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Cruising (on ships not the mucky kind)
Comments
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Standards will drop.Hal1x said:
Always used to like P&0 but the standards are not what they once were. Economies seem to affecting the holiday received, and the service you get. Plus if anything goes wrong the customer service unit is based in India, so don't hold your breath waiting for issues to be resolved, as you get passed from pillar to post.BerkshireBob said:
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!thickandthin63 said:
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked.kigelia said:I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)
The Caribbean cruise we had booked for March 2020 is still the same price for March 2025.
Everything else in the past 4 years has gone up.
If the price of this cruise hasn't gone then somethings happening somewhere.
Quite a few people have said P & o should charge more on one or two of their ships and do cruising how it used to be done.0 -
P&O Cruises and all of its departments including customer services are, to the best of my knowledge, based in Southampton.Hal1x said:
Always used to like P&0 but the standards are not what they once were. Economies seem to affecting the holiday received, and the service you get. Plus if anything goes wrong the customer service unit is based in India, so don't hold your breath waiting for issues to be resolved, as you get passed from pillar to post.BerkshireBob said:
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!thickandthin63 said:
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked.kigelia said:I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)0 -
nope! I think the decisions may be made here but the admin etc abroad.SporadicAddick said:
P&O Cruises and all of its departments including customer services are, to the best of my knowledge, based in Southampton.Hal1x said:
Always used to like P&0 but the standards are not what they once were. Economies seem to affecting the holiday received, and the service you get. Plus if anything goes wrong the customer service unit is based in India, so don't hold your breath waiting for issues to be resolved, as you get passed from pillar to post.BerkshireBob said:
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!thickandthin63 said:
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked.kigelia said:I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)0 -
"To the best of my knowledge" (read into that whatever you want) P&O Cruises and all its functions are wholly based in Southampton. You may have been passed from pillar to post, but those pillars and posts are in Hampshire.Hal1x said:
nope! I think the decisions may be made here but the admin etc abroad.SporadicAddick said:
P&O Cruises and all of its departments including customer services are, to the best of my knowledge, based in Southampton.Hal1x said:
Always used to like P&0 but the standards are not what they once were. Economies seem to affecting the holiday received, and the service you get. Plus if anything goes wrong the customer service unit is based in India, so don't hold your breath waiting for issues to be resolved, as you get passed from pillar to post.BerkshireBob said:
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!thickandthin63 said:
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked.kigelia said:I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)0 -
Just been on my first , 32 night Pacific cruise with Princess. As for the excursions , I did one with the company and the rest privately. We sat next to a couple at dinner that went every time with the company. We would often show pictures of where we had been that day and they would say we had been to better places.0
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I went on a Virgin cruise from Barcelona around the med last year. It was brilliant. Very American and a bit cheesy at times. But great food. Almost Michelin starred at times. Good entertainment and enough bars you never get bored. I fully recommend it.0
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nope, I have personal experience, and definitely some Indian based involvement, which also makes sense with the Goanese crews on board so recruitment services must already be in place out there. Can I ask what is your knowledge?SporadicAddick said:
"To the best of my knowledge" (read into that whatever you want) P&O Cruises and all its functions are wholly based in Southampton. You may have been passed from pillar to post, but those pillars and posts are in Hampshire.Hal1x said:
nope! I think the decisions may be made here but the admin etc abroad.SporadicAddick said:
P&O Cruises and all of its departments including customer services are, to the best of my knowledge, based in Southampton.Hal1x said:
Always used to like P&0 but the standards are not what they once were. Economies seem to affecting the holiday received, and the service you get. Plus if anything goes wrong the customer service unit is based in India, so don't hold your breath waiting for issues to be resolved, as you get passed from pillar to post.BerkshireBob said:
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!thickandthin63 said:
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked.kigelia said:I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)0 -
Definitely not...let's leave it there.Hal1x said:
nope, I have personal experience definitely Indian based involvement, which also makes sense with the Goanese crews on board so recruitment services already in place out there.SporadicAddick said:
"To the best of my knowledge" (read into that whatever you want) P&O Cruises and all its functions are wholly based in Southampton. You may have been passed from pillar to post, but those pillars and posts are in Hampshire.Hal1x said:
nope! I think the decisions may be made here but the admin etc abroad.SporadicAddick said:
P&O Cruises and all of its departments including customer services are, to the best of my knowledge, based in Southampton.Hal1x said:
Always used to like P&0 but the standards are not what they once were. Economies seem to affecting the holiday received, and the service you get. Plus if anything goes wrong the customer service unit is based in India, so don't hold your breath waiting for issues to be resolved, as you get passed from pillar to post.BerkshireBob said:
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!thickandthin63 said:
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked.kigelia said:I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)0 -
you have accused me of bullshitting I would like to know why you know different?0
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Because I know P&O Cruises don't have a customer service operation in India...nor for that matter any guest facing operation in India.Hal1x said:you have accused me of bullshitting I would like to know why you know different?
