Selbourne

You can still change your mind on whether to take free parking or extra OBC after booking. Did do just the other day.

It will be very interesting to read your live reports, as many of us are concerned about the same things as you (we are on Iona in August). It sounds as though you have done all the right things before you go. Don’t worry about using Parking4Cruises. They are great. In some ways I prefer them to CPS as it’s quicker. CPS tend to deploy a large queueing system and if you are an early boarder they can faff about for a while before they start checking cars in which is frustrating. With Parking4Cruises I tend to drop my wife and the luggage off in front of the terminal (in the pick up and drop off lane) and then just drive the very short distance to the short stay car park where they check the car in very quickly. The driver then just walks the very short distance back to the terminal. Dead simple and very quick. Have a fabulous cruise and do keep us updated!

Thanks. That’s useful. Just checked and the two P&O bookings I have made with them were a paltry 2%, but the most recent Cunard one was 4%. Note to self - next time push for 5%!

Is 5% still possible? We now use the TA that most regulars on here use and, whilst the service has been excellent, we aren’t getting 5%. Not even close.

Yes, they’ve just told me that summer 2024 cruises will be released next month, which seems very late. We’ve already got a summer 2024 cruise booked on Cunard, but are holding fire on booking any more P&O cruises until we’ve done the two that we have booked for this year, just in case the changes are too much for us.

The cruise we have booked (at launch) only had a £1k premium for Club, whereas I have seen some of the same length with up to a £6k premium. Funnily enough, just after I posted I had an email from Saga offering a 15 night cruise this month (Norway and Northern Lights) for £3,125 per person. That’s a bargain given the all inclusive nature of Saga. Just phoned them with a serious intent to book, but the cheapest adaptable cabin is £7,752 per person 😱 As I say, whilst we enjoy cruising we don’t enjoy it that much! Oh well, we will look at their next batch of launch prices as I know you have flagged that this is the best time to book.

I suggested a similar thing, having recently booked a Britannia Club cruise on Cunard. But then it dawned on me that with the new direction that P&O is taking, those prepared to spend that sort of money on a cruise are more likely to look at other operators now. My sense is that we will continue to cruise with P&O, but only when the price reflects the experience. I don’t mind a 3 star experience if I’m paying 3 star prices. However, we won’t book suites on P&O any more, as for that expenditure we would rather go with a different operator in a standard balcony cabin. We are interested to see how we find Cunard versus P&O and we’d love to try Saga, but we aren’t sure that we love cruising enough to pay their eye watering prices, however good their product is!

You will find that most people on this forum love loads of sea days and some even do repositioning cruises where the transatlantic crossing, rather than ports, is the main attraction (they are also very cheap). However, for balance, we did a transatlantic once and wouldn’t repeat the experience! I should stress that it wasn’t the Caribbean that we went to, it was New York (outward) and return from Quebec, so we didn’t have the benefit of warm weather for some of the crossing. However, we don’t sunbathe, so that didn’t make a huge difference to us. We had 6 sea days in a row each way and it was way too much for us. We book cruises for the itinerary and like port intensive cruises. We don’t mind a couple of sea days before the first port (common on cruises from Southampton) and the odd one to break up the port days is fine, but our USA & Canada cruise taught us that 3 sea days in a row is our maximum. We were bored. There’s only so much food and drink you can consume and most of what P&O constitutes daytime entertainment isn’t remotely of interest to us. We liked the guest speakers and one or two daytime recitals, but combined these things only occupied a few hours a day. Beyond that we just had the sea to look at - no scenery! Unfortunately my wife cannot fly, but if she could we would consider a Caribbean fly-cruise, but not a round trip from the U.K. due to all the sea days. As I say, I will be in a minority of one, but it’s important to hear both sides, as we didn’t realise that we wouldn’t like a transatlantic crossing until we did one!

We don’t have an issue with the big ships. We actually prefer Britannia to Ventura and Azura and we didn’t like Arcadia, even though we love Aurora! We were booked on Iona’s very first maiden cruise which obviously vanished due to the pandemic. For various reasons (not least future cruise credit and the fact that one of our party is a teacher) we have ended up going on Iona this August, when we are likely to be amongst circa 6,000 passengers (the quoted 5,200 capacity is lower berths and obviously in school summer holidays there will be hundreds of kids in upper berths). That will obviously be an entirely different experience to the current out of season cruises, or even last summer when there were some restrictions on passenger numbers. None of this is P&O’s fault though and was our choice. However, if P&O are struggling to cope with 4,500 to 5,000 passengers, then 6,000 is going to be a massive test for them. I’m sure that there will be a lot that we will like about Iona, most notably the choice of dining venues and the accessible cabins and features. My concerns are the fact that the entire MDR experience sounds below standard and the whole thing about having to book everything adds a level of hassle that also takes away one of the joys of a holiday - spontaneity. Hopefully my fears will be allayed when we do our next two P&O cruises, but we have sufficient concerns not to want to make any more future bookings until we have experienced the ‘new’ P&O for ourselves, unless they are very cheap.

Wow. Now that’s what I call brand loyalty! Sadly, I fear that it’s a vain hope that P&O will replace Aurora or Arcadia with another small ship. I just can’t see it happening. P&O have completely shifted their market position and I can’t see them going back. They are adopting the philosophy of Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco - “pile it high and sell it cheap”. These economies of scale favour the bigger ships.

Well that’s a start and, like you, we will breathe a sigh of relief when we go on Ventura that we don’t have to contend with this nonsense. However, we have a cruise on Iona to deal with first! Having done 3 cruises on Britannia, all Freedom Dining, we never had a problem getting in to the theatre or the MDR when it was just a ‘first come, first served” system. As I said before, P&O seem to be trying to manage a problem that never existed in the first place and, as a result, have created several!

