HikingPete

27 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

This hanging around with the speaker on is ok if you’re retired or working from home. It’s simply impossible for many people who are out at work and it’s just not good enough. 

I agree with this.

I (currently) work from home, and called P&O during my lunch break (my third attempt of the day). It was nearing an hour and a half when I eventually got through. Luckily I was able to leave the on hold shenanigans running whilst I worked, but if somebody at work wanted to get hold of me, or if I needed to go into a Teams meeting, I would have had to cancel the call.

That length of wait for something that can't be done over the website is pretty poor.

That said, whenever I've spoken to the reps they've been exceptionally patient and helpful. If they are frustrated by their workload they didn't show it - a massive credit to them.

Now, there's just the agonising wait for the actual cruise... and the dreaded check to see if the suit still fits after lockdown...😟

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

could the phone lines be busy because booking direct with P&O is popular?

Avril

This morning I tried to call P&O, first at 8:29, and was rightly told they were closed. Hung up, and immediately tried again, and received the "we are very busy" message and sat on hold for half an hour before giving up (I do have a life to live, and work to do).

When I've spoken to phone reps they are always very helpful... but the company needs more of them.

Will I raise a complaint? Yes, I probably will. I've got the names of the people I've spoken to and will mention them as being a credit to their role. The issue is with the decision makers who are happy to leave paying customers waiting for lengthy times, rather than them pay for more staff.

Covid/Popularity etc. is not an excuse.

I've not heard otherwise, and they still mention it on their "on hold" messages when waiting to get through to the call centre.

I need to speak to them again, so when I eventually get through I'll ask if no one else updates beforehand. I must admit I'll be disappointed if they don't - I quite like having breakfast on the cabin balcony, even in winter!

@amajaa it does make life a little less stressful. I live a few miles down the road from Southampton, and for my cruise in December I'm seriously considering heading over the night before and staying in the nearby Holiday Inn or Premier Inn, then get an Uber home afterwards.

Not a direct answer to your question, more of a curve ball...

What about driving down the day before and staying in Southampton for a night? Then when you disembark, you can pretty much just hop in your car and go.

1 hour ago, daiB said:

I suspect that the company are not fully staffed yet and the announcement yesterday has caused extra phone traffic.

I had been trying to get through to them for several days before the announcement, each time having to give up because I would have run over my break period, or receiving the "we're busy right now so please don't wait on the line, bye!" message before being hung up on.

I don't think this has anything to do with Covid.

However I should say that when I did get through, the reps have been incredibly helpful.. it just takes a bit of stubbornness to get there.

As is often the case, I don't blame the staff taking the calls. I would be interested to see their stats on average wait times and numbers of calls dropped however.

(edited for clarity)

19 minutes ago, margo2011 said:

Yes I do to but as she said I needed to book transport ,drinks package and she couldn’t confirm a cabin number I didn’t see the point .I thought if any issues arose booking direct May be better silly me .

13 minutes ago, sammyh25 said:

Not sure about transport but you definitely don't need your cabin number assigned to book a drinks package, we've done exactly that.  Just login to your booking and you can do it all there. 👍

Yep. I've done the same for my trip in December. Won't get my cabin number until closer to the holiday, but I've booked a wine package, a shore excursion, and  a welcome on board package... they just link it to your booking reference.

5 minutes ago, ann141 said:

Retractable roof on Ventura and outside movie screen on Azura.We are happy to cruise on either but if cruising to a cooler climate would choose Ventura because hubby can still swim.

I've only been on both Azura and Ventura once each. Given the choice, I would probably go with Azura. We sailed on Azura for my MIL's 70th and had a lovely trip. Even my wife, who isn't really a fan of cruises, had a nice time. 

We sailed on Ventura a few years later where it had issues with its propulsion, and Porto was omitted from the itinerary. Not an issue for me - I quite like sea days, but my wife had been looking forward to it. Looking back, I do wonder if the engine issues were related to the problem Ventura had a little later when they had to be helped limp back to shore by tugboats.

Obviously neither trips guarantee the same experience, but it does kind of shape your personal judgement. I tend to try a new ship each time if I can anyway... I like to find the little nooks and crannies that most people overlook, like the "secret" promenade on the bow of Azura.

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

It might not be cheaper tomorrow!  I can see Autumn cruise prices going through the roof.

Earlier this week I got my December cruise cancelled and rebooked at the Saver fare which was much cheaper than I was paying previously - glad I did. I reckon its going up again very soon.

45 minutes ago, TheGinBoy said:

@HikingPete I'm thinking something more techno futuristic meets pixel art. But that's a cool design!

I was thinking biomechanical but I'm leaning back towards some kind of phoenix motif.

40 minutes ago, TheGinBoy said:

I'm hoping to get a sleeve done this year too. Got a few small ones, but always wanted something bigger 🙂

Let me know when you do! I'll need to carry on ruminating on the design I'll going for - I'm thinking something like this, but I haven't quite decided as yet...

https://www.tattoodo.com/tattoos/212919

16 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Pete, I am interested to know why you feel you want one.  No criticism intended at all, but I would love to know why people do this?

For me, its because I have a scar on my arm I would like to both pay homage to how it was caused, and a permanent reminder to myself. A few years ago I had a cycling accident and an injury which prevented me from working and doing many of the things I loved for a long time. The NHS did an exceptional job, but the accident cut short a long term goal of mine, and led me to a dark place.

It took a long time for me to climb out, and I would like to make it less of a war wound, and more of a peace wound.

11 hours ago, crimson moon said:

I know what you mean, we have Karaoke at our local pub. The DJ didn't like it when I asked if I could "do" "Tubular Bells"

I got thrown out for requesting Apparente Libertà...