I do know that all of these functions are based wholly in Southampton.
ps not accusing you of bullshitting, I have no reason to doubt you were pushed from pillar to post, but believe you are mistaken in terms of the location of the department you were dealing with...
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Got back on Friday from our first cruise; a twelve day trip to Norway on the Queen Mary. I absolutely loved it. It's a great way to travel, completely relaxing. The food was great as was the entertainment. The staff were wonderful and fellow passengers were really friendly. Unlike air travel, which these days always feels like a bit of a trauma even if you like flying, the minute you get on the boat it feels like you're on holiday as opposed to 'going on holiday'. We met people who had got on this voyage from New York. Their argument was that for the price of a first class plane ticket, they got a weeks full board in a luxury hotel and still ended up in the same place.
The beer prices were surprisingly reasonable, though the wine prices (like much else on the ship) were eye-wateringly expensive. I put a lot of effort into trying to wean Mrs Stig off the wine, but it never really happened.
Norway was a fantastic destination. The people were great and the scenery absolutely breathtaking. Highlight for me was doing a treck up to the Brikstal Glacier. If you want to see this you'd better hurry as it is receding at a rapid rate.
Everywhere we went, the ship drew great attention, it is so iconic. Weirdly, I felt a sense of pride being associated with it, even though that jus meant we had shelled out to be there. Our final port before home was Hamburg. By chance Queen Mary was celebrating her 20th year of visiting that city. Most places give the ship a bit off a send off when it sails away, but at Hamburg we sailed out of the port and as far up the Elbe as we could get. As we approached the city, thousands of people gathered on the waterfront and on surrounding buildings to see us, whilst dozens of packed pleasure boats followed us up the river waving and cheering. If I hadn't witnessed it I'd never have believed that a foreign ship could draw such a response in a city.
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Not too surprised to hear that about the cruise excursions. It's a difficult activity to get right.charltonnick said:Just been on my first , 32 night Pacific cruise with Princess. As for the excursions , I did one with the company and the rest privately. We sat next to a couple at dinner that went every time with the company. We would often show pictures of where we had been that day and they would say we had been to better places.In the past, I have helped out in designing excursions for cruises around Southeast Asia. Not an easy task creating suitable excursions which are 'authentic', as well as being operational for upwards of hundreds of people.0 -
Ordinarily don’t pay for the excursions but was really pleased to have booked Godafoss yesterday,
a spectacular waterfall system - all timed to arrive back on ship 10 mins before kick off. 
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Been on 15 now … best company cruise line has to be Celebrity ..best cruise done that’s very difficult , Northern Lights going up into the attic circle was fantastic , record amount of snow made it better , But Alaska fantastic and the baltics will always be up there with an overnight in Russia 🇷🇺…..0
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The boss had always said no to cruises because she felt she'd get cabin fever and feel claustrophobic; her best friend always went on cruises and spent the best part of 40 years trying to persuade her otherwise. Last year wifey's friend had booked a Norwegian fjords cruise for her hubby's 60th birthday ... but then she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer so had to cancel it. My wife saw a fjords cruise deal pop up on Faceache and she decided she'd bite the bullet - for Niki - so we booked a week on P&O's Iona. She didn't tell her friend because she was going to wait until we were on the ship and send her a photo saying "look where we are!" ... but then her friend died before we set sail
To my wife's surprise she enjoyed the cruise. Despite the number of passengers on board it was a big enough ship not to feel cramped, the food was wonderful, the ship's crew were wonderful. She enjoyed it enough that our next two holidays were cruises (both with P&O: Mediterranean last October on Arvia, taking in La Coruña, Valencia, Marseille, Barcelona, Cadíz; Canary Islands on Iona in March calling at Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Lisbon - we should have had a day in Cadíz but the weather was too bad for us to docK so had two days in Lisbon instead) and in November 2025 we're on Britannia in the Caribbean. We may have a restricted luggage allowance because we're on a plane to Barbados but at least I won't have to worry about taking my suits for the evening!
