mrsgoggins

On last week’s Ventura cruise Valerie Singleton was one of the guest speakers and she was one of the best ever! I believe she’s about 86 - but I’d never had guessed had she not told us - and very smart, interesting, funny and utterly charming. Needless to say she had a good audience for her first talk, but by the second, word had obviously got round and there was only the odd seat in the theatre to be had. And as the subject heading is ‘food and dining’ so as not to upset a couple of regulars re subject ‘drift’ 😉, I will add that when Valerie asked on her final talk, ‘how many of you have I shared a table with?’ lots of hands went up.

Totally agree re Tesco and eggs. I like Maran or Burford browns for eating (as opposed to baking) and so many times I order only to find them out of stock later in the week. I regularly tick for a substitute and have had all sorts, but sometimes I have to resort to visiting Lidl or elsewhere. I dislike shopping but sometimes it's necessary.

We did this last year after a holiday in France (hence eliminating the need to drive south again) because Warners Bembridge had good late offers, including the ferry. It was our second Warners stay (the other being Nidd Hall) and whilst the rooms were very nice at both, we are not fans and are unlikely to do another Warners stay. Good way to see the IOW however, but as it rained the whole time, we didn’t see it at its best.

That’s a lovely outcome for the unfortunate Evie. We too always had at least one cat but usually two and always rescue ones, but I’ve always longed for a Persian blue. Despite that, I know if we do go for another cat, it will be another rescue and old; I doubt I have another 20 years left to look after kittens 😉

Fabulous tulips but it was the lovely cat that caught my eye. I really miss having cats (our last pair of litter sisters made it to 20) but it would be difficult now because of our travels and location. One day maybe!

I don’t believe it’s consumer regulation as much as custom and expectation. Pre-Covid Celebrity and Royal Caribbean had started to offer 2 fares, the lower being a discounted fare with less flexibility. Whether this has held since, as they try to regain confidence in cruising I don’t know.

I’m surprised at the inclusion of arthritis Graham (previous post) because I had RA diagnosed more than 20 years ago and it’s never affected my premium (now in long-term remission but only ever relatively minor as the condition goes). I thought additional premiums were only for conditions that might cause you to need treatment whilst away? I declare everything and have had annual insurance for decades, albeit with different companies.

Having done a 14 night Iona cruise where Epicurean switched from menu 1 to 2 half way, and on my current 10 night Ventura cruise they are switching from menu 1 to 2 tomorrow, ie after 5 nights, so half way again. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were the regular pattern but I don’t actually know for sure.

I enjoyed your review and thank you for taking the trouble to provide good detail. Having been on Iona, also in a deluxe balcony, in March, I agree with much of what you say.

I had Crepes Suzette prepared table side 2 nights ago on Ventura and my husband has the jamon Pata Negra likewise. When I commented that the same dessert had been brought ready-prepared to the table on Iona in March, the server sounded very knowledgeable in telling me that having been a Covid measure, service had been back to normal for the last 2 Iona sailings and that it was now fleet wide.

A gift left in our room this morning on Ventura The contents were x 2 but DH had his share immediately. He can have mine later (the G&T not the popcorn 😉). Nice gesture even though the mini canvas tote has a clear Made in China label inside.

Interesting. My experience is also that you need to be cautious with these early prices, but I’ve ‘risked’ £2 on a Canaries cruise next year, deluxe balcony. I also priced up Britannia for earlier the same month, 2 days longer and slightly different ports. Britannia was about £100 more and included parking and £300 OBC whereas the Princess Plus package includes wifi, drinks and gratuities. DH makes use of the drinks package even if I don’t, but I enjoy the specialty coffees and mocktails etc. Not much in it but we do like Sky Princess.

Oh dear, miserable cold weather does not, in my book, go hand in hand with feeling good about a destination. We did a Fjords cruise last year (not with P&O) and loved it so much that we are repeating the experience with friends who have never cruised before, but we had fine weather. I hope they get the ‘glitch’ sorted out for you soon. On my first ever P&O cruise some years ago, after returning home we discovered that my husband had been charged for items from the ship’s spa. Once we had stopped laughing (he being a man whose personal hygiene routine is accomplished with help from a discount supermarket’s own brand shampoo, soap, toothpaste and deodorant; the cheaper the better!) it took me a few phone calls to get them to accept that he had never been anywhere near the spa, let alone made expensive purchases. Hopefully as you are not the only ones to experience this, they can sort it quickly for you 🤞

I really like the breakfast on P&O! I like the fact that they serve 'proper' tea, that there are classy pots of Bon Maman jam and most of all, that toast comes in a toast rack and is therefore not soggy, unlike on US lines. And I've found P&O's eggs Benedict to be excellent. Like you, I am not a fan of Apex (sailed on her January last year) and so we are sailing on Silly back to FLL in October and then next April, we are returning with her to Amsterdam 😪 (we are not staying in Florida all that time though!). We especially value our Elites breakfast in Tuscan Grille on the S class ships. I do hope that the OP is finding more things to like on Iona. For me, like with Apex, it was a 'one time and done' ship, even though I know others really like it.

