9265359

1 hour ago, waddle said:

You should be fine other than the day/nights at sea.

And now there is an alternative to the ship's wifi for that - https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/information-technology/telenor-and-red-bull-unite-to-offer-affordable-maritime-data-packages

And to add to the above comments -

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) doesn't count the days for the 90/180 rule. It is a travel authorisation system to check that you are not a 'bad' person before you arrive. The system to apply for ETIAS will be made available six months after EES is operational. https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

It is EES (Entry Exit System) that will count the days for the 90/180 rule and although it was due to launch in November this year after many years of delay it didn't because it still wasn't ready and there is still no firm launch date. https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en

On 11/13/2024 at 3:18 PM, Bin man said:

September 2026 cruise cancelled .They have cancelled the canaries cruise and split it into two 7 day fjords cruises

Sales / profit?

September is a non-school holiday period and is also not deep enough into winter that people are seeking some sun so sales might be low unless they discount.

Plus I would expect 7 day cruises to be more profitable than 14 day cruises, as people will often spend more onboard per night over a week - and you can't sell any excursions on the sea days which there are more of on a Canaries cruise.

And additionally a fjord cruise likely attracts a slightly more 'well heeled' customer than a 'bucket and spade' Canaries cruise, so charge more for the fares.

Why do it now after it went on sale - were there similar cruises this year, and have they just seen the numbers.

On 11/28/2024 at 3:20 AM, drew69 said:

Here is the site for the EU ETIAS. https://etias.com/

That's a fake site, and this is the official site - https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Do you pack a cube for every day?

One for every stop. Unpack that cube and leave the rest packed, then when moving on repack that cube. The clothes in the cubes that remain packed stay surprisingly uncreased.

12 hours ago, jh1809 said:

not to mention repeatedly having to repack and unpack.

Not if you use packing cubes.

18 hours ago, daddyslittle girl said:

any thoughts on weather ?

You are looking at high 30's (over 100F) in the shade, and in many places there will be no shade, just the heat reflecting off all the stone buildings.

Don't, just don't.

On 11/21/2024 at 10:49 AM, jh1809 said:

The big drawback of hotels compared to cruise ships is that they resolutely insist on staying in one location throughout one's visit.

On the other hand...

The big drawbacks of cruise ships compared to hotels is that they resolutely insist on arriving at a location at peak time for crowds and then leave again in the afternoon, depriving you of that lovely part of the day when the sun has dropped and the heat is receding and you can sit with a drink enjoying the view.

On 11/21/2024 at 10:49 AM, jh1809 said:

For me, the big attraction of cruising is not so much the facilities as the itineraries.

True, but these days it isn't exactly hard to move between locations. With the world's bus/train/ferry timetables and booking at your fingertips, it isn't like the old days when catching a train or a bus in a foreign location was rather a game of chance.

13 hours ago, Ferndale Girl said:

Does anyone know where the shuttle bus that you can pay for on the cruise ships let you off? 

It depends on the cruise line, but many drop off on Av Arriaga on the street between the Marina Shopping Centre and the Santander Bank - https://maps.app.goo.gl/C5KUgxdHQ75szH387

13 hours ago, janny444 said:

but as soon as a zilch hygiene passenger boards with the virus you are soon going to be back to square one

Why are you assuming that the virus is being brought onboard at the start of every single cruise by the passengers, and that it hadn't remained onboard in one of the crew members?

The issue is not a single cruise that has been infected, but ships have have been infected for months across many many cruises.

If your assumption is that passengers are bringing it onboard is correct, for those ships where it has been present on every cruise for months, then on every single cruise there must have been a passenger bringing it onboard.

But why are those infected people only sailing on P&O since other cruise companies don't have the same issue of ships being repeatedly infected time after time so it is present continuously for months?

Does it mean that the P&O ships that have been experiencing this issue for months on end are just awfully unlucky in getting an infected passenger on every cruise, or is the more likely answer that the virus was already onboard when the new set of passengers boarded.

