CarlaMarie

I thought the app closed. That's why I didn't understand how ICF booked a speciality dining venue for the Saturday evening when they disembarked on the Saturday morning.

Who can forget that one 😂

I've used the MDR on Arcadia pre covid on disembarkation day. It must be a new thing if you cannot anymore.

I think you have made quite a few assumptions about the posters on this forum which are actually wrong. If posters were anti big ships then they certainly would not be sailing on them. Instead, like I have said before, the regular cruisers have an open mind and will go and try a new ship for themselves to make their own opinion. If they definitely know it won't be for them, then they simply avoid those ships. Nobody goes on a ship simply to moan about it, I cannot fathom thinking they even would. Most of the posters on these forums have cruised on the ships across the fleet. So they have a firm basis to compare any cruise and ship to, and the standards that they may find. If they encounter any issues or find that the standards are not as expected, then understandably so they are allowed to share them with us. We already know that the regular cruisers, the loyal, are knowingly sailing with reduced expectations - which I think is sad for cruising in general. Nobody has to defend a big ship or a small ship, the ships themselves are more than capable of doing that if they are providing a cruise experience that is sold and expected in the very least by her passengers. Simple as that.

Tax rebate is done on the ship in the final port of a Norwegian cruise. It tells you in the Horizon paper what time it will happen, and somebody comes onboard especially to oversee it. You are given a form to fill in (when you go down with your form, make sure you take your passport with you). My dad had his rebate within 7 days.

Not one person has to try and force it to be balanced, it happens naturally. These boards have always been balanced, informative, provided great support and advice. On any cruise, a cruiser is entitled to expect that certain situations shouldn't arise and are hence allowed to discuss those which do. If someone has had a negative experience then they do not deserve to be confronted with questions in an attempt to disprove their experiences. It is not up to any one person to decide they feel other people are scaremongering or making others anxious, or being misleading as it didn't happen to them. Sadly, it will actually deter posters from even posting. Those people who feel that particular comments have worried them can discuss this with the OPs for clarification or advice. The majority on here, especially regular posters, will know you approach each cruise open minded and make your own decisions and form your own opinions that influence your future cruises.

You were lucky with the wifi in the fjords. It is often lost due to the location and gets printed in the Horizon paper that interruptions will occur. Britannia lost wifi frequently on one of hers (plus the TV), which is the norm for that area.

The ships are popular at the moment because of the attractive fares, it is mostly attracting new cruisers - 2000 new cruisers on Britannia in term time proves this. It is also the full proper year of having both Arvia and Iona in operation, which again attracts more interest. Next year, and probably from the winter season approaching, will be very telling on whether the new cruisers have been enticed to come back after their first, and if the loyal remain loyal. You can take this year with a pinch of salt. They genuinely have messed with the system onboard that didn't need fixing in the first place. But right now you will not see the affects of that, and how passengers feel, until like I say the next full cruising season begins. Those ships need filling, and to keep new cruisers and the loyal everything onboard has to be managed better.

I think most passengers would get to the theatre or show lounge a little early so that they could get a nice seat, the one of their choosing, relax and order a drink. We would have a chat with the bar waiters, or fellow passengers. That's what works for us anyway. You show respect to the staff and theatre production, plus other passengers, by trying to make sure you are there on time and settled in your seats. Just like you would do on land surely? I'm certainly not feeling like I am queuing sat down. Asking if people take their knitting with them whilst they wait a short time for the show to start is truly baffling.

Hope your MRI goes ok for you today.

I didn't say they did. I was responding to the question and answered that the app problems which arise are not just down to WiFi issues.

Onboard credit is what it says it is, credit to be used onboard. Anything booked onboard is taken from your OBC first. Anything booked at home - excursions, dining etc... you pay for before you travel. Pre booking would be classed as booking anything before you get onboard. Using the app doesn't come into that.

The app problems are not solely related to Wi-Fi issues.

I personally do not like this attitude being shown to others who do not share your view of a P&O cruise, nor the fact you don't appear to accept that the ships change from cruise to cruise as does the entire experience. This is resulting in those feeling they have to constantly repeat themselves in order to be understood and taken seriously. They are being challenged, judged, and faced with attempts of disproving their experiences as well as accusations of scaremongering. Everyone else has appreciated the views of your cruise experience even if it has differed to theirs; has said that's great for you; has been pleased that it has all gone so well and asked questions to gain advice. However in reverse others are not getting the same response Just to add, as an example of how experiences can change - may I remind you that it was only a few weeks ago where you yourself suggested the buffet was far superior to the MDR on Arvia (and Iona) and that the MDR was providing "buffet entry food" which could easily have mislead others on here as you didn't actually use the MDR on Arvia. When asked, you said that you had tried enough MDRs to know the level of food provided. You even suggested that those who said the two were not comparable of their offering were being disrespectful to the buffet, and encouraged anyone on Iona and Arvia to try the buffet and they will see what you mean (and that they would have to book speciality if they wanted superior food).... Yet on this cruise, you ate in the MDR and have highly rated it (above the buffet). A very different view altogether. These boards have always been a source of great advice and support. Anyone can use them to share the good and the bad of their cruise from booking to sailing, and should be able to without being challenged in this way. That is why it is called cruise critic.

This has been noted alot over the past few weeks. P&O used to provide a shuttle in Haugesund, but not this year. The shuttles that you saw are private ones and can be used by passengers but at a cost (for both select and saver). I think it is about 140 NK return for 2 people. I am not sure whether there is an accessible shuttle. So it is something to keep in mind for anyone who may have mobility issues or is not as confident with their walking.

Same here! It is usually very quiet there as like you say everyone is ready and waiting to get off.

It is nice that someone is trying to brighten your days onboard with these. Enjoy the formal night tonight and the MDR. That's really good also that the future cruise man was understanding, which I think says alot.

Sorry I didn't mean to implement booking on the app across the fleet. I agree Aurora and Arcadia do not need or want them. What I meant was on the the app it does actually say along the lines of "you do not need to use the app to dine" on the likes of Britannia, Azura and Ventura. However, if you have passengers turning up to a speciality restaurant to book a table for later that evening or later in the cruise and get told that isn't allowed and you will have to join the queue via the app - then there is a lack of consistency and misinformation. Why advertise that you can do that when that ship on that cruise isn't allowing it? It is these things that need to be ironed out.

I think we will have to agree to disagree on the app. If you haven't been impacted then you have been lucky and that is great, but you cannot suggest that the app works the majority of the time as there are far too many passengers impacted by it when it hasn't worked as it should. And when it does have a blip it is frustrating and can be stressful. To try and prove otherwise or blame passengers for it really isn't fair as you were not there at that time. To ask the restaurant manager is going a bit too far in my opinion. Everyone's experiences are valid.

Same on Britannia. The app had glitches, meaning it was throwing people out of the virtual queues and also not notifying them that their tables were ready (their tables were then released). The staff at the Glass House said that they were aware of the issues, yet the passengers were not told.

I don't personally feel it is about being tech savvy or being an experienced P&O cruiser. Yes it helps, but you also need an app that works without major glitches and for the ships to all implement the same rules when it comes to dining and booking.

If it isn't allowed then the staff member should really put a stop to it. Not being negative, but I don't understand why passengers cannot follow the rules or why the cruise line allows them not to.

Really pleased you've been able to move your bookings. Did he enquire as to why? I hope the weather isn't as bad as anticipated tomorrow.

Enjoy your cruise!

Enjoy your evening @Megabear2 I'm pleased you got to enjoy some nice weather in peace with good food today.