ScotchBoy

Thank you Joan. This is really useful information for other cruisers. 

If you're travelling as a couple, you'll have a combined weight of 56kgs, of course. We always spread this weight between 3 cases, all of which weigh less than 20kgs. This makes it so much easier for us to lift our own cases, also!  

Thanks, I think I might head for the Glass House then. Will probably be more relaxed there as well.

We always head for the Glass House for lunch/drinkies on embarkation day. It's our first 'port-of-call' once we've dropped our hand luggage into the cabin. We both hate the chaos of the buffet, particularly so on embarkation day. It's also very handy if it's your muster station as you already have a seat and a refreshment!

Thanks everyone. We like being on the back of the ship and love watching the ports of call disappear as we sail away. My mind is made up - it's time for a treat!

Hey!

Looking to book a suite on Azura as a surprise treat. Only these two left on the stern so would love to have thoughts from those who have already stayed in them. Thanks :cool:

On a fly-cruise, we always book direct with P&O over the phone. We always know what cabin we want, but we have to call in order to secure upgraded flights as you can't do this online. If we are sailing from Soton, we book online. Easy-peasy. We have never used a travel agent, not even a cruise 'specialist' agent. I believe that only P&O know their own product inside out. We use this approach with Celebrity and Cunard also. Whichever method you choose, you should have a fab time and may become addicted !

Hi...we haven't been on D deck but wouldn't even consider D deck. The balconies are completely " exposed" to people viewing and the elements. We always choose C deck on Azura/Ventura.....I love the balconies...I prefer more room on the balcony than in the cabin and we are not fussed about having a bath. With C deck you have the choice of sitting privately in the shade or of being more " exposed". Also if the weather...hopefully not...is rather inclement then you can still sit outside under the sheltered half.

We agree completely. C Deck balconies are roomy and give you more flexibility. Being partially covered, you can remain outdoors despite any rain showers.

In Aruba, we did the Trike tour, booked direct. It was great fun. We toured the island and stopped off for a beer towards the end. Turned heads when we paraded through Oranjestad, I can tell you. The traffic around the town is very respectful of the fact that you are tourists and always gave way to allow you to stay together in a group. There were 5 couples on our tour.

In Bonaire, we did a bicycle tour which was also fab. Cycled 24 miles in all. Went to Lake Goto which was gorgeous, so natural. The pinks of the flamingoes on the lake was amazing.

In Curacao, we just jumped into a 'jalopy' at the port, waited for it to fill and did a great island tour, ending at the Aquarium which was great. We arranged for the 'jalopy' to collect us at Mambo Beach after lunch.

Enjoyed all three experiences!

I think P&O is missing a boost in revenue by not offering Nashta more regularly. During the day, Sindhu often tends to be empty/unmanned, whilst The Glasshouse is teeming. I think many passengers - myself particularly - would love to alternate between Sindhu and The Glasshouse for lunch.

My boarding says 3pm, now that seems very late to me, need to consider lunch (diabetic) ... any chance of getting on board in time for lunch?

My entire family are diabetic - I am not - but they would never risk getting on board early for lunch. They would choose to have lunch in or around Southampton and head for the ship nearer their designated time. Why gamble with your health?

Doesn't this thread show how different we are...as I said in my opening post there is food aplenty to be had but many still want/need to take their favourite " snacks" and then others feel no need at all. For myself I really need to take lemon squash on board to add to the water that I drink in the cabin....just add a drop or two...much more easy to drink than plain water.

 

PS Just off the Azura....no boiled sweets

We also take a bottle of squash for the same reason.

There are stickys at the top of the page for both M class and S class cabins. Here is the link to the M class spreadsheet where both of your cabins are reviewed.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BsykXmdAxnY0hOSZOys9ixw9qAEsCduOteFDtkGilno/edit#gid=0

Thanks for this - I found 6135 and it confirmed the noise from the service door.

Hi there!

Has anyone out there stayed in either of these 2 cabins - any info you may have (good and bad) will be very helpful.

TIA

It is an area that is covered....it has a couch, a coffee table, end table and a couple of chairs

and it located upstairs, forward of the pool on the grass. There are about 10 alcoves up there and you can

rent them.

 

Here is a photo:

 

Oh, I see. Thanks.

We prefer the flight to/from Barbados. As the ship is in dock overnight, you always get to spend time on the island. The ship is only in St Lucia for the day, so basically it's wasted on travelling. Also, the journey from Britannia to the airport is far more harrowing on St Lucia than Barbados. The roads are very bad and as it's not a leisurely excursion, the driver really puts his foot down to get there as quickly as possible. St Lucia airport is not up to much either; okay if you're just flying in but we would never do it again. Barbados for us every time.

