waggie

4 minutes ago, lv2cruisgrl said:

I wish when people find a price break and they get a reduced price they would mention the cruise date and name of ship. Even though I know it could effect different sailings would be interesting to see where people are getting the reduced amounts. Just saying...

Eclipse March 14-26 South America- prices now better than I got- good luck!

Pleased to read that some of you have retained any benefits when there is a price drop. We booked for this March on 28 December 2023 with final payment  04 January 2024- barely a week. Two weeks later a price drop over almost £1000- but no refund as it was after final payment. 17 cruises with Celebrity ( Elite+ too) and when I asked if they would give some obc towards excursions - which they would also benefit from- no!

I wish I had listened to the wise owls here- don’t look at the price after final payment but be happy with what you have booked!

16 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

When do you go Waggie? We were told all London flights are from Gatwick for the winter season to Canaries 😱

We leave on January 5th. We were on the Gatwick charter but when they moved the flight to later the return was very late. I asked our TA if there was an alternative and was pleasantly surprised that our local scheduled flight had space - P&O kindly moved us. I am not sure about the transfer to and from the ship as our flight times are different to yours, but we will wait and see. Compared to your cot and drink package issues with the cruise this has been simple!

8 hours ago, sweep2907 said:

Summary

 

Although I tend to cruide with Celebrity these days, I am still a fan of P&O and this was my first cruise on P&O for 12 months since Ventura and Britannia.

 

Have to say food in MDRs was excellent and a lot better than the other ships mentioned a year earlier. Epicurean was as good a meal as I'd had in that venue ever as was Glasshouse.

 

As mentioned the moodiness or lack of warmth from staff in MDRs was noticeable this cruise and a far far cry from the interaction you get on celebrity. I've never experienced this before on P&O and wonder if the company are not looking after them as well??

 

For what we paid the cruise was amazing value, and I wouldn't hesitate to do this cruise again every winter! Azura and ventura remain my favorite ships in the fleet. I asked a lot of other passengers about Arvia and was put off from trying it so for now will stick with the older ships in the fleet. Well done P&O for a great cruise with good entertainment all round, good food and overall a positive experience. 8/10 

Thank you for such an informative review - we are new to P&O having cruised exclusively with Celebrity. I am doing my best to stay open-minded and have got a lot from yours, and other cruisers comments. Flying to the Canaries for a bit of winter sunshine has to be good - and so far P&O  and our TA have been good to deal with. We are on a scheduled Jet2 from Stansted, our local airport  and I hope that works well. Thanks again and have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year. Ruth

11 minutes ago, sweep2907 said:

Sindhu is per item. EPICUREAN is one fee £30 pp from memory but superb! Beach House adds extra for things like steaks or seafood kebab. Glasshouse per items and just turn up.

You have been so helpful- hopefully for others too. Epicurean was £24 pp. and Beach House was £7.60 pp. yesterday. I can’t wait!

7 hours ago, sweep2907 said:

Yes pay per item. 

Hi, I booked last night when the booking opened - is it a deposit for all the restaurants ?- it read as if only Sindhu was price per item, but the majority of dishes on the other menus were included in the price I paid. Have I misunderstood?

Just to let you know - booking is now open for the speciality restaurants. There were IT problems for a while, but all okay now!

3 minutes ago, sweep2907 said:

You just turn up glasshouse and can't book but a must try. Other big one is Epicurean,they book up fast but worth every penny of £30pp. Not done Beach House this time but usually good meal. I personally love Sindhu as lover of Indian food. Epicurean and Glasshouse if had to choose two. Will open up 14 days before.

Thanks - really helpful. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Thanks so much- new to P&O and joining Azura on Friday 5 January.Glad to read that you can take coke onboard from ports of call not just embarkation. Hoping to ‘ ‘ get a look in’ for speciality dining when booking opens- any tips?

1 minute ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I'd like to try Hopton at some point. From what I've heard, Hopton is a bit bigger than Five Lakes, but both places have loyal followings. 

 

If visiting Fives Lakes another time, I think we'd go to Colchester Zoo, as it looks to be only a 15 minute drive away

Hopton is a lot more established too. The zoo is wonderful.

I agree with everything said here- just returned from a 4 night break at Potters Hopton and cannot fault it. From the friendly welcome to the warmth of the bungalows- terrific.
We live in Colchester so will try Five Lakes in the spring.

Dermotsgirl- let me know if there is anything particular you want to do in Colchester, I would be happy to help.

That is a shame. I had a similar issue about selecting seats and had  a chat with P&O who gave me a website address that was not correct, but by looking back through CC I found one that worked. We are on a scheduled Jet2  flight and were able to access it today - 59 days before we fly and today  were able to book seats, and/or book a meal and/or  extra baggage. the website we used was:www jet2.com/pocruises. I hope it works for others.

Cruisers might be interested to know that we will be in Santa Cruz for Three Kings Day

Visitors to Spain will know how lively these occasions can be! As they are often public holidays it might be worth considering any plans you had that day!

Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes Magos) is a Christian holiday that celebrates the Epiphany, which marks the arrival of the biblical Three Kings on their way to Bethlehem 12 days after Christmas Day. Many cities in Spain hold grand parades on January 5th, the day before the Epiphany. This might be the case as 6th. is a Sunday.

We will also disembarking on the start of the Santa Cruz carnival but I imagine we will be heading to the airport before the fun begins.

6 hours ago, BettyCruiser said:

Last year we did Sky Princess Norway to the Arctic Circle, not Midnight Sun it was August and this year we did Iceland. I would go back to Norway but don’t feel the need to go back to Iceland. So I recommend the Sky to Norway.

Thanks- Iceland seemed a lot of sea but  the main places could  be enjoyed on a land tour!  

We had the same decision to make and have gone for Land of the Midnight Sun on Sky. This will be our first Princess cruise after many years on Celebrity. 
One comment- I think we dock in Zeebrugge not Brussels- a short distance from beautiful Bruges.

Hi, yes, they are the new times. It was 09.30 out, and 14.50 back. Late evening return is not great, so hoping we don’t have to hang around at the airport all day.

Also jet2 from Stansted would be better!

See you there!

Ruth

20 minutes ago, amurray88 said:

Can I check,when you say they've just moved your flight...was it already scheduled for a certain time and they've now changed the time? If so, can I ask, what date are you going and what city are you flying into afterwards?

Thanks!

Anthony

Hi, we are flying London Gatwick to Tenerife Jet2 charter  on 5th. and returning on 12th. - both times later than original. Notification from our TA yesterday, but I had discovered it on Saturday when I selected my seats. Already booked parking so had to change that too- no use planning ahead!

Thank you for asking- I am a P&O newbie. our flight has just moved to early evening (Tenerife 12 January) and I was wondering what happens. The airport has restaurants etc. but  I cannot find a left luggage facility, so this would mean having luggage with us..

I hope the chance to stay in public areas on the ship until they transfer us is offered.

7 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Mini suite will not have a bar set up unless you are Elite level.

 

In terms of kettles and coffee/tea set up on Princess cruises, we have only seen them on our cruises out of Southampton. We have never had them in our cabin on any of our other Princess cruises outside of the UK. I would imagine you can ask your room steward if they can supply one, but Princess ships outside the UK market may not have them available for passengers.

Thank you - we are sailing out of Southampton, so the kettle etc. should be there.

On 9/28/2023 at 8:00 PM, Hampshire Steve said:

Princess say the same but we ignore that rule as we do for P&O - No tutting please!

 

Boarding in Southampton, if packing it well within your cases nobody is there to police it, same from a steward point of view, they won't tell. Might be a different story for carry-ons.

 

Mini bar set up for us this time, currently in a suite on Sky, was 4 small bottles of Whisky, 4 of Vodka, 2 bottles of Peroni, 2 cans Sprite, 2 cans Coke and bottled water. The water is replaced daily but not the other items.

 

(By the way the Skynet internet connection is well worth the money)

 

Hi, another Princess newbie here! We have a mini suite booked on Sky next June, will we have a bar set up?

 Complimentary cappuccino, latte, espresso, and tea throughout

just checked the website- still showing as complimentary throughout!

Yet again, confusion reigns.

The shows were 7pm and 9 pm last month - and last about an hour. Get there early for good seats!

We have just returned from the 10-20 July cruise and flew via Bologna ( booked through Celebrity) stayed a couple of nights in this beautiful city then returned to the airport to pick up the Celebrity transfer. We have been to Venice so thought this would be a good way to visit somewhere else and it is a shorter transfer to the port!

A couple of points worth noting:

1. there is currently no luggage store at Bologna airport -suspended with no plan to re-open. The Celebrity transfer got us back there by 09.15 for a 19.00 flight- the original idea was to drop the luggage and take the express into the city for the day.

.2.

As the weather was so hot I decided to book a Day room at the airport hotel and returned refreshed in time to check in. Unfortunately several people had been stuck at the airport all day with their luggage  and few places to sit- they looked exhausted.

I had mentioned my plan to Celebrity in the hope that they might share the information with anyone else using the transfer- sadly not!

Would I use Ravenna again? Yes, but push for earlier return flights!

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

The message was written in a tone that would allow the quote to be used by Plusgrade in its marketing docs. It's not personal, it's just business.

I will strike it off my list of personal!  Thanks for your reply - 

4 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Appalled? Not at all. The quote is marketing for Plusgrade, not for Celebrity. Also, no one is forcing anyone to bid on upgrades.

3 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I do not see it in the same way, but it is perfectly OK for customers not to participate.

 

Seems like a fair system where most people get to decide if they wish to participate.  A win/win IMO.  
 

I never liked the idea of Celebrity lower the prices during the last month and not allowing everyone to reduce their price.  
 

By the way most likely the process solicits bids on unavailable categories is for last minute cancellation and if someone moves up creating an opening.

 

Great change being adopted by an increasing number of cruise lines.

 

 

I agree with both you and RichYak in that no-one is forced to join in and for many it is a win/win- it is the tone of the message that was my issue. The cruise in question is in 13 days time, and I will be staying with what I chose. I suspect there will be more posts - at least no-one will say I am nickel and diming!