Discussion
The Mad Monk said:
Trevor555 said:
Yes, I get that.
My last few cruises with P&O have been sub £60 per night, the January one £43 per night for a NYE cruise.
Did Princess last August to Greenland, it was a truly wonderful experience, the food/service a whole chunk above what's now P&O's standard.
Booked with them again for this August.
How do you get the price that low?My last few cruises with P&O have been sub £60 per night, the January one £43 per night for a NYE cruise.
Did Princess last August to Greenland, it was a truly wonderful experience, the food/service a whole chunk above what's now P&O's standard.
Booked with them again for this August.
I have just looked and cruises with P&O for 13/14 nights are just under £1000?
They NYE one was about 9 months in advance £599 for 14 nights.
You just have to keep looking, the prices go up, and down, all the time.
Or join cruise groups on Facebook, people often post on there when they spot the bargains
surveyor said:
And a little review of MSC Euribia
Just back so thought I would put some of my thoughts down. We are relatively new to cruising, having done 2 previously on P&O Arvia and Britannia
I booked this cruise partly as it was very close to my 50th and partly as it went to Hamburg and I had wanted to visit Miniature Wunderland for some time...
Points of note
The staff. Universally wonderful, and could not do enough for you.
Cleanliness - Extremely well kept, both Cabins and Public areas.
Entertainment - High calibre and definitely above P&O standards
Carasoul / Band at Sea - Exceptional. Loved every show we saw, and enjoyed the ambience of the bar. Service could take a little while at certain times, but I'm on holiday... I have time...
Cabin - This was only ever an unexpected break. I saw little point in a balcony given the weather, so we went budget with an inside cabin, despite a cheeky and unsuccessful upgrade bit. The cabin was perfectly adequate, other than with wardrobe space. We struggled.
Food - the big one. I went with low expectations and broadly got what I expected other than the buffet which had a great choice, even it if it was a little busy at time. Le Grill was excellent.
Passengers - I enjoyed the international passengers. A real mix of age and attitude. Dress if you want, or dress down, no one cared and it made for a very relaxed ship. The odd rude person, but it's on a ship with several thousand people so to be expected.
Drinks - Premium package bought with the cruise was exceptional value for money. We could order almost anything with no menu stress....
Destinations
Hamburg - Nice clean city, mostly closed...
Rotterdam - Loved it. Water Taxi great. EuroMast also fun. Visited Primark like half the ship!
Zeebrugge - was meant to go to Brugge, but slept in with a hangover. Was a great win - Zeebrugge was a lovely town.
Le Havre - Lost in Sea Mist. We stayed on board ??
I would certainly cruise with MSC and especially this ship again.
On a final note, I was shocked and saddened to see that we had lost a passenger overboard during the cruise. My condolences to his family if they read this.
In the news today https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68...Just back so thought I would put some of my thoughts down. We are relatively new to cruising, having done 2 previously on P&O Arvia and Britannia
I booked this cruise partly as it was very close to my 50th and partly as it went to Hamburg and I had wanted to visit Miniature Wunderland for some time...
Points of note
The staff. Universally wonderful, and could not do enough for you.
Cleanliness - Extremely well kept, both Cabins and Public areas.
Entertainment - High calibre and definitely above P&O standards
Carasoul / Band at Sea - Exceptional. Loved every show we saw, and enjoyed the ambience of the bar. Service could take a little while at certain times, but I'm on holiday... I have time...
Cabin - This was only ever an unexpected break. I saw little point in a balcony given the weather, so we went budget with an inside cabin, despite a cheeky and unsuccessful upgrade bit. The cabin was perfectly adequate, other than with wardrobe space. We struggled.
Food - the big one. I went with low expectations and broadly got what I expected other than the buffet which had a great choice, even it if it was a little busy at time. Le Grill was excellent.
Passengers - I enjoyed the international passengers. A real mix of age and attitude. Dress if you want, or dress down, no one cared and it made for a very relaxed ship. The odd rude person, but it's on a ship with several thousand people so to be expected.
Drinks - Premium package bought with the cruise was exceptional value for money. We could order almost anything with no menu stress....
Destinations
Hamburg - Nice clean city, mostly closed...
Rotterdam - Loved it. Water Taxi great. EuroMast also fun. Visited Primark like half the ship!
Zeebrugge - was meant to go to Brugge, but slept in with a hangover. Was a great win - Zeebrugge was a lovely town.
Le Havre - Lost in Sea Mist. We stayed on board ??
I would certainly cruise with MSC and especially this ship again.
On a final note, I was shocked and saddened to see that we had lost a passenger overboard during the cruise. My condolences to his family if they read this.
Shnozz said:
In the news today https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68...
Some further detail herehttps://metro.co.uk/2024/03/24/wife-tourist-feared...
surveyor said:
Points of note
The staff. Universally wonderful, and could not do enough for you.
Cleanliness - Extremely well kept, both Cabins and Public areas.
Entertainment - High calibre and definitely above P&O standards
Carasoul / Band at Sea - Exceptional. Loved every show we saw, and enjoyed the ambience of the bar. Service could take a little while at certain times, but I'm on holiday... I have time...
