devonuk

Perhaps I should have stated ex UK Princess cruises 🤔 My recent Sky Princess cruises were definitely blingy 😃 However, both were very much an ‘older set’ whether this makes a difference or not? I’d still recommend Cunard if they cover the desired itinerary 👌

I don’t know about not hitting capacity but my twin 10 year old granddaughters could only get in on an evening session each and on separate occasions at that. I wouldn’t know about port days though because we didn’t try during the day for them. However the sea day slots were scarce. It is I good idea to take a chance on a last minute slot as some children never turned up for their booked in slots, allegedly. My daughter could only book when she was given her cruise card as the last 6 digits on it are used as log in ID. Alas, we had late boarding times. I’m absolutely sure you’ll be fine if sailing outside of UK school holiday times though 👍

For me Princess is more formal than P&O but I guess a lot of it is down to individual maitre d’s 🤔

Sorry to disappoint but you can now… Maitre d’s aren’t stopping it and that includes the club house, theatre etc. Didn’t think I’d ever see the like but even though it’s not widespread it is being allowed.

We only had breakfast in the Horizon on 2 occasions preferring the MDR’s as it was so much more relaxed 👍

Price mainly. P&O have some lovely new ships but for me the quality of service and food is now sadly lacking from the halcyon days. Tipping is another big difference as on P&O it’s included. Being a US citizen I reckon you should stick with RCI but hey what do I know. I’ve traveled regularly with RCI and Celebrity and the quality is more obvious now than it once was in my opinion. If British cultural displays such as the early morning sun bed wars appeals to you then give it a try 😉 I’m actually doing a northern lights cruise on the Arcadia in November and for me this smaller older ship appeals but it’s definitely a no frills ship compared to RCI but what it does bring is the ability to be able to enter some of the ‘smaller’ harbours. If I had to suggest a British style cruise line to you I’d go for Cunard.

Yes, I agree you could join the queue but if say 50 were ahead of you in the Pearl for instance you had no idea how long this would actually take. As a group of 7 our options were limited due to the lack of 8 and 10 seat tables. The food/beverage guy stated that unusually it was easier and quicker to get a table for 2 on this cruise as a lot of families were eating together whereas normally that is not the case. The queue is not actually done in order either as it’s down to table size availability. 🤷‍♂️ The staff at the coal face issuing tables etc have an awful task each night trying to satisfy all of the individual needs and I did feel for them when being shouted at for supplying yet another pager 😬

I can unreservedly assure you that on P&O now anything goes in any restaurant even on formal nights much to my disappointment. I’m now at the point of wondering why I bother but when I see my children and grandchildren making the effort it reminds me that I should maintain my standards and not reduce them to that of others. I could give you examples of ‘formal wear’ worn in MDR’s recently, some of which was fit only for a visit to a beach or football match 🤦‍♂️ The daily dress code clearly states no trainers, football shirts etc but I think passengers read this as what should be worn even on the formal/gala nights. I know it’s not mandatory but this trend is not something that is appealing to me in the long term. That said it was great to see many veterans wearing their medals, Scottish wearing their full kilt rig etc. and ladies in their posh frocks and long evening dresses. My tin hat is on 😬

We met in person and after numerous apologies for a ruined evening completely down to P&O’s failings we came to an arrangement whereby I had the same table for my entire group of 7 at the restaurant of our choice (Aqua) each evening for the rest of our cruise. This came with some free drinks and a noticeable difference in attentiveness from our waiters! Oh how we long for good ol club dining. After a couple trips on Iona x2, Arvia and Ventura recently FREEDOM DINING is anything but done with freedom. The biggest disappointment is the continual inability to be able to plan an evening with any preciseness 🤷‍♂️ Iona is a fantastic ship completely ruined by a myholiday app which is not fit for purpose 😡

My experience in the Caribbean recently was that you most definitely could get a sun bed when ever you wanted one but getting it in the sun was another matter. Hence, the early morning sun bed shuffle and I mean 7am early and before that for the best spots. Good luck 🤞

Just got off the Iona where there were 900 kids during the half term. First come first served on getting into the clubs so a lot of kids (and parents) were bitterly disappointed ☹️ Unfortunately something had to give so slots were very rationed and my own grandchildren only attended one evening session as trying to work into other activities etc became a bit of a pain. If you didn’t know bookings are made on the app.

Good idea but the Q’s were longer and we felt that the Aqua was where we wanted our special evening 😆

The drop off at the new terminal is at the port entrance and I reckon it’s a couple hundred metres at best from the mooring and the value for money would be one out of ten on a good day. By the time you’ve clicked your seat belt in you’re releasing it again. The expression on users faces sums it up, pure disbelief 😳

A few updates for your list… Arecife is a complete waste of money and a bit of an embarrassment to use even if you’re on a select fare, for those that have used it recently you’ll know what I mean 🤦‍♂️ Hamburg… the Iona had so many passengers yesterday that there were 3 drop off locations in play. Rotterdam tomorrow… Iona again, no shuttle is being provided at all. Ps… In Hamburg we moored at the Konprinzkai Sternwerder terminal which doesn’t allow for easy access into the centre and a bit of a hike if you fancy walking in.

Which is all well and good if the ships internet and ‘myholiday’ is in fact working. Needless to say almost all day today there was no inboard internet so all transactions for purchases had to be completed the old fashion way and the ‘gala valentines dinner’ this evening was an unmitigated disaster. We received our pager at 19:30 for dinner in the Aqua MDR and at 22:30 we were still eating our dessert course. I have complained bitterly and I’m having a one to one with a food and beverage manager tomorrow. I’m just nearing 100 nights with P&O and this evening was by far the worst experience EVER 😡

It is but an Uber only cost me £6.50 for 2 people 2 large suitcases and 2 cabin bags so less than a small glass of wine on board.

My advice would be to use smaller group private excursions which use VW Carvelle/Mercedes Vito type vans rather than the ships coach tours. Traipsing on and off a coach regularly and the herding of a coach load of passengers is tiresome and not a great experience. Layers is the way to go and good footwear is essential, we used our motorcycle neck/face coverings which were an absolute godsend and easy to roll down for the essential hot chocolate drinks and biscuits.

Ps… we were not so keen to link bookings post covid initially as it was a case of ‘one off all off’ 😬

On the Ventura recently I had a stern ‘butler’ suite and my daughter had a non suite cabin next door (both with spouses). We linked our bookings but we were not allowed to board early together, they were not allowed to join us for the embarkation lunch/drinks and we could only have 2 in the Epicurean for breakfast each day so I was joined by different guests each morning. For the avoidance of doubt yes we did ask more than once for the extra privileges 😳

No.

Ideal for propping up wobbly tables IMHO 😉

Only these will do…

My wife has one particular dress which cost more than an average ex UK inside 7 night cruise and I for one would be livid if drips from a glass ruined it due to not having coasters 🤬

Arvia in St Maarten on my trip listed as ‘depart evening’, left in the afternoon 🤷‍♂️

Guys… can you realistically feel confident enough to pre book ‘private’ excursions if you don’t know the actual times you will arrive and depart? I rest my case 😊