I could also give you things I prefer on P&O too 😉

Yes, I’ve seen the trolley coming round with tea and coffee in mornings in the buffet on Celebrity, but I couldn’t swear to it that it was on sailings out of Southampton. I do remember one highly entertaining Jamaican trolley guy who used to brighten everyone’s morning with his banter. While I don’t disagree that there often a large price difference between Celebrity and P&O, once you factor in that you need a deluxe cabin to compare like with like (ie with sofa), that difference shrinks a little. I keep a spreadsheet with costs of every cruise I have taken since 2015 (my first). This year, my first Celebrity cruise out of Fort Lauderdale cost £17 per person per night more than my recent Iona cruise. On the Celebrity we had internet, drinks package, gratuities and $150 OBC included. On P&O I had gratuities, parking and £150 of onboard credit included. I purchased the internet package at £12 per night, taking the difference down to £5 a night! Both cruises were purchased when they first went on sale. I do generally think that P&O provide good value however, and recognise the price difference is often large. Bargains are definitely to be had with inside cabins for example, as ‘from £495’ prices show. It is interesting to hear of others’ experiences, even if they don’t gel with your own, and even more so when the passengers are from overseas.

We have seen similar comments to those I have emboldened above so often that it’s difficult to ignore. We are not foodies, have done many cruises with many companies (including P&O) and have been happy with them all food-wise but the size of many of the meals served in the MDR on last month’s Iona cruise elicited raised eyebrows from us. I have posted elsewhere about one of the first meals we had on board when we both chose the roast turkey dinner. It comprised largely of 2 thin slices of turkey, 1 piece of roast potato, 2 sprouts, and a small chip-sized piece of parsnip. The taste was good enough I should add. Some meals were better than others but we did have the distinct impression that the food budget had been cut, particularly with the more expensive protein part of the meals. We did not go hungry of course, but that really isn’t the point, and nor is the ‘you can always request more’ suggestion. As has been pointed out, if it were a land-based restaurant, you just wouldn’t go back. I am due on Ventura again shortly and am hoping to notice a difference and make more positive comments.

I've seen a few 'ok' comments from you regarding the food and, as someone who was on Iona last month, I would definitely agree. The refills situation for breakfast drove my husband insane, and I don't think it's that unusual to want at least 2 cups of coffee/tea with breakfast. Good luck going forward with that! We did 2 Celebrity cruises back to back in January and the difference was startling. Celebrity is our favourite line, and I don't claim perfection for it, but we always feel there is a buzz about the service levels and speed of servers, which is not present on P&O. However, we have always felt that P&O gave good value - but maybe not so much on our last Iona cruise when we were also in a deluxe balcony - and have more bookings ahead (and also with Celebrity). Please do try Epicurean if you can, because that was really good, albeit at additional cost. I wish you a good experience and will read your posts with great interest.

I'm now thinking Chops Grille, or at home but dining out? I spy a side dish too, so I favour Chops! It's like a game, where can Graham be eating today? Coast and in-car McDonalds or somewhere fancy. Love it Graham - always makes me smile 💐

My comment was about the number of times this is now mentioned. I doubt anyone feels they are underfed on a cruise ship ……. but, people do notice a difference, and I think that is the issue. 👍 👍

Me too, me too 😄! I think you soon get a ‘feel’ for those online whose views you would share however.

I suspect that the post-Covid cruises have attracted more complaints largely due to staffing levels and (probably) a reduced food budget on some ships, hence the portion size reductions mentioned so often. I could be wrong of course, and things may be different on these 35-nighters next year 🤞

The banner along the top of the screen 'Member Cruise Reviews'. Happy reading 😁

I've just scared myself to death by reading reviews of Ventura's 35-night Caribbean cruises! I have one booked. Whilst I understand that the disgruntled are far more likely to share their experiences than the satisfied/happy, the reviews do seem a bit alarming, with only one exception. Anyone care to share their post-covid experience of these longer cruises on Ventura?

😂 And that would be my husband's idea of a nightmare start to a holiday, but nice try! I would need a good divorce lawyer. I have a Princess cruise in my future with an 11 am check in time that I selected. I take your point about a hotel check in, but there is a difference. I would aim to be at a hotel for the correct time. If the motorway closes in both directions, as has happened today on a motorway in this area, and I am headed to a hotel, it's inconvenient but nothing more - I arrive late. If I'm headed to a ship, it could leave without me! Hence the need to arrive early if travelling down on the day.