Mysticalmother

15 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Car park is a bit small though and very crowded. You have to leave your keys so they can move your car around. I prefer to keep the keys with me. Holiday Inn is the best IMO. 

I merely posted this as another option. Not sure if you are aware but they have a much larger car park next door at the rear of the building…

Holiday Inn could not guarantee a space when I asked them! Said it was first come first served. Not much help if you turn up and there is no room! 

For future reference for anyone who is interested, the Elizabeth House hotel , in The Avenue, offer cruise parking, with no need to stay . Their prices are reasonable for non residents…current price for 2 weeks in June is £180. It’s a 10 minute/ £10 taxi ride to the port terminals. If you stay overnight the night before your cruise ( which we are) the price I have been quoted for 16 nights in August is £152.

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thank you. It’s taken 103 posts, but finally someone has answered the question 😂 

 

We are on Ventura for two weeks from Saturday. We have booked far less speciality restaurant visits than usual, as we found them to be patchy on Britannia, whereas the MDR was very good. I shall be sure to try all the extra cost speciality items at least once (purely for research purposes you understand) and shall report back on how I find them. 

Apologies…I only got  back from a 3 week cruise on Aurora on Sunday! Just catching up! 
i understand from my friend that the menu is a loose insert in the main menu…ignored by many! She indicated it was there every night 

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Excellent

 

My wife and I hope to get the opportunity to try this. I hope the trial is positive

 

We would probably try all 3 courses between us and mix and match with each other and other MDR standard main course

 

Sounds fun

 

Does anyone know where the link to the choices was?

Hope this works…never had much success in uploading photos to CC! 

For all those who have asked, this new menu is being trialled on Ventura…I don't think it is on any of the other ships at the moment. 
i have seen several comments that it is very nice…and worth the extra to have a “ Speciality meal” in the main dining room occasionally. You can have any combination of the starter, main and dessert…or all three for £14.95 (i think that was the price quoted’

5 hours ago, daveoc said:

Just noticed when I logged into Cruise Personaliser that the message about 15% discount for the internet packages now says 'offer ends October 31st'.

 

Have to say we had the package on the recent 30 day Aurora cruise and found the basic package to be good, including in the middle of the Atlantic. The signal in the cabin was not always the best, but was acceptable, but the signal around the ship in passenger areas was usually very good.

I had internet  issues on the Aurora cruise which I came off yesterday and got a large refund.. absolutely hopeless in the cabin, and I prepaid for the “ultimate”..

but in negotiating the discount I was told that they are updating the system to Starlink next month…so maybe that is why the discount is ending….?

Should have added we loved the Glass House food, beach house not so much. Sindhu was a no no for us as strong spices and chilli heat are not currently on my menu…☹️

Mysticalmother checking in! As Jean C mentioned I was on this cruise with my husband, and I had to blow my cover! We had a great time. All the staff we came into contact with ( bar one) were wonderful. We had 15 days of fabulous weather, although. The ride home from Gib, which we missed, was one of the worst I have ever experienced.. the passage up the West coast of Portugal was even worse than the BoB…imho.
We were on Freedom dining and unless you queued up at the very start at 6pm , if you wanted a table for 2 ( which we did) you were given a pager. We usually went down about 6.45  - 7pm and the longest we ever waited was 45mins..and that was the last night. It was usually between 10-30 mins. 
They don’t keep unfinished bottles of wine for you on Freedom dining sadly…. Which meant We were forced to drink it all..🤣

Both the 2 speakers for the first half of the cruise were excellent..I went to all of the talks and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were by David Saunders and Paul Stickler. I also went to one of the set of talks for the second half of the cruise..again fascinating subject, although if I am honest his presentation style was not as dynamic ..but still well worth going to. 
We were fortunate to have booked a mini - suite for this cruise. We still had evening turn down and cabin service..although I can happily do without this. We also instead of just having a bowl of fruit, we filled out a card with our requirements…so we only had the type of fruit we wanted. This to me is a positive move, less wastage.

