bobstheboy

I am asking advice reference disembarking at an earlier port.

Specifically I am thinking of booking the Armonia, Las Palmas 14 night Canary Island cruise, departing 6th December, but would want to leave the ship a day earlier (19th) in Tenerife. I can phone customer services but do not trust them to give the right answer after reading some of the experiences on here. Tenerife is used as a transit port so I cannot see any problem.

Our last two cruises on the Ventura, late bookings, were Any Time Dining, allocated on board, so I would say that is the most likely as two restaurants are allocated.

Tables for two are available and we always managed to get one.

Would help if we knew the ship.

Bernards tours in St Martin are very good, did one a couple of weeks ago ! Google online.

Yes agree - not keen on cruising from Southampton as on a typical 2 week trip you have 2-3 days each end with what can be dodgy weather - far better to fly to the sun and pick up ship there, but each to their own

Totally agree and we have done four from Southampton. When you add on the cost of travel, hotels and parking it isn't cheap and although we have been lucky with the weather in June and September, it isn't good in November :eek:

Is the Bay of Biscay always rough? I know it's famous for having particularly rough seas, but is that just during storms?

 

We were looking at a Western Med cruise next year, but don't much fancy getting bounced around for a couple of days!

Short answer is no.

I have been through the English Channel, North Sea and even the Med when it has been bad in a storm. Luck of the draw, can be like a Mill Pond, or Force 10 :eek:

I don't fancy ever cruising from Southampton because of that 2 or 3days before you get anywhere, and of course the dreaded Bay of Biscay. Having said that, we are also on the cruise from Malaga to the Caribbean and I'm sure the Atlantic will compare with the Bay of Biscay! It will be hot when we sail off though.

I have never had a bad crossing from the Canaries to the Caribbean. Nothing like the Bay, which I have crossed many times (ex RN). I spent two years on a survey ship crossing from the African coast to the Caribbean and back. Took us three weeks each way and was usually very good.

We did a Canary Island cruise from Southampton last November. First two days out and last two days back the weather kept us below decks, so never again.

We have done several repo cruises from the med to the Caribbean and we are on the Ventura on Wednesday for another one. So far we have had very good weather for the crossing because you start heading west by the Canary Islands, a warm start.

If you know what you are facing and accept it fine, to expect to be sunbathing before day four, forget it.

Last minute deal with no single supplements !!!

Preziosa Venice to Brazil, 19 nights, 8th November, including flights

£799 inside. £899 outside. £999 balcony

After all the dialogue regarding lack of single supplements, they must be struggling to sell this cruise.

We are very happy early bookers too as we like to choose the dining and cabins etc :)

 

I would like to add that i book direct with P&O and I am very internetsavvy. It is a matter of choice, not ignorance of what is around on the internet.

 

Am I of a certain age? I dunno, what age do I have to be to qualify?

LOL

I should add that I am certainly "of a certain age" but very computer literate.

How can you possibly say that? Have you asked them all. I know loads of people who book early and we and they are totally happy with the price. If I wasn't I wouldn't book it!!

Of course I have not asked them all, I am just commenting on my findings on this subject.

Many people I have spoken to have no idea of the deals available via the internet because they are of a certain age and always book via a TA. They are very surprised when I tell them of the deals I have seen and booked.

I am not trying to provoke an argument, it is a matter of choice for you, who is obviously internet savvy and can decide accordingly. I have made friends of some couples who I have helped find a bargain and they are delighted with the savings.

I could go on and on but am happy that I have saved £1000's over my time enjoying the delights of cruising.

A never ending question and debate.

We have done over 25 cruises and never paid either the brochure price or early bird specials etc. We have always booked late because we are flexible and have never been disappointed with the price we pay or the cabin we are allocate. We are not loyal to one brand, although there are some we wouldn't go back to.

It is a matter of choice, but having spoken to many other cruisers on board about this subject, there are more unhappy early bookers than late ones and I never boast about a price paid and will only divulge it if asked.

I can understand the annoyance.

The OP clearly said they were new to cruising and their friends was experienced. He/she also said their friends told him/her prices only go up, so either he/she was lied to or their friends were not as experienced as they said.

I posted this on another thread but I still think it is worth repeating, especially for those passengers who still feel that the expected on board gratuities, whether by auto tip or by envelope, are actually a tip for the quality, or not, of the service provided.

Your gratuities are going to make up the wages of all the staff who are on low wage contracts, to make their wages up to an acceptable standard. This has always been the case on most cruise lines, even when tips were handed over in cash they were shared out to other staff members.

