First cruise in December - some questions

[Hawkesley]

1. We are sailing on Oceana in December and have just received our cruise info booklet in the post. We had booked room A503 but have noticed on the back of the luggage labels that is says we are in room b409. Have we been upgraded without being told?

 

2. When do we find out what time to get to the cruise terminal/embark?

[Josy1953]

1. We are sailing on Oceana in December and have just received our cruise info booklet in the post. We had booked room A503 but have noticed on the back of the luggage labels that is says we are in room b409. Have we been upgraded without being told?

 

2. When do we find out what time to get to the cruise terminal/embark?

 

B409 is a mini-suite so yes you do have an upgrade. If you are not happy with it you should ring P&O immediately and ask if you can be put back in your original room, you may not get the original room back if it has been re-allocated.

 

We usually arrive around midday and embark with no problem, however with P&O the rooms are not usually available until 2 pm so we go to the buffet for a bit of lunch while we are waiting to go to the room.

[Hawkesley]

Hi Josey1953

 

Thank you for the reply. We are very happy to hear we are now in a mini suite!

 

Can't wait to go!

Edited November 3, 2014 by Hawkesley

[dgs1956]

Hi Josey1953

 

Thank you for the reply. We are very happy to hear we are now in a mini suite!

 

Can't wait to go!

 

 

Good for you! Have a great time.

[Bacardi..]

Wow a nice upgrade.

 

However i bet there are a lot of loyal p&o clients on the ship, who don't get upgraded. That just sums up p&o (sorry no offence meant to you)

 

Enjoy your suite

[Brayman]

Wow a nice upgrade.

 

However i bet there are a lot of loyal p&o clients on the ship, who don't get upgraded. That just sums up p&o (sorry no offence meant to you)

 

Enjoy your suite

 

I don't know how you can say that.

Maybe the loyal customers flag up "no upgrades" because they have chosen their cabin and don't want it changed?

[Bacardi..]

I don't know how you can say that.

Maybe the loyal customers flag up "no upgrades" because they have chosen their cabin and don't want it changed?

 

Lol

 

One of the biggest complaints is loyal customers not getting upgrades, last minute booking prices etc. I agree some will mark no upgrade.

 

However well done to the op a nice upgrade for them, enjoy the cruise.

[lake5298]

Wow a nice upgrade.

 

However i bet there are a lot of loyal p&o clients on the ship, who don't get upgraded. That just sums up p&o (sorry no offence meant to you)

 

Enjoy your suite

 

Funnily enough, the best upgrades I have had were when I was a first time cruiser with certain lines.

 

Carnival - outside to balcony.

 

Disney - inside to outside

 

Cunard - inside to Balcony (!)

 

It seems like they want to create new loyal cruisers rather than bother to reward the ones they already have. Go figure…

[dgs1956]

I don't know how you can say that.

Maybe the loyal customers flag up "no upgrades" because they have chosen their cabin and don't want it changed?

 

I always tick for no upgrades but I do agree it sounds a little unfair. Hopefully the OP will be hooked on cruising though.

[insanemagnet]

It seems like they want to create new loyal cruisers rather than bother to reward the ones they already have. Go figure…

 

Entirely logical.

 

Loyal customers are loyal, so why spend money when they will come back anyway. Just do enough so they don't leave, but no more.

 

New customers need to be converted to loyal customers, so focus your attentions on them.

[Josy1953]

Hi Josey1953

 

Thank you for the reply. We are very happy to hear we are now in a mini suite!

 

Can't wait to go!

Enjoy your cruise, Oceana is one of my favourite ships.

[Scriv]

But remember that under the the new pricing policy, first priority for upgrades now goes to Select bookings and second priority to Early Savers.

 

Presumably Hawkesley has booked one of these prices.

 

Enjoy your mini suite Hawkesley! I must admit I am envious :)

Edited November 3, 2014 by Scriv

[richleeds]

Entirely logical.

 

Loyal customers are loyal, so why spend money when they will come back anyway. Just do enough so they don't leave, but no more.

