cruiser1955

Sorry, the following:

I would not bother with Britannia Club. Cabins are the same as glass fronted balcony cabins, you just get the ability to eat when you want in the evening rather than doing fixed dining.

should have read:

I would not bother with Britannia Club. Cabins are the same as glass fronted balcony cabins, you just get the ability to eat when you want in the evening rather than doing fixed dining with a few items added to the standard Britannia menu. You have a dedicated part of the Britannia restaurant allocated for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I've done both.

QM2

The QM2 Christmas cruise to the Caribbean is a great experience. The weather can be rough as it was on the crossing to New York - so bad that QM2 didn't go straight across the Atlantic but followed to route through the Bay of Biscay before doing a sharp right turn :D to continue on to New York. Drawback is that QM2 berths in Brooklyn so not easy to get into downtown New York but excursions are available. You have to disembark and go through immigration even if you are planning to stay on board.

Cruise down to the Caribbean is similar to other Carib cruises in that you visit 5 or 6 ports of call. Christmas day and New Year's eve good with a few surprises thrown in - like at the carol concert in the atrium, a snow machine had been installed, so we had snow at Christmas in the Carib!

Returning to New York means having to go through immigration again. On my visit, it was very cold and windy, so didn't venture into New York.

On the sea days, there is far more to do on QM2 than on any of the P&O ships. Speakers, although many have been on P&O, there are usually 3 for the trans-Atlantic days and some are better.

Your dad will be in great demand in the ballroom - normally far more ladies than gentlemen looking for partners.

QM2 was built for the crossings to and from New York, and for me, the best way to travel there.

I would not bother with Britannia Club. Cabins are the same as glass fronted balcony cabins, you just get the ability to eat when you want in the evening rather than doing fixed dining.

Arcadia

I've done the Caribbean in November and, the ship handles the crossing to the Carib well but there is a danger of not getting in to the Azores due to heavy seas - this happened to me.

It is also a good trip and has the advantage of having the Ocean Grill and Sindhu if you want a change from the main dining room.

I've done Christmas and the New Year in the Carib on other P&O ships and have always had a good time. As with Cunard, Christmas and New Year's eve is also a bit special.

How to choose

Personally, I'd go for Cunard. Both have their pluses and minuses but there is the elegance of Cunard and travelling on a ship with so much internal space as QM2. Drawback on both ships though, is that due to the weather conditions you may not get much use of a balcony until you are south of Madeira or New York but as we can't predict weather..... On my return from New York there was snow on the balcony one morning. My cabin choice would probably be to go for one of the partially obstructed view balconies on Deck 8 of QM2 - there are plenty of pictures of the cabins and obstructions on the Cunard website - they offer much better value for money.

Interesting to read that on Arcadia Sindhu has an evening casual dress code on formal nights. Perhaps they should extend this to the rest of the fleet. Forgive me for been simplistic but the idea of dressing in formal wear when eating in an 'eastern cuisine' restaurant, even a posh one, just does nor feel right to me.

 

In Arcadias case maybe it is because they do not have a Beach House or Glass House?

Just had a look at the Horizons I had on Ventura and Sindhu does not require Black tie there either on formal nights. Black tie will be strictly enforced in Epicurean, MDRs, Red Bar and Metropolis. So, maybe in Sindhu it is acceptable to wear evening casual across the fleet?

My understanding is that casual means smart casual is this the case?

No need for a jacket on P&O, just an open necked shirt for men. There were a few there with no jacket. Basically, what you would wear to the main dining room on a non-formal night was acceptable in Sindhu on a formal night. So, yes maybe I should have said smart casual.

Just looked at the confirmations and no dress code stated for Sindhu on any night but the Ocean Grill stated Evening casual or Black Tie. Knew there would be a use for all those bits of paper that litter up the cabin and sad person that I am, they even made it home with me :D

PS Unlike Celebrity you can also take additional bottles on the ship at any port - a bonus when you are on a wine tour !!!

I got caught out on that one. Yes, come on our expensive tour, buy some premium wines, return to the ship and it gets confiscated. Luckily, I was on a back to back cruise so ad it for the second leg.

Holland America charge $18 a bottle (last time I cruised with them) for everyone you bring on board after your first bottle - doesn't make any difference where you drink it, so it ended up in the dining room.

.......

Also bottles of water, are they expensive to buy on board? Or could I take a few with me.?

Thanks

Around £2 for a 1½litre bottle. Bottled still water can be provided by your cabin steward with 6 bottles costing £10. Sparkling water though can only be purchased from the bar - also in 1½ litre bottles. My stewardess tried to get sparkling for me but that wasn't available at the discount rate.

By the way, tap water on board is safe to drink. Some people will ask their steward to bring them ice every day and use the melted water for drinking. Some fruit juices are also available until about 11:00 in the self-service area - handy if you want some as a mixer for drinks in your cabin :evilsmile:

Just to follow up to this. Currently on the Arcadia, docked in Flam/Flaam (or however the Norweigans spell it) and we've had one formal night. Now, due to a variety of events since I first posted (changed job mainly), I've gone without any kind of DJ or suit - except for a decent pair of shoes, but no shoe polish (and for some bizzare reason, the ship's shop doesn't sell shoe polish).

 

So I tried the in-room service, and it's not bad at all! Sure, it does cost a small amount, but it's not bad at all. The alternative is the Belvadere and the Aquarius pool and bar.

A bit more expensive than room service, but when I was on Arcadia in June, Sindhu did not require formal attire on formal nights but the Ocean Grill did. I ate in both on formal nights and around 30% in Sindhu wore casual. Check with Gulam the Maitre d' in Sindhu.

