Adonia - not quite what she seems

[sesh]

I have just back off the Adonia from the Norwegian fjords, and I will try to write a full review in the fullness off time - BUT I thought I'd share a little bit of information about the vessel.

 

1) The food standard was excellent and the service was excellent.

2) The Headliners company (5 of them) were very good bearing in mind the vessel has no stage/production facilities/ etc - so anyone wanting broadway shows, choose another ship.

3) The lounges and public spaces are generally well kept, however despite P&O telling us of a refit, you can see very worn carpet, chars, coverings, etc - which belies that fact the ship had a hard life under Princess.

4) The cabins were distinctly 2 star (and this just did not apply to our cabin) . Simply if P&O consider that state of the cabins to be a representation of their brand then they are in trouble and here is why;

 

The carpets were 3 different shades of filth.

Wardrobe/cupboard doors did not fit or shut properly.

Stained towels / bed linen.

Things that should have been bolted/screwed down weren't

Mould around the basin.

Staining in the basin.

Mould around the shower tray.

Mould on the shower cabin wall panel.

Drains that do not drain properly in the shower tray (leading to flooding in the bathroom if you are not careful [or of the ship rolls too much] .. )

Return mechanisms on the doors rusted badly.

A general lack of 'deep' cleanliness in a lot of the cabins (we are not just talking dust here, we are talking ingrained dirt).

A huge hollow where the underlay has gone awol outside cabin C084 (the floor appears to move as there is no support there).

Oh and to top it off - the vessel had a plumbing problem which lead to no cold water for a few hours, but once fixed they did not tell you that you needed to run the cold tap to remove the brown tainted water out of your system (not nice when cleaning your teeth).

Bent/damaged wall panels in cabins / passageways, etc.

 

 

Like I said this wasn't just limited to one cabin (several people we chatted to also commented that the cabins were in a less than perfect condition).

Will try and post some pictures of the ship at a later date (both good and bad).

 

Apart from that would say that we had a wonderful time (as Norway was simply stunning) but if this had been a Carib or Med cruise I would have been sorely annoyed at the state of certain areas of the ship.

[tom_uk]

Thanks for this information.

[BrianI]

We were on the Adonia Baltic cruise in June and I dont recognise any of the problems listed. In fact we thought some of the carpets were quite plush and looked new particularly the one in, and past, Andersons. Our cabin did not have any problems although the bathrooms are a little on the small side but manageable.

One benefit of a small ship is that there are no queues and there was never any problem in finding a seat anywhere on the ship.

The downside is that you dont get the big theatre with the west end style shows and the Headliners are just five. However they could all sing and they put on a Noel Coward play "Private Lives" one afternoon which was brilliant and lasted 1.5hours, so they can act as well as sing and dance.

Brian

[sesh]

We were on the Adonia Baltic cruise in June and I dont recognise any of the problems listed. In fact we thought some of the carpets were quite plush and looked new particularly the one in, and past, Andersons. Our cabin did not have any problems although the bathrooms are a little on the small side but manageable.

One benefit of a small ship is that there are no queues and there was never any problem in finding a seat anywhere on the ship.

The downside is that you dont get the big theatre with the west end style shows and the Headliners are just five. However they could all sing and they put on a Noel Coward play "Private Lives" one afternoon which was brilliant and lasted 1.5hours, so they can act as well as sing and dance.

Brian

 

Brian - think you were one of the luckier ones, a large group of people had issues surrounding the cleanliness and state of repair of their cabins - not helped when the pipe work had an issue and they had to cut off the water for a few hours (everyone in certain cabins got brown water to start with when they turned it back on). Andersons was one of the few venues that was treated to a total refit as it was formerly the casino when the ship was in Princess's fleet so all of the decor was new.

 

Agree that there were very few queues - and Headliners (as I stated) were very good, however I think the Noel Coward play may be changed to something a little less 'wordy' (their phrase not mine), there was too much emphasis on quizzes and it really spoilt the Crows nest ambience (after all we were sailing past the most stunning scenery in the world, so no I didn't want to know what year the channel tunnel open, etc etc).

