molecrochip

Oh heck! Additional to my earlier post, I believe that there have been a lot of replies to the emails you mention, and it could well be that the responses back to passengers are not as co-ordinated as they need to be.

Special assistance has been a free for all which has been abused. Overall, this is an area that P&O and Cunard are trying to improve - but the first way to do that is to understand who needs assistance and who is using for no other reason that to jump a queue. A few things have happened here which has led to this situation. Let me summarise how I see it: 1. Over the last three years Carnival UK have built an assistance team which are working to improve the assistance needs experience but also who are working to standardise the process. Some member of this team are newer/less experienced than others. 2. The onboard needs questionnaire is now mandatory for anyone who needs any type of physical aid. I believe that this is being/has been put into the terms and conditions. Until then, these nudge emails are being used. 3. Following point 2 above, if you need a physical aid and have not declared it, you will be denied boarding with no refund/FCC etc. 4. There have been numerous incidents this year of people not declaring they need assistance (remember the two blind ladies who claimed to be each other's carer? multiple cases of scooters turning up and not being booked into accessible rooms etc.) 5. They are trying to clamp down on passengers turning up at the port, seeing the long queue and 'requiring' use of special assistance as a way of queue jumping. This is why special assistance check-in is now separate and based upon the onboard needs questionnaire being complete. 6. There have been two onboard incidents this year which have highlighted the need to improve processes. Britannia's encounter with a tanker proved that passengers needing assistance did not return to cabins quick enough. In an emergency scenario, the stairway guides nearest your cabin have already been told who will need assistance. When twice the number of people turn up this causes a problem. This can be managed better if people register in advance. Also the battery incident on Iona shows the need to understand how many powered devices are on board. 7. People are being abusive towards terminal staff and onboard staff when they don't get the preferential treatment expected. Special assistance is not preferential assistance. This is 100% unacceptable. 8. Disembarkation is sometimes chaos especially on the bigger ships. P&O have to specify how many special assistance staff are required from the contractor. When (and this has happened) twice the number of people turn up for special assistance disembarkation to those who have registered, the process goes out the window as not enough staff are available. Turning back to the actual queries: @Megabear2 Yes, they do want to know about walking sticks. If your husband may need it, just declare it on the form and don't ask for any additional help. If he can manage stairs in an emergency scenario, tick 'no assistance required'. @kalos I accept your request was simple, but especially on the bigger ships where the galleys are some distance from the MDR, this becomes a difficult request to quickly fulfil. P&O's stated policy has always been that those with dietary requirements should also declare, and check the menu the day before. At which point low salt gravy should be easily sorted.

Also, re Amblifit in Barbados. P&O provide details to the ground agents at Barbados. It is then in the hands of those ground agents. Unlike big airports, Barbados only has one Amblilift in use at a time which often leads to delays if more than one flight needs to use it. It’s bad.

I’m actually trying to point out that Tui did nothing wrong. I’m also trying to point out what led us here - I accept that P&O could have tried harder. Call centre staff are trained to give example airlines and then explain that flight details including confirmation of airline will be around 14 weeks out.

And the 19/20 season was cobbled together using scheduled services and having less capacity on ships. Since then Covid has meant Virgin could provide the capacity Thomas Cook previously did. For this season, Virgin are using all of their planes again on their own services so have dropped out of the equation. P&O have finally had to find a new Charter Operator. P&O had been looking for a long time but the charter market for this type of season long arrangement is poor with less operators than pre Covid. Some people wrongly assumed they would be flying Tui and ended up on Maleth. The majority of those people were never flying Tui in the first place and had never been given flight details with any hint of Tui.

I’m going to say this again: Tui are providing all aircraft they have been contracted to provide. It has nothing to do with Tui. The issue is down to Thomas Cook no longer being around in the Charter market,

I don't believe that Tui have changed and their leg room remains 32". However, there are some rows in the middle cabin (section behind the boarding door) where the outside say 4 rows are actually 34". These rows are usually reserved for passengers with additional needs.

This just is not acceptable. Carnival is a massive diverse and inclusive company. Whilst they are not in control of their guests thoughts and comments, they will intervene when guests behave inappropriately. It appears in this case that the immediate issue has been dealt with. No doubt, someone at head office will also consider the response and whether further follow-up is needed. My hope is that this does not put Gareth Gates off performing on board. He puts on a good show which I'd recommend.

