Responsible is NOT having a drinks package that allow 15 drinks per day and pricing it so that you have to drink almost that much to make it worth the price! More money grabbing in my opinion. Prices go up yet service and quality goes down. Long time loyal passenger looking elsewhere.
Yep, I've never bought a drinks package yet, drink as much as I want and never spend anywhere near the daily price of the package. I do however know other people who always buy the package as they consider it 'good value' based on how much 'they' drink. I don't understand how they manage it!
@@DaveEP I could do 15 drinks a day we have to remember it’s not all alcohol, couple Costas, 4 soft drinks, 4 beers during the day, maybe 3 glasses of wine in the evening, nightcap, and couple bottles of water for tea. That’s not excessive. Whether it is worth it is another discussion, we don’t buy the package as we usually have more than enough OBC to cover all our cruise indulgences
Hey Jamie, it was lovely to meet yourself and Matthew on Arcadia, we loved our cruise and have cruised with P&O for 3 years running now, it's still our favourite cruise line.
P & O are like most cruise lines just a bunch of crooks, and hypocrites. Responsible is NOT having a drinks package that allow 15 drinks per day. Pricing it so that you have to drink almost that much to make it worth the price, this is all about screwing the customers as much as possible.
I totally disagree. Responsible drinking is about personal responsibility and attitude. If you're the type of person who has to be drunk to enjoy yourself then you'll get off your face whether you have a drinks package or PAYG. We've seen drunk people onboard and staff have always been quick to refuse further service. We always have a deluxe package as we feel it's more economical, but we don't find ourselves rushing to get as much down our neck as we can as we pace ourselves during the day - and don't forget that the package includes soft drinks, Costa Coffee, etc, so it's not all about alcohol. Different people drink different amounts - it's a personal choice. If you feel P&O and other cruise lines are crooks and hypocrites, why do you cruise?
We’re off in Jan 25 and to be honest This was something that swayed me to book for a big family trip in 2026 ….. tbh I don’t want to drink the value of a drinks package… just enjoy a nice tipple or 2 while getting ready in my cabin….. so disappointing as it’s another erosion of its uniqueness 😮
We did ten cruises in in ten years all with P&O , not any more they have no loyalty any more , year by year they have eroded the service that at best is 3 star plus, it’s such a shame for this once great British cruise line.
Unfortunately P&O are under orders and policies directed by Carnival and that was always going to be bad news! Life time cruiser and I totally agree with your comment.👍
This is nothing more than P&O wanting to increase their bar sales . Nothing to do with responsible drinking . As you say they turn a blind eye to excessive alcohol consumption of their provided alcohol . Doesn’t really bother me frankly , but just another reason for not cruising on penny pinching P&O .
Oh no! We're off on Saturday on Iona in the cabin you had 😮. We purchased two bottles of spirits only the other day, which I wouldn't have bothered with otherwise 😢. Properly hacked off I've got to say. My first Pando cruise too so not starting with the best impression! They've not informed me of any changes, and I checked their rules just before buying. Enough ranting from me. I love your blogs, keep up the great work 😊
Thank you. On a more positive note I've just checked the weather forecast and it's just perfect 👌. Obviously organised by customer services to ease the drinks policy shocker (no David, just leave it, move on, hehe)
Next they will tell you to turn up naked as you can only wear what’s purchased from the onboard boutique’s. Sick of these companies trying to enforce rules, that we all know, are simply to maximise profit. Hope it backfires to teach them that their ‘loyal customers’ are sick of it.
Ha, ha. Some of the comments on here are class! 18 years with P&O (also with RC, HAL, Marella, Cunard) and I have no issue with this. Love a bottle of wine with dinner plus maybe three or four drinks afterwards. Definitely more very drunk people on our recent P&O cruise than back in 2006 and I suspect that's a root cause, as well as competition in the market. I agree that extremely drunk passengers causing disturbance needs to be addressed more by the crew. But people never using P&O again because of this change!!! (Used to have the wine package when it was available but never a full drinks package, as we can't drink that much for that many days!)
I agree with you. The way some people moan makes me wonder why they bother going on a holiday. We've got four cruises booked this year and three of them are with P&O. Yes, there have been changes but we still enjoy P&O. Like you we've been with other lines and they all have good and bad points but if you're a 'professional moaner' you can find fault with even the smallest thing.
Hi Jamie , it’s Percy ,, I’m not surprised at this announcement to be honest ,, there has been so many changes over the last few years with the whole cruise industry,, it’s just about money these days ,, hope you and maffoo are well ,, keep up the good work P
We are boarding Britannia on May 10. Seeing this post just in time as we were going to buy a bottle of vodka and some mixer tomorrow. I guess now we will buy 2 bottles of wine instead. I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy passengers in smelly old Southampton on Friday!
Cheers for the video. This is no doubt in response to their previously absurdly overpriced and over complicated drinks packages not selling. So they squeeze from a different angle.
I disagree on this occasion - it’s in response to the fact almost no other cruise line allows this and therefore P&O are losing money in not following suit. Drinks packages have been doing well by all accounts.
I was on Iona April 2023 and a pint of lager was around £4.50. Just came from Ventura last month (I was also on her 18 months ago) and the amount of pump drinks from what I remember has been reduced and if you order a can (Budweiser), then you will pay over £5 for it. That means that a pint (2 X 330ml cans) will now cost over £10! The last 3 cruises have been with P&O but after this policy change I will be using other cruise lines from now on.
We saw you on MSC virtuosa at the weekend talking to the ladies on deck at back of the ship taking a video of us sailing out of southampton. Fun cruise and our first
Thanks Jamie for clarifying the alcohol allowance we can bring on board on embarkation. As in the past we have usually flown to board the ship so we haven’t really taken alcohol on board. I understand their reasons but it is definitely still in the small print and I won’t have noticed if i had not seen someone mentioning it online. I wonder if you can take non alcoholic gin! 😂
We booked a year ago, sailing Sunday and P&O have not advised us of this change. Thank you for telling me, there are going to be so many caught out by this on Sunday. I wonder if they will return or keep as now a prohibited item. Free bar stock if they keep !
Hi Jamie, thank you for your honest blog. Like other commenters on here, one of the unique benefits of booking with P & O was the initial allowance for a bottle of spirits/per person , because grown adult offspring with us, this would have helped with the cost of the bar bills. I'm miffed that we have not had any official notification from P & O; we sail in early July. My husband and I are not going to buy a drinks package, but the others in our party might. What I don't understand, maybe you can clarify this ... if 2 people share a cabin and I person pays for a drinks package, does the other person also have to have a drinks package? The P & O website seems to imply this. If this is genuinely the case then I'm not happy at all.
Just come off a P and O ship and I enjoy a drink on the balcony. I tried to buy from room service and they kept putting obstacles in my way, trying to tell me that a brand wasn't available when every bar sells it. I got what I wanted to buy because I made a big fuss but you shouldn't have to. They'd way underestimated the number of guests who would want to buy bottles and ran out. I have written to P and O to demand that they stock properly in future. Or it will be another line for me.
Forgot to put Marella on my list. The so called expensive cruise lines can be quite good value when you consider what is included in the price eg flights, transfers, WiFi , gratuities,drinks, speciality dining and shore excursions. Yes they are still more expensive but the service and quality is so much better.
The thing is Jamie you are a lot younger than we are and obviously you want to travel more but we are at an age where we would rather do one or two trips a year and probably spend less than you do!!!
They have taken a unique selling point of theirs, that the British really liked (Cheeky Prink whilst getting ready) and ruined it. Call it like it is, Responsible consumption of *OUR* Alcohol.
This has put me off trying P&O I feel. It’s not that I drink a lot, far from it, but I do enjoy a nice wee dram or gin on the balcony as I relax and read/enjoy the view. It’s a lovely part of the holiday for me. I am getting the feeling that they are really cost cutting what with this and the flights. A little off putting.
Not in defence but I don’t know any other cruise line that allows you to take spirits onboard their ships and many don’t allow any alcohol to be taken on board
. We gave up P&O a decade ago (after taking nofly Caribbean cruises with them annually - sometimes twice a year - for 12-years). We usually had mini-suite, sometimes a suite and spent money on excursions and the occasional fine dining. We also liked a cocktail or two each evening. We became friends with many many people over the years who we met on board each year but who have also stopped sailing with P&O. Between us all we spent (c) approaching £100k a year with P&O. But then the joke became that the ship was full of earrings and tattoos - but the earrings were on the men and the tattoos on the women!! Then the Formal Nights became a disappointment as the staff were afraid to question those not adhering to the Dress Code. Doubt that there even is one now!! We all now meet up on Cunard (Princess Grill) but sadly not the Caribbean. I doubt that Carnival could care a toss though - as they also own Cunard - but at least standards are being maintained. .
