Oldies not catered for anymore

[1160451]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Why does it seem that you cannot express an opinion on this forum, good or bad, without someone challenging you because it doesn't match their experiences... 

I appreciate the positive and negative reviews as it enables me to hopefully make a balanced decision. 

Please keep sharing your experiences, that is what this forum should be for... 

Andy 

 

Agree Andy.

If you think this forum is bad try asking about Dress Codes on the Princess Site. 😂😂😂😂😂

[purplesea]

I am not a complainer by nature, but when you are in a long queue after being told that your table is ready along with a lot of other people and those that have not used the so called app are just walking up and being seated ahead of you. Add to that when you do arrive at the desk you are the informed that you shouldn't have been able to book as there is a glitch in the system is annoying to say the least. On several occasions I lost the use of the app, so had no option to book ahead and ended up with a pager on several occasions.

There were long queues in the morning to get the shuttle buses into town at Marseille and Barcelona and of course the fiasco of Palma.

Yes, I had one or two other niggles, but in general I enjoyed the cruise. Would I cruise again with Arvia?

Maybe, if the price and itinerary are right.

I will express my opinions on as invited on feefo, but not because I expect compensation.

[daiB]

Well I have met a large number of oldies who love Iona and read many comments from them. I see no reason why oldies would not like Arvia either. These two ships can not be only for the younger element as they are not availabloe 12 months of the year to cruise. That would be the older element like us. saying that we oldies cannot cope with technology is plainly offensive. Also very odd on an on line forum.

 

Iona is a fabulous ship and I have no reason to assume that Arvia is not equally as good. Unfortunatly I have to wait until next year to find out. 

[Jennizor]

We started our cruising experience in 2001 on the Crown Princess around the Hawaiian Islands and we were instantly hooked. Since then we have been on mostly medium sized ships and recently on Iona. Yes, there have been lots of changes over the years and Iona did seem huge at first but I had booked some restaurants in the two weeks before the cruise. On the first night we went to the Glasshouse and were given a table straight away. We didn’t use the App at all on the cruise. On the nights we hadn’t pre-booked we just went to the Coral or Opal restaurants and usually were taken straight to a table (usually sharing as we enjoy those). We go on Iona again in July, I will pre-book some venues and we will do the same again for the rest of the cruise. We are in our 70s, my husband is not keen on using the App but I will use it I have to, no problem. Times change and we just have to do our best to keep up. We didn’t feel our cruise was compromised because we didn’t use the App.

[Gettingwarmer]

2 minutes ago, daiB said:

 

Iona is a fabulous ship

I’m sure that many people think so.

Your room may have been large as it was an accessible cabin. . Our Deluxe cabin was very narrow. Every time you walked past a person seated on the sofa they had to move their legs. It was also very uncomfortable to sit on. The shower was lovely but the rest of the bathroom was small.

 The lack of the same drinks in each bar meant you had to hunting to look behind the bars to see if they could serve your drinks. It was very noisy in the atrium.

 The acrobatic shows in the dome were good but the other entertainment in the atrium was lacking. 
I would not go back on Iona unless the itinerary was something very special. 

[Jennizor]

11 minutes ago, daiB said:

Well I have met a large number of oldies who love Iona and read many comments from them. I see no reason why oldies would not like Arvia either. These two ships can not be only for the younger element as they are not availabloe 12 months of the year to cruise. That would be the older element like us. saying that we oldies cannot cope with technology is plainly offensive. Also very odd on an on line forum.

 

Iona is a fabulous ship and I have no reason to assume that Arvia is not equally as good. Unfortunatly I have to wait until next year to find out. 

Thoroughly agree with you Dai. Us oldies are on our 2nd Iona cruise in July and going on Arvia in March 24. Really looking forward to that too.

[AndyMichelle]

7 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

 

 The lack of the same drinks in each bar meant you had to hunting to look behind the bars to see if they could serve your drinks. 

This is very frustrating, but not a new thing and definitely not exclusive to Iona... 

We seemed to often be chasing my Peroni and Michelle's raspberry creme brulee around the ship, and they were very rarely served at the same bar... 

But, we learnt quickly to compromise, either drink something else in our favourite bar or settle on a bar with our drinks. 

Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches... 

