Jossie1960

She limped on half power missed ports of call and offered £70 as compensation. The point I made was that they didn’t tell anyone for 24 hours knowing full well that they had engine problems before they left Southampton. Can you trust P&O ?

I wonder why P&O didn’t advise their current passengers that the ship had engine problems before it departed Southampton.

I was considering a Britannia Cruise but will now wait to see how they handle the situation. I for one are glad that I am not on this Baltic cruise.

All I ask is for people to shower and clean their clothes - the smell of BO is totally unacceptable. 

Goto the same web site as the P&O captain use -

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/fromsouthamptonengland-05jul2020.html

Check out https://www.smartcruisetours.com/ these are a great choice for many med ports.

4 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Where are the facts that P&O are one of the worst contributors that pollute the seas. They have been caught and correctly fined by courts in Marseille in France but other cruise lines Princess for one have been caught and fined a much larger sum for repeated breaking of environmental laws. Carnival as a corporation have a lot to answer for but they own many different cruise lines and dozens of cruise ships but to single out P&O as was of the worst is totally inaccurate and shows your ignorance. Would love to know what happened on the ONE cruise you have done with P&O that gave you the impression that they are one of the worst contributors or is it that is the only cruise you have ever done and your total lack of knowledge on this subject is showing.

The one and only cruise I took with P&O was aboard Britannia in December 2017. It was an aft suite which was plagued with black soot every day of the cruise. The cabin steward apologised on numerous occasions saying he’ll clean it but it happens on every cruise. P&O offered a future cruise credit to offset the difficulties but I refused as I was not interested in ever cruising with them again. P&O were a disgrace.  We are experienced cruisers mostly with Celebrity and recently with MSC Yacht Club and very much aware of the failings of each cruiseline but PO Cruise really are the pits.

2 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

So after reading the impassioned diatribes about P&O there sternest critics on here will have cancelled there cruises with them,anything less would prove there environmental credentials to be a sham.

People are just stating facts that P&O are one of the worse contributors that pollute the seas.  I only took one cruise with them never to be repeated. 

Please don’t attempt to justify MSC actions.

Others cruise lines acted responsibly and it’s about time MSC did the same.

5 minutes ago, rwdtgb said:

Actually Mickey I am American and I am happy  with what MSC is doing for us .........

MSC promoted and sold the Armonia cruises to Cuba as a destination cruise not a typical Caribbean cruise.  It is a MAJOR change which warrants the option “to Cancel”.

The $400 credit option is fine for some but others must be regretting never choosing MSC as it is clear that Carnival, RCL or NCL would have been a better choice.

Shame on MSC but they still have time to do the right thing

Medical facilities on a cruise ship approximate at best to a normal doctor’s surgery. All to my knowledge are not employed by the cruise line but are a contracted out service with independent insurance cover. Even the simplest of alignments are off loaded to land based medical facilities. Maybe things have changed but I would always be cautious if anything serious occurred.

13 hours ago, burgesst said:

Can I remove my gratuities and pay with cash on MSC?

 

First time going onto MSC and wondering if I have the capability to have my gratuities removed (it's not ppd) at Guest Services, and reward who I want to reward at cruise end. 

 

Thanks for any feedback.

No one answered your Question.  Yes according to MSC T&C the daily service charge can be removed onboard.  The decision is yours and yours alone.

Thanks Nikki, I thought that was your meaning.  We did give our Butler extra bit of cash and gave the Maitre'd cash to share with those that serviced us as every evening we were seated with different waiters.

3 hours ago, emmas gran said:

 

With all due respect Lyndarra --Nikki is an experienced MSC cruiser and was part joking with her post -I don't think she was looking for advice. 

 

We in the UK do tend to tip for good service but this thread is not about DSC or tipping.

Strange response, I never read it as a joke. Thanks Lyndarra, useful info.

12 hours ago, ssmea03 said:

Yes we are trying that now. When you input all the info for status match do you get an email acknowledgement immediately, or does it take a few days?

What I did was to telephoned MSC Customer Services and said I wanted to book a cruise and need the Loyalty match before I booked otherwise I would have to book with another cruise line.  I received an email back within the day with a Voyager number.

Could one of the non Voyager Club members apply for a status match as even the lowest grade gives the 5% discount.  I was a Silver Hilton Honor (that is Low) and they gave me Classic Member which was good enough.

We had to wait many times for a table and changed our routine as the only place to wait was the outdoor Garden Bar amongst all the smokers. 

An even better site is http://www.cruisetimetables.com

Not only does it give details of every port but also has a good guide of activities and location of best beaches unlike all the other sites mentioned earlier.  Also it's the site that P&O Captain's use to know when to arrive and depart each port.

16 hours ago, karlsuggs said:

Don't bother. The internet service is as terrible as it is expensive. It shuts you off without warning after only a few minutes.  They say that they will fix it, then never do anything about it. I'm out $125 for service that was virtually unusable.

You appear to be in the minority with your opinion.  After reading your compliant letter I will choose to go with the majority as it is obvious you have an axe to grind.  I think you should ask yourself the question " Is cruising right for you "

MSC website says that it's cheaper to purchase the Internet pre cruise as its 20% cheaper.  

Can anyone confirm that is true ?

Thanks for your comments. The particular Fly/cruise is the only option, cruise only is not currently available.

I did a dummy booking for a Yacht club cabin which included flight from Gatwick to Barbados.  There was no option to select premium economy.

Do a yacht club booking get any preferential treatment at Gatwick check-in ?

If you did an On Board Booking last month, the first day they added a bottle of wine, second day gave a $25 bonus obc on the current cruise on top of the published incentives.

The attraction of a different restaurant doesn't sway it for me.

Cabins above and below is the way to go, must agree - thanks for all your comments.

I was looking on the deck plan of Silhouette to decide on a cabin. I was surprised to see the most expensive Balcony cabins in the worst location on the ship, just below the pool deck and Gym.   What is the reason for Aqua cabins to be in such a poor location or am I missing something?