Change of itinerary

[poole boy]

merv and trish they certainly have outside cabins on A deck 1086 was ours and a splendid cabin it was as part of the lower class on board we only had half a bottle of wine put in the fridge for us free but no water bottles at all you had to buy any you wanted like on p&o now the biscuits were the same standard as p&o to really not great' but we did sit in the kings box on 2 nights which was very nice then they started charging $60 a night on occasions to sit in any box with a bottle of wine it was also fun to go to the commodre club a couple of nights but with gin and tonic and a cognac costing $29 I must admit it was a bit pricey'
on the subject of breakfasts the choice was really good but I was very good and only had 1 cooked breakfast the rest of the time I had muesli soaked in milk with fruit followed by 2 pankcakes covered in delicous blueberry sauce; in the britannia restraunt on deck 3 the food was excellent much the same menu as merv said but never heard any complaints from anybody.
but since we came home the hospital have told me I have prostate cancer so am waiting to hear what they are going to do with me so will not be able to book another cruise yet until they have finished with me

[Mervyn and Trish]

Since we came home the hospital have told me I have prostate cancer so am waiting to hear what they are going to do with me so will not be able to book another cruise yet until they have finished with me

Sorry to hear that. I had the same diagnosis in 2020 but radiotherapy fixed it so let's get you sorted ASAP. In my case the investigations for the PC also uncovered a major heart problem what would have killed me much quicker than the cancer. Major surgery fixed that too so in a way I was very lucky to get the PC. Hope you're back at sea very soon. Start saving up for those drinks!

[Mervyn and Trish]

To complete the itinerary, a sea day and back home. Disembarkation was very smooth, apart from the usual suspects going up from deck 3 to deck 11 to go back down to deck 1, filling the lifts that then stop at every deck in both directions!

I don't know if it's the same in Britannia cabins as in the Grills cabins but our disembarkation was direct from the cabin to the gangway so no need to leave cabin and wait around the ship. We originally had a departure time of 9.15 but it went so smoothly we were off the ship and in the car by then!

First time we've done a round Britain cruise. We'd certainly do it again. Plenty more to see at every port we visited.

[cruisin_duo]

Enjoyed reading your cruise review Melvyn. Thank you for posting about your cruise.

[cruisin_duo]

since we came home the hospital have told me I have prostate cancer so am waiting to hear what they are going to do with me so will not be able to book another cruise yet until they have finished with me

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Hope you hear about your treatment as soon as possible, and can resume cruising.

[Stephen]

Since we came home the hospital have told me I have prostate cancer so am waiting to hear what they are going to do with me so will not be able to book another cruise yet until they have finished with me

Sorry to hear that. I had the same diagnosis in 2020 but radiotherapy fixed it so let's get you sorted ASAP. In my case the investigations for the PC also uncovered a major heart problem what would have killed me much quicker than the cancer. Major surgery fixed that too so in a way I was very lucky to get the PC. Hope you're back at sea very soon. Start saving up for those drinks!

You or Poole boy

As for your PC Poole boy, this link might help give you some peace of mind, although I expect you have already checked out Google for info.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/

Get well soon

[Ray B]

You certainly gave an interesting description of the cruise and the ports visited Merv. Good job.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Just a tiny bit more to follow later, but thank you.

[Mervyn and Trish]

So entertainment. In many ways on this cruise out of Southampton similar to P&O and pitched to an English audience, though there were plenty of Americans and others aboard.

Daytime the usual mix of quizzes, talks of varying quality dependent on your interest, film, dance classes and so on.

Evenings as mentioned before more emphasis on Ballroom and Latin dancing than P&O with a decent dance floor (usually full) and a good dance band. Elsewhere round the ship in different venues various genres of musicians. And in the main theatre a mix of in-house production shows and guest artistes. Of the latter only one we'd ever heard of, Berni Flint, who reminded us frequently he'd won Opportunity Knocks a long time ago. He was okay but rather too much waffle and too little performance. The rest were pretty good (apart from the last night comedian, more on him shortly) and some were outstanding, and mostly did a couple of nights in the theatre and/or Queen's Room.

The production company were new on the ship in Southampton and only did three shows, of which we saw two. The first was just the four singers with the theatre orchestra but we found it a bit screechy. The second we saw had the whole ensemble and was better but to be honest we found the shows a bit dated compared to P&O's recently offerings. Too much songs from the shows and songs from the movies.

Now if you ever get the chance to see comedian Raymond Mearns go for the better option of poking your eyes out with hot needles. He was truly awful. More 70s working men's club than 21st century sophisticated cruise ship. We thought he looked like he'd been drinking when he came on. If not he has no excuse. He was straight into taking the p out of peopke in the front row, and not in very nice way. Then he moved on to jokes about men urinating down their trousers. We lasted about 10 minutes before we walked out, the first time we've ever done so, and we weren't alone. He said it was his first time on a Cunard ship. Seriously it should also be his last. Surely you need something good on the last night, to leave a lasting impression. He certainly did that!

[Mervyn and Trish]

A bit on pricing. Cunard are more expensive than P&O but to my mind it shows in what you get. They also add a gratuity to your cabin account, which wiped out our OBC. You can get it removed or varied at the Purser's desk, but there weren't the queues to do so we used to get on P&O before they included it in the price. So it looks like most accept it, as we did.

It does, however, feel a bit of a liberty to add a further lump (15% I think it is) to drinks bills. Then when you've already paid twice the slip has a line where you can add a gratuity. I don't think so!

Drinks prices are more than P&O but there is a positive aspect to all these higher prices. I don't want to sound like a snob, but I'm going to, nor to insult the decent loyal P&O passengers on the forum. But you do get less riff raff on Cunard. There I've said it. No drunks in vest tops flashing their tattoos as they roam the ship with glazed eyes at 10am with a pint in their hand making sure they get value for money from the drinks package. Okay an exaggeration, but only just. You know what I mean.

[Mervyn and Trish]

In conclusion we loved the ship, the itinerary and the whole experience. We've only done 5 Cunard cruises compared to probably 20 plus on P&O but it feels more us now, as P&O moves increasingly to the value for money family market. Our next cruise is on Aurorain 2024, which we are looking forward to, and 2025 will probably be Saga. But after that I think Cunard, and the Princess Grill if we can afford it, will be the way ahead.

[Ray B]

We have had some wonderfully cruises over the 25 years of cruising with P&O. Over that time we have seen the experience diluted in the gradual decline of what a cruise was in 1998 to what it is today all because they wanted to keep the price affordable.
Now the prices compare to a holiday on the Costas and somtimes cheaper.
Some cruise passengers now do not seem to have any manners whats so ever, and as for clothing this has been discuss many times on other posts.
Like Merv, I'm not a snob, brought up in a council house and having a trade gave me a steady income.
But we had to save for cruises in the early days, which gave us a holiday where you could imagine yourselves as lord and lady, living in the past, maybe, but memories can not be taken away
Today is what it is, nothing will stop us from enjoying our cruises.
You get what you pay for now and it's not much.
Carry on Cruising

[Stephen]

Same here Ray.

[poole boy]

Many thanks for all the kind wishes but at ieast some better news the xmas cruise we have booked with p&o looks to be ok I phoned the travel agent
Free spirit and they said as it was booked before I recieved news it was ok and that I might just have to pay a small amount more when I am told what they are going to do to me to just phone up let them know and they would let me know how much and th enjoy our cruise.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Many thanks for all the kind wishes but at ieast some better news the xmas cruise we have booked with p&o looks to be ok I phoned the travel agent
Free spirit and they said as it was booked before I recieved news it was ok and that I might just have to pay a small amount more when I am told what they are going to do to me to just phone up let them know and they would let me know how much and th enjoy our cruise.

Just to add to what I said earlier PB, at least a couple of us here have experience of what you're going through now and in my case it was a great benefit to compare notes with someone else at the time, and indeed we still do. If at any time you have questions or need someone to talk to who's been there and got the t shirt do send me a private message. Happy to message and talk anytime.

[oldbluefox]

He might also share his theory on alcoholic treatment with you. That right Merv?

[barney]

We have had some wonderfully cruises over the 25 years of cruising with P&O. Over that time we have seen the experience diluted in the gradual decline of what a cruise was in 1998 to what it is today all because they wanted to keep the price affordable.
Now the prices compare to a holiday on the Costas and somtimes cheaper.
Some cruise passengers now do not seem to have any manners whats so ever, and as for clothing this has been discuss many times on other posts.
Like Merv, I'm not a snob, brought up in a council house and having a trade gave me a steady income.
But we had to save for cruises in the early days, which gave us a holiday where you could imagine yourselves as lord and lady, living in the past, maybe, but memories can not be taken away
Today is what it is, nothing will stop us from enjoying our cruises.
You get what you pay for now and it's not much.
Carry on Cruising

Quite right Ray.
When clearing out a folder last year, I can across our 2010 invoice for two weeks Med balcony on Oceana.
It was pretty much the same as our 2024 two weeks Med balcony on Arvia.
Cruising is great value and it’s inevitable that something has to give.
We enjoyed the band on quayside etc but those days are gone.
There is nothing as constant as change.

[Stephen]

He might also share his theory on alcoholic treatment with you. That right Merv?

I thought AA had given up on him

[Manoverboard]

Not a problem ... he's with the RAC now

[Mervyn and Trish]

He might also share his theory on alcoholic treatment with you. That right Merv?

I thought AA had given up on him

I get AA with my bank account now. Hic.

[Mervyn and Trish]

He might also share his theory on alcoholic treatment with you. That right Merv?

You mean the 0p treatment!

[oldbluefox]

In all seriousness it does help to share your experiences especially with someone who has gone through it. It's actually more common than you might think. Good luck on your journey.