Suite benefits

[amfc_lenny]

10 hours ago, Pentlands said:

Is this what we are talking about?

"If you are a Suite / Mini Suite guests, or a member of The Peninsular Club’s Ligurian, Baltic or Caribbean Tiers, you will enjoy a Welcome On Board Reception (formally called the Priority Embarkation lounge) once you embark your ship. The venue will be confirmed at check-in and the reception will run from 12:15pm until 3.00pm, serving alcoholic and soft drinks and canapés."

 

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/priority_lounge?_ga=2.173922787.1398554119.1552229350-1468493213.1547077059

 

Mini suites included.

 

 

Does this include Deluxe balconies on the Azura/ Ventura?

Edited March 11, 2019 by amfc_lenny

[Les_ldh]

17 minutes ago, amfc_lenny said:

 

 

Does this include Deluxe balconies on the Azura/ Ventura?

 

Yes, if you are a member of The Peninsular Club’s Ligurian, Baltic or Caribbean Tier.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, amfc_lenny said:

 

 

Does this include Deluxe balconies on the Azura/ Ventura?

No, only genuine mini suites, not the de luxe balconies on the bigger ships.

[amfc_lenny]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

No, only genuine mini suites, not the de luxe balconies on the bigger ships.

 

Thanks for clarifying.

[Les_ldh]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

No, only genuine mini suites, not the de luxe balconies on the bigger ships.

 

‘Sorry, but I disagree. The P&O website clearly says suites, mini suites OR higher tier peninsular club member as below...

 

"If you are a Suite / Mini Suite guests, or a member of The Peninsular Club’s Ligurian, Baltic or Caribbean Tiers, you will enjoy a Welcome On Board Reception (formally called the Priority Embarkation lounge) once you embark your ship. The venue will be confirmed at check-in and the reception will run from 12:15pm until 3.00pm, serving alcoholic and soft drinks and canapés."

[daiB]

3 hours ago, amfc_lenny said:

 

 

Does this include Deluxe balconies on the Azura/ Ventura?

Sorry no as they are not mini suites.

 

It does not matter which cabin you are in if you are Caribbean or above.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Les_ldh said:

 

‘Sorry, but I disagree. The P&O website clearly says suites, mini suites OR higher tier peninsular club member as below...

 

"If you are a Suite / Mini Suite guests, or a member of The Peninsular Club’s Ligurian, Baltic or Caribbean Tiers, you will enjoy a Welcome On Board Reception (formally called the Priority Embarkation lounge) once you embark your ship. The venue will be confirmed at check-in and the reception will run from 12:15pm until 3.00pm, serving alcoholic and soft drinks and canapés."

You're not disagreeing with me since the de luxe balconies on the current 3 big ships are not called mini suites by P&O, only by Princess, and I accept that Caribbean tier and above are also able to use this venue.

[Denarius]

3 hours ago, Les_ldh said:

 

‘Sorry, but I disagree. The P&O website clearly says suites, mini suites OR higher tier peninsular club member as below...

 

"If you are a Suite / Mini Suite guests, or a member of The Peninsular Club’s Ligurian, Baltic or Caribbean Tiers, you will enjoy a Welcome On Board Reception (formally called the Priority Embarkation lounge) once you embark your ship. The venue will be confirmed at check-in and the reception will run from 12:15pm until 3.00pm, serving alcoholic and soft drinks and canapés."

Interesting. I have been in the Caribbean tier since its inception, I was previously a "Goldie" For a time I was Baltic. But I have never been invited to such a reception at check in on a single occasion, and was unaware of its existence until I read this thread.

Edited March 11, 2019 by Denarius

[Harry Peterson]

7 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Interesting. I have been in the Caribbean tier since its inception, I was previously a "Goldie" For a time I was Baltic. But I have never been invited to such a reception at check in on a single occasion, and was unaware of its existence until I read this thread.

It’s always been pretty well hidden. They don’t exactly advertise its existence onboard.

[BrianI]

1 hour ago, Denarius said:

Interesting. I have been in the Caribbean tier since its inception, I was previously a "Goldie" For a time I was Baltic. But I have never been invited to such a reception at check in on a single occasion, and was unaware of its existence until I read this thread.

It is listed as one of the "benefits" of the Peninsular Club on the P&O website

https://www.pocruises.com/the-peninsular-club/tiers-and-benefits/caribbean-tier/

 

Really it is nothing special food wise but the drinks are unlimited.