We did the sweet baking session - tarts and cake - and loved it. We regularly do one of the recipes at home now. Our niece is a very keen cook and is probably going to follow this path as a future career. She is going on Britannia with her parents in July and we wanted to pay for her to do something in the Cookery Club as her 16th birthday gift from us - but she is 2 weeks too young! Can't do it unless you're 16 yrs old. She is (and we are) so disappointed.

Excuse my ignorance - what's an Alcove?

There is one abnormality. TUI front row seats 1A/1C/1G/1H are not classed as Emergency Exit and cost £25 to reserve whilst on TC flights the same seats are £60 as they are classed an Emergency Exit row even though the exit is the other side of the bulkhead. Illogical but true !

I concur. We have found this to our cost. Makes you wonder what exactly constitutes an Emergency Exit row??

It appears that a growing number of credit card providers don't need to know when you are travelling overseas - cruise or land-based. It would however be prudent to make sure that your provider has your up-to-date mobile numbers in case a transaction is flagged by their fraud department. Also, we never take just method of payment. We have our main credit card plus 2 others in reserve that we don't generally use, plus 3 debit cards which are used frequently. Plus a small amount of currency.

Has anyone tried the new Premier Inn at Cumberland Place Southampton yet? Not many reviews on tripadvisor so far. Looking at the map it seems to be not too far away.

We usually stay at West Quay and find it good value but the new one is quite a lot cheaper so we thought we would give it a go.

 

We have 3 cruises going from Southampton this summer and the earlier you can book the better for price.

 

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Is the one on Cumberland Place the one where the restaurant is on the 10th floor, offering cracking views of the city and water beyond?

You obviously didnt see the tv programme recently where they under that much pressure to clean the rooms in a set time that they were using the same cloth to clean the whole room including sink, bath and wc. Of course like all major companies they employ an agency to clean rooms and of course when senior management were asked to comment they blamed the cleaning company and not them for setting such a ridiculous time to clean a room.

I think that we're all mistaken if we think this only happens at Premier Inn :eek:............

Hi, we are booked with P and O for 2019 and are also looking for information about the Grand Prix options. I think an organized trip sounds best, given how busy it's going to be. ScotchBoy, was the Grandstand price of c600 Euros per person or for two of you?

Hi there

It was per person. It included return transport from the ship. We tendered at Villefranche so we enjoyed a wonderful drive along the coast. I had forgotten how beautiful the south of France is in late Spring / early Summer. We were provided with a small picnic and a ticket for a guaranteed seat in the Grandstand - think we were approx 15 rows from the track on a raised platform. Excellent views of the track and the marina beyond. It was a great atmosphere, being that close. A guide was in attendance from boarding the coach until we were settled in our Grand Prix seats.

We did investigate if we would save money by booking Grand Prix tickets direct, and taking the 'Coach Only' option with P&O. There was really nothing in it so we went with peace of mind, and booked the whole thing via P&O. Fantastic day out.

I have booked premium seats for Barbados on Friday and was going to book premium security through Gatwick and have just read on P&O website that it is included in the premium seats package is this right or am I reading it wrong.

 

 

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Yes, premium security is included but lounge access is not. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks ScotchBoy. My preferred option is a guaranteed seat in a good location. Thanks for the tip about a hat and sunscreen as hopefully the weather will be good. Cheers

You're welcome. The weather was glorious when we were there. Forgot to say that there is a running commentary via loudspeakers throughout each race, which really helps those of us who don't know one driver from another! It was very informative and not at all intrusive. To my mind, it enhanced the experience.

Hi we did this last year and it was well worth it. We did the combined transport and Grandstand ticket with guaranteed numbered seat. It was well organised. We arrived early and walked approximately one mile to the circuit. The streets were not particularly busy at that time so it was easy to keep up with your tour guide. As the morning wears on, the streets become really, really busy, so we then fully understood the benefits of arriving early. Same when we left - whilst most of the crowds were moving in the same direction, it was slow and it was more challenging to keep sight of your guide.

There are 3 races and you can leave your seat and venture out into the streets between each race. Your bag will be searched each time you re-enter. P&O provide a small picnic - it was okay but we had lunch at a street cafe and watched all the shenanigans by the ticket sellers, who were selling balcony spaces for a minimum of 250 euros per person.

The section of the stand (K, I think) that was reserved for the P&O excursion was brilliant. It was south-facing so make sure you have a hat and sunscreen. It overlooked the yachts and we took our binoculars for a little people-watching. We would also recommend taking a cushion if hard seats are not your thing.

I think it cost 600 euros for transport and ticket and I would do it again in a heartbeat - a real spectacle! In fact we are considering take our adult sons in a couple of years. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.