P&O Ventura. Guernsey Portugal Spain

[UncleZen]

My first cruise coming up in June.

I did a bit of research but there is so much information out there, its difficult  to know what's relevant and what to ignore.

I booked it through a travel agent rather than direct, dont know if that relevant,  but I thought I'd mention  it. 

Other than that I have totally no clue about what goes on, what to avoid, what to do, what I have to pay for, what I dont have to pay for. How much stuff  costs. Tipping, etc. I understand there is a night where, if you want to go, you have to dress up to the nines. Not my idea of a fun TBH. But her ladyship will probably want to go, so I'll have  to pack a suit for a few hours of wear. 

 

Anything I should be aware of,  in general i mean.

[bbwex]

Well, you didn't tell us when and where you are going and on what cruise line, but maybe some general answers will help you a bit

 

No problem that you used a TA (travel agent), we do ourselves, and many others do as well.  I would not hazard a guess as to any breakdown of how many do and don't but no harm either way. Often, a TA will give you a slight reduction in cost in the form of an onboard credit.  They really cannot discount the cruises themselves.

 

There will be a standard tip applied to your cruise at the end unless you intentionally opt out of that.  It is expected, and likely the vast majority of cruisers just pay that amount and that's it.  Some will tip extra to those members of the staff that may have gone the extra mile, and of course there are those that opt out and don't tip as they should.  You should really tip at least the cruise line's minimum.

 

Other costs are pretty much up to you.  You can avoid taking some specialty drinks that they may pass around on departure day or other times, as they will charge you for those, and often more than you expect.  Some people accept the photographs as you are boarding, etc., but that is just an extra cost you can avoid or not avoid -- up to you.

 

Meals in specialty restaurants are usually an extra charge.  A few lines do not charge for these, but most do.  On some lines these are worth it, on others they really are no better than the main dining room (MDR).

 

Many lines still have a formal night, though not lines that DW (dear wife) and I sail on.  If you want to take part, you will need a suit as a minimum, or may put on a tux if you wish.  There are always alternative dining option that are not formal.

 

As far as ports are concerned, you can a) go off on your own, b) take a ship's tour, or c) arrange or take part in a private tour.  If you want to go off on your own, you ought to do some reading as to what to do.  There are lots of materials about self-guided tours in various books, i.e. Rick Steves' books about European ports.  Ship's tours are OK, and many people use them, but they generally are on large buses, and go no faster than the slowest passenger on the tour.  DW and I virtually always go on private tours.  These are economical if you find a total of four to six people to take part in the private tour.  They are faster, more intimate (you will have much more interaction with the guide), and can be flexible if you know of something you want to add to the tour.  You will, no doubt, read comments that the ship will always wait for ship's tours to get back and therefore you cannot miss the ship, and while this is true except in the most exceptional times.  Private tours, however, as virtually as safe as the tour guides' livelihoods depend on their being on time, and I have not heard of any missing a ship, and most guarantee that they will get you to the next port if they have to (and they never do).  The dangerous situation is where you are on your own, lose track of time, or don't ensure what time the ship is operating on, and you miss getting back.  If you go off on your own, make sure you know what time you have to be back aboard and what time zone the ship is using (usually the same as local time, but not always).

 

You want to find your cruise's Roll Call on the Roll Call section of these boards. Go to your cruise line, then go to your ship, and then find the listing for your cruise.  Go on that sub-board, let the people know you are taking that cruise, and join the group.  They will likely have a Meet and Greet on the first day, so you will get to meet others online and then in person when you get on board.  It is a big help to make the cruise more fun.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.  I hope this has helped.

[UncleZen]

I thought the title of the post would be enough for the cruise line and destination, and the first line of the post for the time of year.

 

Thanks for your reply. There are some points there that I'll research further.

[Host Kat]

@UncleZen 

 

Howdy and welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Since your thread concerns a specific cruise line and ship, I have moved your thread to the P&O Cruises ( UK ) forum where it will be on-topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have sailed or will be sailing P& O (UK) frequent that forum. I feel sure anyone that has sailed your line or ship will provide feedback there.

 

Cruise Critic is a great resource for all cruisers, whether new or experienced, and we are so glad you found us!   Please feel free to browse the Cruise Critic Community Categories list. Read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads on top of the first page of threads in a forum. You will find very important instructions or information there that will be helpful. You will find your fellow Cruise Critic members have posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you. And since you are in the UK, be sure to check out the UK Cruisers forum and The Pub forum.

 

As Ben and Susan mention above, your Roll Call thread is the place for you to get to know the other Cruise Critic members sailing with you before the cruise. Your fellow Roll Call members may have important information posted in your Roll Call thread, especially ones that have sailed your line, ship or itinerary before. Also, your Roll Call thread for your cruise is the ONLY place on Cruise Critic where you and your fellow Roll Call members are allowed to post personal ads about sharing tours, excursions, transportation etc. with each other. There is a "captive audience" since you are all sailing together!  

 

For finding the Roll Call thread for your cruise, please read What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know and How To: Create A New Roll Call . For more information about our famous Roll Calls, please read the Roll Calls and Our Policy Regarding Facebook and Roll Calls sections in the Guidelines. Since you did not mention your sail date, I cannot direct you to the specific Roll Call thread for your cruise. However you mention June so here are the three for June 2020 at this time:

 

N015 - June 8 2020, Canaries Cruise

Ventura 20/06/2020

June 29 2020 Canary Islands & Madeira

 

And don't forget, after your cruise be sure to go to our  Member Cruise Reviews section and submit your review for publication. Many cruisers will benefit from your experience, and you might win a prize from Cruise Critic!  See the latest list of winners:  Review Your Cruise and You Could Win -- These Members Did! (January 16, 2020)

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[Josy1953]

15 hours ago, UncleZen said:

My first cruise coming up in June.

