Drinks package/policy changes?

[S1971]

1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

Another adults only ship, Ventura maybe?  But hopefully a few years left in them yet. Both being refitted in 2024/25. 

High prices, older ships good if they can keep it going.

 

If not, Australia, New Zealand perhaps?

[AndyMichelle]

16 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

And yet, I have just booked Aurora for October 2025 and it was just over £100 pppn.  OK that's an inside, but it's not expensive.  19 nights.

That's a good price Jean. 

A select balcony on the cruise we wanted was just shy of £200pppn.

Her Highness wants a balcony as its quite a scenic cruise. 

Andy 

[Mollag]

26 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Are you saying it’s the newbies replacing us that are bringing their own drinks to the bars. Seems this is what P&O wanted and now they’re cracking down. 

It definitely wasn’t newbies on Auroras 65 nighter doing it all old school on there  even to the extent of checking the wine bottles for dregs at our Ligurian do in Barbados and filling empty bottles brought from the ship to bring back to the ship and they were still carrying them into the bars onboard days later telling the waiters it was leftovers from lunchtime. This is as well as others openly pouring drinks into glasses of tonic water and other mixers

[Fionboard]

3 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

That's a good price Jean. 

A select balcony on the cruise we wanted was just shy of £200pppn.

Her Highness wants a balcony as its quite a scenic cruise. 

Andy 

Not bad. My cruises currently booked on Aurora are £250 (Baltic next week) and £350 (Xmas/New Year). Balcony for solo! 

[AndyMichelle]

5 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Not bad. My cruises currently booked on Aurora are £250 (Baltic next week) and £350 (Xmas/New Year). Balcony for solo! 

It doesn't matter what you pay, as long as you feel you are getting what you want, and obviously afford it. 

Andy 

[lumines]

Just a thought - given how many complaints there have been over drunken behaviour on board, perhaps this is P&O’s way of trying to reduce these types of incidents?

[S1971]

6 minutes ago, lumines said:

Just a thought - given how many complaints there have been over drunken behaviour on board, perhaps this is P&O’s way of trying to reduce these types of incidents?

If that was the case, it is rather hypocritical selling drink packages.

[Angel57]

26 minutes ago, Mollag said:

It definitely wasn’t newbies on Auroras 65 nighter doing it all old school on there  even to the extent of checking the wine bottles for dregs at our Ligurian do in Barbados and filling empty bottles brought from the ship to bring back to the ship and they were still carrying them into the bars onboard days later telling the waiters it was leftovers from lunchtime. This is as well as others openly pouring drinks into glasses of tonic water and other mixers

Good grief. It’s quite amazing the way some behave isn’t it!

[yorkshirephil]

3 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

Good grief. It’s quite amazing the way some behave isn’t it!

You can bet your bottom dollar that some of these scrotes will then complain about falling standards on P&O

[Bazrat]

3 hours ago, Peter Lanky said:

The solution is simple:

In a pub I drink ale, the wine is usually mediocre anyway.

When at home I drink wine; all sorts of it.

On a P&O Cruise I just have a Scotch nightcap in the cabin, but looks like it's teetotal if I ever go on another, which is unlikely.

On an Azamara/Silversea/Oceania cruise I drink to my heart's content.

All options covered. 😀

For the price of those cruises I would never leave the bar

[JeanieC,Aston]

Lots of people walk around with bottles of wine,,,I always buy the DP now but used to buy the Wine package for my wife,,,I drink Guinness and Jameson’s.

Most night she would take the opened bottle out of the restaurant to finish in the bar…….maybe this is what others do.

I did read one cruise line has stopped storing wine after diner to be drank the next night,,,can’t remember which.

[Bazrat]

2 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

You can bet your bottom dollar that some of these scrotes will then complain about falling standards on P&O

Totally agree about falling standards because they let me onboard 

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, Bazrat said:

Totally agree about falling standards because they let me onboard 

Us peasants are revolting.

[S1971]

40 minutes ago, Mollag said:

It definitely wasn’t newbies on Auroras 65 nighter doing it all old school on there  even to the extent of checking the wine bottles for dregs at our Ligurian do in Barbados and filling empty bottles brought from the ship to bring back to the ship and they were still carrying them into the bars onboard days later telling the waiters it was leftovers from lunchtime. This is as well as others openly pouring drinks into glasses of tonic water and other mixers

I followed Selbourne on their cruise, I can't recall this type of behaviour being mentioned.

