Teddy123

5 hours ago, FangedRose said:

Mine was for Aradia in July 2025. I booked on day of release. I haven't heard anything from my ta about a new booking confirmation. I guess the button was pushed a month early and the email was meant to be sent in September, not August.

No. The price of our 2025 British Isles cruise has been dropped by over £1,000 in line with the price for new bookings, and our TA has processed it all.

12 hours ago, Presto2 said:

You must be unique -- not being sarcastic. When did you sail as I've not yet heard anyone at all say it worked. We retire next year so want to book when you booked to avoid the chaos we had.

Worked perfectly last October (Ventura) and this April (Iona).  Joined queue in our cabin or elsewhere, got on with our lives (eg getting changed) and went to MDR when we knew there was a table for us. Much better than the "good old days" with a traipse down to MDR in the hope of a table, only to find the queue started at 5.30 or to get a pager that doesn't work in the cabin or many other locations.  (Table size may be a factor in how beneficial it is - "sharers" may be much more able to just walk in).  If P&O have dropped the "app" fleet-wide and permanently this will affect our decision of future cruises.

4 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

On Ventura it wasn’t used at all for the MDR’s. For some reason it was for the Glasshouse, the other restaurants could be booked online before we went. 
 

We did sign into it but only used it to check our onboard spend!

OK thanks. A retrograde step in my opinion.

A question: is the app now not used at all or just optional? (we think it's great). Thanks.

If you use a debit card you need TWICE the anticipated full amount of onboard expenditure in your bank account because every day Cunard puts on a reservation equal to the daily spend then at the end of the cruise makes a real charge for the full amount without removing the reservations. There are several threads here about the problem.

It's simple voice recognition - not AI at all.  The term AI is misused consistently in the media and elsewhere but there is very little AI in the world (or natural intelligence for that matter!).  Even the much publicised ChatGPT which is supposed to take over the world and make everyone redundant is mostly knowledge, not intelligence. 

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Also since brochure launch already has reduced price offers, then that could be why the extra OBC does not apply.

Double post

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Also since brochure launch already has reduced price offers, then that could be why the extra OBC does not apply.

I got the already-deducted 10% for a July 2025 booking plus the £100 OBC (not gloating, just for info).

I got the offer on a postcard after a recent Iona cruise.  A few days ago I booked a Select 16-night mini-suite cruise on Arcadia in 2025 and was surprised to get £100 OBC with the parking option, rather than the advertised zero OBC.  I'd forgotten the See You Again offer but I assume that's the reason.  All I did was book with my Peninsular Club number and the OBC appeared as if by magic.

5 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

In 12 cruises with P&O we have never had a problem Jane. We register one debit card on board and at the end of the cruise the money is taken from the bank about 3 or 4 days later. Maybe different banks work different ways. This was pre-covid of course.

Avril

Nothing to do with the way banks work - it's P&O (and Cunard). As was said at the beginning of this thread, any card (debit or credit) will be "charged" - albeit with pending transactions but these still eat up available balance - on a daily basis and then again with the full amount at the end, essentially "double charging" until the pending daily amounts "time out".  As Molecrochip says, P&O could release the holds when they take the full amount, but they don't (and erroneously blame the banks).

In the past, aware of this problem, I've used my Chase debit card (on Cunard so with the advantage of no extra charge for dollar transactions) after first making sure the account was in credit for twice what I expected the onboard account to be.  At 3% interest pa, this cost (2 x N) * 3% / 12 in lost interest, where N is the onboard account amount, allowing for the money to be tied up for a month. So 0.5% * N in lost interest, but 1% * N in cashback - ie twice as much and still a net gain. Admittedly, though, on my recent P&O cruise (in sterling) I just used my American Express card and got 0.5% back that way instead - much easier!

On 4/7/2023 at 9:00 PM, Megabear2 said:

Plant based is indeed popular but I can't recall any other "mainstream" cruise line, airline or hotel that has decided to drastically reduce its offering to the bulk of the UK population.  Currently it is an extremely small percentage of the population standing at 7.2% following an entirely meat free diet while 86% regularly include meat in their diet with the remainder being pescatarian etc.