Ted Bovis irritated the heck out of me! But the entertainment we saw we were impressed with. …The Vinylettes, Neil Lockwood, Tom Ball…to name a few. And on one sea day afternoon, the headliners performed a Play…Alan Aykbourn’s   “ Relatively Speaking”..we thoroughly enjoyed this even though we had seen it previously on Adonia many years ago. Jean mentioned the volume in the theatre… we discovered that the sound was “ les loud” near the front…must be to do with the location of speakers..?

Food..we were generally happy with the food. Unfortunately, due to a current medical problem, my eating requirements were a bit complex and so I ordered everything the night before. I was so well looked after…and I ate mainly fish, which was beautifully cooked without exception. My husband only had one meal he wasn't overly happy with, but he felt he probably just made the wrong choice! Curries, stir frys and similar were simply not on my diet sheet! ( it was for this reason we declined to share tables this time..I would have held others up if we had shared) 

We used the buffet for breakfast..something we haven't done for years always preferring the MDR. But it suited my dietary problem better…and we never had any trouble at all finding a table. Not once, and this was usually around 9 ish. The breakfast Omelette station is alive and kicking on Aurora…although I know its not on all ships.

Yes, she is an older ship, we did notice some of the furnishings needed replacing, but I didn't go looking for faults and nothing in that respect had any adverse effect on our enjoyment.
My only gripe was with the Internet. I purchased in advance the Top package the “ Ultimate wifi” ( my reasons, not for discussion) but this simply was dreadful in our cabin. Ok ish in public areas, but i wanted it in the privacy of my cabin…not in a bar, or restaurant. i have never known it this bad on any other ship I have been on. Reception staff were “ unhelpful” …and I had to resort to contacting HQ by FB messenger to get anywhere. It was resolved by means of a substantial refund but reception should have dealt with this without the intervention of HQ …i understand others had similar problems in the area where our cabins were.

Well, if you have got to the end of this…well done! We had a wonderful cruise..thanks P&O.

We have gone for the July Arcadia one…simply because we refer the itinerary ( slightly) …and its a bit cheaper! 
 

22 hours ago, cruzadict said:

For our Aurora cruise on Thursday I have checked in and printed boarding passes and luggage labels.  I have now gone into my booking and it is showing boarding time and terminal TBA. Has anyone ever had this please ?

Have you by any chance been given a cabin change? The system could be updating…

Certainly won’t be buying a package on our next 19 night cruise. This would cost us £1862, less discount of £140. If our final drinks bill exceeds £1000 I will be amazed…and we enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner ( of our choice) every night, ( will probably buy the 12 bottle wine package) I might have a glass occasionally at lunch time on a sea day. Maybe a proper coffee each once a day…any other coffees will be from buffet/room/restaurant. Maybe a G&T for me and a lager for his nibs before dinner. The occasional coke or mocktail perhaps during the day. We are quite happy to drink the ships free water…sometimes with squash in it ( which I will take with us).

I know people are on holiday and want to enjoy themselves, but is it only me that finds it worrying that for some it seems to be a competition to see how much alcohol they can get through in a day! And that is from someone who regularly exceeds the recommended weekly number of units for women without being on a cruise!

On 4/28/2023 at 4:11 PM, jack dcruiser said:

We have the premier package and after reserving our dining reservation in advance, my credit ca5d was still charged. After receiving the runaround from Princess, I am being told different ways to get the refund. All entail wasting my time on ship requesting the refund, including asking for the restaurant mgr, even though I dont know which reservation it is for and/or going to guest services. Was given 2 numbers to call one was a medical device sales call, not princess the other for my planner, which I dont have one. Anyone else experience this?

Will do - we go Saturday. It is illegal to do anything other than to refund to the original method of payment if made by card without the cardholders consent . Could be an interesting conversation! 