Going on our first cruise this weekend on arvia and tbh doesn't really change how we feel. We are not drinkers so I guess it's not a issue but the short notice is out of order. There should have definitely been a grace period for anyone already booked.
It's a shame but not entirely surprising, I think another thing that's potentially led to the change is that it will likely end bucket of ice deliveries on an evening which will mean less work for cabin stewards
I used to cruise with P&O as they were very good and reflected British standards. Now they have went way down on any good list so I won’t be cruising with them. Around 25 years ago we went on a P&O cruise which first port stop was Gibraltar. Everyone onboard rushed off the ship but it wasn’t just to feel solid ground beneath their feet. It was the off licence shops was the target. Reason? Tax free alcohol. We had to go about 3/4 of a mile along the street before we could get into one. It was funny as all you could hear for several hours was the clink clink of bottles as passengers returned lol… no one got drunk that I saw and no one had booze littering their cabins. It was drunk responsibly and enjoyed. I hate lies and this new directive is obviously a huge one… it’s being done because P&O is now owned by a huge money making company in the US
Was expected to happen for cruise business reasons which becoming more tighter on customers . First class blog for several reasons . If you on travels again soon have great time 🍕🍹☀️
travelled to malta on the 9th and bought alot of spirits at the port's duty free before we got on Azura - never stopped once from taking on board as the security bag scan is before the duty free shop. everyone had white bags from duty free so P&O could clearly see but never stopped a single person
We are leaving Saturday. I’ve received the final checklist e mail and there is no mention of the change. If we weren’t on social media we would have absolutely no clue. My friend and I bought a 75cl bottle of gin to have a glass when getting ready for the evening. It’s a little annoying that we have not been informed officially. I suspect there will be many turning up Friday and Saturday with no idea.
Summed up perfectly. What about those who dont do social media? Truth is P & O have been relying on social media to spread this message. I phoned them on the 7th May and was told there is no change to alcohol policy on embarkation and that there were no changes to drinks package prices. Three hours later the change was put into effect so I was lied to the telephone which I do not appreciate. They will never see my business again after this cruise.
It's a money making exercise. Remember ALL booze on a ship is duty and vat free so, a bottle of gin that costs £26 in your local supermarket should only be about £15 on a ship.
@@derekvenus I came off Arvia 3 weeks ago and had several days in Spanish ports. Bars and restaurants continued to sell alcohol while in port but added Spanish VAT. Shops were closed in ports as expected. Even so, we all know what duty free means.... it means a bit more profit margin for them!
Less than 30 days to my first P&O cruise. As you said, it is in line with out CCL brands. Going on Cunard in 2 weeks and hopefully they don't do a similar thing.
I quite liked that you could bring a litre of spirits onboard for the cabin, however I usually end up bringing some home with me as hubby only drinks beer or the occasional cocktail. I’ve taken a bottle regardless of whether I’ve had the drinks package or not. However, with the drinks package price hike I will rethink whether to take it or not going forward, especially as my daughter is now 18 so doesn’t benefit from the free refresh package. It won’t stop me from choosing P&O though as they still represent good value for money for the cruise.
Someone on a Facebook group I'm in rang and was told categorically by their staff that there were no changes in policy and it was a scam. Within two hours of posting that, p and o had changed their website. Go figure.
We’re going on Iona on 18th and the bottle of Baileys we were going to bring is only £1 dearer onboard, although I expect a price rise as the drinks packages have gone up , as the drinks and packages do every May. I’m going to enjoy my holiday on pay as I go for drinks using our OBC as planned.
Am I right in thinking though if oyu buy a bottle in duty free, you cant take it back to the cabin and drink it? Dont they hold it for you until disembarkation?
@@robandsue I meant ordered on board from the room service menu , sorry for the confusion, any alcohol bought in duty free is store u til the end of the cruise.
Going on my first ever cruise with P&O soon. When I originally booked my intention was to take a bottle of my favourite single malt on board. This new rule now has scuppered my plans. I'm not going to buy a drinks package as it's a rip off. So it'll be a pretty dry and cheaper holiday for me 👍 how I look at it is. You don't need alcohol. Cheers P&O you've done me a favour 👍
For existing customers who booked before the drinks package prices increase should get another 10% off the price as I contacted p&o on the 6/5/24 and was told there would be no increase so I added the £566 to the basket. The next day I logged back in the see the price in my basket had gone up to £610 which is unacceptable the increase was the classic package and if p&o are fair as I had already booked should go back to the lower price . Very poor P&O 😂
I'm not an alcoholic and I don't need this restriction which actually encourages you to drink to the value of your drinks package. I have recently booked our first ever cruise, on the Azora, but would not have done so had I known this rule change. Sad really, another potentially repeat customer lost.
