Technoman2

Thanks for your detailed opinion VillaUK im sure we are prepared to have an open mind on all aspects of the cruise and its good to know the dress code. Unfortunately the deal we are looking at does not contain any onboard credit but rather than pay gratuities i would rather go for a premium upgrade on the type of room i.e from inside to outside . We dont need a balcony as we hardly ever use it and the balcony or aqua class cabins are not in our budget range. The Aqua class being 2.5 times the cost of a standard inside cabin.

This is really helpful thanks, interesting re excursion costs. Can i just check your comment re drink packages, do you mean if we wait after booking that we may be able to book the drinks package at a discount before departure or if we book the cruise say a month before then maybe the drinks package may be on offer cheaper.

To be honest i would but in this instance the itinerary takes in not only the canaries but spain and north africa, I am a P&O shareholder and i can get £150 onboard credit for each 14 day cruise and the issue with 14 days on Azura is that she sails to madeira and back twice and its such a waste of time and becomes boring. So its either gonna be Celebrity, or P&O to the Carribean or maybe NCL around South africa and Mauritius. Worldwide travel insurance is so expensive now you have got to make use of it while you can.

Thanks for your comments Catherine, after posting these questions i had a moment of inspiration and looked on Youtube to see if there was a selection of menus and this backs up what you said but also shows some of the dishes. Im not sure about the Escargot! Hope you have a great cruise and maybe leave some feedback if you get a chance and any tips.

Hi Folks I have posted this question on the Celebrity forum but i wonder if anyone on here has had experience of both ships or even cruise lines? Hi Folks We normally sail with P&O but are considering a cruise around the canaries and Med in December on Infinity. We just fancy a change mainly of Entertainment and perhaps food options but i have a few questions which im hoping some of you may be able to help me with. Firstly my wife is a very plain eater and on the P&O ship mainly ate the roast Chicken or Steak during the cruise as there was no Pasta options in the main dining room and she doesnt eat Fish, Pork or Lamb so i just wonder what options there are on infinity in the main dining rooms. Im sure there will probably be some option she could have in the buffet but we prefer a sit down meal with service rather than the bun fight buffets sometimes are. We never use speciality restaurants. Do they have west end style shows on board as well as comedians and bands? I have read some of the reviews and it seems that the dress code is pretty informal and relaxed i.e Trousers and shirts rather than suits except maybe for formal nights, what is your experience? Are there quiet areas on the ship maybe on the promenade deck where you can sunbathe , read or listen to your own music? What are the price of shore excursions like in comparison to P&O (if you have done both) I know drinks are expensive but we dont drink a lot so the drinks package would not suit us and as they are going to charge a service charge with the drinks i would be reluctant to pay the gratuities at the end of the cruise and reading their terms and conditions this can be done the day before disembarkation, is this correct and is it a straightforward process. Thanks for any help you can offer and any links to current main dining room menus would be a great help.

Hi Folks We normally sail with P&O but are considering a cruise around the canaries and Med in December on Infinity. We just fancy a change mainly of Entertainment and perhaps food options but i have a few questions which im hoping some of you may be able to help me with. Firstly my wife is a very plain eater and on the P&O ship mainly ate the roast Chicken or Steak during the cruise as there was no Pasta options in the main dining room and she doesnt eat Fish, Pork or Lamb so i just wonder what options there are on infinity in the main dining rooms. Im sure there will probably be some option she could have in the buffet but we prefer a sit down meal with service rather than the bun fight buffets sometimes are. We never use speciality restaurants. Do they have west end style shows on board as well as comedians and bands? I have read some of the reviews and it seems that the dress code is pretty informal and relaxed i.e Trousers and shirts rather than suits except maybe for formal nights, what is your experience? Are there quiet areas on the ship maybe on the promenade deck where you can sunbathe , read or listen to your own music? What are the price of shore excursions like in comparison to P&O (if you have done both) I know drinks are expensive but we dont drink a lot so the drinks package would not suit us and as they are going to charge a service charge with the drinks i would be reluctant to pay the gratuities at the end of the cruise and reading their terms and conditions this can be done the day before disembarkation, is this correct and is it a straightforward process. Thanks for any help you can offer and any links to current main dining room menus would be a great help.

I remember posting cards in the Caribbean to the UK and it was less than 1$ and got here in 8 days.

