Why we won't be cruising with P & O in the near future

[Tayscot]

Having cruised with P & O 18 times over a period of 10 years mostly to the Caribbean and the Med we reluctantly have decided that P & O are no longer for us at least for some time and would welcome any suggestions for alternatives. We have kept quite extensive notes on each cruise as mementoes and these have been illuminating as to the changes we have seen on P & O over 10 years.

 

Our first cruise was to the Caribbean in April 2004 followed quickly by the old Adonia in Dec 2004. Speaking specifically about the Caribbean our early cruises included the Mexican Riviera, Cozumel, Cartagena, Colon, Limon, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Isla Margareta, Martinique etc. There were also 2 week Panama Canal full transit cruises one of which we enjoyed from Acapulco through to Barbados. Our first 'problem' is that in our opinion P & O have become lazy with basically 2 itineraries that are largely similar year to year and that unless we can secure one of the popular 'new' Adonia cruises then the rest have become boring (the Med cruises visiting the same ports on a 2 week cycle are similarly boring if you have done them before, however at least there are other ships out of Southampton going to some different ports). P & O need to vary their ports far more than they currently do.

 

As far as food is concerned we feel the MDR offerings are not as good as 10 years ago although the various Select Dining venues offset this as they are usually excellent if you are willing to pay the extra.

 

Accommodation is largely unchanged in our opinion and still good both in terms of quality and value.

 

Entertainment, now here is where we have a problem, both in terms of quality and variety. Looking back 10 years there were more acts and in our opinion of better quality. There was a good balance in the entertainment with a Classical Musician (long since no longer on Caribbean Cruises and sadly not on our Ventura Med Cruise last June) and a good variety of acts as opposed to the endless list of tribute acts now prevalent. We like the occasional tribute act and have seen some very good ones but there are now too many. The theatre companies are still excellent but the shows are not changed nearly often enough. Having been on Ventura 4 times in the past 2 years we have found the theatre company shows to be the same on each cruise. On our first 5 cruises over a 2 year period (Oceana, 'old' Adonia, Azura, Oceana, Oriana) we had a average of 6 theatre company shows per cruise and did not have one duplicated show. The Cruise Director advised that they have to get a good few years out of each show to get value for the outlays they put into them, however this is a big factor in our deciding that we must seek another cruise line to aleviate the boredom. Finally regarding entertainment why so many quizzes. To put it in context we actually enjoy quizzes and used to enter the occasional syndicate quiz or individual quiz but on our last cruise there was an average of over 6 quizzes per day in our opinion, again too many and lazy entertainment. Some of the other entertainment is now more like Butlins than our beloved P & O.

 

The pricing of cruises now make it not advisable to book well in advance and too many early bookers have a disappointment when the price more often than not plummets nearer the time taking away from the enjoyment of the trip. Also the late bookers seem to get much better cabins for a great deal less !!

 

On the plus side organisation for fly cruises is still very good.

 

From the foregoing you will see that maybe we require a break from P & O (we will likely return at some time in the future). We have tried Costa once and that was enough, never again. We also tried Cunard once the Q Elizabeth and had no complaints other than that we were rather underwhelmed by the experience thinking that it was not much better than P & O if at all.

 

What other lines would others recommend not necessarily budget but not the top end of the market costing £4/5k per 2 week cruise.

[caber]

I think you will find that all cruise lines have changed over the years. The cost of the cruise has not significantly increased over the years we have cruised. We started seriously cruising in 1995.

 

We like Princess but I think you will find the onboard costs are much more than P&O, although not more than Cunard. We did our first Cunard cruise last year and, like you, although we enjoyed it, we didn`t find too much of a difference to P&O.

 

If you go over to the Princess section you will also find people complaining about the repetitiveness of the shows onboard. If you cruise as frequently as you do you must expect a bit of repetition.

 

Those are the only cruise lines I can comment about. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[richleeds]

Celebrity.

[PORT ROYAL]

Having cruised with P & O 18 times over a period of 10 years mostly to the Caribbean and the Med we reluctantly have decided that P & O are no longer for us at least for some time and would welcome any suggestions for alternatives. We have kept quite extensive notes on each cruise as mementoes and these have been illuminating as to the changes we have seen on P & O over 10 years.

