nosapphire

In a real emergency your travelling companion may not be permitted to go looking for you. Last thing any ship wants in an emergency is everybody running about looking for other people.

I'll agree with the above points - even the local open-top tour bus and trolley trains take card. IF you think you will need a small amount of currency, you can usually buy it on the ship (from Reception). The "buy" rate is usually reasonable, and Reception are always happy to help.

Although - in a real emergency, people can often surprise themselves with how much ability they suddenly discover to get themselves out of trouble. Not because they don't have genuine problems, just because adrenaline can sometimes override everything else. Now - hand washing and sanitiser. Infringements of people's right to spread germs, that is.🤢

I haven't been able to understand the Captain's comments on the last 2 cruises. One had a thick accent (Franko Papic), the other apparently mumbled (Darin Bowland). As both were perfectly legible face-to-face, suspect that it may have been a speaker system problem.Was not of much concern to me, as pretty sure that if it was an announcement that I needed to hear, it would be made clearly and repeated clearly. Incidentally, as a committed carnivore, on the last cruise (Discovery) one MDR dinner option was a roasted vegetable loaf (vegan). DH and I tried it. Absolutely delicious. Not pretending to be a meat substitute/sausage/burger - just chopped compressed roasted vegetables. Clever chefs, on Saga, catering for all.

And what's the betting that crew time will be taken up convincing the minority cohort that this is an order, not a suggestion, so no, you cannot stay to watch the action.

It's a difficult/confusing situation all round. Difficult for the passenger who may not be fully mobile (applies to a lot of us) but is certain that they can reach a muster station unaided in the event of evacuation. Very difficult for the cruise line, who have to decide how many passengers will need help in an emergency (just think of the headlines if there was an emergency and they had so many passengers needing assistance they could not get them off in time). I agree that it does seem reasonable for a line to think that if a passenger intends to use a wheelchair on board, then they may need emergency assistance. As many others have already said, it really comes down to when P&O knew that a passenger was intending to have a wheelchair on board, and, if they knew at/near the time of booking why they have taken so long to react.

re-reading the post, the OP seems to say that they do not NEED a wheelchair to move around the ship, but it makes their life more comfortable. The OP has also said that they would be able to make their own independent way to the muster station in the event of an emergency, so do not require an evacuation chair. I sometimes need a walking stick ashore because of a weak leg. I do not use it on the ship, but provided the stairs have handrails I can get up and down 10 decks or so totally unaided and fairly briskly.I have not booked with P&O since starting to use the stick, but it sounds as if I would also be told that I need one-to-one for evacuation assistance. It does sound as if the new mobility rules are causing problems for people who are in-betweenies - i.e., not disabled, but not fully fit either. Let's hope the OP manages to get a satisfactory resolution - and comes back to let us know what happens.

(After I post this, I'm not coming back for a while as I know I'll get shot down for it). Reading some of the comments on this long running thread, it seems that specific alcoholic drinks are so important to some people that I wonder whether their health could be vastly improved by 2 weeks making do without any alcohol. Sorry. I'm off now.🙃

My understanding is that a hold for a certain amount is placed on the card when you register it with the ship. No money is collected from you, it simply reduces the amount of credit available to you. At the end of the cruise, the actual amount owing is collected by the ship from the card and any hold is released. It can take a few days for the card company to update (same as a credit back onto your card from a retailer always seems to take longer than a debit to be actioned). An actual charge appearing, or a pending transaction suddenly appearing, several days after leaving the ship points more to an error from the cruise line. Maybe somebody has accidentally re-activated the original holds. I'd notify the card company in the first instance.

Glad to hear that after the initial hiccups you seem to be off to a good start. You may have been unlucky with your car, as I have problems with high steps into people carriers, and in both cases when I could not get in the driver dug under his seat and produced a step-stool to get me in. I can sympathise about Portsmouth - not a good place for people with any leg problems. Hope the rest of the cruise (including the return journey) carries on in the best possible way for you.

That is one of the very positive aspects of Saga - being able to do so much over the 'phone with a helpful person on the other end (Freephone, as well).

P&O is a business. It has to make a profit to continue being a business. The level of profut it can make is determined by many things - including the customer. If the customer is willing to pay, then they can keep their profit margins. If the customer is not willing to pay, and goes elsewhere, then they have to reduce their profit margins. If they get reduced too much - then the business ceases to exist. Most of us book (whoever we book with) for the experience itself, and while we may grumble sometimes about the cost, it is the experience itself that matters - and if we (a) can actually afford it, and (b) enjoy it, then the cost itself is not very important. So comparisons are not really possible - how do you compare one person's enjoyment with another person's enjoyment?

Excellent news, enjoy your cruise.

Not wanting to be a pessimist, but your baby is definitely up-to-date with whooping cough vaccinations? This is one of many things that start off with the same symptoms as a cold - the majority of times it is just a cold (babies immune systems are very busy developing) but I really would speak to your GP - forget all the "I don't think it's urgent" bit and insist on behalf of your baby. Mush better to feel embarrassed about making a fuss than to later wish you had made a fuss.

Wow. 'tis a real eye-opener to realise how important specific brands/types of alcohol can be. A thread started 4.5 days ago, over 300 posts already. This is even better than the Saga page thread with people finding it a deal breaker that there was no coffee barista on board. Now - why do I think of that advert with somebody packing tins of bhis favourite baked beans...?

