Megabear2

It's not just cruises. Recently had a problem with Hilton hotel at Gatwick. Original booking made 9 months in advance held against my debit card as my credit card would expire just before travel. On receipt of new credit card changed the reservation to reflect this and assumed debit card would be removed. My husband on check out was asked if he wanted card on file charged and said yes - they email your invoice so nothing physical to check against. Meantime I open up bank account on line and find £143 pending charge plus a £185 normal charge- enquiry led to my husband having had a beer and a meal the night before. I complained then told they'd taken money from the credit card. Sure enough £185 debited day after check out so effectively we were paying three times. The pending charge did not drop off for 10 days and it took 7 days for the wrongly charged amount to process back into our account. Despite a very big complaint nothing sped it up although I did get 10,000 Hilton Honours points as an apology. Lesson learned by me, never let anyone have your debit card details as a hold for a booking!

I find this quite interesting apart from the obvious disappointment for the people booked. As mentioned by Britboys above the 2025 release shows little or no Greek ports on the schedule on ex Southampton cruises for P&O. Apart from the Azura fly cruises it looks as if Greece is becoming a no go area for P&O travellers and I wonder if the 2024 cruises booked to go there will suffer the same fate when the ports start "diviying" up who gets a berth. Very noticeably the fly cruise ships on P&O and other lines (I looked at Princess and Celebrity for myself) seem to be predominant in most Greek ports including the popular islands. I cannot find hardly an ex UK sailings mentioning Greece for the next three seasons. Could this be the way of the future with tye intended reduction of cruise ships welcome in the Med or is it just the cruise lines saying well the Spanish ports are still selling well so why worry. Also since the Venice ban there are markedly less cruises visiting Italian ports and Croatia on ex UK sailings yet I've previously done quite a few on Cunard and P&O. Hopefully this isn't the way things are going to proceed but the 2025 schedules I've seen to date aren't looking too promising for anywhere central Mediterranean unless its fly cruise with the prices being substantially higher to reflect the rarer ports.

Sorry to highjack your thread but I'm considering booking Arvia Retreat for my mid May cruise and see you are currently onboard enjoying it. Is your experience good and how are you finding it in general? I note you mention drinks and food, is this a fairly good selection? I'm a solo traveller on this occasion with just one day out of 14 booked for a shore excursion so intend spending a fair amount of time onboard. I am assuming Retreat will be sold out for entire voyage and would be interested in how you find bed availability etc and also the times of operation. Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you.

At least their clean. Following on if your concerns are correct all the RCI and MSC ships won't be welcome either. Might as well shut up shop all round!

Are they on sale now? I hadn't realised. I've directed my friend's to look at them for 2025 so I'd better tell them to crack on. They're hoping for the £99 kids places which were on offer for this year.

Not on every line, no. Celebrity Beyond has 3,260 passengers, Queen Anne 3,000, Rotterdam 2,700. Granted RC and MSC are going for giants which dwarf even Arvia and Iona but plenty of other lines are going smaller with of course the specialists like Saga going even smaller. It mustn't be forgotten a lot of the very big ships were ordered before the pandemic as well. What comes next we will have to wait to see.

Multi million pound ships are not exactly Ford Fiestas to be traded in every 3 years. Times do move on but a cruise line won't invest in something that will easily last 20+ years and not expect that it's clientele will change or the ship updating. Aurora and Arcadia were once state of the art and market leaders and not adult only, they may not be now but then neither are the Freedom class RC ships or even Independence of the Seas who one correspondent waxes lyrical about. Of course the newer builds are going to follow latest trends just like other transport options. Lots loved Boeing 707 aeroplanes but it's mainly nostalgia and if their flight to New York tomorrow trundled one out they'd scream blue murder they want a nice 787 or Airbus 350. Who's to say come the next time Carnival decide to treat P&O to a shiny new ship they won't pick something smaller and more innovativein different ways? We can't and should not assume. I'm pretty sure they know what's successful and the indication of money being spent on the older ships says they're not being written off just yet.

