P&O cruise tips?

[SamG]

(VERY!) left field for me but we’ve booked a P&O Cruise on Azura out of Malta in 2024 with some family to celebrate a big birthday milestone for one of us. Stops at Split, Trieste, Zadar, Dubrovnik. Comes with the flights which seems like it’ll be a TUI charter out of Gatwick or suchlike.

Managed to get a discount and some reasonable onboard credits via a TA and via some googling found some tips on cabin allocation

Travelling with a 1 & 2 year old so won’t be big drinkers so won’t be needing a drinks package. I think “freedom” dining will be best for us? Not sure a fixed timing suits with tours and kids etc and we may get them fed and in bed and the rest of us dine as adults sometimes etc

Any other tips / hints / things to consider? Particularly with those ports of call if anyone is familar

[Reney]

My one and only experience cruising (and P&O) was one of those little 3 days cruise around UK, all the speciality restaurants were booked up within hours of boarding. I couldn’t find anything about booking before boarding so people must have went to the booking desks the second they got on board. For the timed dining I could only get slots at the very early times like 5.45pm which was mostly ok for us.

I wanted to try the yoga class but couldn’t find the instructions on how to book anywhere and were sent all over the ship.

Basically I found anything that needed booking super unclear and stressful.

The departure day was super early, and I didn’t realise this till the night before which I don’t appreciate either.

I highly recommend a cabin with at least a window, but I am one of those people who hate blackout curtains…

[WaynedP]

Nice itinerary ! Congrats on your growing family. We had 3 under 3 and didn’t travel together beyond short car trips until the youngest was about 4/5. Have always avoided P&O but my wife and I do at least one cruise a year, and have done since 2013 when the youngsters were young teens.

I would suggest:

1) Accept that at that age, children’s needs will dominate and determine most of your waking and sleeping time (time will later come for romantic, couples-only cruises)

2) Depending on time of year if you plan on spending any swim time, you will be restricted to the small children’s paddling pool (Azura apparently has one accessible only via the Kids Club). Children in nappies are not allowed in any of the main swimming pools or in any of the jacuzzis for obvious reasons. If either of you are planning on any adult pool or spa time, see 1) above and think again.

3) Free dining can be expensive as in my opinion I find it’s usually sought after by well heeled snobs. You should be able to achieve as optimal an outcome by requesting earliest possible meal sitting (I’ve never known there to be any charge for this, and it’s the easiest choice for cruise lines to accommodate). That’s usually sometime between 18:00 and 18:30 by which time you should be well back from any day tours and after which you may be able to catch a short, early show that will probably see the children falling asleep on you and the whole family retiring to cabin by 20:00 to 20:30. (I don’t know about P&O but they probably do have limited babysitters if you can afford them and book them for maybe one night specialty restaurant dining for just you two, but see 1) above and expect the unexpected).

4) Arranged excursions are great for couples and older families, but I’m not sure I would risk them for children of that age. Nothing worse for everyone’s stress levels than sitting on a coach full of judgmental types with two hours yet to go and a couple of niggly youngsters. If I were you I would seriously consider taking short, self walking trips into ports of call at your own pace and timing. Cheaper too.

Hope you have a good cruise.

[Ladyshopper]

SamG wrote:

(VERY!) left field for me but we’ve booked a P&O Cruise on Azura out of Malta in 2024 with some family to celebrate a big birthday milestone for one of us. Stops at Split, Trieste, Zadar, Dubrovnik. Comes with the flights which seems like it’ll be a TUI charter out of Gatwick or suchlike.

Managed to get a discount and some reasonable onboard credits via a TA and via some googling found some tips on cabin allocation

Travelling with a 1 & 2 year old so won’t be big drinkers so won’t be needing a drinks package. I think “freedom” dining will be best for us? Not sure a fixed timing suits with tours and kids etc and we may get them fed and in bed and the rest of us dine as adults sometimes etc

Any other tips / hints / things to consider? Particularly with those ports of call if anyone is familar

Have you actually booked yet? You need to pay for the select fare in order to get freedom dining (unless you’re on Iona or the new ship Arvia where it is all freedom dining), if you’ve got a saver fare, then it will be an early or late sitting. If you have or are going to book a select fare, then you’ll also be able to choose your cabin. Things to consider are what is above and below your cabin – it’s always good to try and be sandwiched in the middle of decks with cabins above and below. Not so good to have noisy late night bars/nightclubs above or below, or things like the buffet.

One other thing if you’ve not already booked – P&O do a price match, and they’ll actually do this over the phone. I did this with our most recent cruise, saved a couple of hundred quid.

I believe with P&O that if it’s a package holiday with charter flights, that you stay on the ship on the last day until it’s time to go to the airport. You will have to be out of your cabin early, but you can apparently pay for a day cabin if you’re going to be on there for a lot of the day. Otherwise, you still have the whole ship available to you, just not your cabin.

Cruise critic and Facebook groups are very useful places for advice. On cruise critic there is a general P&O board, plus there is a roll-call section for every single cruise line, you can look your sailing up and see if anyone has started one yet. Similarly on Facebook, put your cruise reference number/name of ship into the search bar, and you may well find a group on there (depends how organised people are for 2024!).

Drinks prices are pretty reasonable, like standard pub prices. If you’re not big drinkers definitely pay as you go.

Onboard, if you are doing select dining, then you’ll use the My Holiday App to book your dining each night (it’s not a real app in the sense that it’s one you can download before you go, it’s basically a website you go to then it acts like an app. Sure there is a technical term for this!). The app can be a bit of a pain. You can also go to guest services and book things instead of using it.

