Gettingwarmer

Yes. You pay included tips on P&O but you can’t remove them. 

45 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Princess we were expecting much higher levels and can honestly say we weren't impressed. The fact they charge more than P and O led me to expect a better experience that we just didn't get. We still had a great cruise holiday regardless. If anyone ever cruise from Vancouver please let me warn you that embarkation from there is horrible. Queue after queue after queue. Over 2.5 hrs of queues for us to endure before we got on the ship. You have been warned. (Southampton does it so much better!!)

I think things are improving on Arvia due to people using the App, you either like the ship or you don’t. I’ve been on Iona and have a future cruise booked on Arvia due to ports. Part of your problem on Princess was that you weren’t aware how to use their App to the best, just as you accuse P&O people on Arvia. 
On leaving Vancouver to Alaska you have to go through a type of USA  immigration which cause extra delays and the terminal under the hotel is cramped and leads to the problems you state. The roof is now too low for modern coaches. Alaska can be worth it though. 

24 minutes ago, Mrs applehead said:

Has anyone got a rough idea of the time we could leave the ship in Barcelona? I want to book tickets to Parc Guell and need to choose an entrance time.

Also has anyone done this independently and can recommend the best way of getting there from the ship.

Thank you

It is not easy to get to Parc Geull by public transport and I believe they have recently moved the bus stops. I would look at how you’re going to get there before booking a time slot. 
We waited until we went on a cruise that had an excursion there. 

1 minute ago, kruzseeka said:

Well that's interesting.  It's to be hoped that any additional surcharges are consistent (like for like) and not dependent on who answers the phone.  Or did you do it on-line? 

Anomalies of this kind are a concern - If all other factors are the same (cruise length, destinations, number of ports etc).

It could be due to different medical conditions. 

16 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

We certainly did not adhere to Princesses 2 hour table turnround recently. Our sharing tables were so enjoyable that we often were well into the 3rd hour before we were finished, and I would hope for a similar situation on our next P&O cruise.

10 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

Why not move to a bar to continue your enjoyment instead of blocking a table and preventing others from having their evening meal?

I believe there would be other sharing tables available on Princess. 

3 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Sunshine over Leith.

Loved the film.  Glad you’re enjoying yourself. 

17 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

 

I do like crispy bacon myself but woe betide anyone who didn't on Princess. I don't think it was that way intentionally

Americans always have crispy bacon, with maple syrup on top. They hate our soft back bacon rashers. 

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Yes we won premium plus for our cabin so didn't have to pay for our gratuities 

Princess Plus includes gratuity internet and drinks and is very good value. 

2 minutes ago, david63 said:

I probably phrased it badly - I was meaning that you can order quantity wise whatever you want, not product wise - although it may be possible to have anything that is onboard but is not something that I have, or will, try.

Oh yes I agree

12 minutes ago, david63 said:

As far as I am aware you can order whatever you want, within reason, just as long as they have it.

No. There only certain spirits on the Room Service menu. I don’t think you can just ask for anything. 

Last October we docked at La Baie on Sky Princess but two other ships tendered. See picture

31 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

I know better now of course should I ever cruise with P and O again

I presume you meant Princess

32 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

 

If I'm going to spend more than P and O prices I want to see something back that justifies the extra spend

 

Don't think Princess is the answer for that

 

I do accept this cruise possibly a bad example of what they can offer

You haven’t really been on the right ship for you. 

38 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

I came on board expecting Princess to be a whole level above P and O

 

I will leave very unlikely (unless there's zero alternative) to cruise with them again

 

If I do cruise with them again I will at least be better prepared for what to expect

 

The modern, larger P and O ships are so far ahead of what I've experienced in terms or systems, organisation and choice 

 

The customer mix on our Alaskan cruise is US, Canadian, Australian and Asian. Brits very much in the minority.

 

They all must have much lower expectations and demands than the Brits

 

I think most on this forum would love Alaska but most (including you John) would not love the cruise experience Princess gives here

 

Standards are lowest I've experienced on a cruise by some way on here

 

 

It would be much different on a more modern ships in a different locality. 
You keep saying try the huge Iona and Arvia again, try the larger Princess ships from UK or Med

46 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I can't even pre-book anything

 

You prebook MDR before the cruise, in my sense preferable. I know when I want to eat, not worried about shows.

if you wait till on board less choice for dining times. This will change in September when there will be a dedicated MDRfor walk ins. 

16 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Shower only thankfully, I am not a fan of a shower over the bath. On my next Arcadia cruise I booked a deck 13 cabin as they were added in a refit and only have a shower. For my Fred Olsen cruise I managed to bag a shower only cabin. Premier Inn is a problem, the bath sides are just too high.