First time cruiser with Princess, so be kind! We too have been charged for our Speciality dining despite it being included in our fare. Ours was booked by phone, as the crappy app wouldn't let me book it despite telling me I had dining credits. On the phone, I was assured that I wouldn’t be charged. I was. I resent having to spend precious time on board sorting this out, and , as a UK resident, also potentially out of pocket depending on the exchange rate. I was also told that we would get the refund as OBC… now that is against the law in the UK unless I specifically agree to it…I wont. We sail this coming Saturday,  on Sky Princess, and have also been stitched up as Bistro sur la Mer , which we booked, is no longer. As we particularly want try the new Rudi’s Catch, we managed to book it via the App, and were again told we had a credit. Needless to say we have been charged, and now find we also have had , 2 days later, our previous booking moved to Sabatinis…so we have 2 dining bookings for the same night…all charged for …and the App wont let us cancel! Its a dogs breakfast and has not endeared me to booking with Princess again at the moment! I will report back what happens if you would like me too!

On 4/16/2023 at 7:47 PM, Selbourne said:

When we are on Iona in August we intend to use Epicurean at least twice. As it’s a Norwegian cruise, on one night they have a tasting menu created by the chef Kjartan Skjelde. Has anyone tried this and what did you think? It’s a bit confusing as the menu is described as a Vegetarian tasting menu, but it isn’t! Also, there are paired wines listed with each course. Can you buy these as a wine flight to accompany the meal and, if so, can you recall the cost? Menu below (if the link works) 

 

https://my.pocruises.com/content/dam/po/my-cruise/dining/venues/menus/Menu_App_Epicurean_Iona taster menu.pdf

Hi Selborne

we had this tasting menu last year on Iona…and, in our opinion was the best meal we had on board! Absolutely loved it. We couldn't pair the suggested wines, as sadly they didn't have 2 of them! And had no Rose at all. Definitely worth booking ( but vegetarian it isnt!😄). 

13 hours ago, Otter18 said:

I'm not advocating that people should book early, but this is my own experience. I was curious about the change in price of my previously preregistered cruises, and the actual price today. R217 has virtually doubled in price. J301 is now sold out, but the price did increase before becoming unavailable. R320 is £500pp more for a lower grade cabin but there is more OBC. R401 again more expensive for a lower grade cabin but loads more OBC. All of these are select fares after shopping around. So for me, right now, I haven't lost out by booking early on any of these cruises, in fact I would say I got the best deal on these particular cruises. Having said that, if you want the cruise, and happy to pay the price, then don't be put off if the price drops. It's swings and roundabouts. Sometimes you win.

I know exactly where you are coming from. R319 is showing standard balcony cabins at £8218 per cabin.. no choice of cabin, even with a select fare, which means there aren't many left. . I booked a deluxe balcony on launch ..price a smidgin over £5200.  No deluxe balconies left. A mid -aft inside cabin is currently on sale at £5298. I know, its Aurora, but its still a year out…I am happy …

23 hours ago, janny444 said:

Just had confirmation from P&O ....through my TA....that all sea view cabins on Iona have a window seat....in my mind an excellent feature in the sea view cabins

Actually that is not right…there are a few that don't. That well known social media group for Iona has a list of those that do and dont…😄

Interestingly, I am off on a different “ cruise” next week… a Brittany Ferry! And I am hearing of some of their restaurants not being open…in particular the main restaurant on Bretagne. Reasons given are staff shortages and supply chain issues…. I am returning on Bretagne on a day crossing from St Malo and if what I am hearing is true, only the buffet is open until midday…resulting in it being manic… and with the prospect of a further 6 hours on board and no hot food available after midday. I hope this just rumour…as we will have a 3 hour drive when we finally get off and I don't fancy a stop at Burger King on the way home! 
Its not just P & O …..

We came off Iona just a week ago. We much preferred the Coral and Pearl MDRs…they were larger, lighter and more airy, and at the back of the ship with more window tables. Aqua and Opal were much smaller and seemed darker…but some folk reckoned more intimate and service better. We had no oroblems with service at all. Our absolute favourite was Pearl on deck 6…. Ask for  a table near the window and at worst you get a double height ceiling table, near the windows.

On 6/10/2022 at 9:49 PM, Muckyduckway said:

A follow on question - I've had a look at the four MDRs and am aware they all serve the same menu.  Apart from the views, is there anything that would make you choose one over the others?  On NCL there are two MDRs on the ships I've been on, and I really dislike the secondary MDR because it's always noisier, the ceilings feel lower and it just seems less welcoming.  I could just go and try them out, but on a seven day cruise there's just not enough time to waste!

