Summer 2024

[majortom10]

Dont think P&O are the only cruise line that stick to the same ports of calls on their cruises. Princess on their UK cruises have been virtually the same if not exactly the same for many years.

[SeaJane]

4 hours ago, Astrajet said:

We are on that one too!  We booked it as a replacement for last October's similar cruise on Aurora which was cancelled. 

See you on board!

Us as well!

[Astrajet]

3 minutes ago, SeaJane said:

Us as well!

The more the merrier - maybe a meet up!

[molecrochip]

22 hours ago, Waju said:

We all know the itineraries for the next 3 summers (including this one) and I'm REALLY said to say nothing really appeals to me anymore.  We're doing Azura for 2 weeks this year, even though I hate flying, but to be honest we felt 'pressured into it really as a swap for the Baltics.  We could have changed to next year but the prices made my eyes water.

So what was missing that you were looking for? I'm curious.

22 hours ago, silkworms said:

Epicurian is more forward than aft on Arvia but the walk there and  back will be really good for breakfast every morning! The balconies look great on the aft suites, we’ve gone for deck 12 as read about showers from the infinity pool reaching over the top balconies, hoping they have been able to fix this after knowing it happens on Iona.

 

Terri

Ha ha! One of those situations which doesn't crop up in modelling a ship. There is a simple solution - to drop the level of water in rougher seas.

[Waju]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

So what was missing that you were looking for? I'm curious.

 

To be perfectly honest Molecrochip I'm not 100% sure!  Normally I would look at the new dates and something would catch my eye, usually because it looked a good price but this time when I looked all I saw was the same old ports.

 

We are going to the Fjords, for the second time, in a couple of weeks because we wanted to try Iona, normally we would choose Aurora or maybe Britannia.  As I said before we have booked Azura in June because we didn't want to continue with our booking to the Baltics.  To be fair almost all of the ports on the Baltics cruise were new to us but the primary one we wanted to see was St Petersburg!

 

I realise there is only so far a ship can travel from Southampton in 7 or 10 or 14 days but we are lucky enough to be able to take the longer cruises if they appeal to us but having done Canada/New York etc and Miami and The Caribbean I need to see something that jumps out at me!

 

P&O cruises are my favourite and we tried Cruise and Maritime when they were a thing, Thomson (or Marella as they are now) and MSC last summer but still always want to come back to P&O 🙂

[Ardennais]

How about some Atlantic Coast cruises which visit  Morocco? 

[paulatsea]

2 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

How about some Atlantic Coast cruises which visit  Morocco? 

Yes - I’d like that.

[Ardennais]

Just now, paulatsea said:

Yes - I’d like that.

Me too! We had a port of call in Morocco back in 2016 or 2017 but 20 miles from the coast, the Captain decided that conditions were too bad. So near and yet so far! 

[Ardennais]

I think I saw one Moroccan stop in the 2024 list, but it would be nice to visit more than one Moroccan port per cruise. 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Ardennais

[yorkshirephil]

Or the Cape Verde isles and West Africa. We had a great cruise there with Fred Olsen and always said we would like to go again in a few years. I am hoping once Ambassador gets established they will cover this area. Smaller ships new itineraries, they will get my money.

[Megabear2]

Casablanca and Agadir very rare nowadays. Constant Gibraltar half days would like Ceuta instead every so often. Now Venice has gone more varied Italian ports. Dorrento/Naples. Porto rather than Lisbon.

[Red Ray]

On 3/26/2022 at 12:32 AM, Megabear2 said:

Or it could be filled with the new generation of cruisers who wear shorts and hoodies to dinner,  snaffle the pool chairs by 6.30, drink copious pints of lager by the pool while the missus knocks back wine and cocktails while displaying their latest tatoos in previously unmentionable places .... 

 

I can see us all now decked out like a 1950s Movietone day at Margate, Blackpool, or wherever as we make some King Canute like moves to hold back the tide.

 

I try to ignore everyone all of the time never mind on holiday!

The perfect description of the first and last Marella cruise we went on.

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

Or the Cape Verde isles and West Africa. We had a great cruise there with Fred Olsen and always said we would like to go again in a few years. I am hoping once Ambassador gets established they will cover this area. Smaller ships new itineraries, they will get my money.

They are doing a 21-night to the Canaries, Cape Verde and Casablanca next February Phil so hopefully they will do more.

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, Britboys said:

They are doing a 21-night to the Canaries, Cape Verde and Casablanca next February Phil so hopefully they will do more.

