P&O Cruise round Lisbon and Canaries

I think it is sterling on P&O but could be wrong.

I simple set myself a budget and try to keep to that. It depends what you do of course. If it's a tour then lunch may well be provided so it's just jolly old spending on stuff which when got back home you wonder what to do eith

If it's a day on your own then I love exploring super duper restaurants for lunch.

If you take back presents that is something else to think about.

Don't forget the £ has dropped by 25% so you may want to adjust for that.
So +£25 for every £100 you were spending a couple of years ago.

Was your DHL in the forces? Even national service? If so you get a Veterans credit towards on board spend. It's £150 for 14 days and less for shorter cruises.

Hard to say overthehill. Depends how you spend your time on shore really. P&O on board costs are all in pounds sterling, charged to a credit card at the end. So anything you spend on drinks, in the on board shops, for speciality restaurants and yes, for automatic tipping. Passengers can ask at reception for the tipping amount to be reduced or removed if service is felt to be poor or it is preferred to tip individually in the traditional way. There have been many strong feelings expressed about this in the past - I'm not saying one way or the other is 'right', just making you aware of the alternatives.

You can ask at reception for an account at any time to keep track. If you book trips in advance they are paid for in Sterling in advance. You can use a credit card for this without a credit card fee. Some trips will include a drink and snack, some won't. If you plan to go ashore independently you are likely to need more local currency than if you do a trip. Dont forget though that the ship will always have food available at whatever time you return.

Once the information is available (on line, you will have access to your booking via a booking code) about trips you can look and see prices and make a plan for each port. Unless there is a very short walk from the berth to the port gates and nearest town P&O will provide a shuttle bus, usually into the nearest town. Depending on your booking these are free of can carry a small charge which is added to your on board account

If you booked directly with P&O your cruise consultant will answer most queries, otherwise it's worth a chat with your travel agent.

Don't worry at all, there is loads of information out there. Cruise Critic has a chat forum and is a mine of information. The P&O site has an 'already booked' section with all sorts of answers to popular queries.

Enjoy your holiday celebration, really hope you have a wonderful experience.

We always use a card for everything allowed to cards. I think 170€ would be more than sufficient to us.

Reading all of the above Id say

Fools and money are soon parted. but then I never have or ever intend to go on a cruise.

Just saying.

But if you o please enjoy.

You don't get a great deal of time ashore, you won't be hungry, so depends how much you want to spend on gifts, coffee, perhaps an ice cream etc. I would have thought that 170 would be sufficient. you can book trips in advance online, if you book on board they will just go on your bill.
Think you will have a fabulous time, you can tailor the time on board to suit your interests and preferences. What's not to like!
jollyg, you can't take it with you then why not enjoy it!

Thanks everyone lots of useful info

I did this last year, with a different company but I guess it is all much the same. The excursions are all paid for and booked, either before you sail, or up to the time of departure if they have room. What money you spend will be only for your own purchases as others have said. But do look at the excursions. The Canary Islands are all a bit different, do go see the volcanoes on Fuertaventura :-)

jolly have you just finished reading "A Christmas Carol"?

Yes. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

I think cornergran has said it all. Off on my cruise later this week. I love cruising and go as often as I can afford. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I say to people don't knock it till you've tried it. Have a great cruise and let us know how much you enjoyed it when you get back. ? ??

We always use a card to pay abroad if possible, so only take a few euros for tips, fares etc.
We have cards that are fee free and can be used to withdraw cash if needed.
As a cruise is all inclusive you'll only need snacks, entry tickets and souvenirs when ashore.
Remember that you'll have to pay for drinks on your shipboard bill.

jollyg, If you tried cruising you might like it. I love cruising and go quite often, can't take that money with me to the end, enjoy!

I wonder why jolly g needed to make that comment ?

We have enjoyed several cruises and have found that once paid and booked excursions we spend very little. You can as others have said, ask for an interim account or on some ships you can keep track on the tv in your room.

Hi me again. As there is lots of expertise out there could anyone perhaps answer the following:

We have friends that have cruised a lot and tell us not to book excursions with ship as they are expensive, but to pick up taxis etc from the port.

Well, as we haven't done this before I think we personally would rather have the peace of mind of prebooking on the ship. I also read some sorry tales of people who had missed the boat due to not getting taxi back in time and one that had broken down.

What I would like to know is, I have looked at our personal voyage info and looked at the trips available. They suggest you book beforehand although I am aware you can book on the ship. They sort of imply that they fill up quick and you might be unlucky. Has anyone experienced this, or is it just a come on.

One trip I would like to do, is go up Eid (not sure i've got the spelling right here), in Tenerife as when we went some years back we never did it. The only trip time that comes up is 08:00 in the morning which is a little early for us. Would that be the only one do you think or would they lay on more if more wanted to go?

Thanks for any help

We are off on another P&O cruise at the end of this week. Just love it, and we have never had a problem. Your credit card is registered on embarkation and you are given an on board card for everything. We take local currency as it is appreciated in shops etc. However we do not spend much , having booked excursions and special restaurants beforehand Have a super time and just enjoy overthehill

OTH if the trip you mention is organised by the ship, the early time is probably to fit around sailing times and/or because it is likely to get hot around midday. I would go for the early trip when it will be cooler and then come back to the ship for a snooze.

Trips do fill, oth, there will be a reason for the early time, your cruise personaliser would say if there was a later alternative. I can understand you wanting the sense of safety the P&O trips give. We only tend to use taxis if we are with friends, rarely just the two if us. If we are on an early one we tend to order a 'continental' breakfast to be brought to the cabin. Cabin service is reliable. There's a card to complete and leave on the outside of the door the previous evening, you specify both the food and the time. It seems to take some pressure off for us. Breakfast is available in the buffet restaurant from 6am, I think from memory. You may find getting up isn't so hard when you aren't having to sort your own food. Like you we dislike early starts but find we can manage on a holiday. Please don't worry.

I like the early excursions, avoiding the heat of the day to me. We never book in advance, we wait and see what we feel like on the cruise, and we have never been sorry. But I am sure trips do overfill as well, it is just personal preference to if you like to preplan and organise. We sometimes take a cab and sort our own excursion and many times we just go on the provided excursions. Enjoy!

Thank you again. Cornergran is continental breakfast included or extra, we are skinflints in some ways.

I've done 17 cruises and I'd say 170Euros in cash is probably enough. Can you also take a debit card as back up to get cash from a machine if you need it? You'll need a credit card to register once on board but you also have on board credit which is a bonus. Any excursions you book on board will of course be billed to your account. We cruised the Canaries 5 years ago and didn't buy any excursions just used shuttle to port centre and did our own thing.

Yes, continental breakfast is included. I eat only continental breakfast in the dining room many a morning. Or I branch out to full English or the menu. Delivery to the door costs a tip to the server, to be kind.

I am equally a skinflint in many ways and not others.