[posford]

That’s it for me.

45 cruises on P&o.

If I can’t have a drink on the balcony of my own choice, that is it.

We have to go on the cruise this weekend as we have paid.

The next 3 cruises we have booked we will cancel, losing the deposit.

 

The reason we booked P&o was for the way we could sit on the balcony, drinking the drink, of our choice, when we wanted.

 

This has been taken away from us at very short notice.

 

A total disgrace.

 

It is the total disregard of the customer experience and expertation.

 

shame on you P&O.

 

 

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

It's about time  someone stood up for P&O.

 

P&O is not a charity. 

 

Cabin Prices have come down in real terms. The Business model, has changed, more profits coming from on-board spend. 

 

P&O drinks prices are reasonable.  They can’t be expected to stock every brand,  but as long as they have an entry brand , a medium brand and a top range whats to complain. 

 

In the old days when they were happy for people to drink their own in cabin, they made a handsome profit on cabin, on board spending was a bonus.

 

I'm sure of you wrote to the right person in P&O and said I'm  happy to pay another £30pp per night if you let me bring own drink for in cabin consumption they'd be very happy. 

 

But those of us who drink in bars and restaurants would not be so happy

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7 by Windsurfboy

[carlanthony24]

38 minutes ago, posford said:

That’s it for me.

45 cruises on P&o.

If I can’t have a drink on the balcony of my own choice, that is it.

We have to go on the cruise this weekend as we have paid.

The next 3 cruises we have booked we will cancel, losing the deposit.

 

The reason we booked P&o was for the way we could sit on the balcony, drinking the drink, of our choice, when we wanted.

 

This has been taken away from us at very short notice.

 

A total disgrace.

 

It is the total disregard of the customer experience and expertation.

 

shame on you P&O.

 

 

 

 

Good luck with other lines who already do this or other lines that may implement it. Don't think P&O will miss anyone. Someone new would of already come along and taken a spot. Quite funny seeing how people react when they can't have it their way. Do you go to a Wetherspoons for an example and complain because they don't have something you don't like or ran out.

 

Pretty sure P&O use to stock Carling on draught. When they stopped my dad just found something else.

Edited May 7 by carlanthony24

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Erm… does drinkable wine come in litre bottles?

[posford]

Fair enough.

For someone who has spent over £250,000 over the years with P&O.

I will not be told how to spend my holiday.

[posford]

Lee - No they don’t.  Nor does Champagne.

[S1971]

6 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

P&O is not a charity. 

 

Cabin Prices have come down in real terms. The Business model, has changed, more profits coming from on-board spend. 

 

"Come down in real terms" really, in earlier posts it was suggested over £200 & £300pppn excluding drinks 😮.

 

Not the new ships admittedly but nethertheless it doesn't exactly fit into the real terms bracket.

 

Ultimately for me, the way this was implemented was underhand and not acceptable.

 

 

[Lee Jones Jnr]

1 minute ago, S1971 said:

 

"Come down in real terms" really, in earlier posts it was suggested over £200 & £300pppn excluding drinks 😮.

 

Not the new ships admittedly but nethertheless it doesn't exactly fit into the real terms bracket.

 

Ultimately for me, the way this was implemented was underhand and not acceptable.

 

 

Which lines will you be cruising with instead?

[carlanthony24]

4 minutes ago, S1971 said:

Ultimately for me, the way this was implemented was underhand and not acceptable.

 

 

Implementing at any time is not going to do good for anyone but obviously needs to be done. Even if they said these changes come into effect next month/next year people will still not be happy. 

 

I suppose if a supermarket starts checking everyone's shopping that would also be unacceptable to some but they are losing money each day. 

Edited May 7 by carlanthony24

[S1971]

1 minute ago, carlanthony24 said:

Implementing at any time is not going to do good for anyone but obviously needs to be done. Even if they said these changes come into effect next month/next year people will still not be happy.

 

But they would at least know, and could make an informed choice.

[Megabear2]

Out of interest I note that quite a lot of the policy change  subtly mentions a lot about responsible drinking, which with some of the behaviours and antics witnessed and reported on some cruises over the past year or so isn't really a surprise.

 

However can anyone enlighten me as to the following, please?

 

"Why are you changing the alcohol policy?

We've reviewed our alcohol policy and decided to align with the cruise industry to adhere to HESS guidelines around our responsibility to serve alcohol."

 

What are HESS guidelines, and does anyone know what they say?  I'm quite intrigued.