AchileLauro

Never say never. While its not logical to have a black tie night on the evening before disembarkation it does sometimes happen. We were caught in this dilemma a few years ago.

I was on one of the first P&O cruises where Noro virus really hit the news, Canberra in 1986.

I was extremely ill with it but it only hit me while travelling home so didn't actually effect my enjoyment of the cruise. It affected my immune system and I seems to go down with every bug known to man for the next 6 months, or so it seemed.

Environmental health officers from Southampton were put on board for a cruise a short time later, my in-laws happily told anyone who would listen that they shared a table in the MDR with them every evening.

We have been on a couple of cruises since then where there have been outbreaks of the virus, even one on Aurora where specialist cleaning teams were flown out to Naples to join the ship. Fortunately I haven't succumbed to the virus as yet for a second time but I live in dread of it. That is why it annoys me so much when passengers (mainly old passengers in my experience) aren't prepared to abide by the most basic of hygiene requirements, these people are so selfish.

It also annoyed me when observing a couple of female members of the crew supposedly washing down handrails and walls in the corridor outside Andersons early one morning were more concerned with carrying on a conversation rather than doing what they were supposed to be doing. This was the very same cruise where specialist cleaners had been flown in. I am an early riser and was sat in the corner of Andersons and watched them for at least five minutes going through the pretense of washing down but did not once wash their cloths out in that time.

Controlling the virus on a ship depends on both the adherence of basic hygiene precautions by passengers and conscientious cleaning staff.

These blobbers vary from the very good to the absolute cringe worthy who I would run a mile to avoid (rather difficult on a ship).

I certainly wouldn't call any of them influencers, well they certainly wouldn't influence me to buy anything, in fact absolutely quite the opposite.

Emma cruises is by a long stretch one of the better ones. If only she would slow down a bit when speaking, then I would forgive her strange diet. 😀

19 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Captain has tried very hard to restrict the travel of the virus but some passengers have been very abusive to crew when asked to maintain standards. I believe a couple of people may have also been disembarked because of it.

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.

4 hours ago, 9265359 said:

 

Jainism certainly is, and it is promoted within Hinduism and Buddhism and I am not sure that P&O would want to argue in court that it is not a requirement of a particular religion.

 

 

Take a read of the Equality Act 2010 and then see if the courts would agree with that view.

 

But irrespective of whether P&O are required to do this, it would be a pretty stupid business that would deliberately exclude a section of the population that want to give it money.

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. 

8 hours ago, indiana123 said:

I apologise but think I may be misunderstanding here.    How will the gentleman manage on board.  I didn't think you could use the on board assistance ones.  When I needed one it cost me £200 to hire (motorised)

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.

6 hours ago, daiB said:

Pennib, Assistance does not start until you get inside the terminal, at Ocean It’s on the left as you go in and at Mayflower it is to the right before you go up the ramp. If assistance is needed from coach to the terminal I would suggest you need to have your own chair.

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.

1 hour ago, Peter Lanky said:

This is similar to what I previously referred to as the Lourdes Effect on aircraft.

I encountered a woman in Johannesburg who was brazen enough to say that the had requested wheelchair assistance because her hand luggage was too heavy (and therein lies a whole new subject). Shen then demanded from random airport staff that she was thirsty, and needed somebody to bring a drink, and then later something to eat. Like 75% of the other passengers on this flight who had requested assistance, she left the aircraft immediately, not wanting (or needing) to wait for the assistance staff, after landing.

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.

1 hour ago, Peter Lanky said:

In the same way that I am attempting, both to raise awareness among people in general, and lobbying the cruise lines themselves, you could do the same and attempt to get more bathrooms with shower and toilet facilities more favourable for larger people. This would be a far simpler process than that required to make a cabin accessible.

 

The cruise industry needs to move forward, and the only way to do this is to highlight the different problems that people have in both using cabin facilities, and those in public areas. The people sat pushing buttons sat at desks in HQ have no comprehension of any of these issues unless somebody tells them.

 

Regarding your last sentence, you would be able to use a standard cabin, albeit with some discomfort. A wheelchair user would not be able to go on the cruise.

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.

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

There is a limit on the number of fully accessible cabins based on evacuation requirements.

 

 

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.

1 hour ago, sandancer said:

Right now on Iona I have not seen either a buggy or a wheelchair left outside the cabin. However when we were on in January someone 3 doors down from us left an electric wheelchair outside all the time. 

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.

1 hour ago, daiB said:

I book on day one as i have to to get a cabin. The quality of the food I have had has been good to excellent. 

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.

1 hour ago, mercury7289 said:

The food presentation in the MDR, on Aurora, is dia, in MHO, the home delivered farm food advertised enterprises, look more appetising. Aurora canteen quality at best.This is my opinion from our December 2023 cruise

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.

15 hours ago, john watson said:

Logically they should post one to you.  Do you have local travel agents that have them on the shelf? That would be my plan B.

 

Regards John

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. 

24 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

For some reason I've never really enjoyed venison when I've tried it

 

 

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.