Would you go P&O Plus / Premium?

[Cathygh]

45 minutes ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

Regarding the boarding, there is a problem because many cruisers, particularly first timers, are not turning up at their allotted time. Staggered boarding is needed due to the vast amount of passengers to process in a short time, especially for Iona and Arvia. To be fair to P&O they are trying to deal with this well by having two queues - one for those who have arrived on time and the other for those who haven't. I'm not sure what else they are meant to do. They had passengers turning up at 10am for Iona not so long ago, so a queue began before boarding even commenced. 

I think it's not just people turning up early. On the book of faces there is a photo taken inside the terminal today at 12 noon. It is extremely crowded. So if ony those allowed to board at 12 or earlier were allowed inside, why is it so busy? I think there must be inadequate staff for check in and security and that is the main problem. For Iona and Arvia they have to process over 1000 passengers per hour so surely it is better to have more stff on to keep he queue moving?

 

[Yorkypete]

Wow! I thought cruising was supposed to be relaxed and calm. What time do I board: Where shall I eat: Everywhere is booked: The app is not working properly: What drinks package: How much is the drinks package: What about the wi-fi: Who should I tip: Is the tipping not going to be included:Which restaurant should I eat in: What about freedom dining: Do I choose select or what: Is there still car parking/coach travel included: What OBC will I get:   This is all so stress free and there was me simply booking a couple of flights and a hotel in 15 mins with no questions needed.

[alpha whiskey]

27 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Wow! I thought cruising was supposed to be relaxed and calm. What time do I board: Where shall I eat: Everywhere is booked: The app is not working properly: What drinks package: How much is the drinks package: What about the wi-fi: Who should I tip: Is the tipping not going to be included:Which restaurant should I eat in: What about freedom dining: Do I choose select or what: Is there still car parking/coach travel included: What OBC will I get:   This is all so stress free and there was me simply booking a couple of flights and a hotel in 15 mins with no questions needed.

You could also say it's having a choice.

Do you not compare airlines? Luggage included/not included/ same with your seat selection and the list goes on with hotels, bed and breakfast, all inclusive , 3*, 4* 5*?? What will it be? 

Like I say, it's good to have choices and half the fun of booking a holiday 😃

[zap99]

2 hours ago, Yorkypete said:

Wow! I thought cruising was supposed to be relaxed and calm. What time do I board: Where shall I eat: Everywhere is booked: The app is not working properly: What drinks package: How much is the drinks package: What about the wi-fi: Who should I tip: Is the tipping not going to be included:Which restaurant should I eat in: What about freedom dining: Do I choose select or what: Is there still car parking/coach travel included: What OBC will I get:   This is all so stress free and there was me simply booking a couple of flights and a hotel in 15 mins with no questions needed.

Difficult to decide isn't it?. You could always not bother and fly to a holiday in...where shall we go ?. SC, or hotel, how many stars. Shall we pay for baggage? Park the car, or train. Coach, or taxi?.....etc.....simples🤔

[Britboys]

In a word, no. I want to choose what to spend my money on. I do drink but not heavily and have no desire to have wifi. It would be another thing to deter me cruising with P&O.

[Wonky]

I guess, reading all these comments, the obvious thing would be for P&O to try it on one or two ships first. Then they would know how popular/unpopular/profitable it would be.

[Yorkypete]

11 hours ago, zap99 said:

Difficult to decide isn't it?. You could always not bother and fly to a holiday in...where shall we go ?. SC, or hotel, how many stars. Shall we pay for baggage? Park the car, or train. Coach, or taxi?.....etc.....simples🤔

All of which can be done at home in front of my computer. Can you book everything for a cruise without leaving your chair...and in about 10 mins? I doubt it. By the time I leave for the airport/destination I know exactly what I am getting.

[zap99]

52 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

All of which can be done at home in front of my computer. Can you book everything for a cruise without leaving your chair...and in about 10 mins? I doubt it. By the time I leave for the airport/destination I know exactly what I am getting.

