frenchmartiniplease

1 hour ago, daiB said:

 

I have never said that I would be happy. However I would not have put up with the situation for so long. I think you have misunderstood as the OP said the first time had been well dealt with. 

 

You are also also missing the point that this is a rare occurrence and that the OP was very unlucky to have it happen twice.

 

once again all ships of all lines have the same problems because of the toilet system they have to use.

Yes, Azura were proactive and we were mollified by their attitude to the problem on board.  However,  our hearts sank when the same problem occurred on Ventura and we discovered that, not only could it not be repaired, but the problem covered a number of cabins.  

So daiB, I am curious as to what you could have done that we didn't. Bearing in mind that the problem covered a number of cabins and we couldn't all be moved.

I should have got off and stayed in Madeira for a few days.

10 hours ago, docco said:

You make a very good point there, Lottie.

 

I suspect the way an issue like this is dealt with has a lot more to do with the type of customer and the way she or he deals with it than the cruise company or the individual ship.  There are ways of getting a proper response in a situation such as this - and you obviously found them.

Wow!  I found this comment rather insulting.  I am the wrong type of customer?  Just what does that even mean?!

We reported the problem promptly, repeatedly to reception and Managers.

The problem covered several decks and many cabins so we wouldn't all get suites, no matter suitable a 'type' we were or who we spoke to. 

We have cruised, roughly 20 times over all, with Princess, Celebrity, Cunard and most often with P&O. The cruises were spread over the last 15 years and have mostly been excellent.  P&O tick a lot of boxes for us and as we live in Southampton it's a great holiday option.  It's so disappointing that I have now been totally put off going on another cruise ship.  2 cruises in 6 months covering 19 days and 17 of them with a faulty loo is going to knock anybody's  confidence.

Azura resolved the problem in a proactive way that left us feeling mollified but Ventura did not deal with it well.   We also felt somethings were'lost in translation' .  

Apparently our comments have been passed to guest services.🤞

1 hour ago, janny444 said:

 

Hi....certainly couldn't have been " enjoyable"....that's the point I was making 

.  Yep!  I had got that's what you meant.  I was appreciating your comment👍

2 hours ago, docco said:

There's a pretty clear right to compensation here, in that you didn't remotely get what you paid for.  I'd be looking for something worthwhile from P&O, and if they don't offer it pass the problem to the card company under S75.

We feel that the ensuite balcony cabin we paid for was not fit for purpose.   We paid with a debit card😒 so assume S75 would not apply.

3 hours ago, janny444 said:

Hi....if this problem has never happened to you or out of over 40 cruises only occurred once and fixed relatively quickly then it isn't a problem....just one of those things....but if it happens twice in one year and isn't sorted relatively quickly then you will have a different view point. Would it put me off cruising....possibly....would depend on how much I had " enjoyed" trailing along corridors in the middle of the night in mi nightie searching for a  working loo

😳 It wasn't 'enjoyable'.  Also, it was not nice waking up in the middle of the night with a dodgy tummy  with our loo situated 12 cabins away! I suppose we could have moved into the inside cabin but I find them claustrophobic which is why we always pay for a balcony.

5 minutes ago, jody75 said:

Almost all the cruise ship have loo blockages which are mostly caused by the passengers using WET WIPES. Similar problems exist in land based plumbing systems and wet wipes are the primary cause of line blockages.  It is costing the water boards/companies a fortune in maintenance costs which has prompted some to highlight this problem with expensive TV advertisements.

 

The main difference between cruise lines is the way they respond to the problem. P&O in our experience are never proactive and seldomly address the difficulties with any empathy leading to passenger dissatisfaction.

 

We would never cruise P&O again and sometimes comment on this forum to balance the exaggeration of the Pando lovers

Azura must have been the exception then as they really made us feel that they were disappointed that our holiday enjoyment was being impaired and really made an effort.  Maybe it was because only our loo broke down on Azura whereas Ventura  got overwhelmed with a widespread problem.   Crikey! Am i sticking up for Ventura!   Nooooo!  🤦‍♀️

11 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Surprised to hear the replies saying P&O are so bad they switched to other cruise lines.... Then why are you still on the P&O forum???

I know things can go wrong, perhaps we have been the lucky ones, but we have always had great cruises with P&O, they seem to suit us.

Yep!  P&O provide a great product.  I accept we have been unlucky.   The way this last incident has been dealt with, plus it's happened twice this year has shaken our confidence, well mainly my confidence.

I'm looking at land based holidays for next year and husband is not best pleased as he really loves cruising. 

I just don't know

35 minutes ago, ONT-CA said:

🤣

 

Laugh not, thanks for the idea

🤣🤣

I do hope people are not implying we put unsuitable items down the toilet!  

I am aware if others do it has a knock on effect. As far as I'm aware, it was a part that needed replacing on the Ventura system and on our loo on Azura.  On both cruises we were told it was an unexpected breakdown of a valve or part of the vacuum system.

9 hours ago, sandancer said:

This is all very depressing considering we are about to take our first ever P&O cruise over Christmas. Just have to hope we get a cabin with a working loo. 

