wowzz

2 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

0900

Where do you go while you wait, as the terminal won't be open ?

20 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

I love insides and never feel "cooped up in a dismal cabin".  With inside prices, I can cruise more and once I step out of my Luxury Inside Suite and Changing Room, I'm on the same ship with the same amenities as everyone else.

 

Fortunately, there are lots of choices for everyone.

As you say, we all have our preferences. Our policy is, " No balcony, no cruise"

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

I don't think you can compare Fred with Saga,  I would hope that Fred  is considerably cheaper per day, with their old ships and lack of inclusions.

Every time I look at the price of a balcony cabin on Fred, I get an attack of the vapours !!

So expensive.

1 hour ago, Yorkypete said:

Getting ready for our American trip to see our son in a couple of weeks. We have been in touch with car hire people at the USA airport and the airline people. To say the customer relations people are 100% better than the English ones is an understatement. They all seem knowledgable, polite and pleasant and very willing to help. Perhaps we should send our people to the USA for training.

Talk about broad brush strokes !

20 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

If you never intend having another 2000 berth new build, then it could well be worth spending a significant amount, and giving them another 10 or 15 years life. Most luxury cruise lines have ships much older than Aurora still in service.

True, but fares would have to increase significantly to offset the expenditure. If P&O prices reach Oceania or Azmara levels, how many will remain with P&O? 

A number of lines charge tax on drinks when sailing in Spanish waters. How the Spanish monitor tge sales I have no idea !

But, if you have a drinks package, you are exempt from the additional tax,  as you have prepaid for your drinks. 

14 hours ago, nini said:

 

Thank you for mentioning the fee which is charged to the business, NOT the customer. Most people do not know that the business/ vendor PAYS for YOUR airline miles and rewards... NOT the bank! And they also have a service fee percentage attached to that.

DH and I have a small business.

Obviously I do not know about the US, but in the UK, banks will charge small businesses a fee when handling cash. Therefore,  there is little difference between the cost to the business of a card transaction or handling cash. And of course, there is no need to make daily trips to your local bank (assuming there is one still open in your local town) if you only accept card payments. 

8 minutes ago, antsp said:

You obviously don't know what ta commissions are

Regardless,  you are getting a discount off prices that are higher now than  they were a year ago, and with less cabin choice.

Having said that, we are no longer booking cruises years ahead,  apart from Saga. We  have decided to be more spontaneous in our holiday choices.

5 minutes ago, antsp said:

Yes, my ta discounts 18%

UK TA ? That is an unbelievable discount in the UK market, and entirely unprofitable for the TA concerned.

3 minutes ago, antsp said:

Today

So, you are getting 18% off prices that are 15% higher than they were a year ago. In which case, you have got a slightly better deal than me, assuming you are able to obtain the cabin of your choice.

1 minute ago, terrierjohn said:

New toilets could be fitted, we had a brand new one on Ventura once,but of course they have to be the same design, or very similar to fit the existing plumbing. I guess new basins could be also be fitted, and we have had new shower units in the past. So a bathroom freshen up would not be impossible, and I guess wardrobes and drawer units could similarly be refreshed.  But I guess we will find out in the fullness of time what this multi million pound refit really will provide, although I do remember a similar promise of  large new flat screen TVs to be fitted Fleet wide at each next refit, and that was back in 2015/6 at least one refit ago 

I suppose anything is possible if you throw enough money at it. 

However,  if you were P&O management, how much money would you invest on a ship with only 6 or 7 years life left ?

Just now, waltd said:

Is this including everything?  Port charges, taxes?

I can't see that price on the UK web site. £2099 is the price I see, which is for the lowest grade inside cabin, but does include all fees, charges etc. 

4 minutes ago, antsp said:

Off Princess.com prices

But what date were the original prices.  

3 minutes ago, antsp said:

24 day cruise on the sky in sept for £1740 is a good price in my book

Cheapest interior cabin price is £2099 for that cruise.  I guess you might get some discount from your TA. 