Cabin - This was only ever an unexpected break. I saw little point in a balcony given the weather, so we went budget with an inside cabin, despite a cheeky and unsuccessful upgrade bit. The cabin was perfectly adequate, other than with wardrobe space. We struggled.
Food - the big one. I went with low expectations and broadly got what I expected other than the buffet which had a great choice, even it if it was a little busy at time. Le Grill was excellent.
Passengers - I enjoyed the international passengers. A real mix of age and attitude. Dress if you want, or dress down, no one cared and it made for a very relaxed ship. The odd rude person, but it's on a ship with several thousand people so to be expected.
Drinks - Premium package bought with the cruise was exceptional value for money. We could order almost anything with no menu stress....
I would certainly cruise with MSC and especially this ship again.
On a final note, I was shocked and saddened to see that we had lost a passenger overboard during the cruise. My condolences to his family if they read this.
Just to say this was virtually the same experience we had in early March on Euribia. The Big Band were my particular favourite in the Carousel Lounge (Even used to go in the afternoons to watch them rehearse!)The staff. Universally wonderful, and could not do enough for you.
Cleanliness - Extremely well kept, both Cabins and Public areas.
Entertainment - High calibre and definitely above P&O standards
Carasoul / Band at Sea - Exceptional. Loved every show we saw, and enjoyed the ambience of the bar. Service could take a little while at certain times, but I'm on holiday... I have time...
Cabin - This was only ever an unexpected break. I saw little point in a balcony given the weather, so we went budget with an inside cabin, despite a cheeky and unsuccessful upgrade bit. The cabin was perfectly adequate, other than with wardrobe space. We struggled.
Food - the big one. I went with low expectations and broadly got what I expected other than the buffet which had a great choice, even it if it was a little busy at time. Le Grill was excellent.
Passengers - I enjoyed the international passengers. A real mix of age and attitude. Dress if you want, or dress down, no one cared and it made for a very relaxed ship. The odd rude person, but it's on a ship with several thousand people so to be expected.
Drinks - Premium package bought with the cruise was exceptional value for money. We could order almost anything with no menu stress....
I would certainly cruise with MSC and especially this ship again.
On a final note, I was shocked and saddened to see that we had lost a passenger overboard during the cruise. My condolences to his family if they read this.
Would also add embarkation very smooth (From Uber to Bar was 10 minutes!) Getting off also fine
We paid £535 pp Inside cabin including drinks which I thought was great value for a 7 night cruise
Hoping for a similar experience again in June on MSC Divina (Italy/Greece/Turkey)
RIP the poor soul who fell overboard - very sad indeed
digitrac said:
Just to say this was virtually the same experience we had in early March on Euribia. The Big Band were my particular favourite in the Carousel Lounge (Even used to go in the afternoons to watch them rehearse!)
Would also add embarkation very smooth (From Uber to Bar was 10 minutes!) Getting off also fine
We paid £535 pp Inside cabin including drinks which I thought was great value for a 7 night cruise
Hoping for a similar experience again in June on MSC Divina (Italy/Greece/Turkey)
RIP the poor soul who fell overboard - very sad indeed
Really looking forward to the Big Band and that new Carousel space looks amazing!Would also add embarkation very smooth (From Uber to Bar was 10 minutes!) Getting off also fine
We paid £535 pp Inside cabin including drinks which I thought was great value for a 7 night cruise
Hoping for a similar experience again in June on MSC Divina (Italy/Greece/Turkey)
RIP the poor soul who fell overboard - very sad indeed
Good call RE: the rehersals. We do like to laze about the ship in the afternoons and that would be great to go see whilst having a cocktail or drink.
just booked the first cruise for us but whats the best way to cope with internet while over there there is
basic wifi at £19 for one device but is basically useless i hear
premium £21 one device
premium 2 device £37
im already sick of the gouging thats upto £259 for internet i mean thats 10 months of home internet! I suppose we can get away with one device so thats £147 the basic at £133 doesn't seem worth it as it seems you cant even really get up web pages to book things on the islands
and thats great on the boat but then off the boat is there a decent esim that will cover us on all the islands or will i need 1 sim per island?
and why do they feel the need to hide the costs of things until after you book
basic wifi at £19 for one device but is basically useless i hear
premium £21 one device
premium 2 device £37
im already sick of the gouging thats upto £259 for internet i mean thats 10 months of home internet! I suppose we can get away with one device so thats £147 the basic at £133 doesn't seem worth it as it seems you cant even really get up web pages to book things on the islands
and thats great on the boat but then off the boat is there a decent esim that will cover us on all the islands or will i need 1 sim per island?
and why do they feel the need to hide the costs of things until after you book
Trustmeimadoctor said:
just booked the first cruise for us but whats the best way to cope with internet while over there there is
basic wifi at £19 for one device but is basically useless i hear
premium £21 one device
premium 2 device £37
im already sick of the gouging thats upto £259 for internet i mean thats 10 months of home internet! I suppose we can get away with one device so thats £147 the basic at £133 doesn't seem worth it as it seems you cant even really get up web pages to book things on the islands
and thats great on the boat but then off the boat is there a decent esim that will cover us on all the islands or will i need 1 sim per island?
