tom_uk

9 hours ago, shipboy said:

There are no budget airlines in Viking’s UK preferred list, hopefully the link below works:

 

https://www.vikingcruises.co.uk/oceans/my-trip/preferred-airlines/index.html

Thanks! - that's pretty much the information I was looking for. So no Ryanair, etc, thank goodness; and no TUI either. I've nothing against any of those airlines - I've used them, and others like them, in the past and had perfectly good flights. However, their baggage policies don't fit with a 10-night land/cruise package.

I take the point mentioned by FlyerTalker that this may not be a complete list, and it's also the case that it's rather out of date: Alitalia no longer exists, and ITA (Alitalia's sort-of replacement) isn't in the list. But it gives a general picture that I'm happy with.

Many thanks to all who answered.

1 hour ago, Hobson1754 said:

We’ve always been booked with KLM and other British passengers we’ve spoken to have also used KLM.  Think they may also use BA. Whilst we’ve not been not overly impressed in recent years with BA, our experiences over our last 2 VO cruises flying with KLM have been less than satisfactory so think I would have preferred BA. Our difficulty will and has always been our need for connection from Newcastle so think KLM is their preferred option.

Thanks for that. We live in Sheffield so for us the nearest airport is Manchester, but we were told that flying from there would involve a connection. So we've chosen to fly from Heathrow - we can make a day of it on the way down and drive straight home on the way back.

Hello the forum - my first post here.

We've booked our first cruise with Viking for September 2025, just 7 nights from Rome to Venice, and we're prefacing it with 3 nights in Tuscany (also booked with Viking). We live in the UK, and our flights will be from Heathrow to Florence, and back from Venice to Heathrow. Obviously this far out the flights aren't booked so we don't know anything about times or even airlines.

I understand that it's way too early to worry about flight times, but I'm wondering which airlines Viking might use for flights like these. We were told that they would be with a scheduled airline rather than a low cost carrier. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience as which airlines Viking might use within Europe?

39 minutes ago, Harters said:

Tom - I'm a British retiree from t'other side of the Pennines from you.

......

John

 

 

Many thanks, John. We too were P&O customers for many years. I don't think we minded the formal stuff too much, but we became aware that costs were being cut and quality with it, and became increasingly disenchanted.

Many thanks for the comments re. Oceania - they're helpful. We were aware of the smaller cabins on the former R ships, but my wife especially is keen to cruise on a small ship, so I'm sure we'll manage. (In any case, we remember cabins on several older P&O ships that were even smaller.) We're happy with the mix of passengers, and also with the food - we have a daughter living in Mississippi so we're familiar with US food tastes!

I'm sure we can amuse ourselves during the days we're not ashore. In any case we've reached the age when an early night is more appealing than an evening partying...

This is my first post on CC for a long time, and my first post on this forum ever, so please bear with me.

My wife and I have a big anniversary coming up so we are looking to do something special in summer 2025. We're considering a cruise on a more upmarket line than we've ever done before, and on a smaller ship. We cruised extensively from about 2004 to 2018 on various mass-market lines out of the UK but then just stopped. I've been crawling all over the Oceania website, of course, and have narrowed it down to either a Mediterranean cruise on Nautica that summer - that ship seems visit a number of smaller ports which would suit us - or somewhere completely different, and for that I'm looking at the cruises on Insignia that go to, or start from, Montreal.

At the risk of attracting ire, I'll say that one of the reasons we stopped cruising was that we found we were constantly in the company of fellow Brits, and we do like to meet people from other places. (We also holiday here in the UK, and we enjoy meeting local people from all around our country on those occasions.) So my question is: who would be likely to be cruising with Oceania on those itineraries? Which nationalities?

Have a great cruise!

If you’re comfortable with bigger ships then either of these will suit you. There are however differences between them. In my view the atrium on Britannia is better. Also there’s a wider range of onboard activities on Britannia than on Ventura, eg the Limelight Club. And like others I preferred the Glasshouse on Britannia (and Azura) to that on Ventura, which still looks like the original Ramblas bar. (Mind you, I quite like the tree...) And of course Britannia has its Crows Nest.

