NauticalMiss

We've never bought wine in the Caribbean ports. The prices on board are so reasonable, we have never felt the need. You could always purchase a bottle through room service; keep it nice and chilled in the fridge and have your pre-dinner tipple that way.

kentchris is right. This is no scam. It's P&O being more security conscious.

A chip'n'pin transaction is far more secure than a card swipe. Anyone can offer any card for swiping - they do not need to be the card owner. But if the card owner has adhered to the card's T&Cs, then they are the only person who can provide the correct pin. Nothing to see here.

Thanks very much - just wish P and O would let us know in advance that it would be OK - going to our daughters farm and don't need loads of evening attire!

P&O do let you know in advance - it's in the FAQs.

Love cabins by the lifts!

I don't personally think it's possible to make assumptions about fellow passengers based upon their weight, tattoos or holiday preferences without sounding like a snob, whether you preface said comment with "Without being a snob ..." or not.

I concur. Ten years ago I weighed 18 stone (although I didn't wear a bikini or have a tattoo). Now I weigh 10.5 stone, wear a (Helen Mirren) bikini, but still no tattoos. How should I be classified? I acknowledge that it's human nature to judge, and we all do it because it is a vital tool for survival, but just because you're fat doesn't make you lower class, bad mannered or stupid. Just an honest opinion.

Having cruised with all 3 cruise lines, I'd say that Princess is the most similar to P&O but with generally a more eclectic mix of passengers. The cabins are very similar too on ships like Ventura / Azura and for example : Emerald / Caribbean / Crown. I've personally found the staff more friendly and service better on Princess and their loyalty scheme is certainly better.

I don't like Celebrity as my experience had been surly and unhelpful staff, food allergies dealt with by ignoring them, and cabin stewards some of the worst we've ever had. Maybe we've just been unlucky, but I wouldn't rush back to Celebrity if at all. With some of the newer ships (e.g. Britannia & Majestic Princess) having updated interiors and nicer ships than some of the older ones, they are on a par with some of the Celebrity ships.

Drinks and tips / service charge ( if I dare mention the words) - are cheapest on P&O.

 

I know that others will disagree with my comments, but I speak as I find, and all things considered, Princess just edge out in front with Celebrity bringing up the rear in the slow lane. Just my opinion.

 

 

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I haven't been with Princess yet, but I would agree with these comments about Celebrity. We also found their staff surly and slightly militant towards passengers. Did not enjoy the Blu experience at all. In our experience, they made it very difficult for you to order from the MDR menu. I only tried it once, for some cheese and port in place of dessert, and it was way too much trouble! Also in Blu, the tables were so close together that it would appear rude NOT to speak to your neighbouring diners. We found the entertainment dire but we met two lovely couples (ex-pats) so the evenings went well. We enjoyed the food in the MDR (only went to Blu once, and thought the specialty restaurants rather expensive); and we thought the buffet was also very good. The bathrooms in the cabins were nicely appointed, better than P&O in general. But then it's a bathroom and as long as I can shower etc, it doesn't really matter how the decor looks.

Any which way, hope you have plenty of other info on this forum and enjoy exploring more exotic locations :D

We sailed on the 3rd December last year; there was a mixed crowd, from aged mid-20s upwards. Very very few children; those that were on board were generally pre-school with their mums and dads, grandparents etc. Lovely cruise. Hope that helps.

A small digression; have you seen the share price? Thinking of selling some of mine and buying them back if / when they drop again.

Also, I think it can depend on the ship. We have converted to P&O from Celebrity and Cunard. We love the understated decor; the absence of 'the hard sell' by the crew; the international quizzes (US ships are US-centric, and don't get me started on their interpretation of historical and geographical knowledge! :eek:); attentive crew; entertainment is pretty good; bonded luggage is a fantastic luxury; tea/coffee facilities in all cabin types; no additional gratuities on beverages; many sailings from UK (no flying!). We have just had a wonderful cruise on Oceana, two more cruises already booked and a third in the offing. We love P&O; they're not perfect, but they tick enough boxes for us.

I'm afraid to say that I have always have trouble understanding a Scots accent, despite my husband's maternal grandparents being Glaswegian. They lived in London for 50 years but never lost their accent. I never understood a word 'Little Nan' ever said!

In my job, I deal with Edinburgh call centres a lot and have even more trouble as it is impossible to lip-read over the telephone. Strangely we were watching Kevin Bridges last week on an old 'Live at the Apollo' and he was doing a piece about this very subject. It was funny and really resonated in our household. However, on a more positive note, apparently a Scots accent has been declared the most trustworthy British accent :D.

P&O will give you a cruise only price on any cruise any where they sail from . I have just done this on a malta sailing and a Caribbean sailing in January .They just give a certain discount per person on the headline price.

This thread has taken an interesting turn. Last December, we wanted to arrange our own flights to/from the Caribbean. Having spoken with P&O, they declined to reduce the cost of the cruise/flight package, despite us not using their flights. In fact, the Flight Department were distinctly non-user friendly (not for the first time!).

We tried Princess who would have flown us with Virgin, but the luggage is not bonded, so we would have to deal with it ourselves. Also, because Princess ships don't wait if a flight is delayed, it required an extra day out of the office plus an additional night in a hotel. Fly/cruise package with P&O is indeed a very well-oiled machine but I think we may investigate the flight options again.

