Should P&O stop going to St Peter Port?

[AndyMichelle]

3 minutes ago, arendale1 said:

Starting to wonder why we bothered booking this cruise - first the Amsterdam changes, now looks like we’re unlikely to see Guernsey too 😞

Any dampners for Bruges? 😩

I am sure you will have a fantastic time, despite the horror stories.

Many do get in, so fingers crossed for you.

Andy

[Harry Peterson]

3 minutes ago, arendale1 said:

Starting to wonder why we bothered booking this cruise - first the Amsterdam changes, now looks like we’re unlikely to see Guernsey too 😞

Any dampners for Bruges? 😩

Bruges is delightful. But a 7 night cruise that only stopped at one of the advertised ports couldn’t exactly be seen as a success!  Except for P&O.

[daiB]

19 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Am I wrong in assuming that stops at Guernsey act like Gibraltar in allowing cruises to operate VAT free?

 

Correct John, 

 

The port is not in the EU and so cruise ships can sell duty free products if they call there. If they do not go out of the E U then no duty free. 

 

Of course that could all change, next week, month, year, sometime or even never.

 

Who knows who cares.

[arendale1]

7 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I am sure you will have a fantastic time, despite the horror stories.

Many do get in, so fingers crossed for you.

Andy

Thank you - hope so!

5 minutes ago, docco said:

Bruges is delightful. But a 7 night cruise that only stopped at one of the advertised ports couldn’t exactly be seen as a success!  Except for P&O.

Bruges is the place myself and hubby want to go most - the kids are looking forward to Amsterdam. Well, they were when it was meant to be a nice come and go as we please visit 🤨

[john watson]

37 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Am I wrong in assuming that stops at Guernsey act like Gibraltar in allowing cruises to operate VAT free?

 

Not sure on the VAT aspect but the Guernsey two nighters allow duty free purchases unlike the Bruges two nighters.  This must make stag/hen nights extremely viable.

 

Regards John

[Eglesbrech]

36 minutes ago, arendale1 said:

Starting to wonder why we bothered booking this cruise - first the Amsterdam changes, now looks like we’re unlikely to see Guernsey too 😞

Any dampners for Bruges? 😩

 

Brugge is the jewel in the crown, you will love it.

[grapau27]

 

 

4 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Last week we missed out on Guernsey yet again, that’s the third time in a row.

 

The average for getting in, for me at least, is less than 50%.

 

Missing this port meant we had just 2 stops on a seven day cruise and an additional (very boring) day on an overcrowded ship.

 

Given how often this port is cancelled, is it now time to remove it from sale?

 

 

We have only missed tendering at Guernsey once in several visits and always enjoy the port.

This was last August when we were on Ventura.

 

 

Edited April 9, 2019 by grapau27

[galeforce9]

I’ve also missed zeebrugge on p&o but that was exceptional.  50mph winds blowing off the dock!!  You’ll be fine 

[comcox]

I'm booked on  Britannia later this month and St. Peter Port is our last scheduled port.  I hope if it looks rough they come up with an alternative port (we will have already done Cherbourg as that's our first port) or at least take us into Southampton a day early so there is something to than sit there at sea for the day as our day before is a sea day as well.

[Selbourne]

I detest tender ports with a passion. My wife is a wheelchair user so cannot get off the ship and I find that P&O make a bit of a meal of the tender operations. The worst place for us has always been Monaco, in that they dispatch the return tenders from the harbour without checking if there is a 'queue' waiting to dock against the ship. Consequently you end up bobbing around in rough seas for 20 minutes or so, everyone feeling as sick as a dog, when they could have held us in the calm waters of the harbour until a crew member on the ship radioed to say that the next tender could depart the shore. Shouldn't be that difficult. 

 

We missed Newport Rhode Island (tender) on our USA and Canada cruise last year, which was a shame and in answer to a previous posters question, we missed Zeebrugge once (not a tender port, and the only scheduled port) due to high winds and ended up with a cruise to nowhere!

[Eglesbrech]

I agree, I don’t like tender ports much as they waste so much time but P&O stick St Peter Port on virtually every 7 day cruise, presumably because of the tax/ vat advantages. As ships have got bigger so has the time wasted queuing to get on / back from a tender port, if you actually get in at all.

 

I agree Monaco is one of the worst tender ports we have ever been in to for both lengthy queues in the blistering sun and the actual tender journey.

 

Like St Peter Port is is a lovely place to go but I would still avoid it if possible.

 

St Peter Port may get be dropped like a hot potato depending on the politics and consequential tax/ vat situation if it is no longer epiedient. Who knows.

[DamianG]

Given the number of missed port stories here I thought it may be worth a mention that some travel insurance policies allow you to claim for scheduled port cancellations.

I wish I had known that on our Christmas cruise a few years ago that missed Cadiz (fog) and Valletta (rough seas).