The key number is not how many people sometimes eat meat (which may well be the 86% quoted), but how many ONLY eat meat, since only these are "barred" from a plant-based venue.  Surveys suggest 17% are "meat only" diners, so 83% might use a plant-based restaurant.  It works both ways: Epicurean has an extremely poor choice for vegetarians and possibly none for vegans, so it doesn't offer a "universally available option" either.  However, I suspect what problems there might be with MDR capacity are not down to either Green & Co or Epicurean.

21 minutes ago, GSPG said:

I was more of the mind of ‘stray’ missiles. Think Poland had a hit which killed a couple of people, and Poland appears further away ‘from the action’ than Estonia.

Not on my map! Poland borders Ukraine.  We are booked to go on the Baltic next year and my main concern is that P&O will cancel or change it unnecessarily!

Not just P&O.  Our June Cunard to North Cape has just had 2 of the 6 ports changed (although still going to North Cape) and now the fjords are missed out altogether. This happened just after the full balance had to be paid.

Just now, exlondoner said:

 Not sure the substitution of Haugesund counts as an injury, more a relief perhaps. And I’m sure the shore excursions will appear eventually. After all, it’s a while before June.

I agree about Haugesund but I consider the absence now of any sailing into the fjords as the injury and the simple inefficiency/carelessness of sending out a message saying trips are available when they aren't as the insult.

Yes, conveniently just after the full balance had to be paid.  And despite the claim otherwise, a new programme of shore excursions is NOT available on My Cunard.  Claiming there is just adds insult to injury.

12 hours ago, Amber14 said:

So it's okay to dance your own thing in the center of the floor?

Yes. The dance floor is for everyone to use as they wish.  One person's activity might cause a little inconvenience to others, but not as much inconvenience as is caused to somebody who feels they can't use the floor at all because of others' activity.  No person or group has the exclusive right to the floor.

It's obvious the only source is the OP's opinion of P&O.

Would anybody like to guess, based on previous years, when the April 2025 QV 7 night cruise to Lisbon might go on sale? If it's before the beginning of September this year I might transfer a deposit rather than losing it!  Thanks.

43 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

 

The yacht club or G32 are pretty well utilised and 'packed' on many nights outside Gala nights as well as on Gala evenings - so people who want to disco dance get the chance to do so most of the time.   Yes, the same folk will also come into the Queens Room to do it when a band is playing there - and for many it makes little difference whether it is the Queens Room or any other venue - in the past on party nights when it is recorded music in the Queens Room quite often the half dozen entertainment crew members on the floor moving to the music to encourage others to join has regularly not brought others onto the floor in large numbers - so it is the tribute bands and similar that people will jiggle to in that room.  I have also seen on a number of occasions on QM2 a band playing disco music in the ballroom, and a gaggle of people on the floor, but going across to use the bathroom at the entrance to G32 I have seen many more people in G32 to jiggle to the music in there than the number in the Queens Room itself!  On those occasions those who wish to disco dance have two venues available, and the ballroom dancers have none!

Well, I suppose a repeated description of anything but ballroom dancing as "jiggling" will let readers form their own judgement about at least some Cunard cruisers!

8 hours ago, need_a_holiday said:

Hi I have cruised P&O (Australia) and Cunard out of Sydney in the last 12 months.  I liked both cruises but they had their strengths and weaknesses.

Cunard strengths:

* Traditional English cruising events: usually favoured by over 50s but you can enjoyed daily afternoon tea ceremony.  Nightly ballroom dancing to live music and often singing.  Dressing up every evening after 6 and formal theme nights. 

* Food: probably the best food I have enjoyed on a cruise.  Went to Britannia dining most nights but the buffet was also very good.

* Liesurely sports: good facilities for things like lawn bowls and deck games.  Bridge in the card playing room.  Jigsaw table.

* Special performers: some good shows and insight talks.

* Enjoyable places to relax: love the design and furniture in most rooms.  Plenty of options to sit at a table and play cards in the card room or read a book in the library or sit at a window in the yacht club.

* Music: lots of high quality music across the ship.  The full ship big band is impressive.

 

Cunard weaknesses:

* Poor app: only really good for booking dinners.  Doesn't support onboard messaging or events or notifications.  

