molecrochip

Princess don’t overbook by plan. It’s not possible in the system as everyone has to be allocated to an open cabin. It’s likely that more contractors than planned needed to remain onboard post dry dock and this therefore reduced available cabins. You deal with it by upgrades, downgrades then cancellations. As for the 103% thing…. Capacity is calculated based on lower berths only. 2 people in a cabin with two lower and two upper berths is 100% capacity. Therefore 4 people in that cabin is 200% capacity. This often leads to capacity > 100%. It’s still less than the maximum physical number of passengers though.

Who is overbooking? I don’t believe that’s happening in the U.K. if you’re talking about selling cruises to 103% of capacity then that’s a different thing.

Absolutely no guarantee. I’d go further and say unlikely as I believe it’s done by computer. Its the Ryanair middle seat conundrum!

Unless it’s changed, officers can only book on the day if there is capacity.

I’m not sure of your point? My comments have been about breakfast and how that relates to the Epicurean and Suite passengers. My comment about the captain was specifically about breakfast time. I agree that crew should not take preference over paying passengers.

Interesting you can book accessible cabins on a Select fare online for Cunard. It then says to call if you want to book Saver fare.

This wasn’t the case as this was breakfast on Iona or Arvia. Acknowledged however given that your table is there and waiting for you, there is a reservation exclusively for you. No turn up and wait. The standard wording predates the trial and remains true on most ships. On Iona/Arvia, the butlers split by decks not forward/aft. They walk miles a day. Timescale to order should be <10 min, timescale for delivery is not butler related but room service related. You keep doing what you’re doing. Many little unofficial concessions exist to help.

Ask for someone else to help. They can’t discriminate under UK law so by forcing you into a high booking level that would be so. Just remember P&O still get to chose which accessible cabin, it just can be any in that grade (or higher).

You pay a premium for a collection of upgrades. Going back to my room service example, you don’t get difference room service, it’s just included instead of at a cost. Epicurean breakfast is just the same. This is not Cunard where you get a dedicated suite passenger restaurant. The perk is having breakfast in a speciality restaurant. The benefit does not state it’s to the exclusion of others. The Captain and one of his officers was having breakfast on the next table during my last cruise - does that devalue your experience because you’re sharing with crew?

A couple of points: 1. Britannia was designed in the late noughties. Iona was designed in the mid teens. The difference in accessibility between the two is clear and reflects the change in public expectation at the time of design. 2. Saver fares are available for accessible cabins as long as more than one cabin in a specific type of cabin is available. You book saver then someone should allocate the cabin almost straight away. Feedback suggests that alot of travel agents and P&O call centre staff don’t understand how to do this.

If you don’t get club, go see the restaurant manager on embarkation afternoon - they will sort it out.

It does. Spare capacity = actual capacity less every suite guest. On Arvia/Iona this is a good number of tables available for selling. There’s no overselling. On other ships spare capacity = zero. Well, in my view choosing not to sail on a ship because they’ve chosen to make one restaurant bigger is daft. But make your own choice.

Staffing, and galley capacity are based on a set number of covers. Spare capacity therefore reduces when 3rd/4th passengers travel.

Unfair. On some ships such as Azura, Britannia and Ventura, the restaurant is only big enough for suite guests. Thats not the case on Iona and Arvia. it’s a bit like the room service. Non suite guests pay for the privilege, suite guests don’t.

I’m not sure. It’s tended to be cruises where there were not lots of 3rd and 4th passengers booked into suites, as far as I can see.

The paid option has been trialed on Iona and Arvia where capacity exceeds Suite guests. The trial was initially offered to those who went to Epicurean in the evening but later was opened more widely.

It’s just Suite passengers.

Size of ship so does matter. Tender operations have to be safe. That is the usual reason the port call is cancelled. The bigger ships struggle with the conditions at anchor. Princess predominantly call in July and August when weather is best. I never said Britannia couldn’t but that after so many failed calls, P&O don’t schedule Britannia where possible. At this point, Britannia is best used elsewhere.

Britannia is now not often scheduled for Guernsey as she’s failed to get in so many times. Only times tend to be height of summer when sea state is predicted calm. Iona/Arvia are not scheduled at all. Britannia used to be scheduled a little more often than now.

No, I think there was something technically different. Can’t remember if it agreements by the cruise lines or a government thing… but it was to get the industry moving.

P&O's website was selling it as tomorrow, Not sure where. Even the cruise agent who had advance sale on this one has it dated as tomorrow. So not sure why some sites list it as today.... or why the ship set it as today on their navigation consol. This has been a weird cruise all the way through... originally a Baltic cruise, then replaced by an around Britain cruise which went on general sale. It was then pulled from general sale and made an exclusive cruise with one agent + entertainment. It later went on general sale again as there were so many cabins left. It is likely that because it was a replacement cruise, that non-UK port options were limited. For example, P&O wouldn't usually book Britannia for Guernsey, Cork or Dublin due to her size. Brugge, Le Harve or Cherbourg might have been options but it all depends on the rest of the itinerary being able to move a day one way or other.

Whether it was originally today and changed, I don’t know, but it’s definitely due tomorrow - Sunday 18th. Doesn’t help that the ship has set their eta, which publicises via AIS, as Today!

Isn’t Kirkwall tomorrow?

Originally, you could not book any MDR on Arvia, then a certain number of tables was released for booking in advance, covering opening up to 6:45pm. Now, a section of MDR will be available to book, in advance, all night. It’s not the whole MDR, it’s not compulsory. It will still be possible to join a queue/grab a buzzer if you want. Currently if someone makes a reservation, when they get called there is a period of 15 minutes to arrive during which time the table is sits empty. If the reservation doesn’t arrive then a further reservation is called during which time the table sits empty again for a further 15 minutes. The hope here is that by having more people choosing what time during the evening they wish to eat you will avoid tables sitting empty for long periods of time.

The need to be onboard early to make bookings is an issue. If that is influencing arrival times then it’s self defeating. Maybe certain things like 710 club need to be released at 8am each day for the following day, like the kids club, or at 6pm once everyone has boarded. Another option is for everyone to be limited to 3 visits to the 710 club so that all those who want to can visit over the course of the cruise.