purplesea Posted August 19, 2023 #76 Share Posted August 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Presto2 said: Everyone is different and wants something different. I still want PO Oceana but they keep telling me she is now baked bean cans !!!! I have a soft spot for Oceana as she was our first cruise with P&O. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare elmsliebev Posted August 19, 2023 #77 Share Posted August 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Presto2 said: Everyone is different and wants something different. I still want PO Oceana but they keep telling me she is now baked bean cans !!!! Oriana is my favourite, I think she's probably bean cans too! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Presto2 Posted August 19, 2023 #78 Share Posted August 19, 2023 53 minutes ago, purplesea said: I have a soft spot for Oceana as she was our first cruise with P&O. Same here .. August 2010. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare carlanthony24 Posted August 19, 2023 #79 Share Posted August 19, 2023 Before the world changed. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted August 19, 2023 #80 Share Posted August 19, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, ParisHilton said: Welcome. I've learnt so much off here myself. The family are more looking at anthem of the sea You will love Anthem of the seas. The North Star lifts you high above and over the decks. The dodgem cars are very popular. Only downside compared to P&O is you are expected to pay about $16pppd on your onboard account as well as tipping wait staff and your cabin crew extra plus a 18% gratuity is added to every drink you buy. A lot of people go to guest services though and stop the daily auto gratuities then give the crew $dollars cash tips instead. Edited August 19, 2023 by grapau27 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare AndyLovesCruises Posted August 20, 2023 #81 Share Posted August 20, 2023 13 hours ago, ParisHilton said: Welcome. I've learnt so much off here myself. The family are more looking at anthem of the sea anthem is a great ship, i have sailed her twice. If your kids are a little older than toddlers then they will have the best time. flower rider, north star, bumper cars so much to keep them entrained. when we sailed with them our son was only 18 months but imagined not seeing him for 7 days when his older ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisHilton Posted August 20, 2023 Author #82 Share Posted August 20, 2023 5 minutes ago, AndyLovesCruises said: anthem is a great ship, i have sailed her twice. If your kids are a little older than toddlers then they will have the best time. flower rider, north star, bumper cars so much to keep them entrained. when we sailed with them our son was only 18 months but imagined not seeing him for 7 days when his older ! My two turn 10 and 13 in a couple of months so next year would be perfect. I think I need to start putting in shine overtime! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlaMarie Posted August 20, 2023 #83 Share Posted August 20, 2023 12 hours ago, Presto2 said: Everyone is different and wants something different. I still want PO Oceana but they keep telling me she is now baked bean cans !!!! She was a beautiful ship and was my first as well. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlaMarie Posted August 20, 2023 #84 Share Posted August 20, 2023 13 hours ago, ParisHilton said: Welcome. I've learnt so much off here myself. The family are more looking at anthem of the That is great that you would cruise again, even with a different line. The Royal Caribbean ships from what I have heard and seen are definitely more designed for the family market, with more for children to do, experience and to keep them entertained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted August 20, 2023 #85 Share Posted August 20, 2023 1 hour ago, ParisHilton said: My two turn 10 and 13 in a couple of months so next year would be perfect. I think I need to start putting in shine overtime! On Anthem. Flow rider surfing. Climbing wall. Dodgem cars. Sports court. North Star. Wonderland restaurant. Superb gym. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted August 20, 2023 #86 Share Posted August 20, 2023 1 hour ago, ParisHilton said: My two turn 10 and 13 in a couple of months so next year would be perfect. I think I need to start putting in shine overtime! You may need a lot of overtime unfortunately. An August cruise on Anthem next year for 4 is currently around £9,500 according to my friend who has booked Arvia as an alternative at almost half the price - your 13 year old isn't a child on RC although they are on P&O. However the August P&O cruise are full if you require a child place so no doubt RC are able to raise their prices as a result of limited availability. Good luck whatever you settle for and many thanks for your daily blog which has been very interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisHilton