wowzz

CDC have no jurisdiction with regards to P&O.

Good luck with that ! Short of living off grid, you are being tracked and profiled incessantly 24/7. The medallion is the least of your worries !

The article is from that well known bastion of truth, the Daily Mail ! A paper that never lets the truth get in the way of a good headline !

Absolutely. There are far more important things in life to worry about than the possibility that Princess will know that I spent a total of 33 hours in Vines on my last cruise !

I just don't understand why people get worked up if they don't get the small, ubiquitous celebration cake. Why on earth would a grown adult worry about not having a sign on their door, or not receiving a small, mass produced sickly cake !

No worries. I am aware that dress code is far more relaxed on N American, Caribbean cruises.

I would suggest that is not the case on cruises out of Southampton with a high percentage of Brits on board.

You can only book the sanctuary when you are on board. The sanctuary is very popular - I suggest you go there as soon as you board, even before going to your cabin, in order to try and make your reservations. With regards to formal nights, any type of jacket and tie will do, and sone would argue that even a tie is not really required. But, if you are leaving from a UK port, you will find that the Brits will follow the dress code more often than not.

We got both ! And we are only occasional P&O cruisers.

I would plan to arrive at Southampton no earlier than noon. That way you will at the very least avoid the worst of the initial melee. As to disembarkation, a train leaving about 10am would give you time for breakfast and a leisurely departure.

Interestingly enough we were watching the penultimate episode of Stanley Tucci's latest series on Italy last night. A lot about boars and boar hunting. Well worth watching. And Mr Tucci comes over as a really likeable individual.

Thank you both.

And how do you know this ? I accept that in real time they can tell where you are, but is the information actually stored ? How do you avoid the cctv that covers all the public areas of the ship? You can be traced just as easily by that, or do you wear a disguise when sitting in bars, restaurants etc ?

And breathe! Perhaps you could edit your post. A few more sentences and a couple of paragraphs would help. Just too difficult to read as posted.

The problem I encountered was actually being able to stand up ! We had a shower over bath, so no problem with drainage - it was just the difficulty of hanging on with one hand whilst washing my bits with the other hand that was the problem ! Sorry about the graphic details just as you are retiring for the night!

If I book a half day in the Sanctuary in advance, and on the day in question the weather is so bad that the Sanctuary is closed, will I get a refund? And, I suppose, the secondary question is what constitutes bad weather ? Torrential rain is obvious, but how about high winds?

At the end of the day, what may have happened in the past is irrelevant. It is like tossing a coin. Just a random outcome. Like others, we have had smooth cruises, but on one occasion it was impossible to even have a shower, due to the rough seas.

We don't bother doing anything on the app in advance. In Europe, none of the check in staff have any knowledge of the app. You just check in the same as you would ten years ago.

We don't buy the P&O package, as the drink prices are reasonable, and we normally have sufficient obc to cover the cost of buying drinks on a payg basis anyway. Princess is a different matter. Due to fx rates, plus the 18% service charge, a glass of wine will cost you the best part of £12, so the £40 pppd package ( which also includes autotips and wifi) is a no brainer. And, it is nice to have various coffees, soft drinks, water etc knowing that you will not be facing an enormous bill at the end of the cruise. Personally, I've never seen Princess Plus been given as a freebie - it is shown as included on some advertising, but you can purchase a stand alone fare if you wish. It is not a matter of attempting to achieve the 15 alcoholic drink limit on a daily basis - it is the ability to consume what you want, when you want, without mentally totting up the impact on your wallet. And, with due respect to Megabear, cruises, or indeed any holiday where there are numerous Americans, are always more noisy and boisterous than Brit only holidays. It is a national trait, nothing to do with alcohol consumption.

Sorry, I'd forgotten about the ob deposit. Somehow, I just can't get enthused about booking two years plus in advance. I know in your case you need specific cabins, but fortunately we have more flexibility. I mentioned to swmbo about booking a 2024 cruise, and was told that we need to get 2023 holidays out of the way first . God knows what would happen if I suggested booking a 2025 cruise! In a way, I prefer not to book too far ahead. Choosing a holiday at short notice, not necessarily a cruise, on a whim, is empowering, and gives more instant gratification than booking something thirty months in advance.

Personally, I would stay at home!

Can you book the new cruises with £50 deposit. I thought it was 10(?) %.

Absolutely - you are just buying debt, not ships.

I think the reason is, that women have so many more options. Dresses, skirts, trousers, assorted tops etc. Us poor men don't have the same flexibikity. The killer is the "tie" requirement. So, you need a shirt with a collar, and then it all goes down hill. Dinner jacket, or lounge suit, or sports jacket etc. My wife can throw on (hopefully she won't read this!) a sparkly tee shirt, a jacket and black tousers and she is perfectly fine for formal night. If I put on a pristine white tee shirt, jacket and black chinos, I will not get past the podium . Pure discrimination 😁 Don't get me wrong - I do like getting dressed up, but male options are severely limited.

John, I think you'll find that even if the base rate for a cruise falls, the differential between the base fare and the PP fare will remain the same, which, in the UK is £40 pppd. That has been our experience every time we have refared. From reading these boards, the same principle seems to apply in the US as well.