We have had a number of cruises with P&O and they were excellent.  I'm sure you will have a super time.  I think we have been super unlucky (which has put me off).  We had an expectation of the way we would be treated and it didn't happen which has miffed us(polite way of putting it)

The wait, stewards were wonderful and the food was just tooo good.  As my waistline would prove.  Go and have a wonderful time.

1 hour ago, bee-ess said:

 

Did you complain while on board ?

I would complain strongly to P&O now and say that you expect compensation and tell then clearly that you don't plan to cruise with them again as you have had this problem twice and have had no satisfaction while on board. Maybe try this email address which got results with the recent pricing issue - christopher.edgington@pocruises.com 

We did complain within hours of boarding ( hate that word as we just don't like to complain.  We prefer to go with the flow) or we reported the problem promptly, frequently and politely.

We be in contact with P&O cruises and hopefully there will be a better response.  Thank you for the email address.

37 minutes ago, daiB said:

We have had 1 very bad experience out of 40+ cruises. A new part was required but we were on our way back from the Caribbean. Every morning someone came to outside the cabin and did what was required to make the loo work for the morning and then cam back at night.

 

We negotiated rather good OBC in compensation. We complained early and to the correct people. 

 

You could try another cruise line line but they all use exactly the same system which is of course is more complicated than on land.

 

Most of the time blockages are caused by passengers. 

On both ships the problem was reported to reception a few hours after boarding.  We were in contact with our Stewards, Receptions, Reception Managers and Deck Managers on both ships. 

Azura were very pro active and we were happy enough with how they dealt with the situation. The loo was fixed after 3 hours work by the head engineer after 5 days. Ventura did not deal with the situation very well in our opinion. My understanding is that the 'vacuum' problem affected a number of cabins and could not be fixed.  All malfunctions were repeatedly reported and logged as per instructed by the deck manager to be passed onto head office.  But this still resulted in a poor response from customer services on board who were invisible.

These were our 7th and 8th cruises with P&O and had always been satisfied flushers.

No point in saying the cabin number as it was a system that failed causing a number of toilets to pack up.  Unfortunately, we were so reasonable about it others got moved and we, didn't.  However, we did have the use of an empty inside cabin about 12 cabins along our deck to trot along to. 

 We had no choice but to make it work.  It's not ideal when of a certain age or when you've over indulged but let's not go there.

We felt very down when we realised we had been unlucky with the loo, again!  I wanted to get off when we got to Madeira but was persuaded to stay..The last two nights, as we rocked and rolled in storm force gales, I lay awake thinking, "I'm never doing this again!!!" but DH loves cruising.

On a positive note, the food was great, as was Madeira, Las Palmas, Lisbon and we met lovely people.

We have just got off Ventura and the toilet in our cabin was faulty the whole 12 night cruise.  The last cruise we had in May, our toilet was out of action for 5 days out of a 7 night cruise but at least Azura dealt with it to our satisfaction, Ventura did not.  This happening two cruises in a row is just depressing.  Trudging round the public decks in a dressing gown early in the morning is just frustrating, embarrassing and inconvenient.  At least on a land based holiday we could be moved to another hotel if needs be. 

Have we been extraordinarily unlucky or is it happening more?

Should I give up cruises, this cruise line or book up and take my own chamber pot?!

To P&O or not to P&O.  That is the question

A photo copy of an ESTA is really no hardship. It also makes it easy to check whether it's due to, or has, expired.

I work in the travel industry and there is always a few who either forget to renew or think it's probably, 'ok', having not spotted the email that warns you it's due for renewal.

Some might also be unaware that as the ESTA is linked to your passport, if you renew your passport before the ESTA expires, you need another one. Same if you get an ESTA and your passport runs out in a year, the ESTA will only last until the passport's expiry date.

All travellers should check what travel visas/documentation is required. Flight/Cruise companies try to make it as clear as possible what is needed. They don't want to refuse you passage and any passenger who does travel without the right paperwork can incur the company huge fines, let alone the distress of a traveller having to be refused entry/deported.

Just because 'You're only there for a day' or 'Not getting off' doesn't wash. You are entering another country's international waters. What if you are taken ill or something should happen that means you have to stay and maybe go ashore.

The 2 year ESTA works just fine for many people. We usually visit the States at least 3 sometimes 4 during it's validity. It is a pain that crime/terrorist acts have push this necessity onto law abiding citizens but to use a phase I hate, "It is what it is".

Kudos to the nutters who, despite yet another tropical rainstorm, did an amazing sailaway with Britannia in Grenada. We wimps stuck to deck 7 to enjoy the singing and ships horns.

 

I was on the Britannia, and survived the whole sailaway - and got totally soaked!!

Neil; Oliver used to be the cruise director/entertainment manager on Azura before taking over on Britannia, and I think that he and his opposite number did a great job - despite the tragedy you had gone through.

On our side, nobody left early.

Well done! It was fun listening to you all.

Annieuk

That sounds lovely. Maybe we will try that when the husband retires. Time from the office limits us right now.

