So is the New P&O Ship Too Big?

[London-Calling]

Too big???

[jeanlyon]

Miles too big. Azura was my worst nightmare, won't be setting foot on this monstrosity.

[Denarius]

All a matter of personal taste. If you rank a cruise primarily by the variety of entertainment offered, the number of dining options and onboard facilities then it may be true that, for you, bigger is better. If, like me, you are not particularly interested in formal entertainment, select dining or general onboard diversions you may prefer the more intimate environment (and shorter queues) of a smaller ship.

I believe however, we are very much entering an era of bigger and bigger ships in the mid market sector. The ship is increasingly being promoted as the destination, particularly by Royal Caribbean, with the ports of call a mere diversion. Personally I prefer a smaller ship, Oceana is fine, Ventura is as big as I would care to go.I suspect however, that I may well be in a minority.

[jackieo]

We just got off the Azura and loved it! I liked the fact there were various places to eat instead of just the MDR or buffet.

 

We are on the Royal Princess in June, the PO ship will be the same size, and are looking forward to seeing the new eateries on board.

 

Size is very subjective!

[kersh]

For me the size does not matter too much it is more important how many pax compared to space. The new ship will have more space per pax than Azura/Ventura.

 

The larger ships give many more options for entertainment venues and select dining.

 

Can't wait to book.

 

Sue

[simonpjd]

So much depends on what you go on a cruise for. Lots of the lardies will love it and will try and add a stone or two to their gargantuum waist lines. But if you want to see the world and visit new places then these huge vessels won't help at all. They are so bit they can only do large ports. Getting off for excursions can end up taking longer than the excursion. So if you want to go to smaller destinations and really be able to explore - this ship will be of no interest to you. And as for me - they would have to pay me to go on the thing.

[terrierjohn]

If it follows the same passenger numbers as Royal Princess it will have only 3% more lower berths and 5% less upper berths, with gross tonnage 25% larger than Azura.

So she should feel much more spacious, I think we will be trying it if it does round trip cruises from Southampton. So let's hope the Ventura fly med cruises are not a raging succes such that P&O decide to use the new ship for them in the summer season.

[tom_uk]

If it follows the same passenger numbers as Royal Princess it will have only 3% more lower berths and 5% less upper berths, with gross tonnage 25% larger than Azura.

 

Unfortunately I don't think the figures are quite that good.

 

Royal Princess: normal - 3,600; maximum - 4380; tonnage - 141,000 g tons;

Azura: normal - 3076; maximum - 3597; tonnage - 113,657 g tons;

 

So the increase in passenger numbers looks to be almost as great as the increase in gross tonnage: normal passenger number, +17%; maximum passenger number, + 21.7%; tonnage increase +24%.

 

So it should feel a bit better, but not greatly so.

[daiB]

Unfortunately I don't think the figures are quite that good.

 

Royal Princess: normal - 3,600; maximum - 4380; tonnage - 141,000 g tons;

Azura: normal - 3076; maximum - 3597; tonnage - 113,657 g tons;

 

So the increase in passenger numbers looks to be almost as great as the increase in gross tonnage: normal passenger number, +17%; maximum passenger number, + 21.7%; tonnage increase +24%.

 

So it should feel a bit better, but not greatly so.

 

I like Ventura/Azura and Oriana so size is not a problem to me. I do not feel overcrowded at all on any ship I have been on so the new one will not be a problem. Bring it on.

 

Sorry I forgot about a vaporetto in Venice, that was very crowded. :)

 

 

Gan Canny

 

 

Dai

 

:cool:

[tom_uk]

.....

Sorry I forgot about a vaporetto in Venice, that was very crowded. :)

 

 

Aren't they just? Usually full of visitors not getting as much from their 'Grand Canal vaporetto' experience as they'd hoped.

[gstewart]

I've only been on one cruise and that was aboard the Carnival Breeze. I loved the fact that she was a big ship and all of the extra features she offered over smaller ships. There was plenty space to find your own little quiet spot if you wanted.

 

I think P&O has some very good smaller ships so its time they added to their largers "high impact" ships.

 

I am looking forward to the new ship and hopefully trying her out.

[middy]

Too big.

I much prefer smaller ships, but they are disappearing, all the time replaced by some gigantic thing.

Sure hope that the companies realise that some of us go on a cruise to relax, as long as I'm fed ( by the same waiter every evening) and can get a deck chair I'm happy. Not interested in the latest entertainment innovation, a swimming pool does me. one restaurant and a buffet is adequate for me, Don't want the stress of deciding where to eat when I'm trying to relax.

I have tried some of the larger ships but it is very much a different experience, have to put my big ship head on. Still remember an episode trying to tender off one of the larger ships on another line. :eek:

[Winkster]

It's not for me - way too big.

 

As long as there's still a choice of smaller boats though, I'm not worried.

 

Each to their own.

[Gothic]

Way, way too large.

Apart from Adonia there isn't a single ship in the P&O fleet that I don't consider to be too large.

I'm presently looking for a cruise to take next January or February and I'm finding it a very difficult task. Whilst there are plenty of ships out there most of them are way too large for my tastes. For me the destination is 'the destination' - not the ship.

I recently disembarked Aegean Odyssey, which was sheer delight. There were just 300 passengers and almost no entertainment and fascinating ports, where we'd have long stays, sometime overnight.

There's no appeal to me from a hulking giant of a ship regardless of operator.

[winniesbestm8]

I would like to try the new ship just to have been on her but I do think she will be too big for my liking, I don't like lots of people, but that saying if the facilities can cope with it then great it isn't a problem.

 

Ventura was great never had many problems, Oceana we struggled to find anywhere to sit, queued a lot of the time as there were less facilities to cope with us all.

[coastiedee]

Send her down to Australia, we will gladly take her off your hands :rolleyes:

[Denarius]

When I first started cruising in the early 1990s most cruise ships displaced 25-30,000 tonnes and carried 7-800 passengers, similar to Adonia. Nowadays Adonia is considered to be a small ship. Canberra at 45,000 was considered huge - the great white whale - and the QE2 at 70,000 enormous. Nowadays Oceana at 77,000 is described by P&O as a mid-sized ship, even though she is bigger than the QE2.

How times have changed!

[Sutho]

I would be tempted to try the new ship coming out.

 

To put things in perspective I did not like the Azura and will never sail on that one again. It was too crowded. When you have first sailed on the Sapphire Princess (an exact clone minus the extra deck and a good 500 less passengers) you know what luxury and space is like. Also this year for the first time I tried Celebrity Solstice and that ship is larger than Azura and carries less passengers. Even better still.

 

As far as this new ship goes its space ratios look better than Azura/Ventura so it is quite possible it could be a good ship. It will be more crowded in regards to space ratio compared to the likes of Aurora and Oriana.

 

What people should be worried about is the amount of deck space on it. From all accounts the ship has less pools than the Grand class with Princess and that could be a major problem for sun loving people who want to lay out by the pool.