I book all my travel on line. No big deal as folk are quite able to make decisions and choices easily. We'll most folk.🤔

[zap99]

42 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Good for you so why do you constantly bleat on and moan about cruising when you have repeatedly told everyone you won't be cruising again. Turn the lights off and shut the door on your way out.

With you tube travel videos, worldwide travel is possible without leaving my chair. On here Malta was recommended,  so I went a couple of weeks ago. ...Oh well, you can't win them all.🤣

[Megabear2]

51 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

All of which can be done at home in front of my computer. Can you book everything for a cruise without leaving your chair...and in about 10 mins? I doubt it. By the time I leave for the airport/destination I know exactly what I am getting.

Hate to say this, but I actually had done just that before leaving home. All my entertainment booked, Wi-Fi in place, transport checked off, dining booked.  In fact a bit too regimented for me, no thrill factor.  Ahh but hang on, that's probably what the room with added percussion was for!

 

What's not to like? I've got a chair in the sun, drink in hand watching the ocean, and believe it or not its quiet and restful. 

 

Someone else is doing the driving, cooking, cleaning, washing up as well.

 

Can't beat it really.  

[kalos]

1 hour ago, Yorkypete said:

All of which can be done at home in front of my computer. Can you book everything for a cruise without leaving your chair...and in about 10 mins? I doubt it. By the time I leave for the airport/destination I know exactly what I am getting.

 

All dependant on what you want ,I've booked cruises online just as fast as I booked latest holiday.

 

[Cathygh]

Further to my comment above There is a poll on another site asking people about boarding times -do you arrive early/on time etc. Only 7% admit to arriving early. So with the big ships now sailing full  P&O could do with learning from MSC. Debarking passengers can stay on till noon, embarkation starts at 10 am till 4.30 ish. Everyone is out of their cabins by 8am. Cabins all cleaned and ready by 2. 

[happy v]

13 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

Further to my comment above There is a poll on another site asking people about boarding times -do you arrive early/on time etc. Only 7% admit to arriving early. So with the big ships now sailing full  P&O could do with learning from MSC. Debarking passengers can stay on till noon, embarkation starts at 10 am till 4.30 ish. Everyone is out of their cabins by 8am. Cabins all cleaned and ready by 2. 

Yes but it is a well known fact. People lie in polls. The queues outside the terminal prove that 

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, happy v said:

Yes but it is a well known fact. People lie in polls. The queues outside the terminal prove that 

I like to think that people mis-interpret the question(s).  They may believe their boarding times are GMT.

[Selbourne]

49 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

Further to my comment above There is a poll on another site asking people about boarding times -do you arrive early/on time etc. Only 7% admit to arriving early. So with the big ships now sailing full  P&O could do with learning from MSC. Debarking passengers can stay on till noon, embarkation starts at 10 am till 4.30 ish. Everyone is out of their cabins by 8am. Cabins all cleaned and ready by 2. 

Cunard disembarkation was even better than that. You have the full use of your cabin until your disembarkation time. No hauling hand luggage to breakfast and no herding in lounges etc. When your time comes, just stroll off - no queues. No hassle. Embarkation was equally hassle free. It’s amazing to think that P&O and Cunard are in the same group of companies. 

[elmsliebev]

27 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Cunard disembarkation was even better than that. You have the full use of your cabin until your disembarkation time. No hauling hand luggage to breakfast and no herding in lounges etc. When your time comes, just stroll off - no queues. No hassle. Embarkation was equally hassle free. It’s amazing to think that P&O and Cunard are in the same group of companies. 

I wish our Cunard embarkation experience was as good as you've experienced! 3 hours in Vancouver last July to join QE, disembarkation in Port Lauderdale was slick and quick though.  2 hours a few years ago in Brooklyn for QM2. An hour sat on a coach in Southampton a few years ago. Our most recent boarding was MSC on Southampton - 10 minutes after leaving the coach we were onboard.  We are on Azura in October from Malta. We have an early flight so hopefully an early onboard too. 

