soobs

thanks for the replies it's the day 6 - 10 at sea I am most interested in will I be able to sun bathe? how hot is it likely to be? e have done a TA to NY and got a bit bored on ship after a few days we are not really into quiz's ect

Hi

Can anyone help what weather could we expect after day 5 in the Caribbean?

Day 6 - 10 at sea to Ponta Delgada (25.3.14 - 29.3.15) then days 12 - 14 to Southampton (31.3.14 - 2.4.15)

Anyone done this that can share experience?

thanks

12-14 At Sea - 3 days

12-14 At Sea - 3 days

We take small plastic bottles (less than 100ml) for anything we need also we don't throw away any empty bottles of sun screen and put a bit in those for the last day and throw away before leaving the ship.

As for clothes we pack our travelling clothes in our hand luggage, leave in the theatre for the day then change just before flight is called.

It just takes a bit of thinking about and planning to make the journey stress free as possible. We have never had our hand luggage weighed at Barbados but there again we have never abused the restrictions.

I am sure our hold luggage is over weight a bit going home but again don't abuse and you should be okay.

In fact we have usually packed on the morning of our last full day so we can enjoy the day without having to rush back to the cabin before dinner or after dinner it just takes a bit of thinking about.

As you fly Friday you will be in Barbados for the day Saturday just go to one of the supermarkets or booze shops depending on what you want it will be far cheaper than duty free at the UK airport and possibly cheaper than the shops at the port.

I took 2 bottles of rum on board at Barbados and topped up with more at other parts including 2 litre bottle in St Maarten which cost about £5.00 which we took home in our hold luggage.

I also took on board bottles of coke & lemonade at Barbados and other ports.

Hope this helps

Just ring P & O tell them your flight dilemma and see what they say they have always helped us solve a problem.

Meal times as Azura and Ventura dedicates 2 of their restaurants to freedom dining you are most likely to get that or as others have said late sitting because early is first choice for early bookers and often the reason they book early.

We were on Ventura before Xmas and got freedom just what we wanted but also spoke to at least 4 couples who changed from late sitting to freedom and the ship was showing full at reception. (not sure that is always the truth just stops you asking for a cabin move or free upgrade)

Hope this helps - go on book the TA prices they are offering are a good deal and one with taking if you are happy with all the sea days.

It's part of the fun sharing a nice meal with different people, we sometimes ask for a table for 2 if we are not feeling very talkative but then often get into conversation with the people on the next table.

We have met some really nice people and some really bizarre people it takes all sorts of people to make the world go round and maybe some of them thing we are weird!!!

Thanks for your report, it's a really honest view holidays are what you make them in my view and as long as you are not expecting perfection things are usually okay.

We were on the 4th December Ventura cruise and like you a few niggles but nothing that was really important in fact my OH forgot his shoes for formal night (yes it was my fault!!) there was a very nice man on reception who lent us his shoes for the first formal night and a brand new pair from the stock room for the rest of the cruise all at no charge. I could not believe the effort he went to. The good thing was I was able to wear my 3 new evening dresses I would have been so disappointed if we had to go to the buffet on formal evening.

We are hoping to do the pre-Xmas Britannia in December which we will will book nearer the time hoping for reduced prices I cannot afford the prices at the moment and cannot commit to dates this early.

Anyway thank you again for the review it was really interesting

I have only ever been away a couple of times on Xmas day the 1st we were in the air the 2nd we had Xmas dinner with the family then flew early evening. If I was on a cruise in the Caribbean I wouldn't want my dinner at lunch time I would want to be taking advantage of a sea day and the sun.

I also wouldn't want to be in a queue inside when I could be outside in the sun.

I would be happy with what ever time they wanted to serve me dinner in the evening just because I haven't had to slave in a kitchen for hours. Also I would be happy to dress up for dinner because usually I am in comfy clothes because I spend Xmas eve and Xmas day in the kitchen.

Maybe I am easily pleased.

I do understand that cruises where the weather is not a warm Xmas dinner could be lunch and this would suit people better. P & O are never going to please everyone but you know what is going to happen when you book the cruise - if you don't you should have done your research.

St Lucia, you may have seen helicopters as well and a sea bus to the centre of town??

3 of the formals will be on sea days, depending on which itinerary you are on on of the formals may be on a port day. We just did that cruise on the same itinerary and St Kits was our 3rd formal night this is because there are 2 sea days at the end of the cruise and the last night is never a formal night.

A lot of places in Australia do BYO (bring your own) but I agree P & O is a business and they should make money corkage after all it's what we do in the UK and what a lot of us like about P & O is the Britishness.

