Baltic on Azura

[dazlight]

So after a chat with the Mrs we have decided on the Baltic for next August with our girls. 

 

As we always go with the in-laws and they book it I am booking this myself. 

 

Some questions I hope you fine people can help with. 

 

Is it best to to book online on P&O website or go a travel Agent ?

 

i see you can book select or or early saver which saves £100. Is it worth it? 

 

You can can pick your cabin , is there a better floor / side  to be on? We are getting a window cabin. 

 

Cheers Guys 

[AndyMichelle]

We always booked select, but as we are now a bit more seasoned, we tend to go for early saver as you still get to choose a grade which gives you an idea of where you will be on the ship. 

We are not too fussed about dining times or table size.

We look at it as the money saved on every 3 cruises pays for another cheap one.

We are quite social so enjoy sharing tables for dinner and prefer set dining as you tend to get to know the waiters better etc.

Many will tell you that they always book select for very justified reasons but we are happy with early saver at the moment.

We now use a very good cruise specialist but never had any issues when we booked direct with P&O.

Andy

 

[Britboys]

The P&O website is an absolute nightmare at the moment, so personally I would not try booking that way.  I tend to get a price from P&O over the phone and then use a specialist agency as they can often better the price by a little.

 

Whether you book saver or select depends on how important things are to you.  With saver you will not get a choice of cabin other than type - i.e. outside/window.  Neither are you able to choose which dining you want.  That could potentially mean that in August with a younger demographic on board, you could be allocated first sitting at 6.00pm rather than Freedom Dining or second sitting.

 

If you book select fare, again personally, I would avoid being immediately above/below entertainment venues or open decks/swimming pools.  Just personal preferences!  I would generally prefer to book a mid-ships cabin. Outside non-balcony cabins are very limited on Azura - largely on E & P decks.  I might be inclined to go for an obstructed view on E deck but I am not that bothered about a view.

 

Hope that helps in some way.

[P-L-B]

We always book with our preferred TA.

 

See post 27 on the link below.

 

 

As a potentially new customer you may get an extra discount over and above the normal discounts they offer. 

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by P-L-B

[dazlight]

We want the freedom Dining as we like that due to fact some days are busy so we eat later. 

[Harry Peterson]

I’d strongly suggest using an agent - but a specialist cruise agent, and not just a High Street agent claiming to have a cruise specialist. There are a few excellent ones, but names here are forbidden.

 

It costs no more to use one, often less with a bit of discount, and a good one will prove invaluable.

 

I’d suggest also going Select - certainly if it’s only £100 more. If you don’t you’ll get no choice of meal time, no choice of cabin, and miss out probably on a few other extras such as onboard credit and free port transfers.

 

Not really a better side, and position is largely a matter of choice. Try to avoid proximity of potentially noisy areas such as pools etc..

[P-L-B]

4 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

I’d strongly suggest using an agent - but a specialist cruise agent, and not just a High Street agent claiming to have a cruise specialist. There are a few excellent ones, but names here are forbidden.

 

It costs no more to use one, often less with a bit of discount, and a good one will prove invaluable.

 

I’d suggest also going Select - certainly if it’s only £100 more. If you don’t you’ll get no choice of meal time, no choice of cabin, and miss out probably on a few other extras such as onboard credit and free port transfers.

 

Not really a better side, and position is largely a matter of choice. Try to avoid proximity of potentially noisy areas such as pools etc..

I agree with Harry, look at my post 4 above. 

[AndyMichelle]

4 minutes ago, dazlight said:

We want the freedom Dining as we like that due to fact some days are busy so we eat later. 

Then you really need select, we have never been allocated freedom dining on early saver.

Andy

[bee-ess]

You should factor in the amount of On Board Credit when choosing between Select and Saver. Sometimes Select fare minus OBC is less then Saver, or at worst very near to Saver Price and you have choice of Cabin and Dining with Select.

Edited August 18, 2019 by bee-ess

[Thejuggler]

Early sitting on a Baltic cruise could be too early.  We had this with Celebrity (the downside of a what was a very cheap deal) and on two occasions we were late back from trips (traffic in St Petersburg can be crazy) so were rushing to get ready.

 

Its a very port intensive cruise and a couple of hours before dinner is needed!

[emam]

We book select for the coach, freedom dining and to choose our own room. I would not want to be at the front of the ship in bad seas. So far we have used a local TA, but will be looking for a more specialised one, as there has been a few hiccups with them.

 

Has anyone ever booked through our hosts of this forum. I tend to forget you can book cruises with them, even though I get emails. 

[dazlight]

On 8/18/2019 at 6:52 PM, P-L-B said:

We always book with our preferred TA.

 

See post 27 on the link below.

 

 

As a potentially new customer you may get an extra discount over and above the normal discounts they offer. 

 

 

Cheers for the advice. We found a good agent off that website and booked through them. Really helpful with advice and beat the other prices we have. 

 

We booked the Ventura to canary’s islands in the end as that’s what our Girls wanted to do. We can do the Baltic in a few years when the, all older. 

 

 

 

[P-L-B]

3 hours ago, dazlight said:

 

Cheers for the advice. We found a good agent off that website and booked through them. Really helpful with advice and beat the other prices we have. 

 

We booked the Ventura to canary’s islands in the end as that’s what our Girls wanted to do. We can do the Baltic in a few years when the, all older. 

 

 

 

That’s great, pleased to hear you were able to make you’re booking and that you found them to be helpful.

 

Also, glad you were happy with the prices they quoted.

 

You will have a dedicated Cruise Expert looking after you, so he/she will help you with any questions regarding your booking.

 

Enjoy your Ventura cruise to the Canary Islands, I’m sure you’ll all have a great time.

 

We did a 14 night Baltic Cruise on board Azura (Ventura’s sister ship) and we thoroughly enjoyed it, so it’s definitely worth your family considering it for a future cruise.

[dazlight]

It’s one we will be doing for sure. My 11 year old wants to play with friends at kids club most of the time or go a beach so that was one of the factors but as we are hooked on cruising now I’m guessing over the next few years , Iceland , Baltic and Norway will be on the list. 

[dazlight]

We used the top one Kev , on this list. He’s gone out of his way tonight and booked my step mum in the cruise as well.