[Megabear2]

20 minutes ago, elmsliebev said:

I wish our Cunard embarkation experience was as good as you've experienced! 3 hours in Vancouver last July to join QE, disembarkation in Port Lauderdale was slick and quick though.  2 hours a few years ago in Brooklyn for QM2. An hour sat on a coach in Southampton a few years ago. Our most recent boarding was MSC on Southampton - 10 minutes after leaving the coach we were onboard.  We are on Azura in October from Malta. We have an early flight so hopefully an early onboard too. 

I think fly cruises are always better handled at embarkation though regardless of line.  The passengers are.normally "controlled" if that's the right word by plane and transfer arrivals.  Boarding in a home port such as Southampton people naturally do their own thing particularly because of pressures from external sources such as traffic.

[Yorkypete]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

I book all my travel on line. No big deal as folk are quite able to make decisions and choices easily. We'll most folk.🤔

And how many things change either before or when you board the ship? I love the way OBC is unable to be  used for specialist dining etc. Must cost you a packet if you are doing the specialist dining and Limelight etc having to pay.

[Yorkypete]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Hate to say this, but I actually had done just that before leaving home. All my entertainment booked, Wi-Fi in place, transport checked off, dining booked.  In fact a bit too regimented for me, no thrill factor.  Ahh but hang on, that's probably what the room with added percussion was for!

 

What's not to like? I've got a chair in the sun, drink in hand watching the ocean, and believe it or not its quiet and restful. 

 

Someone else is doing the driving, cooking, cleaning, washing up as well.

 

Can't beat it really.  

Which is exactly what I get on holiday. If you pay it all in advance then it must cost a packet out of your own pocket instead of being able to use OBC.

 

[zap99]

1 minute ago, Yorkypete said:

And how many things change either before or when you board the ship? I love the way OBC is unable to be  used for specialist dining etc. Must cost you a packet if you are doing the specialist dining and Limelight etc having to pay.

OBC can and is used for speciality dining.

[Yorkypete]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

OBC can and is used for speciality dining.

Not when I have cruised. You cannot book using OBC BEFORE you board and each time I have tried they have all been booked by those who pay beforehand and early boarders.

 

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Not when I have cruised. You cannot book using OBC BEFORE you board and each time I have tried they have all been booked by those who pay beforehand and early boarders.

 

You can't book speciality restaurants before you board, only the Limelight.

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Which is exactly what I get on holiday. If you pay it all in advance then it must cost a packet out of your own pocket instead of being able to use OBC.

 

I rarely have OBC when I'm travelling alone, but apart from that I would have to pay for all that and a lot more if I was on a land based holiday.  I budget for these things as I want/need them.  Certainly if I was travelling in the States I'd most likely get charged a "resort fee" even at the.most basic hotels.

 

The only "luxury" amongst that lot is my Wi-Fi. Again travelling alone I budget for excursions mainly for safety reasons. If I book.begore going the prices are lower and I get my discount.

 

I drink very little so my dining and excursions are my luxury.  I can't see the point of scrimping to use OBC and missing something I really like or want to do.

[Mad4WDW]

On 5/14/2023 at 4:01 PM, molecrochip said:

Interesting point. Main dining rooms on Iona now open at 17:30 on busier cruises to ease the flow of guests. To do this has required axing afternoon tea in the Aqua restaurant to free up waiters / galley staff for the earlier opening.

 

I believe something similar on Arvia is also now in place.

5:30 dining times are already available to book on Arvia from 2 weeks before the cruise sails. Much better imo. 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Mad4WDW
Pressed send early

[Yorkypete]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

You can't book speciality restaurants before you board, only the Limelight.

That is exactly what I just posted! It means that, as I have rightly said that you cannot book your holiday completely on youe computer unless of course you pay up front for the various activities/food. Can you actually book the Limelight from home?