laslomas

1 minute ago, Presto2 said:

We didn't have an infinite veranda cabin on Edge. The aft cabins are normal doors / balconies 😉

Yes I know there are 'sunset verandas', but as well as being more expensive, they sell out quickly too. Did you choose it as you wanted to be in an aft cabin, or because you wanted a 'real' veranda? 

6 hours ago, emam said:

The only Celebrity ship we have been on is the Eclipse. We had an inside cabin which had a sofa, great to use as a dumping ground. The bathroom had plenty of space with a large shower and plenty cupboards/storage. It took a few steps to get to the toilet, unlike on the P&O ships. It was the noisiest cabin we have been in. 

 

The buffet was fabulous with loads of food from different countries. They had what they called minute steaks which to me was a full size steak. American, Italian, Chinese, British, Caviar, whole hams, make your own sandwich are just some of what I remember. Free ice cream and juice. P&O don't come anywhere near this in their buffets. I didn't think the mdr food was anything special. 

 

As it was a Baltic cruise I was often sat alone on the deck, wrapped in towels to keep warm. In fact people didn't seem to come out apart from meals and at night. I don't know how this would compare to a warm weather cruise. 

 

The casino was a lot bigger and busier. The toilets often had attendants in them who would open the door when you leave. 

 

On the downside for Celebrity is the initial cost, daily gratuities to pay, dearer drinks plus extra tax on them. No kettle in room though we did ask for one.

 

The passengers are more diverse on Celebrity, whether that is good or bad is your choice. Any announcements are made multiple times in different languages.

 

I haven't been on Iona or Ariva so can't compare those ships.

 

I would say Celebrity are a class above P&O, but you pay more for it. Having said that we have had great cruises on P&O. Crew are all lovely but not ott. 

 

Writing this Celebrity has a lot going for them. However it is only now and years later that I can appreciate that. At the time we could only see the good points of P&O and enjoyed those holidays more.

I have been a Celebrity cruiser for the last 10 years, on Eclipse, Infinity, Silhouette, Reflection and Equinox. I agree with most described here. I now have my first P&O cruise booked, on Arvia, as I want to sail from Southampton next year and do not like the idea of the Infinite Veranda on Celebrity Edge class ships. Celebrity only have one ship sailing from Southampton. So at the moment I am not able to compare Celebrity and P&O but I am trying to gain as much information I can from the P&O forum, and am looking forward to trying P&O.

The only comment I disagree with above is the mention of announcements in multiple languages repeated several times. I never heard this on any of the ships. But I only sailed Mediterranean, Caribbean and British Isles itineraries. The availability of wonderful ice cream and sorbet, without charge is great. The lovely hand mixed martinis in the Martini bar are amazing. The happy and chatty attendants in the washrooms mean they are spotless. The speciality dining on Celebrity is very expensive, in my opinion, as are the drinks packages, and the itineraries on the Edge class ships seem way higher in price than the other ships in their fleet. Celebrity are adding more and more suites, and bigger suites. Suite Class have a separate dining room, bar and Retreat area.

I realise P&O will be a different experience especially as the passenger demographic is probably 90%+ British, I am not saying that is bad - just different. I will keep reading this thread so to be prepared for my P&O cruise. I just wish P&O offered some kind of status match with Celebrity Captain's Club loyalty scheme, similar to that offered by MSC. I now have to start at the bottom again 😞

This is the detail on the P&O website. Is that really true? Certainly not from what I have been reading on this forum. It seems you need a lot of planning to eat in the MDR, so I would think there are not enough places and the description needs a bit of tweaking.

I have just tried my Login and get this message, so something is not working. Maybe they are inundated with people, like me, trying to log in to see if it is working 🙃

Just a little query - with no evening turndown service, when is the Daily programme delivered? Is it just in the post box?

According to a social media post it was a 'medical emergency' with a helicopter evacuation at around 2:30 am. Hope all are well.

