First time cruiser :)

[MrsBB]

Hi all,

 

 

Just came to introduce myself. I am a first time cruiser and have just booked my wedding and cruise with P and O for jan 2013.

 

I have a couple of queries mainly regarding the cruise personaliser.

At the moment, I can't even look at our booking on it. Is this usual? When I check my cruises in my account that is blank too, yet I have my booking confirmation email?

 

Also, do you automatically 'go green' with paperless booking? As there is a go green symbol on the left hand side of the page but I hadn't opted for paperless services?

 

 

All in all quite confusing to the newbie :o

[Essexlass2]

Welcome aboard Mrs BB! It may be too soon to have your details appearing but I really don't know how long it takes to get everything appearing on the Cruise Personaliser. I'm quite sure that someone far more experienced than myself will post here to let you know. You will find absolutely everyone on here so very helpful.

 

You can select to Go Green yourself, it won't go automatically, but it would appear that if you do this then you don't get the P&O booklet just prior to the cruise showing all the excursions and enclosing the luggage labels to show your cabin details. However, you can access excursion details over the internet yourself via the Cruise Personaliser and you will be sent e-tickets and luggage labels that you can print off yourself. We have done this but then got them laminated in the hope that they will stay on the luggage until we get to the ship.

 

You will have great fun planning your cruise, I'm sure, and if you look up all the ports here on CruiseCritic there's a wealth of information with a forum for each port too so lots of advice, tips and help to be had - enjoy! :)

[MrsBB]

Welcome aboard Mrs BB! It may be too soon to have your details appearing but I really don't know how long it takes to get everything appearing on the Cruise Personaliser. I'm quite sure that someone far more experienced than myself will post here to let you know. You will find absolutely everyone on here so very helpful.

 

You can select to Go Green yourself, it won't go automatically, but it would appear that if you do this then you don't get the P&O booklet just prior to the cruise showing all the excursions and enclosing the luggage labels to show your cabin details. However, you can access excursion details over the internet yourself via the Cruise Personaliser and you will be sent e-tickets and luggage labels that you can print off yourself. We have done this but then got them laminated in the hope that they will stay on the luggage until we get to the ship.

 

You will have great fun planning your cruise, I'm sure, and if you look up all the ports here on CruiseCritic there's a wealth of information with a forum for each port too so lots of advice, tips and help to be had - enjoy! :)

Hi Essexlass,

 

 

Thank you for the welcome :) I have so much research to do and so many things I want to know... I may be jumping the gun a little as we only booked this morning! I'd booked the cruise as I've always thought it would be quite romantic to have a wedding at sea.

 

I seen the Ventura reviews and am a little cautious at deciding on that ship but for the time of year and wanting to go to the Caribbean, it was our only option s here's hoping it's fine.

 

I'm glad it's not automatically paperless as I am quite looking forward to being sent all the details so I can go over them with my other half.

 

I see you have been on quite a few cruises, and any experiences or tips you can pass on would be great. It's always nice to hear of first hand experiences.

[vannerhawk]

Just enjoy yourselves! Don't let little annoyances or other people spoil it.

[BrianI]

The booking should appear on your cruise personaliser within a couple of days booking. Ventura is a good choice and you should have a good time. Are you getting married on board? If so you might want to look at this topic on the P&O forum

http://www.pocruises.com/Community/Forum/Room/Topic/?topicId=31

Be warned its quite long.

Lisa is the girl whos photo is in the P&O brochure.

Brian

[MrsBB]

The booking should appear on your cruise personaliser within a couple of days booking. Ventura is a good choice and you should have a good time. Are you getting married on board? If so you might want to look at this topic on the P&O forum

http://www.pocruises.com/Community/Forum/Room/Topic/?topicId=31

Be warned its quite long.

Lisa is the girl whos photo is in the P&O brochure.

Brian

Thank you vanner, we intend to just have a good time and are fairly easy going so it shouldn't be a problem :)

 

Hi Brian,

 

 

Thank you for the welcome :) Ventura looks really beautiful to me, and we're both very excited at our first cruise. We have booked our wedding on board and official wedding day is January 8th 2013 at 11 am, to be precise, lol.

 

I shall read that thread with great interest as I need all the advice I can get!

