paulatsea

1 hour ago, tring said:

Well just got a very cheap price on Arcadia.  We have just booked J306N departing 6th June for 16 nights for a tad under £1600pp select price for a grade ED balcony (the agent discount increased a bit because of my Blue Light Card - they give a discount equal to the OBC we would receive from P&O if we booked direct). Also got free parking and £175pp OBC.  So cannot complain about that.

 

It is a very good Fjords/Baltic itinerary.  Seems more worthwhile for us traveling to Southampton if spending a while on a ship, rather than just a short cruise.  Sadly I fear the 16 nighters will not be repeated for new season releases, going north, now that SPB is a no go.

 

Good deal . Well done 👍 

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

Yes, my idea of hell is to be sitting with hundreds of others in rough weather.

Me too -  for me a balcony is best - in any weather.

8 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We’ve done a couple of cruises on Britannia in a forward suite and also loved the views over the bow from the bedroom. The room was plenty big enough to accommodate a couple of chairs, which gave us our own private Crows Nest, and we could also watch port approaches from bed! We also had the additional benefit of a side balcony, accessed from the lounge though, so I guess had the best of both worlds. 

That sounds fantastic. I would love that.

8 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

The moral of the story is do your homework before booking either on the website or a brochure at your TA.

Adults only is important to us too our first cruise was on Ex2 adults only bliss our second cruise on D2, if we'd done D2 as our first DH reckons he'd never have Cruised again lol 😆 

Agree - we only do adults only.

Marella Explorer 2 , p&o Aurora or Arcadia. May try ambassador at some stage.

Just booked our excursions for the sail 3 seas cruise in May - mostly walking tours this time.

The excursions we have been on previously with Marella have been very good , great guides and very well organised and a reasonable price. 

If we have been to any of the ports before we do our own thing usually.

If it’s a new port we always do a ship booked excursion.

We prefer to know we won’t get left behind if we are late or if there are any problems we will be looked after as opposed to a non ship booked excursion

The Adriatic is lovely - have a good cruise.

18 hours ago, bob_a_builder said:

Just back from the Caribbean having done the "Flavours of the Caribbean" and "Exotic Explorer" trips back to back
We thought we were booking a Adults only cruise, but  disappointed to find that certainly wasn't the case on board
Others also seemed to think they had booked an Adults only cruise ?
Can't refer back to the Advert I booked from 
But looking at TUI advertising of  future versions of same trips it does specify adults only
Do they vary that based on school holiday dates etc - although didn't think we were travelling in a school holiday zone
 

Marella explorer 2 is the only adults only ship on all of its cruises.

All the other ships are not adults only on any of their cruises.

4 hours ago, NavyPanda said:

 

With regards to the solo offers, it seems that the 'no single supplement' offer has been withdrawn. I can't see any cruises which currently have 0% single supplement. All cruises seem to have the seemingly standard 60% supplement instead. Has anyone else seen any cruises still with a 0% supplement? 

 

Updated tables as at 16th March 2023 AM

 

Inside under £60 pppn

 

Cruise	Nights	Ship	Date	Amount	Per Night
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£679	£48.50
Portugal And Canary Islands (N307)	12	Ventura	06-Apr-23	£599	£49.92
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (G307)	14	Iona	18-Mar-23	£699	£49.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£699	£49.93
Mediterranean (K311)	14	Arvia	28-May-23	£699	£49.93
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£699	£49.93
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£849	£53.06
Mediterranean (K309)	14	Arvia	30-Apr-23	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (G402)	14	Iona	27-Jan-24	£749	£53.50
Spain And Portugal (N429)	13	Ventura	05-Nov-24	£699	£53.77
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£649	£54.08
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (J420)	16	Arcadia	28-Nov-24	£899	£56.19
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£679	£56.58
Spain And Portugal (G336)	14	Iona	28-Oct-23	£799	£57.07
Spain Portugal And Canary Islands (G437)	14	Iona	09-Nov-24	£799	£57.07
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N335)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (J319)	12	Arcadia	09-Dec-23	£699	£58.25
Spain And Portugal (N432)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-24	£699	£58.25
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Azura	10-Oct-24	£949	£59.31
Spain And Portugal (N311)	10	Ventura	06-May-23	£599	£59.90
Caribbean Transatlantic (K306A)	15	Arvia	18-Mar-23	£899	£59.93
Canary Islands And Mediterranean (A410A)	20	Azura	08-Mar-24	£1,199	£59.95

 

Balcony under £80 pppn

 