 You’ll note that pretty much all of those listed above are internal things. Ventura’s advantages are more to do with the external features. First, balconies are generally a bit bigger, and in the case of C and D deck cabins, considerably so. Secondly, there’s the Promenade. if you’re prepared to go up the steps at the forward end of the deck you can do a full circuit of the ship, via the best place on the deck - the Clamshell at the bow. On Ventura (but not Azura) one of the main pools has a retractable roof for use during colder weather. And i’ve always enjoyed the aft Terrace area.

3 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Well in a way but it is because of Britannias' tiny balconies that I am asking,our last journey on her was in one of her aft corner suites,the balcony was superb,so good that we could never go back tp one of her normal balcony cabins no matter how much we like her!

As a result we have been looking at a cruise on Azura but had been  looking at her 'large balcony cabins' which I was told were on D deck so you have me thinking!

Indeed.

There are a couple of points about those D deck cabins & balconies on Azura & Ventura. First, the actual cabin is bigger than the other balcony cabins - P&O describe the D (and E) deck cabins as 'Superior Deluxe' while the ordinary balcony cabins are described as 'Standard'. So you do get a larger cabin.

Secondly, the balcony for the D deck cabins is completely overlooked - 100% visible from all balconies above it, and especially from the C deck balcony immediately above! This is because the D deck balcony doesn't 'tuck under' the C deck balcony above - that balcony sits directly on top of the D deck cabin, and looks down onto the whole of the D deck balcony. The C deck balcony is a mixture - 50% of it (nearest the cabin) is located directly underneath the B deck balcony above, so it's hidden, and then the other 50%, towards the balcony rail, is visible. So you just have to remember - if you stay near to the cabin you're hidden, if you go near the rail you're visible. Looking at the picture I posted, it's likely that Val's legs and feet would have been visible from above, but the rest of her would have been hidden.

And I suppose that could be an advantage of the Britannia balcony - it's completely underneath the balcony above, so is not open to view from above at all.

7 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Are all the C deck balconies like that On Azura?

Yes - at least the ones down the sides of the ship. The balconies across the stern are different again, but there aren't many of them.

Here's a link to a post in my blog explaining how and why the C deck balconies on Azura and Ventura are so much deeper than those on the other decks.

(Apologies to the OP for the way this has drifted away from Britannia-specific issues.)

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Great pics Tom.

Agree with your points, but must say our standard balcony on Aurora wasn't noticeably bigger and felt more enclosed than Britannias.

I know they are small but we found it ok for the 2 of us, just right for a Fjords cruise.

Andy

We've been spoiled, Andy - C deck balcony cabins on Ventura & Azura! I've attached a photo showing Val, my wife, on two balconies - on the left, on a C deck balcony on Ventura, and on the right, on Britannia. The point of this comparison is these were both fairly standard Balcony cabins - nothing special. And I also recognise that the C deck balconies on Azura & Ventura are unusual - a comparison between any other deck on those ships and Britannia would be much more equal.

I thought the balcony on Oceana last autumn was a bit bigger than the Britannia balcony. That said, when the sun came out on our Britannia cruise, we didn't waste the balcony - we were out there.

Many thanks for posting these, Andy, and for answering questions. We'll be on her for 18 nights next year - we were attracted to the itinerary (some new and smaller ports) and also the fact that, much as we do like the newer, larger ships, Aurora is now the last classic ship in the fleet and we wanted to enjoy her.

Inside stuff, IMHO. The range of bars, restaurants, entertainment, etc, is excellent. There's plenty of room in areas such as the atrium, and we enjoyed using the facilities of the ship. The downsides - again, IMHO - are all to do with the outsides: the small balconies and the absence of a promenade deck.

So my choice would be - and indeed was - that we'd be happy with Britannia for a cruise outside summer, or to places where the weather might not be stellar and we might therefore be using the inside of the ship a lot, or even a cruise that's port-intensive - you'll be spending most of the daylight hours of the cruise off the ship. In our case we did a fjords cruise on her, which did indeed feature several days of poor weather during which our balcony door stayed shut, and during which (as is usual with a fjords cruise) there were just two sea days and four port days. I do remember the sail-out from Flam: it had been raining most of the day but as we departed the clouds rolled back and we had an amazing passage all evening as we sailed down the fjord. We were able to bag a couple of seats up in the Crow's Nest and stayed there for hours enjoying the views.