[sesh]

Brian - think you were one of the luckier ones, a large group of people had issues surrounding the cleanliness and state of repair of their cabins - not helped when the pipe work had an issue and they had to cut off the water for a few hours (everyone in certain cabins got brown water to start with when they turned it back on). Andersons was one of the few venues that was treated to a total refit as it was formerly the casino when the ship was in Princess's fleet so all of the decor was new.

 

Agree that there were very few queues - and Headliners (as I stated) were very good, however I think the Noel Coward play may be changed to something a little less 'wordy' (their phrase not mine), there was too much emphasis on quizzes and it really spoilt the Crows nest ambience (after all we were sailing past the most stunning scenery in the world, so no I didn't want to know what year the channel tunnel open, etc etc).

 

 

Now added a link to some photos - what it doesn't show (because it'll never come out on the camera) is the flecks of mould on the shower wall and the general accumulated dirt around the door seals and air conditioning ducts.

 

http://www.mennens.me/Site/Adonia_problems.html

[Benjamin1981]

What did the cruise staff say or do about this? Did they offer to fix the problems they could? Did you ask to be moved to a different room?

 

I think that a bit of wear and tear is acceptable, I don't however think poor plumbing and dirty bathrooms are something that anyone should put up with.

[sesh]

What did the cruise staff say or do about this? Did they offer to fix the problems they could? Did you ask to be moved to a different room?

 

I think that a bit of wear and tear is acceptable, I don't however think poor plumbing and dirty bathrooms are something that anyone should put up with.

 

 

The staff were extremely helpful from the point of view of understanding the issue, but unfortunately there was nothing much they could do onboard at the time.

 

We will write to P&O for they information so they are fully aware of the situation, but thankfully the rest of the vessel and the cruise more than made up for the problems we had.

[Host Sharon]

I have only visited the ship twice and not sailed on her, but I certainly didn't see any dirty carpets etc. In fact they were laying new ones in one room when I was on board.

[lancashire_cruisers]

I was lucky enough to be invited to Adonia's naming ceremony and I wouldn't recognise the ship from your description. Certainly when we were onboard the carpets in the cabins were new, the general decoration of the cabin appeared to be in good order, there were brand new towels supplied (so new in fact they didn't dry you properly!).

 

Maybe we were just fortunate in the cabin we were allocated - who knows?

 

Debbie:)

[sesh]

I was lucky enough to be invited to Adonia's naming ceremony and I wouldn't recognise the ship from your description. Certainly when we were onboard the carpets in the cabins were new, the general decoration of the cabin appeared to be in good order, there were brand new towels supplied (so new in fact they didn't dry you properly!).

 

Maybe we were just fortunate in the cabin we were allocated - who knows?

 

Debbie:)

 

I think there is an issue that not all of the cabins have been refitted .. as you can see from the photos the mould and ingrained dirt didn't just appear over 3 months it appears to have been there a long time.

 

Am interested to know if anyone who saw decent cabins saw them on C deck ?

[LibraLass41]

I agree after seeing those photos, thats one tatty dirty cabin, and as Adonias cabins are the most expensive in the fleet (as there are so few) It certainly does not inspire me to cruise on her....

Have you sent that photo album link to P&O with your comments and ask for theirs? I would!

[LN50]

This is not what you would expect to a 'new ship' to the fleet!

 

In fact not what I would expect on any ship !

 

I will be very interested to hear of your response from P&O. The cabin really did appear to be very unhygenic. :mad:

[sesh]

This is not what you would expect to a 'new ship' to the fleet!

 

In fact not what I would expect on any ship !

 

I will be very interested to hear of your response from P&O. The cabin really did appear to be very unhygenic. :mad:

 

I am in the process of writing a letter to P&O to highlight these issues and will let you know their reply.

 

But apart from the cabin we really did enjoy the cruise and I would recommend the Norwegian Fjords to anyone who is into stunning scenery and lovely people.

[u2cruiser]

I would have been most upset to stay in that cabin. Looks like a grotty hotel room.

 

Wonder if they are doing the cabins on a rolling programme? I know the Grand Princess didn't get the cabins done during her major dry dock and some of those were in a similar state.

