geecee1

On 10/30/2019 at 9:03 AM, so,ton saint said:

 

 

Hi 2BAC yep fill the same we love our Caribbean cruise and stays have had many over three ships over the years, this year we have jumped ship and doing a Virgin come Carnival cruise and stay from Barbados on the Fascination all-inclusive hotel and a lot cheaper, my wife does not drink so i will pay as i go along  PS did get $50 bucks on board spend.

Could not agree more. We like to book late and were interested in Marella for early  December 2019. Current prices for a 14 night cruise on Explorer 2 (inside cabin) on 1st December £3167 for two people. P&O have a 14 night cruise on Azura (inside cabin) on 29th November £2198. Marella are AI  but I doubt that we would spend close to £1000 on drinks, plus we like the itinerary.

Well go to Benidorm if you dont like the drinks prices but dont consider going on another cruise line because they are substantially more expensive and most charge 15-18% service charge on top which P&O dont charge.

Marella are all inclusive! Better Caribbean itineraries and only one sea day. And you fly on the latest Dreamliner!

We are ex OV cruisers thinking of Celebration next winter (Jan 2019) as we like the itineraries.

She would be by far the smallest ship we have been on and are worried about noise in the depending on cabin site.

Most reviews on here are very positive and we would welcome advice on choice of cabin.

We are going on our first sea cruise for 28 days on board the Oceana in February. We thought this was a 'casual' ship......that's why we chose it and are mortified to find out that we have to participate in '7 Formal nights' where we have to dress up like peacocks. We have spent our whole working life doing this and we have no interest in doing this now. My husband is NOT going to take his Dinner jacket. What are the options on board for us??? Booo hoo!

Just go and enjoy your holiday . We did Ventura in the Caribbean and dressed very smart casual. Eat in the buffet or a speciality restaurant( The best food on Ventura was East and The Beach House, a favourite haunt of some officers on formal nights). Food in the MDRs was average at best and they lacked atmosphere! You may get the odd look from "the formal crowd ", but don't let it bother you.

Hi Can anyone advise me please. Does Ventura have the same dinning option in one of the buffet area in the evening as Azura and Oceana? A section of the buffet area is turned into a small waiter served restaurant. We enjoyed the change on both Azura and Oceana, as it was a nice change.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Regards

W&P

Agree that the Beach House is the best restaurant on Ventura. A quiet oasis away from the noisy MDRs

Looking at either Azura or Britannia for Nov/Dec this year.

Some ports state"possible tenders" and I wondered what the experience would be like on a ship the size of Britannia with over 3000 pax.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Sorry if i,am a sado, yes i have booked for march 2017, same old cruise,it,s our 50th same as pension cruiser, eastern carribean and a stay in Barbados, stern balcony, 6022 :D

How? I cannot find any dates on Thomson website later than Sept 2016!

Good God, I don't have any of these problems at the buffet, either for breakfast or lunch? Mind you we sail on smaller ships like Oriana, Adonia or even Arcadia. I have never had a problem. Breakfast for me is usually muesli with fruit and yoghurt, so not difficult. Might have a piece of toast and marmalade I suppose if we are off on a DIY trip.

 

Lunch, no problem at all. Join the queue for the salad, my husband usually has hot food. We just don't find it a problem.

I could not agree more. Buffet dining on OV ships was never a problem.

Buffet and Beach House dining on Ventura is a must to avoid those noisy canteens that pass for MDRs!!!

We use the Beach House when we don't fancy being stuck in the mdr for 2 hours +. The food is fairly simple U.S. themed but the simplicity is for us part of the attraction. I often feel "fooded out" on cruises so the Beach House is a welcome relief. On a Fjords cruise it was lovely watching the scenery glide by.

Could not agree more.After a day in the Caribbean sun this is a welcome change from the overrated MDRs. Light meals are our preference on holiday.

The service was excellent, loved the steak and the burgers and the chicken stir fry. Perfect holiday food in attractive surroundings and much quieter than the MDRs!!!!!!!

The time for good deals on Ventura will be before Christmas as for the past few years this has been a slack time.

 

Azura may well be the same.

Agree, Dai. We went Dec 2010 on Ventura 4th To 20TH? Paid £1258 each for a Riviera deck balcony.

Methinks there will be similar offers on both ships in 2016.

May go depending on itinerary and if I can persuade Mrs Geecee to forgo Mexico!!

