Two night cruise?

[Strawberry field]

just a quick question about two night cruises......I have sailed on Britannia before but my wife hasn't so before booking for our 50th anniversary I would like her to see Britannia. That way we can decide which ship to book a holiday on.

 

Are two night cruises as bad as some say? Hen and stag parties and rowdy behaviour with service and crew not really caring? We are getting on in years but inside we are still in our thirties so enjoying ourselves is not a problem. I am wondering if doing a two nighter might put her off Britannia, is it as some say a 'booze cruise' I do realise the atmosphere on board would be different to a regular cruise but is it that different?

 

Thanks for any help :)

[the english lady]

just a quick question about two night cruises......I have sailed on Britannia before but my wife hasn't so before booking for our 50th anniversary I would like her to see Britannia. That way we can decide which ship to book a holiday on.

 

Are two night cruises as bad as some say? Hen and stag parties and rowdy behaviour with service and crew not really caring? We are getting on in years but inside we are still in our thirties so enjoying ourselves is not a problem. I am wondering if doing a two nighter might put her off Britannia, is it as some say a 'booze cruise' I do realise the atmosphere on board would be different to a regular cruise but is it that different?

 

Thanks for any help :)

We have done a couple of 2 nighters, but not on one of the big ones. Yes you may tend to get groups on board..however the ones on ours all seemed well behaved and dressed up to the nines on formal night.High spirited rather than rowdy shall we say.

Service..well that is different ,mainly because they are soo busy busy busy....try and look beyond that, as you know it will be better on a longer cruise.

[Strawberry field]

We have done a couple of 2 nighters, but not on one of the big ones. Yes you may tend to get groups on board..however the ones on ours all seemed well behaved and dressed up to the nines on formal night.High spirited rather than rowdy shall we say.

Service..well that is different ,mainly because they are soo busy busy busy....try and look beyond that, as you know it will be better on a longer cruise.

 

Thanks for that......yes I should have said high spirited rather than rowdy wrong choice of word there 😊 I never realised there was still a formal night on a two nighter. I guess it's the first night?

[Cappers]

I've done quite a few of the 2 nighters now and I love them. Yes,there is definitely more of a party atmosphere but is that really a bad thing? This time last year I took a friend on a Britannia 2 nighter to Guernsey to see if she liked the idea of a cruise and for me to see the ship.,we had a great time. Of course there were a few groups on board but in my experience they are the more mature civilised groups not out of control young aggressive males you would get on regular stag nights..or hen nights! Watching their antics around the pools at sailaway is always amusing and always makes me wish I was part of such a fun group! :cool: Go and enjoy yourselves,,it's a lovely way to spend a couple of days.

[Scriv]

I agree with the others... I have done several 2 nighters now and have really enjoyed them. However, you have to accept them for what they are - party cruises. You will see many groups - family groups, groups of friends, hens and the odd stag - and celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc. Like the others above, I have never experienced horrendous behaviour - but yes, some groups have been very noisy enjoying themselves. The nice thing is though that you can avoid these groups and will most certainly find a quieter part of the ship if you want some peace. As regards service standards, these cruises are busy busy and have a lot to cram in a very short time. People are busy busy too getting the most out of every minute, so it is all that bit more hectic than the longer cruises. As I said, I have really enjoyed mine - but I have now done enough. I feel the need for more peaceful cruises now ha ha. So my suggestion is go and enjoy - you will find so many places to explore on Britannia away from the noise if you need to - and will give you an idea if you would want a longer cruise on her. One tip I do have - choose the time of year carefully for your mini cruise. Once September kicks in the hen/stag season calms down and gives way to Christmas and Belgian choccie shoppers etc, so this might be a quieter time to try? Also less hassle around the sunbeds lol.

[Scriv]

Thanks for that......yes I should have said high spirited rather than rowdy wrong choice of word there 😊 I never realised there was still a formal night on a two nighter. I guess it's the first night?

 

You never know which night it's on until you board unfortunately. It varies so much... I have done 6 of them and have had 3 on the first night and 3 on the second!

[Strawberry field]

Thanks everyone, as I said I've already sailed on Britannia but I'm now looking to book a two nighter so my wife can see her. That way we can then make up our minds about our anniversary cruise. You have all been very helpful and put my mind at rest about doing a quick two night trip. :)

[Selbourne]

Regarding the different service levels experienced on short cruises, I have to disagree that it's down to staff being over worked. We did a 4 nighter on Ventura recently and it was patently obvious that many of the staff see short cruises as a bit of a break for themselves, as well as for the passengers! Service levels, even in the Select Dining restaurants, were patchy and there seemed to be a general apathy, perhaps as the tips are negligible on a short cruise? As we have done quite a few 'full cruises' with P&O, we know that this was not representative of their usual service levels, which is a shame as it doesn't create the right first impression for those trying out P&O for the first time. We did witness a few incidents of very poor passenger behaviour, but wouldn't say that it felt like a 'party cruise'. But it was 4 nights. Perhaps 2 nighters are worse. I wouldn't know. So, in summary, it wouldn't put me off doing another short cruise, but if I was recommending a first cruise to someone, I would suggest a 7 night Fjords cruise if they could afford it. We did one on Britannia last year and the service levels were far better and just those few extra days made a massive difference to the whole experience.