No way that I want to be cooped up in a dismal inside cabin for 24 days, especially sailing the North Atlantic, so I will pass! 

3 minutes ago, antsp said:

18% of most cruises through my ta at the moment, so prices are really good this year

I guess the key question is - 18% off what ? Certainly not our cruise. 

We just use Parking4cruises- don't care about hanging on to the car keys. Reputable company,  why worry ?

9 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Is this the 1st time you've seen drop & go fares for cruises departing soon?? Those are often 50% off out of SF. 

Not sure about this claim about cheap cruises.  We are departing on Sky in July 2023, and fares are currently 15% higher than when we booked last year.

5 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

I hardly expect a TA to examine my passport, I added those to the medallion app, my TA never sees them.

No, but when we book, our TA always goes through our passport details. As has been said by @Lady Arwen that is part of their remit. Your TA has been severely lacking.

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

While this is true to a degree, as I will go into in more detail when I post my review and journal, over the course of 8 days on the Plus Plan, ordering a mix of "included" and "extra cost" wines, three adults ran up a bill of just under $122 in wine costs.  That is $40 per person for the length of the cruise, or $5 per person per day.  It is pretty easy to drink well at little extra cost.  And in achieving this, we ordered one, and only one glass of the "generic" wines that are listed in the Plus section of the lists.  My daughter wanted to experiment to see what the generic Sauvignon Blanc tasted like in Alfredo's.  It was perfectly fine if you like the New World style of SB, which we do.  I'd guess it was Kim Crawford or the equivalent.  So my advice for wine drinkers on the Plus Plan is to use your 15 drink per day limit to experiment with one or two generics per day, trying different ones each time to see if any of them are OK for you.  If they are, then you have made some new friends for the cruise. If not, pour them in the nearest potted plant and order something else from the extra cost side of the list.  You aren't going to go broke unless you order glass after glass of Veuve Clicquot which checked in at a ridiculous $24 per glass.   

Good advice. 

On Sky in April, we found the generic Malbec and Pinot Noir to be OK, and then we upgraded to Silverado CS at night. 

Looking forward to your recommendations prior to our return to Sky in July.

5 minutes ago, antsp said:

They are giving them away now, not next year. 

OK - not much help as we are booked up for this year, and the prices are still higher than when we booked 12 months ago.

2 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

I booked with a very reputable TA. I don’t blame them, it’s my own fault I guess! 

To be fair,  they should have picked up on the potential problem. Perhaps you should have a word with them !

I'm not sure who you booked your cruise through.

When I book, our TA goes through our passport details to ensure we meet the necessary requirements.  They are scrupulous about passport issue and expiry dates. 

If you did book through a TA,  perhaps you should discuss the matter with them, and see if they can help. 

15 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

Really helpful, thanks. Cos we all read every term and condition. How about trying to actually help or at least empathise rather than state the obvious? There’s no help in what you’ve said, no use, no addition, nothing.

I'm not sure what you want me to say. There is no way out.

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

Do Arcadia and Aurora have shower doors? If not upgraded bathroom is needed. At £5000 plus £5000 fitting that would be £10 million for starters. For example when Celebrity Galaxy moved to TUI she had a 50 million euro upgrade including passenger cabins

Arcadia just has shower curtains. 

As Moley said some time ago,  the bathrooms are modular units, and as such are intended to last the life of the ship. To all intents and purposes the bathrooms cannot be changed. You might be able to change the grouting, and put in a shower door, but the loo, basin and sink have to stay.

The bathrooms on Arcadia are really very tired, and there is no easy or economic fix.

2 hours ago, cruise saint said:

If they do sell off the smaller ships and replace them with more mega ships, I could see a major shift in the P&O customer demographic. 

No more mega ships are planned for the foreseeable future. Carnival don't have the money !