Megabear2

We still have the sun and currently have 24 degrees. The local garden centre was selling all its Rose's half price yesterday and me being me just had to over indulge by buying 14 of them. Spent the morning digging large holes to put them in, very hard work but thankfully the soil is well wet underneath from my OH's early morning watering for the past few weeks. Hoping the weather lasts so I can install my latest plug and play garden lights amongst them - another bargain at 75% off. Big day for Dutch Decoy tomorrow with a declaration at the St Leger Doncaster meet. Fingers crossed for a good run in his final outing before the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on the 30th.

I believe she is in a container port area for extra safety.

Two emails received 14th and 11th September giving extra money off selected Caribbean and Med cruises from November through end January. I think one is a personal offer - 14th September book by 26th September - but the other one is fairly general and offers upto £760 OBC plus £100 off (the £100 is on an inside and higher on balcony). We have a deluxe balcony on deck 14 midships - a nice cabin in a good position - which without our PE is costing £6,800 so £7800 or thereabouts with the flight. Currently I can get a select deluxe on any available Britannia cruise from November to end January for over a thousand pounds less. Admittedly some will be deck 15 front which we don't particularly like due to the shade but knowing what we would get a saver would be way less. We also don't mind Britannia's balcony cabins with sofa and if we took one of those currently we could get it for £4158. Remember at launch we booked Arvia for Christmas (which I cancelled way back) at a cost of £7,300 second lowest grade balcony economy flights. This isn't a special holiday for us as we have a 13 day Celebrity Caribbean over Christmas which we replaced Arvia with. Basically we both just love the Caribbean and fancied a quick return so any of the dates and itineraries will do us, particularly as my husband isn't going skiing this March so literally any date will suit.

I got the book email again yesterday. Went in, clicked saw a flash of read and then Enquire on Board. Getting more fed up by the day, what with the new pricing that I was offered yesterday, excursions and things not bookable we are seriously considering writing off the cruise as the deposit is only small.

That sounds very positive. Hopefully the impact on you will be minimal. It's very busy out there in the Atlantic at present, I see there may well be another one incoming if it forms and here at home Margot is apparently expected to bring lots of rain next week! https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/nigel-to-develop-soon-could-become-next-hurricane-danger-in-atlantic/1579249 https://www.severe-weather.eu/global-weather/atlantic-storm-margot-ireland-uk-europe-autumn-season-mk/

I just received one of those "personal" email offers I get from P&O. This one's offering money off until 26/9 on Caribbean cruises. A balcony forward is £4458 select fare with £320 OBC on every Arvia cruise from her arrival in the Caribbean until end of February. A saver is £3198. Insides are £3098 on select and £2398 saver. So no, not a fortune st the moment and a much bigger cabin, natural light etc as well.

Thank you for your explanation. Clearly this is a cultural difference. Wearing your robe over your nightclothes or to go to a swimming pool or hot tub is very acceptable in the UK and Europe and in fact there are many places where if you don't wear one to transfer between the spa/swimming pool/tub you would be chastised as that is exactly what they are provided for. What you call a "bathrobe" is known merely as a "robe" here and is in fact an item of clothing intended for warmth and to cover items of swimwear, in other words as ICF mentioned earlier is intended to transfer in public areas - not food venues which from my experience happens I'm the US and on US cruise lines. "Robes" are actually used as a form of modesty and are a far better option than watching some oversized beer bellied individual wobbling about the decks and corridors!

A lot of P&O cruisers clearly use Saga as well so surely a thread such as this one started out as is really useful. However I have to agree with you there is very little over on the Saga boards so it is difficult to actually gauge an unbiased opinion and it can get very wearying to be repeatedly told how good such and such a line is if you are trying to review or discuss a P&O matter. This seems to have creeped in very much after the restart as past P&O passengers have moved to other lines (which they of course have a total right to compare). Where I would agree with you however is how some of these folk (quite a lot have thankfully moved on completely) Iiked to denigrate and run down anything P&O immediately someone mentioned anything with even a minor sniff of a problem. This in turn arouses people like ICF and others to defend what they love about P&O and from there the whole thing becomes personal, people get upset and then very valid points/ideas are lost.

I think you got more than you bargained for! Trouble is the proper discussion has now turned into a free for all with people comparing irrelevant things like posh hotels, spas and Travellodge. Now people are calling for the thread to close so no doubt for the sake of a couple of jokes between one or two people it will go the way of many other threads that started so well.

