P&O Exclusive Black Tie Hire....

Did you know that  P&O have launched an exclusive “Black Tie Hire” hire service starting 01st May 2012. This is a brilliant idea for gentlemen who don’t have formal wear at home, so Instead of having to go out and spend a lot of money on an outfit you may only wear once.  P&O have  teamed up with ACS Clothing to sort out all you Black Tie requirements.  This simple to use service allows you to personalise your look, you can hire all  the extras such as shoes, additional bow ties, cummerbunds, and cufflinks.

 Your orders can be placed over the phone on 0141–781–6532 (Monday-Friday 9am- 5.30pm) and your selected items will be either delivered to your home or via courier to the ship on embarkation.

Please note: this service is NOT available on board and orders must be placed in advance of your cruise. All package prices include delivery and accidental damage. At the end of your cruise, simply return the items in their original packaging to the gift shop so even if they were delivered to your home you don’t have to take them back with you. Simple !!!

Black Tie packages include the following items:

Black Dinner Jacket Package : •Dinner Suit Jacket •Dress Trousers •2 x Dress Shirts •Bow Tie •Cufflinks

White Tuxedo Package : •White Tuxedo Jacket •Dress Trousers •2 x Dress Shirts •Bow Tie •Cufflinks

Prices:

Cruises up to 8 days :
Black Diner Jacket Package - £79.00
White Tuxedo Package - £99.00

Cruises up to 16 days :

Black Diner Jacket Package - £99.00
White Tuxedo Package - £119.00

Cruises up to 1 month :

Black Diner Jacket Package - £129.00
White Tuxedo Package - 149.00

Accessories:

Handkerchief - £4.00
Cummerbund - £5.00
Shoes - £12.00
Additional bow tie - £4.00
Additional dress shirt - £12.00

And I’m sorry to say but formal hire is not available for us ladies as yet, hopefully it will be soon. On saying that I know how fussy us ladies are so maybe it might not be a good idea.

What do you think about this new service ??

Would this be useful for you ??? Let me know your comments. 
                                                                           

Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee...

Not long to go now till Cunard's Three Queens to Salute Her Majesty The Queen on the Occasion of Her Diamond Jubilee.

Cunard will celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a unique Three Queens event on 5 June 2012.

It will be the first time that the three largest Cunard ships ever built will have been seen arriving and departing together in formation at Southampton. The ships will approach the port soon after first light sailing in single file up the Solent, with a flotilla of small boats expected to welcome them in. While the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria tie up at their berths, the QM2 will pass by, with crew lining the decks and all the ships’ whistles sounding in salute of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.

Events will be happening throughout the day. After the Red Arrows display, as darkness falls, the celebrations will culminate in an evening spectacular where all three ships will be brought within close proximity of each other, and a fusillade of fireworks and special effects will light up the evening sky. This will be the first time the aerial display team will have performed over Southampton and the Solent. The display will begin around 6pm and is expected to last almost 25 breath-taking minutes.

The QM2 will then lead the other two vessels down the Solent as all three ships set out on Diamond Jubilee voyages.

Peter Shanks comments ‘Cunard is delighted to be able to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in a way that will give everyone, especially our passengers, a truly remarkable day that they will feel proud to talk about for years to come, taking part in history and marking the sixty glorious years of Her Majesty’s reign in a fitting, memorable and spectacular way.’ 

This event promises to provide a unique and breath taking experience, defiantly not to be missed. 

I'm Off Again But I'll Be Back.....

Thought I would let you all know I’m off now for the Bank Holiday.

Oooohh Yes I'm off again to have a nice, relaxing long bank holiday. I’m babysitting my beautiful nephew this evening, whilst everyone else goes out and enjoys themselves, Brilliant !!!

He is adorable though so he’s worth it !!!  

Then, Monday I have organised a BIG get together and I’m having a barbeque, oooh my heavens just too many people have been invited but should be a really good day, let’s hope this weather in Manchester stays nice hey, knowing my luck it will rain haha !!!

Then back to work on Tuesday 8^th May.

I hope you all have a brilliant Bank Holiday and I will speak to you all on Tuesday when I am back.

In the meantime, if you have a query that cannot wait please call one of my colleagues on 0800 408 6200

Manners Make Such A Difference....

When I was growing up, my mum was very careful about teaching myself and my sisters to be polite, well-mannered, thoughtful and brought me up to have respect for others. We used proper phone etiquette (“Hello, may I speak to Michelle, please?” as opposed to “Is Michelle there??”), we said "please" and "thank you", waited patiently for our turn to speak during a conversation and if necessary always prefaced an interruption with “excuse me”, the list goes on and on.

As an agent/person I’m always polite and always go that extra mile to try and help and assist passengers as much as I possibly can but lately I have noticed that manners have been somewhat lacking. Here at Cruise.co.uk we always push ourselves to a very high standard of customer service but it’s hard when people can be that rude its hard not to take their critics personally. It’s amazing if you are polite and courteous how much more someone will do for you and get any issues resolved so much quicker. Manners don’t cost anything . I don't know where our society is going with this "new concept" of manners. My guess is not too far. Without politeness, society loses its way and the worst of people feel they can get away with anything. It's a shame that we have to be harassed by the rudeness of others. 

