Summer 2025

[SarahHben]

Morning 

Does anyone know when the summer 2025 itineraries are likely to be released? Asking for my sister…. My OH might hide my laptop if he thought I was about to book another one while we already have two booked 🥴😂

[majortom10]

I shouldn't think it will be before September and probably later than that.

[tring]

I was talking to the onboard sales rep on Aurora in November and he reckoned the summer 2025 cruises will be out about springtime.  We had booked a cruise starting 29th June and seems any early offers/discounts will have finished before we are on board for that.  The winter cruises come out in September/October, but were a bit later than normal last autumn.

 

@molecrochipmay have some knowledge of expected dates.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by tring

[TigerB]

7 minutes ago, tring said:

I was talking to the onboard sales rep on Aurora in November and he reckoned the summer 2025 cruises will be out about springtime.  We had booked a cruise starting 29th June and seems any early offers/discounts will have finished before we are on board for that.  The winter cruises come out in September/October, but were a bit later than normal last autumn.

 

@molecrochipmay have some knowledge of expected dates.

 

 

 

When we were on Arvia in January, we asked about November 2025; there's a particular cruise that we want to do then and we want to secure a suitable cabin early doors. She said they are likely to be published about August time this year; she recommended we ask when we are on Iona this June as they may be able to access them before they are published. 

[tring]

36 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

When we were on Arvia in January, we asked about November 2025; there's a particular cruise that we want to do then and we want to secure a suitable cabin early doors. She said they are likely to be published about August time this year; she recommended we ask when we are on Iona this June as they may be able to access them before they are published. 

 

November will be in the winter cruises which normally come out Sept/Oct, but may vary in the future obviously.  The summer cruises have been coming out earlier in the year and were that ones I asked about on Aurora (is also what the OP asked about).  I think the summer season ends round about the end of September/early Oct and runs until March, but again could change.

 

Be aware if you pre-register with P&O you can only choose a cabin grade and not specific cabins or locations within that grade.  Cruise and travel agents will ask for you for a few preferred cabin numbers which they will try to secure and they can be quite good at that.  With P&O pre-registrations you do not get yopur cabin number until later in the morning and will then be able to change it for another cabin which is not booked, but the agents will have had first pick of the cabins, especially if a cruise is popular.  Anyone who is Caribbean level or above will get their cabin number a couple of days before other purchasers, so more chance of being able to change to another specific cabin before cruises go on general sale. 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by tring

[TigerB]

16 minutes ago, tring said:

 

November will be in the winter cruises which normally come out Sept/Oct, but may vary in the future obviously.  The summer cruises have been coming out earlier in the year and were that ones I asked about on Aurora (is also what the OP asked about).  I think the summer season ends round about the end of September/early Oct and runs until March, but again could change.

 

Be aware if you pre-register with P&O you can only choose a cabin grade and not specific cabins or locations within that grade.  Cruise and travel agents will ask for you for a few preferred cabin numbers which they will try to secure and they can be quite good at that.  With P&O pre-registrations you do not get yopur cabin number until later in the morning and will then be able to change it for another cabin which is not booked, but the agents will have had first pick of the cabins, especially if a cruise is popular.  Anyone who is Caribbean level or above will get their cabin number a couple of days before other purchasers, so more chance of being able to change to another specific cabin before cruises go on general sale. 

 

 

Thanks for that; sounds like she may have given us incorrect information. We are on a cruise in September, so that is an option to book with the low deposit, if they are available then. I'll keep my options open and link in with a travel agent before then. How do I pre-register with P&O direct?

[tring]

10 hours ago, TigerB said:

Thanks for that; sounds like she may have given us incorrect information. We are on a cruise in September, so that is an option to book with the low deposit, if they are available then. I'll keep my options open and link in with a travel agent before then. How do I pre-register with P&O direct?

 

Details will be published, but if you are on a cruise in Sept, you may be able to pre register or book then, hence get the onboard benefits.  A November cruise may not book up that much at launch, so possibly you would be quite happy to have a cabin which is still available if not happy with your allocated cabin.  Depends how keen you are for a specific cabin.

 

I have only mentioned what has been happening, but it could change, so keep your eyes open for any launch.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by tring

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

Details will be published, but if you are on a cruise in Sept, you may be able to pre register or book then, hence get the onboard benefits.  A November cruise may not book up that much at launch, so possibly you would be quite happy to have a cabin which is still available if not happy with your allocated cabin.  Depends how keen you are for a specific cabin.

