nellydean

10 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

You don't need to purchase the internet package to use MyHoliday webpage on board to book tables in restaurants.

Thank you!

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

No need to buy an internet package. The My Holiday App is actually a number of web pages on the ships internal network. You connect to the ships WiFi and use your smart device, phone or tablet, to log onto the 'App', Works with Apple or Android

 

It is free

Many thanks!

Excuse me if I sound completely stupid asking this question but, as regards booking meals etc on the app, when onboard, does that mean you have to buy an internet package, or is the service free to everyone?

Thank you.

On 5/19/2023 at 10:54 PM, ohnonotmeagain said:

Whilst I'm delighted that have been given something in the "form" of compensation,even though it was through your personal contact, not HQ direct. it's the other passengers that DON'T have this support, I feel sorry for .Where do they go and who listens to them? While you can do something on board to resolve this  issues or just get the ball rolling,others seem to have nothing,no game plan,no friends in high places. Previously you indicated 30 cabins suffered from niose. I'm certainly NOT expecting you to resolve their problems but have they got any advocates? Does this sound harsh?????it's definitely not meant to come across that was.

It does sound a bit harsh to me. No, MB2 cannot advocate for the others, especially if, as you say, they don't have friends in high places, but what she is doing is, hopefully, going to help a lot more passengers in the future because, by highlighting all the issues, P&O surely will have to listen to her, and other complainants, and try to resolve them for future cruises. 

And, she did actually offer support to two ver elderly passengers, by getting them a taxi which, she, herself, was unable to use. I think she's gone overboard (excuse the pun) to be fair to P&O, while chronicling all the very many issues that have arisen - as I am only up to Friday's posts, I have no idea what, if anything, else occurs!

12 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Hi Helen.  Re Arvia apparently on this voyage if you choose to take a pager your average wait is around 1 1/2 hours from 6.30 joining- that's when the app starts taking bookings.  That information is based on at least 10 people telling me that today.  You can book in advance before leaving home for times between 5.30 and 6.30pm after that you will be on the app.  Because I'm already booked for all my dinners I've not used it for dinner.  However I have used it for breakfast and found it very good and quick.

 

Yesterday evening being Celebration Night they apparently shut down giving out pagers at 7.00pm - again just what I have been told by others.  I can confirm I left the Zenith restaurant at 8.15pm yesterday evening and there was no one queuing whereas on other nights there has been so I'm guessing it's correct.  There is a rumour circulating that a young mum with her two kids took a pager at 5.30pm and after an hour returned it because the boys were hungry and restless and she was worried they'd be a disturbance. As a result she ended up in the buffet in her finest with her son's in their psgenoy suits. As I say a rumour but I can confirm seeing a young lady trying to amuse 2 boys around 6.15pm outside the restaurant.

 

There's been mayhem on here today with dining/entertainment bookings being lost from the system - it happened on day 2 the first time and many haven't got them back. Tempers were getting quite flared at the 710 Club for the 8.45pm and more were being refused entry than let in.

 

Personally unless they sort out the reliability issue of the technology I would try to book everything in advance you can and keep a paper copy.  A couple I lunched with today showed me their app which had totally zilch in it and then a sheaf of papers quite clearly showing dining and entertainment reservations.  Even with this they'd been turned away from the show last night being told no seats.  That was completely wrong, I counted 40 seats in my area alone.

 

I'm sorry it's not really positive or clear. Really don't rely on a walk up and hope the app is working on your voyage is my only suggestion. Otherwise book and eat early.

Thanks for taking the time to explain, but it doesn't sound a very good system (at the moment, anyway), can you please tell me when you were able to start booking your dinner times, and if it only applies to the main dining rooms (and paid-for restaurants, obviously), or to all dining venues. It sounds like lots of hassle.

14 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Excellent. Just as we like it. No late night noise 😂 I went for a late night wander around all the outdoor areas on QM2 and I was the sole person on the top open decks and forward looking viewpoints. Quite a nice, if surreal, experience actually! 

Glad you enjoyed the peace and quiet, but I prefer my cruises to not be quite so Marie Celeste-like in the evenings 😃

Hi Megabear2,

Sorry to hear of all your trials and tribulations. Hope the rest of the trip goes smoothly.

A question for yourself or anyone else: We are on the Ventura in September and the Arvia next March. It's been a good few years since we last cruised with P&O, and I am a bit confused as to the eating arrangements. We paid for a select fare, with freedom dining, and were expecting to just wander up to one of the dining rooms around 7pm and, if no table was available, get a pager and wait to be called. But, it sounds different now, is that correct? If so, can someone please tell me how it all works. And about having to book for the evening entertainment also. 