I have no problems with cruises but I don't think I could face these new mega-ships - Iona and Arvia were big enough - I'd rather go on smaller ships (and adults only would be a bonus!).
Having said that we couldn't give up our land-based holidays; sometimes sunning oneself by a pool all day sinking rum-based cocktails is all a person needs for a relaxing holiday.0 -
We had a third cruise, and first post-Covid on P&O's Iona to Norway back in May/June. It was also our first that wasn't adult only. Both of us felt that the standards had dipped significantly since our last cruise tbh. The food & general service wasn't quite as good as previously and they've switched over to an on board app system for booking tables, excursions and seats for the shows that took a while to get used to.
The ship was so busy that every show, bar one early one towards the end of the week, was fully booked by the time we'd figured out how to use the app...and this was only about 90 mins after getting onboard. We only used the lunch buffet twice, after getting back from an excursion, but it was bang average at best with all the charm of 6th form college refectory. Coupled with a main swimming pool area that sounded and smelt like a council leisure centre we won't be rushing back to Iona tbh.
There are some excellent things about cruises. @Stig is spot on about the lack of hassle checking in, etc. and, having not been very well this year, this was the main reason we chose another cruise over the whole airport thing. But we definitely wouldn't chose another cruise on such a big ship, only go adult only and would think twice about another with P&P tbh. Multiple people we know have said the same to us since we got back about P&O and that ship.
Would strongly advise choosing your ship carefully if you're thinking of trying it as a holiday.1 -
...and I got Covid on the last day!0
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P & O cruise prices came out today for winter 26/27 March.
You can do the same transatlantic Caribbean cruise that we had booked for March 2020 for the same money for the March 2027.
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Will continue to cruise but never again on Norwegian. The show casts were good, but I had misgivings about every other aspect of the cruise holiday versus Royal Caribbean and Britannia. Keen to try Celebrity mind.0
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Just booked a 20 night cruise from Southampton to way above the attic circle in early July. Anyone know what weather to expect I was thinking something like April / May in the UK. Be interesting to see daylight all night as well.1
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Was looking at a couple of Norwegian cruises for next month.Pavoren007 said:Will continue to cruise but never again on Norwegian. The show casts were good, but I had misgivings about every other aspect of the cruise holiday versus Royal Caribbean and Britannia. Keen to try Celebrity mind.
What's the food and drink like?
Cheers0 -
Just about to book my first ever 7 day cruise as a guest of my friends' wedding.
Even though I'm on my own i like a bit of space so is it worth booking a double cabin for the extra room pr isn't there much difference?
Also should I go for the forward, mid or aft cabins?
Finally, are the top decks or lower better?
So many questions....
Thank you0 -
I’m toying with the idea of going on my first cruise. Never been on one before as I’ve always been against it. However, I’ve not really been to the Caribbean apart from San Andreas (Colombian) and the Isle of Margarita (Venezuela). There are so many islands to choose from but not knowing any I’d like to do a recky so that I can then decide which ones to return and explore further. My research so far would be starting from Barbados and doing the rounds for two weeks and Tui seems to offer good deals but they don’t seem to stop in Jamaica. I have been told that Silverseas cruises are the top end of cruises.