 

Our first cruise was to the Caribbean in April 2004 followed quickly by the old Adonia in Dec 2004. Speaking specifically about the Caribbean our early cruises included the Mexican Riviera, Cozumel, Cartagena, Colon, Limon, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Isla Margareta, Martinique etc. There were also 2 week Panama Canal full transit cruises one of which we enjoyed from Acapulco through to Barbados. Our first 'problem' is that in our opinion P & O have become lazy with basically 2 itineraries that are largely similar year to year and that unless we can secure one of the popular 'new' Adonia cruises then the rest have become boring (the Med cruises visiting the same ports on a 2 week cycle are similarly boring if you have done them before, however at least there are other ships out of Southampton going to some different ports). P & O need to vary their ports far more than they currently do.

 

As far as food is concerned we feel the MDR offerings are not as good as 10 years ago although the various Select Dining venues offset this as they are usually excellent if you are willing to pay the extra.

 

Accommodation is largely unchanged in our opinion and still good both in terms of quality and value.

 

Entertainment, now here is where we have a problem, both in terms of quality and variety. Looking back 10 years there were more acts and in our opinion of better quality. There was a good balance in the entertainment with a Classical Musician (long since no longer on Caribbean Cruises and sadly not on our Ventura Med Cruise last June) and a good variety of acts as opposed to the endless list of tribute acts now prevalent. We like the occasional tribute act and have seen some very good ones but there are now too many. The theatre companies are still excellent but the shows are not changed nearly often enough. Having been on Ventura 4 times in the past 2 years we have found the theatre company shows to be the same on each cruise. On our first 5 cruises over a 2 year period (Oceana, 'old' Adonia, Azura, Oceana, Oriana) we had a average of 6 theatre company shows per cruise and did not have one duplicated show. The Cruise Director advised that they have to get a good few years out of each show to get value for the outlays they put into them, however this is a big factor in our deciding that we must seek another cruise line to aleviate the boredom. Finally regarding entertainment why so many quizzes. To put it in context we actually enjoy quizzes and used to enter the occasional syndicate quiz or individual quiz but on our last cruise there was an average of over 6 quizzes per day in our opinion, again too many and lazy entertainment. Some of the other entertainment is now more like Butlins than our beloved P & O.

 

The pricing of cruises now make it not advisable to book well in advance and too many early bookers have a disappointment when the price more often than not plummets nearer the time taking away from the enjoyment of the trip. Also the late bookers seem to get much better cabins for a great deal less !!

 

On the plus side organisation for fly cruises is still very good.

 

From the foregoing you will see that maybe we require a break from P & O (we will likely return at some time in the future). We have tried Costa once and that was enough, never again. We also tried Cunard once the Q Elizabeth and had no complaints other than that we were rather underwhelmed by the experience thinking that it was not much better than P & O if at all.

 

What other lines would others recommend not necessarily budget but not the top end of the market costing £4/5k per 2 week cruise.

 

If Cunard did not suit you, consider Oceania. Hope you find a home that satisfies your needs.

[lincolnlad]

Agree with a lot of what you say but so many cruises over 10 years must result in some duplication of entertainment. Agree in particular with your comments re quizzes they seem to have taken over P & O entertainment. Overall, however, P & O offer good value and a good cruise experience. Don't stay away too long !!

[richleeds]

From another thread but relevant here also...

 

 

I've got friends who are the same, they like what they know, P&O through and through, they have a good cruise but come back after each one, with a look of "same old" in their faces.

 

 

 

They are drawn in by the discounts on drinks for their membership tier etc and I tell them there is a bigger picture!

 

 

 

My humble advice to any P&O regular who might want a change........Celebrity.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

I would also recommend Princess. Very good entertainment, food and lovely friendly staff. I think the problem with only going on one cruise line is that the shows do get repetitive. Thomson probably have the best entertainment on the high seas, but after a few cruises with them you begin to feel that you have seen them all.

 

What about Fred.Olsen. We went to the Caribbean on the Braemar in 2011 and had a wonderful cruise which included Cuba, Mexico and Jamaica. They did stop doing Caribbean fly cruises for a couple of years, but have now realized their mistake and have started doing them again. The Braemar is a small ship, but my favourite :)

[Scotland01]

Go next week on our 4th P and O cruise on Ventura. This may well be our last because of pricing structure. We booked 11 months ago and were assured that any price drops would result in upgrade etc as we had lost out last year. Same thing this year. We enjoy direct flight in winter as we stay near G lasgow airport but with 34 cruises with RCI and Celebrity we much prefer their ships. We prefer the international mix of cruisers and if you book early and the price drops it is either refunded or upgraded. We have booked for next January on Celebrity Equinox for southern Caribbean.