We're re-considering QM2 after a 9-year sabbatical. Is it worth considering Balcony cabins with Verandah dining most nights? Last time we were in Princess Grill on a table for 2, but the current price for the trip we like is somewhat prohibitive, so we thought we would approach it differently, i.e. is Verandah worth the extra?

Presto, I was looking at this last night, is all the seating in the Beachhouse outside? We are going in February! [emoji33]

 

 

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It varies according to local weather conditions. Sometimes it's just outside, sometimes just inside, sometimes both.

Always had excellent service from the Call Centre, it will be business as usual for us. Only problem I have ever had was when dealing with the Flight Department (!!) and also from Christopher Edgington's office. Have tried a couple of travel agents but they were pretty clueless and offered no incentive to book with them.

With ease! To be serious though, it's not about pushing past people! It simply avoids the hassle of having to assemble in the theatre (or wherever), be given a number and then wait to be called to proceed to deck 4. On one ship once, when we weren't in a suite, that process took 90 minutes. You simply go down to deck 4 whenever suits you and join whatever queue there happens to be down there at that time. I hate tender ports as it starts the day with a hassle, so anything to relive that is a plus in my book.

A-ha! Naively I have been the cause of my own social anxiety.I have always gone to join a tour via the theatre (always one to follow the rules!!!). I can't wait to become a seasoned cruiser and know all the short-cuts. Thanks Selbourne.

My whole family are Type 1 diabetics (mother, father since aged 19, brother since aged 5, grand-father, great-aunt); they inject once or twice a day depending on insulin-type etc, and would require a sharps bin. But never a special diet. A balanced nutritional diet is all that's required, combined with fastidious sugar testing. You'll be fine in the MDR and should have nothing to worry about. Enjoy your cruise!

Selbourne - just a quick question about the priority tenders. How to you steel yourself against your fellow passengers being (possibly) disgruntled when you push past the queue to board the tender before them? I only ask because I have never been brave enough to try it, and always leave our passes in the cabin.

Sorry; meant to say that we went on a P&O excursion; door to door. Drivers in Sri Lanka are 'mental'; wouldn't take the risks of going with unregistered guides, etc. It's approx 2 - 2.5 hours to get to Pinnawala, so I'd recommend going on the ship's excursion.

We went to Pinnawala in March 2014, whilst on a world segment on Arcadia. It was my reason for doing that particular cruise. I loved it. Some people bang on about the terrible way the elephants are treated; but we didn't see any mis-treatment. The elephants were having a ball washing in the river; some were so happy they were 'pro-creating' (which isn't easy). For an extra $30, the mahouts offer you the opportunity to go and briefly interact with the elephants as they come out of the river. Do it. Some people were a bit sniffy about it, but I've stroked elephants and I am very happy about that. You also walk around the reserve where the elephants roam freely; albeit we did see one that was chained around the ankle whilst eating his bamboo supply. You also get the opportunity to feed the elephants with fruit, etc. Yes, it resembles a conveyer belt of tourists, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It is a long day, so take a picnic to keep you going. The lunch was okay and we had front seats on the viewing gallery over the river. There was a group of local primary age children with us, and they were delightful; and they were thrilled to see the elephants, just as I was. :D

If mozzies love you (and they lurve me!), I would definitely recommend wearing long trousers and maybe trainers. Once on a river excursion, I received 43 bites on both legs from the knee down. They were hideous especially when they 'broke open' (sorry!). I had to wear black linen trousers during the next week of the holiday as they looked really unsightly. Have learnt not to risk it.

Never really enjoyed poetry, but I don't want to be seen as too contrary.:)

Gosh, that took me while :confused: but I got there in the end :D

We did Ventura maiden cruise and although we enjoyed the cruise we have not sailed on her since. We did Azura maiden cruise and then sailed on her 4 more times as we used to love Sindhu, Glass House and XV11 which at the time were not available on any other ship and don't ask me why just preferred the ship and the atmosphere.

 

They might be very similar now but other than the build Azura and Ventura were very different when they were first launched.

 

With reference to your comment and the use of the word "perverse" I find it a very insulting and offensive comment to make.

Don't be insulted; I think he meant 'inverse'.

Going back to the Thread Title:

Last Friday, we had an embark time of 2:30pm;

Arrived at the terminal at 2:40pm;

Raised our first glass of wine in the Glass House at 3:15pm.

Pretty good experience in my opinion ;)

Never had any problems; parked there several times.

Our next cruise out of Southampton, we have an embark time of 2:30pm. Always one who likes to buck the trend, we may well arrive 'late' at the terminal as we have a lunch date at The Vestry for 1:00pm. After enjoying a delicious meal on a table for two with terrific waiter service, we shall saunter over to the terminal for embark. No sniping, no whinging, no wasting time just sitting around waiting, getting all agitated. Just a lovely relaxing start to the holiday.

We've sailed Celebrity and RCI (the rudest embark ever!); we've sailed from Southampton as Suite passengers and the buffet really is under-whelming. IMHO, don't worry about your embark time; just find a way to enjoy yourselves from the minute you leave home :)