Would be good to hear some feedback on this if anyone agrees with me OR not let me know your thoughts and comments.

The Launch Of P&O Cruises For 2013/14.......

  

My heavens what a weekend, the launch off P&O went like a storm.

We have been so busy lately preparing all pre- registration for P&O passengers and after the last few days thank goodness I have managed to book and confirm all my passengers on their voyage’s.

Saturdays launch was for passengers on the top 3 tiers of the Peninsular club and various days this week have been set aside for other members to book. Not knowing which level or tier you are on can be confusing and I have had a number of clients thinking they were in a position to book when there weren’t.

So I thought I would explain how the tier levels work:

The club consists of six different levels, known as tiers. For each night you spend on board a P&O Cruises ship, you'll be awarded 10 loyalty points applied at the end of your cruise. Once you have earned a minimum of 150 points you will automatically become a member of the P&O Cruises Peninsular Club.

Pacific 150 - 500 points

Atlantic 501 - 1000 points

Mediterranean 1001 - 2000 points

Caribbean 2001 + points

The Baltic and Ligurian Tiers

In addition to the first four tiers there are two further levels exclusively for passengers who have accumulated 2501 points or more and have cruised frequently in the 3 years preceding the start of their next cruise.

Baltic 2501 points plus 80-200 nights spent on board in the 3 years preceding the start of your next cruise

Ligurian 2501 points plus 201 or more nights spent on board in the 3 years preceding the start of your next cruise.

Now then as a member of the P&O Cruises Peninsular Club you are also entitled to a range of different benefits, which do vary according to which tier you are on.

Below are a few examples of the extra benefits you would be entitled to:

Benefits Ashore

Magazines, Telephone hotline , Access to your account online, Priority booking,  An annual gift from P&O Cruises , Priority to purchase preferred seats on charter flights for Caribbean fly-cruises prior to embarkation.                                        

Benefits at  Southampton

Dedicated check-in, Embarkation lounge on board, Priority embarkation, Select your time of disembarkation, Separate disembarkation baggage collection area, Priority cabin access, Priority baggage to cabin, Luggage collected on day of disembarkation by 6.30am , Embarkation hospitality area in all Southampton cruise terminals.      

Benefits you'll receive on board :

A complimentary glass of Champagne at a Sail away Party, Priority booking for select dining venues, Complimentary half bottle of Champagne (per cabin), Caribbean tier Senior Officer hosted event on cruises of 8 nights and over, Baltic & Ligurian tier exclusive Senior Officer hosted event on cruises of 8 nights and over, 50% discount on machine washable laundry items, Complimentary formal attire pressing service for first formal night.      

So all I can say is the more points you acquire the more benefits you will be entitled to on board but don’t forget as I mentioned above all these benefits do vary depending on what tier you are actually on.

If you are still confused why don’t you give us a call and we can check it for you on 0800 - 408 6159

   

   

Parking At Ports - Made Easy and Cheaper....

As a lot of passengers depart their voyages from Southampton I thought I would let you in to a little secret.

Parking in Southampton has become increasingly difficult and  lately I have noticed a lot of the cruise liners parking prices are becoming very expensive for passengers.

So I thought I would let you know that I always recommend using an alternative company -  Looking4Parking which have an excellent reputation for their personal parking services at Southampton ports. They offer more of the personal touch, which all the others don’t.

All you do is call the chauffer when you are about 15 minutes away from port and they will simply meet you at the portside. Take your car to a secure 24 hour manned car park. Then on your return you call the chauffer and let them know which port you are returning back to and they will meet you at the port with your car.

How easy is that !!!!!!  Simple !!!!

1*  Takes the stress out of parking your car

2*  Perfect for lots of luggage

3*  Customer service available 24/7

4*  Car stored in a safe and secure compound with 24 hour manned security

5*  Team of friendly car parking agents

6*  A range of car valet services available

7*  All drivers have fully comprehensive insurance to drive your vehicle

Now me being nosy as I am, I thought I would compare prices just to show you the difference on savings between Looking4Parking against RCCL and also P&O and they do work out a lot cheaper.

RCCL for a 14 nights stay it works out at £134.00

P&O again for a 14 nights stay it is £148.00

Looking4Parking for a 14 nights stay is a price of £93.75  ( what a saving ).  

How can you beat that for a brilliant price.

If you ever need parking at ports always make sure you give us a call first on 0800 408 6159.  

I’m off for Easter But I'll be back !!!!

Thought I would let you know I am off for a well-deserved break for Easter.

Oooohh Yes I'm going to have a nice, relaxing long bank holiday. I am enjoying Easter Sunday with family and I can’t wait to see my little nephews face when he claps his eyes on all his Easter eggs, he is only 2 and adorable.

Then, Sunday night I am off on a barge party with my best friend Mike.  I’m sure we will have a brilliant time as we did last year. It’s a bit different to being on a cruise I can tell you ! haha.

Then Monday, it will be a full day of relaxing.

In the meantime, if you have a query that cannot wait please call one of my colleagues on 0800 408 6200 .

Hope you all enjoy and have a brilliant Easter and I will speak to you all on Tuesday.