* Lack of fun ouside those traditional events: quite noticeable that most evenings there are ballroom events for a couple dozen older couples at time but when they had a rock and roll night and had open dancing on the floor there were a lot more people getting involved and dancing.  Pity they don't do that more often.  Only one kareoke event per week in the smallish Yacht Club.  Not many fun events - the triva and bingo was much smaller than other ships.  Not many big game shows or demos.

* Pricy: on Australian cruises in particular they have daily gratuities and 15% service charge added to all drinks.  Most Australian based cruise ships do not charge either.  Cocktails at US$12 and 15% gratuities are about 50% more than same drinks on P&O at AUD$12.  Most Cunard cruises over AUD$200 per day.  Some P&O cruises as lows a AUD$50 per day.

 

P&O strengths

* Having fun: excellent cruise director and staff.  Lots of daily events like funny trivia, funny game shows, kareoke nights and competitions.  Lots of chances to dance or sing or play social games.

* Kids entertainment: much better facilities for kids and teens - water slides, thrill events like flying fox, laser tag.  

P&O weaknesses:

* Food: worst food of any cruise line.  Dining room food was a constant disappointment, worse at times than most shore restuarants.  Buffet just blah.  Might have been because they were coming back from covid and staff were rusty.  Extra charge for room service or breakfast in bed.  Had a couple nice meals at the asian restuarant.  Restuarant booking process was a dogs breakfast due to the terrible app.

* Seating areas: just felt like a dodgy design in most areas of the ship with poor seating options and often overcrowded.  Probably only the two main theatres at each end were well designed everything else felt like it was shoehorned into a poorly laid out space.

 

My understanding is that P&O Australia and P&O UK are different brands and not necessarily totally comparable. However, I agree about the dancing on Cunard.  It's noticeable that on "ballroom nights" - typically 6 nights out of 7 or even 13 out of 14 on a cruise - the dance floor is often virtually empty, while on nights when anybody can have a go it's packed.  I estimate at least 4 times as many people participate when it's not ballroom. This should be telling Cunard something!

I am Caribbean and Diamond level with P&O and Cunard, and have also been on Celebrity, Princess and Holland America, so feel qualified to offer a comment based on extended experience - always a good idea.  Both lines are essentially British but offer somewhat different products, for (increasingly) different prices.  However, both products are essentially fine. Simply to describe one as better than the other is far too crude. Something much more nuanced is needed to really assess them, and the assessment will depend on an individual’s needs and perceptions for a particular cruise: in one context Cunard will be preferable, in another P&O.

We were on Ventura in October and I thought they did have the vegetarian menu then, but perhaps not (because it could be we just had the option on the standard menu). Shame if it's gone. It was certainly available on Queen Mary 2 in December, although Cunard vegetarian sausages are not as good as P&O's and they don't do vegetarian bacon.

We are largely vegetarian (but occasionally eat fish) and while the choice on "standard" menus is rather limited - as is true globally (Geneva is one of the most vegetarian-unfriendly places we've visited) - you should find that the main dining room at least has an additional, separate vegetarian menu if you ask for it.  Still not the same choice as for those who prefer dead animals, but it does extend the options.  I also enjoy the vegetarian sausages and bacon available at breakfast.

7 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

We went once on the Ventura, but only because our daughter was a "Headliner", not that we got anything special because of it.

 

Definitely not a patch on Cunard!

 

Food, service sea day entertainment, all better on Cunard.

 

Different clientele.

 

The only downside, is that drinks are more expensive on Cunard, but hey, you're on holiday.

I agree, but drink costs are not the only downside - eg identical excursions always cost more with Cunard and no gratuities on P&O.  We have done about 15 cruises on each of Cunard and P&O, and have just dumped a 5 night Cunard cruise in favour of a 12 night P&O one at the same time - for the same overall price (considering fare, tips, drinks, excursions, lost deposit).  The cabins are essentially the same (Queen Victoria Princess Grill/Ventura Superior Deluxe Balcony).  Dining is different, of course.

For us, even with a somewhat "inferior" experience, 12 nights at sea/6 ports with P&O is better value than 5 nights at sea/3 ports with Cunard for the same price.  Of course, others may think Cunard are so much better that 5 nights on board are worth 12 on P&O, but we now question whether the Cunard premium is value for money.

The OP seems happy with the Cunard price, and in that case, I would say certainly go for it.