snaefell

I wonder how many would blame the pandemic for any changes,since lockdown ended we have stayed in hotels which basically blame the pandemic for rooms not being serviced as often & sheets not being changed until there is a change of occupancy.

Our last two P&O cruises were on Britannia,I was not impressed on the second one when items which had been every day items on the buffet were turning up as Chef's Specials Of The Day,& I mean things like Black Pudding,I love it but Chef's Special?!?!

Quite,pre pandemic we booked a cruise with RCI,it was Anthem Of The Seas repo cruise from New York to Southampton to take up her Summer UK sailings,it took place early April & called at Halifax,this was spot on for us,we really wanted to see both places,soon after booking we got an email from RIC saying that Halifax had been removed from the itinerary as 'the Atlantic can be rough in Winter'!😮 Sorry but any body of water can be rough anytime,if you think that way cruise ships wouldn't be leaving port!

I was quite surprised to receive an email from P&O in response to my complaint about the change,at least the speed of the reply surprised me. It didn't start too well though,the first line reads:'how pleased we are that you will be travelling on our brand new ship Arvia on your upcoming cruise'!😮 It goes on to say that they have learned that for operational reasons they won't be able to call at Gibraltar on May 29th,I have checked the website & two other cruise ships are shown as scheduled for that date so I guess that is the reason. They somewhat redeemed themselves by finishing with how many days it is until they welcome us on board Arcadia!😀

Not wanting to start a trend but if the clientele on the new ships is that different shorts may be the least of your worries,the pyjama brigade surely can't be far behind!😆 we have a 19 night cruise coming up on Arcadia,that is showing a Celebration night & four formal nights,way too many for my liking!😮

Still haven't officially been told that ours has changed yet!😮

Up until a week ago I would have said one big difference between Royal Caribbean & P&O is how RCI keep changing the itinerary after booking,now P&O have done the same,we have just paid the balance on a Med cruise in May & then find(without being informed as yet) that one of the stops we booked it for has been changed,annoying! Drinks tend to be cheaper on P&O,as has been said there is no daily charge for tips,as for food our last cruise was out East on Quantum Of The Seas in October 2019,first night in Chops the food & service were excellent,portions,especially sides,we're a bit mean IMO,second night in the MDR both food & service were abysmal,as for portions we felt the need to head to the Windjammer Buffet after to 'top up',we stayed there for dining the rest of the cruise,we had some wonderful nights dining outside watching lightning in the distance. Quantum was a beautiful ship &,after those first two nights,we wore shorts for the rest of the cruise,bit different on our upcoming P&O cruise where there are 4 Formal & 1 Celebration Night,seems way too many for me but we are all different & I know some people love it.

As it is it's 19 nights with 9 stops!

Yes,what is young,currently not feeling very young as I am awaiting a knee joint replacement & approaching 70 I have been told that the fact I am young is in my favour,apparently I am young compared to most others in the same position,confusing!

Last time I checked there were no excursions available for Malaga on the P&O website so watch this space I guess! We enjoy our sea days,time to chill!😎

Having never been to Gibraltar we looked for a Med cruise that called there so it is pretty annoying,especially so coming just days after paying the balance,we stopped using Royal Caribbean as they changed the itinerary every time we booked a cruise with them,I had visions of booking a n exotic itinerary with RIC & ending up with a tour of the Irish Sea!😒😒 love the Irish Sea by the way but I have seen it many times!

We are on Arcadia's 19 night Med cruise departing Southampton May 14th,quite pleased to have sorted all our shore excursions & then today I get an email from P&O advising that the excursion we had booked in Gibraltar is no longer operating & that I should choose another,when I go looking Gibraltar is no longer part of the itinerary,it is replaced by Malaga,pretty annoying when we were really looking forward to Gibraltar. We haven't been notified of the change of itinerary,seems a strange way to do it,I wonder how/if I would have found out if we hadn't had an excursion booked😒

We are not keen cruisers,20+ years after our first we about to sail on our fifth,we don't book cruises for any reasons other than the timing & the itinerary,this time happens to be a Med cruise which we fancy & sails on my Wife's Birthday.

No,but I would be uncomfortable,why should I be made to be uncomfortable on Holiday?

Thanks guys,I was hoping to get them booked before boarding(we sail May 14th,the planner says we can book from April 30th),I will probably pick a couple of dates to book in advance & hopefully do any fine tuning needed once on board!

Probably a silly question but I know that Ocean Grill & Sindhu on P&O ships change the menu but is it as simple as a daily change,a change part/half way through the cruise or not as simple as that please guys?

We are quite lucky in that our pick up point is Chester,not far from us & they have tended to only pick up once after us in the past so it isn't too bad usually,the last time we did it though the return journey was on Good Friday,due to traffic jams the journey took 7 hours,just glad it wasn't my fuel wasting away in the queues!

That makes sense,thanks for the help guys

Our last cruise was on RCI's Quantum Of The Seas,beautiful ship but on some days we were seeing soot on the upper aft decks.

Many thanks for that,my Wife will be pleased,do you know where they were held,I know there is a room where they have weddings but couldn't see a chapel on the deck plans

Being the only driver sharing the drive isn't an option for us,add to that arthritis in my hands,fingers,thumbs & wrists which,on a bad day,can make driving extremely painful & the coach is also a safe option for us.

Just curious to know if there are any Sunday church services on Arcadia please guys

For me it is a no brainer,there is no way I want to be driving 260+ miles at the start & end of a cruise,I would much rather let someone else do the driving while I relax & enjoy the scenery & save putting miles on my motor.

Yes if you watch programmes on flash eateries associated with the likes of Gordon Ramsay afternoon tea is very popular,it seems for some if it is expensive it must be wonderful!😙

I think if I wanted plenty of food,multiple courses & great service I' d stick to the buffet!😆