1 hour ago, d9704011 said:

I'm sure there are plenty of people contracting bugs while on coach tours, airplanes, conferences, etc....

Are there? That isn't my experience or the experience of anyone I know.

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

Maybe because it takes time for the virus to "kick in" and you are not on the coach or plane for long before you embark. 

And maybe it is healthy passengers joining a ship where the noro virus is present.

Alternative 1 - Every week the cruise ship is unlucky enough to have sufficient infected passengers join that it causes an outbreak over the whole ship; or

Alternative 2 - The cruise ship is infected with noro (crew and b2b passengers) and those passengers joining contract it.

It would be a damn unlucky cruise ship for alternative 1 to happen week after week after week, which is what has happened recently with P&O where noro has set in for months on some ships.

10 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

It happens everywhere, not just ships.

It doesn't happen "everywhere" and most people going about their daily lives are not likely to catch noro.

It happens in places where there are people in close contact for long periods and where there is insufficient hygiene.

A cruise ship meets that first criteria, and the issue is how to mitigate that with sufficient hygiene. And that is the question - is the cruise company doing enough to do that - and it isn't enough to just pass the buck and say passengers are not using the gel enough, the gel which doesn't kill noro anyway.

3 hours ago, sunfan03 said:

Thoughts?

Personally I would be buying a single ticket from Seattle to Lisbon via London and then if the connection isn't made because of delays anywhere, then it is the airline's problem and not yours.

16 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

or what the consequences for schools, hospitals, workplaces, future cruising, etc will be if the passengers win their case.

The consequences for cruise companies - perhaps they will up their game and actually take more proactive steps to prevent infection, rather than just continue with the obviously ineffective measures they do at the moment.

16 hours ago, carlanthony24 said:

Love to know where the passengers had been before getting on a coach, train, plane to get to the ship.

Oddly it is incredibly rare for someone travelling on a coach, train, or aircraft to catch noro, but it seems to have become far more likely that someone travelling on a cruise ship does.

Now if the catching of noro is to be attributed to someone bringing it onboard then it seems very very odd that transmission of that virus only takes place when the persons feet are floating on water, and does not take place whilst they are on land or in the air...

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Of course demand is good, however it's the exact reason that people like the OP are paying the high price you expressed surprise at.  

If demand to pay high prices was that good, then they wouldn't need to fill the ships (outside the Christmas period) at the cheap prices!

2 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

And bargain basement is your phrase, not one I have ever used abut P&O.

It is my phrase, and that is how I think of them - a cheap and cheerful brand that offers good value for money, provided that is you didn't pay a lot of money.

42 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It's what it costs, he accepted that others apparently not so willing to understand why he paid it.

It isn't so much not 'willing' to understand, as simply not being able to understand.

I perfectly understand why people accept the level of P&O service when the price is at the right level, as that is what I do. What is hard to understand is why people are willing to accept that same level of service (or actually worse since it will be a full Christmas cruise with people with high expectations) for a far far higher price.

But I ought to be happy that such people exist as they subsidise the cruises that I take!

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

We have an American company openly stating demand is good

Demand is good.

Demand from people who are prepared to pay a high price to secure a specific cabin, and demand from people who wait and choose to pay a very low price.

And on P&O, all those people receive exactly the same service.

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

However, the prices that some people quote make me wonder why they are spending that sort of money on P&O when for the same money (or less) they could be on Cunard or even in some cases Saga!

Exactly.

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

but the fact is P&O are very often not the "cheap" date we are led to believe by posters on here.  

No, the fact is that an awful lot of the cabins are sold very cheaply, but some of the cabins are sold at very high prices.

The question is why are people prepared to pay those high prices, given that they will be receiving exactly the same service onboard that those who have paid the cheap prices will be getting.

If I had paid £40 a night for accommodation, food, and entertainment (once deducting the flight cost from the fare) then it would take an awful lot to make me unhappy.  

However I find it absolutely incredible that someone who paid £5k for a suite will be sat in the same virtual queue for a table in the restaurant as someone who paid £500 for an inside cabin - and really question why you would pay that knowing you would end up in that situation.