Northern Europe And Scandinavia (B312)	14	Britannia	12-May-23	£799	£57.07
Spain And Portugal (B309)	12	Britannia	16-Apr-23	£749	£62.42
Northern Europe And Scandinavia (R307)	16	Aurora	02-May-23	£999	£62.44
Caribbean Transatlantic (B306A)	13	Britannia	25-Mar-23	£899	£69.15
Northern European City Escape (G308)	7	Iona	01-Apr-23	£499	£71.29
Mediterranean (K307)	14	Arvia	02-Apr-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G338)	14	Iona	25-Nov-23	£999	£71.36
Spain And Portugal (G438)	14	Iona	23-Nov-24	£999	£71.36
Belgium And France (B308)	4	Britannia	12-Apr-23	£299	£74.75
Amsterdam (N308)	4	Ventura	18-Apr-23	£299	£74.75
Amsterdam (N312)	4	Ventura	16-May-23	£299	£74.75
Spain And Portugal (N333)	12	Ventura	11-Nov-23	£899	£74.92
Caribbean Transatlantic (B306)	14	Britannia	24-Mar-23	£1,049	£74.93
Mediterranean (K308)	14	Arvia	16-Apr-23	£1,049	£74.93
Spain And Portugal (N429)	13	Ventura	05-Nov-24	£999	£76.85
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A326F)	23	Azura	12-Oct-23	£1,799	£78.22
Norwegian Fjords (J303)	12	Arcadia	02-May-23	£949	£79.08
Spain And Portugal (N335)	12	Ventura	05-Dec-23	£949	£79.08
Portugal And Canary Islands (N431)	12	Ventura	23-Nov-24	£949	£79.08
Mediterranean And Canary Islands (A426C)	16	Azura	10-Oct-24	£1,279	£79.94

NavyPanda - these tables are really good.

Thanks for sharing.

51 minutes ago, Waju said:

I wonder why Arcadia does the world cruise?  I wish it was Aurora too.

So do I - but I would  have to fly cruise to just part of it. That would be great. 

10 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

We have just returned from our second cruise on Ambience, both were great cruises with interesting itineraries, we did 3 weeks to Greenland in July 22 and just returned from 3 weeks to Cape Verde and Canaries which was a late booking to get some winter sun as we had visited the ports before. We have no complaints, I could mention a few observations which I could for every cruise we have been on. We like Ambience, she is dated but friendly. We have noticed improvements from our July cruise as she was still being worked on. We had no issues with the AC either time but was aware of issues in July. She still needs some refurbishments around the ship especially the Palladium theatre. The food was excellent and varied, the entertainment was also very good, there were 8 different shows and various guest artists.

The cruise was full this time as being only half full in July. I was pleasantly surprised that she didn't seem over busy when full, there were pinch points in the Harbour market buffet at busy times and around the pool deck on sunny sea days, but nothing I have not seen on nearly every other ship I have cruised on. The restaurant service was hit and miss at times, we were first sitting on a table for 4 which we shared with friends, our waiter Christian and assistant Karen were experienced and served us well, there was an odd occasion when the kitchen had a queue of waiters collecting food but again nothing we have not experienced before on other lines. I did notice that there seemed to be a few older staff in the restaurants which did not have the best grasp of the English language, I am guessing this could be a consequence of the general staff shortage which we have experienced on other lines since covid, plus I am assuming that staff will be taken from Ambience to staff Ambition.

As experienced cruisers we would have no problem cruising with Ambassador again as they have some great itineraries and a good selection of longer cruises. They are a budget line but give great value, another plus point for us is that they are mainly adult only.

Thanks for the report Phil.

53 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I can see this from both sides though. When we were last on Britannia we wanted to have lunch in the Glass House a couple of times and had real difficulty getting a table. There were loads of people nursing one drink for a very long time whilst reading a book or just sitting down chatting without even having a drink. There are other places on the ship where they can do this.

I agree - this is very annoying.
I have seen this behaviour on almost every ship  - in the buffet , crows nest , various other bars etc people spending hours just sitting and reading or talking or even asleep and we have been unable to get a seat to order something.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that other people need a seat.

Go to bed if you want to sleep ! 

On 2/7/2023 at 4:03 PM, Waju said:

We were last on her in 2020, has there been a refit since? 
 

Aurora is my absolute favourite cruise ship 🛳️ 

Me too ! Going on her end of august and beginning of December - got a great select price for 16 nights to the canaries.

16 hours ago, wowzz said:

Even then, I doubt that the fans of the small ships would be tempted.

I would ! But for me it’s the adults only part that’s more important than the ship size.

15 hours ago, Waju said:

Although I adore Aurora, its the 'adult only' bit that's really important to us.  Having seen parents letting kids play football in the atrium and teenage groups on the larger ships playing 'tag' up and down he staircase and in the lifts we prefer the more sedate cruises!

 

I'm sure P&O could fill a mid size ship like Britannia with adults - I hope they can find a few places we haven't been to before though.

I agree -  I would go on any p&o ship that was adults only as that’s the most important thing to us.

7 hours ago, Waju said:

That's an idea - maybe make Britannia adult only if we lose Aurora or Arcadia

Great idea. 

58 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Indeed, an announcement from the captain that if the incidents happen again the pool will be closed for the duration of the cruise

 

Meanwhile why have P&O not designed an engineering solution?

