p & O Pre Booked Flight Seats

[redbarry]

Hi Folks

 

Off on Ventura January 2010. We are flying out of Birmingham airport and I have been trying to pre book seats on the plane. I have been told that this is not possible because P & O charter the whole plane. The only way to ensure 2 seats together is to arrive early. Management not too ken on this arrangement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have heard a rumour that P & O may be going to change this policy - any one else heard anything or any advice on getting seats together.

 

Many thanks

Redbarry

[BrianI]

Yes, you are correct that you cannot pre-book your seat. We have done two P&O charter flights and never had a problem. The aircraft will probably be a Thomsonfly 767, where the seat configuration is 2-4-2, which makes it easier for seating two people together rather than the 3-3-3 configuration. They have also in the last couple of years removed some seats to increase legroom and it is now not a problem. The flight time is around 9 hours. A main meal is served shortly after take off and a snack before landing. Adequate drinks are served. There are individual video screens in the seat backs. On landing in Barbados, you are transferred into a fleet of mini buses waiting on the tarmac and you are taken direct to the ship, which takes around 45mins. You do not enter the terminal building for immigration or wait for your luggage. Your luggage is offloaded onto trucks and is delivered to your cabin later but it could be three hours after you arrive so pack any essential items in your hand baggage.

Brian

[capasamari]

I would also suggest that if you are on early sitting dinner you include whatever clothes, toiletries shoes etc you might need to change into in your hand luggage, just in case your suitcase arrives too late to unpack first.

 

We had to go to dinner in our travelling clothes once and felt very crumpled!

 

Carol x

[wilsonbabe]

We are staying over night at the Radisson in the airport. We went to the caribbean in April, flu with Thomson and checked our luggage in the night before. We just walked past the massive check queue and went straight to passport controls. the Thomson desk closes at 10.00pm so we hope to do the same for our cruise in feb!!!

[bobarnie]

We are staying over night at the Radisson in the airport. We went to the caribbean in April, flu with Thomson and checked our luggage in the night before. We just walked past the massive check queue and went straight to passport controls. the Thomson desk closes at 10.00pm so we hope to do the same for our cruise in feb!!!

 

Does anyone know if you can do this with Thomas Cook as we are staying the night before in the Hilton ?

[redbarry]

Yes, you are correct that you cannot pre-book your seat. We have done two P&O charter flights and never had a problem. The aircraft will probably be a Thomsonfly 767, where the seat configuration is 2-4-2, which makes it easier for seating two people together rather than the 3-3-3 configuration. They have also in the last couple of years removed some seats to increase legroom and it is now not a problem. The flight time is around 9 hours. A main meal is served shortly after take off and a snack before landing. Adequate drinks are served. There are individual video screens in the seat backs. On landing in Barbados, you are transferred into a fleet of mini buses waiting on the tarmac and you are taken direct to the ship, which takes around 45mins. You do not enter the terminal building for immigration or wait for your luggage. Your luggage is offloaded onto trucks and is delivered to your cabin later but it could be three hours after you arrive so pack any essential items in your hand baggage.

Brian

Hi Brian

 

Thanks for that info. If the plane is the 767 and 2-4-2 seating that is a lot better. We were under impression it would be Airbus with 3-3-3 configuration. Wife feels a lot happier now -thankyou.

You have done a lot of P&O cruises- our first!

Any advice for a pair of novices? Have heard that in most places we can get ourselves about, is that your experience?

Also have heard mixed reports on Ventura whats your take.

 

Thanks again for info,

Barry

[thranite]

Also have heard mixed reports on Ventura whats your take.

 

Barry

 

Tie down your lounger. They tend to get thrown overboard.

 

:)

[luv2krooze1791]

Hi Folks

 

Off on Ventura January 2010. We are flying out of Birmingham airport and I have been trying to pre book seats on the plane. I have been told that this is not possible because P & O charter the whole plane. The only way to ensure 2 seats together is to arrive early. Management not too ken on this arrangement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have heard a rumour that P & O may be going to change this policy - any one else heard anything or any advice on getting seats together.

 

Many thanks

Redbarry

 

Charter flights?

 

Why bother with these cattle crates?

[BrianI]

Hi Barry,

You will find in most places in the Caribbean there will be lots of taxis/minibuses on the dockside waiting for your business. This can either be an extended tour of the island or just a trip to and from a local beach, but whatever you want it will be cheaper than the ships tours. You may benefit with a bit of negotiation (haggling!) and the cost per person is cheaper if you team up with others to fill the minibus. US$ are the universal currency but be clear that they are quoting you the US$ price and not the local dollar, then charging US$.

 

As for Ventura, the ship is big and as a result there are lots of options on board for entertainment so you need to study the daily Horizon carefully to decide what you want to do. There are three theatre shows in the evening but the middle one tends to be the most popular and the theatre fills up quickly. The song and dance team are very good and the shows are well worth seeing. They do around six shows with individual acts on alternate nights.

There are a number of dining options. During the day, one restaurant is open for waiter served breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and there is the self service restaurant open 24 hours. There is also a pizza/burger place near the swimming pools. In the evenings there is either the fixed time (club) dining in two restaurants and Freedom dining in the other. The menus and food are exactly the same whichever you have chosen. In addition the self service restaurant has a themed (i.e. Chinese, Indian, Italian etc) each evening and there is also a waiter served American style diner serving grills etc in the Beach House.

In addition to the above, there are three "select" restaurants, The White Room ( Marco Pierre White), East (Oriental) and Ramblas (Spanish), where supplements are payble. There are often special offers on these on some evenings or for going early so look out for these.

Coffee/tea is available in the self service at any time and also in your cabin where you get biscuits replenished twice daily. Coffee from the coffee bars is payable although the rather nice deserts that are available are free.