Sure on UK sailings then some people won't have much of a choice but to use P&O if they can't fly, but on fly cruises?

4 minutes ago, room with a view said:

An d this doesn't include the drinks package

So £10k then for a couple of weeks on P&O? Your money, your choice, but it wouldn't be mine.

5 minutes ago, room with a view said:

but £720 on board spending money

Ah the old - give us £720 and we will give you back £720 but only in a form you can spend onboard.

4 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

and good service doesn't have to cost much. 

But it costs, and P&O sells its product on price - they are selling a fly cruise to the Canary Isles including flights for £499 for a week - £499!!!

Do you really think there is a lot of capacity in that price for staffing the telephones for people who want to call rather than use online?

8 minutes ago, room with a view said:

I guess Christmas / New Year £7248.00 for 2 is "bargain basement "  Tenerife - Tenerife and we are in a balcony cabin not a suite  .

Christmas is Christmas, but even then that seems an absurdly high price to pay, particularly for P&O.

14 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Personally I would rather pay a bit more and have better service.

Then perhaps the option isn't to use the Carnival Corp 'bargain basement' brand but to use one of their many brands that charges a higher price!

2 hours ago, chrisib284 said:

Is it possible to get a tour from Santa Cruz

Unlikely as there are few tourists staying in Santa Cruz, thus the tours tend to operate with pick up points from the resorts in the south of the island or from Puerto de la Cruz.

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Funny that the Usenet has never gone away

Usenet has not gone away because it has found a use by those who 'sail the high seas'...

15 hours ago, Zeg said:

We still can!

Travel for 90 in 180 days, yes.

Travel for over 90 days, or live, or work - nope, not without a visa and significant expense.

15 hours ago, Zeg said:

With respect and to stay on thread

Exactly, and as the questions was about whether the cruise would count towards the 90 days then they are obviously concerned about that limit.

15 hours ago, Zeg said:

Opinions have been made

They certainly have.

15 hours ago, Zeg said:

but an absolute answer is not in our gift

I would suggest the absolute answer sits in the EU law derived from the Schengen rules, and there is a vast difference between being 'legal' and not being found to be 'illegal' because of the absence of checks.

3 hours ago, Zeg said:

so Shengen rules were ignored by the EU for a non Schengen country (U.K.) before Brexit, but now they're no longer ignored.

Nope.

The Schengen rules are common rules that apply to all the countries in Schengen, whether they are EU counties or not.

However those Schengen rules could not, and still cannot, overrule the rights of EU citizens from countries that were not part of Schengen. Hence the citizens of Ireland and Cyprus (and the UK before Brexit) and their families could freely travel, live, and work in the EU irrespective that their home countries were not part of Schengen.

The majority of the population of the UK chose to give up that right and to join the ranks of the third countries subject to those checks when they decided to leave the EU and then chose a government that set its stall against negotiating a status such that Norway or Switzerland have which would have avoided such checks.

On 10/26/2024 at 12:08 PM, Zeg said:

Also, UK was never in the Shengen area before Brexit.

Neither is Ireland or Cyprus, and in both cases its citizens are not troubled by these changes at all.

And importantly for some people the issue only impacts GB and not the UK as a whole, as those in born in Northern Ireland (or have a parent or grandparent born on the island of Ireland) can choose to have an Irish EU passport if they wish.

On 10/26/2024 at 12:08 PM, Zeg said:

Nothing has changed apart from the way the EU have decided to treat U.K. passport holders.  

The EU decided nothing of the sort.

The decision came from the majority of the UK wanting to have its citizens be treated by the EU as third country citizens and to have to follow the rules that every other third country citizen has to.

16 hours ago, dodger1964 said:

We are going to take bus from Victoria to Southampton for cruise on December 27, 2024 and this thread is very helpful.

 

The bus was around 70 pounds all in for the 3 of us.

The train would have been closer to 170 pounds!

Nope, £48 for the three of you on the train -