We've jumped ship from Celebrity to P&O

[kevinyork]

We’ve been with P&O on 5 two week cruises and Celebrity on 7. Given a free choice we would always choose Celebrity. Better food, much better service, classy ships. Yes, they can be more expensive but we have the luxury of flexibility so we keep an eye out for a deal. We are on Eclipse, 12 nights from Barcelona in early Sep in a balcony for £1200pp including free drinks. We think that’s great value. We would now only book P&O if it was considerably less.

 

 

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[Presto2]

We have booked P&O - first cruise - and now I’m worried! It wasn’t even that cheap!!

 

You will LOVE it -------- nothing like the first cruise ;-)

[mrsgoggins]

I certainly understand where the OP is coming from. Celebrity has been my favourite cruise line so far (we also choose Aqua cabins often), except for Viking Oceans but at their prices, that is a 'special occasion' cruise line for us. There are none I would not sail with again ..... caveat, another RCL cruise out of Southampton would make me think twice! We are taking our first P&O cruise next month and despite having more Celebrity in the pipeline, their prices are becoming eye-watering, especially for Mediterranean cruises.

 

I am hoping to love the P&O cruise on Azura :D.

[Presto2]

Exactly,until now my place of work dictated that we too have been stuck with the school holidays,in which case,unlike many forum posters we just have to go with whoever is offering something we fancy & can afford at that time,choosing which cruise line hasn't really been an option,I have retired now,off to Barbados to join Britannia on her return cruise to the UK soon,seems wierd taking a 'big' holiday this time of year!

Now we are jealous .... enjoy that big holiday :-)

 

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[snaefell]

Now we are jealous .... enjoy that big holiday :-)

 

Certain will,it is brilliant being able to take the time when you want without having to battle for it,in the past we often used to travel abroad in September,the prices,crowds & temperature all become more bearable.

 

Don't wish to be old too soon though!

[scifimonkey]

Today we cancelled our September 2019 cruise on Celebrity Silhouette and changed to the similar cruise on Britannia, an extra 3 days and considerably cheaper than we were due to pay on Celebrity (albeit in Aqua Class).

 

 

 

We have only ever sailed Celebrity, with our next cruise in August this year, which unless prices decrease might be our last.

 

 

 

Any comments or tips appreciated on what we can expect from anyone who has sailed on both.

 

 

 

We have sailed with both and on balance slightly prefer Celebrity but not by much. Its really the S class ships which are just brilliantly laid out and as we often have a suite ( there are three of us) the perks are better. But like you we are currently choking on the huge uplift in Celebrity prices and will be more than happily sailing with P&O at more sensible prices until the disparity in value is rectified.

 

 

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[yuvraj]

I found reading through this thread really interesting. I agree with many of the comments but at the same time see things a little differently. I see two different experiences, apples and pears. You are going to like one or the other, perhaps both but best not to compare because they are different.

 

With P&O I am a little cautious over which ship I book because I don't believe the small ships have enough on board that appeal to me. With the large ships, I like the choice of speciality restaurants, food which caters for British tastes, good choice of tea and decent enough evening entertainment. I find deserts superior on P&O. Overall it is good VFM and I find sailing with P&O relaxing and enjoyable.

 

With Celebrity, I found standards of service higher and every aspect of the cruise was enjoyable. The speciality restaurants offered were the best I have been on any cruise line. Choice of wine wasn't as great as P&O. As far as food in MDR was concerned, there was a US bias although quality was good. I thought the shows were better as was the casino.

 

On balance I like P&O because it offers a British experience. If you don't enjoy trying the wine in the Glass House or eating in any of the speciality restaurants then I believe the appeal does diminish quite a lot.

 

It's like comparing Blackpool to Las Vegas. Blackpool has an unusual, British charm which you either going to love or hate. Few would argue however that it is better than Las Vegas. Some would say that the two offer different experiences that shouldn't be compared.

[Presto2]

[quote name=yuvraj;55655154}

 

 

It's like comparing Blackpool to Las Vegas. Blackpool has an unusual' date=' British charm which you either going to love or hate. Few would argue however that it is better than Las Vegas. Some would say that the two offer different experiences that shouldn't be compared.[/quote]

 

A great way of looking at it, though I would say that P&O is more upmarket than Blackpool (and YES we go there every October for the lights so do know!). TOTALLY agree that it is apples and oranges. We love both cruise lines - there are positives and negatives for both. Just love both - as our signature shows :-)

[mickey89]

Today we cancelled our September 2019 cruise on Celebrity Silhouette and changed to the similar cruise on Britannia, an extra 3 days and considerably cheaper than we were due to pay on Celebrity (albeit in Aqua Class).

We have sailed both and much prefer Celebrity. Your September Celebrity Cruise I assume was 11night Canary Cruise from Southampton. A deck 6 balcony cabin is about £3K whilst Aqua is over £5K and definitely not value for money. Both Celebrity and P&O main dining room food is poor although Celebrity is better.

We always choose deck6 cabin with the specialty dining package, eating in Murano every night is heaven.

 

Changing to P&O will be a culture shock, I hope you have a better experience on Britannia than we did.

Edited March 25, 2018 by mickey89

[kevinyork]

We have sailed both and much prefer Celebrity. Your September Celebrity Cruise I assume was 11night Canary Cruise from Southampton. A deck 6 balcony cabin is about £3K whilst Aqua is over £5K and definitely not value for money. Both Celebrity and P&O main dining room food is poor although Celebrity is better.

We always choose deck6 cabin with the specialty dining package, eating in Murano every night is heaven.

 

Changing to P&O will be a culture shock, I hope you have a better experience on Britannia than we did.

 

 

 

The 14 night Med cruises in Sep reverses this price differential.

 

Britannia - obstructed Balcony, Select price £3000pp with £300 on board credit.

 

Silhouette- obstructed Balcony, choice of cabin and dining, £2,200pp with drinks package and $300 on board credit.

 

 

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