I doubt that it was anyone's intention to cause Saga or any other cruisers offence. A lot of the comments are tongue in cheek, including my own - which are mainly a bit of banter aimed at ICF on my part because of his enthusiasm for all things Arvia. It was intended as a bit of fun between us along with the joke shared with Zap however if anyone is offended by me I apologise. Unfortunately when discussions move into personal opinions it is inevitable someone will see things a different way. Incidentally I do not sail exclusively in inside cabins, indeed my last Arvia cruise although booked as a select inside ended up being a disaster in a balcony thus proving what you pay can often have little to no control by paying more.

No doubt 99.9% of cruisers thought it was down to operational reasons ...

I think you get that included on Saga?

They're probably all asleep after a long hand of bridge accompanied by large schooners of sherry!

Didn’t unfortunately get to try them on my Arvia cruise - they'd run out of some vital ingredients! Same with the Seven Wonders cocktails in the Atrium, sadly only three wonders that fortnight.

But, but but ... we now have the long awaited return of ICF with his ebullient enthusiasm for all things Arvia which will bring with it all the excitement a bouncy Labrador puppy displays. Time to enjoy the one to one battles again and see old arguments dissected, rehashed with much enthusiasm and lots of sparring. And it's even better because he's come out fighting with mum and dad going high end!

All OBC is wasted on me unless I eat or drink it! If Saga give fare difference back that way I'd never spend it as I've far too many watches, am allergic to most perfumes and only carry a tiny handbag with my debit/credit cards and tissues.

I often wonder why after all these years that little boy and his sister are still walking 3 miles to the well - surely they are grown men and women now. As for the squillions we use to bribe their corrupt governments they've probably gone towards a nice big yacht or private plane. Then the boy and his sister want a better life and pay someone to send them on a mini cruise but when they arrive the countries who sent the squillions say b..... off. Strange old world we live in ...

ICF I think you have replied to me in error. If you read above the person this was in reply to thought P&O cruisers were making the nasty robe comments. I pointed out it was a US based passenger not a P&O cruisers making the snide remarks. I have my own P&O robe as mentioned above, a gift for being "P"!!!!

The person who has caused the furore on this issue is not UK based and appears to sail on American lines not P&O. The regular P&O passengers are commenting back to that person. Please don't think all P&O cruise passengers are like that person, most certainly they are not.

I don't know about Saga but I can confirm on 8 seadays on Arvia in May I never got a sniff of being able to do that as the swim up bar was being used as a snorkel pit for kids under the direction of the kid's club representative. 20 ish other passengers ... probably about right as the area is very small and not able to cater for many more! I'm all for comparison ICF but your experience is not exactly atypical of what the Arvia cruiser has experienced through the Summer months in Europe. What your requirements are and what the Saga cruiser wants are irrelevant in comparing because quite simply it's like chalk and cheese in every respect. As I said earlier in the thread, your views and mine really are not valid in this instance, we can't compare what we haven't/have no wish to try. As for Travelodge, people like to be witty and very much like the famous "Mickey Mouse" quotes from years back the answer is a multi million pound/dollar organisation must be doing something right because people like the product. I've only stayed in one in recent years. It was "well worn" but clean and for one night to attend a football match perfectly adequate. Originating from where I do I'm so used to derogatory comments (I'm from Essex!) they just sail over my head after all these years so I can't be bothered to even rise to the bait.

They have Jools Holland who does the esteemed Mr Barlow's job as their music ambassador. In my humble opinion a rather good offering.

Arvia fan club going well then!

I'm sure it's lovely if you like all that. I get all those types of things on Cunard and very much prefer the company of international guests overall. Much as I like P&O I much prefer sharing time with other nationalities whilst on a cruise and although I'm well inside the "older" target of Saga I think it would not suit me at all.

May I ask what use you put any provided bathrobe to when they are provided? Looking at advertising for high end cruise lines they all feature pictures of couples snuggled up in robes on deck or on their balconies. P&O offer their use and provide them in de luxe balcony cabins and above and if robes are not provided in your cabin grade P&O invite you to purchase one. I doubt they'd do this if it is offensive. I actually take my own P&O branded white bathrobe on my cruises - ironically it was part of a gift package sent to me by a contact in P&O's Executive Office. It didn't come with any warning of where I should use it! A dressing gown - attached example on sale in Cotton Traders.

Not necessarily. With some ships and cruises they aren't allowing advanced bookings. Whilst you have been off having a nice time on your travels Presto2 and I have been in deep conversations with Executive Office as to which of the very many misleading answers customer service are dishing out is actually the correct one. We've been told that for restaurant bookings it simply means that ship is not accepting bookings before departure. I posted the Executive office reply elsewhere.