Windsurfboy

Firstly P&O are responsible for the incident. Police stopped talking about road traffic accidents years ago. The is no such thing as an accident. There is an incident that happened because of decisions and actions taken or not taken. Starting with the decision to enter port, and many afterwards. These were taken by P&O. This does not mean the captain acted unprofessionally or irresponsibility. However the weather was not out of the blue very bad weather was predicted, warnings were in place. In the end P&O were responsible, for the consequences of what may have been very sensible actions. As to the accommodation, I find it unbelievable that yesterday there were pages and pages of 5 and 4 star hotels available on booking.com but not the day before most people with cancelled flights are stuck for a few days not 1. Yes they were all circa £200, a night. Taking the cheap and easy way out to put everyone in a dump is unacceptable. Easier to manage but bad consumer service. £15 pp for food indicates P&O see themselves as a cheap holiday camp on sea , not a quality cruise line.

Sorry it was out of the blue can't blame P&O. 😂😂😂

So it was blue sky with no wind then 80 knots. That's out of the blue, but that's not what happened Very Bad weather was forecast, it was worse than expected yes, but not out of the blue. Captain prepares based on the information given , but not on the forecasts of expected wind that we all see , but on the possible worst extreme case , he sees multiple scenarios . Its his job to build in safety margins.

It's very unfortunate it coincided with air traffic failure. No P&Os fault this time. But this looks sub standard , worse than horrible. I would certainly be phoning every hotel in Palma never mind cost to get out of this. If there was an alternative never mind cost would be more than annoyed with P&O if they penny pinched into a doss house. Ultimately it was P&Os fault There will be extensive calculations of the force against side of ship for each wind strength. There will be calculations to show how many ropes needed for each wind strength. There will be calculations as to the maximum force that could be put on each bollard on dock. Hence P&O will know this dock can hold Brittania in up to X wind strength, with Y number of ropes. If a possibilty that ropes could not hold, then action should have been taken. The wind was unexpected, but there would have been some warning . Ultimately it was Captains resposibility to be prepared.

P&O are entirely responsible, it's thier duty to ensure moorings are adequate. YES there was bad weather unexpectedly strong wind. But it's same as if you run into back of another car there are no extenuating circumstances. The wind was much stronger than anticipated, but that is what safety margins are for. Captain is expected to allow for the very worst that could happen.

One would hope they exhausted all the volunteers before forcing people off the ship. That's the way airlines do it , even if they have to systematically up the bribes. I wonder if they told the people the hotel grade before they arrived. I think I'd have said no , and got a doctor's note about my fear of flying.

I recognise that table, for us it would be the table from hell. It was empty to start with. However we chatted to the couple who asked on day two to be moved there from a table in the middle. The gentleman said with his hearing aid being completely surrounded by people just didn't work . They loved it. So we all like different things.

SelBourne. How did you tot up covers, as tables in pictures are not to scale, just to indicate it's a dining room. As club , QG and PG have a fixed seat for everyone. Also given our experience on QE, Q.V. and QM2 in both grills they are not more spacious, they still tightly packed. Then looking at square footage of these restaurants and knowing number of cabins can work out density. If you apply this to other restaurants will have answer to question posed. Does Queen Anne have enough MDR to seat everyone. Depends if one can print and measure plans. Are there any plans with measurements.

I'd take my covid pass never know whether some country will suddenly want it. No harm in downloading to phone

I have a faraday pouch for car keys , tested it really works , bought on Brazilian river for a fiver. Even if it is held next to sensor in car , can't start car until I take it out of pouch. Always put it in at night and take it with me if Staying in hotels. I expect p4c will keep hundreds of keys together in a cupboard on hooks. It will be almost impossible for thieves to isolate the signal for any one car.

I don't think so , just Google any Arvia suite video and you will see a TV in bedroom and TV in the lounge. Two separate rooms a TV in each.

If they fly you back X days early , I would have thought that you are entitled to a refund of X days of what you paid for the cruise. That is simply payment for service not delivered. Basic consumer protection leglislation . Added to that hotel expenses if necessary. There is then the question of compensation on top of that for the disappointment etc. That is where P&O can be mean or generous. However the first element above is non negotiable.

I was just quoting OP's words

I imagine a quiet table by kitchen won't be many others first choice so good luck

Have you requested a fixed table for 2 for next cruise.

This was the tables on the side undercover,leading from back of the buffet to the rear teracce, there were about 5 tables either side. It was over 30 degrees so we liked the full shade

we just sat down at the tables outside without cutlery. It was brought straight away, along with a question what did we want to drink. Could then either order off outside menu , or go to buffet , choose prawns from buffet.

Pity the dining arrangements didn't work out for you. Contacting you when a table for two was available is something they should thought about. Haven't been on a table for 2 in P&0 as we used to like tables for 6. However Post covid gone for twos , so have been twice on a table for two in Cunard grills one QG one PG , both these were tighter than Saga, under a foot between tables. So even paying their prices doesnt guarantee space. Given all the complaints about lack of availability in P&O MDR on bigger ships, I would have thought they would be squeezing as many tables in as they can. Pay extra restaurants on P&O would be different of course, which is where we hope to dine on next cruise, but for food not space. I think you have to go very upmarket to get same space on cruise as in restaurants. We were on Saga early last year so thought being taken to table in grill was a covid track and trace protocol , surprised it's still going on. We only used outside terrace at lunch not main grill, but there you could choose own table. Never use grill at night didn't realise it was purely same menu as MDR. That reduces choice. Glad you found the food good , but if you weren't comfortable with the seating arrangements then that would ruin it a bit.

Looking forward to next instalment

Taking everything into account adding it all up , P&O is still cheaper than Saga. But if you are willing to pay for quality go Saga. The problems getting into speciality restaurants, may be the finsl straw for a high quality P&O experience.

It's a problem as you cannot get a table at the time you want, and the app says it's always full. If tables were available it would be a change

Was that for the Cunard fare, or early saver. I thought Cunard fare had choice of dining. The problem with Arvia is it's 100% freedom even for select.

If Saga stuck to mid week sailing, you are right no problem with slots. But not all Saga passengers are retired. Weekend slots hard to get at Southampton

Everyone on Cunard can opt for club dining with a fixed table , albeit two sittings in Brittania

On Cunard there is space for everyone in the MDRs. That is part of promise. That's why even Cunard Brittania is more expensive than equivalent P&O