Disappointing

Having cruised for over 30 years with various cruise lines, this was definitely the worst by far. Began with check-in at Southampton where, although told we needed proof of vaccination and insurance to travel, no-one asked to see it. We were herded into very crowded hall and had to wait quite some time before boarding. We were happy to see all cabin doors were sealed with labels stating staterooms had been cleaned and sanitised before boarding. Sadly, this wasn’t true. After 3 days on board we found items of clothing both under our bed and behind a chair in the cabin. When I took the items to Guest Services and asked to speak to the Housekeeping Manager to complain about the issue, I was asked if I would like to keep them! No-one really understood that I was complaining about the fact that the cabin hadn’t been cleaned as stated by the sticker on the door! This aside, the ship wasn’t really very clean either. Some tables on the outer decks looked like they had never been cleaned and were very stained. There were no Covid precautions taken on board other than all staff wearing masks and gloves, and needless to say, there were many passengers on board with Covid. I tested positive on day 12 of the cruise and was asked to isolate in my cabin. My husband however, who tested negative, was allowed around the ship as normal although not allowed in restaurants. This wasn’t too much of a hardship, as the food in the general restaurants was little more than pub grub. On a positive note, the entertainment and Guest Artists on board were excellent, as was the itinerary. Sadly however, unless P & O get back to the standards pre – Covid, we will not be travelling with them again.