[tartanexile81]

I don't know where you live strawberry field, but have you thought of doing a day visit? You would get the chance to explore the ship, have lunch etc. You could always make a short break of it and stay overnight. You could always go to the theatre or have a day out in the Southampton area. There's Britannia visits on May 7th 21st 28th

[Strawberry field]

Why didn't I think of that! That would be easy for us as we live in Southampton! Thanks for your suggestion :)

[john watson]

Why didn't I think of that! That would be easy for us as we live in Southampton! Thanks for your suggestion :)

 

Needs a bit of thinking through as you might have to shell out for a taxi if you don't live on the correct bus route.

 

Lol John

[Strawberry field]

Needs a bit of thinking through as you might have to shell out for a taxi if you don't live on the correct bus route.

 

Lol John

 

If it's not raining I could walk it John ;p:cool::')

[Selbourne]

Ship visits are indeed a fantastic way to see the facilities on a cruise ship. We have done ship visits on most P&O ships as well as QM2. Sometimes you don't get the result you expect. We had a cruise booked on Arcadia but did a ship visit prior to the cruise and decided that we didn't like her, so switched the booking to Britannia (we are going to give Arcadia a go next year on a 7 night Fjord cruise as the itinerary is good). Conversely, we did a ship visit on Adonia expecting not to like her and we absolutely loved the ship. Keep in mind that you will only get a good idea of the facilities and not the service or passenger mix that you can expect on a 2 nighter. One important point about ship visits that few people realise. If you make a booking direct with P&O any time after a ship visit, they will refund you the full price of the ship visit for all passengers back as additional on board credit, on top of any other OBC or discount offers. And they seem to do it multiple times and there doesnt appear to be a time limit. Every one of the last 4 bookings we have made have resulted in this. We had forgotten about the visits but the P&O operative proactively stated each time that 'there was a credit showing on our file as we had been on a ship visit'. So, you get a nice day out, with a meal, completely free of charge! I thoroughly recommend them.

[Strawberry field]

We have decided to book a ship visit on Britannia so my wife can see the difference between her and Aurora. I'm sure we will choose Britannia but I want to give her the choice. It's even better if the cost goes towards a credit but if not it's still worth doing.:)

[sapphire4]

Think a ship visit is a good idea. We live too far away to go down that route but we spoke to a couple who live down south and they have visited ships for a day. Apparently you can have a meal and a tour. If you are bothered about a two day cruise and the prospect of stag/hen dos why not go for a week? We tend to go outside of school holidays as we now have the kids off our hands so to speak but you never know what type of passengers will be on-board until you actually get on the cruise. We have taken an early med cruise for the last three years and the passengers have all been different. I think on Britannia I have noticed the dress code had definitely slipped several notches on our last cruise.

[Strawberry field]

Think a ship visit is a good idea. We live too far away to go down that route but we spoke to a couple who live down south and they have visited ships for a day. Apparently you can have a meal and a tour. If you are bothered about a two day cruise and the prospect of stag/hen dos why not go for a week? We tend to go outside of school holidays as we now have the kids off our hands so to speak but you never know what type of passengers will be on-board until you actually get on the cruise. We have taken an early med cruise for the last three years and the passengers have all been different. I think on Britannia I have noticed the dress code had definitely slipped several notches on our last cruise.

 

I'm not bothered about hen/stag do's simply asking what the truth is regarding them as so many people say different things. I cruised on Britannia last year and thought that the dress code was adhered to by 95% of passengers on that holiday. My brother went on a ship visit a month ago and thought it worthwhile and I can't think why I hadn't thought of it. We are now booking a visit and will see how we feel about another Britannia cruise before booking our next holiday. I'm 99% certain it will be Britannia.

 

Thanks for your help :)

[mandylennon]

The only problem I would have with a ship visit, is that you have to get off the ship after whilst everyone else is staying onboard to enjoy their cruise!!

 

Back to the original question, when we speak to P&O staff the reason they say why they didn't like the 2 nighters it that they don't get to know the passengers well and for the cabin stewards, they have a lot more work to do getting cabins ready.

[Florry]

The good thing about the ship visit is that you can buy a future cruise deposit.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sapphire4]

We spoke to a lovely couple who cruise 4 - 5 times a year with P and O. They went on Ventura around xmas this last year and were horrified by the type of passengers leaving plates and bottles on the stairs. Lots of late teens/ young adults drunk and disorderly. I only heard this second hand but it bothered them enough to cancel their next cruise. I spoke to our cabin steward this last week on the Britannia and I think the staff find the two day cruises hard work with the extra work involved.

