Dorset Cruiser

We reckon Q3 on Victoria or Elizabeth seems to average out at around £500 pppd . Q2 and 1 can go over £1000 pppd, double occupancy rates. It all depends on time of year, the area of the world and number of ports visited.

 

You do the conversion £ Sterling-US$. It's a bit more than $500 pppd.

Vast majority of people who sail Cunard DO NOT sail in Grills accommodation, so I also discount the $500 pppd 😉

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We had the 31 August 2017 crossing booked many months ago as part of a cruise package. We subsequently found out it was the fashion week crossing. We are not into fashion in any way ☹️. All the speakers with the exception of Sir Mervyn King are lecturing on fashion in one way or another, so rather than enjoying varied lectures as we did on our previous crossing, we will have to search around for something to occupy us, especially on days where we cannot use the outer decks 😠

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Our last two return crossings, in August 2015 and November 2016 were well under $100 a day. The first one was 20 nights, including 5 nights in New York whilst the ship went up to Boston and elsewhere. £1099 each including the hotel and transfers which is around $71 a day at current rates. The more recent one was a simple 15 night return crossing which was £729 each or around $63 a day.

 

 

We also did a 60 night world cruise segment on the QM2 in 2016, plus 5 nights in Sydney at the end. Total price for the trip, including the hotel and flights back, though not transfers, was £4449 each, around $89 a night.

 

I've seen recent one way crossings at £599 including outbound or return flights which is not far off $100 a night, depending on the crossing length.

 

$500 a day certainly possible if you booked the Grills, but usually less.

WC sector is not a crossing, so I duscount your $89 a day and not everyone is lucky enough to be able to afford Grills, but we all pay the same for drinks on board 😏

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Err, no. One can easily spend $500 a day in QG.

But you were referring to other lines 🤔. As I say you would probably need to sail 6star (which Cunard is not) to spend that kind of money.

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oh please. Prices have been going down over the last twenty years. Cabin sizes and amenities have been improving.

My experiences on the QE2 back in the day was not the romantic vision that some here seem to imagine. I remember queuing up for our jewelry at night before dinner, so yes, we all dressed up more all the time. But so did people in society in general.

Even then, I didn't remember the food being outstanding, it had to come up in an elevator ... I did prefer the Cunard countess for the meals which seemed more fresh.

The fact is, one can do a crossing for as little as $100 per day. Keeping one's expectations aligned to that reality will prevent disappointment.

If you want a higher standard, then save up for the Grills. Or sail one of the other lines where the per diems are $500 pp per day and up. Then you can complain if your Camembert is cold.

Where have you found a crossing for $100 a day? More like £150 and you would need to book a 6 star cruise to have to spend $500 a day!

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I can give you another example last week that can beat that:

 

One drink I ordered (for someone else) was Gin, Lemonade and Blackcurrant cordial. When the waiter brought the drinks, he informed me there were two receipts to sign as he'd forgotten the blackcurrant. So I was present with a separate bill of a spit of cordial; $1 +15% if you please. I'd just spend about £30 on 4 drinks but they could not let the extra quid go. I did not know whether to laugh or cry !

That cordial would have cost you £1 on P&O although no 15% added. Thats what they charged me for a dash of lime cordial in my vodka and lemonade. I did get my 8.5% discount though 😉

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For those who easily take offence; this thread was mocking Trump and not our fellow passengers. Please feel free to have your well done steak with ketchup and ice cream for afters - as long as you don't wear the red cap.

Thank goodness for that. Taste in food has nothing to do with taste in 'politicians 😏'. I personally like a well-done steak, ketchup and ice-cream but not sharing the same plate 😀

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We sail on 29th June and got our assignment a week ago. We logged in daily until it was showing. Did not get advised by email.

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Glad to see you've got your cabin etc. In future, if it was me, I would be contacting P&O rather than asking us. We can all only make guesses, whereas P&O should be able to answer your concerns directly.

 

It is worth noting that, as already mentioned, saver fares (and similar) cabins are not usually allocated more than 2 weeks prior to a cruise.

Well thanks for that. I wasn't actually asking any questions myself simply responding 🤔

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..... and our etickets and labels are showing as available to print 😀

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Got our allocation today - C409 - paid for HC and got HB grade, so no big upgrade - still not broken our 40 cruise 'duck' of a meta upgrade but happy we can now hopefully print our documents.

