Megabear2

I'm probably one of the smallest spenders onboard as I book/pay for everything up front, particularly on ships using US$ as I can pay in sterling. My average bill for drinks on P&O comes in well under £150 in 14 nights when I'm on my own. My bill on Regal included one very expensive excursion booked last minute and still came in below £200. I generally end up offloading any OBC on the Retreat or the spa.

I'm not so sure! I had to ask for a sandwich to be removed from display on Regal Princess after a lady lifted its lid and tasted the insides with her finger! She was blatant and just shrugged her shoulders when I suggested she now remove the sandwich.

Can't do without my tea making facility. Horrified on boarding Celebrity Edge none was there. Asked my cabin steward if I there was any chance I could have a kettle and lo and behold in 10 minutes a brand new boxed one complete with a tray, two mugs and a variety of teabags was delivered. Every day, morning and night, my teabags were replenished and a jug of skimmed milk was put in my fridge. Sadly no biscuits but rectified by a morning/evening trip to El Bacio for yummy cookies. Normally on P&O I raid the buffet every day for extra teabags and a glass of skimmed milk - can't stand the little plastic pots.

First went in 1988 and a Daily Mirror 14 nights on the new Virgin charter(!) 7 nights Disney 7 nights Miami cost £399 each including car hire. My last one in 2017 was 14 nights Animal Kingdom Lodge costing £9,800! We used to have annual passes and managed three trips a year, 2 by flying and one in November by a repositioning cruise to FL or Miami followed by a drive. Three weeks of winter sun, pure bliss. Gradually replaced that with a P&O Caribbean Christmas cruise as I got older but I'd still love to go on a Disney cruise because the child in me will always love Mickey!

Glad to have helped. Your insurer will expect you to have one otherwise your insurance is liable to withhold payment. E

Excellent!

I did used to do that on a Disney Florida holiday. My friends and family were astonished what would come and go in their Disney diary as I moved restaurants, fast passes, events and even meet and greets. Despite their laughter they all admitted in dozens of trips they'd never seen or done so much. Happy days indeed. Now I can't even afford a day in a park the prices are so Hugh.

Not in the market for much at the moment as still using up bookings made a very long time ago. However: P&O December 16th 2022 - price now dropped £1,800 on my select fares plus extra £300OBC October 8th 2022 - price dropped by £250 with extra OBC - also smaller single supplement December 22 2023 - price dropped by £600 with extra OBC NCL August 2023 - price risen by £1,300 even with AI taken into account Celebrity May 2023 - price remains static but 60% of second person. However new bookings no always included Non cruising: 10 nights 5* Kefalonia with private pool July 2023 £3,600 total for 2 10 nights 5* Venice/Verona booked independentfly with flights, transfers, B&B - £1,100 for 2 Interesting pattern here - why would I choose to book more cruises???

But it's nice to have the option. Princess allow you to request it via the Medallion app.

I don't think the Caribbean protocols are known yet. Last year they were announced early October, just after a large number of people were due to pay their balances. I'm guessing that end of September early October will be the first we hear.

Not just any old chocs either. On posh nights we got little boxes of Belgian truffles - yummy!

It appears to be the new British disease! Recently in Kefalonia there were no sunbeds around either of the pools in our 5* adults only resort at 7.45am. There are some wonderful videos on the subject on YouTube as well.

As a frequent visitor to a particular Austrian village I was surprised one night to be introduced at a festival as one of the people visiting there the longest, in my case 30 years. I was asked to go on a stage to meet the Mayor of the village and given a box to mark the occasion. Imagine my surprise on opening it when I found 30 specially minted silver coins. I can now proudly boast that I am the recipient of a biblical 30 pieces of silver!

I never saw my account on Britannia, Celebrity Edge or Regal Princess save for emailed versions. Britannia was the quickest arriving on the morning of departure, Edge second at 24 hours and Princess only received 14 days after return. I had checked each account the night before departure but even then ended up with a query on Edge as the $100 "test" on boarding amount still showed up for 3 days.

Once did a Meet the Manager live on a station. We all told them we thought quiet carriages were a good idea. The manager nodded and wrote it down. The next week they announced televisions on trains would be introduced in every carriage carrying live tv and advertisements. Certainly another "We're listening experience".

Another reason why all this OBC isn't all it's cracked up to be! If you're the sort of person who doesn't drink much, use the spa or buy bags, jewellery, watches whatever you can find yourself scrambling to spend it. Excursions used to be able to be pre purchased with OBC (up until about 8 or 9 years ago if my memory serves me correct) and in light of P&O using OBC as a tool to entice bookings it would be nice if they could allow it again.

Hope you are enjoying it. Cost not a problem if it hopefully lives up to your expectations.

I think it depends on the cruise/ship if they are value. I booked at launch December 2023 Arvia Christmas Caribbean cruise. Price was very high but they offered £500 OBC which made it palatable. It was also only £200pp dearer than my Britannia Christmas 2022 booking. Remembering this is Arvia with all the deck 8 problems to avoid select seemed okay. Checked it out over the weekend in light of the extra OBC offer. Price has dropped on select by £600 and OBC increased to £780. We stuck with it purely because we have one of the cabins with a large balcony and the cost difference is minimal, but there is one. If we were prepared to risk deck 8 we could have saved £1900 which is a massive difference, and no way does the OBC go anyway to making select better value. I'm extremely loyal to P&O and book Christmas or just after on launch every year depending when it falls. With these sorts of differences there's absolutely no way I will commit to December 2024 when it goes on sale.

Agreed the fact it remains free to change is good. However before the pandemic P&O also charged £100pp administration fee and it had to be more expensive. I remember my aunt having to cancel a world cruise when uncle became too unwell to travel for such a long time and P&O wouldn't budge on letting them move their very large deposit to another shorter voyage in the future. Ended up claiming on insurance for cancellation and P&O lost their custom for 10 y3ars as a result.

I've only changed one and that was enforced. However many have chopped and changed merely due to P&O pricing changes and OBC. Seasoned cruisers were used to the old lock in rules, I'm not so sure the new wave cruisers will be so prepared or keen particularly with, as Zap says, silly prices for 2023 onwards.

I've no problem with it on my existing bookings but with new ones and the extortionate fares being quoted for select fares will certainly think twice before committing ahead and any new bookings for moving can only be select. I see Cunard also changed today to mirror this.

As mentioned by Dermotsgirl the booking conditions have now reverted today to only one free move to an equivalent or higher priced cruise. Just out of interest and for amusement only, how will this affect your attitude to booking cruises from today or indeed were you thinking of moving a cruise but now find yourself locked in.

It was inevitable. I hope everyone on here who was wavering or wanted to move managed to get it done before this happened.

Surely that's Virgin - airline and cruise company. In fact the displays and palaver on that Cruise programme rather render this topic redundant as surely Virgin win hands down ?

I'd like to ask him what price loyalty! Just seen my Christmas cruise £900 less plus £780obc and told nothing can be done.