DamianG

Thanks for sharing this. Even though we've been on many cruises in all sorts of conditions it would definitely have been bed for me!

I'm gutted for you both, sounds nothing like our Christmas cruise on Oriana back in 2011. I do think that the cruise director can have a big influence on cruises (especially Christmas cruises) and it sounds like he didn't make much effort this time. Having sailed with this particular cruise director a few times I'm sad to say that I'm not that surprised.

All the best

Damian

Oh dear. I sailed on Britannia two years ago, and found our Steward excellent (was in the single cabin near the crows nest, but went with family).

 

I am going again in 3 weeks, choosing Britannia for a second time because I enjoyed it so much last time. I really hope these reports don't realize themselves on my holiday.

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Not sailing in the school holidays will help!

Happy cruising.

Damian

My experience has been different to most people, in that we have found the sound insulation between cabins to be quite poor on all 6 of the P&O ships we have been on. I have always been able to hear our neighbours TV, drawers closing, toilets flushing and even conversation (albeit mostly a muffled noise rather than hearing every word, but some people have loud voices that do carry and you can hear what they are saying in adjoining cabins). Two cruises ago, we were woken abruptly most mornings by one of our neighbours who had a sneezing fit every morning, yet made no attempt to suppress the noise! Here are some tips for being a good cruise neighbour;

 

1) Don't allow your cabin door to slam shut. It sounds like a rifle shot to your neighbours and there is no need. Although you can't pull the handle down when closing it, a firm tug engages the lock - queitly.

2) Be aware that the pre-set volume on TV's is usually way too loud, so turn it down when the info screen appears and before you select a channel. Why P&O doesn't fix this I've no idea. And when watching TV (or playing music) please keep in mind that it could be irritating for your neighbours unless at a fairly low volume.

3) Don't talk at full volume as you can be heard! We found it very funny on Aurora when our neighbours had regular heated discussions, especially when she called him a 'selfish pig'!

4) Also, when walking back to your cabin at night, keep corridor conversations to hushed tones. We have often been disturbed by sudden loud conversation or laughter outside our cabin. Nice to see that people are enjoying themselves, but irritating if you have just dozed off.

5) Don't slam drawers - it creates a real thud on the wall for your neighbour.

6) Avoid moving balcony furniture early morning or late at night as the noise will disturb those above, below and to both sides of you.

 

OK, so I am being a tiny bit tongue in cheek, but all of the above are true and we adhere to them out of consideration to our fellow cruisers. Sadly, many of our neighbours are often less considerate!

Great post Selbourne!

Whilst we endeavour not to go on at him too much on holiday these are some of the niceties we try to teach our young son onboard (and he soon picks us up if we don't set the right example ourselves!).

On a separate note one of the reasons we generally prefer an aft cabin is that there is usually less traffic outside the door at night time.

All the best.

Damian

We've been cruising with P&O since 2004 and I don't ever recall seeing a service charge on drinks purchases. Perhaps you are thinking of another cruise line regards that, Princess maybe?

We took a Christmas and New Year cruise on Oriana in 2011. In addition to everything stated above I also have happy memories of mince pies and mulled wine on the Southampton sailaway and a general upbeat atmosphere throughout the ship leading up to Christmas day. In particular I have a strong recollection of the officer's Christmas Carol service which was fantastic (and to be fair I wasn't that bothered about attending it but my wife wanted to go).

Our cruise was to the Mediterranean and it was warm enough to sit outside in the sunshine whilst we sailed down the Iberian coastline so hopefully you'll experience something similar. Our Christmas eve was in Cartagena and after sightseeing we were able to sit in the port for a drink just wearing t-shirts. A simple enough thing but we really enjoyed the change from a typical Christmas eve at home.

The only negatives were that we missed a couple of ports due to fog but that was just one of those things that can happen. Hopefully you'll be fine in the Canaries.

Of course things may have changed but I hope you have as good a time as we did.

Happy cruising

Damian

In Barcelona we have previously bought a T10 Travel Ticket and used the Metro Underground to get to both the Sagrada Familia and Camp Nou in the same day. We shared a ticket between 2 of us and had a lovely day travelling around and stopping for tapas and drinks when it suited us in our own time.

We have previously travelled from Civitavecchia to Rome by train and it is straightforward. On the way there we got off at San Pietro (St Peter) which is just around the corner from the Vatican then came back from Termini to avoid the crowds further down the line.

