tillybilly321

 

The over 60 age group is increasing far quicker than any other. The baby boomers are in the middle of getting there. It is this age gro who have the disposable income to be able to afford cruises. In fact they are the ones who have the time as well. Remember a cruise line cannot rely on summer holiday business. The increase in cruising is dependent on this group of people.

 

 

Dai, are these the same baby boomers who, it is reported in newspapers most weeks, are still laden down with huge mortgages or no savings as they have given them to their children for deposits on houses, or endowments which won't pay off their mortgage, or annuity's and pensions which have halved in value, or trying to pay their childrens Uni fees, or if all else fails, they are looking after grandchildren all week so the parents can work.

 

Must be true, as I read it in the newspaper :)

 

I don't think that any cruise line should be pinning their hopes on a generation that has so many problems to keep them afloat

People say fly cruising can't work for P&O, why, it works for others. Don't P&O have the skills to make it work? Perhaps not and they are just reacting to the trends later than everyone else.

As I said in my previous post, P&O ran the Ocean Village brand quite succesfully for several years. These were all fly cruises, so they do have the experience of doing this. I am sure that the Ventura trial next year is to see if they can make this type of cruising attractive again. They withdrew the ships from the med just as the other cruise lines increased their presence, which I'm sure they are kicking themselves for now :rolleyes:

About time too!

First they need to drop smart-jacket required nights. Reduce the number of formal nights to make them more special and not just boringly repetitive. Reduce the number of venues aboard where formal dress is required.

 

It appears to me that trying to be all things to all men within one cruise line just sows confusion.

 

Carnival have their 'posh' cruise lines, Seabourne and Cunard.

They have an american 'oldies' line, HAL

They have an american young, fun line Carnival

They have an american mainstrem line, Princess

 

In the UK they are attempting to combine the last three in P&O

 

Consider splitting the line into two with the family friendly ships going their own way.

I have to agree with you. P & O have spent several years now trying to be all things to all people. They really need to make up their minds as to which customer base they are trying to attract.

Ideally they could split more categorically into adult only / family friendly brands. Though this was done before with the Ocean Village brand which was removed due to the launch of Azura and Ventura.

Unfortunately I don't think they can compete in the family market without upgrading the ships. Apart from the kids clubs, which are excellent, there is very little to do as a family. The few bits of youth equipment such as the bungee were removed and not replaced with any alternatives. I know that climbing walls and ice rinks are not everyone's cup of tea but to attract families you need to give them something to do together, particularly as the ships spend a fair amount of time at sea.

RCI etc are reaping the benefits of P&O's lack of direction and I think that it is beginning to dawn on them. I would expect some major changes over the next year or so.

Hi, I'm not really sure why you are " having a go " at P&O for these restrictions, as the luggage weights are pretty much standard on any fly holiday. In fact on our last holiday we were only allowed 20kg each.

As previous posters have said if you pack sensibly then you should have no problems. Unless you are like a relative of mine who always takes 14 different outfits for day wear then another 14 outfits for evening wear !:rolleyes: You may have problems if you do that. There is always the free laundry or the laundry service if you don't want to do it yourself. And as you are going to the Caribbean you will only need light clothes. I'm sure you will manage.