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57 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

There again i've never seen a two litre bottle of squash look anything like a bottle of spirits.

Not one two litre bottle, but two litre bottles (plural). 

11 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

It's not about Arvia it's about the world changing and people's dining habits changing 

 

Which is happening

It isn’t, which is why there has been the well reported closure of many vegan restaurants. 

On 5/31/2024 at 8:07 PM, sweep2907 said:

To clarify, bottles.were confiscated from suitcases and passenger was called to reception. 

When I boarded Arvia a week ago nobody questioned or asked to look at the two litre bottles of squash that was in my hand luggage, so maybe it is selective checks. 

On 5/31/2024 at 8:29 PM, Interestedcruisefan said:

Green and Co was more than half full when we visited

Well it isn’t on this cruise, and half full on some cruises and less on others is hardly a success. 
 

On 5/31/2024 at 8:29 PM, Interestedcruisefan said:

I think the longer it goes the busier it will get

And how many years has Arvia been sailing…

52 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Perhaps the queues at the bars are people getting most out of drink package.

That is still a success for P&O getting people to spend, and spend heavily, as the drinks packages are damned expensive. 
 

54 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

However, given that extra cost speciality dining is booked very quickly,  I  can't imagine it becoming another inclusive dining venue.  However all P&O ships need a high quality fish restaurant,  which will be very popular. 

A high quality fish restaurant being popular? No chance - there are damn all of those in the UK, so it is incredibly unlikely such a restaurant would appeal to those onboard, the same as a vegan/vegetarian restaurant isn’t. 

On 5/29/2024 at 9:20 AM, Interestedcruisefan said:

Mizhuana and Green and Co were great meals. It's great to eat meals and actually feel healthier at the end of the meal than when you started!

Frankly I can’t see P&O keeping that location with its current menu for the long term. 
 

When I walked past at lunchtime yesterday there were fewer than ten people eating there and at 8pm in the evening there were only around a dozen - and that’s in a venue capable of seating more than a hundred and would be packed as the equivalent Olive Grove on Iona - it certainly isn’t earning its keep. 
 

And that isn’t because people on board are not spending, because I have never seen queues for the bars like it with them being 20 people long - the tills are going ‘brrrr’ 

On 5/28/2024 at 5:47 PM, Interestedcruisefan said:

So MDR lunch is good?

Yes. 
 

The choice is far wider than the full ‘roast meat and two veg’ that the dinner menu is, and for example yesterday I had a delicious beef rogan josh, that had some interesting flavours and obviously had been cooked slow and long so the meat was falling apart. 

25 minutes ago, daiB said:

But it is free, on Arvia, on Iona it is a paying restaurant.

Not quite. On Iona a small number of items have a supplement, but most don’t. 

19 hours ago, posford said:

Not wanting to emulate Selbourne or Tiger or all the other excellent reporters, I will give my honest review of my latest cruise.

 

Overall, really enjoyed the cruise.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation,leaving the ship in port/returning to the ship in port. Absolutely fantastic and seamless.

Embarked 11.45, disembarked 7.45, absolutely no problems.

 

Food.

MDR dinner mainly very good. celebration nights fantastic.

MDR breakfasts, often dried up, not as good as Iona.

Olive Grove, absolutely fantastic.

Beach House, dire. Had our prepaid cost reimbursed. Head waiter, who recognised us from numerous cruises apologised for the food as said it was “not very good”.

Absolutely awful.

Loyalty embarkation lunch, absolutely excellent.

Loyalty portunius lunch dire. All three mains choices absolutely drenched in garlic. No cheese and biscuits as a desert. Had to insist on this and they were supplied. Loyalty manager was not interested in any feedback saying “it was a shoreside decision”

 

Entetainment, average. The Priverteers, who I was looking forward to did not turn up so the entertainment was down to the shows that we have already seen.  The pianist, Henderson Treble, was a good pianist but a poor singer.

 

Seadays were enhanced by having a couple of talks/interviews with Ollie Smith and Tom Parker-Bowles, very entertaining.

Lovely weather mostly to sit on the balcony, always a joy.

 

New alcohol policy, no comment.

 

Summary.

As an oldie, in my 70s, I really enjoy the big ships. Cabins large and new and furniture in all the venues new.

Andersons, lovely for late morning coffee, never packed.

 

Staff.

Had same table every night at 8.00, easy if you ask nicely.

Waiter and assistant waiter, fantastic. Two of the very best ever.

Cabin steward, absolutely useless. Always forgetting something.

