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All the drinks menus including MDR show the options as C or D so clear which are included in Classic or Deluxe We feel there is a reasonable selection of wines on the Classic, 175ml glasses only

Depending on the ship, there is a virtual roulette wheel in Azura that takes cash as well

I think it is freedom dining in all the Iona’s main dining rooms so just turn up when you wish or join the virtual queue on the app Occasionally you may have to wait for a specific table size or ask for a buzzer

On our recent Azura cruise we prepaid for the classic drinks package (with a 10% + penisular discount) with the plan to use OBC to upgrade to Deluxe when on board However, we were unable to pay the difference (c £10 per day pp) and would have had to cancel the Classic in full (refunded to Credit card) and then pay full price for the Deluxe (without the 10% discount or penisular if using OBC) We decided not to bother and just paid for a handful of drinks (speciality cocktails) that werent on the classic package using OBC If the system changes, flexibility to use combination of OBC and prepayment before boarding would be welcome

We really enjoyed the Iona however itineraries for Arvia for next year are mainly 14 nights which is a bit too long for us, prefer 7-10 nights

Just off the Azura in Tenerife last weekend and there were numerous problems with toilets and sinks Majority of public toilets had at least one ‘Out of service’ sign in either urinal or sink all week We had an overflowing toilet on deck 8, briefly flooded the bathroom. Sorted by maintenance but throughout the week they were drying out the carpets outside various cabins and notices placed advising to only flush paper Deck 7 around Manhattan/Sindhu had a nasty ‘drains’ smell towards the end of the week. On the flight home, heard anecdotal stories of some passengers having flooding problems and unusable toilets

Used Penguin Parking in April for the Ocean terminal, they were great

We have sailed Anthem of the Seas plus a couple of Princess cruises (Regal last time) Pros and cons for both - really liked the indoor solarium area at the back on Anthem and didnt find it difficult to get a bed. Itinerary helped - Bahamas and Perfect Day but overall too family orientated for us (go carts, wave rider etc) so wouldnt rush to do again Princess was great - food excellent, particularly Alfredos which was complimentary at the time. When it worked, the medallion app was great for ordering drinks and not having to constantly pass your sea card to the crew As others have said, downside for both lines compared to P&O is the gratuities which is why we now gravitate to P&O Pure comparison of RCL V Princess, we prefer Princess

We saw Kevin Simm on Iona last year Thoroughly enjoyed the night, thought it was great value and felt like a night out on board. Would definitely do it again if we get the chance

P&O is popular with UK passengers, prices all in GBP, no tips on any cruise/drinks etc, leaving excellent service to be recognised individually at the end of the trip Also, if cruising Europe, quite a few UK mobile/cell contracts include roaming data so Wifi less of an issue unless you have numerous sea days We prefer Celebrity as a line and are always attracted to ‘all in’ but with gratuities and drinks being our key elements. It certainly encourages us to shop around looking for those cruise co’s who are offering no tips/included

Stopped there with Princess. Tender worked well although we seemed to anchor quite a way off shore so took a while Phuket traffic is notoriously very busy and many tours ran late returning guests. As previous post, it gets dark early so it was pitch black by the time we got the tender back but quite the experience

$1 per mile to use the running track

We are sailing on the Edge from Barcelona next month We are a party of 5 split between 3 bookings (all linked on the app) but when I try to reserve a table for all of us in Le Petit Chef for any day it says no availability ? Bizarrely I can book a table for 3 or 4 but as soon as the 5th guest is added, nothing available Is this the way the tables are configured or could there genuinely be only 4 places left each night?

We generally cruise Sep-Nov depending on itinerary. That said we have done Med in March, Dubai in April, Norway in April outside Easter hols (not all with Celebrity) and cant remember any being totally child free. We fully expect toddlers and older teenagers whichever cruise we are on

We started cruising in our early 40’s and got bitten by the bug. We have enjoyed the company of other guests both younger and older (met a gentlemen in his early 80’s on our first cruise and got on great), happy to see a mix of ages as it adds to the overall vibe Our issue is finding kids of school age on cruises outside of term time (UK). We specifically avoid school holidays yet invariably find plenty of children. Often on itineraries that we would least expect to be family friendly (Far East etc). It’s not exclusive to cruising having found similar on hotel based holidays I know there are adult only lines/ships but we do prefer Celebrity and find their choice to be fairly limited

We were on the Regal Princess last year and had the premium drinks package. No complaints, great choice and the medallion/app worked well as you could look at the drinks menus on your phone anywhere on board and typically get them delivered to you Disappointed to hear about the dining changes, Alfredos was a highlight for us at lunch time for fresh pizza/pasta and was previously complimentary

Imagine opening the bottle only to find it has corked 😳

It depends on your legs 😆

I was thinking the same when email dropped in. Possibly now including Coco Cay on some Celebrity sailings

We sailed MSC Splendida out of Dubai pre Covid Lovely ship, stunning atrium and the food and drinks package was first class . As it was largely a mixed European clientele, only slight downside for us was the evening entertainment. Very generic dance acts, salsa lessons in the evening when you would expect a band or disco. No ‘shows’ as such given they are catering for numerous languages Havent gone with MSC since but wouldnt rule them out in the future if itinerary was right

Unfortunately that is no longer a guarantee of a child free cruise unless you book one of the adult only ships We are currently on the Iona, according to the welcome letter, 328 children out of c 5,200 on board (would say a lot look of school age and Easter hols finished at least a week ago)

I’m the same. Always use it for any significant purchases and have successfully claimed under Section 75 of the CCA in the past Added benefit I get rewards on my current one so paying the cruise balance on it means a nice little kick back at the end of the year. As long as you never leave a balance and have to pay interest they are a very useful payment tool

I’ve only eaten my evening meal in the buffet on one occasion due to the other half feeling off colour and I didn’t fancy going to one of the MDR’s on my own I agree it was very quiet but not for me, just functional. I was in and out in about 10 minutes and certainly not the usual evening dining experience I enjoy on a cruise - i.e getting dressed up and having waiter service more akin to a restaurant

He was the only option that came up for me

Just booked Kevin Simm for the Norway cruise departing 22nd April