Wiltonian

You'll do better asking on the ports-of-call board for the Baltic: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=192

And once you've got your package, once on board book all your speciality restaurants for the cruise, even if you may change things slightly later. The popular times on the popular days in the popular restaurants get booked up very quickly. We booked within a couple of hours of boarding the Silhouette in October, and some "slots" we wanted had already gone, necessitating a reworking of our plans.

Invariably, we've gone on independent tours - typically 8 to 15 people in a mini-bus/van, arranged by someone else on the Roll Call. People say, "how about tour to CCCCC with company ZZZZZ, costing $99pp for 6-8 - anyone interested?" It's always worked well. Those organised by the cruise line are invariably more expensive, even with groups of 40-50 on a big bus. Independent tours are carefully organised to ensure you're back to the ship in time. Clearly, one disaster and a tour company's reputation would be totally trashed.

Thanks! We're on the same cruise next October, so will follow your blog with great interest.

and if no wines on the lists in those restaurants are within your package limit, ask for one that is! We love Murano, but are perfectly happy with wines in the Classic package.

Just travel in a coat with big pockets; you can replace stuff back in your hand baggage once it's been weighed!

Stuart

Some interesting figures there. With one exception, only Princess is building for 3-4000 pax. Everyone else goes for 2500-3000, or 4000-5200, producing two competing offers when it comes to the major mass cruise market.

Hello Valentine and thank you for your interesting report.

 

We are about to go on our first Cunard cruise and know nothing about a "Below $12 free drink" offer. Can you (or maybe someone else on this thread) please advise me how to find this.

It's a very occasional and limited offer from Cunard - not virtually permanent as on Celebrity.

Stuart

. . . and usually only limited range; on Sillhouette in October, just the iPad Pro - no "non-Pro" models at all.

Stuart

Every cruise line over-prices cruises on brand-new ships to maximise profit from early-adopters. I'd pay $10pppn extra, or else wait a couple of years. No evidence that the food or service levels will be any better, is there?

Stuart

Stuart (from Yorkshire)

Flying transatlantic on American (I just randomly choose an airline) the first bag is free but the second bag is $100. Deciding to pack a tuxedo might make the difference between needing one suitcase and needing two. .

And that $100 as a percentage of your total vacation/holiday cost is?

Stuart

All depends on the difference between Cunard (full) and Early-Booker fares IMHO. Given the former also includes other perks, I wouldn't take the Early Saver fare to save £100. OTOH, I paid £400 less, which IMHO is well worth the disadvantages.

As has been said, none of this is new.

Stuart

If they ever do one, they may prove me wrong but I doubt they would give a free drinks package on a World Cruise. Think of the cost to them :eek:

Very true; they never offer free drinks packages on trans-ocean sailings. And recent Celebrity pricing is so high that P&O+drinks would almost certainly be a lot cheaper.

Stuart

On the Silhouette in October, all they had was the iPad Pro, and the 12"MacBook in various configurations. No ordinary iPads and no MacBook Airs.

Stuart

Just to correct the mis-information - to have a valid contract there has to be Offer, Acceptance and Consideration.The price on a supermarket shelf or on P&O's website is legally known as An Invitation to Treat. When you proceed to pay you are making an Offer to Buy, The supplier can then accept or reject the offer and if your offer is rejected then there is no Acceptance so no Contract.

It is true to say that Tesco and other retailers may well accept your offer to buy at the "wrongly" marked price but that is a Goodwill gesture.

It's also enlightened self-interest. Customers can complain to trading standards about mis-pricing. Also, no supermarkets wants me creating a mini-storm in front of scores of customers! Every UK supermarket will honour shelf prices for that reason. The advent of digital price signs means that it'll be harder to prove.

Stuart

Since most cruises are 7 days or more and we give a liberal 2 hours for the drill, this consists of less than .02% of the lost cruise time.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

2 hours in 168 is a little under 2%, not 0.02%. Just sayin'.

Stuart

Get rid of the inane video for a start. /quote]

 

Truly embarrassing. Unbelievably misjudged.

 

Stuart

Yes worth it if a few hundred more than a regular veranda. Otherwise buy a specialty dining package.

Absolutely! We enjoyed Blu on Equinox - including breakfast - but if the Aqua price is comparable with standard balcony plus a dining package, for us the latter is a no brainer. Blu is nice, but not that nice!

Stuart

Really a waste to pay extra for Blu and eat in MDR every night.

Likewise, speciality restaurants are no cheaper for suite and Aqua people, who've already paid extra for their restaurants.

IMHO, it's better to book the same category for a family if they want to eat together every night. But it's too late for the OP. :-(.

I'd go for standard class plus speciality dining if the total cost is no more expensive than Aqua - or even a little more.

Stuart

But not everyone will agree on the best! We had a five night package on our recent Med cruise, and enjoyed switching between Select Dining in the MDR, meeting new people, and the restrained and quiet ambience of the speciality restaurants. We booked all five nights almost as soon as we got on board - some "slots" were already full, so we re-jigged the planned order to get the times we wanted.

Stuart

Just looked at a UK BF offer; free drinks, grats and $200 OBC/room. For October to the Azores, the price is now even higher than last week's silly prices. £2305pp OV for 14 days; I'm paying Cunard £1250 for 14 days; albeit paying for drinks and grats. Few would argue that Celebrity and Cunard are not broadly comparable; Celebrity must think that there are a lot of gullible people out there who think that Black Friday necessarily means bargains. Perhaps there are.

Looking at an A2 on the 12 night trip I make that £506 per couple per night.

The Adriatic in a 2C is even more at £548 per couple per night, being only 10 nights!

Stuart

Being shocked by current 2018 prices for Med cruises, I thought I'd check out recent history. We've cruised in the Eastern Med area in early October three times in four years. Here's what we paid, with prices for the nearest equivalent 2018 cruise alongside: All per person.

All including classic drinks .....................................2018 comparison

2014 12 Eastern Med----A2....£1550 inc grat ........£3035 inc grat & classic

2016 11 Adriatic Malta---2C....£1258 + grat ........£2739 inc grat & classic (10 nts)

2017 12 Israel/ Med------2C....£1395+ grat .........£2595 inc grat &classic

I was going to do a £/day comparison; there seems little point.

Incidentally, we're with Cunard for October 2018; 14 nights in Ocean View for £1239 + grats, but no drinks package!

Stuart

On the Silhouette in October, one of the guest artists had to cry off with a serious family emergency at the last minute; she stood in with a one-woman show and her voice was far better than any of the women singers in the theatre company. Great humour as well, not least for Brits who understand some of her "local" jokes.