mickrory

9 hours ago, cheshire said:

Just back from Arvia. Would we go again?  No!  Like many regular cruisers some of the new market P&o are attracting are not people I wish to associate with.  
 

epicurean saved us from walking off.  MDR food was average at best.  Celebration night was oddly the worst food.  Excellent breakfasts.  Service was generally very good indeed in all departments.   Brodies and club lounge after dark were simply avoided but in sea days those that frequented those venues were up by 6:30 reserving loungers.

 

smoking area on deck 18 was a no go area.  
 

overall p&o need to re assess which market they are in. 

My mate has just embarked on Arvia for his debut cruise. Hope he's behaving himself in Brodie's.

Greg many thanks for review and update, very helpful.

Okay thanks very much all, I've tried ringing cruise connect in Edinburgh several times this morning but I go into a queue for 10 minutes of deadly dull jazz music then they cut me off.

I'll try again first thing.

Taking advantage of P&O complimentary coach travel to Southampton for Arvia sailing on 14 May.

I phoned coach company when we made the booking weeks ago but can't remember when they said they'd forward confirmation.

Grateful if any seasoned coachers on here can advise me when this will happen ? TIA

3 hours ago, Balaena said:

Well well,  just as well one doesn't have to mix with you lot on a cruise .. unfortunately one does occasionally have to pass some as one walks down the corridor from ones rather special and expensive accommodation but Hey ho times have changed with the type of passenger who cruises these days. Sadly the offer can be so cheap and that it attracts folk who would previously gone to Butlins. Just my observation of course.

I'll wager the Butlins crowd spend more money on board than the snobs who spend most of the time cooped up in their overpriced suite.

Oh the irony.

1 hour ago, jake 26 said:

The US CDC has extended it's No Sail Order, due to expire July 24th, to September 30th.

Just seen that. Thought they'd have gone to 31/12/20 with Covid19 crisis in California and Florida.

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

Well, count us Brits out. The UK government advises against travel to Mexico,  so no insurance. Plus no flights either.  I imagine the same advice applies to travellers from all other European countries as well .

Us Brits aren't approved for travel to Portugal so US and Mexico are way down the line.

I see this expires tomorrow week. When are they expected to announce the inevitable extension to the end date?

Be interesting to see if Britannia sails empty to the Caribbean on 23/10.

If it doesn't Winter schedule will be severely disrupted.

Princess still selling Coral Panama Canal cruises for September and October.

Is anyone booking them?

May as well leave the ship moored in Southampton rather than sailing to nowhere.

You could disembark if you got fed up and go to Andy's local for a raucous night out.

The CDC ban expires on 24/7/20 so I expect we'll hear something stateside in the next couple of weeks.

Our final balance is due mid August for an October cruise out of San Pedro but we've no intention of traveling to the US while their infection rates are so high.

Going to hang fire for CDC update.

Only problem we found with it on a cloudy day it was very cool in there but when the sun was shining it was stifling.

Invalidates any insurance you have.

Curtains for any 2020 departures. How long can the cruise lines survive?

20 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

mickrory;  I received an email from Princess in May telling me my Oct New England/Canada cruise was cancelled.  Have you or your travel agent been notified of your Oct cruise being cancelled?

No Princess are still selling the cruise.

We're booked on a cruise sailing out of San Pedro on 16th October, Panama Canal on Coral to Fort Lauderdale.

Waiting for this cruise to be cancelled, it was paid for by FCCs from a previous curtailment in February. FCCS expire in February 2021.

We don't want to travel in light of Covid19 issues. Can anyone advise if I need to wait for Princess to cancel or can I go ahead and rebook penalty free now?

Will FCC's expiry date be extended because we don't really want to be near any cruise ship for at least 12 months.

If they discover a vaccine by this time next year how long will it take to immunise the UK population?

Tendering under the new arrangement will be fun.

Priority tendering tickets will be like gold dust.

Getting more and more pessimistic that cruising can recommence in 2021.

FCCs will be worthless.

Dr Anthony Fauci US CMO forecasting 100,000 new cases a day in US unless drastic steps taken immediately.

3 hours ago, the english lady said:

We have a cruise for next summer, that we transferred to from this april, on the assumption that all this would be done and dusted by then. 

I then read last night (pass as to where) some medical person said they thought the virus was something we would have to live with for years, and it wouldn't disappear like SARS did. The world would have to adjust its way of living to accomodate the virus.

That really depressed me, as does this thread. I hoped that things would be better next year, now I am not so sure. With Carnival UK making hundreds redundant in Southampton yesterday, I just feel there is a whole world out there that will not exist in a years time. 

It feels like we've been living with it for years already. I thought it was going to peter out but the infection rates worldwide are just too high.

Another spike in Melbourne when the Aussies thought they'd more or less eradicated it is very depressing.

The US have lifted their lockdown way to early with 70000 new cases a day.

Guess we've got to try and live with it, if that's the case cruising will be a term in the past tense sadly.

Can't see any Carnival Corp cruises going till  Spring 2021.

If they go too early and cop another outbreak it will effectively finish them.

No sign of a vaccine either, we probably have to live with this virus till it peters out and judging by the behaviour of some of my fellow countrymen in the UK who flock to beaches when the sun comes out , ignoring social distancing I can see this virus hanging around for many more months in England, particularly when we get a 2nd wave in the winter.

1 hour ago, mercury7289 said:

Do not understand your take on S75, taking a couple of months.

My experience was 8 days.

There are a number of similar posts all pointing in your direction, ie; Months.

But not the case for me.

My recommendations for the 100 plus club is to immediately seek redress this way.

Could take a lot longer through ABTA

 

Got another text off Nationwide telling me again they're snowed under with S75 requests and they'll contact me asap.

I submitted request on 26th May so already they've had a month and no white smoke.

In the grand scheme of things it's only £140 but be pleased if I get it back.

I booked my hotel via booking.com, still waiting for a refund and their customer services keep fobbing me of saying a senior manager is looking at it.

I've raised an S75 through Nationwide but that's going to take another couple of months.

What these companies need to understand is customers have long memories and booking.com have now lost our custom.

In future I'm booking direct with the hotel on refundable rates.

1 hour ago, PandNo Refund said:

Actioned a section 75 with my bank today. P&O are infuriating. Hope my bank sorts the refund out and there’s some sort of cost to P&O for them having to step in.

Raised an S75 myself last week with my bank that I pay £13 a month with and was told they've so many to deal with don't expect a response for at least 8 weeks and don't chase them up as they're very busy. Edited to add the S75 was against booking.com

23 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Looks like the cruise industry has now cancelled cruises thru October. 

Thanks for letting us know. I won't make my final payment next month.

Can you let Princess know as well please because this morning they're trying to sell me a drink, gratuity and internet package for our October sailing.