I did a bit of research but there is so much information out there, its difficult  to know what's relevant and what to ignore.

I booked it through a travel agent rather than direct, dont know if that relevant,  but I thought I'd mention  it. 

Other than that I have totally no clue about what goes on, what to avoid, what to do, what I have to pay for, what I dont have to pay for. How much stuff  costs. Tipping, etc. I understand there is a night where, if you want to go, you have to dress up to the nines. Not my idea of a fun TBH. But her ladyship will probably want to go, so I'll have  to pack a suit for a few hours of wear. 

 

Anything I should be aware of,  in general i mean.

Welcome to the world of cruising.

 

Using a travel agent is not a problem, I have done over 50 cruises and often use a travel agent although  if I do use a TA it is an online cruise specialist one but I have used high street TAs in the past with no problem.

 

P&O do not have tips and say that it is not necessary to give anyone any extra, that said if we have exceptional service from our cabin steward or waiters we do give them. a little extra on the last day of the cruise.

 

P&O drinks prices are reasonable and they have a drinks package which we have never bought because we drink very little so don't find it cost effective for us.

 

There are various speciality restaurants on board that you pay a fee for but if you are a budget then it is not necessary to eat in these restaurants, we usually check the daily menus ( posted outside all of the main dining rooms each day ) and then decide whether or not to book one of the speciality restaurants that evening.

 

There is a buffet open all day everyday where you can eat if you prefer a less formal eating experience.

 

I would suggest that if you have any specific questions then put them on this forum and someone will reply with their expetience.

 

Most of all ENJOY your cruise.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Josy1953

[AndyMichelle]

Ditto to the great advice from Josy above. 

As for the formal nights, there is usually 2 per week. Get involved, you might surprise yourself, I did. Wasn't my thing either, but thoroughly enjoy them. It is only really dressing up for dinner and many/most passengers do take part. 

You can abstain, but this does limit where you can go on the ship as certain bars are black tie only as well as many of the restaurants. 

I am sure you will have lots of specific questions before you go. As Josy said, please do ask, someone will know the answer. 

Have a great time. 

Andy 

 

[wowzz]

If you browse through the P&O FAQ page on their web page,  you can pick up a lot of information there. Then, come back here and ask for clarification if anything is unclear.

One of the key things (to me at least) is the choice of dining times in the main dining room at night. You basically have three options: anytime dining (between 5:30 and 9), fixed early dining and fixed late dining. Depending on your fare, you select your preference when making your booking.

[janny444]

Hi.....quite a few of your queries have been answered....just to reiterate  ....  tips/gratuities are now  included in the basic fare.

Main Dining room  and  for breakfast/lunch/dinner included.

late night snacks in buffet included

On the go sandwiches/snacks & burger bar near pool  included

Tea/coffee in the buffet available all day included.

Formal nights....twice a week...you need a dinner suit in the main restaurants....think you may get away wearing a normal suit but you will find that you are in the minority. Some  people doing their first cruise " dread" the formal nights but actually end up enjoying them. In the buffet you do not need to dress formally.

You ask is there anything to be aware of....yes....cruising is very very addictive and you may end up booking your next cruise before the end of your cruise!

Enjoy.

[Eglesbrech]

18 hours ago, UncleZen said:

My first cruise coming up in June.

I did a bit of research but there is so much information out there, its difficult  to know what's relevant and what to ignore.

I booked it through a travel agent rather than direct, dont know if that relevant,  but I thought I'd mention  it. 

Other than that I have totally no clue about what goes on, what to avoid, what to do, what I have to pay for, what I dont have to pay for. How much stuff  costs. Tipping, etc. I understand there is a night where, if you want to go, you have to dress up to the nines. Not my idea of a fun TBH. But her ladyship will probably want to go, so I'll have  to pack a suit for a few hours of wear. 

 

Anything I should be aware of,  in general i mean.

Welcome to the world of cruising, I’m sure you will love it and get hooked.

 

Lots of good information above. Just to expand on the formal nights for 7 nights one is usually the Captains cocktail night which you will be invited to and the other is sometimes themed. The most frequent one being black and white night. You don’t have to join in and a suit is just fine but if your wife is planning her clothes she might want to add in the little black / black and white outfit.

 

You asked about anything else you should be aware of, just some things that come to mind;

 

-  you will get a specific embarkation time. If it is a late one then you can still drop off your luggage early (from about11.30 onward) and spend some time in Southampton or just wait and you may be taken early but there is not much to do in the embarkation hall.

 

- ships are cashless and you charge to your cabin using your room card, they will take a cash deposit or a credit card imprint and charge you at the end. They take a top up “hold” to ensure the account is in credit each day from the credit card and this can be on hold for up to a month so be aware.

 

-You can take on a litre of spirits each (or bottle of wine) for use in your cabin at embarkation if you want to. Other alcohol is not allowed and may be taken and returned at the end of the cruise.

 

- if you are a select fare then shuttle buses from the port are included, if a saver then there is a small charge

 

- if you want a particular ship excursion then book in advance as they sometimes sell out for very popular trips

 

- if you haven’t cruised before then it might be worth taking a packet of travel sickness tablets with you just in case, the ships are very stable and the vast majority of people are fine but worth having them with you.

 

I’m sure there is more which others will add.