Cruise personaliser / booking advice

[flapjack62]

Good evening all, I am hoping someone can offer guidance on how I use the Cruise Personaliser to pre-book speciality restaurants / spa and/or excursions?

 

We have booked and paid for cabins for ourselves and also for our daughter and her boyfriend. We have been given separate booking numbers although they have been linked together. We all have access to the Cruise Personaliser through our separate booking references.

 

When the time comes to pre-book excursions, treatments, spa etc, do we each book our own (I assume all are paid in advance?) or can I book for all four of us under one reference? Or do I access both personalisers to book for all four of us?

 

I am a bit confused as to how we go about ensuring that we are all able to dine together at a speciality restaurant (as well as separately if we so choose) but more importantly how we ensure that we all manage to go on one excursion together?

 

Can anyone give me some pointers?

 

Many thanks

[Mysticalmother]

The best way of doing this is to share booking references. I know there is a data protection issue but as long as they (your daughter & boyfriend) don't mind, you can book yourselves onto an excursion and then re log on with one of their details and book them on. They will get the email confirmation but it doesn't matter who pays for it. Unfortunately you don't seem to be able to book anyone else on your own booking.

 

We have done this very recently for our cruise next week.

 

I'm not sure but I think you can actually book the speciality restaurant for more than 2 people through your own personaliser. You can't do that for excursions because of the "declaration"you have to make ....

 

Alternatively you can phone p & O direct - just make sure you do it during the week 9-5pm as the shore excursion people don't seem to work weekends.

[jeanlyon]

Also, you can wait to book excursions until you are on board. Unless they are really popular ones, it is often worth waiting.

[flapjack62]

Thank you both :) we are particularly keen to book one of the P&O half day excursions in Barbados before we fly home in the evening, just to ensure a smooth transition back to the airport, so early booking to secure a place is important to us. Any other excursions we will possibly look at onboard (although we have already organised our own for St Lucia).

 

I also like the idea of pre-booking a restaurant or two prior to boarding but am I right in thinking we need to pay for this in advance too? Or can we just make reservations and use the OBC for payment later?

 

Many thanks

[kruzseeka]

We've recently pre-booked a speciality restaurant through the cruise personaliser and that had to be paid for at the time (any loyalty discount is applied).

 

If you want to use your obc you will have to wait until you are on board.

 

I note your cruise isn't until October - the excursions usually go 'live' about three months prior to departure although ours became bookable quite a while in advance of that time line. Oddly though the restaurant bookings didn't go live at the same time as the ship's trips - they were more like the 3 month mark.

Edited July 9, 2015 by kruzseeka

[Moonraker7]

The 1/2 day trip gets you to the airport really early. Last nov people did trip, arrived at airport at 1 and didn't leave til 8pm. You can do Barbados tours directly outside with taxis. If you wait on board and have evening departure coach picks you up about 4 hours before iirc.

[kruzseeka]

Have no experience of the excursion coach timings - but arriving at 1.00 for a 8pm flight isn't good news and there are only limited and quite pricey eating options at the airport too! Transfer from the ship is staggered appropriate to your flight time so you're not at the airport longer than necessary.

 

As Moonraker says, there are plenty of taxis at the port to do something independently - and even time for a morning on the beach should you wish. We had a leisurely stroll along the waterfront to the bridge in the centre of Bridgetown and had a drink on the terrace of the Bridge House overlooking the water, wandered back, then had some lunch on board before being taken to the airport at a reasonable time before our flight. It was all very relaxed and not a problem. The ship isn't too busy - half the passengers will be heading home but the other half will be off the ship enjoying Barbados.

 

If your return day is a Friday there are guided tours of the Mount Gay Rum factory or the Kensington Oval cricket ground within walking distance of the port - could be an interesting way to spend the morning. Unfortunately not open on Saturdays though.

 

But if you especially want to do a ship's excursion bearing in mind Moonraker's comments, I'd definitely check out how long you're likely to be at the airport - the passengers on the tour will have different departure times and they'll no doubt get everyone there in time for the earliest flight -not much fun if yours is the latest!

[flapjack62]

Our excursions aren't showing yet but I wanted to be ready, not asking these questions when they pop up! :D

 

Our spa and speciality restaurants are already there to book and appeared as soon as we had paid our balance (co-incidence?). Am expecting the excursions to show in the next couple of weeks.

 

Our return flight is showing as departing about 5.00pm so I imagine the transfer coach would leave the ship at about 3pm?

 

What we are really hoping for is an excursion that allows us to spend a morning with a turtle snorkel but until I see the excursions go live I don't know if this is a possibility ... just don't fancy leaving it to chance on a diy package instead ... :o

[Moonraker7]

No probably about 1 as you have to be there 3 hours before and it's about half hour drive and everyone getting on coaches. My flight was 7 and left ship at 2.30

[flapjack62]

No probably about 1 as you have to be there 3 hours before and it's about half hour drive and everyone getting on coaches. My flight was 7 and left ship at 2.30

 

I think that must have changed since our last cruise, our transfer time was roughly 3pm and we only had to wait for an hour at the airport, guess we might be cutting it a bit fine this time then!