[cruiseluvva]

Quite apart from the maintenance issue, from your photos there would appear to be a cleaning issue as well. That cabin looks disgusting and I would feel just as disappointed as you.

 

I hope you get a satisfactory response from P&O.

[Sarum]

We were on the Baltic cruise June/July and although our cabin on B deck was clean and with no problems in the bathroom (save for space, of course), we do think P&O should take a long hard look at the storage space. Do you really need such a large mirror over the 'dressing table'? Perhaps they could replace this with a smaller mirror, and provide a wall unit above, for the cups, glasses, and smaller personal items and the get rid of that oversized box in which tea bags, coffee, etc. is stored. Bedside drawer units would be preferable to the open shelving. Fitting a smaller fridge under the dressing table in lieu of the cupboard, and creating drawers where the current fridge is would also be advantageous - but as we know, the cruise market is controlled by the 'money men'.

 

Our next cruise on Adonia is later this month - don't know how are going to cope with 26 nights on such a small ship. Do hope the entertainment team have organised a very good programme!!

[Patsy Flower]

Those photos speak volumes and I hope that you get a favourable response from P & O.

 

I don't think anyone who posts on these boards would want to put up with anything like that. That's not a holiday to me, it's a nightmare.

 

Fingers crossed that you get a hefty sum of compensation.

[timetravellers]

We were in a balcony cabin on C deck on Adonia and it was fine. The only thing I noticed was the greasy runners on the patio door but I just thought to myself, she's not a new ship so what?

No issues at all with anything else.

[daiB]

Those photos speak volumes and I hope that you get a favourable response from P & O.

 

I don't think anyone who posts on these boards would want to put up with anything like that. That's not a holiday to me, it's a nightmare.

 

Fingers crossed that you get a hefty sum of compensation.

 

 

 

 

I doubt that most P&O cruisers would go along with this. Compensation chasers are not well liked and treat with suspicion.

 

:):)Happy cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

[Benjamin1981]

The OP should not be put of from asking for any compensation should they see fit. The cabin was clearly unacceptable, and its there choice to ask for what ever P&O think is fair recompense for a service that was not delivered as promised.

 

Should you require any assistance then you can contact your local trading standards office and ask their advice.

[Host Sharon]

As an aside, the fridges are being moved from inside the wardrobes, so perhaps they are putting off further cabin refurbishment until that is completed.

[kevinyork]

Appalling photos. I would have certainly kicked up a stink onboard and would be writing to P&O. Adonia isnt cheap to sail on and no one should have to endure cabins as bad as that. Imagine if those photos made their way onto watchdog......it would severely damage bookings for P&O across all ships.

[woolfie]

We have just come back off the Eurodam's Baltic cruise and are looking at a Fjord cruise for Aug 2012.

 

The Azura docks at Stavaner, Flamm, Geiranger and Bergen.

 

Would you advise that we took the ship's excursions at these places or are they easy to explore on your own.

 

On the Baltic cruise, other than St P, we did our own thing and were quite successful in getting around etc

 

Regards

 

Steve Woolfe

[sesh]

We have just come back off the Eurodam's Baltic cruise and are looking at a Fjord cruise for Aug 2012.

 

The Azura docks at Stavaner, Flamm, Geiranger and Bergen.

 

Would you advise that we took the ship's excursions at these places or are they easy to explore on your own.

 

On the Baltic cruise, other than St P, we did our own thing and were quite successful in getting around etc

 

Regards

 

Steve Woolfe

 

Bergen is easy to do yourself as the ship docks near town and the fenicular is a short walk past the Bryggen (we walked around the main areas in about 3 hours). Be warned though - Bergen is reported to be the wettest place in Norway (so take a brolly).

 

Stavanger, you can hire a water 'taxi' to take you to the pulpit rock, or you can use the shore excursion (work out roughly the same price). Gamle Stavanger is a very short walk from the port and can be done on your own - but be warned Stavanger is officially the most expensive place in Norway.

 

Flamm and Geiranger I have no experience of, but someone told be the Flamm railway is a must see and the thing about Gerianger is it is the fjord that you go to see - so you can decided upon what you want to do at those two.

[southwinds]

You say the staff were sympathetic but did nothing but did you speak to an Officer.. the Purser???