Roland123

14 hours ago, happy v said:

The P&O trip visits a view point first. The tea is in a private area. Booking on your own tea is on the terrace. The price is £56 with P&O

 

I will double check but I am fairly sure it was £76 if booked on board which brings me to another point, if you book on board instead of in advance the tours are at least 10% dearer!

16 hours ago, Yorkypete said:

Which actually proves my point that cruising soon will be only for the snobs and wealthy.  I, as a member of the 'riffraff' section of the public will now not be cruising with such people as I would be out of place with those who profess to cruise every week or so they say.

Actually I think it is going the other way with cruising becoming more affordable to everyone.

16 hours ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

Going off topic slightly, but what is the actual difference between the P&O excursion to Reid's as compared to booking it yourself? Other than the price! 😂

You get transport to and from the hotel and that is it as far as i can tell.

On 1/30/2023 at 11:01 AM, TigerB said:

From what I could make out when dining in Zenith (Arvia), each waiter and assistant waiter team had 6 tables in their section, which would include a 6/8 seater, with the remainder a mix of 2 & 4 seaters.

Is the waiting team ratio to tables higher or lower when the Chef's Table is in operation? Given the slow service experienced by some, it would appear to be the latter.  

We experienced a very mixed level of service in all the restaurant from two and a half hours for a three course meal in the Limelight Club to almost a rush to get you out so it doesn't seem to be a Chefs Table problem. There are definitely less waiters than there used to be and if you say no to the wine list you don't get asked if you want any other drinks, it took us several days to realise you had to ask for a drink rather than be asked !

Thanks for the replies, very useful.

It seems that P&O don't want you to know arrival and departure times so you don't organise your own tours,

We had arranged afternoon tea at Reids Hotel in Maderia at £38 each but had to cancel because of the early (4pm) departure of Iona from Maderia, the ship's Afternoon Tea at Reids was £76 each!

Overall we don't like Iona and we are very disappointed at how down market P&O has gone.

Thanks for the replies, we have now been and done it and are home.

Was it worth it? It was OK for free but I wouldn't pay extra for it.

Food was fine but service was poor and it's just an excuse to sell their wines to you, if you can get hold of a waiter to serve you. The setting of the Horizon buffet does nothing to make it feel special, it would have been better in one of the small restaurants.

We had a good time overall but we don't like Iona and are very disappointed with P&O overall, they have gone very down market and are on a par with Marella/Thomsons now except Thomson/Marella's entertainment is far superior.

Where do I find the arrival and departure times for the ports we are visiting? I realise they are only approximate.

We are on Iona on 14th January and was wondering what is different about The Chefs Table and is it worth booking?

I would be interested in a fishing trip but my cruise ship doesn't off one.

Are there any independant fishing trips on offer, can't see any on Viator.

We just watch where the crew go!

On 1/30/2020 at 8:58 PM, ABQrobin said:

We always give $5 minimum, like bus drivers in particular who don't get tipped by everyone.  Guides we look at how long we are with them and how much they did.  I don't think we have ever stiffed a guide, even a couple of mediocre ones.  I would say on an all day excursion we usually give $20-50, depending what it is.  We have had some pretty exceptional ones, there in Belize and also a few other destinations.  

$20-$50 tip on top of the cost of the tour!

They must hate it when their party is made up of tight fisted Brits!

Is there a good beach on Caye Caulker?

Does anyone know the cost of the taxi fare from Puerto Limon to Cahuita Beach/National Park?

Whats in Port says it is $20 but Cruise Crocodile shows a picture of taxi prices showing $40pp!

Might be a daft question but does the hard Rock Cafe have hard rock blaring out all day?

I was told that over 60's shouldn't have the Yellow Fever vaccination.

All the vaccinations I had were free.

We love Bequia if you are visiting there is a lovely little beach within walking distance of where the ship tenders. 

Not much in Kingstown, very run down when we were there but we felt safe just wandering round.

I'm British, I don't tip unless I have had exceptional service.

8 hours ago, happy_travellers said:

That is about 80.00US with lunch and use of hotel pools? Looking to do beach day in Santa Marta as this will be only beach opportunity on the cruise.  I will look up Taganga beach and see if that might be an option by taxi.

Thanks for posting this thread.

 

There should be some nice beaches in Jamaica and there is a nice beach next to the cruise port in Roatan.

On 1/18/2020 at 4:04 PM, debarkovit said:

Could you post a link to the Roll Call as I am struggling to find it. I am new to the board and don't know my around very well.

Thanks

 

Yes saw you video, very useful thanks.

How much did you pay for sunbeds?

Are there any quiet areas on Mahagany Bay, all the videos I have seen show row after row of sunbeds!

3 hours ago, debarkovit said:

Which cruise are you doing in February as I think I may be on the same one. We sail from Montego Bay on February 25th. 

There is a Roll Call for this cruise and we are arranging to meet up on board, add your name to the Roll Call for info on when and where to meet.

2 hours ago, debarkovit said:

Which cruise are you doing in February as I think I may be on the same one. We sail from Montego Bay on February 25th. 

So do we!

Doe's anyone have any info on the Hot Spot Shuttle in Montego Bay?

Has anyone been to the Seawind Beach Club near the cruise pier?

3 hours ago, Roland123 said:

We are Panama and Exotic Explorer cruise on Discovery 2 from 25th Feb and have been comparing Meralla excursions with privat excursions and the Marella excursions seem competitively priced.

 

Am I right or am I not looking in the right places for alternative excursions?

Any other must do excursions?

We have booked the Panama Canal and Cartegena tours with Marella but are unsure what to do at the other ports.