14 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Rant over, I'm off to Wetherspoons, I think it's curry and a pint for a fiver, anyone coming? 

I actually would love one. Curry Club used to be a staple before lockdown.

15 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

I am getting fed up with comments about tattoos, not just by the OP. I have three tattoos from my days in the RN and completed 24 years police service, retiring as a senior officer. 

I'm hitting middle age, and I don't think its a crisis as such, but I'm seriously considering a tattoo - a full length sleeve.

If I find the right design and go ahead with it, and people want to judge me for it, so be it. I'm comfortable with who I am.

7 minutes ago, zap99 said:

This nonsense has become very tiresome. If they are too busy, it's because they haven't got enough people answering the phone. If they can't be bothered to answer your call, say so at the begining not after pressing 2,2,5,5&7 and listening to them telling you how important your call is. Yeah, right, we believe that don't we ?🤔

At my place most of the IT service desk, 2nd level and 3rd level are working from home. We've made cuts, where we can, but no redundancies.

I have a niggling feeling with P&O they've reduced the numbers taking calls as a chance to cut costs when they weren't getting as much money in during the pandemic. Once passengers start to rise again, I suspect the numbers on the service desk won't increase.

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Glad you got everything sorted. £300 is a considerable saving on a short cruise.

Yeah, I'm happy with that. It'll pay for some wine at least. I just need to make sure I definitely get the extras that I booked refunded... 😟

46 minutes ago, wowzz said:

In your current case, I doubt that P&O will re-fare you. I assume you can just cancel, and then re-book at the new price.

45 minutes ago, TheGinBoy said:

But yeah, P&O don't let you change your fare. Everything is fixed at the time you booked, even upgrades.

In the end I did what TheGinBoy said, and went through as if I was booking a new cruise. The rep that took the call didn't seem fussed that it wasn't a new booking and was happy to change the booking. She cancelled my existing cruise and rebooked me on the substantially cheaper one. I did lose my deposit, but I still ended up about £300 better off, so it was well worth it. I do have to rebook any extras, which is a pain, but hey ho. Again, £300 is £300.

I will keep an eye on the old bank account just in case anything gets doubled up by mistake, but the rep seemed very helpful and she seemed to know her stuff, so I'd be surprised if there were any issues.

I noticed earlier today that the price for my upcoming cruise is now much lower on the P&O website than I am paying (about a third less) - I tried to call P&O to discuss, and see if there are any differences I've missed, or if there isn't and its the same offer whether they would match the now-advertised price.

After waiting on the phone for a bit, and jumping through the "press 1 for" hoops I got a message telling me that they don't want to keep me waiting longer than I need to, so they won't take my call, please try calling later.

Great.

Yeah yeah yeah, covid, covid, covid... but a message that basically says "we're too busy, go away" isn't exactly helpful.

What have people found the best way to get in touch with a real person at the moment and discuss a query.

On 7/22/2021 at 10:48 PM, terrierjohn said:

Some people prefer the taste of fresh milk, personally I can't tell the difference when cruising, but I don't like UHT milk at home, strange that isn't it.

I'm happy to drink UHT at a push, but since fresh is so readily available I'll always get that through whatever way I can.

Can't say I've ever played deck games. If anyone happens to be on Iona on the Northern Europe trip in December, I'm up for being taught!

On 7/16/2021 at 12:45 PM, kevboy said:

Further to the previous comments, I am taking my family including children of school age to Caribbean in October. I have been advised by P&O that the children will need to undergo a PCR test within 72 hrs of embarkation which along with LFT for vaccinated adults is complimentary.No further information is supplied. I am feeling a little uneasy about this because I dont know where to go for the PCR test and wether it needs to be booked in advance. How far from my home is the testing Laboratory? How am I -or P&O informed of the results and what to do if I have not received results on day of travel? If anyone can put my mind at ease I would be very grateful.

I would give them a call if I were you. I know its a long wait time at the moment, but at least you'll (eventually) get to speak to a human and should get a relatively sensible answer.

16 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

It's less about splashing out and more about whether Id enjoy it.

 

I'm a bit weird. People think I am super extroverted because I love to "perform" and I am quite a social person but I'm only like that when I warm up to people. I'm shy about new people!

I take a little while to get to know new people before I come out of my shell as well.

A couple of years ago I went for a solo cruise down the Norwegian fjords (wife has decided she doesn't like cruises) and loved it. Apparently some of the other passengers thought I was some kind of celebrity as I was keeping myself to myself... No, I had just recently broken my elbow, and wanted some "me time". Bonus was that when I was in the MDR the waiters noticed I only had the use of one hand, and each night without making a fuss, they made sure my meals were brought out pre-cut in bite sizes, yet still looked fantastic. They got a big extra tip.

I'm (hopefully) doing a Northern Europe cruise in December, and that will be solo too. I'm dead excited about it.

On 7/16/2021 at 9:20 PM, Britboys said:

Only you can decide if it is worth it to you. I am used to sailing in inside cabins and purely on a personal front wouldn't pay an extra £90 per day to have a balcony - anywhere, on any ship... But that is me.

I agree with it being personal choice. I would always get a balcony if I can.

Even for my next trip in december, having a little personal outdoors space is great. I like sitting outside for breakfast which I'll get as room service, and a glass of wine there in the evening before heading to bed. 

Bliss.

Thanks - I've logged in, but I can't find where to order the Captains Selection/Commodore's Selection, which is what I was looking for, only the PDF with a list of the wines available, not no means to order online, which I'm sure was there on my last cruise.

Not to worry, I'll call them.