We are 55 & 62 and don't feel we are the oldies on board and do see pleanty of older than us about but we also see loads younger than us. Another reason that cruises out of Southampton have the more mature passenger is that they are retired so have more time to cruise and good luck to them.

We don't have that luxury and need to fly there and back to get the most of the annual leave.

Age doesn't matter to us we find people of all ages and nationality make interesting dinner partners and the cross section we have met have all mostly been very interesting some with very different views to us, some appear a little strange but maybe we appear strange to others.

I take the biscuits home - my grandchildren love them, they ask before we go if we are going to bring them back again they see it as a real treat.

I cannot see what is wrong with that in fact on GBS night we asked for a couple of exstra garlands for the grandchildren and they gave us a handfull. We also save the bedtime chocs. for the grandchildren.

I think taking other things teabags ect is a little extreem though.

We were on the Ventura 5th Dec - 19th Dec, one morning in the buffet a man was filling up his water bottle the gentleman behind him pointed out the note on the machine asking you not to do it, he said I don't know why not so I explained why not at no point did he stop he just carried on. I saw him go back 10 minutes later to do the same with another bottle - we wonder why germs spread around obviously this man thought rules were not for him.

All it needs is a little thought if I filled up my bottle then I used a cup to fill the

bottle.

If you want the British product P & O is for you, we love it for that reason, try it if you don't like it you don't go again.

As for language barrier's some of our strong dialects can confuse even us so don't worry about it you will pick up the thread of the conversations, I do and I am hard of hearing.

I would happily dine with you in an evening I am sure you would bring a refreshing change to the conversation.

We got ours on the 8th November for our 5th December Ventura cruise and we are on a saver fare. Happy with our allocation C deck mid ship we paid for a guaranteed balcony cabin (not sure if it was a GE or GC cannot remember which) so not sure if this is an upgrade or not.

Last year had a B deck mid ship think the C deck balcony's are bigger but overlooked but not bothered about that.

I am going to pack for 4 formal nights if there is only 3 so be it, I am hoping we will have a formal on a port day because I do like the formal nights. 4 is enough though don't like them that much that I would want more.

Getting excited now cannot wait to start packing at weekend. Booked inbound seats but not outbound couldn't get the ones we wanted so leaving it for chance - they seam to have taken off the facility to book seats now for the 5th December flight.

we didn't find it a fun day at the beach it was so busy we couldn't find anywhere to sit on the beach!!! as said check how many ships in first and how busy it is likely to be

we went last year and because there were about 7 ships in and around port the traffic was like a car park and we spent at least 1.5 hours each way saw a couple of small planes and one big one

done it now wouoldn't bother again

thanks for all the replies I think I will pack for 4 formal's and hope that they do a formal in St Kitts or similar, I do enjoy the dressing up nights but equally enjoy the dress down nights the same it just makes a change.

Some not so good reports coming in at the moment, I will just go and take it as it comes and hope for the best - really looking forward to it now think I am going to sleep for the fist week been really overworked for the last 9 months

Any good offers on future cruises whilst on board?? who were the look-a-like artists this year??

thanks Cruise Heaven, I am looking for the Barbados to Barbados hope you had a wonderful holiday

I have looked at the schedule I am just going off last year when they reduced it to 3 due to a sea day being the last day for the people who boarded on the Friday and they had to have the luggage outside room at midnight is not a good evening to be a formal.

Formal's are usually sea days see below, unless they do a formal on a port day I cannot see how they are fitting in 4 formal's, if it's a port day I would guess Dominica would be the best evening

Anyone on board or just getting off this weekend got an update?

05 Dec Barbados

06 Dec Barbados

07 Dec At Sea - formal

08 Dec Grenada

09 Dec St. Lucia

10 Dec Dominica

11 Dec St. Kitts

12 Dec St. Maarten

13 Dec Tortola

14 Dec At Sea - formal

15 Dec Curacao

16 Dec Bonaire

17 Dec At Sea - fomal

18 Dec At Sea

19 Dec Barbados

What a shame so many positive & honest people and just bad one around to spoil a holiday!!!!

Anyone been on or is on the Azura or Ventura in the Caribbean this season and can give us a clue on the entertainment, any update would be great.

Also on the Barbados to Barbados how many formal nights 3 or 4, I know P & O say 4 but often the last 2 days are sea days and they wont do 2 formal nights back to back so did they do a formal on a port day?

Just want to know do I pack 3 or 4 evening dresses and dress shirts???

I am hoping for freedom dining, one of the reasons's we picked Ventura was it has 2 freedom dining rooms not one like other ships so more chance of getting freedom.

Worst one we could be allocated would be early so hoping it's not that, we are boarding on the 5th if given fixed dining will be first in the queue to hopefully get it changed.

If we cannot change then we will just have to accept that we got a good deal