We were in Naples earlier this year and I noticed that there were independent coach tours touting for business in the cruise terminal offering trips to Herculaneum and Pompeii. We've previously done this ourselves by train but the station is a fair trek from the terminal. We've also taken the ferry to Sorrento in the past.

We were also in Cagliari this year and we just took a coach ride to the beach (again there were tour operators in the terminal area offering this service). The beach was lovely and there was a good choice of bars and restaurants. Previously we've done a coach tour of the city, again booked via a tour operator once we were ashore. I'd be interested to hear what anyone else suggests for Cagliari as we struggled to find things to do there (despite our usual best efforts to plan ahead).

All the best.

Damian

Thanks for the replies. We will make sure he looks nicely dressed in appropriate shorts and collared shirts and hopefully won't offend anyone.

 

Lou

Our son is 7, has been on 5 cruises and wears t-shirts and shorts almost all the time. We've never had any problems taking him in the MDR nor have we had any negative comments from other passengers. We've recently got him in the habit of wearing long trousers and a collared shirt for formal evenings but there's no way he'd wear a tie and jacket (not yet anyway).

The restaurant managers and waiters have always been fantastic with him, this year one of our table waiters on Britannia amazingly remembered our son from our Azura cruise last year so he was extra spoiled.

I'm sure you'll have no problems.

Have a great cruise.

Damian

We could have been seen once doing this... we got off early in Barbados last Christmas, it was our first port after the transatlantic, we got off as soon as we could. Went for a wonderful walk along the quiet beach next to the very out of the way port. Came back to the ship as others were still only just getting off... Freshened up and got straight back off again for our morning tour... (then in the afternoon we walked into and through the town. Luckily Aurora moved to the town port late pm, so it was a quick walk back to her.

 

Did they all think we’d not given it a try? Maybe, but they were wrong! Don’t judge everyone going back to the ship early...

Excellent, that's really making the most of port time! Not something I'd thought of to be honest and whilst I definitely try not to judge people you've certainly given me a new perspective!

All the best

Damian

I agree with Jean, there's still plenty to discover at the "same old ports." Since introducing our young son to cruising we've found the lovely beach and promenade just a 10 minute taxi or bus ride from the port in Vigo, the zoo and aquarium in Lisbon, fantastic pizza and a family friendly water polo club and lido in Civitavecchia, Parque Maritimo (lido) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife etc. All done on our own without excursions and very affordable, it's just a matter of doing your homework beforehand (easier than ever these days with Google etc.).

As for the comments about passengers just getting off the ship and walking around the port area, it's a scientific fact that no matter what time you disembark the ship for some time ashore there will always be someone coming the other way getting back on (even early morning)! :D

Damian

Hi dai. Sadly we are disappointed by what Oceana is doing in August 2019. We are looking for a special cruise for our 25th anniversary and her itinerary that week doesn't inspire us!! We're tempted to try Princess. Don't suppose you have any idea when their schedules are out for 2019? We asked on their site and no one seems to have a clue. Thanks .... any rumour will help ;-)

 

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Hi

I emailed Princess last week and got this response:

Good afternoon Damian,

Thank you for getting in touch.

We do not have an exact date as to when we will be launching our 2019 voyages. The 2018 voyages were launched in December 2016 so perhaps if we continue the same trends then I would expect more details around December.

Good luck finding that special cruise.

Damian

We've been on Oriana 3 times and Ventura twice. Oriana used to be our favourite ship, mainly because we like sitting out on the tiered decks at the stern. We also like the delux outside cabins (e.g. C260) where there is lots of space and we didn't miss not having a balcony. As others have said the Crow's Nest, Andersons & cinema were also favourites. We travelled on her when I was in my 40's and to me it didn't feel like a "senior citizens" ship. I would also say that for me the great advantage of the smaller ship is that you meet people and actually see them again, unlike on some of the much larger ships! Generally I think that the smaller ships are much more sociable.

As for the entertainment I think that part of this depends on the cruise director.

We enjoyed our 2 cruises on Ventura and on the first occasion had a cracking cabin (C752). We found it less intimate and friendly on both cruises, in particular the 2nd time when we were unlucky to be seated with just one other couple who didn't have anything to say on a table for 8 on 2nd sitting dining. It is the only time we've ever asked to be moved. We still had a great cruise and it was a bargain price late booking.

