BornLucky

If there had been a Q&A i reckon the first question would have been: how come the officers / high Latitude members dinnner leaving Belfast had wine flowing while the rest of your paying customers werent allowed any alcohol until 11.40pm? The whole day / evening in Belfast officers were notably absent from public areas.

Having got off Star this morning my main disappointment is that at no point did pasasengers get any hint of an apology never mind compensation. All we got was "thank you for you understanding". The problem was NCL not the Ports. If you had said "SORRY" I might have been more understanding. NCL: Shame on you.

Orion and Jupiter have the Planetarium dome. There are, I understand, no plans to add on any future builds. I know lots of people think they are a waste of time and space but if utilised in the right way by Viking it can be a real treat. On Southern Atlantic Crossing last month the resident astronomer was fantastic. His Theatre talks, on deck stargazing and yes, Planetarium sessions were a highlight of my cruise. The other dome shows were worth the time as well. The resulting loss of sitting space is hardly a problem given the multitude of quiet areas on all Viking ships.

Had been following this topic as had intyerest in afuture Panamana Canal cuise. We disembarked Jupiter last week after a 21 day voyage. The Restaurant and World Cafe were extremely poor. Not just the service but the menus and food preparation way below previous Viking standards so it is obviously a wide ranging problem for Viking. Had been on the same ship a few months ago and it was great but many of the experinced crew had been moved to the newer and Ocean and Expedition ships. On a positive note the Entertainment staff were excellent.

With respect I disagree. Yes the Cunard price is higher but they offer you a huge choice of properly made and presented coctails within the limit. On P&O there is almost no choice and the presentation is amateur. Basic P&O drinks are the best value and for most paying as you go is probably the better option.

Glad you made the package work for you. I dont't think anyone could argue with my view that the P&O Ultimate drinks package is the worst such offering of any cruise line. It is the only line where I don't buy the package and have pretty much switched my custom to other cruise lines. Even when other Carnival Group lines have similar rules on paper they are in fact much better in terms of the choice you get. I do however agree P&O have a good choice of beers but they are only about 4 quid anyway so don't justify buying the package.

Each to their own. I pefer the bar staff to make my cocktails rather than me doing a venue crawl to pour from cup to cup. How about getting the cocktails you want on your holiday? Your compromise saves you a few quid, probably not a significant proportion of your overall holiday cost. If budget restricted take some drink on board and have it in the cabin. Either way has to be better than calling a 25ml (dirty the glass) measure of Baileys in a coffee a cocktail.

soft drinks equals three fountain drinks: pepsi, pepsi max, R.White lemonade. Nothing else, so no e.g. ginger ale or milkshakes. coffee is regular size.

two rubbish cocktails permitted on P&O drinks package. Pages and pages included on Cunard and all properly presented.

The problem is that P&O restrict the choice of inclusions far more than on the others. The Cunard package is more expensive but you can have pretty much any drink you want. On P&O you almost have to ask what you are allowed !

The problem with the drinks package is not the number of drinks allowed but rather the absurd restrictions on what you can order and the way it makes you feel (3rd rate passenger). On every other cruise line I have been on I buy the drinks package. On P&O I did the last time but the resulting frustrations ruined my cruise experience, I will cruise P&O again but no matter how much I spend on drinks by ordering as I go it will be better than with the package.

I think a related problem appears to be that capacity has been cut, so more are showing as sold out quicker. If you are not in a P cabin expect to have a restricted choice. For some activities there may be a physical capcity restriction, but too many that are showing as sold out merely require another bus and guide. If you look at roll calls here on CC it seems to be that more passengers than usual are opting for third party small group tours.

You can bring unlimited soft drinks (and tea/coffee) with you when you board plus two litres of alcohol for in cabin consumption. That is an easy way to have drinks you like, keep costs down, then pay as you go for some nice drinks in the bars / restaurants. Far less hassle than trying to work around the drinks package restrictions. I think one of the daftest restrictions I encountered was being told I could only have a single espresso coffee after dinner, not a double !