[john watson]

The only problems I have experienced on two nighters, with my 12 year old daughter accompanying me, relating to hen parties are: a couple of young ladies dancing together who refused to vacate the dance floor so that the Robbie Williams tribute guy could sing and use the area for his dance element and twenty ladies in little black dresses coming out of a cabin near the lifts. I was forced to take a photograph for them as a big group as they trapped us in the lift waiting area. You just have to see how well you can work through this sort of problem, cannot see what might possibly kick-off really.

 

Regards John

[Selbourne]

I am obviously missing something. Why are so many people referring to the staff all having 'extra work' to do on a 2 night cruise? The only issue I can see is that the Cabin Stewards have to do a full bedding change and clean in fairly quick succession. For all other staff there is less work, not more. Restaurants (other than the buffet) don't open for lunch on embarkation day, bars are used less on changeover days, entertainment on short cruises is slightly pared down, there's no captains welcome reception - I could go on. All result in less work, not more. As I say, am I missing something?

[Tarquin]

I am obviously missing something. Why are so many people referring to the staff all having 'extra work' to do on a 2 night cruise? The only issue I can see is that the Cabin Stewards have to do a full bedding change and clean in fairly quick succession. For all other staff there is less work, not more. Restaurants (other than the buffet) don't open for lunch on embarkation day, bars are used less on changeover days, entertainment on short cruises is slightly pared down, there's no captains welcome reception - I could go on. All result in less work, not more. As I say, am I missing something?

 

We've just done the 4 dayer on Ventura and barring a poor showing at afternoon tea on the last day and a severe shortage of decent fayre on the afternoon buffet we found everything to be exceptional. Half way through a review which i'll post soon.

[mandylennon]

Great to see a positive review of Ventura and for the shorter cruises, keep them coming.

[Scriv]

I am obviously missing something. Why are so many people referring to the staff all having 'extra work' to do on a 2 night cruise? The only issue I can see is that the Cabin Stewards have to do a full bedding change and clean in fairly quick succession. For all other staff there is less work, not more. Restaurants (other than the buffet) don't open for lunch on embarkation day, bars are used less on changeover days, entertainment on short cruises is slightly pared down, there's no captains welcome reception - I could go on. All result in less work, not more. As I say, am I missing something?

 

Hi... what you are missing I think is the intensity of the pace on these 2 day cruises. Many parties and large groups and normal 2 night people usually head for the bars and start celebrating en masse straight away on board in the bars..... Bars used less on changeover days? You have never done a 2 nighter, Selbourne, obviously LOL. This continues through the afternoon and through the evening and often through the night. The pubs are full to bursting until very very late and/or early hours and the nightclub bars carry on until dawn sometimes. We have witnessed it ;) . Celebrating goes on too in the cabins - usually full to capacity with groups of friends - and often needing a lot of tidying up after them. I know this having seen inside the doors of some when the steward is valiantly trying to sort out the rooms! Entertainment pared down? Hmm not sure about that - the shows and tributes can be overflowing - and again, drinks also overflowing. There is never the quiet break moment you can experience on a longer cruise..... folk haven't got the time. Serving large celebration groups with food, drink and entertainment is challenging at the best of times - but if any of these then get under the influence of the drink in a not very nice way, handling these revellers can be even harder. OK, so that's why there is extra work lol - and I am sure that's not half of it behind the scenes.:)

Edited May 5, 2017 by Scriv

[Florry]

Hi... what you are missing I think is the intensity of the pace on these 2 day cruises. Many parties and large groups and normal 2 night people usually head for the bars and start celebrating en masse straight away on board in the bars..... Bars used less on changeover days? You have never done a 2 nighter, Selbourne, obviously LOL. This continues through the afternoon and through the evening and often through the night. The pubs are full to bursting until very very late and/or early hours and the nightclub bars carry on until dawn sometimes. We have witnessed it ;) . Celebrating goes on too in the cabins - usually full to capacity with groups of friends - and often needing a lot of tidying up after them. I know this having seen inside the doors of some when the steward is valiantly trying to sort out the rooms! Entertainment pared down? Hmm not sure about that - the shows and tributes can be overflowing - and again, drinks also overflowing. There is never the quiet break moment you can experience on a longer cruise..... folk haven't got the time. Serving large celebration groups with food, drink and entertainment is challenging at the best of times - but if any of these then get under the influence of the drink in a not very nice way, handling these revellers can be even harder. OK, so that's why there is extra work lol - and I am sure that's not half of it behind the scenes.:)

 

 

I'm not sure I have witnessed this extent of partying, I must have been in bed [emoji53] I thought there would be less luggage, hubby and I have a small carry on each - but just seen luggage in hotel lobby and hope those people are doing back to back [emoji23]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums