P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[DamianG]

Hi all

 

Teddy seems to be on the mend so the next step is to find the right food for him in future (which is going to be trial and error as many suggested). It's not really affected his general wellbeing and we've not missed any of his regular walks in the local park and woods. On Saturday it was really foggy and we only realised once we'd got home that he had some small icicles on the fur at the bottom of his ears! Talk about bad (dog) parents!

 

In other news we are seriously considering our first "non-P&O" cruise since 2003. MSC are offering loyalty status matches and we've had a quote for a Mediterranean cruise on 27th July 2024 which includes drinks and gratuities but still works out cheaper than our Azura school holiday cruise in 2018 (which was booked on the launch date). It also appears that for the cabin grade which would suit us there is no price difference for being forward, mid-ship or aft which was a surprise (as we are so used to P&O pricing).

 

Of course it's another floating monolith but the main reason for shopping around was our son's boredom on Iona last April, and Virtuoso looks to have a lot more attractions with him in mind. The ship looks very glitzy (which we can take or leave) and the itinerary will suit us just fine so chances are we'll book it at some stage.

 

Damian

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by DamianG

[kalos]

48 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Hi all

 

Teddy seems to be on the mend so the next step is to find the right food for him in future (which is going to be trial and error as many suggested). It's not really affected his general wellbeing and we've not missed any of his regular walks in the local park and woods. On Saturday it was really foggy and we only realised once we'd got home that he had some small icicles on the fur at the bottom of his ears! Talk about bad (dog) parents!

 

In other news we are seriously considering our first "non-P&O" cruise since 2003. MSC are offering loyalty status matches and we've had a quote for a Mediterranean cruise on 27th July 2024 which includes drinks and gratuities but still works out cheaper than our Azura school holiday cruise in 2018 (which was booked on the launch date). It also appears that for the cabin grade which would suit us there is no price difference for being forward, mid-ship or aft which was a surprise (as we are so used to P&O pricing).

 

Of course it's another floating monolith but the main reason for shopping around was our son's boredom on Iona last April, and Virtuoso looks to have a lot more attractions with him in mind. The ship looks very glitzy (which we can take or leave) and the itinerary will suit us just fine so chances are we'll book it at some stage.

 

Damian

 

48 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

 

 

Great to hear your sorting the dog out .I suppose us lot on here would recommend keeping 

him off Tomato soup and shell fish 😉 (If you read back through posts you will understand 🤣)

Regarding your MSC cruise ...Go for it !

Cruises are like shoes not every cruise or shoe suits everyone . Your lad will thankyou for it .

Go with what suits your as a family not what suits others .

Have a great cruise when you choose 🙂

 

Anyway let you back to your dog walk 

[Adawn47]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

I guess Brian would recommend vodka.🤣

So would I, about 30 years ago. Absolut was my absolutely favourite brand, neat over ice with a slice. I can't drink any vodka now, it upsets my stomach. 

Not to worry, there's always JD Honey. He still likes me😉

Avril

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Wonder what the Heinz Tomato & Basil Soup we bought Friday is.

 

 

I'd better get to Tesco then and stock up.

[Ilovemygarden]

Hello from a dreary and damp Glasgow.   Does anyone have an idea as to why Wowzz seems to have gone awol again?  
Have any of you sailed on MSC Musica?   I am booked on that with my daughter in May going out of Athens.   I am aware that it has a very Mediterranean vibe and will probably not have many Brits on board but daughter is fluent in Greek and I would expect there to be many of them on board.  
Good luck with the stop smoking campaign Jane - I stopped about 20 years ago when they stopped it inside restaurants etc. and haven’t looked back. 

[Waju]

4 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

Wonder what the Heinz Tomato & Basil Soup we bought Friday is.

 

 

Is that £1.70 per tin??????

[Splice the mainbrace]

4 minutes ago, Waju said:

Is that £1.70 per tin??????

Unfortunately yes, it’s gone up from £1 a year ago, used to be able to get 4 for £3 now it’s 4 for £5!! The own brand soup we have bought is now 85p a tin when it was 45 to 49p a year ago, a hell of an increase. However some other tinned items that we buy don’t seem to have gone up by nearly as much.

[kalos]

1 hour ago, Ilovemygarden said:

Hello from a dreary and damp Glasgow.   Does anyone have an idea as to why Wowzz seems to have gone awol again?  

 

Chances are sat with a bottle of wine somewhere but as he once posted he doesn't broadcast

being away, house insurance and things like that. A lot of us do the same.

