laslomas

Or maybe not. I'm currently on the Arvia, and we had to do a Full muster. That's a good 50 minutes I won't get back. 🤨. Sadly not everyone listens to the announcements and It took a long time to get everyone to turn up and checked off, before the Captain's announcement, the chat and then a demonstration. It seems that Maritime Law demands this at regular intervals, I think it hadn't been done for several months. Just unlucky if you catch one.

Totally agree. My last several cruises have been on Celebrity. The system is as you state. No need to have a gathering point to wait. The baggage is loaded into place in the baggage hall by time. In fact with this method there is no benefit to 'jump the queue' and disembark early as your luggage will not be there. Never had a problem with this. I hate being asked to congregate in a certain venue that is not big enough for the passengers, and nowhere to sit.

Surely an option in this instance would be for P&O to offer storage facilities for electric scooters / wheelchairs and get them out for port days. The passengers could then book into any class of cabin and get about the ship with the help of sticks or folding walking aids if required on board. Does anything like this happen?

I was looking forward to listening to the Q&A. You are right - just waffle, not answers. I ask the same question every chance I get - any more Southampton sailings? A second ship from Southampton would be great, my preference would be an M or S Class. One ship all year round would be great too. But currently just one ship for 6 months is simply not good enough. There are many potential cruisers in UK who do not, or cannot fly to join a cruise. Canaries, North Africa etc are lovely through the winter months. If I want a cruise between mid-October and mid-April my only choice is to sail on another cruise line.

The poster stated that B428 is the Cruise number - not the cabin number. The cabin is C539.

I contacted P&O on this subject as I noticed there is only one 0% Lager available on board. I suggested they could increase the choice of beers and other alcohol free adult drinks on board. I simply do not like cola and other fizzy drinks, but love alcohol free beers. Corona make a reasonable 0% Mexican beer that could prove popular. This was their response: "Hi, we are unable to guarantee that we will be introducing similar beverages however we take on all guests feedback for review" Maybe more cruisers need to pass on their thoughts to P&O for things to change. They say they review feedback. I even suggested to them that it could help cut back on some of the anti-social behaviour I have read about in some recent reviews.

Not sure how this morphed into - dentists, but I will add my experience of this. I had been registered with an NHS dentist for 10 years. When I last called to make my regular appointment I was told the last NHS dentist (my dentist) had left the practice so the only choice was to book with a private one. I didn't. There are none available in my area now.

On Celebrity you can use OBC before sailing. When making a purchase prior to sailing you are offered a choice of paying with OBC or credit/debit card. Hopefully it would be the same as this if P&O went that same route.

There are many people who are not actually infirm, disabled, or in a wheelchair, that struggle to stand around for long periods. I didn't realise this until it finally hit me as I got older. I do not use a stick, or any mobility aid, but as the years go by I find many things a problem that never were a few years ago. I would not turn up early and expect to jump the queue, but I know that if I arrived on time and there was a hold up for any reason I would really struggle to be standing around more than 20 minutes, or so. Hopefully it all goes smoothly for my next check-in. But this situation is not always understood until it hits you. I never thought I would become 'old'. The suggestion of walking around to waste a few hours would be my worst nightmare. I would not qualify, nor would I ask for, or expect 'assistance' because I don't need it in most situations. So I would be in the queue outside.

Totally agree that offering a choice of arrival times to passengers works well. I have sailed numerous times with Celebrity and choose the time that suits me best and that I can adhere to. I have never had to queue more than a minute or two, and only once had to sit for a short time, indoors, after check in, to wait to be called onto the ship. I think the suggestion to start embarkation earlier at 10:00 or thereabouts will just mean being 'kicked off' even earlier so not something I would be keen on.

I agree - just think that it needs to be described correctly. After all, a dress code of Black Tie, has a meaning.

P&O should definitely rename it to something else if that photo is how they see it. 'Black Tie' is an actual dress code that has requirements. It was actually created in the Victorian era as a more relaxed evening dress not requiring a tail coat for dinner. If anyone receives an invite to an event with the dress code as 'Black Tie' it does not mean turn up as the gentleman shown in the photo above!! I am not saying you cannot go to dinner on a P&O ship dressed like that - but just don't call it 'Black Tie'.

