NaomiW

Yes good point! Think we'll just go to Norfolk instead-will work out much cheaper including the lost deposit 🤷‍♀️

How bizarre. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot. I was totally prepared to pay good money to go on a cruise that they are apparently struggling to sell but instead, computer says no, so we all lose out.. Also it will put me off booking with them again when we are back from Aus-think well look elsewhere next time

I would like some advice on whether people think there might be any other options for a ridiculous situation I have found myself in with our booking. We have a booking for next Jan (select fare) but we are now moving to Australia at the end of the year for work so cannot go. I phoned to try and transfer the booking to a Fjords cruise next month and were hoping to book a suite at around £4000 to make sure the booking was more expensive than our, but was told we cannot transfer as we have already transferred once (this was just after Aug 22 when the policy apparent changed, but there were lots of reports of covid quarantines etc at the time so we didnt want to risk it at that time) I offered to pay the £100 transfer fee like we used to be able to, but was told sorry, no can do. So it seems my only option is to cancel. This means I lose about £500 which P&O wont care about but it seems absolutely ludicrous as they have loads of unsold cabins on the cruise we wanted to transfer to and they are also losing several thousand in my business because of an unflexible policy. I was hoping the woman I spoke to would be able to apply some discretion and common sense but it seems not. I've emailed customer services but given their wait times, I doubt Ill hear in time. Any ideas?

I found the Olive Grove to have the best feel in terms of intimacy and cosiness. Epicurean would probably be similar. A lot of the other speciality restaurants that were in and around the atrium didnt have that feel for me-it felt more like a meal at a shopping centre or food hall as they were so open and people could walk through etc. Even Sindhu felt less intimate on Iona-the bit we went in just felt like a big function room..

We stay at the Pig in the Wall. Its rustic, boutique and gorgeous..

Thanks all! Ill have a look at P4C and that article has some cheaper cruise and stay options than I had seen

So it seems like it may be tricky to transfer our cruise so looking for other ways to cut costs. CPS has gone up since our last cruise but it is still cheaper than train, coach, stay and park options I have looked at. Does anyone know of any other (reliable) cheaper parking companies that arent significantly more of a hassle?

Aah, ok. Apologies!

Sorry, what I was asking was if I do not make my balance payment by 90 days are they liable to cancel my booking and keep my deposit. Not what the transfer T&Cs are, but I do appreciate your reply. Its just that I want to wait until the new brochure is out before transferring and that might be after my balance due date

I am considering transferring my Jan 23 cruise to winter 25 when they come out but I suspect these will be released after my final balance payment is due. If I just dont pay it by the 90 days, what is likely to happen-will they automatically cancel my booking and ill lose the deposit or are they a bit more flexible. I know I can transfer twice but its such a hassle trying to get through to the call centre these days

We have ordered from the MDR to our suite before and it was good. However dont expect the same level of service you would get innthe restaurant. I naively expected having a butler would mean they served us as if we were in the restaurant, but whilst he set the table nicely with the proper silverware, all our courses were brought at the same time in cloches on a tray and we were then left to our own devices tonserve ourselves. I did wonder if it was a one off but this happened on 2 seperate cruises. I guess it would be the same for the speciality restaurants. On our last cruise we made full use of ordering from the room service menu for lunches which is free as a suite perk if you order through the buter. As an aside, I would agree with you about not knowing what the suite benefits are-the first time in a suite when we got married we had no idea about priority embarkation and were just ushered into the normal queue, noone told us about the welcome on board lunch or the special breakfasts (which are the best bit) Communication could be better I think!

Ooh, we are on that cruise too but I havent heard anything. Did you say you booked through a TA? We booked direct so may (try to) give them a call if we dont hear anything by balance payment date. Have you paid your balance yet??

What a wonderful idea. I would also second asking the special occasions team to get involved. We got married on board and nothing was too much trouble for them. They found quiet areas for our photos and even let us on the bridge as a special treat - perhaps you could ask them to provide a photographer for a special picture?? The ports arent always the most picturesque backdrop depending on where you dock, so would require a bit of research, but other great options would be in the crows nest where youd have uniterrupted views of the ocean at the front and is very quiet in the daytime-and they might be able to get the staff involved to provide champagne after youve popped the question, or maybe even the pianist to accompany the proposal. Alternatively, the sunset bar where youd have gorgeous views of the wake (might have to choose your times carefully here to avoid the crowds-mornings are pretty quiet but obviously a sunset proposal would be amazing).. you cant beat an ocean view backdrop IMO

There were loads of good vegetarian options in each of the restaurants so I wouldnt worry.. Plenty of choice-not just 1 rubbish option like the good (bad) old days.. from memory I had a delicious sweet potato and leek pie in keel and cow, cant remember the others but all were good

I logged onto my cruise personalizer for my Iona cruise in Jan to the Canary isles and Portugal and I noticed that the shore excursions for Lisbon are not on, whereas all the others are. It is supposed to be doing an overnight stop there. I am purely speculating but I wonder if this is because covid testing is still required for Portugal but not Spain and whether they are considering changing the itinery. Tbh I would be quite happy if they did change it as Id rather have an extra day in the warmth of the Canaries and Id rather not have to pay for a covid test on board to have to leave the ship.. I know noone will know the answer for this, just speculating really..