BertieRulesOK

No idea I'm afraid as I didn't feel the drinks package was value for money. But as the staff just go to the adult pool bar to get drinks and take your card for payment, I imagine the drinks package would operate as normal. But seriously, think twice about the drinks package. Very restrictive and not good value, especially as you can take 1ltr alcohol per person on board to drink in the cabin.

I LOVE wheatbeer and always very disappointed that P&O does not stock it, not even in the "extensive" (cough, cough) range in the pub. The range of beer is very British focused and the few non-British beers are very unexciting. This compares to MSC which has three (three!) different wheatbeers and several of those as a standard draft option (amazeballs)... there is even a wheatbeer based aperol cocktail! I ended up drinking Crabbies on my cruise last week as an alternative when I wanted a longer drink. Worth mentioning that do at least have Thatchers. Luckily pubs on land normally understand the need for a pint of the creamy beer, so I wasn't completely deprived 😉

Just got off of the Britannia today and I had booked the Retreat all week. We had some gorgeous weather and so it was worth it to escape from the scrum on the main deck. The Retreat also has 50% of the hot tubs on the ship - 2 of 4. The two on main deck were always very busy. So, if good weather it is 100% the best investment you can make with a panoramic view from the front of the ship. Wet weather = unusable. They served healthy lunch and breakfast consisting of prepared salads - a meat and veg option. Also an afternoon scone! There was essentially a butler service for drinks from the bar (paid for) and an endless supply of tea, coffee and ice water (included). I LOVED it. Much assisted by the fact it was located by the adult pool for a swim and tge adult pool is actually a decent size. Meaning it was possible to have a good swim! No postage stamps here!

When i disembarked the Iona in May, the queue for the taxi rank was ridiculous. Those getting an Uber or equivalent was far quicker.

Thanks for the info! Were you able to book the day passes in advance or was it an on-the-day booking thing?

I am umming and erring over booking The Retreat for an upcoming Britannia cruise. You can only buy a week pass in advance. Has anyone had experience of buying it on board for just a day? If so, please could you share how booking on board works and if you can remember, what the daily price was? Many thanks!

I was on Iona in May. Used the app and never waited over 10mins for a table in a MDR. We were eating around 7-8pm. Spoke to others on ship who all had the same experience. It was no trouble at all. NB. Not in school holidays, but ship was reasonably full.

I booked a balcony cabin on a guarantee basis (can't remember what p&o call it). I though I would find out today where my cabin in, as they have just released embarkation times. But no joy! Any idea when I can expect to find out?

Thanks for your response. I was a bit confused by all the mentions of fixed dining as I have not been asked how I wish to dine. I was intending to make plans at solo meet ups, as you suggest... but that would be scuppered if I am assigned a fixed dining table all on my own.

Does anyone know what they do for seating with solos on guaranteed fare?

I saw Joe McEldry a couple of weeks back. He was really great and I was not really aware of him before.

I recently bought one of these and have found it quite useful: https://www.amazon.co.uk/telescoping-stool/s?k=telescoping+stool

This is a link to the P&O access info that you need use if you want to book assistance during your cruise. https://www.pocruises.com/accessibility If you don't want to go down this route, and as mentioned above, I have found using an Access Card often helps me skip a long queue. But this is obviously down to the discretion of the person you talk to. https://www.accesscard.online/

When I was there in April, it did lift, but only in time for sail away. So luckily we got specular views on the way out of the fjord. However, there were some grumpy ppl that night on the ship having shelled out £££ for excursions where they could not see a dickybird!

NB. Both trips are heavily impacted by weather. On my recent trip, there was no view from the skylight as it was completely cloud covered. The glacier was also barely visible.

I have issues specifically with standing still for periods of time, which makes me unable to queue for over 5 mins ish. Unfortunately, my disability is completely hidden and I often have to put up with ignorant members of the public making nasty comments. I have recently obtained an access card which I have used to skip some gnarly queues at ports. Nice to have something proving I need help without having to go into medical details. I also have a telescopic stool which I bring out on occasion when queuing may be unavoidable. Lack of seats around lifts on P&O was a issue I noticed on Iona and I am disappointed to learn Britannia is likely to be worse. Preparing myself to be told off daily for not giving precedence to those with visible disabilities....

Can you tell me if the KS tasting menu has a vegetarian option?

I'm not 100% how this works. Was he the only artist for the week?

For those who are within their 2 week booking window, or on Iona now/just got off - who have they got in the Limelight at the mo?

I'm doing my first P&O cruise in April. I am already planning a 40th P&O cruise trip for 2024. I understand you can book future cruises onboard and sometimes get better deals or extras like onboard credit. My question is whether anyone has experience of booking mulitple cabins this way? Does everyone in cabins benefit from freebies? Do you need all passengers info like DOB and passport no? Is this a terrible plan? Any tips greatly appreciated! Looking to book 5+ cabins.

From watching a lot of YouTube blogs and reading reviews on here, I suspect a lot of the negative attitudes of MSC come from ppl who pay MSC prices, but expect it to be the same standards as P&O or NCL. Either that, or they are people who booked it for a 'quiet break' during the school holidays! Ha! They did not manage their expectations and seem driven to find fault. Just IMHO obviously.

Driving in the UK, if you are not used to right-hand drive and windy, traffic-full roads could be a bad decision for visitors. Most of the locations mentioned on here are, however, very well served by the train network. UK trains are excellent (unlike America) as long as there is not a strike. So I'd recommend having a look at getting trains as a first option most places in the UK. And especially to Bath and Southampton.

I'm interested in cheaper trips or DIY excursions as I find it hard to justify the price of those offered by P&O. Any hints or tips?

I'm classic VC which gets 10% off thermal pass. I can't see anyway to get the discount online, so I presume it must be a on board perk/discount only. Which naturally leads to the question.... is the thermal pass more expensive to buy on board than online prior to the cruise (I know things like drinks packages increase in price onboard) taking into account 10% discount? Hoping someone has come across this before and knows the answer!

Just jumping on this thread to ask a related question. I'm trying to keep my on board spend as low as possible (within my OBC credit). I am aware you can take a litre each of alcohol on board plus soft drinks. Once you are on board, are there things like happy hours in some of the venues, or other pay-as-you-go drinks offers? NB I'm not interested in the drinks package due to the lack of choice and bad pricing.