Any advice or recommendations welcomed. I plan on doing the cruise around February next year and afterwards heading to South America.0 -
I was in that region in August and it was bloody cold. Had packed layers and winter coat and was really pleased we did. Approx 6-8C at best and rained every day other than when we visited Godafoss. Did not need gloves, but you get the gist. Average temp forecasts for time of year were way off!CharltonKerry said:Just booked a 20 night cruise from Southampton to way above the attic circle in early July. Anyone know what weather to expect I was thinking something like April / May in the UK. Be interesting to see daylight all night as well.1 -
Thanks, layers it will be then.Pavoren007 said:
I was in that region in August and it was bloody cold. Had packed layers and winter coat and was really pleased we did. Approx 6-8C at best and rained every day other than when we visited Godafoss. Did not need gloves, but you get the gist. Average temp forecasts for time of year were way off!CharltonKerry said:Just booked a 20 night cruise from Southampton to way above the attic circle in early July. Anyone know what weather to expect I was thinking something like April / May in the UK. Be interesting to see daylight all night as well.1 -
If you are travelling with people who do not have any allergies, I think pretty good food overall. Our issue was that my wife has a nut and all fruits allergies (other than berries) and my daughter is gluten free. They just don’t cater anywhere near enough for allergy sufferers, like really limited to one or two choices a day (and repeat). Royal Caribbean were far more accommodating with menu options and variety every day of the cruise.clb74 said:
Was looking at a couple of Norwegian cruises for next month.Pavoren007 said:Will continue to cruise but never again on Norwegian. The show casts were good, but I had misgivings about every other aspect of the cruise holiday versus Royal Caribbean and Britannia. Keen to try Celebrity mind.
What's the food and drink like?
CheersDrink choices were fine. The issue I found Norwegian have was their lack of flexibility around bar closing times and being kicked out of areas we were comfortable/enjoying. I have not encountered that on other cruise lines, inclusive of the cleaners getting the vacuum out and trying to hoover around your feet at 12:01am. 🤦🏻♂️0 -
Solidgone said:I’m toying with the idea of going on my first cruise. Never been on one before as I’ve always been against it. However, I’ve not really been to the Caribbean apart from San Andreas (Colombian) and the Isle of Margarita (Venezuela). There are so many islands to choose from but not knowing any I’d like to do a recky so that I can then decide which ones to return and explore further. My research so far would be starting from Barbados and doing the rounds for two weeks and Tui seems to offer good deals but they don’t seem to stop in Jamaica. I have been told that Silverseas cruises are the top end of cruises.
Any advice or recommendations welcomed. I plan on doing the cruise around February next year and afterwards heading to South America.
We have done the Caribbean Island hopping cruises in the past with Royal Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Great memories overall, loved the islands we visited, though can’t remember all their names now. Didn’t stop in Jamaica on either occasion (but have been separate to a cruise and really enjoyed it there). When we travelled from Fort Lauderdale I remember us arriving 3 days early from the cruise and doing a day at the Kennedy Space Centre which was enjoyable and a day at DisneyWorld, equally enjoyable. I will ask the missus which islands we stopped at, but I found all beaches picturesque, seas/ocean beautifully clear and people friendly/helpful.Only drawback to Cruises out of the States is that a lot of loud families get on board from the States and I am no shrinking violet but by 5+ days in you are minded to think “will you shut the fcuk up already…”1 -
I think that’s why I’m looking at Tui and setting off from Barbados instead of fort Lauderdale. I think Tui will have more people on board from the UK than very loud American families. But i will check out Royal Caribbean. Thanks.0
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Booked Marella Explorer (TUI) for end march 2025 for a week all inclusive around the canaries and Madeira. This will be our first cruise, went for a smaller ship with hopefully less loud Americans.0
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You do need to get the drinks package, glass of wine with dinner could set you back $20 bucks !!. Food is pretty good and the speciality dining is very nice, some of the best steak I have ever had. Le Bistro is my favorite but depends if you like French cuisine. I think they have La Trattoria if you fancy some nice Italian nosh. Done a lot and Celebrity would be my go to. Just done Azamara and would love to go again but pricing is quite eye watering so looking out for a good deal.clb74 said:
Was looking at a couple of Norwegian cruises for next month.Pavoren007 said:Will continue to cruise but never again on Norwegian. The show casts were good, but I had misgivings about every other aspect of the cruise holiday versus Royal Caribbean and Britannia. Keen to try Celebrity mind.
What's the food and drink like?
Cheers
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