Has anyone on here bought the Premium Economy or Business Class upgrades with BA or Virgin? Could you share the prices you paid for the flight upgrade and when your holiday was please. I’m specifically looking for a real world example rather than just asking the call centre/flight team. Don’t need any personal/identifiable details.

Inside cabins in Azura are tight. Between the adult beds is the best place for the cot… or… You have an open wardrobe opposite the bathroom door. From memory the cot fits here.

Which ship you on?

Believe that they were planning on cleaning a number of public areas etc. If you had a disability that meant 6 hours away from the ship was not possible, I believe arrangements were being dealt with on a case by case basis.

You should be able to sort this before you leave. The only reason for P&O refusing is if they have already allocated all the cots. I'd ring them again. In my experience if you've requested then they are already assembled in your cabin before you arrive.

Alternatively, stick your 6 month old in the night nursery and head for a great meal in the Epicurean.

Just to say that at 6 months old, P&O will supply a cot, baby bath, steriliser and even food purée in branded jars, if appropriate. Also you might be told that it’s single beds but often your steward can put them back together once they realise you’re using the cot and not the bed. I’d take the OBC and put it towards your drinks bill or internet if that’s important to you. You don’t have to buy a drinks package to use the OBC.

So why is it ok to feel a bottle from the dispensers around Arvia and Iona but not from the buffet? This isn’t a health issue, this is about keeping the queue at the drinks dispenser in the buffet moving. It takes so much longer to fill a bottle. Two further points: a) it’s easily possible to fill your bottle without touching the dispenser nozzle. b) Even if the inside of the bottle neck does touch the outside of the nozzle, the likelihood of transferring anything is practically nil. Passenger lips come into contact with outside of bottle neck. Outside of nozzle touches inside of bottle neck. Other passengers who use plastic glasses let the water run through inside of nozzle, and free fall into glass, not touching nozzle. Not my rules! Not all companies have this rule either!

I don’t know! Elsewhere there is talk that the ship took a significant lurch to one side. My presumption is that the ship listed beyond its normal operating angle. Such a list may risk exposing the propulsion system and causing damage when it then re-enters the water. Also, you don’t want engines pushing the ship in the direction of the list, making it worse. Therefore I’m guessing some kind of fail safe system here. The ship uses Siemens SISHIP SiPODs for the ship's propulsion and power distribution systems which I have no specific knowledge off.

They are due next to each other I believe?

Both ships currently expecting to progress as planned. Iona due in first, Ventura 30 mins later.

Firstly, enjoy your cruise. Plumbing issues tend to be because people (inc crew) put stuff down the toilets they shouldn’t, blockage builds, pipe joint gives way, flood. Some ships are just more prone to problems - Arcadia and Azura spring to mind. Lessons learnt and newer ships gave better pipework!

Not getting the luck on that cruise. Reading the stories of Saga’s Spirit of Discovery coming north through Biscay at weekend, it was the right decision to wait. Up to 100 injured on that ship with tables flying etc. several heading straight to hospital when ship docked in Portsmouth yesterday evening.

Just checked, Iona currently showing as Lisbon next stop so might be lucky. Portuguese pilots have been known in the past to allow cruise traffic in but not commercial & ferries, on occasion. Wait and see I’m afraid.

Unionized maritime pilots plan to strike natiownide Nov. 6-8. Members of the OFICIALMAR/FECTRANS and SINCOMAR unions are demanding assurances that their retirement age will remain at 60 years. Pilots are required to navigate freight and passenger shipping in and out of ports; the strike will likely cause delays and disruptions to port operations. Further industrial action is planned: Nov. 14-16, Nov. 22-24, and Nov. 29-30. Disruptions to port operations, including general cargo services and passenger ships, are almost certain during the strike. Lingering shipping delays could persist after the action ends as port authorities clear any backlogs. Related protests are possible near sea ports. Announced less than a week ago. Often called off last minute but clearly not happening this time.

Knowing BGI airport fairly well, its likely that the gate was changed three times!

Do remember that whilst you may be able to bid for an upgrade - it doesn't necessarily mean that the cabin is available. By the time the bids are ready to be considered, someone may have actually bought that suite for full price.