Andy 

[jessybell]

No-one is saying us oldies cannot cope with technology…..my point is that we spent ages booking dining and shows on the app and then found it to either crashed or telling us nothing available.  This isn’t how I want to spend my time onboard……a lot of people were just booking everything even if they didn’t use their reservations. This resulted in queues everywhere.  

[alpha whiskey]

11 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

  I think it would also be helpful if you could also see the menus that day for the restaurants.  

Oh yes please! 🙏 For all restaurants 😊

I did put something to that effect in the last survey.

Deciding what to eat for lunch (whether going ashore or on a sea day)  does have bearing depending what your evening choices are.

At present you are unable to see MDR evening menus until after the lunch service. 

Post them in the app, on stateroom TV, or Horizon, I am not really fussy! 

[alpha whiskey]

9 hours ago, daiB said:

Iona is a fabulous ship and I have no reason to assume that Arvia is not equally as good. Unfortunatly I have to wait until next year to find out. 

Based on our experiences, you won't be disappointed, although my soft spot does lie with Iona😉

We are certainly not in the first flush of youth either! 🤣😭

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

This is very frustrating, but not a new thing and definitely not exclusive to Iona... 

We seemed to often be chasing my Peroni and Michelle's raspberry creme brulee around the ship, and they were very rarely served at the same bar... 

But, we learnt quickly to compromise, either drink something else in our favourite bar or settle on a bar with our drinks. 

Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches... 

Andy 

No raspberry creme brulee anymore sadly. Used to enjoy in the Crow's Nest but cocktails on Britannia and Arvia in there now seem very limited and overwhelmingly gin based.

[Gettingwarmer]

19 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

No raspberry creme brulee anymore sadly. Used to enjoy in the Crow's Nest but cocktails on Britannia and Arvia in there now seem very limited and overwhelmingly gin based.

Yes cocktails and after dinner liqueurs are very limited although plenty of room behind bar to stock the drinks. 

[daiB]

10 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I’m sure that many people think so.

Your room may have been large as it was an accessible cabin. . Our Deluxe cabin was very narrow. Every time you walked past a person seated on the sofa they had to move their legs. It was also very uncomfortable to sit on. The shower was lovely but the rest of the bathroom was small.

 The lack of the same drinks in each bar meant you had to hunting to look behind the bars to see if they could serve your drinks. It was very noisy in the atrium.

 The acrobatic shows in the dome were good but the other entertainment in the atrium was lacking. 
I would not go back on Iona unless the itinerary was something very special. 

This thing about not getting the same drinks in all bars is not new. It has happened to us many times, On Ventura, Asura and Britannia. 

You found the atriumn noisy? How odd. It is so high the noise nseems to just dissapate and I found it very comfortable.

And yes our cabin was lovely. 

[jaydee6969]

15 hours ago, swanseaboy said:

The one thing I did notice on my recent QM2 cruise was the Daily Planner (Horizon) was available to read on the App. This was really handy as I always forget to take the paper copy with me. I don't think P&O currently have the daily 'Horizon' on the App?

 

My Horizon was certainly available on an app on my phone.  The photo library.  Easy enough to take a photo of each page for the day, certainly when in port and want a copy of the emergency contact info.

[sandancer]

11 hours ago, daiB said:

Well I have met a large number of oldies who love Iona and read many comments from them. I see no reason why oldies would not like Arvia either. These two ships can not be only for the younger element as they are not availabloe 12 months of the year to cruise. That would be the older element like us. saying that we oldies cannot cope with technology is plainly offensive. Also very odd on an on line forum.

 

Iona is a fabulous ship and I have no reason to assume that Arvia is not equally as good. Unfortunatly I have to wait until next year to find out. 

We really enjoyed Arvia and have booked 2 more cruises on her along with a first cruise on Iona. Both late 70s, not techies by any means but managed both the P&O app and the Princess medallion. As for the point the OP made about the oldies (us) I agree that they are concentrating on attracting a younger dynamic but it’s not just P&O but most of the mass market cruise lines. 

[zap99]

16 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I don't doubt they did.  A large number however didn't so probably split fairly evenly.  I've no intention of arguing numbers we all have different opinions.  When I added my Feefo review many reviews were 1,2 and 3 stars with a scattering of 4+.  It's all a question of what an individual experienced.  I did notice a fair scattering of complaints about noise and suprisingly the same sort of comments for Iona.  Certainly I'm not suggesting everyone had a bad time and I never said that would be the case. 