Here are a few images, of a) our main dining room; b) the atrium; c) the library; d) the crows nest; e) the epicurean; and f) lido deck.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on The Glass House, Andy. We're big fans of the concept and have enjoyed it on Ventura, Azura's and (especially) Britannia.

Interesting comments about Aurora. Of the current fleet, she's the only one we haven't cruised on. So we're putting that right next summer! - R010, a 'Discovery' cruise. Should be interesting. And then at the end of the year, just to redress the balance we're doing an English Channel cruise on Iona, just before Christmas (G028).

Amazing pictures & video of Civitavecchia! - I've never seen weather like that there. Last time we were there I think we walked

from the ship to the dock gate, and got very hot doing so.

15 minutes ago, Balaena said:

All I'm saying it's not for me and my family. Frankly I cannot see UAE protecting cruise ships and, again I would not feel very safe or happy with a naval escort sitting on the ships bow throughout my cruise.

Bal

I don't think they'd be off Oceana's bow - that would be too close to handle the threat, anyway. They'd have ships over the horizon, interceptor aircraft on high-alert standby, and ground- and air-based surveillance going on 24/7.

I've just been reading up about the UAE Armed Forces. They're about half the size of the UK's, despite the population of the UAE being a fifth of the UK's (and of that, 80% are expats). Apparently they're well-regarded, too, and they have practical experience in the Middle East - they were part of the Gulf War coalition, and they've been linked with Saudi Arabian interventions in Yemen.

So actually, I'd be happy to visit the area again - I did the Gulf cruise on Oceana this February. But each to his own, of course, and  there are plenty of cruises during our winter in other parts of the world!

Let's see what transpires after the latest incidents. So far the attacks - and we still don't have any form confirmation as to who made them - have been solely on oil tankers. The UAE very much want to promote their tourism industry, and the development of Dubai cruise port is part of that, so I would imagine that they would ensure that there would be protection for cruise ships in the region.

But as I say, let's see

One more reply  on the weather. On our Britannia cruise the weather had been improving all week. Our last port was Stavanger. After walking around the town we visited a harbour-front restaurant for lunch, and sat outside, where I got sunburned!

A couple of years later we were visiting a whisky distillery in Scotland and I found myself talking to a couple of Norwegian chaps (as you do) and I mentioned my Stavanger experience to them. One of them looked thoughtful for a moment, and then replied "You are the first, I think....."

1 hour ago, kruzseeka said:

 

Actually my reference 'to the centre' was -  quote:  'Looking at the ports Iona visits other than Bergen'.  I was making the point that the ship is docked, or tenders, in the centre of all the other ports on the itinerary - not saying it docked in the centre of Bergen.

 

 

My apologies - my misunderstanding.

1 hour ago, kruzseeka said:

With reference to Bergen - did the shuttle to the port exit drop you at a place where it was an easy 5/10 minute walk to the Bryggen?  If so, that's the berth(s) nearest the centre of Bergen (taking the Harbour, by the Bryggen as being central).  The other berth we have used have definitely needed transport to get to the centre - whether provided by the ship or not as it's too far out to walk.

According to the Bergen port site, Iona is berthing at Jekteviksterminalen 2 although it does say that these arrangements are subject to change.  

I've just had a look at the map. That 'Bontelabo' quay (2017, on Azura) is the easier one. It's on the same side of the old harbour inlet as Bryggen and Vagen, but right at the end. In fact, if you look at Google Maps, then do a Street View on the Festningskaien road (approx where the '585' tag is), you can see part of a Costa ship in the distance - that's where we were berthed that day. We walked along Festningskaien into Bryggen and the town centre.

Turning to where we berthed in 2016 on Britannia, I think that what I referred-to as the Bontelabo quay is shown on the map as 'Jetkeviken', so I reckon that's the same one that you say Iona will be berthing at. That makes sense - both Britannia & Iona are bigger than Azura, so might be more restricted in where they can berth.