 

I have only mentioned what has been happening, but it could change, so keep your eyes open for any launch.

 

 

Thanks again, Tring.👍

It's the Northern Lights cruise we want to book, and must have an accessible cabin. The ships are likely to be Aurora or Arcadia, and with the latter there are only a couple of cabins that we prefer to the rest.

I'll monitor the situation.

[Selbourne]

45 minutes ago, TigerB said:

Thanks again, Tring.👍

It's the Northern Lights cruise we want to book, and must have an accessible cabin. The ships are likely to be Aurora or Arcadia, and with the latter there are only a couple of cabins that we prefer to the rest.

I'll monitor the situation.

We have done two Northern Lights cruises on Aurora in accessible cabins, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. 

[TigerB]

4 hours ago, TigerB said:

Thanks again, Tring.👍

It's the Northern Lights cruise we want to book, and must have an accessible cabin. The ships are likely to be Aurora or Arcadia, and with the latter there are only a couple of cabins that we prefer to the rest.

I'll monitor the situation.

I got that the wrong way around; I meant the former, it's Aurora that has the less appealing cabins for us.

 

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We have done two Northern Lights cruises on Aurora in accessible cabins, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. 

 

Ideally, for such a trip we would like to have a balcony cabin. The only such cabins on Aurora that take our fancy are A152, A154, A155 and A157; the ones on deck 9 are shown as having cut-out balconies, albeit they are one grade higher.

We are not adverse to outside cabins, but the ones on deck 6 are below the promenade and public areas; that initially puts us off.

We wouldn't consider an inside cabin for such a trip.

Arcadia offers better choice of balcony cabins, albeit they're all deluxe ones.

 

Selbourne, I would be grateful if you could, when you have the time to do so, DM me about the accessible cabins on Aurora, and if you have been in such cabins on Arcadia, those too.

Also, having initially looked at February or March for such a trip, we were advised that November would be better for a wheelchair user, as less likelihood of snow. Do you have any views on that?

Thanks in advance.🙂

[Fionboard]

Did Northern Lights cruise on Arcadia November 2019 and had snow blizzards every day in Norway. Snowmen on the aft deck but no lights!

[Selbourne]

On 2/8/2023 at 5:24 PM, TigerB said:

I got that the wrong way around; I meant the former, it's Aurora that has the less appealing cabins for us.

 

 

Ideally, for such a trip we would like to have a balcony cabin. The only such cabins on Aurora that take our fancy are A152, A154, A155 and A157; the ones on deck 9 are shown as having cut-out balconies, albeit they are one grade higher.

We are not adverse to outside cabins, but the ones on deck 6 are below the promenade and public areas; that initially puts us off.

We wouldn't consider an inside cabin for such a trip.

Arcadia offers better choice of balcony cabins, albeit they're all deluxe ones.

 

Selbourne, I would be grateful if you could, when you have the time to do so, DM me about the accessible cabins on Aurora, and if you have been in such cabins on Arcadia, those too.

Also, having initially looked at February or March for such a trip, we were advised that November would be better for a wheelchair user, as less likelihood of snow. Do you have any views on that?

Thanks in advance.🙂

You are right to want a balcony cabin. The scenery on the Northern Light cruises is spectacular and you can enjoy it from the warmth of your cabin rather than fight for a spot in a lounge. 
 

There are 8 Accessible balcony cabins on Aurora. 4 on A deck and 4 on C deck. I think we have stayed in 7 of them! They are all identical and all have the cut out balcony with glass front, although this isn’t an issue, especially with an accessible cabin (being 50% wider than a standard balcony cabin). We opted for deck A on the Northern Light cruises, the logic being that higher was better if the lights occurred whilst in port. We’ve only been on Arcadia once, because there were a number of things that we didn’t like about the ship. We had a suite as my wife wasn’t in the wheelchair at the time, but we have looked at the accessible balcony cabins and weren’t keen on them. Most have odd shaped balconies that we felt restricted the outlook from within the cabin compared to Aurora. 

 

When I did some research on the Northern Lights, they go on a cycle of intensity (at least 7 years from memory) so you have a better chance of seeing them when at the top of the cycle. Again, if I recall correctly, I think that you also have a better chance of seeing them in March rather than November, but I’m not 100% sure about that. We booked two years in a row (both March), the idea being that we wouldn’t feel under pressure to see them the first year. Ironically, we had a fantastic display for 3 nights on the first cruise (it coincided with a large solar flare having left the sun a few days before we got there - ideal timing, but pure luck) and the following year they didn’t appear for a single minute, so the cruise was a bit of a waste of money as we’d already seen the scenery the year before! Perseverance pays. We wrapped up warm and spent 3 or 4 hours on deck late evening and saw all the best displays. Those who were going to see the shows, drinking in the bars etc and just popping out occasionally tended to miss them. 
 