and why do they feel the need to hide the costs of things until after you book
Which Islands? Check you can swap devices. You can for instance use different devices logged in an out on P&O, but not on MSC... basic wifi at £19 for one device but is basically useless i hear
premium £21 one device
premium 2 device £37
im already sick of the gouging thats upto £259 for internet i mean thats 10 months of home internet! I suppose we can get away with one device so thats £147 the basic at £133 doesn't seem worth it as it seems you cant even really get up web pages to book things on the islands
and thats great on the boat but then off the boat is there a decent esim that will cover us on all the islands or will i need 1 sim per island?
and why do they feel the need to hide the costs of things until after you book
Trustmeimadoctor said:
just booked the first cruise for us but whats the best way to cope with internet while over there there is
basic wifi at £19 for one device but is basically useless i hear
premium £21 one device
premium 2 device £37
im already sick of the gouging thats upto £259 for internet i mean thats 10 months of home internet! I suppose we can get away with one device so thats £147 the basic at £133 doesn't seem worth it as it seems you cant even really get up web pages to book things on the islands
and thats great on the boat but then off the boat is there a decent esim that will cover us on all the islands or will i need 1 sim per island?
and why do they feel the need to hide the costs of things until after you book
Don't bother.basic wifi at £19 for one device but is basically useless i hear
premium £21 one device
premium 2 device £37
im already sick of the gouging thats upto £259 for internet i mean thats 10 months of home internet! I suppose we can get away with one device so thats £147 the basic at £133 doesn't seem worth it as it seems you cant even really get up web pages to book things on the islands
and thats great on the boat but then off the boat is there a decent esim that will cover us on all the islands or will i need 1 sim per island?
and why do they feel the need to hide the costs of things until after you book
Wait until you go ashore and log on at a convenient cafe.
surveyor said:
Trustmeimadoctor said:
thats fine but might be bit too late to book local excursions as we dont plan to do the ship provided ones really
In the Caribbean you will be mobbed by people offering them as soon as you leave the ship..Also check out Viator
Trustmeimadoctor said:
cheers! like i say its our first one so its all very new to us compared to just going and doing your own thing. we havent done a package in 20+ years or even had more than breakfast in a hotel since 2007 so this all inclusive and been shepherded about is very alien
You dont have to be shepherded about. You can go do your own thing when in port.Deep Thought said:
Trustmeimadoctor said:
cheers! like i say its our first one so its all very new to us compared to just going and doing your own thing. we havent done a package in 20+ years or even had more than breakfast in a hotel since 2007 so this all inclusive and been shepherded about is very alien
You dont have to be shepherded about. You can go do your own thing when in port.Really I'm very much prepared to hate it hi-di-hi at sea as I'm not one for "entertainment"
Usually a hotel for us is shower st and sleep. Will be hard for me to not do anything when on board but the behind the scenes tour of the ship sounds fun
Trustmeimadoctor said:
Deep Thought said:
Trustmeimadoctor said:
cheers! like i say its our first one so its all very new to us compared to just going and doing your own thing. we havent done a package in 20+ years or even had more than breakfast in a hotel since 2007 so this all inclusive and been shepherded about is very alien
You dont have to be shepherded about. You can go do your own thing when in port.Really I'm very much prepared to hate it hi-di-hi at sea as I'm not one for "entertainment"
Usually a hotel for us is shower st and sleep. Will be hard for me to not do anything when on board but the behind the scenes tour of the ship sounds fun
Trustmeimadoctor said:
Yeah, I wasn't meaning like a coach tour. But the prescribed dining times etc.
Really I'm very much prepared to hate it hi-di-hi at sea as I'm not one for "entertainment"
Usually a hotel for us is shower st and sleep. Will be hard for me to not do anything when on board but the behind the scenes tour of the ship sounds fun
I genuinely thought we'd hate it. On paper cruises is not our sort of holiday at all. But it was pretty amazing. Loved it.Really I'm very much prepared to hate it hi-di-hi at sea as I'm not one for "entertainment"
Usually a hotel for us is shower st and sleep. Will be hard for me to not do anything when on board but the behind the scenes tour of the ship sounds fun
The entertainment will be to a decent standard too. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it. Sometimes the "game show" type of entertainment can be a bit cheesy, but its fun to watch and passes an hour or two.
If you dont want to do the shows or entertainment you dont have to.
Remind me what cruise line you're going with?
MarkJS said:
I'd avoid P&O as you'd possibly never do another cruise if that was your first time. I do appreciate that they're relatively cheap by comparison to other offerings but I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for.
I can see where you're coming from on that - in fairness, I don't mind P&O (although the musical 'entertainment' is truly execrable - and that's being kind!) it is very much a case of 'you get what you pay for'. I'm aware of this and am happy for that compromise (I actually prefer Princess to P&O as a near competitor, IMO, on price). Anywho just got back from the Northern Lights trip and loved it - somehow we've manged to book:
Southampton - Canada/New England - Southampton in September... should be a different experience
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