We're going back on Ventura in 2019 as we are now restricted to school holiday cruises and the itinerary suits us. I have some reservations about sailing on Ventura during school holidays (based on other threads and observations) but as always we'll make the most of it. We've been on Britannia twice and Azura once during school holidays and we've enjoyed them all though there's definitely more hustle and bustle with all the kids and young families.

Finally I wouldn't try to "guess" the weather. On our Christmas cruise in 2011 we were sailing down the Iberian coast sat outside in t-shirts!

Whichever you choose have a great time!

Damian

I forgot to mention how much we also liked having breakfast or lunch in the Al Fresco cafe on Oriana, much nicer than the scrum at the buffet.

We've been on Oriana 3 times and Ventura twice. Oriana used to be our favourite ship, mainly because we like sitting out on the tiered decks at the stern. We also like the delux outside cabins (e.g. C260) where there is lots of space and we didn't miss not having a balcony. As others have said the Crow's Nest, Andersons & cinema were also favourites. We travelled on her when I was in my 40's and to me it didn't feel like a "senior citizens" ship. I would also say that for me the great advantage of the smaller ship is that you meet people and actually see them again, unlike on some of the much larger ships! Generally I think that the smaller ships are much more sociable.

As for the entertainment I think that part of this depends on the cruise director.

We enjoyed our 2 cruises on Ventura and on the first occasion had a cracking cabin (C752). We found it less intimate and friendly on both cruises, in particular the 2nd time when we were unlucky to be seated with just one other couple who didn't have anything to say on a table for 8 on 2nd sitting dining. It is the only time we've ever asked to be moved. We still had a great cruise and it was a bargain price late booking.

We're going back on Ventura in 2019 as we are now restricted to school holiday cruises and the itinerary suits us. I have some reservations about sailing on Ventura during school holidays (based on other threads and observations) but as always we'll make the most of it. We've been on Britannia twice and Azura once during school holidays and we've enjoyed them all though there's definitely more hustle and bustle with all the kids and young families.

Finally I wouldn't try to "guess" the weather. On our Christmas cruise in 2011 we were sailing down the Iberian coast sat outside in t-shirts!

Whichever you choose have a great time!

Damian

We've used the Mercure Daventry Court Hotel a couple of times. It's not far off the M1 and from there it is easy to get on to the A34. It is around 110 miles to Southampton from Daventry so not too bad a drive for your onward journey.

With all the 50mph speed restrictions plus the usual Friday night traffic it may be a more reachable/attainable overnight stopping place than further South?

Good luck with your plans & have a great cruise.

Damian

Many thanks. I am sure that I will be ok. Hopefully my 2 back seat drivers will be of some help. Well, I can but hope. At least once CPS have the car there will be no more driving for 2 weeks.

For me the holiday really starts the moment I hand over the keys to the CPS rep, the sense of relief is enormous (call it one of life's simple pleasures).

Despite driving to various terminals 15+ times I missed a turn-off last year and we ended up driving past St Mary's football ground. It wasn't much of a detour to the terminal and I enjoyed seeing the stadium so all good!

You'll be fine, have a great cruise.

Damian

Well, we have a plan, of sorts! Late breakfast, walks around the deck, check out what is on around the ship etc. Spend some time on the balcony, not expecting too much peace around the ship, it's school holidays after all. The relax suggestion is favourite I think.

 

 

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If the weather is okay we like to sit out at the back of the ship (aft) and relax, read and watch the wake. This is especially good on the likes of Aurora and Oriana, but there is some space to do this on Ventura too.

On the newer, bigger ships it's not quite as peaceful as the aforementioned ships but at least aft is usually less crowded and quieter than where the central pools are (especially in school holidays). Just don't tell everyone....!

A very short walk (10 min slow amble) from the dock in Stavanger is the Petroleum Museum. Sounds boring, but it isn't. Quite a few hands on exhibits (and it's a 5 years since we went so they could have added more) such as trying on a survival suit, getting into a survival pod, trying one of the oil rig escape chutes, etc. etc. We spent a whole drizzly morning there - my son was about 11 at the time and loved it.

 

I think there is a bus operating from the port in Olden to the Floen skylift cable car - if you search the threads there was quite a long one about this recently, with comprehensive info.

 

One tip: if you son likes/needs snacks and drinks to keep him topped up during the day, I would take items with you as food and drink is very expensive in Norway.

