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1 hour ago, Cathygh said:

Thanks for the heads up, I was aiming to get to Petra from Aqaba, so it will be  a land tour instead.

And for us now alas 

On 9/21/2023 at 11:12 PM, Cathygh said:

I am hoping that Azura will make a detour to Istanbul and maybe Haifa or Aqabba when she is in the med. I would be reluctant to go on Arcadia again but I would look at Aurora.

Good luck with Aqaba , we are on the world cruise next year and it’s been removed( a regular occurrence apparently) not happy at all about it as it’s a bucket list destination (for Petra ), we’re now going to some ( other people’s words) dump in Egypt 

Love hudsons yards and the high line walk , we were ver lucky as it was a beautiful sunny day👍

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

I shall try and let you know what we find on Aurora in 3 weeks time.  Haven't cruised since 2019!

As your sailing on Aurora it will be like you’ve never been away (personal opinion)

The main difference is that Aurora has far more alternative dining options to choose from, other than that both are grand ladies with lots of style (personal opinion only)

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

The embarkation lunch is always  offered to upper tiers and suites. On one of my Aurora cruises earlier this year it was packed, plus they had to hold four Peninsular lunches! Not unusual for Aurora though. 

Hoping to make the Arcadia lunch in January 2024 after missing the January 2023 Aurora one due to the farcical yellow fever scenes in Southampton 😡 We had the Baltic/Ligurian lunch on Azura in June and there were TWELVE  of us in the MDR!!! It was however a beautiful meal and plentiful amounts of good quality drinks 👍 

4 hours ago, CCFC said:

The sugar train in St Kitts is one of my all time favourite trips

Totally agree 😀😀

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Gavascon is only included in the Deluxe Package 😀

We opted for the drinks package for the first time ever on our fourteen day Azura cruise and we used it to our advantage because we knew the wines we liked were available in the glasshouse and we had three or four port days ,, interestingly we pre booked and received 10% but did not receive our 10% loyalty discount as well ?  We do not drink teas or specialty coffees so our drinks spend was used solely for soft and alcoholic drinks , I would say it appeared as though we were not out of pocket across the whole cruise so would consider it again on a shorter cruise (17 nights or less) but anything longer would be of no benefit to us

51 minutes ago, Travelmadoldie said:

Has anyone booked on Aurora on 23/09/24 travelling to Canada had an email reducing the price?

Our TA has no knowledge of P and O ever reducing previously booked prices!

At the present time the cost has been reduced considerably from when we booked

It is a real dilemma booking early, we booked the world cruise on the morning it became available , primarily because we wanted our first choice of cabin and dining, and of course chose select fare , never thought for one minute this cruise would ever reduce in price , lo and behold a few months ago the price for the same cabin as us , three doors away dropped by nearly £1,000 pp and with double on board spend than us , our feelings have now changed towards future booking practices although our choices may be diluted by holding back , also beginning to have doubts around booking select fare in future 

9 hours ago, davecttr said:

I doubt that the pop up Glasshouse will open in the evenings as it uses the Ocean Grill galley at lunchtimes with Small plates and a reduced selection of wine on the menu. I was surprised it did not open every sea day.

The glasshouse is very popular on all the other ships in the fleet , it would be nice when she has a refit to try and work out a way of retro fitting one on board , one of the downside of Arcadia is her lack of dining options 😕

5 hours ago, AchileLauro said:

There's been some brilliantly sensationalist reporting in various national and regional newspapers regarding this event but I think the report in the South Wales Argus possibly takes the biscuit

 

"ONE passenger and her family from Blackwood are having a “horrific experience” after a storm hit their boat and caused them to crash off the coast of Palma in Mallorca during a P&O cruise.

 

According to people on board, strong winds from the storm blew the top deck off, broke the anchors and sent them careering into a freight vessel."

 

 

Blackwood passenger's "horrifying experience" of ship crash | South Wales Argus

 

It's well accepted that this newspaper is notorious for their alarmist sensationalism  reporting but they have certainly excelled themselves on this occasion, unless of course the wind did actually blow the top deck off!

If the South Wales Argus cant even distinguish between a BOAT and a SHIP then there's no wonder people take no notice of them😆

3 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

I had a conversation with a cheerful couple on Celebrity Silhouette today; he the pusher with his wife in wheelchair. I asked about the lift behaviour and they said people, and staff could not be more accommodating and they have had no problems at all, which I was delighted and relieved to hear.

