Presto2

Can this thread be linked to a similar one?

To be honest we don't do the entertainment much --- our sea day heaven is spent on our aft balcony relaxing and watching the wake go by. We don't do shows etc etc so a lovely evening is a great meal, and a quiet bar with a tinkling piano or a sunset bar just the two of us .... sounds boring to some, but for us perfect. To be honest one of our favourite cruises was on P&O Oceana (an older ship) where we often just retreated to our balcony with cocktails in hand and relaxed on the balcony after our evening meal with glass in hand looking out over the sea ....................... just heaven

Evening everyone --- this made me laugh. A message to all of us who have yet to retire (and there is nothing wrong with that and we are jealous)

Are all flights included and do Oceania offer hotel stays for a few days before or after the cruise as Celebrity does? Have to say, the more we are looking, the more interested we are getting 🙂

Thanks for your replies, everyone. It has given us a lot to think about. Personally, I think we would be happy on both lines and now it seems to be down to cost and itinerary. I can see that Oceania is more expensive, but when you look at it closely, there many things added in the price that we pay extra for on Celebrity. On a completely different note - does anyone know where you would fly in to or out of if you go to Haifa. We are looking at a Holy Land Cruise if possible as they look amazing.

We are pretty easy going to be honest. We like P&O and enjoy the more traditional cruising as well. We weren't keen on RCI when we did a mini cruise on IOS about 8 years ago. We feel like the things we loved about P&O are disappearing and that means we may need to move on. We did love Edge, though avoided some of the wacky stuff we didn't like (like Eden) and the Infinite Veranda cabins as we had a regular aft cabin. That cruise cost us a fortune (for us) when we added a 3 night stay in Rome and flights, so it will be interesting to keep a check on Oceania prices.

Thanks both, what you describe as Oceania seems perfect for us. Off to do more research 🙂

Ay Up Duck !!! 🙂 What you describe sounds perfect for us. All we need to do now is retire and find one we can afford .. working on it though !!!!

You sound very much like us to be honest 🙂

We would probably look for a cruise that covers Israel so it looks like Vista or Marina We haven't done that much research yet to be honest so are not on top of the detailed questions 🙂 You have given us food for thought now We always got for an aft balcony cabin on our cruises - including EDGE as we didn't fancy the infinite cabins and moved before we sailed due to the reviews. Not Aqua, Concierge or Suite most times We don't tend to do the shows etc but prefer a nice quiet bar with a piano tinkling or the Sunset Bar just looking out onto the wake of the ship. We don't usually 'do' the entertainment Many thanks for any ideas you can pass on 🙂

We are researching a number of cruises for a 'special' birthday and possibly retirement cruise. We normally sail with P&O or Celebrity (last cruise spoiled us on EDGE in August 2019) Just wondering how Celebrity compares with Oceania as we have seen some great itineraries that we would love to do.

We are researching a number of cruises for a 'special' birthday and possibly retirement cruise. We normally sail with P&O or Celebrity (last cruise spoiled us on EDGE in August 2019) Just wondering how Celebrity compares with Oceania as we have seen some great itineraries that we would love to do.

We do Brian -- and it looks great 😉

Just been reading this thread out of interest. We tend to do a mixture on a cruise - sometimes we like to sit and wait for someone to come around and ask what we would like, other times we sit at the Martini Bar and at the Sunset Bar we tend to go to collect a drink. Service pre Covid was always very good, with the odd busy time when we had to wait a while.... a wave and a smile often helped 🙂 I do think that sometimes passengers lack patience. Will always remember on our first Celebrity cruise on Silhouette we were at the Pool bar being served and a very stroppy 'lady' came up to the bar tender and a waiter (who had just arrived and was really busy) and ranted at them (VERY rudely) that there were people by the pool waiting for a drink and she expected to be served NOW! She then trotted off back to the pool area. The waiter just looked at his colleague with a look that spoke volumes and went the other way. My husband and I almost clapped him. She was sooooo rude and he was having none of it ! Why she just didn't order a drink while she was there and take it back herself was beyond me as she was more than capable. She could also have mentioned then that that there were some other folk at the pool waiting. I suppose what I am trying to say, and rambling a bit, is that sometimes the most well-meaning wine waiters are rushed off their feet and IF we can we just go to the bar. I can fully understand though that if you have a mobility issue then trying to catch someone's eye must be frustrating.

Really pleased for you all. Think it was definitely the right decision and you can now look forward to the cruise knowing where you'll be in the ship. 😀

Well, we came home from sunny Wales today having spent yesterday driving through what we thought was a monsoon over in the Llanberis Pass. Still, it was beautiful in a 'wild' sort of way ... Today is a special anniversary for me --- it is 40 years since I went to University (St David's University College Wales). I just can't believe that it is so long ago and I am so old 😞 ! A beautiful place and we are planning a meet up with my friend who I met there I still keep in touch with. If I remember rightly, the first term it rained like a monsoon too and I had to buy wellies just to cross the river that went through the campus from the halls of residence to the lecture rooms. Nothing changes in Wales eh 😉 Seriously, it was a privilege to live in this beautiful part of the world for three years.

Which cruise for 2023? We have one booked for Christmas and New Year to the Canaries on Azura. We could be ship mates 😉 If we are we can pick your brains and may even be able to meet up !

Ah, but you know what a gravy boat is, so that makes you posh ... we had to look it up 😉

We went on the troll car excursion (think that is what is was called) and it was fab --- we loved it

Hi, we are researching Caribbean cruises for what may be a special cruise / date! We love Celebrity but don't like the ports, so are looking at P&O Britannia for 2 weeks or a 2 week cruise and stay with Marella. Just wondering if anyone who has been on both cruise lines has a view re the best choice and best time of the year to go. We are thinking late February or early March. (Never been in school holidays before so this would be the first time so exciting !!!!) Thanks everyone

Have just been reading the Summer 2024 thread and a number of people are mentioning new cruises they would like to see to stop the same old, same old.. I will kick us off by suggesting more cruise and stay options for fly cruising or just one of them as a starter: Sorrento stay and the Med. cruises Lake Garda / Venice stay and the Adriatic Cyprus stay (Pafos) and Eastern Med cruises More cruises to Iceland in school holidays please More cruises to the Holy Land / Jordan / Egypt PLEASE --- one would be good From Southampton, any cruise but different itineraries - more to Iceland, particularly in the Winter for the Northern Lights.

Hi Off on our first cruise to the Fjords next week (YEAAAAH) Just wondering if we will need any local currency at all. Thanks