It will still leave Azura, Ventura and Britannia which very few over 60 dislike. There are only one or two on here who are adamant nothing other than Aurora and Arcadia will do. My aunt returned to Fred in January on Bolette. Although her experience was complicated by catching covid she has stated she won't ever sail on an older vessel again because it simply didn't compete with her Princess cruises in Regal and Sky last year. We are now looking at round Britain cruises for her later in the year but the older ships are not featuring on any line. Not a good idea to just write off P&O based on the two big girls, many are very happy with her smaller mid sized sisters. Judging by how many on here are enjoying Azura's fly cruises I'm guessing itinerary changes are more likely to be a problem than the ships.

Very good point on the drinking laws. On a couple of ex UK RC cruises when they applied their 21 age rule I've seen arguments about people being able to drink at home because of the age 18 legality difference. RC amended their age to 18 to fall in line with European laws accordingly. However my experience on RC compared to P&O is they are still very much tougher on anti social behaviour of any type. As others have pointed out here they are also far more expensive and I presume if you've paid double or sometimes treble the price for your cruise you're more likely to take heed of the warnings. Part of the problem in the cross over is what different age groups deem acceptable. I recall people moaning about "ferile hordes" of teenagers when Ventura was introduced. I very much doubt they were either just groups of bored youngsters hanging out together. On my one and only Celebrity cruise there was a section of the ship handed over as an evening meeting place for that age group where computer games etc were available. Big beanbags, lounging stuff, fairy lights etc. Seemed very popular. As someone with no children or grandchildren it looked a great idea and no one seemed bored or wandering aimlessly like I've sometimes seen on Britannia or Azura on my Caribbean cruises. Do Iona and Arvia have spaces like this for the evenings, if not surely it might be welcomed by the parents and the youngsters.

There's no reason why those itineraries within Europe at least have to be restricted to the adult only ships. Variety of ports existed on all lines I sailed until a few years back. This "shuttle" planning has crept in at the expense of mixed itineraries and is my main complaint about ex UK cruises. As a member of the new demographic for cruising it would be great if your group could emphasise your desire for variety to P&O etc al and hopefully it might happen.

Depends on which behaviours I'm supposed to find acceptable, be they rich or poor. Unfortunately the level of drunkenness and anti social related behaviour onboard vessels has notably increased in recent years (not just P&O) in the same way as it has at big events in society. Whilst having accidentally become caught up in a brawl at Glorious Goodwood a couple of years back was frightening encountering it on a ship (as has happened on some US sailings) in a closed environment would be far worse. Carnival recently laid out very clearly what will happen to passengers causing disruption to other passengers including fines and being forced to leave the ship, but will it stop the problem. Whilst UK sailings on any line rarely have the problems they are trying to address the cruise lines have to be careful that it doesn't creep in through the back door. My last cruise over Christmas was spoilt by drunken fellow passengers and the disappointing reaction of staff to their behaviour. Just a one off I hope, but the memory lingers and does cause a little anxiety that this one off experience won't become the norm.

Hope the senior crew and captain can keep their eyes on where they're going then. Aren't their quarters up there with the bridge?

Nice ones like all of us!!!!

All my recent correspondence on my recently booked cruise on Arvia has stated Dear First Name Surname. I thought that was a bit formal but definitely better than Dear Valued Guest.

I'm not disagreeing - I actually eat very little meat myself so a vegetarian option is fine for me. I do not think it right that Epicurean doesn't offer good vegetarian options for - I generally have fish when I eat there. I would not however seek to eat in a totally vegetarian environment anymore than I eat in steakhouse. I guess I'm saying in my opinion all venues on a ship should offer everyone an option, particularly when there appear to be problems accessing restaurants. At the risk of reopening the prawn problems my most favourite food on any ship is Raw on Five on Celebrity ships as I love all shellfish and crustaceans. However this too (possibly cost was a factor) was not used very well, but my friend and I were in our element. I intend to try Green & co on my Avia cruise next month as the recommendations are quite numerous.

Thank you. I'm sure they wouldn't either, but as I had no idea what it was I was trying to be light hearted. Apologies.

