Thanks for that Bronte, what you are describing is what happened when we flew to Venice in June, with Celebrity. It was when I read the P & O information sheet which said my wheelchair had to go with the bags at check in that I worried.

Good to know th system is the same.

Nancy

Hi, just got all the paperwork re declaring my disability prior to our Caribbean fly cruise. I note that they say we must check in the wheelchair with our luggage. I assume, therefore, that we will then be provided with an airport wheelchair?

Can anyone tell me what happens at the Barbados end of the flight? Presumably if the wheelchair is checked in with the luggage we won't see it again until our bags arrive in our cabin. In which case I am slightly worried about how I will manage before then. Anyone who has experienced this situation? I would be most grateful if you could talk me through exactly how they manage it.

Many thanks and regards

Nancy

Oh I am being very early with this, we don't fly until February 2018. We are. doing a Caribbean cruise right over our Golden Wedding Anniversary and it is all a bit of an event for me. Was taken ill six years ago and couldn't fly at all at first. Earlier this year I did my first flight to Venice which I just about coped with, and it made me decide we would do this one for our 50th. We had talked about it for years and I know if we don't do it we will regret it in years to come. So it's stiff upper lip and get on with it. But obviously anything we can do to make it easier will be a help. Hence the extreme forward planning😊.

I think I am just going to have to be patient and wait for all the details. I had really thought it would be very straightforward, but clearly not. Now I've just got to wait. And then I will be worrying about getting a seat next to my husband. We have pushed the boat out (sorry that's bad) and booked PremiumEconomy, but I understand with a 3 3 3 configuration we could still be separated, and as we are only Atlantic tier we won't be able to have first pick of seats. Oh I do like a good worry🤔🤔.

Thanks again

Nancy