[BrianI]

MrsBB

This website has loads of info on Ventura, photos, meus etc

http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-Profile.html

Brian

[MrsBB]

MrsBB

This website has loads of info on Ventura, photos, meus etc

http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-Profile.html

Brian

Brian, thank you for being so helpful! I have spent the last hour or so ooo-ing and aaahh-ing :)

 

It's definitely nice to see all the pictures and read all the information!

[Stitchman]

Hi mrs BB !!

I am wishing you a fantastic cruise x

Myself and my better half nearly planned a wedding onboard ventura this jan, but due to other commitments have put it off for a bit.

She is a brilliant ship and you'll meet lots of great people.

I always remember my first cruise, and no other holiday will ever be the same x

 

All my best wishes

 

The Stitchman :)x

[Beopthtuh]

hi and welcome to c.c.

ventura is a nice ship, enjoy the carribean :cool::cool:

[u2cruiser]

Hi Mrs BB and a warm welcome to Cruise Critic. You've come to the right place to find out about Ventura and cruising in general.

 

Have you noticed the search function? If you type in key words you will come up with lots of threads containing information regarding any queries, but ask away as you will get as much help as you need in here :)

 

Ventura is a great, friendly ship. You will have a fantastic time :D

[MrsBB]

Hi Stitchman!

 

thank you for the kind welcome :)

 

I know when I booked ours yesterday, they still had wedding slots for January 2013 so there's still time if your circumstances change ;)

 

I can't believe how gorgeous the ship looks. I think it will more than live up to our expectations!

[MrsBB]

hi and welcome to c.c.

ventura is a nice ship, enjoy the carribean :cool::cool:

Thank you!

 

 

I have never been to the caribbean before so I imagine it will be a fantastic experience! The only worry is becoming cruise addicts!

[MrsBB]

Hi Mrs BB and a warm welcome to Cruise Critic. You've come to the right place to find out about Ventura and cruising in general.

 

Have you noticed the search function? If you type in key words you will come up with lots of threads containing information regarding any queries, but ask away as you will get as much help as you need in here :)

 

Ventura is a great, friendly ship. You will have a fantastic time :D

Hi U2 :)

 

 

Thank you for great advice and welcome. I have just utilised the search function but am still left wondering. I read a thread about a couple who were really disappointed about being given a room 'upgrade' but it wasn't to a better room, just the same type of room...different ship location.

 

Do I specifically have to tell P&O that I don't want an upgrade? I spent hours choosing our cabin position and ended up with C223 which is starboard, between passenger decks, near the front away from lifts/laundrette, with a bigger balcony offering my partner a shaded half and me a sunny half...its perfect. I would hate for it to change.

 

Also, is there an email contact for the bookings team? I don't mind ringing but prefer email responses as it's in black and white which can't be disputed.

 

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to get it right :)

[BrianI]

MrsBB.

The information required when booking is as follows.

Bed arrangement - singles or double

Dining - 1st sitting Club, 2nd sitting Club or Freedom (Note this is for evening dinner only)

Upgrade - do you want to be considered for an upgrade or not.

Dietary requirements - any special requirements.

Airport - Caribbean flights have various airport departures. There are always Gatwick, Birmingham or East Mids and Manchester but other regional airports are only utilised on certain cruises.

 

I usually book by phone using a cruise specialist travel agent so any queries can be sorted there and then and you can go through the options of cabins available. You need a deck plan in front of you.

I would not book direct direct with P&O or with a high street travel agent.

Not allowed to give names on here

Brian

[u2cruiser]

Hi U2 :)

 

 

Thank you for great advice and welcome. I have just utilised the search function but am still left wondering. I read a thread about a couple who were really disappointed about being given a room 'upgrade' but it wasn't to a better room, just the same type of room...different ship location.

 

Do I specifically have to tell P&O that I don't want an upgrade? I spent hours choosing our cabin position and ended up with C223 which is starboard, between passenger decks, near the front away from lifts/laundrette, with a bigger balcony offering my partner a shaded half and me a sunny half...its perfect. I would hate for it to change.

 

Also, is there an email contact for the bookings team? I don't mind ringing but prefer email responses as it's in black and white which can't be disputed.