It seems really pointless for P&O to allocate arrival times that are totally inappropriate for some passengers. If driving a couple of hundred miles and knowing that 3:00 - 3:30 would be a good time, it must be really annoying to be given a 12:15 check in time. Or staying overnight in a local hotel knowing checkout is by 11 am and then finding you have 3:30. Arriving late for your time means you will not hit the 'too early queue' but will impact those that arrived on time and their queue is larger than expected as it has late arrivals in it.  

All the suggestions on how to waste a few hours are useful, but do not suit everyone - especially those without their own transport.

Why, oh why do they not ask? It works perfectly for Celebrity (ok, smaller ships). Choosing the time is on a first come first served basis when completing online check-in, but not everyone wants the earliest times. They don't suit everyone's travel plans.

I pity anyone in the too early queue today as the weather forecast is not looking good, and wasting time walking around will be just as bad!!

On 7/13/2023 at 11:16 AM, AndyMichelle said:

I'm all for people enjoying their holiday how they want, but if I wanted to wear shorts in the main dining room, I would book a different cruise line. 

Not saying the policy is right, but it's the policy. 

If shorts were allowed, I would probably be the one wearing them, but they are not. 

Andy 

Totally agree.

It reminds me of the arguments children have with parents about school uniform. They always want to tweak it a bit and try to get away with little adaptions, shorter skirts, etc. Rules are rules. If that is what we tell the school kids, surely it applies to the older generation too. 

There are many cruise lines to choose from, something to suit everyone.

Surely the baby buggies will fold??  Then they can go in the cabin with the family. If it is a tight squeeze they will know to book a balcony cabin next time and the buggy can be stored there.  No way should they be left in the corridor where they impede all the other passengers on that deck.

I think I understand the sentiments stated above. I have been a regular Celebrity cruiser over the years but find their recent price hikes have made me have a re-think. I was considering whether to plan and book further ahead with Celebrity and miss a year. I enjoy cruising from Southampton but even if I could stretch to their prices for next year I would not want to as the only ship they have sailing from Southampton only offers 'infinite verandas'. So I have also booked for the first time with P&O and know it will be 'different' but I cannot accept being priced out of cruising altogether and am looking forward to my first P&O cruise. I'm especially looking forward to a few formal nights which no longer exist in the recognised way on Celebrity. I'm also intrigued to see how it different it will be with a large contingent of cruisers from the UK. Good, or bad? who knows? So I accept it will be different (and cheaper) - it could become my new regular cruise line. 

On 6/30/2023 at 10:38 AM, Gettingwarmer said:

The first bed will be in the same position whether it be twin or queen. In a deluxe balcony it is tight. In an ordinary balcony it is very tight. 

17 hours ago, smokey01 said:

We prefer the sofa by the balcony so it is a little tight between the bed and wardrobe but once the steward had serviced the room in the morning I just moved the bottom of my twin bed to rest at a slant against my mothers bed and access to the wardrobe was then fine. To be fair I thought there was enough room but I am thin but my slightly larger mother thought otherwise!

Thanks very much for the comments. I worried it would be more of a squeeze with twin beds, so am glad to know the bed remains in the same position. I think I will also be moving the bed a bit during the day as I expect with two people trying to access their clothes at the same time it could become congested.

Just a thought on this as I have been unable to find any reviews or photos - how tight is it to get to the wardrobes when the beds are set apart as twins? I assume it is better to have them by the balcony in this instance, but on checking I believe on my upcoming cruise they will be next to the wardrobes. Thanks.

Before making any significant purchase I always ensure the product meets what I want to buy with my hard earned cash. This includes when I buy a cruise holiday. I do a bit of research and reading. Doesn't everyone? Why buy something that is not really what you are happy with and then try to bend or break the rules and guidelines?

There are cruise lines out there to suit everyone. Just research the product as you would with any big purchase. I got it wrong once, and learnt from that and didn't book with them again.

This seems to affect the online booking on Azura, I have not seen it on other ships. It is very off putting and you need to follow the wording on the plan - NOT the positioning shown. Very confusing. 