 

Selbourne I do hope that your next cruises go much more smoothly in that regard. You have been very fortunate with your dining room treatment, but that does not compensate for your wife's feelings about changing floors on Iona.

 

The poster who mentions people using the lift for one or two floors, in a disparaging manner, could do well to withhold judgement. I may do this and DH will often say, if the lift is fullish, 'You get in and I'll take the stairs', and there is a reason for this which would not be obvious to the casual observer.

 

We will shortly leave Kristiansand, our final port, and so I wish us all smooth seas for our return to Southampton. Thank you so much for posting and keeping us updated.

If my comments regarding the use of lifts is seen as disparaging it was not meant to be ,it is purely an observation of peoples behavior,  it does not impact on us as we very rarely use the lifts , if folks want to use them for short ups and downs that's fine but should be mindful that some passengers are reliant on them to move about the ship, its not about holding judgement as a casual observer either when the very same people can manage a good sprint to be first on shuttle buses.

I stopped giving my opinions on these boards a long time ago as things can be misinterpreted and base my comments on personal observations only   

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

DAY 4 - Olden

 

Whilst I still didn’t sleep well again, in all fairness there was nothing that specifically disturbed me this time. The inbound cruise down the fjord was as magical as always and it’s weird to see snow on the mountain tops even in August. 

 

The deputy captain mentioned in his announcement this morning that people with mobility issues should use the midships exit, so I am reassured that he probably just didn’t say anything yesterday because both exits were suitable. That’s one concern positively resolved. 

 

Sadly the lift challenges emerged again immediately after leaving the cabin heading for breakfast. Not people pushing in this time, but just our inability to get in an a lift. Every lift in both directions was full, one after the other. The other members of our party use the stairs 90% of the time and must have wondered where the hell we were. One chap also waiting said to us “I really admire your patience and how polite you are. I don’t think I would be the same in your position”. In the end, with just 5 minutes remaining before the MDR closed, my patience evaporated and when the next lift going down arrived I explained what was happening to the people in the lift and asked if it was possible if anyone might be able to use the stairs. To the enormous credit of a very young lad of about 10, he immediately stepped out of the lift, followed by his mother. I thanked them both sincerely and heard the mother rightly commending him. The only other time we have been extended an ounce of compassion at the lifts was by two teenage girls who, in spite of being at the lift before us, held the door and insisted that we went first. Some say that youngsters have no manners these days, but our experience on this cruise has been the complete polar opposite. As far as most of the folk who are middle aged or above are concerned, we are completely invisible. 

 

Another excellent breakfast in the MDR at our regular table. The waiters even happily get some of our party fancy coffees without fuss (they have a machine now apparently). These guys are definitely getting a tip at the end of the cruise as they have made each breakfast an absolute pleasure. As we were leaving I stopped at the restaurant check in desk to reserve the same table again for tomorrow. “I’m sorry sir, but reservations are not possible” which, of course is correct. I then saw the manager that we know and thanked him again and said that I’d like him to know how impressed we’ve been with the waiters. He smiled and said “I made sure that I put you with the best ones”. Needless to say, our table is now reserved again for breakfast tomorrow 😂 

 

Incidentally one of our daughters and her partner, who didn’t join us at Sindhu, had dinner in Pearl MDR last night and were given a table for 2 in the window smack bang in the centre aft spot, which they loved (just by luck BTW, not due to the manager we know). They said that their meal was great as well. 

 

At this point I should say that all 6 of us were in agreement that the food on Iona so far this cruise has been excellent. Sadly we had to break it to our daughters that whilst there’s a lot to like about Iona (and, I’m sure, Arvia) we can’t see ourselves booking them in the future, solely due to the lift problems. I don’t think that either of us could voluntarily face this level of hassle again. Sad, but it is what it is. 

 

I forgot to say that my wife and I had lunch in the Glass House yesterday. As with Sindhu, there is just one menu for the whole cruise but, unlike Sindhu, the restricted choice (small plates aside) is quite poor. My wife enjoyed it more than me but the ambiance is dreadful. It’s just basically chairs and tables around the atrium and I had to ask a waiter where it was, even though I was already stood in it, as it doesn’t look like a dedicated restaurant 😂 

 

Thanks to tips from my online chums on Cruise Critic, we took a wander into the centre of Olden (the term ‘centre’ being used loosely) and got a great view back up the fjord to the ship (photo posted yesterday). It’s such a beautiful part of the world, and as the partner of one of our daughters said, it’s difficult to put into words when describing it to people back home as even photos don’t do the scenery justice. 

