Does Southampton have any communication with the ships!!

[CaroleF]

On our recent Adonia cruise we were listed as having 1 Formal Evening, 2 Smart, Jacket required evenings and 4 casual evenings. The information on the Cruise Personaliser, in our Excursions Brochure and on the main P&O website stated that there would be one themed evening and it would be 60s/70s - incidentally I don't know why they bother as very few passengers dress for it. On that evening too the weather was dreadful so the planned on deck disco had to be held in the Crows Nest which irritated the hell out of people who had gone there for a quiet drink. They also cancelled the 10.30 performance of the show and put it on at 7.15 for 2nd sitting passengers. I assume that this was to encourage people to go to the disco. I don't think it did.

Anyway, when we got on board there was a card in the cabin listing all the dress codes for the different evenings - a good way of doing it we thought - and there was the formal evening listed, plus all the others including the 60s/70s evening. On the night before the formal evening when we received our copy of Horizon it stated the next night was the Formal Evening - and, oh yes it was a Black and White evening - "our most formal evening with special menu". So this was the first time Black and White had been mentioned and the majority of the female passengers hadn't prepared for this so there were very few Black and White outfits. I had taken a black and white jacket just in case they did this as they have done this before.

Does it matter? No of course it doesn't - it's just irritating and one of the female passengers on our table who had never cruised before was worried that she hadn't got the right outfit. It's just one of the examples of Southampton and the on board staff not communicating with each other.

Incidentally the majority of the staff don't know what is happening to them as regards Adonia going to "fathom". None of them seem very happy at the "exciting new venture".

Carole

[Manoverboard]

It has always been that way ...

We have yet to sail on a P&O cruise without a B&W night and we have additionally seldom been on a P&O cruise when the dress code wasn't amended in some way from that which was advised in their website / Cruise Personaliser.

The worst example, for us, was on Aurora in 2012 when they changed the advertised 2 - 4 - 10 ( F - J - C ) to 6 - 4 - 6 !!!

But as you say ... it doesn't really matter but if it does then use the shop or the laundry.