snaefell

Yes if you watch programmes on flash eateries associated with the likes of Gordon Ramsay afternoon tea is very popular,it seems for some if it is expensive it must be wonderful!😙

I think if I wanted plenty of food,multiple courses & great service I' d stick to the buffet!😆

Biggest problem we had with our corner aft suite on Britannia was how far it was to get back there after a hard night in the Crows Nest!😙 Loved the view over the wake,great balcony,sheltered by the superstructure on sea days,hardly used the living area or the butler so both of those were a bit of a waste!

Or the worst!😙

We loved the Crows Nest last time we were on Britannia,trouble was we were in one of the Aft suites & that seemed a blooming long way after a 'hard night in the Crows Nest!😁 We too do not have the same appetites these days but love buffets so that we can try a variety of whatever we like the look of.

Something for free,amazing,thanks for your replies guys,much appreciated!☺

We are on Arcadia in May,grateful of any info on the cost of using the laundrettes on board & how to pay for them please

We travel down for Arcadia departing on the same day,our booking confirmation says they will confirm pick up time 21 days before

Been nearly 6 years since we were last on Britannia,Brodies was very much a mix for us,loved the room but we hate Bingo,Pub Quiz's & Karaoke so we didn't get to spend much time in there!😎

Interesting,I don't know how old the article I read was,it may have been before the pandemic so that would make sense,I think it said that the Glass House would be in the East Bar. We have had some bad MDR experiences in the past which has meant having most meals in the buffets,we really enjoy buffets anyway & dining outside became our norm on our last cruise & we really got to like it! Thanks for the replies guys,much appreciated,happy travelling!😎

We are booked on Arcadia in May & am looking for some advice from those who have been on board recently,I read somewhere recently that The Glass House was to make an appearance on Arcadia,just curious as to what evidence there is of that if any. Also is there outdoor seating available at the Belvedere Buffet. Thanks in advance to any helpful posters.

Thanks for the replies guys. We have been with P&O before but it was about 5 years ago now,I knew the daily tipping had been done away with but wasn't sure if there was still an amount added to drink prices. As strange as it may seem it can be dearer to drink low alcohol/alcohol free beer than normal beer,it isn't unknown for bars to charge £8+ a pint for LA beer,,just 5 of those a day on a 19 night cruise would reach the price of the ultimate drinks package never mind the alcohol free one so maybe it isn't such a bad deal,trouble is if I was to do that every day I would be spending half the cruise in the bathroom!😂

OK hardly a new topic,I am sure these questions have been asked before but I am struggling to find answers to them! We are booked on Arcadia on her Med cruise starting May 14th,we have always avoided drink packages in the past as we have not considered them good value BUT this is a 19 night cruise involving 8 sea days,the price of two drink packages comes to £1500+ which at first seems obscene but if we each were to drink £100 worth on each sea day we would make it worth while & that doesn't seem entirely impossible but we have a couple of queries. One is I don't drink alcohol(I don't drink soda or coffee either for that matter!) so I could use the £19.95 drink package which includes Low/Alcohol Free Beers which I do drink,does anybody know if it is permissable for us to have different drink packages,if I try to order on line it makes it the same for both passengers & P&O Customer Service have to date failed to reply to any of my emails on the subject(surprise eh!). One more(possible stupid) question,is the price shown for the drink package a true price or is there a percentage to add on for tips? Thanks in advance for any help,sorry to bore you with this subject again guys!

We were on Royal Caribbs Quantum Of The Seas in October 2019,we sailed from China to Singapore where she went into drydock for a 5 year refit,quite astonished as she looked absolutely immaculate pretty much everywhere,a bit different to Britannia,we sailed on her when she was new & she had peeling wallpaper & tarnished chrome then! Just to add that thanks to Covid Quantum has only recently left Singapore,rather an extended stay in the end!😮

I guess with Belfast a short period in history earmarks it as a certain type of place,tourism wise that brings in money,keeping that going I guess is important to some. We have been there a couple of times,great City,wonderful people & despite some 'peace wall's going up since the Good Friday agreement the booming tourist industry hopefully means that the resulting income will mean too much to have a return to the bad old days!

When you say a relatively small amount per day when you are on a short cruise it obviously doesn't add up to a fortune but when the cruise is for 2 or 3 weeks or more it can seem like a lot of money.

On point 3 it could be clearer,human nature means that people read the colourful bits with the pretty pictures & leave the small print until later! I once asked a Travel Agent if they told people about the tipping before selling them cruises,she said they had been told not to &,yes they did have loads of complaints from people who found out after they had booked. Many people do little homework on their travel. To bring up an old chestnut if I book a stay in an hotel I don't expect at checkout to find that they have added £10 as a tip for the dishwasher or 18% on for my bar bill!

Less than £9000 pa here in the UK for my Wife's pension & that is quite a bit more than mine! All after 50+ years of working!

I'm encouraged so far that the only problems being mentioned seem to involve serving meals,nothing so far like the previous cruise where she appeared to be something of a floating wreck,I guess there is time yet,fingers crossed!

Depends on what you mean by showing clearly that you are expected to pay auto tips,do cruise lines have a big banner on their web site saying that the price we show for your cruise will have $X or £X added to it,I think not,I know from reading these forums that people only find out about them after they have booked!

Is it really OK for a company to operate in an area where they can't t afford to pay the ' going rate'?

That doesn't really make sense given that you will possibly be visiting multiple countries.

In previous threads on this topic posters claimed that a list of those withdrawing the auto tips is available to the crew,like many aspects of this subject posters claim many opposites that they KNOW to be true,like I said in a previous post(which annoyingly seems to have been removed),people know everything & nothing about this subject!😆

OR the perfect description of why the cruise company should pay a decent wage in the first place so the auto tips weren't necessary!?!?

That USA trip is calling us too,booking a Med cruise on her in May 2023 seemed optimistic,not so sure if September 2024 isn't stretching things a bit too far!😮