gadabout60

Just booked my second Celebrity cruise - Eclipse to Iceland and Norway. It will be useful to compare as it has been a couple of years since our previous celebrity cruise

Its funny how we are all different.

I always want a balcony for the fresh air and to sit and read on - but I don't want one that deep. I won't sunbathe as such, nor host drinks parties. if there is room for 2 people to sit and stretch their legs that is fine for me! I don't like the look of that one - too big!!

Oh, my goodness, don't!!

 

We're just back from an Adonia cruise [Hong Kong to Hong Kong] and unless your two 'young adults' are actually twenty going on sixty and with the narrowest of outlooks, they will hate it!

 

We are in our sixties and have travelled with many lines, on many, many cruises and we have never come across such a ship and such attitudes - so staid and hide-bound! There's nothing much wrong with the ship - cabins, layout etc - it's the approach; just terribly, terribly old fashioned.

 

That's the way P&O like it, I understand, but surely it's time for a more dynamic approach. Apparently, the Adonia is supposed to be like 'an old country house'! Well yes, the decor is dark and drab, hygiene is questionable and we certainly felt as if we had moved into another era.

 

Lots of people were loving the cruise though, and wouldn't dream of sailing except with P&O, but if you and your children like vibrancy and just a tiny bit of light-heartedness in your holiday, don't do it. As to entertainment for them: what about the Mason's meeting, or crochet, ballroom dancing lessons or beginner's bridge, or even a play-reading with five people attending?? Their idea of fun??

 

Hope this helps.

 

H

I feel I have to defend Adonia a bit - I have been on it 3 times on very different cruises (Christmas in the East Med, winter week to Ireland and summer to the Baltic).

Staff are the friendliest I have known and very helpful. Food better than other P&O ships I have been on, though restricted buffet. MPW Grill very decent standard and MDR good standard. Lovely ambience. I don't agree it was dark and drab. I never saw any poor hygiene.

Agree totally that there is not a lot to do, especially during the day. Talks were of what I consider to be of interest to retired men - namely Concorde / engineering feats/ bridges etc or trying to sell you something in the spa. IMHO you have to be prepared to amuse yourself during the day reading or whatever.

I would have hated it age 20!

Now it suits me fine and I prefer it to some large ship with water slides and ice rinks etc - but we are all different

I would say they will be bored.

I am in my early 50s and love Adonia - but I like the fact it is small, cosy, friendly and has nice restaurants. On sea days I nap and read - I have a very busy job and am using the trip to recharge my batteries.

I would not have enjoyed it 30 years ago

I have only discovered cruising in the last 3 years or so and am now looking to book cruise number 7!

The one thing I would say about you booking while on your first cruise is that you won't yet know what you like about the ships. If you stick with P&O you have the choice of adult only or family friendly. Then you need to work out whether you like big ships or smaller ships! And of course there are lots iof other companies.

Personally I would go on this cruise and then analyse what you liked and didn't like and then work out what you want to do next!

MPW did have two menus that were rotated - as did Sorrento

Gosh, I have no problems spending OBC

One bill for 16 nights was about £1,400. That included 4 trips to the speciality restaurants, a moderate amount of alcohol (3 or 4 drinks each per day), one visit to the hairdresser, a 40th birthday present for a relative and 3 handbags in the sale for me (I am still only on the first of them 8 months later - the 3 bags will last me at least 5 years!) And of course automatic tipping.

I agree a lot of the stuff in the shops is naff but there are some things that aren't.

if I had extra OBC I think I would just have more nights in the speciality restaurants

Adonia is my favourite ship so far.

Staff are really friendly. Standard balcony cabins are my favourite P&O cabins. Main dining room is lovely - but they don't have freedom dining. The 2 speciality restaurants are good value. Library is the best I have seen.

It is smaller than the other P&O ships and doesn't have a theatre ( it has a lounge instead) - that doesn't matter to me.

Room service closes at 11pm and buffet at midnight.

I guess it depends on what you want from a ship. Destinations apart I like nice food, roomy balcony cabin, cosy bars and good speciality restaurants and so Adonia ticks my boxes. The fact that it can get to some smaller ports is also a plus.

Adonia is my first choice P&O ship. (I am in my 50s but don't want a nightclub!!)

And don't forget a nice meal in one of the speciality restaurants

£20 per pax per day rings a bell from Arcadia in 2012. Not that we are interested in such user pay facilities.

Why not Les?