My wife stayed on the ship every night, whereas I went on the coach to the sports ground on the outskirts of Alta one night. It’s worth noting that due to the dreaded Health and Safety, the deck lights are never dimmed which does lessen the effect somewhat. Whilst my wife was happy with what she saw, the display that I witnessed from the sports field, with no light pollution, was significantly better. As Norway doesn’t grind to a halt with 1cm of snow, like we do here, getting around wasn’t a problem. We were able to get around Alta Centre and the harbour area of Tromso with the wheelchair as the snow was packed hard. 
 

Happy to answer any other questions. 

[TigerB]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

You are right to want a balcony cabin. The scenery on the Northern Light cruises is spectacular and you can enjoy it from the warmth of your cabin rather than fight for a spot in a lounge. 
 

There are 8 Accessible balcony cabins on Aurora. 4 on A deck and 4 on C deck. I think we have stayed in 7 of them! They are all identical and all have the cut out balcony with glass front, although this isn’t an issue, especially with an accessible cabin (being 50% wider than a standard balcony cabin). We opted for deck A on the Northern Light cruises, the logic being that higher was better if the lights occurred whilst in port. We’ve only been on Arcadia once, because there were a number of things that we didn’t like about the ship. We had a suite as my wife wasn’t in the wheelchair at the time, but we have looked at the accessible balcony cabins and weren’t keen on them. Most have odd shaped balconies that we felt restricted the outlook from within the cabin compared to Aurora. 

 

When I did some research on the Northern Lights, they go on a cycle of intensity (at least 7 years from memory) so you have a better chance of seeing them when at the top of the cycle. Again, if I recall correctly, I think that you also have a better chance of seeing them in March rather than November, but I’m not 100% sure about that. We booked two years in a row (both March), the idea being that we wouldn’t feel under pressure to see them the first year. Ironically, we had a fantastic display for 3 nights on the first cruise (it coincided with a large solar flare having left the sun a few days before we got there - ideal timing, but pure luck) and the following year they didn’t appear for a single minute, so the cruise was a bit of a waste of money as we’d already seen the scenery the year before! Perseverance pays. We wrapped up warm and spent 3 or 4 hours on deck late evening and saw all the best displays. Those who were going to see the shows, drinking in the bars etc and just popping out occasionally tended to miss them. 
 

My wife stayed on the ship every night, whereas I went on the coach to the sports ground on the outskirts of Alta one night. It’s worth noting that due to the dreaded Health and Safety, the deck lights are never dimmed which does lessen the effect somewhat. Whilst my wife was happy with what she saw, the display that I witnessed from the sports field, with no light pollution, was significantly better. As Norway doesn’t grind to a halt with 1cm of snow, like we do here, getting around wasn’t a problem. We were able to get around Alta Centre and the harbour area of Tromso with the wheelchair as the snow was packed hard. 
 

Happy to answer any other questions. 

 

Thanks Selbourne for the information, it is very welcome.👍

We were looking at March initially, as I understood it to be the optimum time to see a good display. It was when we were on Arvia last month and talking with the cruise specialist that she said about November being better for a wheelchair. I take on board what you said about the packed ice. It warrants further research, and now that I'm retired I can afford more time to do that. I may well come back to you for further advice. We've only sailed on Britannia and Arvia so far, and sailing on Iona in June, so I think we've been spoiled with quite large accessible cabins; I wasn't sure that the ones on the smaller ships would live up to our expectations. I am reassured by your comments.🙂

[Selbourne]

41 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

Thanks Selbourne for the information, it is very welcome.👍

We were looking at March initially, as I understood it to be the optimum time to see a good display. It was when we were on Arvia last month and talking with the cruise specialist that she said about November being better for a wheelchair. I take on board what you said about the packed ice. It warrants further research, and now that I'm retired I can afford more time to do that. I may well come back to you for further advice. We've only sailed on Britannia and Arvia so far, and sailing on Iona in June, so I think we've been spoiled with quite large accessible cabins; I wasn't sure that the ones on the smaller ships would live up to our expectations. I am reassured by your comments.🙂

You’re welcome. The cabins and bathrooms on the smaller ships are very dated in comparison to the new ships. Things like automatic balcony doors, adjustable basins, pull down wardrobe rails etc don’t feature on the old ships. TVs are rubbish. The small ships aren’t quite so wheelchair friendly either. For example, none of the doors out on to the promenade deck are automated on Aurora although other passengers will always assist. The one outside the Crows Nest on to the top deck is, but is frequently not working. We love Aurora but it’s a bit more of a challenge with a wheelchair.

