GSPG

What and cleaning the cabin yourself! 😄 Don’t tell P&O that, they’ll do away with all the cabin staff.

Sorry, before you have even booked the cruise? Just went onto the site to login and it asks for a booking reference number. Thanks

Thanks

Interesting though this thread has raised issues over general cleanliness. On Iona last Autumn on a Canaries cruise, my daughter had crew in her cabin 3 times to try and clear dark hairs from the carpet that were there as she entered the cabin of her first day. Despite 3 attempts, the hairs were still there. In fact, I don’t know how but there was even more dark hair by the end of two weeks, and not hers. Just what equipment do they have?

Agree with most of this. I was on Iona for a Canaries Cruise last Autumn. There were a number of families on there who ‘reserved’ beds by the pools first thing, and basically treated the pool like a big bath for the rest of the day. Anyone who dared entered the pool was subject to intimidation, and soon left. I did see an altercation between a head of one of the families and members of staff, and other guests. There are reviews from last year titled “Butlin’s at Sea”, and also suspect P&O are attracting families who would normally spend two weeks wollowing around a pool in the Med. I think they want a mixture of everyone. Heck they are building ships which have gone from 3,000 to 6,000 capacity, so have to fill them! Personally I wonder who these bigger ships are for, I feel Britannia is better than Iona and laid out better in a number of areas. FWIW, away from the pool the children on Iona looked bored out of their heads, there wasn’t much for them to do, and suspect a number of families won’t return on another cruise and go back to two weeks on land. And as for class, on the whole most guests to me behave very well. You get the few percent who for whatever reason think they are better like in many areas of life, but in truth they have absolutely no class.

Thanks davectter.

Without much knowledge about shares, do these Carnival shares pay dividends as well?

Thanks Brian.

Sorry Brian, I bank with Barclays and have an online account. What’s the easiest way to purchase Carnival shares, call the Bank or can it be done online myself perhaps? I’m living off my DC pension so have a number of different investments in it I ‘rely’ on to provide my income. Can Carnival shares be included in this, or are the shares quite different to pension investments? Again, sorry for the questions. Thanks

I had the same feelings for bingo on an Iona Cruise to the Med last Autumn. The headline was the chance to win £5k (that’s if you called full house before 45 balls were drawn, which no one did). My guesstimate was they or whoever were taking in £5k in total with around £900 being paid out in winnings, so not a bad earner for the organiser’s! But, I don’t go to bingo halls and suspect the money taken in these to what is actually paid out is no different, perhaps? So if that’s the case, it seems like ‘business as usual’ and regulars know the usual outcome, but they get their ‘bingo fix’ if they are having withdrawal symptoms! I didn’t like the way it’s all mechanised or automated. They knew what card was the winner by calling out the unique reference number on it for each game. I did laugh on one occasion where someone called full house on the 42nd ball drawn, and you could see what looked like panic on the caller’s face, like it can’t be true. It wasn’t, the full house caller was just mucking around, but for those brief moments it seemed the audience had gained the upper hand.

Happy days!

Thanks Brian. We are hoping to do quite a number of P&O cruises in future, so it seems like a no brainer really to buy enough of these shares. Should pay for themself in time.

Thanks So how are they aware you have them? Do you have phone them before/after you have booked a sailing? Thanks

Sorry, first I have heard of this. Does this mean you can buy 100 shares and be eligible for extra OBC for EVERY cruise thereafter you take in future with P&O if you hold onto the shares? Thanks

Not sure what this link is all about. And choosing the biased god awful BBC isn’t the best source. I’m sure many on here, myself included have altered themselves slightly depending on the audience around them.

Thanks goodclicks. I asked to be enlightened for my understanding on what I saw was double standards, and now I have. Just sorry you had that experience before. Just shows from my post above that there are certain element judging people. I expect from my attire on occasions it’s not up there with the elite, and can feel a ‘we are better than you’ on occasions. Have a brilliant trip in May.

Thanks scottish ed. My concern if you like for these meetings was rather different than people meeting for hobbies etc. On one hand I saw people who want diversification and inclusion, but on the other hand want to raise their heads above the parapet and highlight that they are different in some way. I was suggesting nowadays rather than having the stigma so to speak, just to get on, feel included without prejudice with all other guests as we literally are all on the same boat together. Why try raising being different profile where you have an opportunity to blend in and just interact with everyone else for a week or two. As you say however this is about preferring to spend time with people you have something in common with. When you think about ‘differences’ in people, an observation from my end are those who have that snobbery about them, or feel entitled in some way and look down their nose at you. Those are ones I try to avoid with the smug, judging faces on them. Perhaps it’s these are the ones who make people feel uncomfortable? I wish you a brilliant time scottish ed.

Telling me to jog on, I am interested. What makes them so ‘special’?

Sorry I have absolutely no animosity towards gays, but why is there a need for this gathering? It seems double standards to me where gays complain when they are singled out, but I would have thought it would be better just to ‘blend in’ with others on the ship. When it comes to diversity etc, they say they want to be included with everyone else, but at the same time have an event(s) like this that excludes other people, or do many straights attend. It seems a bit hypocritical to me. I don’t know, it would be good to get on a ship and be free of politics, religion, race even diversity and treat all fellow guests the same for that short period of time we are together, and just enjoy the sights, sounds and food that come our way. Perhaps it’s an age thing, but can someone enlighten me where my thoughts are wrong.

🤞🤞

I was more of the mind of ‘stray’ missiles. Think Poland had a hit which killed a couple of people, and Poland appears further away ‘from the action’ than Estonia.

Thanks terrierjohn. Would you know if the noise from certain areas is that bad? Surely if it was the rooms affected may or should be sound proofed in some way?

Thanks showingdiva. That’s what I thought that extra money goes a long towards another cruise. Surely accommodation they put you isn’t going to be that terrible?

Sorry as there probably a number of threads on Saver v Select Prices. The cruise I am looking at on Britannia, the Saver entices you in at £1,798 for two people for a standard balcony. The select price then wants to add a whopping £1,380 on top bringing the total to £3,178 for two. Granted you get £480 per cabin to spend and the other extras like booking your own room, priority dining etc choosing the Select option. But I was wondering just how big a gamble would it be to take the saver rate. I assume in the first instance they can’t downgrade you to a Fully Obstructed balcony as you specified and went in for the standard balcony? Are there ‘bad’ standard balcony rooms on Britannia that could spoil your holiday?

Good to hear everyone. Just don’t want to hear one of one of those ‘whoops, sorry’ moments.