 

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to get it right :)

 

It sounds like you have booked directly with P&O rather than a Travel Agent? If so, then all your booking queries are direct with P&O unlike if you book with a TA.

Emails are not usually as trusty as speaking to them in person. Many people struggle to get a reply so I would ring for anything important. They are usually very helpful - or they were when we rang for anything.

 

We were also upgraded to a cabin we didn't want on Azura last month, as our TA failed to mark our booking with no upgrade. We had a difficult time getting our original room back, so you need to check that your booking is marked no upgrade.

 

That's a great cabin so you need to secure it. Once the booking is marked no upgrade it will show on your onscreen booking; the lady did it live as we spoke to her, so you have it in black and white. If your booking isn't marked, they can move you and resell your cabin without you even knowing until you check your cabin number on the cruise personaliser.

 

Brian1 is very helpful with things concerning small print. He always comes up with the answers :)

[annieuk]

Hi Mrs BB,

 

Our first cruise was for our Silver Wedding - you will become addicted so start saving now. A few ideas - if you haven't already go onto the P&O site, register and join their Community. You will find forums devoted to each ship so there is one for Ventura. There is also a section devoted to Getting Married at Sea and there's lots of people who have already had their wedding at sea and will have lots of information to give you.

 

If you are certain that the cabin you've chosen is the one you want, make sure you tell P&O that you do not want an upgrade. We book through one of the crusing clubs and I've put in writing that we do not want an upgrade for our cruise next year.

 

I haven't been on Ventura but I have been on Azura, her sister ship and we had a fantastic time. Please feel free to ask anything you want to know.

 

Carole:)

[bee-ess]

Thank you!

 

 

I have never been to the caribbean before so I imagine it will be a fantastic experience! The only worry is becoming cruise addicts!

 

Well IMHO you are choosing the best place to cruise - I think the caribbean is made for cruising, all the towns are very near the terminals, no need for shuttles and usually a beach really near, it is very geared up for the cruise trade. Plus you get the weather and you can't beat Sea days in the caribbean.

[u2cruiser]

Well IMHO you are choosing the best place to cruise - I think the caribbean is made for cruising, all the towns are very near the terminals, no need for shuttles and usually a beach really near, it is very geared up for the cruise trade. Plus you get the weather and you can't beat Sea days in the caribbean.

 

So true :)

[MrsBB]

It sounds like you have booked directly with P&O rather than a Travel Agent? If so, then all your booking queries are direct with P&O unlike if you book with a TA.

Emails are not usually as trusty as speaking to them in person. Many people struggle to get a reply so I would ring for anything important. They are usually very helpful - or they were when we rang for anything.

 

We were also upgraded to a cabin we didn't want on Azura last month, as our TA failed to mark our booking with no upgrade. We had a difficult time getting our original room back, so you need to check that your booking is marked no upgrade.

 

That's a great cabin so you need to secure it. Once the booking is marked no upgrade it will show on your onscreen booking; the lady did it live as we spoke to her, so you have it in black and white. If your booking isn't marked, they can move you and resell your cabin without you even knowing until you check your cabin number on the cruise personaliser.

 

Brian1 is very helpful with things concerning small print. He always comes up with the answers :)

We did indeed book direct - just because I didn't like the idea of having a middle person organise all the wedding details as I'm a bit of a control freak.

 

I have just took your advice and contacted the reservation team who were great and marked the room no upgrade with a specific note for this not to be changed at all or at any point due to using choosing the room based on the fact we are getting married on board :)

 

Thank you for being so helpful. I had spent hours reading room and deck reviews so I would hate for it to be changed as it seems C deck balconies offer the best of both worlds one half for a sun worshipper like me, and the other half for my hubby to be who definitely is a shade kind a guy :) plus the balcony size will be nice too as we'd love to pay the extra to dine on your balcony and enjoy a sunset or two ;)

[MrsBB]

MrsBB.

The information required when booking is as follows.

Bed arrangement - singles or double

Dining - 1st sitting Club, 2nd sitting Club or Freedom (Note this is for evening dinner only)

Upgrade - do you want to be considered for an upgrade or not.

Dietary requirements - any special requirements.

