Cruisemeister2002

Some of these "Special" meals are no different to the normal meals and for a celebrity chef to put his name to them is a bit dodgy if you ask me. Since we started sailing back in 2002 P&O standards have dropped significantly and whilst some may say cruising is cheaper now if you take all the things that have gone it should be.

Last year we were on Ventura for 35 nights and had seven formals, this year we are trying Princess and for a 31 night cruise it's five formals. It causes me some confusion that Princess can do the pond crossing, both back and forth in five nights and yet P&O take six and last year due to missing the first port which was Burmuda it was ten nights, ghastly, as was the whole cruise. Also why don't P&O inform passengers of formal nights like Princess does, we knew it was five formals when we booked last year. O.K. they don't tell you which nights, but due to sail days you can hazard a good guess, like four of them will be two crossing and two coming back.

Booked our very first Plus package for a cruise later in the year. Usually a P&O customer, but due to a cruise experience last year that I don't wish to repeat have changed allegiance to Princess and as I say booked the Plus package. Didn't get a deal on the package, but the cruise for the same grade cabin and the Plus package is now £1,600 or around $1990 more and we may bid for an upgrade which I believe can be done around five days after the cruise balance is paid.

Sometimes I believe there's a misconception that the prices offered onboard are better than you can get elsewhere. They rely on a feelgood factor. Hopefully you are having a wonderful experience, de-stressed and in holiday mood so you go and book a future cruise. The cruises on offer are tempting and I am not saying that the deals aren't good and the OBC helps. However our upcoming cruise I booked direct and now it's £1,600 more for the same grade cabin and plus package. Or around $1990.

Perhaps we should all go with the Flo then ? I have booked our first night on Sky in Estrella as well. I think maybe, although no expert, that cancellation of bookings may take place after balances have been paid. Our cruise funnily enough departs the day after these new arrangements come in.

Not trying to be a "Know it all" but my take on this is if you haven't as yet paid the full balance which is normally due around 3 months prior to departure then you won't hear anything until the balance is paid. Might be completely wrong. Just my own idea on this.

I see your point and like yourself have never had a package before, although I have indulged in what on P&O they call a Celebration package which doesn't include an allowance of drinks, fitness classes, casual dining. But does include a champagne breakfast in your cabin, bathrobes and slippers, presentation champagne flute, formal photo and frame, 2 x Speciality restaurant visits, a facial or 50 minute massage and two desserts in your cabin for around £400. However this year we are cruising onboard Sky Princess and have ordered the Princess Plus package. As with yourself I do question whether I am doing the correct thing as neither myself or wife drink huge amounts, neither of us participate in going to a gym and although I like ice cream, my wife can take or leave them. As for gratuities until they became as they are now we only tipped our cabin steward and main dining room table waiters.

Possibly due to final balances being paid as Princess have emailed me to say after the day the balance is due I will be contacted to tell them my dining preference.

Me too, fortunately our cruise departs 15th September, so a day after it comes into being.

Have today received notification that Princess will be changing the dining arrangements after the 14th September and that once we have paid the balance on our cruise we will be afforded the options available for dining arrangements. It was welcome and strange how these new arrangements start the day before we sail. As I have said we welcome these changes. Don't think we are stick in the muds for preferring a set time each night and we like the thought of hopefully building a rapport with our fellow diners as we will probably request a table of six.

Seems like a good idea to me. I suppose it all depends on who wants what on whichever ship they are sailing. I don't know the individual amounts that the MDR's take on say Sky Princess. I say Sky Princess as this is the ship we next sail on. No reason once an approximate amount of passengers is know and what dining option they prefer that if x amount of passengers want set time dining split into early and mid evening and y amount who want anytime then providing both early and mid evening dining doesn't fill the restaurant the remaining setting could be used for anytime dining. I suppose how the kitchen is set up for the various dining times may influence this, I don't honestly know.

Over the moon. have apart from one cruise which was a late booking dined at 8.30 so will save having to book a restaurant each night. Most of my previous cruises were on P&O and up until the two latest additions of Iona and Arvia fixed dining was always available. Why do we like it ? It gives us a chance to make good friends as you are seated with them every night. If for whatever reason you don't get on with someone you can always switch to another table but have only in 18 cruises not got on with someone. Also as I say the time suits as except when on an excursion we go back to our cabin late afternoon, maybe have a nap, shower and have a drink in our cabin before going to a bar for a pre dinner drink. Have our meal in the MDR and then go to a show in the theatre and then if there's a cabaret show we like go on to that, if not retire for the night with maybe a hot chocolate.

If the refit is on a par with that which took place on Ventura last year I don;t seriously know why they bother. The ship was 5 hours late into port the crew didn't seem to know what they were doing and the chefs must have been on holiday. There was still refitting staff on the ship when we sailed apparently fitting carpets in the staff quarters.There seems so much ballyhoo surrounding refits with illusions that the ship will look new. Have much nicer modern decor and that millions have been spent. I should have known better. Didn't particularly go a bundle on Ventura first time and last years cruise was by far the worst of the seventeen cruises taken.Have even gone over to Princess after a very bad experience on Ventura. It was a disaster from day one and never improved the next 34 nights. The two highlights were the two tribute acts and the meals we had in Sindu. Those apart, very, very poor and many passengers we spoke to were making notes of their problems as well.

What's the betting though if they collected them for disposal they'd make a charge. Seems the norm to me that although historically cruising is cheaper fare wise than it used to be every way you turn someone wants their pound of flesh for everything and things that were once inclusive now require a charge. Not limited to Princess either.

Hi all, just wanted to know if anyone else was sailing on the Sky Princess in September this year and had booked the excursion which was a tour of New York at night. Why I say this is strange is because the excursion is on the second day of our stop off and it states the ship departs New York at 5 p.m. but the tour starts at 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Unless the time of leaving is wrong or the excursion has been put on the wrong day on Princess website it's a bit odd. They also added that have a two day New York bus pass on the second day as well ?