Why do you feel you aren’t the target audience? I would think you would be exactly their target. I’ve only cruised with P&O so interested to hear which line/s you feel better suited to. Thanks👌
I’m absolutely not - I’m the ‘previous’ audience who experienced P&O when they offered something to what they do now. They are wanting fresh blood now that have nothing to compare things to
This is really sad, we love a cruise and have had many over the years, quite a few with Pand O. The drinks policy was a big part of our decision, mainly because I hate feeling ripped off and the drinks prices on board are exactly that. P and O prices were among the most reasonable so it was less of an issue but I always enjoyed having a bottle of something in the cabin for a night cap or whatever. We first cruised on Ventura when she was a year old, we got silver service, great food, bed turn down service, chocolates on the pillows, the ability to take a drink on board. All that has gone now, we switched to Princess for the last cruise, it was a much better all round experience. Given that in this statement P and O have decided to bullshit their valued customers I doubt we will go back.
We are done with P&O after last Seasons fiasco with Maleth Aero, P&O have become expensive compared to other cruise lines that have the add on package of excursions, speciality meals, extra on board credit, WIFI and drinks package not to mention gratuities included in their add on package.
To be honest yes it’s all about the bottom line 🚢 but personally for us it would not bother us for the cost of 2 bottles of spirits. There’s so much more to a cruise 😊 great post keeping people updated though 👍
Here’s me looking to take on a nice whisky from my collection next month- just going to have to save it for the Scottish mountain trips- just for them to make money!
Have been on p & o several time over the last 12 years, have been on Queen Mary one way with 6 weeks coming home & Queen Elizabeth. My husband can't drink for health reasons, i agree i like a drink, but feel guilty if i have to buy at full price. The staff are not happy if you enjoy a drink, i think they need to rethink their policy's and make sure you have different bands, one for me and soft drinks for partner. There is a huge difference now, as what it was, especially with the food and snack's, not picking on P & O, have travelled with different companies and the standard is not the same. In the last 20 years we have travelled most of Europe with our kids & my paid for the family to go on a weekend trip and really enjoyed it and also had a fantastic time. So going on my father passed away and she still wanted to travel, but the price for a single cabin was really over the top, my son is recently registered blind and living in supported living, so we paid for twin beds & a single & he went on his first cruise & loved it! So a lot of positive & a little negative. We are now enjoying plane trips, sorry.
We have booked a "taster" cruise with P&O for September. Just 4 nights to see if we enjoy it. I was going to take a bottle of vodka with us. We will now take a bottle of wine each. It is clearly a money driven policy but it will not change our approach to spending on board.
I would not ever not cruise on a line because they don’t allow you to take on board spirits - wouldn’t leave many cruise lines left to sail on (if any)
Oh dear - the decline continues!! We have been on many P&O cruises and since 2019 it's been declining service and increasing cost - We have one more cruise with them booked, then maybe we need to look elsewhere. They are definitely targeting the family holiday market and that's not us!!!
Totally agree. We went in 2008/2010 and the little touches have disappeared. Chocolates after dinner ( only on formal night now) the afternoon tea everyday in dining room. Chocolate on pillow at night, the captains speech etc
@@TravelBlogJamie it just made me laugh when they say ‘ celebration night ‘ the only different thing compared to any other night is you have to dress up ( half the passengers don’t anyway) and you get a complimentary drink ( that you paid for in your fare ) I love cruises, however p and o are making it more butlins at sea now. Lots of older passengers were saying the same things when I was on Ventura 2 weeks ago
Hi Jamie, thanks for letting me know. I am going on Aurora next Wednesday and had no clue. It's a shame but i can neck the sambuca when i return from my 3 day jaunt!
Being a cruiser since 1974 I have seen many changes taking place over the years, many of them not that great. This all accelerated once Carnival's influence over many brands started to take a foothold on a lot of the cruise industry. Sadly I no longer feel that I can cruise because of this. I have though perhaps enjoyed the best years of cruising when commercial exploitation was not more important than the loyalty of the passengers......
Well that's about right, our first P&O cruise in a few weeks and they decide to change the policy. The cruise is now going to cost us more, maybe we will stick with Marella in future !!!
I do enjoy a G&T in my cabin, so I will have to buy a bottle on board. Such a nuisance but Princess have used these rules for years so I suppose this was to be expected. I think doing it without any warning is rather poor though.
