Megabear2

That's interesting as when I asked TUI last year they said no because it was a charter. Can you recall their charges please? Mind you we are packed for Friday split over three cases weighing 17kg, 10kg and 18kg respectively so perhaps I wouldn't need it after all.

I'm fascinated you call Allure and Azura old. These vessels cost multi millions of pounds with at least 20 year life expectancy and it always amuses me that they are discussed as if they are cars that are part exchanged every 3 or 4 years. As it happens I've sailed Allure and Azura and as a starting point think its would be an impossible task to actually compare them even when they were brand new. I can't comment on the maintenance situation but having watched the P&O fleet bobbing around the cold northern hemisphere of Torbay, Weymouth etc clearly that took a heavy toll on overall condition which no doubt is still being caught up on. P&O most certainly should ensure the ship is clean. Very disappointed you have found that not to be the case. You will hopefully love Celebrity Beyond. The Edge class ships are beautiful and modern. Having sailed Edge herself in June this year I am booked with much anticipation on Beyond for 2024. However I'm also booked on Britannia, Queen Anne and Queen Mary so 7 years old, brand spanking new and 18 years old as at today. All different and the better for it. I hope things improve for you.

Well all my bags are packed and although the taxi's not yet blowing his horn we are off to Gatwick bright and early tomorrow morning to fly to Britannia on Friday. Now that the health questionnaire matter is out of the way I am thinking of booking the Iona cruise in March that I've been tracking for some time. Not having booked onboard for some time would there be benefits in me doing this? I have a FCC of around £1,000 left in my account and the select single occupancy balcony aft at the moment is coming in around £1400 with £60 OBC. I assume I would pay the remaining £400 onboard via my credit card - assumedly it wouldn't interfere with my onboard account and would be a separate transaction? I'm not really sure if booking onboard has any major benefits for a trip like this just in case of any extra discounts or OBC offers sprout in the New Year. I cannot recall if there are ever offers after Christmas either! The other question is are the very low deposits still offered onboard? I've deliberately not booked Christmas Caribbean for 2024 as there was a rumour Queen Victoria may be going to the Caribbean in 2024 winter. However my OH is badgering me to put a deposit on Britannia or Arvia just in case it isn't going to happen or be around Christmas. Currently I'm looking at a deposit of about £400 for what we would book, not a great deal in the scheme of things but still not something I'd really want to throw away if QV does come up as an option. I seem to recall September time someone saying there was a £50 deposit option if booked onboard or did I imagine it? Any help or opinions greatly received.

Indeed but P&O and Cunard share offices and staff whereas Princess are a separate organisation in the UK with their own team.

There is no option to buy extra luggage with the charters, I have asked many times. We are flying premium economy this year and next with the 28kg each. The difference in price is £50 each. However if you want to guarantee your seats you together you have to pay for the privilege. This year it was £78pp for both ways. Our total for flights Extras on Friday coming is £954. We are aware that next year is £449 each but the bookable seat price has not been set yet.

Cunard have also renamed all of the cruises to this region as Northern Europe and Scandinavia. The recently released 2024 cruises on Queen Anne also have this title. It appears to be a Carnival wide decision on name, although to date no Cunard cruise has been cancelled.

Yes you are right. As you know we are on that sailing too. I was told no booking for the speciality restaurants until onboard. Very disappointed as for first time in none Christmas trips unable to book the seasonal special Christmas/Boxing Day Epicurean dinner. I'm told it is pot luck and first come first served.

When did you get asked to fill this in? The questionnaire is no more from cruises departing from 9 December - I have 8 members of my family currently on Aurora and no form was required. I fly to join Britannia on Friday and none for that either although I'm told we will be asked questions at the airport in the same way as used to happen before the pandemic.

Yes, I've never had that happen before. This morning the saver fare told me I'd get cabin number 14729 however this afternoon my choice are reduced to forward or midforward/midaft. Cabin 14729 is still available but only on a select fare. A quick look at forward shows a whole swave of deck 8 forward cabins and one deck 9 ... I don't think a saver is a good idea on that particular cruise at present if you want to avoid deck 8. The plan shows a lot less availability than at 10.30 this morning so assumedly thr cut price bargain is attractive to a lot of people - oceanview is sold out.

Interestingly in the case of the cruise mentioned in January if a mock saver booking is made a cabin allocation is made so you can see where it is.

And that's exactly what I meant. I worked my entire life with those supposedly better than me who were quite frankly on occasion vile individuals who got away with bad behaviour because they had money and a supposedly better position in life. I am the working person you describe and I was sticking up for Butlins not belittling it or my ilk. I'm very proud of my roots. I originally come from a town recently described by someone as a toilet whilst on a cruise this summer. Yes, I'm nostalgic about my own experiences but I certainly am not looking down on anyone and on this occasion you appear to be misunderstanding me entirely. The post which I replied to suggested that smoking, swearing etc were more prevalent than before which is of course total nonsense. My point was memory is a strange thing and going back down the nostalgia route sadly always leads to disappointment.