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It's all a bit worrying isn't it? Seems a chicken and egg situation: do you get a cabin allocation before e tickets or visa versa? Only my second P&O cruise so I'm confused now. Still, sure it will all work out in the end[emoji848] even Thomson seem to be more on the case than this! Equally pressing is finding a hotel in Southampton before we go. They all seem to be fully booked, unless we pay a small fortune!

 

 

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You have to have a cabin number or you cannot download your etickets. Have had a lot of guarantee cabins and its always been like this. You should get your allocation two weeks before - that is this Thursday for us 😀. Will let you know when we get it. We are on a flycruise so have our room and valet parking booked at Gatwick North. Good luck with finding your hotel.

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Don't you get allocated a cabin when you are able to get you e tickets? It tells me I can get them when we are 35 days away, I expected to get allocated a cabin at that point, is this not the case then?

 

 

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Cannot download our etickets as no cabin number yet. Hopefully we will get it this week.

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I had that for a while but eventually found the empty box. You literally have to check there is something in the box with the asterisks next to them

I am checking daily just now as we booked a cheapie saver for Adonia on 7th July and still haven't had a cabin allocated or our e tickets

Is really frustrating not to know embarkation time and be able to make arrangements. P&O should play the game and give us advance notice if they don't want us to turn up too early

We are on a 29th June sailing on Oceana and still no cabin allocation ☹️

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Have just replied to this one in another thread?

Thanks - just seen it and responded 😀

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Am pretty sure that there is no dress code in the speciality restaurants, but you will be limited to which bars and venues you can go to.

 

No jackets nights on Oceana -it is either smart casual or formal. Nothing in between.

 

We loved the Beach House and Café Jardin last year. In the Café Jardin on a formal night some were in formal gear, some were not. :-)

Thanks, think I will go ahead and book them if they have space 😀

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....And this....

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/02/24/life-on-board-oceanas-35-night-cruise/

 

 

New I should have asked you first. Are the speciality restaurants on oceana smart casual on formal nights and are there any 'jacket required' nights?

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Thinking of booking speciality restaurants on the two formal nights of our cruise as we don't want to take formalwear with us. Can we wear smart casual in these restaurants?

Also does Oceana have 'jacket required' nights?

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Hi....I booked select fare but still given a guaranteed cabin...any idea how long before cruise we will be allocated a cabin

Never heard of that - thought with select fares, you got to pick your own cabin number?

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We can get a massage with Aurea as we will in December on Seaside as well as priority embarkation, the meals have been downgraded, the Champagne replaced by spumante or something similar, priority tendering is one of the few items still available.

 

A one hour dance lesson whoopee, hardly cutting off my nose to spite my face for!

There has never been any cruiseline that will give you a decent 'champagne' that is actually drinkable, even Cunard with their Pol Acker 😂. We mix the fizz with OJ and have Bucks Fizz 😀

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Bea ...The one reason I refused to jump and book advance cruises when they decided to withdraw the benefits, there was no point in rushing to get Black card status even though I have only been one cruise away from getting it.

 

Why give them advance money when they were shafting people who had remained loyal to them, in your case and Pete I could understand you guys booking because you still got the 20% for advance bookings before you were also stitched up.

 

After our September cruise I go beyond the points needed for Black but it no longer means anything other than just reaching Black, the benefits watered down so much that I personally no longer care what they are other than maybe Priority boarding. As for a chocolate ship what an insult.

You don't just get a chocolate ship! There is a whole raft of very nice perks including free speciality meals, free fizz, free dance lesson, free hour in spa, keeping your room until its time to leave for the airport which is great if you have a late flight, etc. etc. Seems like you are 'cutting off your nose to spite your face' if you were only one cruise away from Black status - you obviously like the MSC product 🤔

We are not blindly loyal to any one cruiseline - we cruise for itinerary and price and if MSC want to match our highest cruise status, then I am very grateful to them.

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We are on an Easyjet scheduled flight from Gatwick so know ours will have to be collected.

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Last Thursday when we arrived at Malta, at around the same time as 2 other flights, (just after 6pm) it took us about an hour just to get through passport control before we even got to the coach. There must have been abround 1000 passengers millimg around in arrivals, but there were only 3 passport booths open. Absolutely appalling.

 

Brian

Oh dear - we are joining Oceana on 29 June, hope the problems have been sorted by then. Not visited Malta for 13 years and had hoped the airport had improved since then, but obviously not ☹️

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We have done it twice. £35 to leave case on.

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Apparently the little tourist train takes you to the beach.

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