Simonthesailor

1 hour ago, bobstheboy said:

Not true. My TA gives me a discount, adds my military OBC, she has my Defence Discount Services membership number and nearer the cruise date, Hargreaves and Lansdown sort out my OBC for shares held. Very straightforward.

Thanks. Good to know. I will try another TA next time! Agree, easy to get obc, but again I do that direct not through H&L who have failed me on occasions.

I succeeded in getting both but only, I was told,  by booking directly by phone to P&O (& also with Cunard). But unfortunately by doing that the discounted price you might get by booking though a TA is lost. The shareholders discount is available however you book.

Cabin steward will change pool towels and also provide face cloths on request. Ice available and drinking water fountain in corridor.

I can now report our Airalo esim was brilliant. Easy to use as soon as we got close enough to land. Used In Turkey and in Egypt from while approaching Port Said, during the canal transit and later when in port. Also similarly in Oman.

Also advised several crew members of the benefits! Much, much cheaper than ships WiFi but obviously no good when ship offshore and, note, data only. So good for WhatsApp etc and downloads of papers, emails, etc.

I have never found upgrading worthwhile. Just back from Discovery2 & the G&T was fine and Sauvignon ok. Pinot Grigio not so nice! You could always have the occasional extra drink. You will discover (or we did) the full drinks menu hard to find. Marella and the waiters who get 10% commission on paid for drinks (on top of their miserly wage) are very happy for you to spend more! We also found in the Atrium bar we could get for example a very acceptable Irish Coffee (with whisky) as part of the already included menu.

Sometimes the wine was decanted presumably from a big container and at other times from a bottle opened up in front of us. If you do not like what is first presented they will usually find another alternative - at no charge.

Hi to all who have asked about this cruise to Oman from Cyprus.

In short it was brilliant! Disappointing nevertheless to miss out Jordan.

What made it so good?

Well,  there had been many cancellations although many had not been made aware that they could indeed cancel or change. The result was a flight out to Cyprus with only 42 onboard (from Birmingham but similar for those who left from elsewhere). The ship had been full up until then so max aircraft capacity was needed to get those who had completed their cruise home.

Thus the ship was operating at about 25% capacity for week one and 33% for week 2. This meant the service was even better than ever and those that wished to hog sun beds were able to do so - and they did but space remained.

The staff at all levels were great and exceptionally cheerful and polite. A few guests were a bit grumpy that the Ukrainian captain was hard to understand and broadcasts lacked the usual humor, interest and involvement.

The basic 3 deck outside cabin we had was in great condition (surprising for the age of the ship) & more spacious with a sofa than some balcony cabins.  Many public area carpets had been replaced in a mini refit an few weeks earlier.

Service in 47degrees was brilliant and very friendly.Extras and changes were always possible. Some aspects of the 47 menu in the evening were a bit basic eg sausage and mash, fish and chips but on other occasions there were good steaks cooked to order.

An outstanding feature was the quality of the “Broadway” shows by a recently joined group which were all excellent. We saw 8 different shows all with great dancing and high quality singing. Other musicians and singers who appeared elsewhere were very good too.

Security was not an issue. Bus trip to Cairo was escorted by discrete and pleasant armed guards plus police at one point. The excursions were good value and gave a good taste of Egypt.

To fill in time after the programme change the day before Sharm elSheik was spent gently circling around - good time forthe deck bbq! Hence what was seen on the tracker. 

Prior to going through the narrows at the south of the Red Sea an armed escort of 6 were embarked. Standard practice and 4 deck prom was patrolled and out of bounds. Risk cannot have been too high as soon we saw the 6 have a meal in the deck 11 speciality restaurant! At no time did we feel any concern for safety.
Muscat looked good but we had to leave (at 0300) to fly home in an almost empty aircraft - we all had a row of seats each!
 

5 hours ago, Hoare said:

Actually, we haven't been given the option to cancel and get a refund.   We booked through Planet Cruise - can I ask if you booked directly through Tui?

Yes, we booked directly through TUI (well, via Topcashback!) and Marella cruise folk are quite easy to talk to. 

I have had two chats with Marella. They offer a fee free change to another cruise or cancellation with money back. With the former they would refund or charge for any price difference as may be the case.

I looked at alternative cruises on similar dates and surprise, surprise, what had the day before been great advertised last minute bargains rapidly increased in price & they say, now sold out! 
I conclude many have cancelled. I have suggested they offer an upgrade to those who do not change or pull out. To me that would be a good move for them as an alternative to losing business through cancellation. Not able to offer that yet they say.

I do not know if Marella ever does do upgrades, free or otherwise, anyway. Anyone have experience of that? I would guess the ship is not full or near it. This cruise does not seem to have been advertised for a while.

And now the ports of call have changed again - no surprise. Sharm el Sheik instead of Jordan.

We are still going …

Hi Lazysol

Have you heard any more fromTUI. Assume still no need for visa obtained in advance 

Deshaies can also be reached by bus. As Guadeloupe is part of the EU and considered as mainland France roads and transport are of high quality. Taxis reliable but not cheap.