She is "all cruised out" after 4 Caribbean sorties.

We did a private excursion with Glory Tours - all round the Island and then swimming with the turtles which was excellent. Only 8 of us in the bus and much cheaper than P&O

Agree. Private can be cheaper than booking with P&O. We did one with Tiami(hope that is the right spelling). Great way to spend a few hours! They even dropped us on the beach at Sandy Lane!!!!!

Well if you're not a larger lady or gent by the end of a cruise then you're certainly not getting value for money :D

 

I only take my bikini for the second half of holiday when I have expanded my waistline far too much to squeeze into my swimming costume (release the muffin top!)

 

Plus I can't wait to see the folk in Swimwear around the pool with knee high socks and lace up shoes! Long live the flip flop :D

Be careful what you wish for!! One guy on our cruise wore khaki shorts, knee length matching socks, the only things missing were a pith helmet and a swagger stick with which to beat the natives, or folks like us i.e" a bold peasantry" H/T Mr Goldsmith.

I'm on the first cruise out of refit so I shall let you know :-)

Hi Matty,

Hope you and the family are well.

From an old OV refugee.

I'm on the first cruise out of refit so I shall let you know :-)

Hi Matty,

Hope you and the family are well.

I read the story and agree that the Mail has emphasised the worst aspects, as is traditional with all papers.

However I am concerned that after treating this lady for several days and with only 3 days left till San Francisco, the family's departure port, the P&O doctor saw fit to disemark this passenmger in Cabo San Lucas, which despite being a popular tourist resort still has basically a third world health service.

If it had been my wife I would certainly have been demanding they allowed her to stay on until San Francisco, as I am sure you would have been Dai.

Absolutely.The decision to do stinks!!

Doctor should be named and shamed because he could be coming to an NHS hospital near you!!!

Why are people falling ill on the Ventura at present? Going on her next week!

Some friends of ours posted on Facebook yesterday that they are suffering from sore throats and blocked noses etc. probably an extension of the bugs that have being around in The UK since Christmas and travelled to the Caribbean via pax on aircraft, which are not the healthiest method of transporting 300 + pax for 8 hours or so.

Not a bad story it's the Mail and sensationalist rubbish.

 

The company, any cruise company are in difficulty when someone is Ill they have to disembark the passenger. The person who has the final say is the Dr. As he is personally responsible.

 

If they were not transferred and the worst happened then the law suits would be flying.

 

For the family this is a great tragedy for the rag that is the Daily Mail to publish the way they have is disgusting

Read the story. They even cancelled their hotel and flight home! Ventura currently has pax falling ill!Brilliant customer service!!!

Read the Mail, occasionally, as an alternative to the left wing rags such as the Guardian, the Mirror etc.

and the increasingly left wing Torygraph.

The MSM is not to be trusted to get it right on anything,all my info comes from the Blogsphere i.e Breibart, Guido Fawkes, Bishop Hill, His Grace Reloaded etc.

Its not about whether P&O have got it right, nor whether folk like to dress up, its about the hellfire and damnation levelled at the 10% by the diehards if not in reality then certainly in mind.

 

From my perspective I'm trying hard to lose weight so a suit worn last week should not fit me in 4 months time. A DJ bought in 4 months time may not fit me next year. Perhaps I can't afford to cruise or perhaps a few folk should show some empathy?;)

Brilliant post!

I have said on many occasions that I am not that bothered what people wear on formal nights only I know that in all of my cruises 95% of men will wear a DJ on formal nights and most of the others will wear a suit. Those not following the dress code are not 10% and never have been. If someone goes on a cruise and does not want to wear formal gear then fine, they restrict themselves for that night.

 

If someone new asks this question I do not think it is fair to them just to say you will be fine you do not need a suit you can wear casual. I think it is only fair to point out that they may be one of only 20 to 40 on a ship of 2000 who are not dressed for the night. If they know that and can cope with it then fine have a great cruise. But I don't want any one to go cruising and feel uncomfortable because they did not know how few people would not be dressed.

 

That has always been my line on this. I make no judge ten about what people wear.

 

BTW Tarquin I also have a weight problem and after cruising for 13 years and wearing DJ's for longer I now have 4 jackets, of course only one ever fits.

 

 

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I am glad I am not the only one with a weight problem, Dai. Hence my preference for loose fitting clothes on formal nights. At 72 my only lounge suit is a bit too heavy for summer wear.