Sound good to me Andrew, I haven't looked into their cruises in any great detail, just the flyers basically as we are pretty booked up till March 24 plus the constant moving of cruises and fcc's. 

[Harry Peterson]

I think they might be surprised at how many people would be interested in UK based cruises including Isles of Scilly, Scottish islands, Ireland, Wales, Scotland etc + some interesting UK ports.

 

Certainly not what the majority are looking for, but possibly enough for a few cruises?

[Britboys]

19 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

I think they might be surprised at how many people would be interested in UK based cruises including Isles of Scilly, Scottish islands, Ireland, Wales, Scotland etc + some interesting UK ports.

 

Certainly not what the majority are looking for, but possibly enough for a few cruises?

Agreed - but that could involve a fair bit of tendering which P&O seem to try and avoid these days...

[Harry Peterson]

11 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Agreed - but that could involve a fair bit of tendering which P&O seem to try and avoid these days...

This is true. I have no idea which ports could handle cruise ships, but presumably there are enough to make up a decent fortnighter?

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

I think they might be surprised at how many people would be interested in UK based cruises including Isles of Scilly, Scottish islands, Ireland, Wales, Scotland etc + some interesting UK ports.

 

Certainly not what the majority are looking for, but possibly enough for a few cruises?

No more  Liverpool or Portlland for Stonehenge (no really!!)  ...

[cruising.mark.uk]

I  agree that round UK sailings can be excellent.  We had a fantastic one a few years ago with MSC out of Hamburg and did one of the Celebrity Liverpool / Belfast / Portland sailcations last Autumn.  However, I sense that, outside of Covid restrictions, there is not much money to be made from round UK sailings, certainly for P&O.  Princess traditionally do a lot of them and the prices generally sink very very low as sailing date approaches.  And Princess has the advantage over P&O of attracting a large US-based clientelle who may well want to go to Stonehenge from Portland and see the sights in Liverpool et al.  I think the overwhelmingly UK P&O passenger base may - to generalise - expect slightly more exciting places to visit on what will probably be (for families etc) their main Summer holiday given that UK cruises are really only practicable for a few months a year. 

[Presto2]

Perhaps a new thread called Any ideas for new itineraries would be a good idea --- off to start it 😉

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

I think they might be surprised at how many people would be interested in UK based cruises including Isles of Scilly, Scottish islands, Ireland, Wales, Scotland etc + some interesting UK ports.

 

Certainly not what the majority are looking for, but possibly enough for a few cruises?

I love U.K. cruises.

 

I did one on Artemis and two on CMV and really enjoyed seeing more of our own country.

 

I was due to do another U.K. cruise on Queen Victoria in May, but it was cancelled. I moved to that particular cruise as I thought it might have  been slightly less complicated in these times.  I’m quite surprised that P&O haven’t scheduled  a few more U.K. cruises, rather than sticking with the same old 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Dermotsgirl

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

This is true. I have no idea which ports could handle cruise ships, but presumably there are enough to make up a decent fortnighter?

Hmmm. England has quite a few, as does maybe Scotland with its islands. Possibly two in Wales (depending on any size restrictions) and maybe four on the east and south coast of the isle of Ireland, although Dublin has now restricted numbers meaning a possible transfer to the city from Dun Laoghaire. Not sure what size of ship can get into Larne.

[J110]

We had to moved a Baltic cruise and noticed that Aurora does Tangier and Casablanca April 24- chose that -  so far away but at least some new ports.

[jaydee6969]

We have decided to postpone our summer 2022 Baltic cruise due to the obvious removal of SPB, prior to balance due date.  And we just happened to have received a cracking deal on a Club Class Mini Suite on Enchanted Princess.

 

This left us with a full cruise holiday schedule round to Easter 2024, but with a small FCC from the cancellation.  After carefully looking at suitable itineraries, and with a probably NY stay with QM2 TA for late 2024, we have chosen another Fjord trip.  This time on Britannia with a rare stop in both Flam and Bergen, which are both on our list of ports to return too.

[jaydee6969]

One thing after another.  Our son who still lives at home with us, tested positive the day before our departure for 10 nights on Britannia last week.  Gutted is not the word.

 

P&O extremely helpful and apologetic, even though not their fault.

 

This was a roll over from 2020 and again 2021, with original FCC.

 

On the positive side, all 5 pots of different FCC came through the following day.  We couldn't fit another cruise in in 2022 or 2023, so summer 2024 was the only option.  2 weeks booked on Arvia to the med, with new ports for us.