smj777

We've been on many of the P&O fleet. They all get a bit worn between refits but never enough to spoil a cruise. Yes, there may infrequently be minor irritations as there might be on any holiday. Your cruise will be what you make it. If you are looking for fun, relaxation, entertainment and good places to be, then you will find them. Go for it!

Just had my letter today for our cruise in June. We will leave the charge on but also tip for good service.

The only time there normally are queues for boarding is when all the tour buses arrive back and even then just a bit of patience is all that is needed, and usually we end up chatting to somebody next to us in the line. There can be queues for the tenders, either way, but as long as you avoid the eariest/latest tenders, the same applies.

Ventura - lots of times.

With the seemingly ever expanding cruise market, Carnival will surely want more cabins and more customers to fill them. They are probably thinking that those new customers will not come in the form of traditional crusers (like me) but, as had been suggested, from the 'package holiday' market where people are looking for more upmarket, all inclusive, holidays that cruising is so good at providing. I just hope that they will continue to provide for those of us who like to sail to and from the UK, prefer traditional entertainment and like getting dressed for dinner and so on.

Eh? Bottom of what?

Last June on Ventura I asked for the (main course) lobster as a starter and was told that this wasn't possible, even though I was having a different main course. I have had this previously but didn' want to argue in front of a table of people.

Yes, it will hold two boxes if you are so inclined.

As a change from siteseeing and culture, if you are in Lanzarote on a Sunday, take the trip - P&O do one, to the HUGE market that they have each week. (Can't remember the name). Hundreds of stalls, street food and drink as well as shops, restaurants and bars.

P&O suggested a while ago that they would be changing their loyalty scheme. Has anyone any idea of what and when these changes will come in?

In June and then again in September we tried to get to the roof of the bridge, the Forward Observation Deck as it is called, and one of our favourite places on the ship. On both occasions the doors were locked and when we enquired we were told the the doors were kept locked permanently now to ensure the privacy of the suites that are by that deck. We were also told though, that this deck would occasionally be used for functions.

Guerrilla action is needed. Everyone buys alcohol at every port. See how long it takes to collect it and then later to distribute it.

Also, is a refusing to remove a T shirt with the slogan 'P O, P&O' sufficient to have embarkation refused?

We've been on Ventura 5 times in the last 4 years. The Freedom dining food has definitely improved over the past year or so and I have seen no one complaining. We like the Glass House, Sindhu and the Beach House but don't bother with the Epicurian any more as the menus haven't changed since we can remember and the atmosphere is non existant as the tables are mostly empty and spead far apart.

What if P&O gave an option on autotips on booking?

After the questions on beds and dining preferences they could include something along the lines of '£6 a day pp autotips will be added to your onboard account. If you do not want to pay autotips please tick this box.'

This would save the queues at reception and P&O would know straight away how much the autotips would be.

Does 'unlimited amounts' mean no alcohol or some alcohol? Have P&O actually published this as a fact - after people have booked for 2018 cruises?

When I read posts about people being concerned that they won't spend all their OBC and have some left at the end of the cruise it makes me wonder what they do on board all day. We had £460 credit on our trip in June and it had all gone by the end of the first week. Do people not drink, shop, visit speciality restaurants or pay the £6 pppd service charges?

Hi, Yes there is a kettle, cups,tea coffee & biscuits in your cabin. Tea is either Twinings or PG Tips, coffee is Dow Egbert I think. The coffee is fine, but we always take our own tea bags and suggest that you take your own. I can't remember seeing a teapot, but I'm sure your steward or room service will provide one. As for milk, you simply need to telephone room service and ask for a jug of full or semi skimmed as you prefer. You can keep this in your 'fridge to use as you want. Incidentally, if you don't want your 'fridge full of the drinks provided, just ask your cabin steward to take them away.

You can order a jug of milk from room service at any time and then keep it in the 'fridge. Ask for full or semi skimmed, a large jug if you want one.

"I am surprised - wouldn't the more infirm people say 'no thanks' to standing on a bus & wait for the next one if they felt it unsafe?

The dock in Souda is no more than 100m from the main shopping street of the town at any point. Although to be honest, the point of being there is to go to Chania old town, nothing much for tourists in Souda itself."

You can't have been to Souda! The ship is over 200 yds. from the customs building and then to walk to Souda is maybe a quareter of a mile through the dock complex and the same to the town centre, with nothing to see there. If the point is to go to Chania, why weren't P&O prviding a shuttle service?

The people on the bus didn't realise that they would have to stand until they got on it and they didn't know that the journey would take 25 minutes on a non airconditioned bus when the outside temperature was 105 degrees!

I meant to say Katakolon not Mykonos no shuttles.

Shuttles were available in Palma. Crete - see previous post, no free shuttles. Rhodes, no shuttle. Mykonos, the Horizon said "Shuttles are very infrequent" so we got the water taxi. Pireaus, we tied up in the new port area, no shuttles but it is a long walk, through the port to the town. Mykonos, no shuttles. Gibralta, no shuttles.

We've just returned from our cruise on Ventura round the Greek islands. We had a great time and Ventura was as good as ever, even though she is showing signs of wear and tear and needs a good spruce up. Food was better and more varied in the MDR than last year. Speciality dining hadn't changed hardly at all and we think that the menus could do with a shake up, but I'm sure that some people want to keep things things just as they are.

My one complaint is about shuttles in the ports. 7 ports, one shuttle (Palma). P&O say that the main towns are in walking distance, but at best this is a long walk often through the port area, and for anyone with walking difficulties just too long. For example, P&O used to run a shuttle into Gibraltar, but they haven't for a while now, leaving passengers to walk about a mile or pay for the shuttle taxis.

Finally my biggest worry was about the situation in Souda Bay in Crete. There was no P&O shuttle, even though walking into Souda was a long way and through the dockyard. In fact I don't think that anyone tried to walk it.

My main concern was for safety however. Paid for buses, obviously run independently of P&O, were going from Souda Bay into Chania, about 25 minutes away. The passenger were crammed onto these buses, with every seat taken and every last standing person pushed on until the bus was full all the way down. There were many old/less mobile people standing and my concern is one of safety. If the bus had had an accident or even had to brake sharply there could have been carnage. Most standing passengers had nothing to hold on to and would have been thrown on top of one another with no room to move. I worked in Safety control and this wouldn't be allowed in this country but seems to be condoned by P&O. I would like to see P&O's own operated shuttle, run safely, in as many ports as possible, but this seems to against P&O's policy of reducing shuttle buses wherever possible.

If you go to your cruise personaliser, click on advice centre and ask "Do you have themed nights on board?". This will show you where to look for your particular cruise and will then tell you what themed nights will taking place. There is usually a tropical night, so we take hawaiian shirts and colourful dresses. They give you Leis etc. to wear and if the weather's good there will be a tropical themed pool party. Go for it, a lot of people do.

Remember that you can take as much as you like on the cruise. If in doubt,ie suncream or medicines, just take them anyway. Remember too that there are very few things that you can't get, either on the ship or in a port of call.

If you do get any problems, large or small, don't be shy to go to reception, they are there to help you and are happy to be able to do so.

Wots the difference between a canapé and a horses doover :confused::confused::confused:

Hors d'oevre are snacks served before a meal, Canapes are what you go under to shelter from the rain.

The canapes are horrible soggy little tarts. Suggest you cancel them and save your appetite.