Megabear2

My loyalty is now VERY stretched. I'm not in Yorkypete's camp yet, but I'm only a couple more nightmare steps from it. I'm dreading Marseille as it's bad most times for shuttles. I almost wish I hadn't been found the cabin and then I'd be on that lovely BA flight on my way to Heathrow. Goodness knows how they're going to sort this. Spoke to the guy next to me on the bus and he said I was booked on here for November, I'm not now. Most people around me in the queue either first time cruisers or first time on P&O were saying never again.

Yes, I heard they asked people not to get off at one point. I went fairly early as I wanted to visit a specific place to buy olive oil and then see the Cathedral. Some I spoke to only got off at just after 12 saw the queue and headed back to the return after only a couple of hours.

Everything is abnormal on this ship! This is their normal. It's built for queuing and queue you most certainly do.

I announced very loudly on my bus that if people don't complain they'll do it again. I got a round of applause! I hope they all follow up. Can't wait to hear the Camby Cartoon reading tonight ....

I arrived back 16.32 by my phone. Now on-board. Last bus is meant to be 5.00pm, all on-board 5.30. It will take a miracle ... Palma traffic is building. Just before I left the Guardia were having words about buses blocking the traffic- that's all of them not just our paltry offering. The ladies were in their lates 80's and one was 90. How could you not help, they were on distress. I'd gave felt guilty forever. I have dinner in the Beach House 6.15. Never been there, hope it's not difficult I'm exhausted. 30 minutes rest, then a shower I feel.

We'd all.just like to get back ... The queue is growing and time is moving. Never mind tea I've got a 6.15 dinner and that's in doubt if this carries on!

No one there at all. I got the ladies a taxi. I'm still queing. Spoke to Intercruise agent who said P&O only booked 20 buses which she says it totally inadequate. Being a martyr to the case (!!) I'm staying to see.how long it takes me. The queue is now doubled back across the road and round the corner. I'm now about a football pitch from the front. One bus loading plus the assistance shuttle - I've not seen one of those in the nearly two hours. There's a man on white ahead, first P&O guy I've seen. He's currently in a shouting match with an American guy who's apparently on here. Just seen some very worried looking crew guys with their shopping who need to get back. The lady in front tells me at 10.15 announcements were made asking people not to try to get off due to congestion. She got off at 12.15. We are now pass the complaining stage into the not so long to it all being all 'orf to coin an old Essex phrase. Meantime all the Celebrity Edge and MSC guys are boarding their shuttles absolutely gobsmacked we're putting up with it.

On your second picture if you click the red select button another screen should appear with two buttons? Try it.

With some ladies who just rejojned the queue. They've been here 1 1/2 hours! I'm going to find us a taxi.

Palma.its embarrassing now. The queues has doubled back on itself. We've just been visited by Celebrity Edge staff looking if they have any passengers caught up in the mayhem. I've moved 20 feet since joining the queue, so 37 minutes.

Well my patience has officially expired! Close to 1.200 people in queue for transfer back to ship. They've run out if queue room, it's back in the local restaurant. Mayhem. Not moved for 15 minutes. Apparently every 15 minutes. MSC- see photo - no queue. Celebrity buses queued no passengers to get on them. Total pants I'm afraid.

I appreciate what you are saying, but if you used the P&O website you would have seen a message saying this is a guarantee fare. You may not have read the terms and just clicked through but that message clearly states you are guaranteed a cabin of the grade selected or above. It was for you to decide at that point if it was worth £300 more. I'm sorry if you didn't understand that. Have they given you a cabin number yet, if so which grade/floor do you have?

From And Then There Were Three ... seems very appropriate for this thread!

I can confirm we are here and it's very crowded indeed. 3,000 odd Americans mixed with 4,000 or so mainly Germans, French, Italians and 6,200 Brits is making an interesting diversion. Lots of shuttles and tour buses of the MSC ship so clearly not just a turn around.

I'll take my shooting stick ... have it with me for ashore in case I need to queue for anything!

I have had an email from my contact, assumedly she has replied on Exec Office's behalf. I'm to expect a surprise whatever that is, I'll let you know. I did wonder if the bucket of water was in fact it ..... I'm hoping my experience is not atypical. I am coming at this as someone looking at absolutely every problem I see, hear and experience because I'm so alert to it because of my first three days. I know we have at least two more CC contributors onboard here at the moment and I'll bet you a pound to a penny they're not seeing or being involved in any of this and hopefully are having a brilliant time. Everyone has a different cruise, same date, same ship. This is just my story, one I'm going to give Paul Ludlow the full benefit of when I get home!!

MSC do it as well. I've.noticed certain travel agents also.now have an option of we will select your cabin or you can choose for more money to pick. Interestingly when you select a Princess cabin those two options also come up on their website. Rarely, but definitely a couple of times, I've seen a small price differential between we pick and you pick. It's like it's almost a third fare option when making a later booking.

The big 70's rollback with Pulse is tonight in the Club. They're on all night so I'm planning on going after the 710 Club finishes at 9.30pm. I'm having a "night off" tonight as my Lord and master is suitably happy with my submitted work from this week. Off the leash for the weekend as they say!