I never leave a feefo review and don't read them. Too many moaning about a missing pool tile, plug didn't fit the sink properly. Lots of trivia.

Edited June 1, 2023 by zap99

[Cruisemeister2002]

21 hours ago, jessybell said:

Just had first….and last…..cruise on Arvia.  We are in our 70’s and fairly computer literate.  What is all this booking on an app about…..I don’t  want to spend my holiday trying to book restaurants and shows……almost impossible sometimes.   I expect a cruise ship to have a library and a card room……I expect dress codes to be followed..or why bother having them…..I would like drink mats on the tables in the bars…having to put up with wet tables and dripping glasses is not pleasant.  Sorry P&O you are going to lose your older clientele….we spoke to many people who feel the same……back to Fred Olsen for us after 40 years of being P&O customers. Oh I forgot to mention…….the queues…….everywhere queues!

 

21 hours ago, jessybell said:

Just had first….and last…..cruise on Arvia.  We are in our 70’s and fairly computer literate.  What is all this booking on an app about…..I don’t  want to spend my holiday trying to book restaurants and shows……almost impossible sometimes.   I expect a cruise ship to have a library and a card room……I expect dress codes to be followed..or why bother having them…..I would like drink mats on the tables in the bars…having to put up with wet tables and dripping glasses is not pleasant.  Sorry P&O you are going to lose your older clientele….we spoke to many people who feel the same……back to Fred Olsen for us after 40 years of being P&O customers. Oh I forgot to mention…….the queues…….everywhere queues!

I think what they need to remember is that those now in their 20's and 30's will hopefully be such as ourselves be in their 60's and 70's in forty or fifty years time and they like us will still want to cruise. Perhaps it;s the fact that when you get older, you hopefully get wiser. You won't pay through the nose for things you know you can get cheaper. Many don't drink as much, go on excursions or do a DIY excursion. I have recently come back off a P&O cruise and unfortunately found it necessary to write a strongly worded letter due to the many problems we incurred. Admittedly to their credit they have compensated me, but nevertheless my first holiday in four years and my only one this year ended with me looking forward to disembarking many day's before the cruise ended. 

[zap99]

24 minutes ago, daiB said:

This thing about not getting the same drinks in all bars is not new. It has happened to us many times, On Ventura, Asura and Britannia. 

You found the atriumn noisy? How odd. It is so high the noise nseems to just dissapate and I found it very comfortable.

And yes our cabin was lovely. 

No problems with the cabin size. Quite spacious.  My only complaint was getting up in the night to go to the bathroom and stubbing my big toe on that flipping coffee table. It took a year for the black line to grow out. Thinking about it, I could have given them a one star review on feefo, written to Paul Ludlow...or turned the light on rather than stumbling around in the dark.

[zap99]

24 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

My Horizon was certainly available on an app on my phone.  The photo library.  Easy enough to take a photo of each page for the day, certainly when in port and want a copy of the emergency contact info.

We take a photo of the emergency contact info.

[Cruisemeister2002]

19 hours ago, 1160451 said:

Just back from a first time Princess Cruise round the UK.

We are in our early 70’s and are very computer and social media literate.

BUT….to prepare for the Princess Cruise was an absolute nightmare if you had never done it before.

Switching between the APP then Webb site to input and sort tickets, embarkation time, luggage labels and personnel information was difficult to understand.

On Board you had to use your smart phone to book things.

They even wanted you to order drinks on the APP then a waiter should find you by GPS.

That was a laugh.

We ditched it after three days and reverted to normal, which to be fair worked.

If P and O are following this then it’s a no no for us.

Hope the Balmoral next March is APP free 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

 

 

Sadly the onus seems to have been shifted to the passenger. Trouble is what industry hasn't ? Whether it's bank statements or online banking, insurance companies, mot's etc everything is online. But like many when I go on holiday I want a relaxing time and whilst to many to access an app isn't any great shakes to have to do that every day is frankly turning a holiday into a chore especially when you consider before leaving home labels have to be printed, boarding passes and filling in of personal information on the cruiseline website. We then have a 45 minute journey to our coach pickup point, a coach journey including a stop off at South Mims which takes five hours and then this year when arriving at Southampton queues and piles of luggage.