That is the transatlantic crossing coming back into Southampton, and repositioning cruises are usually cheaper than a full Caribbean cruise. I love sea days, and repositioning cruises, and think that seems a pretty good price at the moment. No one can ever predict what will happen with prices as the date gets closer, and as already stated, is worth it to you? I am sure we all monitor our booked cruises and some we win some we lose, but if you are happy with the price - go for it.

Previous posters have mentioned the simplicity of embarking on Princess. My last few cruises were from Southampton on Celebrity. Boarding for me, with Celebrity, has always been very smooth, with no queues. I understanding the thinking in giving priority to Suites, and also based on the Loyalty programme tiers, but to not be flexible in allowing choice or changes is ridiculous. People are travelling from all parts of the country with different travel times. Also some coming by plane.

To find you are expected to board at 12:30 when 3:30 would suit you better could prove stressful for some. Not everyone will be clamouring for the early embarkation, for some that would mean an extra early start, or even an overnight stay pre-cruise involving more expense. Yes, they can turn up late, but someone else could have had their earlier time slot. I really do not see how the current system can ever work any better than just adequately. Suite guests could always be given priority, but a choice is surely the simplest solution to the embarkation process.

I shall wait and see how it is for my cruise in September and keep my fingers crossed that I am not given the time to embark when hundreds arrive on coaches and get priority!! 😕

I had seen this reported and was also hoping to see updates of the current situation. Is Miami a scheduled port stop, or due to the situation?

Just another note on the Promenade deck. It is the area where Muster stations are set, and is the area to get into lifeboats if the worse happens. So they need to be roomy and free of too many obstacles. I remember in days gone by, all passengers would have to complete their muster safety drill on the Promenade deck at the same time - whatever the weather. Strangely it was not done before setting sail.

1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

The promenade decks on old ships tend to be wide and covered so can be used in all weathers. No sunbathers in the way! 

And would usually encircle the whole ship to allow passengers to 'promenade'.

15 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

And that’s the beauty of all the different cruise lines - you can check dress codes before booking and chose accordingly as to what best suits your pocket and your sense of style….😜 

Exactly. Chose a cruise line that you would be comfortable on. There really is so much choice in the market.

Over the past few years the attitude of some has been to ignore the code in the hope to 'get away with it'. Reminds me of being at school and rolling my skirt waistband over to shorten my skirt, which often resulted in a detention. I began cruising in the 1990's when the Formal Night was the norm on all cruise lines I sailed. For the last 10 years I have sailed mainly on Celebrity. They have gradually moved to 'Evening Chic' which is basically a very dumbed down version just meaning no shorts or flip flops. So should suit most people. But even with their new dress code people complain and try to ignore it.

Surely a cruise line can write their own rules / code / guidelines and if choosing that cruise line you know what to expect. I love the Formal nights and that is the reason I am looking at P&O. Personally I would be disappointed if they changed. But each to their own, which is why the choice of different cruise lines offering different expectations is available. Something for everyone. 😀🍸

Is there any knowledge on how embarkation times are allocated by P&O?

Several of my cruises recently were on Celebrity from Southampton and I was able to choose my boarding time during the online check in process. This seems sensible as passengers are arriving form all areas by different modes of transport and are aware of the most suitable time for them.

Has the Concierge Class 'expanded breakfast menu' been discontinued? It was always one of the extra amenities for CC that was worthwhile.

27 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Mean isn’t the word my beloved used and it takes an awful lot to hear her swear.

the entire cruise is cancelled but strangely enough still on website 

On the website - but comes up with an error during the booking process and cannot be completed.

I sailed last October (Silhouette) and had a card where the film started to peel off after a couple of days. At one bar I was told I could just remove it. So I did. Everything still worked perfectly, so I assumed it was just for protection and should be removed. Who knows??? 😕

1 hour ago, villauk said:

 

Yes, received the same and our thoughts are also similar regarding Edge class.

I am not excited by the news. I am disappointed too. It would be great if Celebrity sailed an S Class from Southampton as well as the E Class, that would suit us all.