My assigned embarkation time is 15:45 (final boarding time 16:30) so yes being 1h late would affect my holiday in the sense that the ship would depart without me! I'll be 1h early and wait if needed, but I really wish P&O would assign more realistic boarding times (nothing past 3 o'clock in that case).
Howdy, On The Road Again is the name of a Willie Nelson song. Would rather be in the middle of the ship. Also like to be near the aft section so I could walk up to the buffett. Go in a couple of days early. Or play in the casino. If you book through the cruise line then if you get caught in traffic the ship will wait for you. This happened several times. Have experienced that type of weather change on several cruises we have taken. Don't like Indian food. Too many spices. Have been on a British Ship and their coffee wasn't too good. Tea would suit me fine. Most times prefer walking the stairs. May not have a choice on getting there early. So it's a crapshoot on getting to the pier. I like to turn off my mobile phone and put it in my safe. Drink package is often not worth it unless it includes specialty coffee. When in the buffett use the serving spoons or tongs. My mobile phone will not work in Europe. Always take sunscreen and insect repellent. Check my onboard account every day. Disputed one cruise a few charges and discovered those glasses of wine actually came from different bars on the ship.
This was very informative… Thank you. I’m going on the Iona, my first cruise, with my friend in September. We’ve decided to go for the deluxe drinks package as we like our cocktails!! We’ve got a balcony cabin in the middle of the ship, I think the same floor as you had… Very excited!!
Excellent tips thank you! Im due to go on the Iona on 4th May, first cruise ever. Have to admit, im v neevous about sea sickness!!!! But i am excited!!
No such thing as a stupid question. Your room key acts as a “credit card” so when you purchase upsell items (eg buy something at a shop) it gets charged to your room and then after the cruise the onboard charges get charged to you credit card. So make sure the night before disembarkation you carefully check you onboard charges (on the app, TV or ask reception for a printed list)
We always get the drinks package for peace of mind also with p &o they request your money daily then take it at the so if you spend £200 that's taken from your bank but you also have that amount pending for nearly a week
Agree about peace of mind. P&O drinks prices compared to other cruise lines are very reasonable (if you are not big drinkers it could well be cheaper to buy drinks rather than a drinks package)
No more 1Ltr of Spirts just wine or champagne policy has changed as of 8th of May which wasn't communicated by P&O they just updated their policy very sneaky of them.
I guess it depends on how much you drink. We usually get a drinks package but on P&O the drinks are normal pub prices )@(unlike other cruise lines where drink prices are super inflated)
I rang PO after your comment regarding additional discount on speciality dining that you book prior to cruise. PO SAID THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL discount only your loyalty discount ?..
As per the P&O website “All dishes are individually priced allowing you the flexibility to choose one, two or three courses. A £10 per person reservation charge is required to secure your reservation. For Sindhu bookings made via My P&O Cruises, a 20% discount will be applied to all food items, and the prepaid reservation charge deducted from your bill.” This is the point we were making
We received 20% discount by booking sindu before hand plus our loyalty discount, we also only paid 7.40 surcharge for beach house by booking beforehand 😊
It drives me mad when people go up to come down in a lift. Completely inconsiderate. You can't do that on the new MSC ships. The lifts do not have deck buttons inside the lifts they are on the outside. You have to select the deck you want on the outside buttons and the lift only stops when you get to that deck or someone else's deck that pressed that deck button e.g. you cannot once inside the lift press a deck lower or higher than you selected from the outside button. It worked extremely well and I don't remember any lift queues as people could not hog the lifts. All ships should be like that. It also means people who have wheelchairs can always get a lift free. As for not going on cruise line excursions I am very wary of that. I saw 20 italians left behind in the Caribbean because the external excursion was late back. Also when we did a ship based excursion in Norway in winter our 2 coaches were stopped by the police and not allowed to go further as they failed a weight test on the rear axle due to the weather conditions ( heavy snow) . We had to wait for the coach company to send a third coach to split the load. This meant the coaches were two hours late getting to the ship .However as it was a ship organised excursion the ship had to wait for us.
Well if you feel safer booking excursions via the cruise company that is great. In the many cruises we have been on we always book our own. Save 50% and have never even gotten close to missing departure. But each to their own. Enjoy your cruise