I have spent a long time in Deshaies aboard my sailing boat- well worth a visit plus the tropical gardens nearby

I have just activated an airalo esim with not much problem (they respond to queries immediately). I have done this because Jordan, Israel (although no longer going there!) and Egypt are not included with my O2 package even when extending it for non Eu areas. Reasonable cost for data only - so ok for what’sapp, email, newspaper downloads etc - in theory - will advise later how it works in practice.

We are booked on same cruise. No concerns as yet with revised routing. If the situation escalates as it may our feelings may change. It could end up as a repositioning cruise with no/even fewer port visits! Marella has reacted quickly so far and will no doubt do so again if safety dictates.

Interesting. We had a cabin with fold down bunk for our grand daughter (the original cruise cost to include her was attractively cheap) but the invitation to bid for an upgrade did not state whether the charge would be for 2 or 3. In the event we were very happy with our well positioned basic balcony cabin. The suggested bid prices in any case seemed too high.

Despite TUI insisting Visas are needed and suggests application should be made via their recommended agency I have now been advised by the latter that visas as needed will be arranged onboard.

Having booked for this repo cruise we are getting confusing and contradictory guidance on whether any visas are required in advance. The agencyTUI directs us to does not list this cruise but TUI suggests visa needed for one or two places. However the places in doubt - Jordan and Oman (where we leave the ship) indicate visas are issued on arrival, when at an airport. An Oman National website suggests cruise lines have blanket Visa exclusion yet TUI is telling me to apply for visas.

Has anyone else had a similar experience or any info. Any advice appreciated. We booked direct so cannot check via a travel agent.

We have a 4 day cruise booked for late in August with a grand daughter. We have just been invited to bid for upgraded - and presumably unspecified actual - cabins. Anyone had experience of doing this and is it worthwhile. A bit of a gamble? We already have a reasonable & specified balcony cabin, with the necessary third pull down bed.

Is this bidding a new thing for P&O?

ideas and feedback welcome.

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

Have you completed the Check in tasks. When you have you should get the option to download a boarding pass pdf for each member of your party. I just downloaded mine showing the new cabin number after a free upgrade.

2 hours ago, devonuk said:

No. 

We got ours for the same cruise a week ago.

Yes, we went on maiden voyage to Iona. Quite chaotic on the catering side - we frequently had to queue to get an electronic queuing device and then effectively queue again. On line booking did not seem to work well, so hope all improved by now …

Thanks, all, for the info on jacuzzis - we are off on 11 Feb to Hamburg, Rotterdam etc at probably the coolest possible time!

Thanks Rebel Rouser that is reassuring. Do you happen to know whether the jacuzzis were operational? Our grand daughter hopes so!

Hi 

we are just back from a week in Explorer (which followed a week in a hotel at Puerto de La Cruz). We had a great time. Excellent service in all departments with a willing and friendly waiting and service team. Great credit to the management that employees should be so friendly especially when operating on an all inclusive basis. My brother and partner had the upgraded drinks package which hardly seemed worthwhile.

It was also good to hear a British (former RN submariner) Captain giving friendly and helpful updates.

A korala meal was a real feast as was another in Surf and Turf. That being said the meals in the main dining room (where we invariably dined) were well presented, cheerfully and quickly served. Waiters were happy to provide extras, for example two starters, whenever requested. Beef Wellington one night was of a high standard. Prawn cocktail always available - for those that seek this (see P&O boards!)

Buffet meals were not so interesting, poor cold meat selection (& out of a tin - although described otherwise) and we found no cold fish. Fresh roast beef was good when provided. At tea time so called clotted cream was actually whipped cream - not good for a Devonian!

Our 4 deck cabin with a window was in good order although my brother in a similar cabin had serious over heating ventilation issues throughout which was disappointing. Maintenance staff attempted to fix but failed. Beware.

The theatre shows were excellent with high quality dancing, props and dress. We could not always follow the theme of the shows but that did no detract from the entertainment!

Some quite large people on this ship so one might conclude the catering is much appreciated!

All in all an excellent cruise. I would advise dining in the main restaurant whenever possible.

Our next cruise, soon, is another in Iona where I suspect staffing levels will still be poor, the menu has been limited and queuing for meals will be necessary (according to comments on the P&O board and they were certainly issues on te maiden voyage we went on.) The contrast will be interesting. From my point of view TUI/Marella have it together and offer an excellent package.

This may seem silly but in 3 weeks we are doing the Iona half term European cruise along with a grand daughter who is keen on swimming and jacuzzis so the question is which pools/jacuzzis (if any) might we find operational (ie heated and running!) at this chilly time of the year. Having been upgraded from lower inside cabins (thank you P&O) to one of the ‘open to the world’ balcony midship cabins on deck 8 we find there is a jacuzzi adjacent - but will it be operational?

Well, onboard the maiden cruise of Iona (to Iona) there were similar difficulties with booking for the restaurants and often we were queuing to join a queue to book. My memory is much time wasted on a voyage which was not full trying to work the booking system. There were many frustrated guests. If reports are to be believed no lessons have been learnt. Not good for P&O.

I hope Iona at least has it sorted as I have risked a further trip …