 

We had lunch in the MDR and, as on Britannia, the sushi was fabulous. A young chap arrived on the next table with his very young son and daughter and when we left I felt the need to say to him that his two children were lovely and an absolute credit to him. He seemed very appreciative of the comment. Well that’s my good deed of the day done, so now I can go back to being a miserable old git and moaning about the lifts 🤣 

 

We had a lazy afternoon on the ship before our departure at around 6pm. For those who haven’t been to Olden, the building  adjacent to the berth plays very loud music for the ships departure, whilst the locals wave Union Jacks and the Norwegian flag. Tonight we had songs such as ‘We are sailing’, ‘Time to say goodbye’, ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Rockin’ all over the world”! We were lucky that all the action was on our side of the ship, so we could watch and listen to it all from the comfort of our balconies. It’s mad things like this that make a holiday memorable, especially for those on their first cruise (such as two of our party) who have no idea that this sort of thing happens!

 

Dinner was in Keel and Cow, which turned out to be our least successful meal to date. The ambiance wasn’t good as it’s another restaurant around the atrium (so very noisy), we were near a doorway so it was a bit chilly, and a very loud family sat near us. We only fancied one of the starters and they didn’t have it. I had the Prime Minister burger. If that’s the “best burger at sea” (according to the blurb) then it’s a pretty low bar. Mine was luke warm at best. The view of the group was that we would have been better off in the MDR and had no bill (they deducted the cost of my burger though). 

 

We were done by 8.30pm so my wife and I decided to see if we could get into the 8.30pm Greatest Days (Take That) show, but it was full with people standing. I then hit on the idea of seeing if we could get into the 710 Club as there was a female singer who appealed. I thought it started at 9pm but it was 8.45pm and we arrived at 8.46pm. However, a drinks waiter noticed me in the doorway and very kindly offered to let us in after the first song. We certainly weren’t disappointed. The young lady is called Elly Darrall. She performed a mix of covers from artists as diverse as Karen Carpenter and Kate Bush, as well as quite a few of her own songs, all of which were really excellent. This girl (singer, songwriter and pianist) is a huge talent. I hope that her career takes off, as she is worthy of a lot more than singing on cruise ships. Tomorrow Hellesylt (which should have been Geiranger). 

While following your reports on this cruise it has just confirmed what we have witnessed on nearly all our cruises RE lifts, we personally do not use the lifts if at all possible ,( and we are nearly always on the upper decks) as we are still capable of using the stairs albeit at a slower pace than when we were younger, however we constantly see fit ,able bodied people waiting for a lift  and in a lot of cases to go DOWN one flight and have witnessed wheelchair and mobile scooter users been unable to gain access to lifts due to people who cant be bothered to use the stairs taking up the space ,so I can only share your despair at the lift hoggers, it will of course be more of a problem on the larger ships due to the volume of passengers .

It may take us a while but even when we have to get on and off the ship at level four we will still walk up and down the stairs, in some cases eleven or twelve flights, it keeps us fit and keeps the weight off but most importantly it frees the lifts for those like yourselves that have no choice but to use them..

Enjoy the rest of the cruise and hope the lift situation improves for you 😃 

As mentioned above the prom deck does indeed go right around the ship ,however on a lot of the later evenings the bow section was often closed for no apparent reason ( no bad weather etc).

We did the Malta Croatia, Malta Italy cruise and the locations were wonderful👍

47 minutes ago, Maamgu74 said:

You do at the moment if you book before you travel 

it’s normally £44..75 on the new package but if you book before it’s £40.75 then you’re loyalty discount 

I was surprised too

I'm also very surprised  as my understanding when we booked it earlier this year was that you received 10% for booking beforehand and that was all we got , no mention of also been able to use your loyalty tier to gain additional benefits, just wondering if this is a recent change ( we used it on Azura in June) 

2 hours ago, cuatbar58 said:

Yes you do get the discount and your loyalty bonus. I would never suggest that it suits everyone but because of our grandchildren travelling with us we will have to give up our long lunches ashore so it will work for us. I have looked at the wine selection and you can have large glasses of wine that would could cost £12+ and other drinks that we probably would have denied ourselves. We are approaching retirement and I am am aware that a drink package will not appeal in the future so going for it now.