 

New customers need to be converted to loyal customers, so focus your attentions on them.

 

Happens in all walks of life, banks offer new accounts higher interest rates than they do to existing customers.

 

Sky offers new customers a half price contract

 

etc, etc, etc

[Clodia]

On the other hand I have done 15 cruises with P and O and the last 3 I have booked as select have been upgraded. I suspect many regulars tick the no upgrade box. I don't as I like the surprise of an upgrade. My daughter and I got a mini suite on Oriana in the summer and loved it. The op will too.

In the end we all approach the upgrade question in the way that suits us.

[tom_uk]

1. We are sailing on Oceana in December and have just received our cruise info booklet in the post. We had booked room A503 but have noticed on the back of the luggage labels that is says we are in room b409. Have we been upgraded without being told?

 

Lots of people have commented on this question....

 

2. When do we find out what time to get to the cruise terminal/embark?

 

You don't need to pay any attention to the boarding times. You can turn up at Southampton any time from about 11 o'clock onwards. You haven't said which cruise you're on, but looking at the Southampton VTS website it looks as if Oceana will be using berth 46 - the Ocean Terminal - for all three of her calls at Southampton in December, and that's good. IMHO, the Ocean Terminal is the best of them, if only because there's plenty of seating space before check in.

 

So you turn up whenever you like. Checkin starts at noon (most likely). There'll be a priority system to control checkins - when you arrive you'll be given a small card with a letter on it, and checkin is done by letter order. There'll be a person standing in the middle of the hall who will occasionally call out "We invite passengers holding boarding cards with the letter [some letter] to checkin now", and all the passengers holding cards with that letter will go forward and join the (fairly short) queue.

 

Or alternatively, you could choose to take it easy, leave home later, and arrive at the terminal later. There are some advantages to this - cabins aren't usually available until 2pm, so if you do embark around noon you just end up wandering the ship with your carry-on bags in your hand. There's then an awful temptation to hit the bars (after all, you're on holiday!) which means that when 2pm arrives and you stagger to your cabin, a) your bags seem to have got harder to manage, and b) when you're trying to have that initial conversation with your cabin steward, you can't quite seem to get your words out right. Whereas if you embark later (after 2 o'clock, say) you'll avoid the bunfight in the buffet, and can move sedately straight to your cabin.

 

Final point - you do know that you hand most of your bags - the big heavy ones - to the porters when you arrive outside the terminal? The next time you'll see them will be outside your cabin door, later.

Edited November 6, 2014 by tom_uk

[annieuk]

Don't forget as a passenger in a Minisuite you will have priority boarding. So it will pay you to get there around 11.30ish. Once on the ship you will be directed to probably the Starlights Lounge where there is complimentary lunch served. Last time we were there it was a selection of small starters, and then hot things - like small steak pies, hot tarts with various fillings etc. Then there were lots of small pastries - you can have as much as you like, go back for more if you wish. There will also be stewards offering drinks - if they don't have champagne on their tray ask for it - it is available. It is a lovely way to start your cruise instead of the crush in the buffet.

 

When you are given your cruise card you will probably find there is a small black diamond on it which indicates you are either in a suite or minisuite and the person you first meet on board should direct you to the venue for the complimentary lunch - if they direct you to the buffet, as happened to us on one occasion - point out that you are in a minisuite and you will be directed appropriately. Enjoy your minisuite - are you in a mid-ship one or an aft one, they are quite different. i won't say which we prefer incase you don't have that one! Whichever it is you really will enjoy it.

[themanwithahat]

1. We are sailing on Oceana in December and have just received our cruise info booklet in the post. We had booked room A503 but have noticed on the back of the luggage labels that is says we are in room b409. Have we been upgraded without being told?

 

2. When do we find out what time to get to the cruise terminal/embark?

 

1. Yes. Unless there is a specific reason you want A503 I'd enjoy it.

 

2. Quite late. They don't seem to mind when you arrive too much, I don't think it is strictly mandatory, it is to stop everyone arriving at the same time.