If we like Celebrity, will we like P&O?

[Captain Quoits]

Have sailed twice in caribbean with P&O with third to come next month and once with Celebrity in the Med on the gorgeous Silhouette. Both have their pluses over the other, food on Celebrity was incredible and buffet was best I've ever been in on any holiday. Drinks must cheaper with P&O, we had premium package with celebrity and while great value given what you can indulge in but not cheap. Younger crowd on Celebrity and more lively and lots of different nationalities which is nice. Biggest difference for me is the getting to and from the ships themselves. P&O are a well oiled machine in caribbean with you not passing through customs in Barbados and getting on a bus literally just by the plane whilst you say bye to your cases at UK airport then next time you see them is when they arrive at your cabin. Different with Celebrity as have to lug them through overseas airport and to a coach then on way home we were dumped at Venice airport about 8 hours before flight home.

Celebrity have the wow factor but P&O are trusted brand for Brits who like certain things certain ways. Will no doubt sail both again but some may be disappointed going from Celebrity to P&O whereas not so much going the other way

[nannyviv]

We agree as you said "for me Celebrity lacked soul, empathy, call it what you will." Couldn't fault anything about Celebrity Equinox but know what you mean - we still prefer P & O, maybe that's because on our very first experience we were lucky enough to be seated with the Chief Engineer and his family aboard and we were treated to a very special "indsiders' view" of cruising. Tried Queen Victoria but for us Cunard had nothing that wasn't already on P & O.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Personally I don't think you will find P&O up to Celebrity standards particularly in staff and food but I'm sure you will find P&O pleasant enough.

 

Just come off Constellation. Thought the ship was bland and impersonal. Staff were not that friendly and the food IMO was poor. Drinks very expensive with 15% added to each bill. Give me P & O any day.

 

 

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[richleeds]

Just come off Constellation. Thought the ship was bland and impersonal. Staff were not that friendly and the food IMO was poor. Drinks very expensive with 15% added to each bill. Give me P & O any day.

 

 

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Each to their own but virtually every other post on this thread has commented on the superior food on Celebrity - maybe it wasn't British enough for you.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Each to their own but virtually every other post on this thread has commented on the superior food on Celebrity - maybe it wasn't British enough for you.

 

Well if you mean that I like hot food to be hot and for food to be seasoned properly, then maybe it wasn't 'British' enough for me. I know when food is good or not and the food on the Celebrity cruise I have just finished was certainly not good :(

 

 

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Edited October 16, 2014 by Dorset Cruiser

[annieuk]

We have very recently experienced plated meals on P&O for the first time and we thought it was a great improvement. The vegetables were chosen to accompany the main dish - so not everyone had the same. If we wished to have different vegetables or extra we only had to ask. The meals were hot and everyone was served very quickly so we didn't had to wait while the dishes of potatoes and vegetables were taken round to everyone as was the case previously. We thought they were the best meals we have had on P&O.

 

I think, also going back to the discussion, P&O also offer a different experience depending which ship you choose to go on. We have just returned from our first cruise on Adonia which we loved. She wouldn't suit everyone - not at all glitzy, no casino or pub, and a show lounge rather than a proper theatre. However, she is elegant, no queues for anything, even the buffet. If people want a more modern ship they would obviously go for Azura or Ventura so I think it's one of P&O's strengths that they offer a different experience depending on what people want.

[daiB]

We have very recently experienced plated meals on P&O for the first time and we thought it was a great improvement. The vegetables were chosen to accompany the main dish - so not everyone had the same. If we wished to have different vegetables or extra we only had to ask. The meals were hot and everyone was served very quickly so we didn't had to wait while the dishes of potatoes and vegetables were taken round to everyone as was the case previously. We thought they were the best meals we have had on P&O.

 

 

 

I think, also going back to the discussion, P&O also offer a different experience depending which ship you choose to go on. We have just returned from our first cruise on Adonia which we loved. She wouldn't suit everyone - not at all glitzy, no casino or pub, and a show lounge rather than a proper theatre. However, she is elegant, no queues for anything, even the buffet. If people want a more modern ship they would obviously go for Azura or Ventura so I think it's one of P&O's strengths that they offer a different experience depending on what people want.

 

 

I would agree about the plated meals, always hot, everyone served inside seconds and I found that the meals were served much quicker. Usually finished a good 20 minutes sooner. Of course you could still sit and chat and finish your drinks so a win all round.

 

 

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[Dorset Cruiser]

I would agree about the plated meals, always hot, everyone served inside seconds and I found that the meals were served much quicker. Usually finished a good 20 minutes sooner. Of course you could still sit and chat and finish your drinks so a win all round.

 

 

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We must try Adonia some time as I think she is the same class ship as Ocean Princess which we loved

 

 

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[NauticalMiss]

None. Hence why we fly scheduled in business and not packaged charter.

 

 

Ooo get you ;)

[Dorset Cruiser]

I think its more than P&O dont have the added sparkle around the ship, the interiors look a bit beige.

 

I actually thought that Constellation was very 'beige'.

 

 

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[cruisebore]

I actually thought that Constellation was very 'beige'.

 

 

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The public areas on Eclipse were IMHO appreciably underlit in the evenings.

 

Cb

[babs135]

I actually thought that Constellation was very 'beige'.

 

 

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What on earth does that mean?

[Dorset Cruiser]

What on earth does that mean?

 

What it says! I thought the decor was extremely bland everywhere. Needs much more injections of colour to give a bit of a wow factor. I also thought the Cellar Masters area was extremely dark and gloomy in the evenings - we could not bear to sit in there and used to walk straight through, as did a lot of other people. Did not see anyone using the strange wine dispensers. In 12 days we only saw a handful of people eating crepes. The whole area was wasted in our opinion.