Some days biscuits, some days not, some days towels some days not. One day Six facecloth,

other days towels hung on shower to dry. Made us laugh as he did try but was not very good.

Always a trial to get toilet rolls.

Captain Camby, very good, loads of info given every day.

 

These 2 new ships are very stable. Even in extremely bad weather they ride the seas very well.

 

 Looking forward to my 2 cruises on Iona in the Autumn.

 

Shame about the very poor itineraries going forward.

 

 

Currently sat on Arvia and agree with most points, but not all. 
 

MDR evening meals are as usual not as good as the MDR lunchtime meals, both a poorer selection and a more rushed delivery - I guess they are just under more pressure in the evenings. 
 

Disappointing that the version of the Olive Grove is not the same as Iona, so the same menu as the MDR at lunchtimes which reduces choice. And then the evening menu is a ‘dumbed down’ version of that on Iona, presumably because the food is prepared in the MDR kitchen and not a dedicated kitchen. 

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

A Coruña.  Do I win a prize?.

Well my prize was this!

A beautiful day here, the location of which I am sure some will be able to identify. 
 

18 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

No you are wrong you have to have at least 3 months validity on your passport when returning to the UK from your holiday. If you haven't you will be denied boarding in the UK at the start of your holiday. This is all from date of issue plus 10yrs. The extension is no longer an option. Everybody's passport runs out 10yrs from date of issue and has to have 3 months or more validity on that date or will be denied boarding.

Sorry, but you are utterly, utterly wrong.

There are two completely separate rules that are independent of each other.

Rule 1 - Was your passport issued within the last ten years

Rule 2 - Is your passport valid for three months after the date you intend leaving the EU.

The two rules are not related, and an expiry date is an expiry date irrespective of when the passport was issued.

A passport issued on 11 Jan 2016 that expires 11 October 2026 complies with rule 1 all the way up to 10 Jan 2026.

A passport with an expiry date of 11 October 2026 complies with rule 2 until someone is returning up to 10 July 2026.

Thus someone could travel on that passport on the 10th January 2026 for three months travel to the EU and return on the 9th April 2026 and it would be perfectly fine as there was more than three months before the passport expired.

However would I suggest that someone did that - no I would not, because it is quite possible that someone with such a passport might encounter someone at an airport or cruise port check-in desk who has a poor level of training and so has the same misunderstanding of the rules that you do.

22 hours ago, Denarius said:

All this seems very tedious. P&O overcomplicating things again? I sail mainly with another line. When I book I am asked whether I will be in need of any mobility assistance under any foreseeable circumstances during the cruise. I answer (truthfully) no, but should I have answered yes I presume that further questions would have been asked. My booking confirmation then includes a specific section headed "Assisance" which states (in my circumstances) "We confirm that you have declined any assistance throughout your cruise. We therefore confirm that you will make your own way on board the ship upon your arrival and are happy not to receive mobility assistance at any point during your cruise." Clear and simple.

The part I have bolded is interesting phrasing - Do they really mean "declined" as opposed to 'not required'.

On the cruise line you sail with, can someone 'decline' assistance and if someone 'declined' any assistance even though it was likely they would need it in an emergency, would the ship's crew say "bye" and simply let the passenger drown? I rather doubt it, and it is likely that they would put themselves at risk trying to evacuate the passenger even though they didn't have the staff numbers to do it.

Is that fair to the ship's crew putting them at that risk?

To reduce the risk to the crew and protect passengers from themselves, P&O seems to be taking the position that in some specific circumstances such as asking to rent a wheelchair during the cruise or turning up with an undeclared wheelchair, that whatever you say they consider that it is likely you will need mobility assistance in the event of an emergency and they won't let you board unless they have capacity for the crew to safely provide it without risk to themselves.

Is that a sensible approach - personally I would say yes.

1 hour ago, david63 said:

No because the way the system operates at the moment is that no form completed = no issues - until you get to the port and then the problems start.

You said that every passenger needed to complete the form. If that was true then a passenger who didn't complete the form would not have complied with the requirements to board so would be denied.

You are not seeing thousands of people denied because it isn't necessary for every passenger to complete the form, only those that cannot evacuate unaided.

28 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Yes of course any sensible person would see that that is the best way to guarantee that the correct information is collected from everyone.

It is sensible to collect detailed information from every passenger? That's going to be fun for P&O when they need to recruit hundreds of new staff to review all those forms.

6 minutes ago, david63 said:

The pop-up may say that but the form says differently.

