molecrochip

If true, some of Carnival Corp’s US based ships have been caught not enforcing the clear evacuation route aka ‘no scooters/wheelchairs/buggies in the corridors’ rule and have been given til the end of this month to retrain their crews and enforce across all brands.

It’s interesting that both Oceana and Oriana have moved for the first time in years(?) in the past 10 days.

Said it before, will say it again. ANY ship is available to purchase at the right price. SeaJets opportunistically purchased a number of ships and are probably now looking to shed a couple before launching the rest as Greek island tourist ships. That said, these websites usually act as brokers - they act on basis of any ship for sale and look to match buyer and owner. They are not proper listings. I’m trying to think how much of a refurb a ship would need if it has been in cold layup for four years. I see some port to port movement so mechanically it may be ok. But what about the galleys and bars, are their equipment still fit and serviceable? What about the cabins? One thing is for sure, Carnival Corp will have wanted more than $45m for Oriana when they sold it.

Just because you can't see them doesn't mean that they are not there - in a cabin, in a bathroom, or collecting towels from the local storage area. Sometimes when they have their break, they agree with the neighbouring steward to look out for their trolley/cart too.

I understand that the changes relate to evacuation in an emergency. If someone is a full time wheelchair user then it’s assumed by the regulations that an evacuation chair will be necessary. The number of evacuation chairs is calculated based upon the number of fully accessible cabins. This is also limited by the allocation of crew to each stairwell. Two persons are typically allocated to an evacuation chair. Additionally, I believe it’s now a requirement that mobility scooters are booked into a fully accessible cabin rather than just P&O policy.

Trolleys are only to be left out if the Steward is in attendance. If the Steward moves away from their allocation of cabins/immediate stores then they are supposed to put the trolley away.

That’s unusual. Normally there is little sign of work pre-dry dock.

I believe if it’s ordered as part of butler served in-room MDR dining then the butler will take care of it by sourcing drinks from the MDR bar. But the official line is not included. Certainly not included with ordinary room service, which is free in suites - all drinks chargeable.

An update: Tui will be operating their usual suite of flights into and out of Barbados airport on behalf of P&O. Tui have already scheduled their fleet and P&Os charters are not affected by heavy maintenance on the Tui fleet. This leaves four flights a weekend not covered by Tui. This is usual. Tui have never covered 100% of flights despite what some posters on Facebook believe. The flights essentially not served by Tui are the Arvia capacity extras which alternate between Antigua and Barbados. This week Maleth have changed their tune and said they are still negotiating for the remaining flights. I understand that it won’t be Maleth but that won’t be officially confirmed until the new operator is announced. It certainly won’t be SmartLynx A320 and A321s as they don’t have the range or capacity. Traditionally, Tui use Dreamliners as capacity busters around the med/Canaries in the summer. I understand there is less of this for summer 2024 as their Dreamliners go for heavy maintenance. Together with delays to new 737s, this has caused Tui to seek further short haul wet leases. Again, this is not expected to impact P&O. Things can change, but that’s the latest update I’ve been given.

I dont think P&O thought they would be this bad. New operator - yes, small fleet - yes, but not an intensively used fleet. I think expectation was reliability would be good as P&O were essentially one of only 2 passenger customers. Not having sufficient cabin crew was shameful. Skip forward a year, BA and Virgin have received new aircraft which could be used for a charter. Norse also have cut back their route network but still have the 787s. Lets wait and see.

Normally it’s included in the reports I believe. Yes, just naturally ends. No announcement.

It’s not listed on the list of AGM resolutions.

Hotel today was sorted by P&O. I understand Maleth would have let passengers wait at check-in. Plane issue was found at start of checks following moving it early this morning from stand to plane.

I believe some TAs have had so many complaints that they are actively encouraging passengers not to took until the airline is known. What I find amazing is some passengers saying, based on our experience 4 weeks ago, don’t leave the hotel / ship as you’re be dumped overnight at the airport. The flight is due to leave in 90 minutes / 3am on the return. Listen to Facebook and you’d miss your flight!

Not sure if today’s flight has ever been cancelled. The first report this morning to use the word cancelled said “flight cancelled, now departing 8pm”. That’s not a cancellation just a long delay. Passengers were told they were being taken to a hotel and would be brought back at 5pm today. Not sure hotel was ever overnight.

I understand that P&O didn’t charter two planes specifically. Maleth voluntarily chose to bid to provide the appropriate number of A330 aircraft and crew to meet the flight schedule included within the tender. That agreement apparently included access to a replacement aircraft if the original aircraft would be more than X hours late due to mechanical defect. Maleth have breached their contract multiple times this season. I’ve been annoyed by people who believe that P&O chose Maleth on the cheap. My understanding is still that they were the only option for 23/24. Pick Maleth or cancel thousands of cruises. When the bad option is the only option, you take the bad option??? Turns out the bad option was shockingly appalling. Maleth were not ready.

I don’t see why they would have moved to the Stockperks app to then discontinue.

Can now confirm as it’s in public domain: A Maleth spokesperson told Travel Gossip today: “Our partnership with P&O will end at the end of March due to new operations that we will be running in the coming months. We are open to work with any operator that could request our services in the future.”

“Alcohol free” drinks are not alcohol free. They are a maximum of 0.5% proof. Accordingly, you must be 18 to buy them, serve them and they count as alcohol for duty free purposes. Therefore, I expect them to be under the same rules as for standard alcohol. Sorry to disappoint.

Just to be realistic for a second: nowadays there is a greater chance of denied boarding if you don’t fill in the form than if you do complete it.

Any non-motorised/non electric aid is allowed in a standard cabin as long as you can move it into the cabin and it doesn’t hamper escape. If you need such aid, report it for completeness. Additionally, if you have a medical condition/issue which would need assistance in an emergency, or cause you difficultly or significant extra time reaching your muster station, then I would mention.

I don’t know, but would expect it to follow the onboard concept.

No news. Not so much about changing the Ts and Cs but actually changing the systems behind the cruise personaliser to allow it to take place.

Like I say, no guarantee until announced but smart money appears to be here. Some consider them to have the most cost effective premium cabin in the sky. Aviation has been shook up and some leisure routes are flying completely full in economy and premium but struggling to sell lots of business seats. It’s been suggested that Virgin are interested in taking a stake in Norse as they need more leisure seats and this could be an easy way of getting cheap/quick access to high load leisure configurations without having to change the config of their existing planes.

Not saying done deal but will leave this link here: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/norse-atlantic-attracts-charter-interest-after-antarctica-flight There has also been interest, suspected to be Virgin, to aquire a significant interest.