I think Noro is always everywhere, it's just that it gets noticed(and reported) more when on a cruise. I wonder what the "level" was on the Saga ship (Adventure) last December - they removed pretty much everything touchable that could be removed, what was left was scrubbed almost continuously. No hard covers on any menus, all single use paper sheets. Salt&pepper grinders on tables replaced by single-use sachets. No books, no launderette,no games - even the shop was closed. Enforced hand washing (not gel - soap and water washing) every restaurant, even on return to ship. Tour coaches/shuttle bus fumigated each trip (drivers looked a bit startled). I was quite sanguine about it all until I realised the ping-pong table was also folded up and put away. 😢 (I understand the next cruise was fine, no problems - so obviously it all worked.

If it's any consolation, similar thing happens on other lines too. All cruise lines rely on their Port Agents, who in turn rely on their chosen tour operators. Nowadays, nobody seems to double check, just assuming that the description given is accurate. Not unusual topre-book a ship's tour for a specific destination, get on board and find a letter in the cabin saying tour cancelled because the specific destination is closed on that day. Laugh or cry - evidently nobody looked at the day the ship would be in port.🙄 I have been on a ship's tour where it turned out that it was impossible to do all the promised actions supposedly included in the tour, simply because the time allowed was not long enough (needed at least another hour to fit it all in). (Got a full refund on that, by arguing that the tour itself was "not as described".)

Possibly. I do know that I have complained about this on each questionnaire. Interesting, when the mid-cruise ship questionnaire comes out, mention anything to do with food and you get an immediate response from the Exec chef to find out how they can help, mention anything to do with cabin and "Mr Fixit" arrives within the hour to have a look and get it fixed. Mention anything to do with excursion information(lack of) = total silence. On the final cruise questionnaire, when reaching the "information from Explore Ashore team", sad to say they now get a 2 (or less) rating from me.

I wondered whether it was because some of the guest entertainers are on cheap/free deals and not all-inclusive. Asking for cabin number would bring up guest details and enable billing. I am quite happy to book and pay online (via home desktop computer) but find it much, much easier to read a printed brochure - especially when two of us are trying to decide which, if any, excursions to book. And if I had to try and read details on a 'phone or even a tablet, I probably would not even bother. Keep meaning to ask Saga which deluded soul thought that putting a map on the TV screen and suggesting people take a photo on their phone for shore use was a good idea. Apart from the fact that even on the TV one has to scroll down to get the whole map, the ship location is rarely, if ever, shown - and our last map was entirely in Spanish.

Could have been worse... Colleague of mine, he and his wife booked a villa in Florida with another couple. Arranged shared taxi to the airport. Taxi arrived at 2nd couples home. "Won't be a mo, nearly finished packing...." then: "Now - passports....... Just a sec...." They did, by a miracle, make the flight, and by an even bigger miracle stayed friends.

What was that old saying? "Comparisons are odious". No single company can be described as "better" - they all have good points and weak points, and even these are subjective. One person may consider a particular aspect as a drawback, the next think it a bonus. My opinion, the higher prices on some lines are for rather more than just included this,that or the other - for a higher payment I expect good service throughout, including pre-cruise queries, and reliable help if things go wrong at any stage. But - what people pay, who they cruise with is always individual choice. And long may that continue.

Our last river cruise was with Titan (owned by Saga). Received pick-up time 10:10 the day prior to departure. Queried this, and were told it was actually 22:10. Queried why we needed to be collected the day before to make a 93 mile trip to join a coach departing at 07:00 (for Eurotunnel crossing 08:39). Mmm. Pick up changed to 03:35 on the day of departure. The car transfer was, in the end, fine. Less said about the rest of it, the better.

That, alas, can be one of the downsides of many lifestyle choices (not just food related) - restricting spontaneity. The buffet will cater for the majority, and I suspect that many people would find butterless vegetables rather bland. As vegans are still a minority customer, I think it may be some time before the larger mainstream lines consider it worthwhile to routinely offer vegan food that has not been specially requested. It does not help that there is frequently a lot of confusion about the difference between vegan and vegetarian, so food suitable for vegetarians gets offered as vegan. Maybe find some vegan forums - I am sure I saw one which was discussing various cruise lines and how they rated for "proper" vegan food.

I think you will find that they ARE made without dairy for those who are lactose intolerant. Fortunately I have no food allergies or special requirements, but I have shared enough cruise ship tables with those who have (allergies and specific dietary requirements, such as low-salt meals). The system seems to be: Declare the requirements when booking - and make sure it is noted on the paperwork. Redeclare after boarding. Speak to the MaitreD and waiters. Each evening, the next day's menus are brought out for those with specific needs and possibilities are discussed. The selected meals are noted for next day. Next day, the passenger asks the waiter to confirm the meal brought to them is the meal that has been made to specific requirements. The system is time consuming for all involved (not least the kitchen staff) but my observations are that it works very well. I would expect that somebody on a strict vegan (not vegetarian) diet would follow the same procedure and be catered for accordingly. Asking for a vegan meal (or a low salt meal, or a dairy free meal) AFTER the food has been prepared is naive at best.

Yes, the majority of people CAN eat vegan dishes - but not all CHOOSE to do so. Likewise, the majority of vegans CAN eat non-vegan food - but CHOOSE not to do so. The only people who have no choice about boycotting certain foods are those with allergies or serious intolerances - comparing vegan requirements with somebody who is lactose intolerant is disengenious.