The attached PDF file shows an example of one that I found for Oceana. I hadn't seen this before. It is just part of the page, not the whole detail. Running Windows 10 on my laptop and the number of cabins for me is available in MS Edge, Internet Explorer 11 and Chrome.

p2.pdf

No problem with extension leads or adapters. P&O tell you to bring your own on their FAQ page as they only have a limited number available. Just returned from Arcadia and no problems using them on board.

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/fleet/Extension_leads?_ga=2.204018963.2077138302.1500134281-1903301221.1422021818

That's a worry. Where other aft passengers evacuated in the middle of the night or just them? It sounds like a security issue to me.

Happened to me on Arcadia in 2011 or 2012 on the last night of the cruise, just after midnight, as we were nearing Dover. All cabins aft of the aft lifts were evacuated before the Dover coastguard helicopter could land. Stewards and staff made sure everyone was out of their cabins. If I remember, they put a sign on cabins as they were evacuated. It is a safety issue in case of an accident with the helicopter.

As DiaB says, it is a rare occurrence.

If you book through a Travel Agent you have the option of ticking for a "category" upgrade; ie inside to outside, outside to balcony etc.........

I can confirm this. Certainly through the high street TA that I use. Future cruises I have booked on Ventura and Azura are on C deck, so I don't want to be moved to another balcony cabin.

Yes you are right and it is 15 nights, but you don't have to register for it?

You are right in that you don't need to register to get the benefits. Registering does allow you to look at your previous cruise history, contact details and a few other minor things. Think I've logged on to it about 3 times in 10 years :)

May still point to the old portunus site but it is a link that works.

This is the registration link. Hope it works

https://www.pocruises.com/youraccount/portunusregister/

I am sure people have posted they got two but I may be wrong. It wasn't an email but a little folded leaflet/booklet.

 

 

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I've had them but friends who were on the same cruises didn't get them and we had booked future cruises on board along with FCDs. Not sure if it may be due to Peninsular club level. A marker is put on your account so it is valid for multiple cruises within the time limit 60 or 90 days. I went to book and found out they had allocated this "Welcome home" bonus before I received the booklet.

Cunard also issue them and from an email sent in error to me, it looks like Princess do something similar but via email.

The last 9 months or so, the deposit when booking on board has been reduced to £50, As Florry has said, extra obc of £25-100 is given. Two of the last cruises I've booked on board they doubled the extra OBC but it does seem to be cruise dependant. Bookings have always been returned to my travel agent who then usually gives an extra discount.

Assume that you are doing part of a world cruise. Why not get in touch with P&O to see how much they would charge for you to leave some cases on board until the ship returns to Southampton.

You can also arrange for a luggage company to return extra cases from your port of departure although this can be a few hundred pounds per case. I think that DHL run some of the companies.

Can only speak for a man, but I've managed with formal ware to do 40+ nights within the 23kg limit on fly cruises. Use the laundry on board, prices aren't too bad.

Thanks Dai

Good to see what a regular P&O cruiser thinks of them.

I've been put off going on more American based cruises as I haven't enjoyed the beef they serve. Something about the USDA prime I had with Celebrity and Holland America that just doesn't seem right to me.

I've been having a look at Princess, but as I need a balcony, have found their 100% single sup a bit off putting. Still, they don't charge it on the port fees on the cruises I've been interested in. Have found an good one (fly cruise unfortunately), but it clashes with another cruise I've booked. Will keep an eye out for their 2019 releases.

Book it in the Glasshouse. Just ask the barman and they will try and get someone to take your booking. Suggest you do it as soon as you board given my experience. You'll need to give your order at the time of booking where there are options. You usually end up on tables of 4. Hope you enjoy it. I've done it 4 times now.

Agree with Dia, the cost is £30. In January and March there were though, 5 glasses of wine. The tasting starts at 18:30 and lasts for about 2½ hours. On a 14 night cruise there are usually 2 nights when they hold the tasting. Max of 24 per evening. Sometimes it does sell out quickly - I booked just after lifeboat drill and was number 19 on one occasion. Compared to those offered on Cunard, Celebrity and Holland America, I think it is good value for money.

We are stopping at Madeira in October. I'd planned on a trip to the caves in the morning, returning at 13.30 then going to the market. Now I'm wondering if we should book Reid's instead of the market [emoji85]

Florry, I think it is better to go to the market in the morning as the fish part tends to start closing around lunch time. So, maybe your idea of Reid's would be better. The caves is a good trip with just enough time at the end for coffee and pastry :D.

They have had various 180 items for sale on board in the general shop. The flutes were £55 I think.

I was upgraded for the whole of the QE2013 Exotic Voyage from an A7 balcony to an A5 one. As a solo, this was worth around $5K. :) The upgrade came through about a month before departure.

The first time I boarded Queen Victoria at Southampton.

My previous cruise had been on board P&O's Arcadia and I couldn't believe how elegant QV was in comparison. The bell boys welcoming you on board and passing the Queens Room for the first time.

The same voyage was when Kate and William were married, so the extra formal night to celebrate - right down to a "piece of wedding cake" on returning to the cabin.

On QM2, the premium champagne tasting on New Years Day 2012. 5 superb champagnes and so well matched by the chef with hot and cold canapés for each glass.

I've been on Ventura twice this year and have had no complaints about the food. I would suggest though, if you order steak in the MDR, ask for it to be cooked one level lower. So, medium rare rather than medium. Some people found that when they ordered medium or well done, the steak was a bit tough - probably due to the time it took to get to the table from the kitchens as the steak continued to cook. However, if you have a steak in the Glasshouse, order it as you would normally have it.

My review of the cruise I did between 7-21 March has now been released.

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=571006

Comparing value for money compared to other options that were open to me, lines, land holidays, I thought it gave excellent value for money. However, this was the first time that I did not eat in the MDR in the evening - I used the speciality dining options instead.