[Patsy Flower]

We have cruised several times with P & O, most of the cruises going to the Caribbean. I agree with everything that has been said about the repeated itineraries and the drop in standards and to be honest the only reason we continue to cruise the Caribbean with them P & O is because of the boarding arrangement in Barbados.

 

Princess have always been our preferred cruise line until October this year when we cruised for the first time with Celebrity on the Eclipse. The standard of everything on the ship was exceptional.

 

For all cruises other than to the Caribbean we will use Celebrity or Princess.

[bee-ess]

Celebrity.

 

I would agree, we much prefer Celebrity to P&O, good value if you get a drinks package included. I would not say that the entertainment is any better than P&O though and that was one of the OP's reason to change.

[davecttr]

Can't cruise Celebrity, cruise solo, can't afford to pay double.

[Thejuggler]

I think if I had done a holiday in the same hotel 18 times over a decade I too would have noticed some changes, even more so if the price had dropped.

 

We did two trips in Ventura over two years, that was enough, time for a change, did Princess, did Celebrity. That was enough cruising for a while. A different UK holiday last year, this year something else, a change is more than as good as a rest.

[richleeds]

Can't cruise Celebrity, cruise solo, can't afford to pay double.

 

 

Buddy up with someone?

[richleeds]

I would agree, we much prefer Celebrity to P&O, good value if you get a drinks package included. I would not say that the entertainment is any better than P&O though and that was one of the OP's reason to change.

 

 

The cast shows have a little more pazazz and the lead singers better vocals on Celebrity but the solo acts are usually geared towards a U.S. audience, particularly on US or Caribbean itineraries.

[richleeds]

I think if I had done a holiday in the same hotel 18 times over a decade I too would have noticed some changes, even more so if the price had dropped.

 

 

 

We did two trips in Ventura over two years, that was enough, time for a change, did Princess, did Celebrity. That was enough cruising for a while. A different UK holiday last year, this year something else, a change is more than as good as a rest.

 

 

Some on here will never grasp this concept.

[fungus the bogeyman]

Having booked late last year p and o for this year as a single passenger in the brittania

Two weeks later advertised with extra on board spend. Obviously all the single cabins sold.

Asked if I would get the extra the answer was no.

I then enquired about booking a normal cabin for myself which then worked out the same price as per the single would I get the 2 lots of extra spending money the reply was no.

Pointed out that I would be paying the 2 people price myself and surley I would be entitled to both allocation of extra spending money the reply the no only one, with the reason I would not be spending as much as two people on board and that is life depends when you book it's up to you if you want to cancel.

If I pay the price for 2 people by myself is it not unreasonable to expect the benefits for the 2 for myself? Or am I missing

something?

But still shocking customer service did not seem to care one bit.

[richleeds]

Having booked late last year p and o for this year as a single passenger in the brittania

 

Two weeks later advertised with extra on board spend. Obviously all the single cabins sold.

 

Asked if I would get the extra the answer was no.

 

I then enquired about booking a normal cabin for myself which then worked out the same price as per the single would I get the 2 lots of extra spending money the reply was no.

 

Pointed out that I would be paying the 2 people price myself and surley I would be entitled to both allocation of extra spending money the reply the no only one, with the reason I would not be spending as much as two people on board and that is life depends when you book it's up to you if you want to cancel.

 

If I pay the price for 2 people by myself is it not unreasonable to expect the benefits for the 2 for myself? Or am I missing

 

something?

 

But still shocking customer service did not seem to care one bit.

 

 

I think the way cruise pricing is going (which is downwards) means they are looking to maximise the onboard spend of passengers during the cruise to make up for the cheaper lead in prices.

 

So from your twin/double cabin they will only receive half the income they expect so they are not willing to give any extra credit.

 

Yes you can argue your cabin will consume less food, flush the loo less, use fewer towels etc but it will fall on deaf ears.

[davecttr]

Buddy up with someone?