I’m a bit pissed off as we go on Saturday but, As we are first time cruisers I remembered being surprised that they let people take alcohol in the first place. No big deal really
Jamie - Do you think P&O will retain the full bottles of Spirits on the Room Service drinks options? I've always previously opted to simply purchase a litre of Grey Goose Vodka for only £35 onboard using this method as this is cheaper than the cost of the same bottle from a supermarket! If so, there's not really much of a difference with this new announcement from P&O. Simply buy when onboard!
P&O could sadly be yet another case where a business has accidentally (or not) ventured into shareholder first customer second. Additionally in this case customer health and wellbeing not even on the list. It appears that excessive drinking is being encouraged?
I am not loyal to p&o and sailed on quite a few different lines now (although got 2 booked with P&O this year 🙈). This is pretty standard across most other lines now and they all make little extras as best they can. The thing is cruise prices themselves have come down in price from years ago and now appeal to most budgets. They have to either up their general prices or make changes to bring in more money.
Thanks for this Jamie. I was surprised when I heard about this, and a bit disappointed initially - it was a unique perk that P&O offered which we always made use of. But they have finally followed the market and are finding new ways to make more money… As long as their overall cruise prices stayed competitive, I’m ok with it.
While myself and my wife are by no means big drinkers, we enjoyed a nice Grey Goose and mixer in the cabin whilst getting ready to go out. Shame its now off the menu (unless you buy it off them for twice the price). Code of conduct, yeah right....
Am I the only person who has realised that I don’t see a 1 litre size bottle of wine but they are normally 75cl. I suppose you can make it up almost a litre with a couple of small individual bottles.
Just a thought about holiday booking conditions/contract with P & O....for all passengers who had booked and even fully paid up for a cruise prior to May 7th. By issuing this directive is P & O breaking the terms of those holiday contracts? Is this legal? Just wondering?
P&O isn’t for me but when I did sail with them last summer people were taking containers with alcohol in and mixing it into their drinks. It didn’t bother me. So make sure you drink from your water bottle now or you could get a surprise 😂
One could buy a glass of wine in any bar and take it to the Horizon buffet to drink with the meal presumably, cant see how anyone would know if it had been purchased in a bar or brought from the cabin?
For me not a problem, but the drinks package is not worth the money, i only drink soft drinks and coffee , yet m😂y husband likes a drink, yet i have to purchase the oackage also.
Like other's this is the final straw, I am done with P&O. We went on a short cruise to Rotterdam recently and the boat felt dated, the food was poor and it all felt a bit like Butlins at sea. I would have gone again as we had a good time and it was reasonably cheap, but if I have to pay for Alcohol as well then it is no longer worth it. I get the impression they are cutting costs to the bone and trying to squeeze every penny out of their guests.
Didn’t have drinks package on cruise in January , taking litre bottle on was great for other half , I’m not much of a drinker with alcohol, on Ventura in feb mini cruise and Iona in September won’t have drinks package on Iona hoping still allowed take soft drinks on board , @TravelBlogJamie thanks for update ❤
There reason is absolutely rubbish...just want to make more money....i wont be using them, apart from this they have gone way way down hill,all to make more money 😡
Years ago in the 1990s I'd take on a box of Carling to drink in our cabin on the Canberra, then the same on the Aurora in the 2000s along with a box of soft drinks for the kids. No one cared. Packed lunches available for all of us if we were out at lunch time. I love classical music, and they'd have some of the finest classical musicians on board. The funniest comedians, the best singers, the best entertainment in the theatre, the most interesting talks in the afternoon. A friendly Ship's officer on almost every table at dinner. The captain always visible to passengers, greeting everyone with a warm smile as he walked around the ship. On one trip on the Oriana in 1999, we even got into the ward room party with free drinks because the lady officer on our table was the deputy purser. I've recently returned from an week long trip to Norway on the Iona, and what a miserable impersonal low quality (in comparison) experience that has been. The friendliest, kindest face of that trip by far was Dennis our cabin steward, to whom we left a tip as he deserved it. Elsewhere the glummest of faces everywhere from the staff and I didn't see a single officer with gold stripes all week. The singer/piano player they had on in the Iona Crow's nest bar one night couldn't even sing in tune, he was in my opinion abysmal. We get better entertainment in the local karaoke venues near our home! Even the bread rolls at dinner are now almost half the diameter of those in the nineties, served with miniscule five ounce steaks (if that) which might suit a ten year old. They were much bigger in the old Canberra days when Felim McGuinness was the executive chef. Just expressing my own opinions to which I am entitled.