Despite my preference for smart casual, I would never wear jeans on a formal night(my wife thinks I look ridiculous in jeans at my age and shape!!!).

Of the 3000 pax on our ship in the Caribbean 90% did formal on the 1st night, but by 4th night this had fallen somewhat judging by the number of people in the buffet and the waiting time for a table in the Beach House.

Happy Cruising everyone, whatever your take on the dress code.

Quite agree annieuk. If people don't want to dress up you can go to the buffet. We really enjoy it as we don't get much chance to do it at home :)

 

I have seen quite a few young people dressed up and very smart they look too.

Why can't we all just cruise together and enjoy our holiday.I fond the MDRs noisy and the food poor. Enjoyed East and the Headhouse and occasional meals in the buffet! But I will not be dictated to by some of the people that ifest this forum.

filled in P&O questionnaire re recent oriana cruise. forgot to mention my disappointment re relaxation of dress code in the last year. appalled to see black tie nights code applies only in two bars and main restaurants, and not throughout the public areas of the ship as it used to be. people are now allowed to enter the theatre in polo shirts on black tie nights, no longer even expected to wear lounge suit and tie.

 

at least Cunard apply the standard still. will P&O be downgrading the dress code to the level of the rest of Carnival US ships or Thompson? Spoke to one of the officers at a party, apparently P&O need to not put off customers by demanding high standards of dress.

If the dress code was enforced across the ship, I would not go within a 1000 miles of a cruise ship. Let and let live and stop enforcing your outdated dress code on those of us who look upon a cruise as a holiday.

As previous posters have mentioned P&O will change or die.There are so many alternatives available to the younger generation, costing, in some cases, far less than a a cruise, with better food and atmosphere.

We have been to Barbados, Egypt(twice), Cyprus (three times) and Mexico(going again this spring) since we last cruised.

We will cruise again(at the right price) because we love Caribbean islands, dress smartly throughout the holiday and hope those who do formal have as good a time as we will.

Seriously?

You come off as condescending and a snob. Nose up in air, sniff, sniff. :)

Sounds a bit pompous re:" brands of numerous Italian jackets (only Collezione not Armani" and the fabric of your slacks? ? :p

Nothing could be farther from the truth.Any condescension, comes from posters on here that suggest I will look out place if I do not join the crowd on formal evenings .We dined mainly in the buffet and the Beach House, used the MDRs twice but were not over impressed with the food.

Wherever we go we tend to dine late and enjoy light meals, particularly after a day on a Caribbean beach.

I buy all my clothes in the sale, like most pensioners.

I dressed smartly on Ventura, but still got the occasional look from certain quarters but it did not spoil the holiday.

I was just pointing out that being smart does not necessarily mean putting on a dinner suit,which, by the way, I do not possess and I have no intention of purchasing to wear once every 4 or 5 years when I go cruising.

Heckmondwike born and bred where we don't do snobs!!!!

Quite so, everyone should look smart when they go for dinner.

And your definition of smart is?

You are so correct.

The value for money on most cruise Line's is excellent.

However on Pando in particular, it is the older folk who moan and groan about things.

Tell them to Get a life, and maybe they may consider another vacation type next time.[/QU

 

 

 

Could not agree more. We are 72 and 67 respectively and love lively holidays, hence our Caribbean trips on OV1 and OV2. Switched to Ventura in Dec 2010 and had a a great time, although some of the entertainment was not as good as OV.

Cruising is much more a holiday at sea these days and has to evolve to attract younger passengers.

We disliked the MDRs for some of the reasons given above, but there are other eating options, particularly the Beach House.

As Dave, above says, bring back OV or something similar and then we can avoid the moaners!!!!

I would not offer discounted fares at all, just vary the amount of onboard credit. that way the punters have to spend money aboard the ship ;)

 

all these people spending nothing are being subsidised by the rest of us :mad:

The only way they are going to fill the ships is to discount late. Cruising is not good value for money unless you get a deal, hence our preference for 4/5* hotels in Mexico, Egypt etc at around £2500 all inclusive for 14 days.

But will continue to look at Caribbean deals on P&O each winter at max £1100 per person, which still equates to c£3000* when you add in bar bills and on shore spend.

Agree with your "Bring back Ocean Village" message.

*Being on relatively small pensions after over 50 years working in the private sector, this is max available each winter.