Now place your bets ..On the naughty step or not ,only he knows 🙂

[brian1]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

So would I, about 30 years ago. Absolut was my absolutely favourite brand, neat over ice with a slice. I can't drink any vodka now, it upsets my stomach. 

Not to worry, there's always JD Honey. He still likes me😉

Avril

Got any bottles left over sis,look under the sink,I'll have them.I think the tom juice will be dearer than the voddie soon,bro.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, Ilovemygarden said:

Does anyone have an idea as to why Wowzz seems to have gone awol again?  

I think he might be spending time on other threads, such as Princess. Maybe he’s changing loyalties? 🙂

[Eglesbrech]

@DamianG glad he is on the mend.

 

Re the MSC Virtuosa the reason you can select where you want on the ships is that it is tied in with the experience you pick. The “experience” also determines where and when you eat. They have 3 seating for dinner and 3 shows in the main theatre. Aurea and Yacht club guests can dine anytime they like.

 

The Virtuosa is a beautiful ship and while glitzy it is done in a tasteful way.

 

It certainly has lots for young folks to do but some of it comes at a price so be aware of that before you book. You can buy a fun pass for them in advance at a very much cheaper rate than you pay once onboard (and thereafter restrict the card use as some children have run up bills for their parents, yours may be more sensible). They have 5d cinema, a holodeck (which is enhanced VR), formula 1 cars, motor racing bikes (which I loved!) and lots of more normal games. There are also high ropes and fancy pool slides. In the covered pool there are table tennis tables, foose ball tables etc free

 

They put on fun games in the galleria most days which both children and adults enjoy . The paper aeroplane making and flight gets quite serious (and that’s the usually male adults!)

 

When  we were on at new year they had a small curling rink up on the pool deck as a “winter sport”. They also had little wooden huts where you could get mulled wine, Lumbaba, lenercooken etc so they change some things up be the season.

 

The main theatre shows are very European (dealing with 5 languages) for example we had a short 45 minute selection from an opera. They also offer classical concerts. The more mainstream shows are short and fun but a bit samey imo. 

 

In the  summer everything was in English as it was a Southampton departure. Over New a year we had the 5 languages for safety notices, in the theatre etc as the main port was Hamburg and Southampton a pick up.

 

The food in the buffet looks lovely (never ate there but had a good look).I can’t comment on the main restaurants as we ate in the Yacht Club where the food was superb. That said talking to other passengers they also seemed very happy with the food, particularly the pastas and rissottos etc.

 

It is worth trying once to see what you think. We booked last minute after another cruise was cancelled and have been back 3 times in the last 6 months.

 

Happy to answer any questions if I can.

[Beckett]

3 hours ago, DamianG said:

Hi all

 

Teddy seems to be on the mend so the next step is to find the right food for him in future (which is going to be trial and error as many suggested). It's not really affected his general wellbeing and we've not missed any of his regular walks in the local park and woods. On Saturday it was really foggy and we only realised once we'd got home that he had some small icicles on the fur at the bottom of his ears! Talk about bad (dog) parents!

 

In other news we are seriously considering our first "non-P&O" cruise since 2003. MSC are offering loyalty status matches and we've had a quote for a Mediterranean cruise on 27th July 2024 which includes drinks and gratuities but still works out cheaper than our Azura school holiday cruise in 2018 (which was booked on the launch date). It also appears that for the cabin grade which would suit us there is no price difference for being forward, mid-ship or aft which was a surprise (as we are so used to P&O pricing).

 

Of course it's another floating monolith but the main reason for shopping around was our son's boredom on Iona last April, and Virtuoso looks to have a lot more attractions with him in mind. The ship looks very glitzy (which we can take or leave) and the itinerary will suit us just fine so chances are we'll book it at some stage.

 

Damian

 

 

Hi Damian

 

I sailed on Virtuosa with my grandaughters, in 2021, on a week-long round the British Isles offer for NHS staff. For well-documented reasons it wasn't a great success for us but that was nothing to do with the ship itself. 

 

Our week was also totally inclusive and we had a fabulous Aft Suite which is probably the best I've ever cruised in. The ship is pretty fabulous. Yes, it's very blingy with a feature Swarovski staircase in the Atrium - not for me but the girls loved it. There is so much to do for the kids both inside and out and I think your lad would absolutely love it. As a warning, quite a lot of the attractions eg a Formula One simulator are paid extra for, but honestly so worth it. The pool-side entertainment was pretty good for kids, and the top deck ball pool, was tremendous. He won't be bored!

 

I hope you go for it.

 

Best wishes. Jane.Xx

 

PS. Your Teddy and my Teddy are identical twins.

