AchileLauro

Disembarked because of illness or because of abuse to crew. If the later then a jolly good thing. Rather disappointed to read this as I just printed off our boarding passes for an upcoming Arcadia cruise this morning

That's interesting and I realise that tastes vary but we sailed last on Aurora last November and apart from one poor meal we were satisfied with the standard of the food in the main dining room, maybe not quite as good as it was previously but still good. On the other hand our experience of the food on MSC Bellissima left us very unimpressed, so much so that we don't think that we will ever be cruising with them again. In fact the whole dining experience was very poor and my wife even snapped a tooth eating one meal.

Which courts would you be referring to? Are you forgetting that not all but many of the P&O fleet sail under flags of convenience making the question of jurisdiction a rather interesting one.

I too was wondering how they would manage on board if they are expressing concern about their abilities to get from the coach to check-in without assistance, especially so if the cruise is on one of the larger ships.

I'm not sure if it is entirely correct to say that assistance only starts once you get inside the terminal. Twice in recent years, once with P&O (last year) and once with Celebrity, we have travelled with mother in law and on both occasions she was wheeled from the car park drop off point by porters via check-in and onto the ship. She should have been travelling with us again last November on Aurora, but changed her mind after paying the final balance having decided that her mobility had deteriorated to such an extent that she wouldn't be able to enjoy her cruise. I should add that they provided the wheelchair.

Unfortunately the unreasonable entitled characteristic is not entirely restricted to fully able bodied persons it also extends to some disabled persons too. So does claiming discrimination when others are not in total agreement with them. That's simply human nature as unpleasant as it may be at times.

When talking about "larger people" are you talking about clinically obese which is regarded as a disability, or are you simply talking about people who are simply larger in frame? I have some experience of regulating safety and evacuation processes in land based premises including hospitals and other care environments, and while I am unfamiliar with maritime legislation I am of the opinion that with regard to vulnerable persons the safety legislation and requirements would be broadly inline with shore based legislation in most developed countries. Cruise lines may not of got this very difficult subject entirely correct in the past but in light of events in fairly recent times are working hard to address issues. Having recently been through the process when booking a cruise for my disabled mother-in-law I can say that I was impressed by the way that P&O dealt with it. I would say that they were endeavoring to develop a PEP (Personal Evacuation Plan). I appreciated that its especially difficult to carry out an assessment of disability needs remotely and to make a valid judgement as to what assistance would be required in an emergency. As a slightly related aside, my wife and I were on a cruise on Oriana some years ago and would daily see a family of four moving around the ship. Three of the four were always seen in mobility scooters, often barging their way through other passengers. We excused their bad manners because we were obviously sympathetic to the fact that a family should be so affected as to necessitate the need for these scooters. That was until a sail away party when the three in scooters got up to dance. Two of them standing on tables and one standing on a chair. They were quite rowdy and my wife and I looked at each other in disbelief. We weren't quite so sympathetic after that.

Something the majority of people have very little understanding of.

Yes you certainly could argue that the brand has gone down market but then again you could just argue that things have simply changed. In my opinion all the ships have a different particular character to them, and to get the most enjoyment out of your cruise you need to select the right ship for you. We have sailed on most of the fleet and will be trying a ship that we have never sailed on before in a month's time. We weren't prepared to risk booking our main holiday on it because of mixed reports from people whose judgement we trust. So we are only taking a short cruise, and if it suits us we shall consider it for a future longer cruise. If it doesn't then we will bear with it for a few days, but I dare say that we will enjoy the break. From past cruises we have identified several of the fleet that we have found not at all to our liking and have vowed never to sail on them again, even if we were to win a free cruise in a competition or prize draw. To us the ship is all important, even more so than the ports of call.

It should have been reported to the safety officer. Mobility scooters left in corridors are not only an obstruction but also a potential fire hazard. On one cruise I was on a passenger was not just leaving their scooter in the corridor but was actually charging it in the corridor. I therefore brought it to the attention of the safety officer. Storing mobility scooters on escape routes is an absolute no no on land, and an even bigger no no at sea. As for charging on an escape route! It does raise the question as to why this was allowed to occur in the first place. What sort of fire awareness training is provided to the crew and how are corridor escape routes monitored.

Of the many cruises that we have taken with P&O starting in 1986 I can only think of two meals taken in the main dining room that either my wife or I have been totally dissatisfied with. That's not to say that they can't improve, indeed P&O really need to take some lessons from Marella and Fred Olson both of which seem to us to be of a higher standard. However, we can't be that disappointed with P&O as we currently have two future cruises booked with them.

As has already been said food tastes are subjective as we too were on Aurora in December 2023 and enjoyed nearly every meal with the exception of dinner on the first night. That night it was roast pork with apricot stuffing. The pork had obviously been kept warm for far too long as it had dried out. My wife and I were at the point of sending it back but salvaged the meal by asking for additional gravy. That made it just about O.K. but not good. All other meals were reasonable but it certainly is noticeable that standards and indeed choice have declined somewhat.

Do they still offer free child places? Not that I've been looking but haven't noticed them for quite some time.

We had the same on Iona, four cabins all linked and four different check in times. Five of the seven (in three cabins) were travelling together. We would have thought that as the bookings were linked the check in times would all be the same.