 

Brian

[daiB]

2 hours ago, Denarius said:

Interesting. I have been in the Caribbean tier since its inception, I was previously a "Goldie" For a time I was Baltic. But I have never been invited to such a reception at check in on a single occasion, and was unaware of its existence until I read this thread.

Clearly they know about you.

 

🙂

 

[Mewat]

Can I just ask - how does the priority disembarkation work?  Do you still have to go through all the bags in the luggage hall to find your own?  Or is there a separate area, and if so, how do the baggage handlers know which are suite luggage?

 

Michele

[daiB]

59 minutes ago, Mewat said:

Can I just ask - how does the priority disembarkation work?  Do you still have to go through all the bags in the luggage hall to find your own?  Or is there a separate area, and if so, how do the baggage handlers know which are suite luggage?

 

Michele

No advantage they are now laid out by deck order

[Mewat]

Thanks for that Dai.  I think we'll stick to self-disembarkation then.

 

Michele

[pete14]

5 minutes ago, Mewat said:

Thanks for that Dai.  I think we'll stick to self-disembarkation then.

 

Michele

Of course, you have the opportunity to be amongst the last groups to leave which means there are many fewer bags that get in the way of your own (provided nobody has taken one of yours by mistake).

If your suite is one of a group of suites along the side of the ship, there will be fewer cabins with luggage, so yours may be easier to find than in a section of the deck with outsides, insides and balconies

[Selbourne]

Re the Priority Embarkation ‘lunch’. It’s things like mini cheese and ham toasties, mini Cornish pasties, filo pastry coated snacks (like prawns) and some small cold snacks. In our view, none are particularly good and if you have been travelling and are hungry it’s not a proper meal. The alcoholic drinks are cheap plonk. The ‘champagne’ is a horrid fiz of some description (leaves a nasty aftertaste) and the white is poor. The red is drinkable. 

 

We used to prefer the buffet on embarkation day (the only time we used it for the entire cruise) as they used to do a nice curry, but it’s now always a vegetarian one. Also, you can no longer get fries in the buffet and have to go to the outdoor grill, where they are often luke warm and have been sitting around for a while. 

 

We now skip the freebie embarkation ‘lunch’ and go straight to the Glasshouse. Nobody knows it’s open so we have the place to ourselves. We have a First Class  lunch and a bottle of Peller Ice Cuvée as our ‘welcome aboard’. Yes we have to pay for it all, but it’s a lovely start to the cruise!

[pete14]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

 

We now skip the freebie embarkation ‘lunch’ and go straight to the Glasshouse. Nobody knows it’s open so we have the place to ourselves. We have a First Class  lunch and a bottle of Peller Ice Cuvée as our ‘welcome aboard’. Yes we have to pay for it all, but it’s a lovely start to the cruise!

 

We have done the same thing on Ventura and, like you, were pretty much on our own. I think the Glasshouse is one of the big positives of P&O. Food and wine are first class and reasonably priced. Mind you, the more ‘publicity’ we give it, the busier it may become as people then assume that it is open.

Our next cruise is on Arcadia but as they didn’t give her a Glasshouse on her last refit, we will have to think of an alternative strategy. Maybe the freebie lunch will suffice - after all, as you rightly say the red wine is nicely drinkable.

[Selbourne]

23 minutes ago, pete14 said:

 

We have done the same thing on Ventura and, like you, were pretty much on our own. I think the Glasshouse is one of the big positives of P&O. Food and wine are first class and reasonably priced. Mind you, the more ‘publicity’ we give it, the busier it may become as people then assume that it is open.

Our next cruise is on Arcadia but as they didn’t give her a Glasshouse on her last refit, we will have to think of an alternative strategy. Maybe the freebie lunch will suffice - after all, as you rightly say the red wine is nicely drinkable.

 

Yes, I'm always torn as to whether or not to mention it as we also enjoy having the place to ourselves! That being said, if you ask the crew when you embark the ship if the Glasshouse is open for food they will always say no and herd you towards the buffet or the priority boarders venue as they are unaware themselves that it is open, so this will continue to deter people from joining us! Pleased to hear that this is the case on other ships as most of our cruises over the past year have been on Aurora, with the exception being Arcadia where, as you say, there isn't a Glasshouse - one of the several reasons that we weren't too keen on her (although our aft suite was very nice)