Airport - Caribbean flights have various airport departures. There are always Gatwick, Birmingham or East Mids and Manchester but other regional airports are only utilised on certain cruises.

 

I usually book by phone using a cruise specialist travel agent so any queries can be sorted there and then and you can go through the options of cabins available. You need a deck plan in front of you.

I would not book direct direct with P&O or with a high street travel agent.

Not allowed to give names on here

Brian

Brain,

 

 

 

Unfortunately, we are already booked direct with P&O...it was easiest at the time and I do hope it's not too bad a decision. I studied the deck plans laboriously and decided on c223 it's a starboard, forward position which I understand more movement may be felt but liked it for it's distance from lifts/laundrettes plus its bigger balcony. I actually used all the plans, pictures and reviews from this site to help :) I have no specified no upgrade and chose freedom dining as with us being.a couple we'd prefer to eat as and when - we were also advised this is sometimes preferable for seating for 2 which we'd like on some evenings but not all.

 

Not sure if all of that is right but here's hoping it's not a bad choice :)

[BrianI]

I had forgotten in my last post that you had already booked. With a wedding involved it may be best booking direct.

You seem pretty well organised and I assume you have been through all the wedding info on the P&O website including the brochure download if you have not already got one.

Here is the link if you have not seen it

http://www.pocruises.com/wedding/index.asp

 

One bit of info for travelling out. In Barbados they operate a rapid transport to the ship. You come down the steps from the plane straight into a bus that takes you to the ship, which takes about 45mins. You do not go through immigration or wait for your luggage. Your luggage follows later but as a result it will be at least two hours before it appears in your cabin so if you fancy a swim in the pool pack your swimming gear in your hand luggage.

Brian

[u2cruiser]

We did indeed book direct - just because I didn't like the idea of having a middle person organise all the wedding details as I'm a bit of a control freak.

 

I have just took your advice and contacted the reservation team who were great and marked the room no upgrade with a specific note for this not to be changed at all or at any point due to using choosing the room based on the fact we are getting married on board :)

 

Thank you for being so helpful. I had spent hours reading room and deck reviews so I would hate for it to be changed as it seems C deck balconies offer the best of both worlds one half for a sun worshipper like me, and the other half for my hubby to be who definitely is a shade kind a guy :) plus the balcony size will be nice too as we'd love to pay the extra to dine on your balcony and enjoy a sunset or two ;)

 

Excellent. Glad you were successful.

I think I would have booked direct too with a wedding to organise.

You can relax now you know your cabin is secure. The bigger balconies are great.

 

Here's a taste of what awaits you -Jolly Beach Antigua, taken last month. :D

[BrianI]

Not sure if all of that is right but here's hoping it's not a bad choice :)

It seems a good choice. The seas in the Caribbean are usually pretty calm so you are unlikely to get any movement at all. The cabins on Ventura are well insulated from noise and once you close the door you dont hear a thing. Lifts are very quiet so even if you are next door you dont hear them.

Brian

[MrsBB]

Hi Mrs BB,

 

Our first cruise was for our Silver Wedding - you will become addicted so start saving now. A few ideas - if you haven't already go onto the P&O site, register and join their Community. You will find forums devoted to each ship so there is one for Ventura. There is also a section devoted to Getting Married at Sea and there's lots of people who have already had their wedding at sea and will have lots of information to give you.

 

If you are certain that the cabin you've chosen is the one you want, make sure you tell P&O that you do not want an upgrade. We book through one of the crusing clubs and I've put in writing that we do not want an upgrade for our cruise next year.

 

I haven't been on Ventura but I have been on Azura, her sister ship and we had a fantastic time. Please feel free to ask anything you want to know.

 

Carole:)

Hi Carole,

 

 

Thank you for your welcome. I have so many questions though I think I may wear out my welcome if I ask them all!

 

I shall definitely register with the p and o forum. The wedding thread Brian posted was completely amazing and I shall definitely check out the individual ship thread.

 

I find so many things confusing. Especially about baggage and such which is a worry as obviously I will have all the standard clothing requirements plus wedding attire. It states on our booking it is 23kg max. per person. But is this in one bag? Also it says we have an extra 5kg per person as we have booked a wedding. I just don't know if we can only have one case per person, and one hand luggage. Its very easy to get it wrong!