Society changed, so did we as we got older and experienced different things in life. Back then for instance smoking was the norm, we accepted it and very few complained about it. Working people have always uttered expletives, we just choose to pretend to be horrified yet tune in to films and television laden with far worse. The difference now is there are larger numbers who have done so much better due to education opportunities and more routes out of the lower end of society through the 80's and 90's and as a consequence we tend to be embarrassed more than offended by Butlins and it's like. I recall the excitement of my first class mate going for a week's package holiday to Benidorm when I was 6 and her having to present a report to the class on their return. All thirty children sat their wide eyed looking at photo slides of paper mache donkeys, oversized sombreros and our classmate grinning from ear to ear by a swimming pool surrounded by palm trees. I doubt any child of today would get excited if their class mate showed them photographs of being at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro now let alone a family beach holiday! My family couldn't afford a holiday to Butlins but I was once treated to a day ticket at the Clacton one by an aging aunt. I still treasure that memory and it has equal value to me as my world cruise.

This offer was on one or two specific cruises and was on sale for an extremely limited period. It was toward the end of the offering of very large OBC promotion. The itinerary meant taking a big risk on weather so the cruise was not selling well. Roughly the same sailing on 4/3/2023 currently offers single occupancy balcony at £1419 with £60 OBC and this looks a possible cruise for the sort of price slashing Fionboard enjoyed - I recall she sailed on the cruise she refers to.

We are currently back to select fares for these cruises being around £800 to £1,000 dearer than the saver fares. The OBC is also back to "normal" levels - around £60 for 7 days and £120 for 14. Depending on how urgently the OP wants to book it might be an option to wait until after Christmas as the offers/fares may well drop. Personally I am tracking a couple of March cruises and the prices are beginning to move downwards already. Quite considerable drops are occurring on late February cruises and it seems to be happening week by week.

Bit like "Mickey Mouse" watches! Multi billion dollar entity based on one man's encounter with a mouse when he was down on his luck. If Mickey Mouse is a sign of something cheap and nasty I'll take it any day ....

I've just received a rather different sort of survey. The questionnaire I've received asks about my attitude to cost of living impact on the types and costings of holidays I may take. Its quite in depth giving areas for me to write freestyle comments. Two different sections, one for 2023 information and one for 2024. It seems interested in the number and types of holidays and trips I am planning, have already booked, the costing of them and how far in advance I booked. As a Diamond WC member who hasn't cruise Cunard since early 2019 I'm intrigued by the content and timing of this particular survey coming as it does on the day of the release of the 2024 cruises. As it happens I had been looking at the cruises released but with no desire to commit so far out on the normal 15% deposit terms and Queen Anne offering fairly uninspiring itineraries and no single cabins chose to not book at this point in time. I can only assume this search triggered the sending of the survey.

The questionnaire was leading to automatic cancellations by the cruise lines as the questions were very generic. Entire linked bookings were cancelled due to someone answering yes to any one of them, even people in other households who had passed the questionnaire were finding themselves cancelled. This could have been for the common cold or even a longstanding cough from non respiratory illnesses. Since the removal of the offer of FCC by P&O in September many were in this situation and these unfortunates were unable to make insurance claims in the UK as the events were uninsurable. Under pressure from insurers, ABTA and campaigners the questionnaire was quietly dropped at 10.00am on Monday 5th. As the sister company to P&O it would appear Cunard have adopted the same policy. UK travel agents were notified of the change late last week but the websites have not announced the change with any fanfare. There were other amendments regarding limitations on travellers with certain medical requirements which should be showing as well. Meanwhile the hundreds of passengers previously affected who have lost their money are hopefully now getting some recompense rather than fighting cruise line, insurer or through the UK courts.

How much are they charging now per day, please?

That doesn't sound right. I called and bought my wifi over the telephone and it was discounted. It most certainly wasn't a gift - I asked for a receipt for business purposes. The internet was £210 for the 14 days and I received my discount and paid £189. Perhaps you should check again if you have the time.

I've been advised its pot luck for these fly cruises. We like to have the Epicurean Christmas dinner special which on all previous sailings on Azura and Britannia have come up as a special separate bookable event about 10 days before sailing. When we received the email asking which of the two dinner times for Christmas day we wanted I called P&O and asked about the "special". I was informed it most likely wouldn't appear as a special event and to enquire onboard. In the conversation I was told that on ex UK cruises it is mainly higher grade PC members and suites who manage to snaffle the reservations due to their earlier boarding times, however it is more pot luck on arrival in the Caribbean depending on your flight arrival time - we are on the second Gatwick flight of the day so have been warned we may be unlucky! I booked my wifi by telephone at the same time. Discount was applied but it has not appeared in my cruise personaliser although I was told it would. Regarding Limelight I have booked two trips, our traditional Eric & Ern in week 1 and John Partridge at the end of the cruise for 29 December. The latter is only on 3 nights, ie 27-29 December. There will apparently be another act from 23-26 December but I'm told it is a surprise and only bookable onboard. I visualise a long queue at reception if the app doesn't like everyone trying to book on boarding.

I'm on Britannia for Christmas sailing 16th December and have been told apart from Limelight no bookings in advance. I think it's pretty standard as my family are on Aurora 9th December and the same applies to them.

Have a great time. When you come back drop by and tell us all about it, we love a good ending !

Fabulous news ! I'm delighted for you. Have a great time.

No must admit I wouldn't be keen either, hence my reluctance to use social media.

Ahhhh... just learned something new!!!