I didn't fly from Manchester but all Antigua flights from London were from Heathrow on a Virgin charter as far as I know.

Looks beautiful but I'm intrigued by the Kluklux clan guy in the penultimate picture. Do you have any information on who he is?

Thank you for your efforts in providing this. I'm quite surprised at the number of Arcadia sailing in your list. I'd assumed it would be the bigger ships with the large cuts. Regarding K326C I was surprised last week to see the only currently sold out cruises on Arvia are two 7 night Antigua sailings. I was intrigued after seeing your research and as I was booked originally on the 22 December K326 14 night sailing over Christmas took a quick peak to see current prices. The current balcony select fare for this is now £1,000 cheaper than when my booking was made but apparently with only Manchester flights remaining. Christmas/New Year in the Caribbean is clearly selling well this year.

Truthfully this has all got out of hand. One person is having a not so good time and told us so but not the end of the world stuff. Some have disagreed, but aren't there. . It's called life. You'll be grand I'm sure, you and your lovely family most probably won't be touched by any of this. Truth be told it's a load of wind and air with a lot of silly people arguing about something that's really nothing to do with them. It's what forums induce when people choose to air views.

Gary is doing as you did, telling us bones and all about his personal experience. It's rather rude to say he's being vague, he's on holiday for goodness sake! You didn't use a kids club on Arvia so probably didn't need to know either. Apart from Arvia how many P&O cruises have you taken, when and which ships? I doubt you ran around on them taking note on facilities. Perhaps you could point us to your reviews for the other ships? Apart from Azura which you mentioned (and if it was Caribbean Christmas it sounds like a few years back) where have you actually sailed to/from on P&O?

Yes but those of us who stood by the cruise lines (all of them not just P&O) are being very badly treated by them in favour of newcomers jumping in on the lower prices. No matter how much OBC was thrown at the problem last year for bookings for the current and next seasons we have been soundly rodgered. Problem is us old loyal customers are very wiley, we won't forget and get burned again. When the new people tire of the same old itineraries on the shiney new ships (which I think is inevitable) it will be us picking up the pieces and no doubt still being taken for a ride. Elephants live a long while and don't forget so do I. It really wouldn't hurt the cruise lines to let those trapped into bookings costing literally thousands more than they're selling them at now at least move cruises to something that doesn't have to cost more. The cynic in me says the flexibility went back to the old system just because they knew 100% sailings were returning and they'd mined everyone's pockets very nicely, thank you.

Sorry, I've missed the point or misunderstood you. You've got 5 nights in pay extra restaurants on there. Several people have made the point that don't see why they should be forced into using them. You've also said you didn't book for them but indicated you managed to coerce the restaurant into giving you the booking. Judging by what's apparently happening now Gary and his fellow passengers haven't got that luxury. I politely suggest his experience is way different to yours and perhaps in trying to be a denier and blaming it on the good folk who've booked a family ship for them and their children you might just this once say Arvia is sadly not coping on this occasion and P&O have dropped a clanger. This thread is about Gary's experience on his cruise and the Arvia appreciation thread may be more appropriate to sing her praises.

That's a new one for you!

It is under normal circumstances but if everywhere is either fully booked up, turning people away or only the buffet available when they are turned away, people are going to look at booking the speciality restaurants throughout their entire cruise - we already have people on here who deliberately eat only in speciality restaurants throughout their cruise. Whilst I agree that they aren't designed to be every night dining it appears they regularly are - probably good for P&O's coffers. From reviews on CC and elsewhere Green & Co doesn't appear to be booked out every night so if you're not into buffets and fast food you may well find it your only option. Much as I like a pizza or fish and chips I would get very unwell if I had to live on them for a fortnight! I noticed in your blog you're very keen on quick turnaround when you eat which if it suits you is fine, however I eat far more leisurely and at a slow pace so the MDR or alternative restaurants are my choice. If I find it difficult to do this I'll simply eat my main meal ashore but if I've paid for my food in the fare surely I have the right to expect to eat onboard apart from in the buffet?