[grapau27]

12 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Given the number of missed port stories here I thought it may be worth a mention that some travel insurance policies allow you to claim for scheduled port cancellations.

I wish I had known that on our Christmas cruise a few years ago that missed Cadiz (fog) and Valletta (rough seas).

Just checked our annual insurance which includes cruise and port cancellations are included.

Royal Caribbean took us to Rotterdam when there was a problem with Le Havre last year,it would be nice if P&O were more amenable.

[john watson]

Last cruise I went on was scheduled to go to Guernsey (Princess), it was decided before leaving Southampton to substitute due to storms in the Guernsey area.  We went to Brest.

 

Regards John

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, john watson said:

Last cruise I went on was scheduled to go to Guernsey (Princess), it was decided before leaving Southampton to substitute due to storms in the Guernsey area.  We went to Brest.

 

Regards John

If Princess can rearrange surely P&O could too.

[galeforce9]

4 hours ago, DamianG said:

Given the number of missed port stories here I thought it may be worth a mention that some travel insurance policies allow you to claim for scheduled port cancellations.

I wish I had known that on our Christmas cruise a few years ago that missed Cadiz (fog) and Valletta (rough seas).

We were able to claim on insurance for two missed ports on our October 2018 seabourn cruise that experienced a category 2 storm, 85mph winds, 24ft seas, off the coast of Italy.  £600 for the two of us wasn’t bad. 

[majortom10]

46 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

If Princess can rearrange surely P&O could too.

Princess do not always rearrange I suppose it depends if there is dock availability nearby whether on Princess or P&O. On our last trip around British Isles our first port of call was supposed to be Guernsey and we just sailed by and then was on a very slow boat to our next scheduled port of call to Cobh. It is easy to criticise but we dont know if it is feasible to go somewhere else or just have extra sea time.

[grapau27]

7 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Princess do not always rearrange I suppose it depends if there is dock availability nearby whether on Princess or P&O. On our last trip around British Isles our first port of call was supposed to be Guernsey and we just sailed by and then was on a very slow boat to our next scheduled port of call to Cobh. It is easy to criticise but we dont know if it is feasible to go somewhere else or just have extra sea time.

On our December 2015 New years eve Cruise on Ventura we couldn't get into Amsterdam because of high winds so we were just sailing around the channel for 3 days after our first stop in Zeebrugge.

[AndyMichelle]

3 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

On our December 2015 New years eve Cruise on Ventura we couldn't get into Amsterdam because of high winds so we were just sailing around the channel for 3 days after our first stop in Zeebrugge.

I think some people forget the historic Amsterdam issues...

At least Ijmunden should not have these problems.

Andy

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I think some people forget the historic Amsterdam issues...

At least Ijmunden should not have these problems.

Andy

That thought about our missed overnight  in Amsterdam came to me when I first heard about P&O now going to Ijmuiden.

[Dwalkerdave]

12 hours ago, comcox said:

I'm booked on  Britannia later this month and St. Peter Port is our last scheduled port.  I hope if it looks rough they come up with an alternative port (we will have already done Cherbourg as that's our first port) or at least take us into Southampton a day early so there is something to than sit there at sea for the day as our day before is a sea day as well.

 

Sorry to disappoint but very unlikely either of these options would take place. A decision is usually only made once you get very close to a Guernsey. With regards to extra day at Southampton, again very unlikely due to other ships in port, logistics. Very rarely a ship will stay in Southampton if a major storm happens but it only takes a small swell to stop a Guernsey visit.

 

 

[P&O SUE]

I have been on 3 cruises that should have called at Guernsey, each time we didn’t get in. 

The first time (2012) we went to Cherbourg but had sea days the other times. This was in June and July! 

Luckily have been to Guernsey via a ferry (lovely place) but would be nice to go again! 

[No1cherry]

Looks like Ventura made it today, fingers crossed for us next Thursday looking forward to exploring. Managed to dock there a couple of years ago on Oriana in the summer and we had torrential rain all day. 

[john watson]

19 hours ago, grapau27 said:

If Princess can rearrange surely P&O could too.

 

This change was made before leaving Southampton due to anticipated terrible weather in the Guernsey area.   I have also been on a Cunard five nighter with three ports scheduled.  It was calculated as we left Southampton that the first port would be missed due to weather, this was a three port itinerary.  Amazingly the first port was rescheduled to be the third port, one of the other ports was rescheduled into a different order and one port was cancelled completely.   Finally a completely unscheduled port, Rotterdam was put on.  So we got three ports, it can be done but this was off season pre-Christmas shopping when I suspect cruise terminals are slack on trade.

 

Regards John

[Tablelamp]

I live in Guernsey, it is a wonderful place and I do hope you are able to come.  (Also a p and O Cruiser)