Not been to those particular ports. In general, we tend to book things independently rather than ship based excursions, as they’re cheaper. You’ve got time to research this though. We’ll often just have a wander round it it’s a particularly pretty port.

Any more questions feel free to give me a shout. I’ve done 2 P&O cruises, and have another booked, but have done over 20 cruises across various lines.

[SamG]

Thanks all!

I think I’d picked most of this up – glad I haven’t made any major bloopers anyway!

@WaynedP – agree on the kids. We’ve no plans to take them on any organised tours – we’re travelling with my OH, MIL and SIL+1 so one of us can go with them if there is something some of us want to do etc, otherwise we’re happy taking a walk and getting an ice cream etc! We can also split up and enjoy adult things like the spa/ a massage/ an upcharge dinner etc. It’s really why we said OK – isn’t something we’d just be doing for the 4 of us.

I had read about the pools but at least P&O does have some options as other cruise lines do not allow any swim nappies in the pools

@Ladyshopper – we booked a Select fare – with the on board credits it didn’t work out much more and with it being so far in advance wanted flexibility on dates. I found some very useful reviews of the cabins online & the TA I used is very knowledgable so we picked out one not near a nightclub etc. We’ve gone for a balcony so we’ve got somewhere to sit during nap time!

Sounds like Freedom dining is best for us, the idea of a rigid time is a little odd for a holiday for me (& tbh needing to get my OH somewhere by a fixed time is stressful enough, let alone the kids!!) and we may do 1-2 dinners without MIL + kids etc

[alfrench83]

Hi @samg hopefully you have found additional info now but just incase.

Dining won’t be an issue at all, at 5pm they have kids dinner up in the horizon (where you have buffet breakfast) area is dedicated to them with a range of kid favourite meals. Then you can take them to the kids club (in their pjs) and they can watch a film or be entertained with the amazing kids club staff (qualified to UK standards) you can then enjoy some adult dining time and a range of restaurants (pending on ship there are quiet a few choices). There are plenty of options included in fare you shouldn’t have to spend any additional money on food. In the afternoon there is afternoon tea included in main restaurant (don’t go Eric lanyard restaurant for this, you are paying for the experience, the included fare food is great anway!)

If you can make the most of kids club/nursery but go visit them on day 1, usually whilst waiting for access to cabin. You just can’t leave them at kids club and go ashore which is fine with me but means you can have a spa day!

To book specific restaurants you can do 2 weeks prior to departure on your cruise portal.

Excursions, don’t dismiss them, look for family friendly and half day that way you get to enjoy best both worlds without the rush to get back for dinner. Typically they are back before dinner anyway but again all info will be on your cruise portal 365 days prior to cruise. (I am counting down less than a month until I can book!) However you can always go ashore of your own accord. You have a card which you scan in and out as you leave/board ship and I’ve always found everyone super helpful.

Tip if you do go ashore, at breakfast time take a couple extra rolls/muffins/fruit to take with you for grumbly little tums. 😉

We went p&o for honeymoon and when our daughter was 2 and I couldn’t fault anything.

Tip2 ….tips, your room is automatically set up wit a tip at the end which is shared with staff, however you can take this off (which we always do) and tip specific ppl at end like your housekeeping (you will get to know them well) or waiter if you see same one often. Tips are fit ppl who have made my life that bit better not for everyone thst is the service I pay for as part of my fare (imo).

Have fun…loads great tips out there

[Ladyshopper]

alfrench83 wrote:

Hi @samg hopefully you have found additional info now but just incase.

Dining won’t be an issue at all, at 5pm they have kids dinner up in the horizon (where you have buffet breakfast) area is dedicated to them with a range of kid favourite meals. Then you can take them to the kids club (in their pjs) and they can watch a film or be entertained with the amazing kids club staff (qualified to UK standards) you can then enjoy some adult dining time and a range of restaurants (pending on ship there are quiet a few choices). There are plenty of options included in fare you shouldn’t have to spend any additional money on food. In the afternoon there is afternoon tea included in main restaurant (don’t go Eric lanyard restaurant for this, you are paying for the experience, the included fare food is great anway!)

If you can make the most of kids club/nursery but go visit them on day 1, usually whilst waiting for access to cabin. You just can’t leave them at kids club and go ashore which is fine with me but means you can have a spa day!

To book specific restaurants you can do 2 weeks prior to departure on your cruise portal.

Excursions, don’t dismiss them, look for family friendly and half day that way you get to enjoy best both worlds without the rush to get back for dinner. Typically they are back before dinner anyway but again all info will be on your cruise portal 365 days prior to cruise. (I am counting down less than a month until I can book!) However you can always go ashore of your own accord. You have a card which you scan in and out as you leave/board ship and I’ve always found everyone super helpful.

Tip if you do go ashore, at breakfast time take a couple extra rolls/muffins/fruit to take with you for grumbly little tums. 😉

We went p&o for honeymoon and when our daughter was 2 and I couldn’t fault anything.

Tip2 ….tips, your room is automatically set up wit a tip at the end which is shared with staff, however you can take this off (which we always do) and tip specific ppl at end like your housekeeping (you will get to know them well) or waiter if you see same one often. Tips are fit ppl who have made my life that bit better not for everyone thst is the service I pay for as part of my fare (imo).

Have fun…loads great tips out there

Tips are already included with P&O and have been for some time. There is no need to take tips off, as there are none to remove!