 

Dining room was also very 'beige' - no flowers on the tables, just candlelights and no effort to vary the napkin folding. No singing waiters heard in entire cruise. All these things add to the ambience of a dining room and we missed them.

 

 

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[babs135]

What it says! I thought the decor was extremely bland everywhere. Needs much more injections of colour to give a bit of a wow factor. I also thought the Cellar Masters area was extremely dark and gloomy in the evenings - we could not bear to sit in there and used to walk straight through, as did a lot of other people. Did not see anyone using the strange wine dispensers. In 12 days we only saw a handful of people eating crepes. The whole area was wasted in our opinion.

 

Dining room was also very 'beige' - no flowers on the tables, just candlelights and no effort to vary the napkin folding. No singing waiters heard in entire cruise. All these things add to the ambience of a dining room and we missed them.

 

 

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Thanks for that. Sounds like Andersons on the Oriana. We thought that was dark and rather unwelcoming.

[happygran]

Celebrity for us was much better than P & O..........that isn't to say that we didn't enjoy P & O, we did.......a cruise is a cruise.......

 

But the bar for me (don't laugh) is the public toilets!! Celebrity are all marble, with individually rolled towels, spotlessly clean and gorgeous........P & O were like the services on the M1.............

 

Food...........I ordered gazpacho on P & O and nearly choked when it was delivered boiling hot! Another night I was served something which I didn't order......the waiter was very sorry etc but he was excited to be going home in a few days............

 

I don't find the food great on P & O........it serves its purpose...........but not very inspiring.............very English. Each to his own.

 

We're off again on P & O next year and will enjoy the trip but nowhere near as much as Celebrity.

[Sanjam cruisers]

Well if you don't enjoy it as much as Celebrity why do you go with P&O. Surely better to book with Celebrity and enjoy your cruise.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Never use the public restrooms - too much risk of Noro - prefer to go back to my stateroom 😄

 

 

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[dgs1956]

Celebrity for us was much better than P & O..........that isn't to say that we didn't enjoy P & O, we did.......a cruise is a cruise.......

 

But the bar for me (don't laugh) is the public toilets!! Celebrity are all marble, with individually rolled towels, spotlessly clean and gorgeous........P & O were like the services on the M1.............

 

Food...........I ordered gazpacho on P & O and nearly choked when it was delivered boiling hot! Another night I was served something which I didn't order......the waiter was very sorry etc but he was excited to be going home in a few days............

 

I don't find the food great on P & O........it serves its purpose...........but not very inspiring.............very English. Each to his own.

 

We're off again on P & O next year and will enjoy the trip but nowhere near as much as Celebrity.

 

We have had Gazpacho several times on Azura and its always been chilled. In some parts of Spain they do make a Gazpacho Caliente which normally is a meat stew type dish where obviously Gazpacho is made from raw vegetables.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Thanks for that. Sounds like Andersons on the Oriana. We thought that was dark and rather unwelcoming.

 

Never been on Oriana so cannot comment whether it is or not. We must all agree to disagree I suppose. We tried Celebrity and it was not for us. Back to what we do know we like - Princess, P&O and good old Freddie whose food in January was twice as good as that served on Celebrity and we could always find a McVitie's Digestive 😄

 

 

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[richleeds]

Never use the public restrooms - too much risk of Noro - prefer to go back to my stateroom [emoji1]

 

 

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The toilets are usually cleaner than the lift buttons and door handles you will touch getting back to your cabin!

[Dorset Cruiser]

The toilets are usually cleaner than the lift buttons and door handles you will touch getting back to your cabin!

 

How can you say that? The toilet bowls may appear to be clean but the door handles certainly are not cleaner than the ones in my cabin. I have seen just how many women think it is okay to leave public toilets without washing their hands 😡 and everyone knows you don't press a lift button with your finger - you use a knuckle!

 

 

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[richleeds]

How can you say that? The toilet bowls may appear to be clean but the door handles certainly are not cleaner than the ones in my cabin. I have seen just how many women think it is okay to leave public toilets without washing their hands [emoji35] and everyone knows you don't press a lift button with your finger - you use a knuckle!

 

 

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Must be a dirty P&O thing as most other lines tend to have an attendant in the washroom most of the time, spraying, cleaning and sanitising.

 

I certainly wouldn't trundle from a bar or venue all the way back to my cabin, I have much better things to do with my time!

Edited October 17, 2014 by richleeds

[indiana123]

Not everyone... I have never seen or heard of anyone using a knuckle to call a lift! New one on me. I will be drawn to watching out for that now!:)

 

I don't think it makes much difference really, it is the luck of the draw as to whether you will come across an unhygienic spot. We can only be vigilant ourselves and hope all is well.

[davecttr]

Not everyone... I have never seen or heard of anyone using a knuckle to call a lift! New one on me. I will be drawn to watching out for that now!:)

 

I don't think it makes much difference really, it is the luck of the draw as to whether you will come across an unhygienic spot. We can only be vigilant ourselves and hope all is well.

I use the second joint of a finger, or an elbow, plus lots of hand washing. (not in the lift i add)

 

Another dark, dingy bar, the rising sun on Arcadia, and don't mention the exchange on Ventura :eek:

[terrierjohn]

The public areas on Eclipse were IMHO appreciably underlit in the evenings.

 

Cb

I agree that the Ensemble lounge seemed quite a bit darker on some evenings, I assumed they were trying for atmospheric, but most other places were well enough lit for us. Yes Celebrity's decor is a bit bland, more stainless steel than beige though, but never a fingermark to be seen, which is why I think it the cleanest ship at sea.