P & O Canaries cruises

[geordielass2]

We are new to cruising and want to try a 10 or 11 night cruise to the canaries. Not sure if I am sea sick or not and don't want to spend too much incase we don't like it. Also husband doesn't like idea of eating in a tie or jacket. Are P & O a good 1st choice and how easy is it to eat self-service style if you want too. If P & O not a good choice for casual cruising who are (must also go from Southampton as frightened of flying hence reason for trying cruising)

 

Thanks

[Johnthed0g]

At present P&O have 3 dress codes, ''smart casual'':- normal hotel /resort wear- shirt trousers for men, ''Semi formal''' -+ jacket, ''Formal''- Suit & tie/dinner suit. Now if you choose a Canaries cruise on Ventura there are no "semi Formal'' nights so the serious dressing up will be limited to two /three formal nights, the rest being ''smart casual'' There is some confusion about ''unofficial'' dress codes, by this I mean if you ask they will say "Formal is all the ship from 6pm," in reality you can probably eat in the self serve in casual. BUT about 90% + will be dressed up. You can see this on the P&O website it may be of help.

[geordielass2]

Thankyou. My husband is happy with smart shirt and trousers as he would in a 4 star hotel but I think from what you've said we would still feel under dressed.

Thanks again for the advice.

[Johnthed0g]

Remember, it would be smart casual nights 10 out of 13 nights on say Ventura in March, the other two/three would be formal but that's just a bit of a laugh for ordinary people like us when else do we dress up!! The old bugger may look quite nice & I bet you would love it!!

[Suebiker]

We are new to cruising and want to try a 10 or 11 night cruise to the canaries. Not sure if I am sea sick or not and don't want to spend too much incase we don't like it. Also husband doesn't like idea of eating in a tie or jacket. Are P & O a good 1st choice and how easy is it to eat self-service style if you want too. If P & O not a good choice for casual cruising who are (must also go from Southampton as frightened of flying hence reason for trying cruising)

 

Thanks

 

Hi - Yes P and O is a good choice and I agree with JTD about Ventura being a good choice . You could also try Oceana too as they have the same dress code as Ventura (ie. 2-3 formal nights and the rest smart casual). Dress code is usually pretty much adhered to . Food options are huge. Self service is available throughout the day. In the evening there is club dining (set table at a set time every night) ,freedom dining - same menu as club dining but you turn up when you want to.( if there is no table available you are given a pager and they bleep you when one is available.)There are also select dining venues ( in these you pay a cover charge ). Not sure about self service food in the evening - I know on Ventura they turned one of the self service areas into a bistro type restaurant but I haven't tried it so I can't comment.

 

Not sure if I'd choose the Canaries for a first cruise - just simply because you will be sailing through the Bay of Biscay for several days which can be rough at times esp between Sept and April. In fact when we went it nearly put me off cruising because I felt so ill. Of all the cruises we have done - I felt worse sea sickness wise than any other. However it was in October !!!!!! Just a thought - Don't want to put you off just something to consider.

 

With regards to seasickness - you may or may not get ill. The ships are very stable - I only get ill if it is very rough. I have since also discovered sea sickness tablets called "stugeron" which are fantastic and now I think I would even do the Canaries again!!!!!!

 

Hope this helps - I too am not keen on flying - cruising for us is the perfect holiday

 

Sue

[Johnthed0g]

Sue, I suggested Ventura as it seems the only ship going to the Canaries, I agree about the B.O.B. but what choice have they?

[Single Cruiser]

At one stage when OV3 (yes 3 was being considered) a questionnaire was sent out by Carnival UK asking destinations and I believe that Canaries and Fjords were considered itineraries from Southampton.. This was pre-Ventura!!! :eek::rolleyes:

[Johnthed0g]

I think that OV itineries from Southampton would have been a real winner!! Like it or not people seem to want a more casual dress code on "holiday" ships. OV had some really good cruises that unfortunately required flying.