You'll be lucky to pick one up off the shelf. I too like having a paper version, the internet never seems to be that easy to follow. I went into three different travel agents last week looking for a copy. All said that they didn't have copies other than one who had a dog eared copy kept for reference and written on. The comment I got was - that they are rare.

The problem is that for years members of this site have been saying "just turn up when you like" regardless of allocated boarding times. P&O are now quite strict on boarding times and are holding people back and not allowing access to the departure halls if they arrive too early. Last November we arrived 10 minutes before our allotted time and noticed a large crowd outside Mayflower terminal. We were directed straight inside and straight to the desk, all the while some outside were arguing to be let inside, one chap very vociferously to the point that I thought he may even be denied boarding.

On some previous cruises especially one on Ventura several years ago it was an absolute nightmare, but we disembarked off Aurora two weeks ago and the system employed that day worked superbly. Basically following a relaxed breakfast in the main dining room we collected our overnight bags and coats from our cabin and went to the theatre. On entering the theatre we were informed that we could disembark immediately. There were very few people in the baggage hall and we quickly and easily located our cases and were de-icing the car within 10 minutes of leaving the theatre. On the road by 08.10 a.m.

I sincerely hope that it hasn't been changed as we too are on this cruise and specifically booked it because it is one of the last opportunities to visit Amsterdam on Aurora before future restrictions introduced by the local authorities will restrict cruise ships entering the port. We certainly haven't been informed of any changes. If we had received notification we would consider this to be a significant change as its the only port of call so 100% change and would be cancelling. We should have visited Amsterdam a few years ago on Azura but that was changed mid cruise due to weather conditions which was extremely disappointing at the time. Going on previous experiences with P&O it wouldn't be entirely improbable that the company would only inform you of a change once you have boarded the ship and are underway.

P&O can be a bit hit or miss when it comes to cooking venison and game dishes. The worst dish that I have ever eaten on all of the cruises we have taken with P&O was wild boar sausage. Now I've eaten wild boar dishes numerous times both at home and in France and always enjoyed then, but on this occasion the sausages were truly bad. I would go so far as to say that they were inedible. On the other hand a spatchcock partridge dish that we had on board some years ago was probably one of the nicest meals that I have ever eaten on a cruise. The Chefs definately got that dish right. We regularly eat venison at home so are quite fond of it. On the odd occasion that we've had it on a cruise in various forms it's been O.K. but not brilliant. I tried grouse for the first time on a cruise a few years ago. Nothing wrong with the cooking or presentation just not to my own personal taste. Still it was very nice to have the opportunity to try something new to me.

Assuming that you have gone for select fare it's probably a simple mistake and easily rectified. Freedom dining on Ventura is not so bad, we've done it a couple of times. However we are in total agreement with you regarding freedom dining on Iona, it just didn't work and we absolutely hated it. Never, ever again! To be absolutely honest with you I very much disliked Iona for a number of reasons not just the freedom dining farce and am extremely unlikely to sail on her again, or on her sister ship.

P&O as a company are not without their faults, the usual main criticisms levied against them being poor public relations, dreadful communication and an IT system that often fails them. We as a family have experienced this in the past and have criticised them for it. However on this occasion let's be fair to them and remind ourselves of three things. 1. The winds were absolutely exceptional. 2. It has been the perfect storm for the company, with the disruption of the air traffic system totally frustrating their best efforts to repatriate a limited number of passengers. 3. How many of us have ever attempted to find hotel accommodation at short notice for over 300 people never mind in high season. I certainly wouldn't relish that challenge. Just be thankful that none were seriously injured and that all will return safely home, perhaps not immediately but within a few days.

There's been some brilliantly sensationalist reporting in various national and regional newspapers regarding this event but I think the report in the South Wales Argus possibly takes the biscuit "ONE passenger and her family from Blackwood are having a “horrific experience” after a storm hit their boat and caused them to crash off the coast of Palma in Mallorca during a P&O cruise. According to people on board, strong winds from the storm blew the top deck off, broke the anchors and sent them careering into a freight vessel." Blackwood passenger's "horrifying experience" of ship crash | South Wales Argus It's well accepted that this newspaper is notorious for their alarmist sensationalism reporting but they have certainly excelled themselves on this occasion, unless of course the wind did actually blow the top deck off!

We had similar reassurances when we booked a family cruise with daughters and granddaughter when on Aurora some years ago. I had a bit of a premonition that things might change, but the agent on the future sales desk said " No way are they going to change things after spending all that money recently on improving the children's facilities". Three months later we received an email from P&O saying " You will be glad to hear that Aurora is going adult only". My daughter received an email from P&O at the same time saying " We are sorry to inform you that Aurora is going adult only and that your future booking is cancelled". That was the second time that P&O disappointed us greatly, the first time they cancelled a cruise on Arcadia and never notified us, we found out about the cancellation which was only 3 days ahead purely by chance. Since then I wouldn't rely upon them honouring any promises until I was actually on the ship and casting off, even then there's no guarantee that the ship will visit the ports that you signed on for.

We were aware but unfortunately we had no choice of dates. Also for various reasons it would not have been our choice of ship so it was a matter of taking the only option available in order to accommodate all members of the party. We even looked at other cruise companies. We travelled several times on Aurora with children during the school holidays and while the pools may have been busy at times it was never anything near that on Iona.

It's worth checking to see if P&O have advertised or are operating price matching.