[zap99]

19 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Sadly the onus seems to have been shifted to the passenger. Trouble is what industry hasn't ? Whether it's bank statements or online banking, insurance companies, mot's etc everything is online. But like many when I go on holiday I want a relaxing time and whilst to many to access an app isn't any great shakes to have to do that every day is frankly turning a holiday into a chore especially when you consider before leaving home labels have to be printed, boarding passes and filling in of personal information on the cruiseline website. We then have a 45 minute journey to our coach pickup point, a coach journey including a stop off at South Mims which takes five hours and then this year when arriving at Southampton queues and piles of luggage.

We go to Majorca next week. We had all the faff of booking it. Tomorrow we need to go on the BA site to reserve our seats. Check if the printer works so that we can have paper back ups in case I drop my phone down the toilet. Next week, check in on line drive to the airport, park the car fly to Island..........is it worth all this faff for a week in the sun....yes it is.

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by zap99

[AndyMichelle]

3 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

No raspberry creme brulee anymore sadly. Used to enjoy in the Crow's Nest but cocktails on Britannia and Arvia in there now seem very limited and overwhelmingly gin based.

We had tears when Michelle found out... 😊

Although it was mentioned as available when the new drinks packages were launched, so maybe there is a slither of hope... 

She doesn't drink gin, so could be a cheap cruise😂

Andy 

[Cruisemeister2002]

18 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We go to Majorca next week. We had all the faff of booking it. Tomorrow we need to go on the BA site to reserve our seats. Check if the printer works so that we can have paper back ups in case I drop my phone down the toilet. Next week, check in on line drive to the airport, park the car fly to Island..........is it worth all this faff for a week in the sun....yes it is.

 

Hope you have a great time. Sadly my recent 35 night cruise on P&O Ventura was one problem after another. P&O changed my cabin the day before departure, sadly it seemed that I was the only one aware of it as cards outside the cabin for entry and general use were someone else's, the dining arrangements were also someone else's. I had paid £399 for an Ultimate Celebration package and it took me 17 days to get it sorted properly. We got four cases that were obviously the persons luggage that were originally given our cabin. My wife was ill for a few days and I wasn't 100% for all of the cruise although when I arrived at Southampton I was fine. But the number of fellow passengers with hacking coughs was considerable. There were cases of Covid and Noroviris onboard  and I had to visit the medical services due to a swollen leg/foot which meant out of about 8 pairs of shoes I took with me I could only get one pair on and ended up buying another pair when we reached land. All of which were made worse by continually queuing everywhere. New Orleans which was where we went through immigration took three and a half hours, some people lost most of the day although it was adverised as a two day stop. Bermuda which was an overnight stay was ruled out due to weather conditions, though I dispute that as it was four days before we were due to arrive there and Key West had been removed from the itinerary some months prior to the cruise.  Truly about 10 days before disembarkation I couldn't wait to get off the ship.  

[Megabear2]

Everyone has different levels of what they are prepared to accept or tolerate and some just will go along happily as they just want a nice time.  Whichever camp you fall into it's going to mean different people having totally different experiences even in the cabin next door.  It's unfair to say a person is completely wrong just because a level of service was not in their opinion acceptable. For instance if the app works well for you, you may think it's a lot of fuss about nothing. To the person who can't get a dining reservation it will be totally different.

 

 

 

 

[zap99]

22 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Everyone has different levels of what they are prepared to accept or tolerate and some just will go along happily as they just want a nice time.  Whichever camp you fall into it's going to mean different people having totally different experiences even in the cabin next door.  It's unfair to say a person is completely wrong just because a level of service was not in their opinion acceptable. For instance if the app works well for you, you may think it's a lot of fuss about nothing. To the person who can't get a dining reservation it will be totally different.

 

 

 

 

Going along happily doesn't necessarily signify a weakness. Going along happily may also mean just dealing with minor trivia. The fact that there are no card rooms, libraries, or ballroom dancing on some ships may be major issues for some, but not even noticed by others. I quite like a disposable paper menu, rather than one that has been handed around for weeks. Holidays are to enjoy, not to get stressed out by every little issue.