Many thanks.

Helen

On 5/15/2023 at 6:44 PM, Selbourne said:

Interesting what you say about construction. With a few exceptions, when we cruise with P&O we hear noise from cabins both above and beside us (drawers opening and closing, TV if loud and sometimes even conversations). Sometimes enough to wake us. We were really struck on QM2 the other week that we didn’t hear a sound from outside the cabin. Not a dicky bird. I couldn’t help but wonder if the construction quality and, in particular, sound insulation, was better?  

No, it's just that everyone on Cunard ships is in bed by 10pm! Once, we dared to stay up past midnight and went out on deck on Victoria, only for an anxious-looking security guard asking if we were okay - maybe she thought the quietness of the place had driven us to contemplate jumping overboard😆!

Hi,

Very interested in a P&O Caribbean cruise next year, starting from Barbados, but can't decide if it's best to fly in and depart the following day (and have a full day in Barbados), or, fly in and board the same day, and leave the 2 days in Barbados to the end.

My question is, if we chose to have the overnight in Barbados at the end, would it give us two full days in Barbados, or would we have only one full day and then have to depart ship early for the airport the next? In other words, does it work our pretty much the same either way?

Many thanks.

Helen

Have had a few memorable moments, happily.

The first was on our very first cruise 21 years ago. We arrived in Naples to an absolutely beautiful sunrise coming up in the dip of a mountain. It was only when we thought about it that we realised that mountain was, in fact, Mount Vesuvius. 

Running it a close second was arrival into Valletta, with its golden glow. We were so close to the ancient city walls it was almost like we could touch them.

A third moment to treasure was throwing flowers into the wake as we passed over the exact spot where the Titanic lay. 

On September 19th, I found an email from P&O dated the 17th, saying our Caribbean cruise on the Azura Jan. 22nd 2021 had been cancelled, so I submitted a refund request for the deposit of £773.

I received a cheque in the post from Carnival today, 20 days later, which surprised me, as I expected it to go straight back to my account, but I am not complaining, and have already deposited said cheque with my bank this afternoon and hopefully it will go into my funds early next week. 

Good luck to everyone else waiting.

We've had two 40th anniversary cruises and a land holiday cancelled on us due to Covid this year. No way will we be booking anything new for 2021, never mind 2022. Late booking for us for the foreseeable future, which is a great shame, as the months of anticipation and preparation is half the enjoyment of a cruise.

32 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

I can't read that link as I don't subscribe, but I can't imagine they will have vaccine for the whole population by Easter.  They don't even have enough flu vaccine although i did get mine at Boots before they ran out.

We also got our flu vaccine at our local pharmacy, because every time I rang the surgery they said they had no idea when it would be available.

Ironically, a week after, we have just received notification from the surgery telling us it will be ready this Saturday. However, seeing as we have only been given a 3-hour window, and have to queue up with everyone else outside (probably in the rain and probably without many not keeping the advised 2 metres distance), we are glad we took the opportunity to have it done when we did. And it was still free, of course. Our youngest son is on the pharmacy list for when the vaccine for younger people becomes available. Our surgery is still closed, and has been next to useless during this pandemic.

Our 40th anniversary cruise from Hawaii to Tahiti should have set sail yesterday, so I wish you better luck next April with yours.

Received my cancellation notice today. Cruise was for January, so don't know if that means we'll have to wait a long time, or is the refund processed quite quickly once you have received the cancellation notice?

Found an email today from Thursday (had been away so missed it) saying our cruise to the Caribbean on Azura end of January has been cancelled, so have applied for a refund of the substantial deposit.

Very happy P&O has given me the option to get a refund before the balance due date. 

Would love to cruise next year, but can't commit at the moment, so this simplifies matters. 

On 8/20/2020 at 11:35 AM, PATRLR said:

My guess is Europe where they seem to have this thing under control and more importantly where people are generally much better behaved about this than they are in the US.  

Ha, if only that were true! We've had Brits defying lockdown for months, you know, the kind of people who don't think the rules apply to them.

The majority of the country has complied, but a sizeable minority has not, and the same goes for other European nations. It's why we are now seeing a rise in infections across the continent. Mostly caused by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and because more people are being tested, although we've personally seen loads of older people who don't wear masks, or don't wear them properly, making them virtually useless.

The bigger issue is whether this rise in cases is translating into a rise in hospital admissions and deaths which, fortunately, at the moment, does not appear to be the case.

As regards NCL, we've already had our 40th anniversary cruise cancelled, but have another one next summer, which we are hoping will go ahead. 