TIA

We came off Iona just a week ago. We much preferred the Coral and Pearl MDRs…they were larger, lighter and more airy, and at the back of the ship with more window tables. Aqua and Opal were much smaller and seemed darker…but some folk reckoned more intimate and service better. We had no oroblems with service at all. Our absolute favourite was Pearl on deck 6…. Ask for  a table near the window and at worst you get a double height ceiling table, near the windows.

On 6/3/2022 at 2:54 AM, PauMorj said:

The Norwegian Fjords Iona cruise (departing very soon) is my first cruise.  Not sure whether I am looking forward to the ship bit but am/was really looking forward to the Fjords.  Since we first booked (were due to go in June 2020 but...) my mobility has unexpectedly (temporarily) changed so taking a coach to the Dalsnibba Sky Deck from the Geiranger stop was going to be a highlight for me.  The cancellation of this stop is a real loss - from the start Hellesylt had very few tours and having a full day there instead of Geiranger is like receiving a pedal car when promised a Ferrari.  I do strongly feel there should be some kind of refund and/or cruise credit for this as it was clearly foreseeable.  I will be writing to P&O (probably fruitlessly).

 

I do note there is still availability for my cruise.  On the P&O booking pages Geiranger is still advertised as a highlight stop on the cruise - mis-selling?

 

If it is true that P&O think the Iona is the destination not the Fjords why does it bother leaving Southampton dock?

 

 

Im just off Iona yesterday, and they are still offering the Mount Dalsnibba trip from Hellsylt. You get the boat to Gerainger first, and the trip is now more expensive. You may find it on your Cruise personaliser before you go, if not its available to book on the “ my cruise” App…thats not an App…when you board, or via the shore excursions desk. But it gets booked up fairly quickly. Hope that helps.

I am on Iona as I write. Have just looked at the Hellsylt excursions, and for the “ shuttle” boat to Gerainger, they want £59 each. I think this is an insult bearing in mind we were supposed to be going there anyway. I fully understand weather related changes, but this is quite honestly down to P&O’s incompetence, which we are now being asked to pay for. So we have decided to stay put in Hellsylt, unless we can find a local operator prepared to take us somewhere for a lot less. Whilst the rib ride is attractive sadly I wont be able to risk that due to a back injury, which could be exacerbated should the ride be bumpy. I will let you know how we get on on Wednesday! 

Just now, Waju said:

Lovely place to live though 🙂

Certainly is…moved here from Herts 8 years ago,..and loving it. I can see the sea from our bedroom window…so we are not really “ deepest” Devon, but still no Randox collect points here! Nearest is Exeter.

Just now, Waju said:

That's a shame, I'm guessing you're quite rural?  I had a choice of half a dozen within a five minute drive!

Absolutely right…Deepest Devon! 😂

On 4/16/2022 at 8:58 PM, Waju said:

Thank you Kalos you beat me to it - if you choose click and collect you just enter your postcode and it gives you a choice of nearby shops (well it did in my area) to collect the tests from.  So you pay online and then print off a barcode or show it on your phone to the shop and they hand over your tests.

Nearest collect point to me was 15 miles away…cheaper to have it posted than the fuel to drive to collect it! 😄

8 hours ago, amajaa said:

Reading on the site that shall not be named, lots of people have already had their refunds back to their bank or credit card, most of them posted about it yesterday. We haven’t had anything back yet, has anyone else not had their money back? The shopping we did in town less than 2 hours ago is already showing on our account so it isn’t to do with time to process it. 

 

I am hoping it is because they are doing it in date order, our cruise was May 20th. 

Ive had my excursion money back on my debit card for the same cruise as you, but not my cruise fare. I think it takes a few days longer if on a credit card, rather than debit too. Apparently some credit cards do not process refunds over the weekend…I think mine is one of these as I find weekend purchases don't usually appear on my statement until Monday either. Im just gou g to keep looking fir the next few days.