If that was the case then 99% of the customers would be denied boarding for not completing the form.

21 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Tender tests are generally conducted in private,

Not on the many ships I have been on they haven't been.

5 minutes ago, happy v said:

Everyone does. On all new bookings you are asked if you have any problems which may need assistance. If the answer is no, you are done. If it is yes you will then have to answer further questions 

 

So exactly the same as now and no change?

1 minute ago, david63 said:

Every passenger is supposed to do that now - with the first question being Do you need assistance Yes?No - if "no" then end of form and job done, tales all of 10 seconds.

The pop up asks you to complete the pre-registration if you need assistance. If you don't then there is no form to complete.

3 minutes ago, david63 said:

I would question that there are less than 1% of passengers who would need to complete the form - in my experience I would put it nearer 30% and that is only those with visible disabilities - probably more with hidden disabilities.

Quite possibly, but that just means that even more people should be challenged and even more hassle for P&O when they enforce the safety procedures.

1 minute ago, david63 said:

The completion of the form is done by all passengers at the time of, and as part of, the booking and the booking is not confirmed unless the form has been completed.

You want every passenger on board to complete an accessibility needs form, 99%+ pointlessly doing so, and with the vast majority of the remaining <1% doing so anyway, just to capture the one or two people who either didn't follow the instructions or had a poor travel agent.

Hmmm...

15 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Not everyone is proficient at using online tools, websites and emails. 

I know my mother has no idea what she is doing online, hence why she books through a TA. 

Are all TAs doing that though? Some are good some are bad. 

I agree people need to take responsibility for their actions, as long as they have been informed. 

And so the blame is with the travel agent, not P&O, and the only solution to that is either P&O stop selling through travel agents (not going to happen) or to email every single passenger to make sure they don't need assistance, which is many thousands of people being bombarded with irrelevant emails.

17 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

However he had completed his form and they'd accepted him - he had an email stating so.

As before, damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Do they simply accept the word of the person in front of them that they can manage the stairs in an emergency when they only have one leg, and then find out when the ship is sinking that they were not telling the truth, and afterwards everyone would say 'didn't you check they could'?

It is just the same as the test to see if people can actually step over the gap to get into the tenders - that was introduced because people said they could when they couldn't and either they or the the crew trying to save them drowned as a result.

9 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

however it needs to be better handled and advertised and then chased up by P&O. 

When booking via the P&O website there is a pop-up page that clearly states that you need to pre-register for assistance.

When I book through my travel agent they read a script that includes specific questions to determine if pre-registering for assistance is required.

Now if some people are not reading these screens or listening to what their travel agent says then who is to blame? And what more could P&O do? Keep emailing everyone and asking "are you sure" multiple times?

Now there is a slight possibility that someone booked through a travel agent that didn't follow the script and ask the questions, but that is an issue with the travel agent and not P&O.

41 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I'll never forget my one legged man on Arvia last year who was forced through humiliating displays of going up and down stairs for the medical officer with and without his crutch. Took them 40 minutes to decide he could board after refusing to let him on.

Damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

P&O let them on without any questions or checks and it transpires that they cannot manage the stairs when the ship is sinking and they will get the blame. P&O check that they can manage the stairs in an emergency and they are cruel and heartless.

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

This issue is getting topical across the country.  Google feed this morning:

 

https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/people/i-felt-humiliated-po-cruise-deny-boarding-for-disabled-customer-from-flitwick-over-form-row-4627629

And there is the issue - do people actually read and follow instructions.

"He said: “P&O said they had sent me emails twice – but I’ve checked it online 30 times. I said I have done everything right.""

and the counter from P&O

“The on board needs questionnaire is on My P&O Cruises (our online portal) to be completed – it is not sent out by email. It is also very clear on the front page of My P&O Cruises that this is to be completed if needed.

“If Mr Ashton was booked in an accessible cabin, he or his agent will have been sent emails prompting him to login to My P&O Cruises to complete the questionnaire.

“We do advise on our website that wheelchairs/mobility scooters must be declared or they will be denied boarding. It is also within clause 21 of the booking conditions.”

However if P&O actually said this - 

He said: "They were willing to let me on board but without the wheelchair."

Then P&O are complete idiots, as someone not having a wheelchair that they normally use doesn't mean that they are suddenly able to climb stairs and not need assistance during evacuation!

3 minutes ago, david63 said:

And therein lies another problem. How will the "helper" know where to find the passenger?

Most emergencies are not that sudden and people are sent to their cabins to wait instructions.