They were within their rights to kick this family off the ship, but we won't cruise again if this ships-only excursion rule its taken up by the cruise lines we usually sail with.

1/ because we sometimes just like to wander around in port, but 2/ mainly because if it is necessary then it still isn't safe enough. 

We can't even visit our son and family in Holland for the foreseeable because the Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel there, yet we have a constant stream of Brits moaning about having to cut short their holidays abroad because that particular country has been placed on a quarantine list. Yet they knew before they went that it was a risk to do so.

On 8/11/2020 at 2:10 PM, resistk said:

There was a reason why Princess was hit hardest by COVID of any cruise line.  I don't trust them to keep my family safe. 

I am not flying the flag for Princess, and I don't know what the situation was like in Japan with the Diamond but, as regards the Ruby Princess in Australia, I read an article the other day, where the NSW premier apologised for the mistakes made, after an enquiry found the authorities guilty of serious errors in handling the ship when it arrived, and allowing 2,500 passengers to disembark.

So, while mistakes have been made all round, it might be wise to wait until we get a greater overall picture which, like Covid itself, won't be for a good while yet, before writing off the cruise line altogether.

2 hours ago, nellydean said:

I cancelled our Jewel cruise end of September to Hawaii and the South Pacific, partly because our ncl cruise specialist in the U.K. could not guarantee it would run but, if it was cancelled, he said it probably wouldn’t be cancelled until after the balance due date in July.

 

One option he offered us was to rebook within a year any value cruise to sail by dec 21, and to keep the deposit in place. So we took that option.

 

I hope for other passengers in the US that the cruise does sail, but with it being a West coast US departure, and flights the way they are, plus the ongoing uncertainty over when the virus will dimish enough, it was too big a risk, and outlay, for us, especially as ncl has no similar cruise planned for that time next year, so taking a full balance future cruise credit wouldnt  have worked for us.

 

He said the chances of anything sailing in July were slim.

Sorry, we can book another cruise until Dec 2022, not Dec 21.

I cancelled our Jewel cruise end of September to Hawaii and the South Pacific, partly because our ncl cruise specialist in the U.K. could not guarantee it would run but, if it was cancelled, he said it probably wouldn’t be cancelled until after the balance due date in July.

One option he offered us was to rebook within a year any value cruise to sail by dec 21, and to keep the deposit in place. So we took that option.

I hope for other passengers in the US that the cruise does sail, but with it being a West coast US departure, and flights the way they are, plus the ongoing uncertainty over when the virus will dimish enough, it was too big a risk, and outlay, for us, especially as ncl has no similar cruise planned for that time next year, so taking a full balance future cruise credit wouldnt  have worked for us.

He said the chances of anything sailing in July were slim.

12 minutes ago, TrumpyNor said:

"If I understand it correctly, it was the COMBINATION of bad weather AND no engine power, that caused the dramatic situation. Rough seas along the Norwegian coast (especially during the winter) is a very common thing, and usually does NOT cause any serious situations like this.

 

I see that several here on CC are «pointing fingers» regarding the situation and the decisions made on board by the captain – but the majority of reports from passengers who were on board are actually the opposite, they are praising both the captain and the crew that handled everything in an excellent manner when in a very bad situation."

 

 

I am not questioning the reaction of the captain, or crew, AFTER the event but, obviously, there will need to be an investigation, to see what caused this situation, that may have had tragic consequences.

 

I am no engineer, but could the engine failure have had anything to do with the ship being battered by rough seas?

 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/viking-sky-what-happened-storm-norway-emergency-evacuation-coast-a8837371.html

This a report by Simon Calder, a very well respected British travel correspondent.

I think questions need to be asked why the ship continued her journey, considering the forecast was so bad, and especially as I read elsewhere that another ship stayed in port.

On 3/1/2019 at 6:58 PM, katrina915 said:

So it was a publicity stunt for this "actress"?

With looks like that, she doesn't need any publicity stunt. 

Think the video says more about the person who filmed this couple for 6 minutes

Recently off the Royal and, although I wasn't expecting a full deck promenade, I can't see the point in having the bits they do have as we couldn't use them properly when we wanted to, which was mostly after dinner, when we like a stroll/sit down on the prom deck. The rattan chairs in one area were tied up every day at 5-5.30pm sharp, plus, there were horribly strong lights under the rails that made it impossible to sit there without them shining in your eyes, or, on the wooden chairs further up that were left out in the evenings. Not to mention it was open to the elements. The busiest it ever was was on embarkation and disembarkation days.

I guess princess likes to encourage people to stay inside and spend more money