I have been following this thread with interest - although it has drifted a bit from the original question. After 25+ years of cruising and approximately 80% of them on board Celebrity ships, I have booked my first P&O cruise. Some of the reviews have been a bit worrying but I am determined to enjoy my time on Arvia. I know it will be different. One of the reasons for not choosing Celebrity this time is the cost which I find well above anything I have previously paid. There were never very many children on Celebrity sailings out of the main holiday times, so I chose mid April to miss Easter by a couple of weeks, so will see how that works out. I also wonder about the fact it will be mainly UK cruisers on board, I have not had that before so it will all be different. But hopefully fun finding out 😊

Possibly changing the start and end dates of cruises on one of the big ships to midweek would relieve a bit of the stress to deal with so many passengers over two days.? But with the schedules already being available up to Spring 2026 I can't see that would be simple.

Not proof, but why were the other children travelling with them not asked whether they were adopted too???

This is something I have wondered about too. Basically I think once a child is alone on a ship, out of their cabin, it is the same as being out of home, alone, on land. There are parks (lido deck), shops and bars, and do you allow your 10 year old, or 14 year old to roam in those places when not on board ship? Sometimes at 10pm.? Someone mentioned stranger danger too. I am not anti-kids, just interested.

There is quite a long discussion on the Celebrity Cruises forum about whether there should be .no phone zones'. Specifically to stop the loud phone conversations, Facetiming, and watching videos and other content without using headphones. A bit like thinking back to the old days of smoking indoors and the discussions on having no smoking areas. I know P&O want everyone to use smart phones for their App / webpage, so it may not happen. But sounds a good idea to me.

This is the way Celebrity do it too. So the hall gradually empties from one end and it works really well.

Sorry, thanks, I understand that. It was not what I was asking. I probably didn't explain very well. If I book the theatre or any other venue and then get delayed stuck in a long virtual queue for my meal, will my theatre booking stand if I arrive just in time or a little late? Or will it have been given to someone else? I agree with what you say about 'the old days' it was much simpler then. Easier to visit and leave the theatre as you please. You say you have booked all theatres, but may not go to them. I understand that booking everything gives you the choice on the day, a chance to be spontaneous. I wish P&O would come up with a different system, like maybe opening up booking 24 or 48 hours before the event. It would stop the need to book just to cover all options. And there would be fewer 'no shows'.

But would you tip extra in the restaurant at home if the tip had already been included in the bill? Many people, me included, tip in restaurants, but something amazing needs to have taken place for me to tip twice.

This is how I am thinking at the moment. I like a bit of spontaneity, especially on holiday. So many factors can change what you want to do each day. I wonder after reading about the necessity to make bookings ahead of time, how many people book things to make sure they have something to do each evening, and then make a decision on the night? Would there be many no shows? Also if you are stuck in a virtual queue waiting to eat, can you then turn up late to your booked venue, or would you be denied?

Yes, I am the same. For me I find the prices have risen so much, alongside the E class now sailing from Southampton, and I really want an 'outside' balcony. I don't mind a fly cruise but Celebrity seem to be way higher priced, even without including drinks or gratuities (I don't care about wifi). So I also have 0 upcoming cruises on Celebrity for the first time in 10+ years 😣

I check on this website for times in port. Cruise Timetables | Cruise Schedules | Cruise Ship Schedules It is also useful for finding out which other ships are also in port with you. They have arrival and departure times, but not sure how far in advance they are showing. Plus, of course, they can always be changed "for operational reasons".

This is exactly the way I deal with tipping. I follow the guidelines for the cruise I am on. Certainly removes the worry about getting it right or wrong. Plus, as already stated, the constant begging for top marks toward the end of a cruise with some cruise lines can become really annoying. I would not tip extra to anyone simply doing their job. Now and again there are those that go out of their way to smooth things out so then I would. It's all a personal choice after all.

But, due to the size of North America, huge numbers of those cruisers fly to their embarkation port. So, why not fly a bit further to Barbados to embark if they are flying anyway. I just think if P&O promoted cruises more in US it could relieve the necessity to get 5000+ passengers there from the UK for each sailing.