Well you learn something everyday, We booked the drinks package for the first time ever on our recent Azura cruise and obviously received the 10% discount but did not receive the additional 10% for been at Baltic level ? It only worked for us as we like a lot of the wines in the glasshouse, and we had a number of sea days

Can I just confirm that if you buy before you sail you are entitled to 10% discount , are you also able to add your loyalty benefit thus possibly getting a 20% discount in our situation ? 

11 minutes ago, david63 said:

If this is the basis on which "substantial" is based then, for clarity, that should be stated within P&O's T&Cs - although as it is relatively vague especially where cruising is concerned it is probably not of much help.

 

If this is the ABTA guidance there is then another issue in that all cruise lines do not apply this equally.

 

I had a P&O cruise booked where three ports of call were changed well before final balance date and there was no compensation in any form offered. I have another cruise booked with another cruise line where three ports of call have changed well before final balance date and not only was I offered a full refund if I wanted to cancel but if I wanted to stay on the cruise I was given a substantial OBC and a FCC (some other options were also offered)

Ditto , 

8 hours ago, tring said:

 

It is possible that you may miss Key West.  I am not sure if the current situation, but it is a port which is wanting to restrict cruise ships.  It was skipped from the Ventura itinerary last March and is not on that itinerary for 2025, which we have booked.  It is on the same itinerary for next Feb, but I would not be surprised if it is cancelled at some stage.

 

Yes, I was aware there have been cancellations of ships doing Panama recently, so yes a possibility if water levels remain low.

 

Key west is a lovely place to visit but is becoming part of a number of ports who are trying to restrict the number and size of cruise ships 

43 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

Regarding New Orleans I have heard a lot they try to get to earlier than planned because Immigration is a nightmare

Can definitely confirm that 👍

43 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Elena is from Russia.  We first met her on Iona in November, she then went on to Arvia.

 

 

Ah ,well that clarifies that ,thank you , the lady we saw on Azura was definitely from Hungary but for the life us we cant remember her name 🤔 

48 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Bit of a shame that they didn't allow your brother in law to play the piano.

 

Years ago on Oriana the Crows Nest pianist, although good, played a rather uninspiring selection of music.  A couple of times a passenger played whilst the regular chap wasn't there,  The passenger's choice was better!  Was an era when these sort of acts played from an approved/suggested list of music, so may not have been his fault.

 

Whilst we've been on Iona and Arvia, there has been a solo pianist in the Crows Nest.  Same lady last two times, Elena Safonova, who played a better selection of music than previously.  Elena also played requests, if she had the music.  On her nights off, the ship's orchestra leader took her place.

If she is the lady from Hungary with blonde hair she is an exceptional pianist 😀

20 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Puerto Mogan doesn’t seem to have changed much since I was last there in late 1990s. We are thinking of trip to Gran Canaria in early October if we can find somewhere suitable.

We also visited in the nineties and it appears as though they have managed to keep its charm and not over developed it , when we visited there was a lot of Russian investment happening  and not many brits went there, we will always remember our kids clinging on to the seats of our car as I drove along the winding clifftop  roads to get to it !!!   

2 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

On our Arcadia June cruise, we were given pagers for breakfast lunch and dinner, unbelievable.

And as I’ve mentioned before the lack of other dining venues on Arcadia does make things even more congested ,     Unfortunately 

1 hour ago, heatherb1958 said:

We disembarked Arcadia on 20th July . I loved the ship , our cabin , no issues at all with service but Freedom dining was chaotic . We like to eat early and the queue  was round the corner and as far as the actual bar in Spinnaker some evenings . We prefer a table for 2 but there was no chance , saw a couple of irate people return the pagers back to the hosts in a not so gentile way. In the end we went the sharing table route and met some lovely people but the dining experience was not a relaxing affair . We booked last minute so getting our preferred early fixed dining wasn't going to happen but we had a lovely cruise on the ship and would go back on her again if the itinerary and price was right .

We have always opted for freedom dining whatever ship or company we sail with , however every time we have sailed on Arcadia we have always encountered waits of varying times as we prefer to eat around 20.15 onwards, felt it was worse on our last cruise since they moved freedom downstairs in the mdr ?