Brian

[bobarnie]

Charter flights?

 

Why bother with these cattle crates?

 

Because we will not have to sit next to someone like you !!!

[luv2krooze1791]

Because we will not have to sit next to someone like you !!!

 

Suits me!

[bobarnie]

Suits me!

 

Suits all I imagine !!!

[BrianI]

I would add that the Thomsonfly flight we had earlier this year was as equally as good as the BA flight we had to Los Angeles the year before and they didn't loose half our luggage

Brian

[thranite]

they didn't loose half our luggage

Brian

 

Did they lose the other half?

 

:)

[Norfolk Brit]

Did they lose the other half?

:)

 

No, they lost the lot.

 

Sir Martin:)

[OldJerseycruiser]

Does anyone know if you can do this with Thomas Cook as we are staying the night before in the Hilton ?

 

Unfortunately, you can't book in the night before with Thomas Cook anymore.:( You will just have to get there early the next morning.

[Luxury For Less]

Hi All,

 

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!!! This is why we NEVER will use a British based cruise company. In the typical British service way with all the "can'ts", "cannots" and "won't do's", once they have your money you just become cattle in the herd to be pushed and told what to do.

 

It really is not good enough that you cannot book your seats in advance. Most other airlines/cruises allow you to do this. YOU, the customer, now have the stress of having to get up at some unearthly hour, stand in that long, long queue, praying that you as a family may just sit together and even maybe get a window seat. :mad: What a start to a holiday!! No doubt having to repeat the process on the way home - what a great end to a holiday!!!

 

This is exactly why we only book with Celebrity or Princess (as an example) with American "can do" service. Our seats flying out to join our Caribbean cruise in December are already pre-booked. In our house mention the word "Thompson" and we all get the spider shakes, mediocrity guaranteed!!

 

The good news is that your cruise experience should improve from this point forward. Enjoy :)

[Johnthed0g]

What I would like to know is, why is it whatever time you get to check in the best seats are gone, if they can't be prebooked how do they get them?

[jenny wren]

In our experience our Thomson flight from Barbados to Gatwick last year was absolutely faultless.....far better than our BA flight to Dubai....We had loads of leg room...I'm 5ft 8 ins and my partner taller ...very comfy seats...plenty of films, games, quizzes etc in the seatback tv screens, free newspapers, free drinks and two meals, pillows, blankets, what more would you need?? and that was just the standard seats! We have travelled with several different airlines and have never had cause for complaint with Thomson Fly.

 

The configuration was 2-4-2 and there was no problem sitting together...and I didn't see anyone who was separated from their friends/partners in our area of the plane.

[Johnthed0g]

That sounds good news we are going on a fly cruise on Azura next year, the flight is the bit we are dreading, MrsJTD loathes it with a vengeance & I am 6'3'' & big with it, so find flights very uncomfortable.

[2irisheyes]

Luxury For Less - Glad to hear that you have enjoyed your flight experience with Princess. We did not. In 2006 we book a Princess package with planes being chartered from Qantas (unusual I thought). We were told we could not fly from Gatwick, our closest airport, but had to go from Heathrow - twice as far for us. Booked car parking at Heathrow only to be told that charter had fallen through and we would now fly out of Heathrow and return to Gatwick. Then we could look forward to a coach from Gatwick to Heathrow to collect our car. By the time all this had taken place we arrived home at 8 pm after landing at Gatwick about 2 pm and living 45 minutes away. All I can assume from this is that it is the luck of the draw. Although we felt sorry for ourselves, we really felt for the Americans who took the Princess package and were flown half way round Europe taking about 22 hours in total. I can't really agree that Princess has a "can do" attitude, perhaps in name. Despite all of this we really enjoyed the cruise and would cruise with them again but would think twice about taking their package. As far as I'm concerned all flying is a pain. I don't fear flying it's just the whole set up. No wonder people get air rage.

[Noblemount]

Tobe honest I would not be too bothered about this. We have flown to Join P&O Cruises and have always been seated together providing that you are not too particular about having a window seat.I think that you will find that for the return flight your seat allocation is arranged on board by P&O people and as there maybe people doing back to back cruises any pre booked seats tend to mess the allocation about.I would however suggest that when you receive your Boarding Card/ Seat numbers for the return flight just check to make sure that you are together.P&O do normally try to give you the same seat for the return flight but this is not alawys possible.We had a problem along with half dozen couples a few years ago when whoever allocated seats made a real Horlicks of it and as much as we tried to get the situation corrected on board it was only thanks to the Delta Airlines Check In at West Palm Beach the situation was rectified. One last point some friends of ours did managed to Pre Book seats [thro Thos Cook] this arrangement was honoured for the outward flight but P&O would not accept it for the return flight.This was dispite paying extra for the privilage.:(

[emmitdb]

Greetings,

 

My only gripe with P&O chartering either Thom Cook or Thomson is the fact that they have negotiated away the 30kgs baggage allowance for Premier class seat holders.

They have set the baggage limit at 23kgs for everyone, regardless and then written to us and told us there are 6 formal nights and 22 semi formal nights on our 28night cruise.

I can see the laundry room getting more than a visit or two.

[Johnthed0g]

22 semi formals??

[MattyBarlow]

Greetings,

 

My only gripe with P&O chartering either Thom Cook or Thomson is the fact that they have negotiated away the 30kgs baggage allowance for Premier class seat holders.

They have set the baggage limit at 23kgs for everyone, regardless and then written to us and told us there are 6 formal nights and 22 semi formal nights on our 28night cruise.

I can see the laundry room getting more than a visit or two.

 

 

This is really annoying. Even if you upgrade you are not given any additional luggage allowance. Seems a very strange arrangement.