That is not funny :eek::eek::eek:

[davecttr]

I think the way cruise pricing is going (which is downwards) means they are looking to maximise the onboard spend of passengers during the cruise to make up for the cheaper lead in prices.

 

So from your twin/double cabin they will only receive half the income they expect so they are not willing to give any extra credit.

 

Yes you can argue your cabin will consume less food, flush the loo less, use fewer towels etc but it will fall on deaf ears.

I notice both Princess and Celebrity give additional cruise credits to solo cruisers who pay the single supplement. One cruise counts as two on Princess and you get double daily credits with Celebrity.

 

It seems both these lines value their solo cruisers more than P&O ?

 

iI have also read, that as an elite member of the captains circle on my first Princess cruise, I will get both the free mini bars in my cabin :D

 

As a solo i spend a lot more aboard than many couples, especially those who boast about spending hardly anything. Maybe P&O could work out a way of discouraging those types as the rest of us are subsidising them :mad:

[Josy1953]

I notice both Princess and Celebrity give additional cruise credits to solo cruisers who pay the single supplement. One cruise counts as two on Princess and you get double daily credits with Celebrity.

 

It seems both these lines value their solo cruisers more than P&O ?

 

iI have also read, that as an elite member of the captains circle on my first Princess cruise, I will get both the free mini bars in my cabin :D

 

As a solo i spend a lot more aboard than many couples, especially those who boast about spending hardly anything. Maybe P&O could work out a way of discouraging those types as the rest of us are subsidising them :mad:

 

What would you suggest P&O do to discourage those who spend very little ? The need to spend or not is not a consideration for my husband and I but we do tend to spend less when we are cruising than we do on a land based holiday. We are not big drinkers and do not use the casino, I detest Costa coffee so I don't buy those, although we always look in the shops we are rarely tempted to buy anything, consequently we only buy wine with dinner and my husband will have a beer after we have been to the show but again I only have coke because after having had wine with my meal I do not wish to have more alcohol. I do agree that solo passengers are badly treated by P&O in that they have to pay so much more than those who share cabins.

[richleeds]

That is not funny :eek::eek::eek:

 

 

Just out of interest, why is that such an abhorrent thought?

[Denarius]

Can't cruise Celebrity, cruise solo, can't afford to pay double.

 

I know the feeling. Having sailed with both P&O and Celebrity over the last few years, I find Celebrity much more to my taste. The only thing which dissuades me from sailing with them more often is their practice (in common with most US lines) of charging a 100% single supplement. P&Os single supplements, though much higher than they used to be, are still very reasonable by comparison. If however, should Celebrity lower theirs or P&O increase theirs ....

Edited January 9, 2015 by Denarius

[Dorset Cruiser]

Sailed Celebrity and Fred last year, both for the first time. Hugely disappointed in Celebrity - it was such an anticlimax as we were expecting so much more in terms of a cruise experience. It was a very similar offering to Princess actually, and we also think that the Princess product has declined in terms of quality of food and service.

 

On the other hand, we were somewhat dreading going on Fred (Braemar) as we had seen the tv programme, but the price was too good to refuse. However, in the event, we had a wonderful cruise with the MDR food being the best of any of our 30 cruises, in our opinion.

 

 

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[bobstheboy]

Sailed Celebrity and Fred last year, both for the first time. Hugely disappointed in Celebrity - it was such an anticlimax as we were expecting so much more in terms of a cruise experience. It was a very similar offering to Princess actually, and we also think that the Princess product has declined in terms of quality of food and service.

 

On the other hand, we were somewhat dreading going on Fred (Braemar) as we had seen the tv programme, but the price was too good to refuse. However, in the event, we had a wonderful cruise with the MDR food being the best of any of our 30 cruises, in our opinion.

 

 

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Just proves that one mans meat is anothers poison.

 

We sailed on the Fred Olson's Balmoral in 2013 and hated it. Not so much the ship as the passengers. We wouldn't go back if you paid us.

Edited January 9, 2015 by bobstheboy

[Dorset Cruiser]

Just proves that one mans meat is anothers poison.

 

We sailed on the Fred Olson's Balmoral in 2013 and hated it. Not so much the ship as the passengers. We wouldn't go back if you paid us.

 

Surely you did not 'hate' all the passengers?

 

Sorry you did not like Fred, we would gladly go on one of the ships in the future.

 

 

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