P&O continue to be the best value for money cruise line when sailing from the UK e.g 2 week cruise around the Med for 4 adults in a balcony cabin £3k plus £600 cabin credit in May.
Tips to help people which I struggled to find prior to sailing – Two weeks out you can book certain entertainment and speciality dining.
Also gives you main dining options to book, but only from 5.30pm to 6.15pm.
This means when on board you can only book main dining from 6.30pm on the app, and they go very quickly, so you will probably be waiting until nearer 8pm for a table I.e.
Get on there quickly.
If you have cabin credit, and a onboard discount due to previous cruising, the discount doesn’t apply until all your cabin credit has been used up.
7/10 club has around 4 performances per night, but only holds around 50 people.
Can’t book until you board, and books up very quickly, so need to book for each day you want to go as soon as you board.
Have aerial shows in the atrium, and nothing in the skydome as per Iona, but it is low key and not advertised.
Maybe a schedule somewhere, but they won’t declare it.
6th Diner restaurant is a great addition and no charge.
Olive Garden is bigger than on Iona, but poor theming and restricted menu as removed anything you pay for on Iona.
As these have taken up main dining room space, it does put more pressure on getting a main dining room table in the evenings.
Menu in Zenith / Meridian main dining is more restricted than it used to be at night, however, at lunchtime, it is very varied and well worth the visit above all other venues.
Green and Co paid for restaurant is very nicely themed, but unfortunately, the menu doesn’t seem to have a broad appeal, and it was empty on most times we passed.
The MIzhuana sushi section is more popular, but they need to rethink what is served here.
Overall good level of service.
The atrium is where most people congregate, and they are short of servers in that area.
Restaurant staff are a real hit and miss from a friendliness perspective, although we moved around a lot and didn’t stick to regular wait staff which may have impacted.
Evening entertainment is varied and if we didn’t like something that was down to our own tastes and not the performers.
Real step up for P&O is the Greatest Days hour long show based around Take That music, much better than the usual music revues they put on.
Where they still fall down is the daytime entertainment which is still 50% attempts to sell you spa services or items from the shops.
Excursions are still expensive, and they seem to prey on people’s fear of missing the ship.
Have a look on the web and you can do everything independently for half the price.
If you set off at 9am there is no risk.
If you set off at 2pm then you are asking for trouble.
Impressed that the captain walked the ship for a few hours most days, and was very visible.
Most other cruises we have done you see them on the formal evening and never again.
You can take a bottle of booze on each at boarding.
Understand that you can’t take on more booze at each port, just soft drinks, but since most of the baggage checks are done by port staff who don’t care, I’m sure you can take on more without question, as the ship only check your boarding cards and not your bags.
Golf is free but a bit of a scrum.
Aerial rope walk is £7.50 to book.
Mission Control is £20 to book onboard and plenty availability.
Have a couple of dart boards in Brodie’s bar and free pool table Have 3 small cinemas with films on loop.
You have to be in a seat 30 minutes prior to screening, or you will not get one.
Films are reasonably up to date, but very limited variety over the 2 weeks, and can see most on your in room tv.
Big screen in skydome is for kids based films.