 

 

 

If you've got

[Snow Hill]

1 hour ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

Unfortunately yes, it’s gone up from £1 a year ago, used to be able to get 4 for £3 now it’s 4 for £5!! The own brand soup we have bought is now 85p a tin when it was 45 to 49p a year ago, a hell of an increase. However some other tinned items that we buy don’t seem to have gone up by nearly as much.

Tomato prices have increased by up to 30% due to mainly increased energy costs, pluaincrase in transport costs. 

[Eglesbrech]

22 minutes ago, Beckett said:

Hi Damian

 

I sailed on Virtuosa with my grandaughters, in 2021, on a week-long round the British Isles offer for NHS staff. For well-documented reasons it wasn't a great success for us but that was nothing to do with the ship itself. 

 

Our week was also totally inclusive and we had a fabulous Aft Suite which is probably the best I've ever cruised in. The ship is pretty fabulous. Yes, it's very blingy with a feature Swarovski staircase in the Atrium - not for me but the girls loved it. There is so much to do for the kids both inside and out and I think your lad would absolutely love it. As a warning, quite a lot of the attractions eg a Formula One simulator are paid extra for, but honestly so worth it. The pool-side entertainment was pretty good for kids, and the top deck ball pool, was tremendous. He won't be bored!

 

I hope you go for it.

 

Best wishes. Jane.Xx

 

PS. Your Teddy and my Teddy are identical twins.

 

 

 

If you've got

Great minds!

[Snow Hill]

A visit from local CID this afternoon asking to look at out CCTV footage, to see if it picked up anything on other side of road in last 5 days, was disappointed when I told him system only records when people come on to our property and doesn’t record people walking past or record all the time, if it did my app would be pinging all the while. I didn’t say that if I did record people across the road I could be breaking the law.

 

Whatever has happened police are playing things close to their chest, police have been in attendance all night and all day. 
 

I won’t repeat some of the wild rumours on community page, frankly there are some very sick minds out there.

 

He was a known alcoholic and most locally think this is what caused his death, but until PM & Inquest won’t know for sure, police are just doing their job in case it’s not. 

[Josy1953]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

I think he might be spending time on other threads, such as Princess. Maybe he’s changing loyalties? 🙂

I know that he has a Princess cruise booked because I saw that he had started a roll call.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Josy1953

[DamianG]

3 hours ago, Beckett said:

Hi Damian

 

I sailed on Virtuosa with my grandaughters, in 2021, on a week-long round the British Isles offer for NHS staff. For well-documented reasons it wasn't a great success for us but that was nothing to do with the ship itself. 

 

Our week was also totally inclusive and we had a fabulous Aft Suite which is probably the best I've ever cruised in. The ship is pretty fabulous. Yes, it's very blingy with a feature Swarovski staircase in the Atrium - not for me but the girls loved it. There is so much to do for the kids both inside and out and I think your lad would absolutely love it. As a warning, quite a lot of the attractions eg a Formula One simulator are paid extra for, but honestly so worth it. The pool-side entertainment was pretty good for kids, and the top deck ball pool, was tremendous. He won't be bored!

 

I hope you go for it.

 

Best wishes. Jane.Xx

 

PS. Your Teddy and my Teddy are identical twins.

 

 

 

If you've got

 

3 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

@DamianG glad he is on the mend.

 

Re the MSC Virtuosa the reason you can select where you want on the ships is that it is tied in with the experience you pick. The “experience” also determines where and when you eat. They have 3 seating for dinner and 3 shows in the main theatre. Aurea and Yacht club guests can dine anytime they like.

 

The Virtuosa is a beautiful ship and while glitzy it is done in a tasteful way.

 

It certainly has lots for young folks to do but some of it comes at a price so be aware of that before you book. You can buy a fun pass for them in advance at a very much cheaper rate than you pay once onboard (and thereafter restrict the card use as some children have run up bills for their parents, yours may be more sensible). They have 5d cinema, a holodeck (which is enhanced VR), formula 1 cars, motor racing bikes (which I loved!) and lots of more normal games. There are also high ropes and fancy pool slides. In the covered pool there are table tennis tables, foose ball tables etc free

 

They put on fun games in the galleria most days which both children and adults enjoy . The paper aeroplane making and flight gets quite serious (and that’s the usually male adults!)

 

When  we were on at new year they had a small curling rink up on the pool deck as a “winter sport”. They also had little wooden huts where you could get mulled wine, Lumbaba, lenercooken etc so they change some things up be the season.

