molecrochip

A new show is coming to all ships this year - it’s replacing Astonishing.

A new show cycles in every couple of years. Slowly, each ship has been upgraded with respect to video screens on stage which make it easier to roll out shows.

When shows change, it’s in conjunction with the headliners cast as they learn the routines etc in Southampton. Therefore, it will take 6 months to cycle the new headliners casts across all ships.

If you’re getting free coach travel from P&O then let them know someone is travelling with their chair and discrimination laws would require P&O to ensure that a suitable transfer is provided.

I like the cabins and would happily take one if it’s similar in price to highest grade deluxe balcony.

52 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Arcadia....probably the oldies who think they know best. I don't know how many of the ' new audience ' go on Arcadia. Not many I suspect.

Very much this I believe. Part of the ‘don’t tell me what to do - it’s not been a problem since Southampton’ brigade if my info is correct.

Captain has tried very hard to restrict the travel of the virus but some passengers have been very abusive to crew when asked to maintain standards. I believe a couple of people may have also been disembarked because of it.

Many of you will remember Captain Charlie Carr who retired around 2015. Sadly, he passed earlier this month.

His last full time ship was Ventura before he was promoted to Fleet Captain. As Fleet Captain he popped up on random ships, shared his knowledge and covered for other captains who were unexpected unavailable.

He regularly travelled with his wife "Mrs Captain" and both would be seen around the ship chatting with passengers.

As he sets off on his travels in the sky, I imagine he will "put another twist in the big elastic band" and suggest he "pours himself a G&T".

RIP Captain

Certainly merchant responsibility i.e. cruise ship.

Holds clear after 7, 14, or 28 days depending upon banking company.

Some hotels and Petrol stations do the same.

The contact centre should be able to sort/cost this for you. 
 

You are likely on a charter flight so extending your holiday is likely to have a flight cost attached. I would suggest costing your own flight back with BA/Virgin first so that you have the comparison handy.

Specifically, cruises are selling well with expectations that most will sell out - so no need to sell cheaply.

Demand exceeds supply therefore prices increase.

4 minutes ago, laslomas said:

 

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’ve suggested this many a time. It’s something Saga offer.

7 minutes ago, david63 said:

Would you happen to know that with the change of emphasis on accessible cabins/suites if there are any plans to increase the numbers when ships go in for refits?

There is a limit on the number of fully accessible cabins based on evacuation requirements.

Additionally, every 2 accessible cabins take up 3 standard cabin spaces. When ships are already sailing fairly full, there is little commercial argument to reduce capacity.

This has been tightened up now. Has been for a while, but it’s happened post Covid.

P&O are really hot now on who books a fully accessible cabin.

Whilst you may get occasional last minute upgrades/purchases, this is very uncommon.

Some people require specific beds or pieces of furniture for their wellbeing and accessible cabins are the only ones that fit. Doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t walk.

The most common scenario are people needing an electric scooter to use in ports but can slowly walk around the ship. They need the cabin purely for the scooter.

There is nowhere near enough cabins for actual demand and this is why you’re finding they are sold out - not because they are regularly being mis-sold.

Oceana (as opposed to the high end cruise line Oceania) was built for Princess when Princess was part of P&O. She was due to operate Winter Caribbean and Summer Alaskan cruises so was designed for passengers to be outdoors either in the sun in the Caribbean or sightseeing in Alaska.

When Carnival merged with P&O Princess, there was a reorganisation of the Sun Class ships. In 2002, Ocean Princess became Oceana and Sea Princess became Adonia. Adonia was the temporary replacement for Arcadia which became Ocean Village. Later, Adonia would transfer back as Sea Princess once the new Arcadia arrived.

43 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I read it that the travelling group were all between 18 and 85, not that they wanted a no kids place.  They specifically were requesting a pub, so assumedly most of those don't have a large number of children frequenting them anyway. 

Oh ok. I wasn’t being judgemental- just know that there is a massive variety in Southampton but most accept kids.

Southampton is a wonderfully inclusive city that serves a thriving, generally family, cruise market.

Unless you want to go to Wetherspoons (which explicitly bans under 18s), you may struggle to find a specific 18+ restaurant/pub eatery.

I would suggest dropping your no kids requirement, looking at some of the restaurants around the West Quay area. Ask for a quiet table by all means.

On 3/16/2024 at 1:36 PM, molecrochip said:

Additionally, I believe it’s now a requirement that mobility scooters are booked into a fully accessible cabin rather than just P&O policy.

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.

On 3/15/2024 at 10:14 AM, Josy1953 said:

Some people do have health issues that necessitate using their wheelchairs on someday but not others depending how they feel.  I worked with a man who had MS and some days he could manage with a walking stick or crutches but other days he used a wheelchair, as the disease progressed he had to use the wheelchair more frequently.

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.

18 hours ago, david63 said:

Anything left in any corridor (possible exception being the cabin steward's trolleys!) should be removed and a several hundred pound fee be required to have it returned to the cabin.

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.

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

It looks as though we will now be on the last cruise before Iona's first refit. I hope there won't be too much notice of the impending changes. We were on a Ventura cruise prior to a refit which included a change of shopping agency, which meant the shops were closed for the last 3 days, and the balcony flooring was being ripped up as we disembarked.

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.