Stupid design to have a pool with an overflow above balconies - hard to believe this wasn’t thought about. Is Arvia the same ?

1 hour ago, Rupert2251 said:

Why not make it an adults only pool, or was it the adults(?) you were talking about?

Close the pool .

2 minutes ago, ARDXXX said:

Very interesting reading. I will be very surprised if this Cruise line is still operating in a years time. We were on the Balmoral last May and it was dreadful, so bad they flew the senior management on board the ship, there were lots and lots of issues from appalingly poorly trained staff, the pool that was closed for most of the sixteen night cruise as it was leaking, running out of lots of the drinks, the first night they were still serving the second sitting after eleven PM and many more issues. Everyone on the Cruise received an apology and 25% of the money they had paid towards a future Cruise. We are taking ours on a short ten night cruise in May, hope they are still in business, I am even very annoyed at this next ( and probably last with FO ) as they reduced the price of the Cruise by £400 pp after we booked and they refuse to apply this to our booking, so much for early booking and customer loyalty, they did offer an "upgrade" but this has not been forthcoming as yet - I do not have much faith in them honouring this either. We went on a SAGA Cruise over Christmas and New Year and I urge all the Fred Olsen regulars to jump ship. What a difference, light years better all round, food, quality of drinks, entertainment, all balcony staterooms, free wi fi, included excursions, and tipping and of course brand new ships not old rusty honks and included travel to the ships from many parts of the country.

Agree - Shame as Fred used to be good.

We liked the adults only itineraries and the staff were really good and the pricing was more consistent.

We stopped when the adults only itineraries were no longer offered and the prices went berserk.

We went on Saga last year and agree with you - it was superb in every way.

Best put out of its misery I think.

Martha & Britboys - could I also ask - would you go again on Ambience and would you book anything on Ambition yet or would you wait for reviews ?

I’m considering booking for 2024.

thanks

10 hours ago, Flocat said:

Not sure how accurate this is, but I just saw on YouTube that Aurora isn't being sold and will have a major refit in 2025. As I say not sure how accurate this is but let's hope it's correct! 

Wow - I hope so 🤞 which YouTube channel ?

1 hour ago, Cristaltips said:

Personally, I prefer the no turn down. If it comes back, I’ll tell the cabin steward not to bother in the evening. 

That would be a good way of doing it - opt in or opt out at the start of the cruise.
Maybe if -as it seems - not too many want a turn down service they could bring it back just for those who want it - or have as a chargeable extra.

10 hours ago, Red Leicester said:

I'm sure I've read on here somewhere uproar at lack of afternoon tea yet most here are saying meh, not fussed.  

 

I have never been invited to a Cocktail Party so guessing Mrs RL and me fall into the not quite important pile.  If I was invited I probably wouldn't go anyway.  I'm all for a bit of loyalty though so any perks are worth it.  Take it or leave it.

 

The one I really don't get but causes adverse reaction is evening turndown.  Removing that has caused uproar, not just on here but on other sites / media too.  I have commented before that I just don't get what evening turndown is / was.  Maybe I'm of an upbringing or generation that lost out on this.  I can live without a second invasion of my room and the chocolate.  It gives the already hard working crew some rest.  

 

The one thing I hope is turned round is the quality of the custard in the smash n grab.  Awful on Britannia last September.  I'd take that over evening turndown any day.

It’s nice to go back to the cabin that has had a turn down service.  We miss it.
Would pay extra if that’s what’s needed as it makes the holiday experience special.

Don’t care about custard.

I would take turndown over custard any day.

8 minutes ago, smj777 said:

Is this new? I've been cruising with P&O for about 10 yrs and hadn't heard of it, although it seems like a good idea. Where can the tel. number be found?

It’s in the directory somewhere or possibly on a card left in the room - can’t remember exactly.

Yep - great idea. I used it every day for dinner wine order - and it worked !

Not sure when it was introduced.

5 minutes ago, smj777 said:

I see someone has mentioned 'The Wine Line'. I've not heard of this, can anyone explain please?

 

Telephone number (line) to order your wine 

On 1/20/2023 at 10:26 PM, davecttr said:

My smart phone does not have a SIM so it is not a phone but it is a very small portable computer, there is no way to make or receive a call or text. Apparently you CAN make an emergency call without a SIM. This is what confused me.

 

Never mind, I will find out next month. I only want to pre book The Beach House and The Olive Grove but apparently you can't do that before you board.

It’s possible to make calls and texts over the internet without a sim -  WiFi calling - text can be received and sent via iCloud if you have iPhone  .
Your phone may have an e-sim built in if it’s not too old - that’s  probably how the SOS call works.

What phone is it and model ?

all phones have either an e-sim built in or a SIM card slot or both.

Transatlantic is great - did Southampton to Barbados via Azores and Barcelona to Barbados via canaries and cape Verdi.

loved the Azores - love to do again some time.