I would rather pay 60 pounds a day on drinks i want rather than 40 on ones that P&O deem to allow. In all probability will end up up not spending much more than 40 anyway. Also heartening to me that I can feel a satisfaction from giving my money to a grateful bar owner ashore rather than endorsing the P&O Ultimate Frustration package aboard.

Unlike many other cruise lines I can honestly say from experience that booking a "cheaper" grade on Viking Ocean has zero impact on the way you are treated from the moment you step aboard. First class consideration all the way.

Why are you baffled at the qustion coming up? Most people asking are yet to cruise and are looking for a heads up from those with recent experience. I also doubt anyone has a total handle on the full extent of the absurd restrictions. I was told on a P&O cruise this year that some wines listed in The Glass House were not allowed despite being 6.95. They refered me to the T&C's which mean they have full discretion on what is included / excluded. You end up drinking what you can have rather than what you want. You onlly realise how bad the package is by having the misfotunate to have chosen to buy it. P&O should drop it, ot at the very least stop calling it Ultimate.

The Ultimate Drinks Package is a bad joke. For the sake of your sanity I strongly suggest you avoid it. Soft drinks equals fountain pepsi, pepsi max, R. Whites lemonade. Nothing else included. Only been a choice of two cocktails within the limit (although this has recently been extended a touch). The restrictions will drive you crazy. Unless you only drink single measure basic spirits / beer in high quantities, forget about it. P&O guest services always say they are looking to improve the inclusions. Track record suggests otherwise. The P&O package is the worst offering of any major cruise line. Enjoy your cruise and pay drinks as you go.

P&O offer good value cruise fares and the beverage prices on board are reasonable. What they do not offer is a fair beverage package. The rules are absurd and frustrating. I like a beverage package on cruises becauses it means I pay up front and dont' have to worry about a big number on my end of cruise ststement. It means I experiment with ordering, can drink more as not driving or working the next day; and it is a key part of my trip. That does not make me an alcoholic. Without doubt the P&O drinks package is the worst in the business. OK, so I don't need to buy it but inevitably I will find myself analysing what I do spend agaonst having the package which will lead to more frustration. P&O please fix it or drop it.

I was told by P&O that they were looking to change their drinks package offering around June so it is possible they have something similar in mind to Princess. That said in my opinion they will probably do nothing at all and certainly won't offer anything free of absurd restrictions. On other lines I like the bundle of drinks, wifi and speciality dining. On P&O I will ignore the drinks package, do without internet and pre-book speciality dining. I have an Iona cruise booked but would predict that will be my last on nP&O given more welcoming offers elsewhere.

Considering buying an ultimate drinks package on P&O? You are aware that your limit is £6.95 per drink and that you are limited to 15 alcoholic drinks and unlimited soft drinks and coffees per day. You have done the calculations and think it is worth it. If you think that means you can happily order most things you are in for a serious wake up call. Too many standard drinks are not included. First off, many many drinks are above £6.95. Sometimes luaghably by less than a pound. Do you get to the pay the difference? No, you get a 20% discount off the full price. That is I think a poor choice by P&O but stay tuned, you haven't heard anything yet ! On board I recently turned up at one bar to be told that some of the drinks that were priced on the list at £6.95 and available to puchase for £6.95 but were no longer included in the package. Despite repeated requests for an explanation the managemant response was to point to the small print which effectively says they can at their full discretion decide what is and what is not included. Wow, nice customer appreciations guys ! It gets better. No doubles allowed. So if you want a double Baileys (i.e. one where the single 25ml measure isn't just lining the sides of the glass) the rules say you are out of luck even although the double is priced well below the £6.95 limit. Now for my personal favourite. At the end of dinner we like to have a double espresso. If you have that at the dining table that is fine. If, however, you walk off your dessert then go to the cafe: you guessed it; you can only have a single espresso, wait 15 minutes and get another one ! P&O do you ever think about how your rules look to your passengers? I get that spending 80 pounds a day for the two of us doesn't get us top shelf but being made to feel so restricted leaves a very poor taste. Not like the taste of my wife's favourite Singapore Sling because that isn't included.