Posted August 20, 2023 Author #87 Share Posted August 20, 2023 3 hours ago, CarlaMarie said: That is great that you would cruise again, even with a different line. The Royal Caribbean ships from what I have heard and seen are definitely more designed for the family market, with more for children to do, experience and to keep them entertained. I was concerned mine would get bored, and I think we did hear 'I'm bored' very early on! But I think they enjoyed us being away from work and daily chores so never really got bored. Having their cousin there too helped for sure. Certainly wouldn't worry about them getting bored if we did the same cruise again. Other minor points for those following us... don't forget you have to cash in casino chips by midnight o last day . I'm not sure what I expected, but I'd have thought until 1 or beyond. Shouldn't really be a problem, but if you are drinking up unused on board credit, it might be an expensive problem. Every stop seems to be a fairly hefty tourist destination so tax free shopping is available, i'm not sure how that works, but worth googling before you set off , as far as I can tell, you get a voucher with your purchase for two of the major admin schemes and you can trade the voucher in. There's representatives from those companies on board. There's a lower limit on what you can purchase to qualify, and I think it's 'per shop' rather than the total. I'm sure it's all out there on the 'net so if you are planning to buy souvenirs etc, spend five mins before setting off to fill in the details. Also, and I can't stress this enough, dig out the video on youtube about the life boats, my tales of how many it holds seemed to go like chinese whispers around the ship. As did the 'theory' that holding in the lift button would cause it to bypass people hailing the lift. Not true, nor one of mine 🙂 Paul 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisHilton Posted August 20, 2023 Author #88 Share Posted August 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Megabear2 said: You may need a lot of overtime unfortunately. An August cruise on Anthem next year for 4 is currently around £9,500 according to my friend who has booked Arvia as an alternative at almost half the price - your 13 year old isn't a child on RC although they are on P&O. However the August P&O cruise are full if you require a child place so no doubt RC are able to raise their prices as a result of limited availability. Good luck whatever you settle for and many thanks for your daily blog which has been very interesting. I think outside school holidays (I saw November) there are some far more reasonable prices. I'm figuring it's worth considering paying for an extra passenger, a personal tutor, let the kids be schooled two hours a day, keep them on top of their education and the school\council of their back.. The fact their elders sister is currently tutoring to support herself through her PhD is just a lucky coincidence! It's good to see it's such a competitive market with prices reacting so swiftly. always leaves gaps to exploit if you can be patient. Thanks Mega Bear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted August 20, 2023 #89 Share Posted August 20, 2023 4 minutes ago, ParisHilton said: I think outside school holidays (I saw November) there are some far more reasonable prices. I'm figuring it's worth considering paying for an extra passenger, a personal tutor, let the kids be schooled two hours a day, keep them on top of their education and the school\council of their back.. The fact their elders sister is currently tutoring to support herself through her PhD is just a lucky coincidence! It's good to see it's such a competitive market with prices reacting so swiftly. always leaves gaps to exploit if you can be patient. Thanks Mega Bear. I didn't know Anthem was going to be in UK in November, I thought her season ended in October. A good idea about the schooling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisHilton Posted August 20, 2023 Author #90 Share Posted August 20, 2023 58 minutes ago, Megabear2 said: I didn't know Anthem was going to be in UK in November, I thought her season ended in October. A good idea about the schooling. I could be wrong there. I think it might be an msc with amazing stuff for children in November. Am definitely going to put in some legwork though. I do feel I should look for a European resort hotel to compare with. Crusing is certainly fun and the hassle free coach to and from a reasonable bonus. But for me , and my family, being at sea isn't a major plus. Different locations in one week I enjoyed but if I could hire a car and be near a city for a week that would be fine too . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisHilton Posted August 21, 2023 Author #91 Share Posted August 21, 2023 So whilst Iona is back in Stavanger is here's a photo, from Stavanger:) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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