The first paragraph of your post confirms that the whole concept of having to book for the main theatre is a complete farce and should be scrapped. First come first served never had any of these issues.

Out of interest, why are P&O still persevering with people needing to book places for shows? It obviously started when numbers had to be restricted due to Covid, but with theatres now able to operate at full capacity it seems daft. Given that P&O are clearly struggling with some basic organisational aspects at present, many brought about by the need to book things, this seems to be making unnecessary work for them and adding unnecessary complexity for passengers. I can’t help but feel that the ‘first come, first served’ approach always worked really well with shows and Freedom Dining, even on Britannia. I’ve lost count of how many reviews I’ve read lately where the common thread seems to be that the problems occur with the need to book things that you never needed to book before. Some people can’t or won’t book and just turn up. This then conflicts with those who have booked, who then aren’t able to just walk in because the two queues merge at some stage. Some people book and don’t turn up. Some are unable to get bookings, are turned away from venues or have prolonged waits because of no shows and confusion. And so it goes on…. I will be interested to see what we make of it all when on Iona in August, but I can’t help but feel that they are managing a problem that doesn’t exist and, as a result, creating multiple new problems! I’d be very tempted to ditch the lot and just go back to first come, first served.

That’s good to hear. We have an accessible deluxe balcony cabin on the ‘hump’ booked for August, plus two adjacent deluxe balcony cabins for our daughters. We decided that this looked like the best location, as there was no potential noise nuisance underneath and even the promenade deck is too narrow for people to congregate under that section. If we find the ship to be too busy then we intend to spend quite a bit of time in the cabin & on the balcony. We don’t sunbathe, so a covered balcony is good for us too.

That’s very useful info. Thanks. Out of interest, what sort of music is played in the 710 Club? I’m hoping it’s jazz, which I can’t abide, as that will save me having to try to get admission 😂

You’re welcome. Like Sharon, we couldn’t entertain the train, as I couldn’t push my wife and the luggage at the same time, but I just thought I’d throw that into the mix not knowing what level of disability you are dealing with. Obviously a car is always going to be the easiest and most comfortable option, so if taking your own car on the day isn’t an option then, if you can afford it, a cab will take the pressure off. Good luck in finding someone to share with. As Sharon says, a roll call might be a good idea. Someone travelling from South Wales has to pass Bristol, so there could be an option there as well.

Indeed. I think they still use them in the cabins on many of the P&O ships 🤣

In your situation I would feel almost certain that your daughter will be allowed with you in all locations. Many wheelchair users (my wife included) have to have a carer to push their wheelchair and to refuse them access would be unforgivable.

My wife is a full time wheelchair user. We have done the Bristol to Southampton journey at least 100 times, not just for cruises but for our regular trips to the Isle of Wight. Just trying to save you unnecessary expense, as not once have we ever considered an overnight stay the night before, even when we are booked on a midday ferry, let alone a cruise that doesn’t leave until very late afternoon / early evening. We always use the M4 and A34 but there’s also the option of the A36 via Salisbury. Takes a bit longer but is an option for those who don’t like motorways or worry about the potential to get stuck if there’s an accident (only happened to us once, but we still got to the ship with hours to spare). Obviously if neither of you can drive that’s a different matter, but if you want to avoid the huge cost of a cab there is an hourly direct train service from Bristol to Southampton if that works for you. It also stops at Filton Abbeywood and Bath Spa, if either of those are closer to you than Temple Meads. The cruise terminals are then a 5-10 minute cab journey from Southampton Central. Not as convenient as a cab all the way, but a fraction of the cost. As I say, just some other options to consider.

Perhaps you’ve hit the nail on the head there. Maybe in an attempt to move away from the constant criticisms of “it’s not what it used to be”, made by those of us who have cruised with P&O for decades, they have a new approach? Launch new ships targeted at a new generation of cruisers and offer a standard of food in the MDR and on board service that is well below par, so that in years to come these passengers are talking about “how much P&O has improved”. Clever 🤣

I must have heard my Mum talk about the late Queens Coronation at least 100 times. They had the only TV in the street and the neighbours came in etc etc. I intend to watch it in order to bore subsequent generations myself 😂. In all seriousness, I will be glued to it and we wouldn’t want to be away from home. It is genuinely history in the making. Just hoping that the two attention seekers from California don’t make an appearance trying to steal the limelight!

Surprised you’d even consider an overnight just coming from Bristol. It’s a comfortable 2 hours by car or train. Given that you can’t board until the afternoon, it doesn’t even require an early start!

I don’t think there are interconnecting inside cabins, but never having used one I can’t say for certain. There is a key on deck plans that shows which cabins are interconnecting though. As a general rule, avoid cabins that are directly underneath or above public areas (including open decks). If the public area is a source of amplified music (front theatre or aft show lounge) have at least two decks of other cabins between you and theses areas. Don’t worry too much about the reviews. As far as I can see, most of the bad reviews have been the new mega ships (Iona and Arvia). The overall P&O experience has definitely declined over the past 5-10 years and they seem to be struggling a bit with staff numbers and food and drink supplies at present, but the prices are (in the main) reflecting this somewhat lower quality product. As they say, you get what you pay for! Unfortunately, we are booked on an expensive summer cruise on Iona, which is a different matter!

Interesting. We are on her in the Autumn. Do you know what they are doing? Given the very short time window, other than any mechanical bits and bobs, I doubt it’s anything more than upgrading some soft furnishings (carpets etc).

It’s wrong if you have to do that though. It’s embarrassing for the passenger and extra work for the hard pressed waiters.