2nd vote here for the Petroleum Museum. Easy walk from the dock and far more interesting than it sounds!

My parents-in-law are regular P&O cruisers but have also been on Princess several times and Celebrity. They're always going on about Princess being better and we'd love to give them a try but having a young son and being restricted to school holidays we just cannot afford it. For the last 3 years we've priced up various cruises during the school holidays and P&O is consistently the most affordable for us. We know what to expect at a price we can afford and always enjoy ourselves.

Maybe next year............!

We were also on the recent Azura Canaries cruise and our plans were centered around our 6 year old son:

La Palma: We walked (around 20 minutes) to the black sand beach opposite where the ship docks. There's changing rooms and a shop there (though we found a Spar not far from the marina beforehand and bought picnic stuff for the beach). We were very disappointed that nothing was open in the marina itself as we have happy memories of drinks overlooking the yachts etc. in previous visits.

Santa Cruz, Tenerife: We took a taxi to Parque Maritimo which is a lido near the opera house. It's very family friendly, cheap admission (I think it was around €14 for 2 adults and 1 child including 2 sunbeds and 1 umbrella). There are full changing facilities including showers and the food and drink prices are reasonable. We'd happily go there even without children. We walked back to the centre with a quick call at the department store El Cortes Ingles en route.

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria: We also strolled to Playa de las Canteras beach then enjoyed lunch in Parque de Santa Catalina en route back to the ship.

Arrecife, Lanzarote: We caught the shuttle bus to the port entrance then my wife, son and mother-in-law got in a taxi to the beach. My father-in-law and I walked and it took around 20 minutes. There were no changing facilities unfortunately and just a portaloo but we still made the best of it and my son liked the rock pools. Highlight of the day was an authentic tapas lunch in La Tabla which was just before the promenade on our stroll back.

Lisbon: A favourite port, this time we caught the metro to the zoo which our son really enjoyed. We made a brief shopping stop on the way back then back on the metro (Azura was docked at Santa Apolonia and the metro stop is just a short walk away).

Vigo: Another favourite port, we took a taxi ride to Playa de Samil (€8) where there is a lovely promenade, kids pools, sandy beach, rock pools and lots of family friendly restaurants and bars. We decided to eat back in port however, and enjoyed a lovely lunch in "seafood alley" just across the road from the port up one of the steep alleyways.

Whatever you do have a great cruise!

Damian

LondonTowner good call on the Albariño, we love a glass (or 2) of that in a Galician port. Ribeiro goes down pretty well too!

Cheers

Damian

On our last 2 visits we've got a taxi to Playa de Samil (or Praia de Samil in Galician) which has a lovely promenade, 2 kids outdoor swimming / paddling pools (I'm 5 foot 8 and it was just about thigh deep for me to give you an idea of depth), plenty of fair priced family friendly restaurants and a nice sandy beach with lots of rock pools. Our 6 year old son loves it and the taxi fare was €8 each way (much cheaper than P&O's official excursion).

The port area is nice too and there is a fantastic toy shop on the outside of the shopping mall. However on our recent visit the menus at the bars did not have prices so instead we had a late lunch on seafood alley just over the main road and up one of the steep alleyways.

Vigo gets a lot of criticism but it's one of our favourite ports (each to their own!).

Have a great cruise.

Damian

Great, balanced review, glad you all enjoyed it.

I found myself agreeing with some of your observations as per our first experience of Britannia last year (my review was published as follows):

https://tomtotley.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/britannia-b515-review.pdf

Sadly I do think that poor behaviour, lack of etiquette or whatever you want to call it is more common on cruises than in the past. Maybe it's just down to the sheer numbers of passengers on the bigger ships that operate these days?

Still, best to focus on the positive and overall we both enjoyed the cruises which is (of course) the most important thing!

All the best.

Damian

Yes it was. Only time we ever saw him was just occasionally introducing an act but that was usually left to his Deputy who's the double of Al Murray (AKA the Pub Landlord).

Funny isn't it? Some Entertainment Managers are at the forefront of all the events and others keep a very low profile. The cruise I was referring to was back in 2009, I guess some things never change!

Great review, well balanced as others have said. Was the Entertainment Manager Nigel Travis by any chance? Last time we had him I saw him in the gym every time I visited but rarely around the rest of the ship.