Hi ICF, this admin work thing's a bit of a pain isn't it? I'm currently doing it every evening on here, only an hour or two but essential. The good news I've found is that the WiFi on-board copes really well and I've only got the "cheap" version (if you can call.it that). It was slow yesterday which I'm pretty sure was due to desperate people trying to keep the kids happy due due to the weather. The cost on-board is astronomical and I'm guessing P&O made a fortune out of the wind and rain. It was impossible to get into a cinema yesterday for most as everyone had the same idea. The Sky Dome pool was rammed as well. Back on noise issues: I've pretty much got an idea of where our 100 cabins are on here as I've spent quite a lot of time investigating. Certainly midship 5 is pretty bad - spoke to a couple in 5513 who say 710 Club above them is very loud. I was surprised as having been in the Club yesterday it's very small but thinking about it if there's a band in there - as there is tonight- I'm guessing it will be pretty intense. Interestingly lots I've spoken to have been on Iona and to a man say the two ships are not comparable despite being virtually identical. Everyone of these people said they booked Arvia because of their Iona experience being so good. ICF as you loved Arvia I'm guessing you'll have the best holiday ever on Iona based on these people's experience.

The OP took a guarantee fare of a certain grade, ie a balcony fwd or balcony aft. Towards the end of sales when a ship is almost full nearly every cruise line will offer this option. The benefit of taking it is that you retain the select fare perks (where there are any) which often include OBC, free transfer buses etc. It does not mean that you will get the worst cabins, just that it is the luck of the draw. Not on P&O but their suster line Princess I met a couple who booked under those terms 10 days before sailing and were given a mini suite after accepting the lowest grade insude. The best cabins (most expensive rather than situation) may not have sold but the line wants them filled for passenger expenditure on-board. There's another current thread running by someone who's disgruntled their booking has resulted in them being given the family suite on Iona. Select or Saver guarantee would have been moved into that person's original cabin. Nine times out of ten it all comes out okay. My problems on Arvia have occurred not due to the system but because there appear to be so many cabins which may be affected by noise. The cabin I vacated was very good apart from that. Another person may.not have had a problem with it or been a night owl and not cared. It is luck of the draw. I would agree that P&O should make it known which cabins may be affected by noise in the same way that restricted view is. That's a little underhand and needs looking into mainly due to the number involved. Apart from that, there's absolutely no reason why the OP doesn't get a nice cabin. He hasn't been swindled, the booking terms are very clear on the website, I accepted them, so has he. Unfortunately he did not perhaps understand what he was signing up to but I can assure you (As the starr date of this thread shows) these types of booking have been around a long time). Personally I think the OP will be fine and certainly shouldn't throw away his money.

No, you'll have to run with what you have or lose your money. I just cancelled that cruise in a saver balcony, maybe you have my old cabin. Joking apart I made the same mistake on my current cruise, never to be repeated. I assume you did get the OBC though which is P&O's way of rewarding you for taking the select fare. If not ask them why not. I'd go with what you have rather than lose your money. Fingers crossed for you to get a nice cabin.

Current prices on Arvia - I don't drink much but it's a clue hopefully! Small glass of Prosecco £6.25 Largeg&t with normal tonic (Fevertree is 50% dearer) £8.90 Cappuccino £3.15 Large Pinot Grigo £8.50 Iced coffee small £2.95 Small sauvignon blanc £6.95 Small g&t £6.40 I only have a couple of alcoholic drinks a day, normally one wine and one g&t or a cocktail. Don't know if the above helps much with working out prices as they currently are but my estimate based on some of the numbers of drinks being mentioned in this thread is maybe the package might be best for those who like a drink/coffees etc every day.

Loved it. It wasn't the band tonight though but a young girl singer with a guitar which was right up my street- reminded me of clubs I go to in Palm Beach and Dallas. I thought she was great even sung some of her own compositions, I love Thea Gilmore and she reminded me of her when I first saw her 12 years ago. I'm back in there tomorrow night for the band and I'm keeping next week's bookings too.

I know some on here remember Tiswas as we mentioned it before - the Dying Fly Dance. Well today we can add The Bucket of Water Song to the P&O comedy repertoire! It's been a windy and at times wet day until late afternoon. As a result trying to find somewhere to sit inside has been a bit of a challenge. I thought I'd been lucky with a comfortable chair on Deck 17 of the Sky Dome ... Arvia thought otherwise! Having a cuppa chatting to three ladies a light in the ceiling above us suddenly went out and literally two buckets of freezing water cascaded out and directly on to us, and I do mean a literal flood. We were absolutely soaked, the pages on one of the lady's books on the table actually disintegrated. Having kept up from our unexpected cold shower we realised water was also pouring out of an exit sign but luckily no one was sitting there. Arvia clearly has hidden gems awaiting us round every corner .... Anyway briefly, Epicurean dinner was okay but not the standard I've had on Britannia and Azura - more on that tomorrow - the 710 Club I loved but a real fiasco for some - see above. Palma is on tomorrow after all the will we won't we discussion tomorrow and I'm £305 better off because my trip in Italy is cancelled! Now do I go to Portovenere for the fourth time in 10 months or face a 10 hour trip to Florence in the hope I can see David? Decisions, decisions ... hey oop I'm doing a Scarlet O'Hara - tomorrow's another day... I'll think about that tomorrow!