wowzz

So, we agree. No need to tip when someone hands you a burger, as in a McDonald's.

Agreed -it is a balancing act between remembering the tears of the past and looking to the laughter of the future.

Sorry - just a specious argument. But I agree when you say that you tip when someone goes out of the way for you. We do the same.

Sorry, but you tip for extra service, not just for doing your basic job. I just think there is a cultural divide here. No one in the UK/Europe would tip the server in Macdonald's.

Actually, P&O do enforce boarding times in Southampton, which is not unreasonable with the new 5000 pax ships. Turn up early, and you can have a long wait.

Personally, given current strike actions, I would go the day before my cruise, and stay overnight in Southampton. Much less stress. As always, JB is spot on.

Unfortunately your logical response will have no impact at all on the paranoid !

Thank you. Glad you and I are on the same page. Unfortunately, I don't think it will make any difference in the long run. And the same one sided opinions will continue.

Sorry - Princess is not for you. End of !

You can access the app through a tablet or a phone.

Who he ?

It's been a long time since there was a live blog from a P&O cruise. Thank you. Seems all is well so far ?

It's a small world. I have never been there - something to put on my bucket list. My uncle was the vicar at Dale, in Pembrokeshire, and I have made the "pilgrimage " there twice. Sometimes you need to to connect to your forefathers, if only for a sense of continuity.

My dad went there, back in the 1920s.

Train is the answer, I'm seeing return fares of just over £100.

For reference, your cabin is serviced by a steward (male or female) not a maid. Personally, I think it is a bit naff wondering around in a bath robe. Others may have a different viewpoint.

I would be happy if Princess UK and Princess US combined. Seems wrong that Brits can't participate in the upgrade bidding process, can't have refundable deposits, and can't refare for free as many times as you like.

I'm not sure why you think that ? We certainly don't tip on a cruise ship, other than to give our steward a little something, if he/she has done a good job.

A lot of cruisers on the P&O forum here have used the West Quay multistorey at £5 a day, with no issues. Personally, I can do without the faffing about with taxis, so use Parking4cruises at the actual terminal.

P&O (UK) have been charging extra to choose your cabin for many years, so hardly a new thing for Carnival. And, of course, P&O deposits are always non-refundable, so I would expect Princess to adopt that policy as well in due course.

We like Soleil - easy to walk to with a glass of wine from Vines.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your blog. We literally just booked a cruise on Azura for April 2024, so am interested to hear your comments. All seems good so far !

One of the great things about e-mails is that it gives you the opportunity to make so many new friends. I'm getting lots of requests from female geometry students to write to them. I assume they are studying geometry, as they all say they are curvaceous.

The OP is from Finland, and therefore cannot participate in the bidding process (like us Brits) We were able to book boarding times for our April Sky cruise around 60 days out. Earliest boarding time is 11am. However, in my experience boarding times are not enforced at Southampton.

On a general note, I think it unwise to assume that the small, self-selected posters on CC are truly representative of the mass cruising market. Basing opinions on the evidence of CC postings leads to false impressions. We have eaten six times in speciality restaurants on Princess, post covid. We have tipped twice, where we felt the service went above and beyond. On the other occasions, where the wait staff merely took our order and delivered the meal, we left nothing. On a purely non-scientific basis of observing the half dozen tables or so around us on each occasion, the majority of diners simply stood up and left at tge end of the meal, and walked straight out of the restaurant. All of which goes to show that there is absolutely no way of knowing if the majority tip or not.