Good idea to book early as you can always cancel the booking if not . We booked the Olive grove for 4 nights but only used it 3 times as the menu only changes once per week. Its also good to know that P&O are not using Maleth airlines anymore after the fiascos last year . Tui flights were fine and they came around 2 or 3 times with complementary drinks which are free of charge that includes alcohol etc like beer cider whisky , gin , rum, brandy and vodka. wine and i think there was prosecco.

Firstly Tom unless things have changed you can book dining rooms 14 days before and shows in the main theatre 15 days before but get in on that first day as pre bookings for The olive Grove can book quick. The main issue we had was that you could only pre book tables between 5.30pm and 6.30pm other times have to be booked on the app when the dining room opens and in some cases if you are prepared to share a table the wait is short or or you could be waiting 45 mins if you are pro active with your bookings. Again though we also found that people who just turned up at the dining room to wait for a table got seated quickly.

What Leomins says is true you have to fill in any necessary immigration info online before you go. Coming home you go back through the airport with your hand luggage which is checked through security and wait in the departure lounge which i found stifling hot despite the Big Ass fans (yes that is what they are called) so i had to change back into shorts at the airport which i had in my hand luggage just in case. As usual drinks and food not cheap at the airport.

So i guess the 14% is because Valentines Day is 14th feb and there are 28 Days in the month so 28% off wifi. Oh but wait there is 29 days this month it a leap year!

Not much between the two as they are sister ships. The only main difference is the Dome opens on Arvia. Both are lovely ships when they are not rammed FULL of passengers . Been on both and had a better experience on IONA when only two thirds full.

Been on the ship 3 times and never had any plumbing issues.

'btw - is it The Law that 1st Officers have to be Scottish?' Start worrying when he announces there are klingons on the starboard bow.😄

Im sure you will manage hahaha, i hope P&O profits dont take too much of a hit , the share price has only just started to go up☺️

Eddie would you offer it to someone else if you were T total 😆 What a nice gesture i wonder if anyone else was gifted it? You wernt one of the unlucky people who didnt get tickets for the Gary Barlow concert on a previous cruise were you. Have a lovely time we loved Iona when it was only two thirds full.

Also remember that you can book your main dining room meals 14 days before in your online account also the Olive grove. Times may be limited to between 5.30 and 6.30 pm but if you dont book you could wait an hour for a table.

Is it a case of hogwash Pugwash lol🥸 Good to know (i think)

We have been on both Marella (Spirit,Celebration, Majesty and Discovery) and P&O , (Ventura , Azura, Britannia, Iona and Arvia) . In my opinion there is not a lot of difference between the two apart from the newer P&O ships. I found the Entertainment as good on Marella as it is on P&O. I also found that some over indulged in the all inclusive on Marella and became rowdy and drunk even in the shows on Spirit. That said we also had a recent experience of that on Britannia but only an isolated incident. I have left a full review in the reviews section and have a look at it if you want and it is a fair and Honest report of our experience. I guess if its a 10th anniversary sailing you are going on they will try to make the trip more special.

Even in panoramic i could not get the full shot, sorry to disappoint🫢

As the saying goes , you snooze you lose😴

Im afraid you are wrong Simon unless they have changed the booking system. We booked all our evening meals on Iona including the Olive grove 14 days before in the online holiday planner not the APP . But you could only book times between 5.30 and 6.30pm, other times had to be booked on the day.

If you are sailing from southampton you will have to expect cold weather for around 6 days of the trip and also the possibility of rough seas in the bay of biscay. I think you have to balance the cost of what you would pay with celebrity against the cost of a P&O trip which in my opinion offers good value. If you book you can book the main dining room meals 14 days before travel and the theatre 15 days before. Iona is a lovely ship.

You will find it a lot more relaxing to have breakfast in the Dining rooms rather than the buffet but getting there before 9.30 am can be a bit tedious for some guests. Also some of the starters at dinner can be a bit small so i would ask for a ceasar salad with for example the tiger prawn starter. Also you can have bot a pudding and Cheese and biscuits if you a peckish. I particularly enjoyed the Stonebass fish fillet and the Turbet fish fillet was very nicely presented with the veg. Enjoy.

It was odd , the last few days of the cruise they served full pieces of toast from a basket in the dining room instead of the ususal half slices in a toast rack. They said it was an experiment. Perhaps one slice less for evey customer or reduce the weight the ship is carrying getting rid of toast racks. Have a good trip in Feb