I have used this is the past and while I think its on the pricey side if it were free it would be to busy and you would lose the peace and quiet

It is not the cruising experience people expect. I wouldn't book a cruise if I thought I couldn't eat in the main dining room. Having said that I am quite happy to take what comes along. I would prefer not to have early sitting but it wouldn't make me go the buffet every night. I have booked an early saver for one of my cruises this year, so I am in this position but still cannot warrant the extra ££££s to secure the dining option.:eek:

I would only go to the buffet on a themed night - say Indian. I get bored with the buffet for lunch and don't want to eat in the MDR at lunch. So if I get the wrong sitting it will mostly be the speciality restaurants for me

They haven't said you would not be seated together, they have just said they cannot guarantee it.

P and O have promised the select fare passengers ,that what seating they want ,they will get.

If you believe everyone who posted on here that some ships were sailing with 80% getaway fare payers, then that does not leave a lot of select fare passengers requiring to the seating they want. You will probably be alright.

Also looking at it from p and O's side -which in fairness one should do...if they "guarantee" you will get what you want as a getaway/saver fare payer, then to make it fair they would have to "guarantee" that any other group that book multiple cabins would have to be treated the same as you, and "guaranteed" they would be sat together. This would then mean they could not "guarantee" that select fare payers would get what they want.

I have already stated I would not book these fares in the future, as I would not like to end up on early seating.

To state again they have not said you will not be sat on the same table-they just cannot guarantee it. You are looking at it from your point of view. P and O have to look at the whole ship.

I too do not want early dining - but I don't think its necessarily worth paying top fare for. The food in the MDR is good most of the time but not great.

I don't go to any of the standard theatre shows - I think the quality is poor from those I have seen. I think the quality of entertainment is on the whole quite poor.

However I do still enjoy my cruise I just don't think it is worth the vantage fare or select price - whatever its called. I am not over fussy about cabins - I just want a balcony.

So I will continue to book Getaways / Early Savers or whatever they are called!. I am not worried about paying for shuttle buses. That would typically be only for a few days per cruise as I do book some trips and don't mind walking or getting a taxi as appropriate.

The only deal breaker for me is early dining. I would probably want to dine at 6.30 no more than once or twice per cruise. I have been lucky so far and have always been granted late dining. It seems to me that more people want early dining and that this isn't a big risk. However if I did get a good cruise price but early dining and couldn't swop, I would just use the select dining facilities. Food is much better and on average at say £10-£15 per person per head per night it would still be a better deal overall with much superior food.

Usual typical moaners.

They want to pay the cheapest price but get all the benefits.

Well you have had that for the last couple of years - maybe it will start to change now and about time too.

Simon

This post comes across to me as arrogant and offensive. I don't think the OP's concerns could be called moaning. Perhaps you would like anyone not paying top fare to be sleeping in the hold?

I think the food in the main dining rooms is generally fine to good but not special - so I do like to go to select venues once or twice per week on a cruise.

When on Oceana in December I went to Cafe Jardin several times at lunchtime (free) and twice in the evening (small charge) and it was nice enough but nothing out of the ordinary.

The Horizon grill, because it was cold, was in a cordoned off part of the buffet and definitely not special at all

The speciality restaurants on Oceana are IMHO a let down

I don't wish to be disrespectful buy why should the military get OBC paid for by other cruisers?

Lots of people do amazing public service work, e.g. nurses, police etc. Other people dedicate a lot of their free time to voluntary work.

In my view if you favour one occupation you have to favour others and where would it all stop. I personally don't agree with the blanket American approach of favouring the military.

Sorry - as I say I don't wish to offend anyone but I just don't agree with credits for the military

Remember she can also get her luggage picked up from home and delivered straight to her cabin,

Cadiz is lovely but if you want a trip go to Seville which is a lovely city and well worth the journey

Sorry can't say as I haven't been on Azura but I am sure someone will be along soon who has!

Enjoy your first cruise!

Hi just got our cabin allocation b deck mid ship any comments welcome ,it is a balcony cabin GA 626looks okay to us but we have never cruised before .Am now mega excited

Which ship ?

I would still recommend the taxi tour. You get a lot more info from the driver and you can see a lot more and get back in town for a bit of shopping as well

No need to do this. You will get an identical tour from the quayside and they fill the minibuses as passengers come off the ship. Bit cheaper as well as I recollect

Quick question - does everyone routinely tip the porters who take your luggage from your car / taxi?

I haven't in the past but wonder if I am being mean ?

Or is it on the shorter cruises ,that have lots of getaway cruisers , those sort of things do not appeal to them.

I hate all these insinuations that getaway cruisers are chavs.

That seems a shame - you would have thought they would have been happy to upgrade for say a couple of hundred pounds - extra money for them

Bad manners and rude behaviour is encountered amongst all types of people - not just those who have a bargain

Rudest man I have encountered on a cruise had a very snooty accent and I am sure would consider himself some sort of higher class.

Someone with a beer belly might be perfectly pleasant and well mannered