As for where we had to go after that, well now that I look at the map I'm certain that the shuttle simply took us far as the dock gate! I think that's on a road called 'Torborg Nedreaas gate'. Again doing a Street View in Google Maps, if you look at the junction of that road & Bredalsmarken, there's a complicated set of pedestrian crossings, and I definitely remember that we started the walk into town by crossing them. You can obviously work out the route from there towards Bryggen, and that's what we had to do.

(This thread has wandered away from 'Americans on P&O', and apologies to Regina for that. But hopefully still vaguely relevant  and interesting.)

1 hour ago, kruzseeka said:

 

Depends on the berth in Bergen.  One is close to the Bryggen but some definitely have a shuttle to the centre.

 

[snip re. other ports]

Not sure about it being "..to the centre". Here's a link to a blog post I did in 2016 at the time of our visit on Britannia. On that occasion the shuttle bus just took us 400 yards (not 250 as I said above - apologies) to the edge of the port area, then dropped us! So I think the shuttle bus was provided by the port rather than P&O, and was purely to get passengers out of a non-pedestrian area of the docks. (P&O may have had additional services for mobility-impaired passengers, of course.)

Update: I've done some more checking and have found a difference between the arrangements in 2016  and 2017. Basically, we berthed at different places. In 2016 when on Britannia we were at the Docken quay and in 2017 (Azura) we were at the Bontelaboo quay. That may be random, but it might be that the very largest ships have to go to Docken, and I imagine that would include Iona.

12 minutes ago, daiB said:

Of the ports you will go to the only one which may be with a shuttle would be Bergen. Now, as this is compulsory to get you out of the port area it will be free for all.

Yes indeed. The last time we were there the shuttle bus took us all of about 250 yards, just to the edge of the port area! Then there was a further 10 minute walk to the Bryggen area of old Bergen.

1 minute ago, remharri said:

 

Do you know if P&O drops their prices frequently? I have a feeling that the Iona prices won't drop too much since it's a newer ship.

Oh dear - some more differences between the US and the UK, I'm afraid.

First, yes prices can go down as well as up, but - and here's the thing - the price you eventually pay will be the price you initially agreed. P&O (or indeed any other UK-based cruise line) will not reduce *your* price should prices generally fall. Some people have been known to cancel a booking (as long they're outside the 'lose your deposit' threshold), pay the cancellation charge (yes, we have those), rebook at the current lower price and save money on it. But most don't bother - the general view is "we were happy with the price we agreed to pay when we agreed to pay it, so it doesn't matter that other people may have got cheaper prices". Indeed, most early bookers make a point of not checking the current price of the cruise they've booked! - they know they'll be happier if they don't look....

Just to complicate things, there can actually be multiple prices for the same cruise on the same ship. There's Select, Early Saver & Saver. The differences between them are real, and the best thing to advise you to do is to read the P&O Booking Terms and Conditions carefully.

I'm sorry if this seems to be less than encouraging.

6 hours ago, remharri said:

 

Watching them now!

 

I got a quote finally from a TA - they are saying final payment for a July cruise 2020 is due December 6 2019. Is that normal for P&O to want their final payment over 7 months in advance?

No! In the UK, booking direct with P&O normally requires final payment to the made 13 weeks before embarkation date. Booking with a TA can stretch that out to 16 or 17 weeks beforehand. I've never heard of 7 months..... but perhaps that's because they do little business in N America.

Have you tried speaking to P&O and asking their advice on who to book with?

Have a look at posts on YouTube by ‘Sean and Stef’. They are US-based cruise enthusiasts who recently did cruises on Ventura and Azura, and have posted interesting YouTube videos/review from the viewpoints of Americans of the first cruise (so far - the second one may still be coming). Interesting stuff!

I have a feeling that the overall size of the balcony opening is smaller on C deck than on A or B decks. Have a look at the picture below - C deck is the one immediately above the life boats/tenders, and those opening appear to be smaller than on the two decks above.

Britannia under way now (11:10 pm BST), according to Marine Traffic. ETA Cherbourg 0500 tomorrow morning.