CarlaMarie

Hope you have a lovely evening! Really enjoying your blog, thank you for sharing it with us.

It happens to my Dad every single time! Occasionally, even when he has updated the cruise personaliser he has found that when he has logged back in that it had reverted back to the old one again. One of many wonderful P&O glitches that we have all got used to and accept probably won't get fixed (for many years anyway!)

The advice is to try and phone first thing in the morning as soon as they have opened or in the afternoon near closing. However I know that isn't always possible. I spent over 3 hours on hold trying to order a surprise birthday cake to be sent to a cabin. I finally got though on the last day I could book anything from the gift brochure (has to be done by 3 days prior to sailing). It took me a while to work out which options to choose and what to say to actually get through or be put on hold. The first call got cut off after it told me the TA can book it for me! Once the phone was answered, the call lasted all of 10 minutes more. I must say that once you get to tak to someone they are normally very efficient and helpful. My parents were on a b2b and their future cruise OBC was not added to their account (this was meant to be on the first cruise). They went to the loyalty desk who told them there was nothing they could do, and it would be on the account if they were entitled to it, and reception couldn't help. They let me know on their last port day so I phoned P&O and a very nice lady looked into their account and saw that the OBC was there and should have been added and added it to their next cruise. Again, it took no more then 15 minutes to sort.

If you pop over to the Iona Room Service thread (slightly lower down on the forum), there is a fabulous pdf that was posted (by @Mike Senior) entitled "suite benefits". It includes all the cabin types and which ships they are on, plus their associated benefits. Hope you have an amazing time!

Best to order dessert during the daytime and not night time - you can save some money 😂

Have a wonderful time! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your cruise. Hope you got the water! You should be able to order the canned water and have it sent to your cabin.

This happened to my parents on Arcadia. They had a cabin at the aft, and had gone to bed one evening and heard loud knocking on the door. It was the steward informing them they had to evacuate the cabins as a medivac was needed.

As @Mike Senior has posted, if you can I would advise you get as much information now and think about booking online via the cruise personaliser before you sail. Many excursions get booked up fairly quickly and you could find that the particular one you would like to go on is sold out on embarkation day.

My parents feel the exact same now - club fixed dining only next time. As I have said before, when they were on Britannia in May, the queues were full on the app for the glass house so they tried walking up (as advertised that you can do) - and were told to join the queue. They couldn't win.

Yes they have spent £26 million on a new deep water berth to accommodate more cruise ships, which is great for the local economy. The port, the port workers, shops, coach firms, attractions, tour groups, local music groups for sailaways etc.... all benefit from cruise calls. When you look at everyone involved it takes alot of the local community to make cruise calls happen, and for passengers to feel welcomed at a port. As for the news article regarding the cruise call cancellation - Portland Port is privately owned. The owners did the deal with the Home Office to berth the migrant barge without consulting or informing the local council, their member of parliament or community. A decision made long after they had began extending the berth, and long after agreeing a cruise calendar not only for this year but next year also. Even though they will be paid considerably for doing so, they should have taken into consideration what affect this potentially could have on the Cruise industry, the local economy in general and also the feelings of the very people who make it happen. Especially considering that cruise calls probably account for the largest proportion of the ports income.

We already know what is happening in other areas of the country, especially in Skegness for example. I truly hope that there are no issues, however this appears to have been put on the community without any warning and everyone is scrambling to get things in place in time for the arrivals. Just to add, the purpose of going off may be to do activities but this is not the sole reason. They are free to come and go as they wish, and if they are not back on by 11pm then they will get a welfare phone call to check that they are ok. I agree, I think time will time. This season may not be affected as much, but next cruise season may be different altogether.

I doubt they actually know what background they have and even their real names and ages. You can only do so much vetting without any documents and paperwork. I fully understand that many tours leave from the port, however they have the shuttle going back and forth into Weymouth all day. So passengers would remain in the local area. The cruise line has a duty of care to its passengers. Passengers and the cruise line itself agreed to go to Portland before the situation changed, a decision from what I understand was made by Portland Port alone. NCL may clarify where they stand soon.

The difference now is that the barge arrived this morning. 500 male illegal immigrants will be arriving from next week. They will get free transport into Weymouth and the surrounding Portland area, and can then walk freely and do as they please. Passenger safety is paramount, and I am sure the cruise line will be watching this very closely.

They are very unfortunate facts especially the latter part. For those who are not aware, even ports in Britain are to feel the affects (particularly Portland Port).

In light of the news that the barge has arrived at Portland Port, does anyone know if the next cruise calls will definitely be going ahead? Princess cruises have already cancelled one of their visits, but haven't heard if other lines are pulling out as well.

I am so sorry for your loss Bazrat. Sending my deepest condolences and prayers to you and your family.

You actually said this; "So when I see people complaining about Arvia and Iona at the prices they charge I just shake my head and wonder what they are actually comparing it to in this day and age?" Cruises and cruise ships, their service and food can only be compared to other cruises, cruise ships and cruise lines. I would not go to a cricket match and expect the same service or food I would get on a cruise ship. It is a totally different event, environment, target audience, and production. I know you have mentioned the cleaning staff that you see around a ship and that you would be lucky to see this so much elsewhere, but cruise ships have to do this. They have to be seen to be keeping areas clean because of the higher risk of germs and sickness that can spread due to the high number of passengers in close proximity to one another in at times a confined space. They have to protect both the passengers but also the crew who just want to do their jobs and allow cruises to happen. I wouldn't expect to see this in other venues on land, because the same risks do not apply. I would expect to see this across the fleet, and as a family we have and do.

Again, different venues and different circumstances regardless of any price paid. At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to judge their own meals and experiences, just like you have, and can judge the service according to what they have experienced before or expected. Regarding the comment of shaking your head at people complaining about the prices Arvia and Iona charge - it is important to remember that not everyone can afford to dine in the places that you are privileged to dine at. What they are paying may be alot to them; it may be their one cruise for the year and mean far more to them; what they have saved up for; or they just expect better of the MDR that they do not have to pay extra.

Iona and Arvia are completely different ships and operate differently for a reason. You really cannot say select passengers pay more on the smaller ships to get freedom, because it is about far more than just dining which I and others have tried to explain before. We often pay select as cabin type and location is our priority for several reasons. To be able to choose either club or freedom dining is a perk of this cabin grade and we choose depending upon the type of cruise we are going to be on etc... Furthermore, we have also taken early saver fares and been allocated freedom dining. As I have said before, the restaurant manager is more than happy to amend your dining allocation or choice where he can.

This may have been for one of her "private" cruises. I know that they do have them occasionally, and they last only a couple of nights (you will notice a gap in the cruise schedule).

From what I have heard, there are about 800 new cruisers and 2800 in total onboard.

I was going by her AIS. I wonder if she will get there a bit earlier?

Yes definitely listed as today. There doesn't seem to be a port issue as the Riviera has docked as planned.

Saver fares are not allocated, it is what you book. Depends upon what is available. Plus the select fares vary and you now get a guaranteed select fare (confirming minimum cabin grade and location but not specific cabin). But when you book, you are asked your dining choice. Dining choices can be confirmed late, and sometimes once onboard. If you have not received your first choice of dining, you can head down to see the restaurant manager and he will more than happily try to sort it for you either that day or during the cruise.

That is incorrect.