Arcadia does not have a Deck 13. There are cabins with showers in the aft of Decks 5&6 (D&C) and Bow of Deck 1 G and Deck 10 Sun

Shower cubicle

42 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

1 hour ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I hadn't realised that the dining times were available earlier for elite, I have just gone on and booked as soon as I have booked the cruise.

Where has it been announced that they are changing to having one dining room Club, second booked tables and third walk ups ?

We are going on Princess in June and I have already booked our dining and have not been notified that anything is changing. 

Sorry I got it wrong, it changes in September. See below on Princess boards

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3003226-41324-princess-rolls-out-fleetwide-dining-revolution/

Ruby Princess is quite an old Princess ship of the Grand class, queues not good. You can book dining times for every night once you have paid final balance, earlier if you are Elite. But if you want to decide each day it could mean walk ups.

Princess are changing there dining from June(I think) to one dining room Club(two seatings), second booked tables and third walk ups. This will make a big difference. 

19 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

I take it that a companion can provide one to one assistance and that it doesn’t have to be crew?  We clearly stated in the Queen Vic questionnaire earlier this year that we would provide one to one assistance to my mother. 
 

Single passengers requiring one to one assistance is a different matter of course. 

This is not correct. 

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

I agree but there are four cruises, 2 P&O and 2 Cunard.  One P&O and one Cunard state required one to one the other on each line says not required.  I have subsequently filled in new forms for the other two cruises stating we need it.  Interestingly it is the two oldest bookings saying it is compulsory whereas the newer ones state not mandatory.  The first of these sailings is not until August on Aurora so we shall see.  As an aside Cunard require a tender test which will be carried out privately once onboard P&O however say unnecessary.

Sorry I added to my post as you were quoting. 
I think that maybe by making it compulsory for stick users would lead to far too many one to one situations. They then maybe changed it to recommended. They do say if you are unsteady and need guidance and help it is mandatory. 

12 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

It may indeed say this but I have out of four bookings two bookings as stated elsewhere in the thread which the booking agent at P&O has marked our reservation as minimum requirement one to one assistance.  This is for a man who uses a stick no more than two or three times a year.  I queried why the other bookings do not have this requirement and the answer is neither P&O or Cunard can explain why the same passenger with the same mobility/illness is required to have one to one assistance on one cruise but not another.

 

Hence my personal interest in all this as I have personal concerns about the confusions arising on this issue.

I can only think this is because your husband has a condition that flares up. Sometimes he has no need of a stick but other times it is a necessity. They are taking the point that on the cruise it could be at a time when the condition is at its worst and one to one assistance would be necessary.

On certain cruises they are taking this attitude, on others they have looked at it differently. Yours is a unique circumstance. 

11 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

For instance, while walking sticks etc are mobility aids most people do not have that description spring to mind and may not believe they need to complete the form in such a way that one to one assistance is required, and yet that apparently is what P&O feel is the minimum level that walking stick users should request.

For walking stick users one to one assistance is recommended but it is not mandatory. Most occasional stick users would not require it. 
 

https://www.pocruises.com/accessibility/emergencies-and-other-information

Emergency assistance

22 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

But the question does ask if you would be able to use stairs with help, and then asks If you would need an evacuation chair. So I presume it's not automatic for wheelchair users to be assigned an evac chair.

Confusing for wheelchair users if that is the case. If it is not “automatic” that you are assigned one but it is “mandatory” that you request one. 

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

Now that’s an interesting question. I’ve just checked the On Board Needs form that I submitted for our Cunard cruise next week (I kept a copy just in case), which I think is the same as the P&O one, and this is the second question (which I hadn’t remembered answering for my wife);

 

What level of assistance do you require in case of emergency evacuation?*
✓ I require evacuation chair assistance and I am under 128 kg (282 lbs)

I require evacuation chair assistance and I am above 128 kg (282 lbs)

 

One would assume that if you don’t tick either box then you are self declaring that you don’t need an evacuation chair. However, they may determine from answers to subsequent questions that you do. It’s all very confusing!

Thank you for your reply. P&O state it is mandatory that you have an evacuation chair if you are using a wheelchair which you did. The OP said in their original post that they did not request an evacuation chair. Maybe there lies the problem. 

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

You don’t request one. They are allocated by P&O. 

Thank you. Having never needed to fill in the form I am not sure how it works. I presume there is a question asking if you use a wheelchair and if you answer yes the allocate a place of evacuation chair.