A Couple of Questions about P&O

[jc foster]

Can I expect similar standards to Princess, RCL, or Celebrity? We had heard P&O was the sister line to Princess. Is this correct? Also what time should we book our return flight to Dallas from LHR? We plan on using P&O transfers so as not to get lost. Thanks in advance .

[David Owl]

Can I expect similar standards to Princess, RCL, or Celebrity? We had heard P&O was the sister line to Princess. Is this correct? Also what time should we book our return flight to Dallas from LHR? We plan on using P&O transfers so as not to get lost. Thanks in advance .

 

Haven't done RCL and it's a while since we were on Princess so I wouldn't like to compare.

 

Celebrity Eclipse has been our favourite for a few years but Britannia comes very close. The only thing I would mark them down for was that the waiters last year seemed a bit grumpy. They didn't do anything wrong, just didn't smile much.

[h3rjp]

Having cruised on Princess a lot, I find the two companies very similar in many respects; but quite different in a few others.

 

I think the food quality is about on par between lines, but the service on p&o isn't as good. However it's much cheaper and drinks are better value and tip charge more reasonable.

 

P&o ships might have a pretty atrium but there's not a lot goes off there and the equivalent of the international cafe doesn't work and doesn't have much of a draw (my favourite place for breakfast on princess ships).

 

Princess ships (apart from Royal / regal) seem a little more dated, but have a better mix of international guests.

 

I like both lines but this year I'm booking P&O mainly because of the exchange rate and I like the fact that things are better value in the first place.

Edited July 24, 2016 by h3rjp

[brillo]

I think that the only difference you will notice to Princess is that P&O is very British both in the passengers and in the entertainment, the casinos are also much smaller than on the American ships, everything onboard is also priced in sterling as opposed to dollers

[Florry]

You get tea and coffee facilities in the cabin on P&O - yay!

[jc foster]

O.K. , Thanks for the quick responses. What about an afternoon flight from LHR should I book a flight say after 2:00pm or should we stay the night a LHR? We have done this before at the Sofitel Hotel which is attached to the airport .

[kevinyork]

Done P&O many times plus RCI but Celebrity is our favourite now. Service on US lines is definitely much better. P&O dining service has often been very variable in terms of attentiveness and friendliness whilst on RCI and Celebrity it's been spot on for us, nothing being too much trouble. Yes the gratuities are higher than on P&O but it's worth it. Drinks on P&O are cheaper but measures are smaller than the US lines.

 

I don't find P&O better value than say Celebrity. If you look at the Select fares on P&O and compare them to Celebrity, especially if their deal includes a drinks package, then often Celebrity is much better value. Also, they are 5 star versus 4 star on P&O. We find the MDR food better on Royal and Celebrity and their buffets are much better in terms of choice and layout with the exception being P&O Britannia where the layout of the buffet is excellent.

 

As an example we booked our May 16 Baltic 14 night with Celebrity for £1600 pp including tips and free drinks. P&O a week later was £1550 on a saver fare with no choice of cabin location or dining preference and no tips or drinks included.

 

Cabins on Royal and Celebrity are better than P&O IMO with better bathrooms, especially on Britannia where the balconies are very small in comparison.

 

As the OP is from the US note that P&O food is British in terms of their menus and their portion sizes. Entertainment is good and plentiful but very British focused since the passengers onboard will be almost wholly Brits. In fact we've never encountered any Americans on a P&O ship and just a handful of non Brits. We like the mix of nationalities on Royal and Celebrity and tend to meet more like minded people.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited July 24, 2016 by kevinyork

[majortom10]

Can I expect similar standards to Princess, RCL, or Celebrity? We had heard P&O was the sister line to Princess. Is this correct? Also what time should we book our return flight to Dallas from LHR? We plan on using P&O transfers so as not to get lost. Thanks in advance .

 

IMO you will find P&O standards lower than Princess and Celebrity especially in food and service.

[Florry]

O.K. , Thanks for the quick responses. What about an afternoon flight from LHR should I book a flight say after 2:00pm or should we stay the night a LHR? We have done this before at the Sofitel Hotel which is attached to the airport .

 

 

Not something I have done but will try to provide info so you can make an informed decision. If you self disembark (carry off your own case) you can do so between 7-7.30ish. If you disembark in the usual way it may be as late as 10.00am. I think if you explain to reception you have a flight they will give you an early time. I estimate a 3 hour trip to Heathrow with no delays or waiting time. So I think a flight after 2pm is doable if you get off the ship early. We always self disembark, if you are reasonably fit it's fine and you get to keep your case without having to hand it over to baggage handling the night before. Hope this helps.

[john watson]

O.K. , Thanks for the quick responses. What about an afternoon flight from LHR should I book a flight say after 2:00pm or should we stay the night a LHR? We have done this before at the Sofitel Hotel which is attached to the airport .

 

Sofitel is attached to Heathrow Terminal 5 most flights from this terminal are British Airways.

 

Heathrow Hilton Hotel is similarly attached to Heathrow Terminal 4 which many other Transatlantic flights depart from.

 

It is best to confirm which your flight departs from for convenience sake.

 

Regards John

[golfitfc]

We sailed on P+O in July and had a 6 PM flight from LHR to Toronto thinking we would play it safe in case we were late getting to LHR. We were given a 9:40 disembarkation time and were at LHR by 11 AM- my cousin drove us there- and we were able to get on the 12:05 flight- for a fee.

We enjoyed P+O- have sailed Carnival/RCI and Holland America- with the differences being less friendly staff especially in the small/not busy casino, British food choices in main dining room (always nice food and great to try new types of food as long as you like to try new food), more formal dress code on elegant nights which we enjoyed, lots of great lounges and places to sit with a drink, cheaper alcoholic drinks, and a Scottish Captain with a great sense of humour during his anouncements.

[Sanjam cruisers]

Hi JC Foster

 

In addition to what others have said, if you like an alcoholic drink in your cabin/balcony P&O allow you take alcohol on board ship both at embarkation and at ports of call.

We normally purchase a bottle of gin and a bottle of rum for our cabin use when cruising in he Caribbean.

While the majority of fellow passenger will be British they will make you most welcome.

Have a great cruise on your P&O ship.

[Vampire Parrot]

You should be able to make a 2pm flight from Heathrow if all goes reasonably well - off the ship by say 10am, two hours to Heathrow, and you'll make the flight 90% of the time.

 

But a much less stressful and more enjoyable experience would be to check into a hotel at Heathrow, and then go to London for the afternoon/evening.... perhaps catch a show and see what a "West End Style" show is really like :D

 

VP