EM35

On Aurora August 2022 there was a P&O shuttle in Tromso, it dropped us off in a carpark near a shopping mall but I can't remember the exact location I'm afraid.

I think so yes but am not 100% sure. I just know I tried to move a booking but because the new cruise I wanted started before the one I had booked ended I couldn't do it.

The other thing to think about is that the deposit can only be transferred to a cruise that has a later start date than the original one that is booked.

Officially, self-disembarkation happens first. You haven't specified but, assuming Iona since you are going to the Fjords, self-disembarkation has been between 7:30 and 8:15 on my last two Iona cruises. However, it has generally been possible to get off before this. I've found self-disembarkation busier on Iona than any of the other ships due to the often younger demographic, although I do only travel during the holidays. After self-disembarkation time, everyone is supposed to go to their allocated meeting points and be disembarked in groups. I have never tried to self-disembark after the allocated time to advice if this is possible but you no longer have to show your disembarkation papers as you did years ago when leaving the ship.

There are lots of videos on Youtube which show what a cabin is like on that deck. Iona and Arvia both have the same format so videos on either are good. This one is a good place to start if you haven't found some already. Having been on Iona twice now in all honesty it isn't a deck I would want to be on but it is a convenient location. If you are bidding to upgrade can you do so by cabin grade so you can check the deck plan to make sure the cabin is not near an entertainment venue if this is your concern? Sorry I can't be any more help.

For people’s information: arrived on TUI in Malta this morning and bags didn’t need to be collected at the airport as they were brought straight to the ship. Bag has arrived at the room with no problems but needed to put P&O luggage tag on before handing bag over in Manchester. There was a sign in the airport that said this was just for those arriving on TUI all other airlines had to collect bags in the airport. Thought it might be interesting as I don’t think this has happened in Malta for the last few years but please correct me if I am wrong.

@carlanthony24 thank you for the information and prompt reply.

Appreciate this is last minute but I am flying to Malta tomorrow to board Azura. As I am on a TUI charter flight I can only check-in at the airport but it has only just occurred to me about what they will want to see in order for me to check-in. I have printed my P&O boarding pass and have the flight details email on my phone. Is there something else I should have ready? Many thanks for any help

They deliver a luggage label to your room with the details about where to meet the coach to the airport and what time etc the day before departure. Each flight - airport and time as there are numerous flights going to some airports - has a different coloured luggage tag, with the relevant information. Once you've put the tag on your bag, there is a part you keep youself - I'm assuming in case the bag gets lots they can track it. Hope this makes sense.

When the bookings open online, it tells you who is going to be performing so yes you can see before you book your actual tickets.

On our return flight from Malta last year, we were on a scheduled Jet2 flight put out our bags on the last night and saw them again at Newcastle airport. On the way out we did have to collect them in the airport and then take them to the coach where they were put in a box truck and we next saw them outside our cabin.

Thanks for this. Sounds like it is better to be safe than sorry.

Thanks, it does say check-in opens 3 and a half hours before but was hoping I wouldn't actually need to be there that early. Fly with Jet2 to Malta last year from Newcastle, checked-in online and took no more than 20 minutes to check bags and get through security at 4 am. Thanks again for your reply.

Can anyone advise what time to get to Manchester airport to check-in for a TUI charter flight to Malta? The flight is at 6am from Terminal 2. It is during the school holidays if this may make any difference. Thank you

Usually have to be out of cabins by 8am at the latest.

Lifts were certainly seemed busy on boarding day and I tended to notice queues when events finished but as I generally use the stairs I don't know how long they took to disperse unfortunately. I didn't ever struggle to find a seat anywhere apart from the Club House.

We do break up on the 22nd March so some authorities may be the same. I was on Iona last week which was February half term for lots of places. As I work in a school I can only travel during the holidays so just accept it was busy but and there was certainly places to sit and relax away from the noise of children. The place I found most problematic was the small soft play area in the Club House (I'm sure it wasn't there when I was on Iona in 2023). The children were very loud playing in there on occasion and it didn't effect some of the performances in there I felt. There seemed to be lots of teens congregating on the stairwells and the late night buffet, who could be loud at times. It was certainly busy and the often shows were showing as sold out but there always seemed to be seats available at the ones I went to. There were people standing at the Sky Dome performances. The Quays was always busy but seemed to deal with the queues well. The worst issue I had was spending 30 minutes getting back onboard in Bremenhaven but I suspect this was due to it being a last minute port change. Hope this is useful, and please ask if you have any other questions, but I am sure you will have a great time.

I've never done it, and don't know if it still stands on all ships, but for my upcoming Iona cruise the 'holiday checklist' email they send says you can link your booking with your travelling group via the Contact Centre. I assume his would then help with bookings in the MDR etc.

I agree, I was on Aurora's Baltic cruise in August and the only place we didn't stop was two ports in Denmark due to the weather. A great ship and a great cruise which I would highly recommend.

The P&O app isn't actually an app; it is a webpage that can only be accessed via the ship wifi once onboard, or in some cases from the terminal using the digits on your room card or boarding pass. You download your boarding pass and luggage labels from My P&O cruises (https://my.pocruises.com/mycruise/login) using your booking reference once you have checked in, which is open 21 days before your cruise. You need your passport details, a photo and payment card to be able to check-in. Hope this helps.

The initial email I received when I emailed carnivalshares and they directed me towards Stockperks said that this was a trial. So, it may be the case that they are not asking all applications to go through the app at this stage hence why some people seem to have been able to apply through the email address.

A 7 day pass on Azura from the 28th March 2024 (Valetta and around Greece) is showing on my cruise personalise as £169 per person. This is a school holiday cruise so I don't know if that effects the price. If you look under the spa tab and then relaxation areas the price may be there depending on when you cruise.

I think it has always been a fact that you needed evidence dated within 3 months to receive OBC as, like Molecrochip said earlier in the thread, this is to stop people getting the benefit and selling their shares. Which company were your shares purchased through? I have mine through Halifax and just log in via my online banking; take a screenshot and then redact the information they don't need before sending the screenshot to P&O (or now Stocksperk).

A final point about this process. As I have another cruise booked for March, I yesterday applied for the OBC via Stocksperk within 12 hours I have received confirmation from Stocksperk to say the OBC credit has been applied and an updated booking confirmation from P&O. Therefore, although the initial process took just over a week it would appear subsequent applications could be much quicker.

I book direct with P&O not through a TA so this may be why the process happened so quickly. I hope you get everything sorted.