We enjoyed breakfast outside of Epicurean a couple of times. One morning we decided not to risk it although offered a table. Sure enough, the heavens suddenly opened and few had to bolt for inside. :eek:

h3rjp

I get where you're coming from. People have been asking us," Did you have a good holiday". And it's a case of, "Eermm, sort of"

On the one hand it was disappointing, yet you feel bad complaining when you consider the people involved in the accident.

We are the sort who go with the flow and don't sweat the small stuff. It takes a lot to stop us having a good time. But by the time I was stuck on the steps waiting to get on the plane in Barbados, which was not the expected Dreamliner, I was fed up and thinking, never again.

As with most people, we were so looking forward to getting away from 'stuff' at home and paid for our son to join us on the cruise in the cabin next door as he has had a really bad time this year. The lucky upgrade to a suite added to the excitement.

We have cruised with P&O, Princess, Celebrity and Carnival. We really like Azura, the staff and food were very good and we will cruise on her again (not a TA) but this particular cruise was not great.

We were on this cruise and we enjoyed your review. The writing style was great and raised a few chuckles.

Just to stick our few penceworth in.

The negative first. We've now seen all we want to see of the Azores!

Although the delays were in the main, beyond P&O's control and they did their best to limit the impact on the cruise, it was disappointing to arrive and leave late so many times. The accident on Domanica was shocking and there was a distinct mood of sadness and concern for those involved. It felt horrible sailing away and leaving them behind.

The weather was pants!! We've done 3 Southampton to Caribbean TA's and the weather has been good only 1 out the 3. That's the risk you take that time of year but I'm not doing it again.

Kudos to the nutters who, despite yet another tropical rainstorm, did an amazing sailaway with Britannia in Grenada. We wimps stuck to deck 7 to enjoy the singing and ships horns. We had got soaked earlier in the day on the second half of a boat trip. The crew on our trip looked like they were on a Round The World yacht race, wrapped in cagoules, squinting against the wind and rain. Most of us, well fortified by rum punches, just stayed on deck, got wet and enjoyed the exhilarating ride back. :D

I've put on 8lbs:D

Positives

Azura is our favourite ship and still is. The size of her and the bars and dining options suit us. We also ate about 3/4 of the time in the Oriental, club dining, early sitting. The food was good to very good and our waiters and wine waiter were on the ball and very pleasant.

Epicurian for dinner was lovely, Glass House for lunches and dinner was great, as always. We ate twice at the Beach House where I LOVED the ribs and discovered the joy of a Bubblegum Martini (or few).

The staff everywhere (cabin,bars,dining) were friendly and would always greet you, ask how your day was going and some we saw regularly at breakfast in the Epicurian would stop for a chat.

The entertainment was an improvement on past cruises and we enjoyed a number of acts and quizzes in Brodies.

The 'Galley Tour with Lunch' was very interesting and the lunch was lovely. You helped yourself to starters, mains and desserts and it was washed down with a glass of bubbly and a glass of wine. A long nap was required afterwards!

Due to circumstances it wasn't the best cruise we've been on, by a long way. But we made the best of it and enjoyed the ship; our first experience in a suite, although our aft balcony didn't see any sun, at all. Breakfast in the Epicurian was a lovely way to start the day.

We give it 5 out of 10 and are looking forward to another cruise on Azura next year.

I'm taking one long black dress, two knee length (one bright red, one black and ivory) and one mid calf length for our four formal nights.

There is a wide variety worn on these nights so don't panic. Have fun!

Office Xmas Party Do is a good way to describe it.

We've cruised on Princess and P&O, though not on Arcadia.

Each cruise line does some things better and somethings not so well. Swings and roundabouts. Cruises on both have been great. Most of our points would be subjective.

On Princess, we thought the entertainment was much better and the food, maybe a step up though P&O's is very nice.

On P&O, we love having Tea and Coffee making facilities in the cabin. Glasshouse, Sindu and Beach House are a great plus. Another huge plus for us is P&O allowing you to bring alcohol on board for cabin consumption. It's very pleasant enjoying a tipple on the balcony or while getting ready for dinner.

Between the two, putting the exchange rate aside (Princess is $, P&O £) we would go by itinerary. Princess has nothing like the cruise you are looking at unless you are prepared to fly.

Just my twopence worth:D

Thank you, again. This has been really helpful. Norway is winning at the mo though it will have to be 9th September as we are away in June. Just waiting on feedback from our holiday companions.

We were not expecting to get the cozzies out but hopefully there will be enough clear days to experience the views. Everything hidden in cloud and drenched every day would be a shame but hey, we just go with the flow.:)

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. It's very helpful.:D

Thank you for taking the time to reply.:)

We were expecting it to be changeable weather. I have read that the waterfalls are spectacular in the Spring and I'm assuming that they still flow in the Autumn. I suppose this depends on how much rain they get.

We were looking at the cruise on Azura, early September 2017.

Anyone been this time of year?

We plan on doing a 7nt Fjord cruise and we are undecided on the time of year. Could I ask the cruisers on here your experiences and opinions on doing this cruise in Spring and Autumn?

Pros and Cons would be much appreciated.:)