[TigerB]

24 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

You’re welcome. The cabins and bathrooms on the smaller ships are very dated in comparison to the new ships. Things like automatic balcony doors, adjustable basins, pull down wardrobe rails etc don’t feature on the old ships. TVs are rubbish. The small ships aren’t quite so wheelchair friendly either. For example, none of the doors out on to the promenade deck are automated on Aurora although other passengers will always assist. The one outside the Crows Nest on to the top deck is, but is frequently not working. We love Aurora but it’s a bit more of a challenge with a wheelchair.

 

Thanks for the update.

To be fair, the main door, bathroom door, and balcony door on Britannia were not automatic and we managed. The automatic doors, and the adjustable washbasin and support rail next to the toilet on Arvia were welcome features but not without their own little quirks. The automatic main door and bathroom door took an age to close and were sensitive to obstructions. One evening, when going to dinner I waited outside for the door to close, the guy next door did the same; he though obstructed the sensor and his door didn't close, only for his missus to then come into view in just her bra and pants. Boy, did he get what for!  The balcony door broke down in the open position the day before we disembarked and it was hard for me to close; my wife or someone with poor dexterity would not have managed to close it.

The drop down wardrobe rail is not a feature that my wife uses anyway; she has me to hand her clothes and hang them back again. The most annoying feature for us are the beds; at 60cm or just under, they are too high for a wheelchair user to transfer to unaided.

 

We are set on the Northern Lights cruise, so we will have to use one of the smaller ships; needs must, as they say. I may well look at other cruise lines too.

[Jack McGowan]

I assume the larger ships are expected to do the same kind of cruises again Summer 25? I.e Iona Fjords, Azura Malta etc

 

Would be interesting if Arv & Azu swapped for the Malta fly cruises. 

[tring]

Does anyone have any idea when cruises for summer 2025 may be launched?  I cannot remember what has been done more recently, have they just launched one season at a time, or have they been releasing the summer and winter seasons at the same time, in which case I assume it will be a while yet?

 

 

[TigerB]

56 minutes ago, tring said:

Does anyone have any idea when cruises for summer 2025 may be launched?  I cannot remember what has been done more recently, have they just launched one season at a time, or have they been releasing the summer and winter seasons at the same time, in which case I assume it will be a while yet?

 

 

 

This subject was discussed recently here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2913807-summer-2025/#comment-64788355

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

This subject was discussed recently here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2913807-summer-2025/#comment-64788355

To be fair to @tring there have been no updates on that thread for 6 weeks. I am also interested to know when Summer 2025 will be released. Perhaps @molecrochip may be able to advise?

[terrierjohn]

Pre covid summer cruises were launched in the autumn, Septenber normally, 18 months in advance. I would assume that P&O will be wanting to get back to the same programme ASAP.

[Selbourne]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Pre covid summer cruises were launched in the autumn, Septenber normally, 18 months in advance. I would assume that P&O will be wanting to get back to the same programme ASAP.

Thanks. I hope that you are correct. I have no desire whatsoever to book over 2 years in advance, especially as launch prices no longer seem to be the way to guarantee the cheapest prices, but (as you will know) if you need an accessible cabin you sadly have no choice. 

[wowzz]

Blimey, I've only just plucked up the courage to book for next year, let alone 2025 !

[Britboys]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Blimey, I've only just plucked up the courage to book for next year, let alone 2025 !

I haven't even booked for next year yet - but that's more because none of what's on offer aboard Aurora and Arcadia has really grabbed my interest...

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I haven't even booked for next year yet - but that's more because none of what's on offer aboard Aurora and Arcadia has really grabbed my interest...

Still waiting for Saga for next year !

[Britboys]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

Still waiting for Saga for next year !

I believe they are now out. Those that pre-registered seem to have been securing their bookings recently...

Fred Olsen out but hideously expensive for solos as usual. I'm waiting to see what Ambassador have on offer when they publish next year's itineraries.