Yes it might be better if these gratuities were included in the basic price of the cruise, but since the practise is industry wide I imagine the cruise lines have good reasons to maintain this system. IMO it would probably lead to much higher overall prices once the bean counters started adding overheads to these "extra" wages, so I am happy to observe the practise and pay the full auto tips, plus a little extra to those staff who give me a little extra.

Having done 25 + cruises I don't mind tipping, either the conventional way or auto tips. I cannot agree that one should tip whether the service is good , bad or indifferent. I expect good, courteous service and am very polite and engage in conversation with the staff. I have had bad service and reported same.

And you sound like the sort of person who will suffer any amount of poor service, but heaven forbid actually mentioning it.

 

P&O must love people like you.

Totally wrong - again.

Your expectations are unrealistic and you don't care or worry about other passengers. I love cruising and have done most of them from 6* to Airtours . I love to be pampered but know the limits possible. You are just making excuses for your poor attitude and behaviour.

"invited" means she had a choice whether to sit with others or not.

 

What P&O do is not "invite" but to cut costs and force people to sit with others when they do not want to.

You sound just the person I avoid, totally selfish and unreasonable.

Please let us know when you sail and on what so I can avoid.

If you are that desperate for time alone together, stand and wait for a table for 2. Putting stuff on chairs in an attempt to with-hold a space from others is just plain rude.

 

and I say that as somebody who is going with just my partner. we like to sit alone, especially as It is our honeymoon. We have a table for 2 for dinner and will wait for one for lunch. What we will NOT do, is chuck stuff on a chair at a table for 4 and attempt to avoid eye contact with those looking for a space.

Totally agree.

Couples that sit diagonally opposite on a table for 4 are obviously not wanting to share and selfish. I like to upset these individuals, but my wife likes a quiet life !!

The one thing with cruise holidays is there is something for everyone.

I can understand people wanting a particular itinerary on a named ship and being able to choose cabin, dining, etc. and not minding what they pay. We have a limited budget, can go at a moments notice and are not fussy whether it is an inside or balcony, but a balcony is better ! By buying "bargains" we can have two a year instead of one so are very happy when the last minute deals surface.

Let's be honest, many passengers who remove the auto tips have no intention of paying anything. So they get a big financial advantage over all the others who don't. They are the ones who are missing from the dining room on the last night.

 

And I guess a fair number of passengers who do slip the envelope to the waiters and steward don't put anything near the £3.95 pd inside.

 

British people don't have a tipping culture, this has crept in from across the pond, and as P&O is a Carnival company!!!

 

I would be overjoyed to see P&O add the tip to the cruise price and pay the staff a proper wage. Saga do and I have never sailed with a happier staff.

 

David.

Totally agree.

I have been on ships in the past when it seemed that a quarter of the seats in the dining room were empty on the final night. The looks on the staffs faces was not nice to see. Far better if the tips were added to the cruise price.

We are on the October 22nd cruise, flying from Manchester. The flight to Malaga is with Jet 2, the flight from Barbados is Thomson. The allowance for Jet2 is 20kg and Thomson 23kg. On the Jet 2 site their charter flights give the option for hold baggage which is 22kg, no mention of 20kg.

What a crazy situation. I have only just noticed this anomaly and shall be on to PO in the morning.

sign up to major cruise TAs mailng list and e-mails and you will be swamped with late offer cruises by e-mail and through the post. But to be honest never seen anything cheaper than what you can book on P&Os own website.

You can get a cheaper deal as I posted last week. Not by much, but I saved £47 each on our Ventura trans Atlantic cruise in October in a balcony, so that will be a few bottles of wine :D

Isn't nice to know some people really value ex servicemen, whilst others are just annoyed because they can't get it. As for firemen, they do a great job when they are working but lose my respect when they strike.

Serious?! Please can you tell me where you heard this! I was told there is a coach that takes you from Marco Polo to Venice?!

 

 

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We were on this cruise in May. Coach will pick you up from airport direct to ship. No need to collect luggage, it will be delivered to your cabin. Transfer took about 20 minutes and straight on board after check in at port.

I have just booked the Ventura 22nd October, Malaga to Barbados. Thanks to the coded info I have saved £94 booking through a TA in a balcony cabin - great deal £1152 for a balcony on a 16 night cruise to the Caribbean !!

but no one does anything about it. We have to sail in school holidays and it is a nightmare. On our July cruise one lady had reserved 8 loungers from at least 9 am(could have been earlier until 5 pm and only one other person turned up.:rolleyes:

More fool the other passengers for allowing them to be left unoccupied.