Sorry - I just wanted to make it clear I wasn't trying to defame the the company in any way, and that it was just my own opinion. But the P&O experience really was so much better in the old days for me at least. When I first left the Canberra after our first cruise on her in 1992 I had the strongest feeling of wanting to return again as soon as possible, and indeed I did twice more. The same for the Aurora. Sadly I had no such feeling at all when I walked away from the Iona just a few weeks ago.
Just put it in your hand luggage! Pre departure screening are looking for different prohibited items. I'm type 1 diabetic and always take a new unopened bag of glucose powder through security, never once been questioned. On x-ray must look like coke. Worst case, they store it until you return, it's not a felony 😂
Noticed on our last cruise how weak the cocktails were and bar staff using pre-mixes. All pina and no colada ,That being said, should put off the booze cruisers. Only hope passengers do not take new policy out on the crew.
Hi Jamie, love the blogs! This is diverting a little from the topic... Please correct me if I'm wrong but from what I understand P&Os policy on bringing alcohol on board when purchased at a port was you had to hand it over when getting back on the ship, there was always a table out at the top of the gangway for you to declare it (we've not been inboard since before the pandemic). We have often bought a top up of wine or beer to have in the cabin mid cruise and never declared it, never been challenged. So it will be interesting to see if they challenge anyone bring a sneeky bottle of vodka onboard and how they deal with it. Finally sailing in June on iona and can't wait! 😆.
What a load of rubbish we have always taken a bottle of gin board. This last is the 3 of us for the 2 week cruise. We do buy the very odd beer or a bottle of wine on formal night. This is all about money. The kettle tea and coffee will go soon. Thanks for the video Jamie.
We went on the lona in Feb, on every port stop we brought back local wine/spirits, our rucksack was never checked. Wouldn't have been a big deal if they were confiscated anyway as the bar prices were cheaper than going out on Leeds! We just like trying different drinks....
@@TravelBlogJamie I think a pint of beer (Moretti l think) was about £5 on the ship, l paid over £13 for 2 pints in Leeds last weekend, can't remember the last time l got 2 for a tenner!
@@saltaireorangebicyclechopp8555 I don’t doubt it but prices onboard have risen quite considerably in a short space of time and I expect them to rise again with further changes to the drinks packages
When I traveled with P&O for the first time a few weeks ago I was surprised to read that you could do this, is it really that important to some people to take bottles of alcohol onboard?
Hi Jamie this is very interesting as well as confusing! We went on P&O Aurora from 3rd June to 22nd June 2024 and the details on the website said that 1litre of spirits per adult was allowed to be taken when embarking at Southampton. So, my husband and I took between us 2 litres of spirits to drink in our cabin. These went through the scanner with no problem. Also when we disembarked at various ports on 2 occasions we bought some local wine with the expectation it would be confiscated and held until we disembarked back at Southampton. But this did not happen. So maybe it was too soon for the new rules to be enforced OR were any of the crew bothered???? 😊
Wait though...you can still by a bottle of spirits from the room service menu?...at just a few pound more than supermarket prices....so, not much difference ...or am I missing something?
From what I can see the room service provide 1 Litre spirits in the menu, not a lot of difference to prices you would pay in major supermarkets. Do you have experience from buying bottles of spirits to drink in your room? Surely this is the same as bringing on your own 1 litre bottle anyway.
But you’re paying their prices to then have them delivered to your cabin - I paid half what they charge for vodka in my local - essentially P&O are looking to make more money (I don’t blame them tbh)
There will obviously by many regular P&O cruisers who are unaware of the policy change and arrive at the port of embarcation with a bottle of spirts each. It seems to me to be yet another penny-pinching exercise by P&O. How they have deteriorated in the 10 short years since my first cruise with them.
So I can't bring on board my bottle of pink gin as drinking it would be irresponsible, but I can have one delivered to my room and that's perfectly safe? I'm betting they now increase the cost of those room service spirits...
Thanks for the info, I hadn't noticed. We have a cruise on Iona in 9 weeks and we're planning on brining some spirits for the cabin 😭😭 I get why they're doing it, does irritate me a little but nothing major
I think this is due to the small number of people on cruises spoiling it for others by bringing spirits out with them or even taking empty glasses back to cabin - filling from their own stocks and then bringing into venues
P&O (sorry Carnival) brought this upon themselves when they decided to cheapen the brand and go mass market all those years ago. With attracting a different type of audience, what did they expect?