If it is an emergency along the lines of the MS Estonia then even able bodied will need the luck of the gods to survive.

2 hours ago, nosapphire said:

re-reading the post, the OP seems to say that they do not NEED a wheelchair to move around the ship, but it makes their life more comfortable.

The OP has also said that they would be able to make their own independent way to the muster station in the event of an emergency, so do not require an evacuation chair.

I am not sure about that.

16 hours ago, JollyMia said:

I can walk, not great and my balance is very poor but I can manage over short distances.

Do you really think that indicates someone who could get to a muster station unaided when there is an actual need to get to the muster station?

Depending where they are on the ship when they need to go there it could mean climbing or descending many flights of stairs, and in circumstances when the muster station is actually needed and everyone is abandoning ship then climbing or descending those flights of stairs is likely to be in rather sub-optimal conditions.

And that is why it indicates something seriously wrong, or certainly a serious disconnect between the teams, because if the P&O policy is that if you need a wheelchair for whatever reason even if that reason is just for comfort but that means you need an evacuation chair because P&O don't believe you will be up to evacuating independently, then the response from P&O to someone wanting to rent a chair when the evacuation spaces are full should not be "sorry we won't rent you a chair because the evacuation spaces are full" it should have been "sorry we won't rent you a chair because you won't need one as we will not let you board because the evacuation spaces are full".

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Something has clearly gone awry

Something has, because as I said before, refusing to rent someone a wheelchair who needs one because the evacuation facilities are full and your policy is that anyone who asks for a wheelchair needs evacuation facilities, means that the passenger doesn't have the wheelchair they need and they have a passenger they cannot evacuate because there are no facilities.

12 hours ago, JollyMia said:

I booked my cruise in January paid my deposit, a few days later began filling the P&O cruise planner and onboard needs questionnaire.l have progressive Multiple Sclerosis, I can walk, not great and my balance is very poor but I can manage over short distances.

I sympathise greatly with you, but did those health issues not cause pause for thought when you read the assistance requirements that you have to agree to when booking (with my bolding)?

"In the unlikely event of an emergency, it is important we have sufficient and specific support for guests who require additional assistance, and we have advance notice of this. Please read the following declaration of assistance needs for your voyage, even if you are travelling with someone who can support you. Guests who are unable to get to their assembly stations independently (which could involve several flights of stairs as lifts will not be available) due to a disability, health, or mental capacity must be pre-registered for assistance to ensure we have sufficient support. Failure to provide this could result in being denied boarding at your own expense. If you do require assistance using the below statements, please advise us of the level of assistance required. Someone to guide and steady me on the stairs (121 assistance) For anyone bringing a mobility aid this is a recommended minimum requirement. I'm unable to use stairs (emergency evacuation chair) For anyone who is a full /part time wheelchair or mobility scooter user this is a mandatory requirement."

If your balance is poor and you can only manage short distances then could you manage several flights of stairs independently without assistance from anyone, including anyone you are travelling with?

Plus keeping in mind that this might be using the crew evacuation stairs in sub-optimal conditions if it is an emergency that requires everyone off the ship and into the lifeboats.

12 hours ago, JollyMia said:

Today less than 4 weeks before departure I received an email from P&O informing me that I can’t have a wheelchair for use on the cruise because all of the evacuation chairs are full.

Denying boarding to someone who didn't notify that they needed assistance and those facilities are full is sensible, even if it might not appear so at the time to the individual concerned.

However refusing to rent someone a wheelchair who needs one because the evacuation facilities are full is illogical as that is the worst of both worlds - a passenger that doesn't have a wheelchair they need and a passenger cannot evacuate because there are no facilities.

If P&O's policy is that if an individual wants to rent (or bring) a wheelchair then because of that the individual has demonstrated from that fact that they will need assistance in an emergency whatever they say, then either they should be added to that evacuation list or if they didn't notify and those facilities are full then they should be denied boarding, not that P&O won't rent them a wheelchair!

1 hour ago, S1971 said:

I remain of the opinion that this is purely profit lead

Ironically the change will likely lead to lower revenue for P&O from me.

Unlike a lot of people, I am pretty varied in the type of cabin I will book, taking into account a whole variety of factor, such as route, time of year - and one factor in the past that has influenced me to book a balcony cabin has been the ability to sit out on it early evening before dinner with a drink.

Now if that ability is restricted (and yes I know that for the moment you can buy a bottle for the cabin - but frankly how long is that going to last before it changes) then as a factor in weighing up whether to book a more expensive balcony then it carries less weight.