[Merlin7]

Wherever you cruise, ex Sotton, you will have the BoB to contend with unless you are going Transatlantic, Norway, or Greenland via Eire. The BoB varies. Even in summer it can be rough and in winter as smoothe as glass. It's pot luck.

 

Even on formal nights, smart casual is the minimal accepted dress code in the self service restaurant. If you are happy to do this, then book.

[Suebiker]

Sue, I suggested Ventura as it seems the only ship going to the Canaries, I agree about the B.O.B. but what choice have they?

 

Never thought about that - don't know which ships sail where TBH!!!!!!

 

Sue

[Brayman]

Sue, I suggested Ventura as it seems the only ship going to the Canaries, I agree about the B.O.B. but what choice have they?

 

Never thought about that - don't know which ships sail where TBH!!!!!!

 

Sue

 

Oriana is going to the Canaries in May 2010.

[Johnthed0g]

Sorry about that, I put Canaries into P&O search & all I got was Ventura...now I get most of the fleet!! DOH!! but Ventura is the most casual though.

[Adammara]

You could consider the Independence of the Seas, she does several Canaries cruises, also shorter ones to Cork. We were on Indy in November to the Canaries, and had a force 11 storm gusting to force 12. We found the ship quite stable, and my wife, who gets seasick on a channel ferry was fine! There are lots of choices for dining, and many dress casually, including wearing football shirts in the fine dining restaurants!

[Johnthed0g]

You are kidding???....''including wearing football shirts in the fine dining restaurants''

Seriously, a short cruise of 2/3/4/ nights may be a good trial run.

[LibraLass41]

My first cruise was to the Canaries, and the BOB was ok, the worst weather I've had on a cruiseship was in the North sea anyway sailing down from Bergen to Southampton a few months ago - when we lost the satellite dish off the top deck on Oceana!

 

If you want a informal cruise as you say in your first post P&O would not be at the top to the cruiseline list as P&O is considered a Formal cruiseline...But as mentioned previously if you go on Ventura or Oceana most nights will be smart casual and hubbie can wear trousers and a smart open necked shirt. There will be 3 formals on a Canaries cruise of 11-13nights (and 4 formals on a 14n one) On these nearly all the men will be in black tux...a few in suit with tie...it would be a shame to miss these formal nights in the main restaurant as the Gala menu is one notch better with perhaps Lobster or beef wellington on the menu. If you can manage to get hubbie to take his suit and tie with him for the formals you will have a great time.

[jenny wren]

I would recommend Ventura ...being a larger ship you won't feel movement as much as a smaller ship like Oriana.....having done the Transatlantic on both, the Ventura had the least movement!! Your husband could wear a dark lounge suit for the formal evening with a bow tie...many men do.

 

If he won't agree to that try Independence of the Seas also sails from Southampton, also a large ship and friends of ours new to cruising had a wonderful time on a Canaries cruise in November....I would avoid school holidays and choose a cabin amidships and as low down as you dare so you don't move up and down too much.

 

Stugeron seem to be the favourite remedy for seasickness and certainly worked for me on our very rough two way Transatlantic a few weeks ago on Oriana.!!!

[geordielass2]

Thanks everybody for your very useful tips. It seems we will have the BOB to contend with if we want to sail from Southampton to say either the Canaries or the Med. I think I need to give some serious thought to the pros and cons of a cruise before we book. May have to go for another cruise line if we want casual dining. Thanks again.

[Johnthed0g]

Most of the time you don't know you are in the BOB, formals are two a week not a big deal, hardly anyone is sea sick. I suggest a short cruise to try it out, but you need at least 3/4 days, the two day one's are too short. Despite people saying what good value short cruises are, they are quite a bit in order to try something ...£3/400.

[tom_uk]

Celebrity Eclipse will be doing 11-night Canary Islands cruises next year, and she will be a stunning ship. But, like P&O, Celebrity are at the formal end of cruising.