 

The main theatre shows are very European (dealing with 5 languages) for example we had a short 45 minute selection from an opera. They also offer classical concerts. The more mainstream shows are short and fun but a bit samey imo. 

 

In the  summer everything was in English as it was a Southampton departure. Over New a year we had the 5 languages for safety notices, in the theatre etc as the main port was Hamburg and Southampton a pick up.

 

The food in the buffet looks lovely (never ate there but had a good look).I can’t comment on the main restaurants as we ate in the Yacht Club where the food was superb. That said talking to other passengers they also seemed very happy with the food, particularly the pastas and rissottos etc.

 

It is worth trying once to see what you think. We booked last minute after another cruise was cancelled and have been back 3 times in the last 6 months.

 

Happy to answer any questions if I can.

Thank you both, just the sort of shared experiences I was hoping for. We don’t feel any obligation to stay loyal to P&O, it’s just been a case of not being able to afford other cruise lines during the main school holidays until now (and it still seems too good to be true). We’ve already watched a few videos of the ship & vlogs but the extra tips such as paying for fun passes in advance will be a big help for us.

[yorkshirephil]

4 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

Thank you both, just the sort of shared experiences I was hoping for. We don’t feel any obligation to stay loyal to P&O, it’s just been a case of not being able to afford other cruise lines during the main school holidays until now (and it still seems too good to be true). We’ve already watched a few videos of the ship & vlogs but the extra tips such as paying for fun passes in advance will be a big help for us.

We loved Virtuosa, well worth a punt especially with children, not much to add as Eglesbrech has summed it up well.  We did the status match and got their top level which is far superior to P&O for our needs, I would start the process asap as it was a bit of a lengthy process, however we did it many years ago so it may be smoother now. Our only gripe was that there are not many quiet places, however with kids that may be an advantage.

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

I know that he has a Princess cruise booked because I saw that he had started a roll call.

As long as @wowzz and his wife are safe I'm sure he will be having a great time somewhere.

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

I think he might be spending time on other threads, such as Princess. Maybe he’s changing loyalties? 🙂

Not seen him over on Princess either, he may be on holiday  or serving time for another infringement.

[yorkshirephil]

A couple has a dog that snores. Annoyed because she can't sleep, the wife goes to the vet to see if he can help. The vet tells the woman to tie a ribbon around the dog's testicles, and he will stop snoring. "Yeah right!" she says.

A few minutes after going to bed, the dog begins snoring, as usual. The wife tosses and turns, unable to sleep. Muttering to herself, she goes to the closet and grabs a piece of red ribbon and ties it carefully around the dog's testicles. Sure enough, the dog stops snoring. The woman is amazed!

 

Later that night, her husband returns home drunk from being out drinking with his buddies.

He climbs into bed, falls asleep and begins snoring loudly. The woman thinks maybe the ribbon might work on him. So, she goes to the closet again, grabs a piece of blue ribbon and ties it around her husband's tes-ticles. Amazingly, it also works on him! The woman sleeps soundly.

 

The husband wakes from his drunken stupor and stumbles into the bathroom. As he stands in front of the toilet, he glances in the mirror and sees a blue ribbon attached to his privates. He is very confused, and as he walks back into the bedroom, he sees the red ribbon attached to his dog's testicles.

 

He shakes his head and looks at the dog and whispers, "I don't know where we were last night .... or what we did ... but, ... We took first and second place."

[DamianG]

11 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

We loved Virtuosa, well worth a punt especially with children, not much to add as Eglesbrech has summed it up well.  We did the status match and got their top level which is far superior to P&O for our needs, I would start the process asap as it was a bit of a lengthy process, however we did it many years ago so it may be smoother now. Our only gripe was that there are not many quiet places, however with kids that may be an advantage.

Thanks Phil, I’ve already submitted our status match requests. 

[brian1]

Morning all,off to Bath for 3 nights.Non stop National Express from Victoria 42quid return for 2 and 238 quid Premier Inn city center.The parking alone is probably more than the fare.Another bucket list destination ticked off,Brian.

[Peanut006]

7 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Morning all,off to Bath for 3 nights.Non stop National Express from Victoria 42quid return for 2 and 238 quid Premier Inn city center.The parking alone is probably more than the fare.Another bucket list destination ticked off,Brian.

You will have a wonderful time in Bath it is lovely. We went to the Thermae Spa when we were there, a lovely way to spend a few hours.

Have a great time

 

Michelle

[Waju]

49 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Thanks Phil, I’ve already submitted our status match requests. 

What does status match get you please?   Is it discount on drinks and slippers etc?