Age of p&o cruisers

[Bazrat]

 

On the subject of p&o aiming for a different market nothing stands still if it does it disappears,P&O also realised there is a market for adult only cruises which is the main reason we booked with them.

[majortom10]

A few years ago was told by a senior officer at a Peninsular Club tier lunch that P&O were aiming at attracting younger couples onboard because they spent more onboard on alcohol and speciality restaurants because the traditional "old school" P&O cruisers have been used to in the past to have not had to pay for anything as there were no speciality restaurants or pay for coffee lounges i.e. Costa onboard. They therefore except for alcohol didnt have very high amounts on their onboard account and they wanted to attract younger couples because their logic was that younger couples spent more therefore higher profits.

Edited April 22, 2019 by majortom10

[ann141]

9 hours ago, Tom Marton said:

With you there. The 'special' has vanished with P&O over recent years, and it's now a shadow of what it used to be.

 

The clientèle has also changed, and not for the better. We used to meet a lot of fellow professionals onboard and enjoyed their company. I think they've either given up cruising or switched to a less downmarket operation. 

I too am interested in Sociology and whereas it might be interesting to discuss how cruising has changed in recent years, I find some of your remarks (although you state they are observational not judgemental)condescending.I find there tends to be a wide variety of guests on P and O and I prefer to mix with those who are interesting to chat to, who are polite and respectful of others opinions .I am not concerned with which paper they read or which socio economic group they belong to

Edited April 22, 2019 by ann141

[AndyMichelle]

9 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I too am interested in Sociology and whereas it might be interesting to discuss how cruising has changed in recent years, I find some of your remarks (although you state they are observational not judgemental)condescending.I find there tends to be a wide variety of guests on P and O and I prefer to mix with those who are interesting to chat to, who are polite and respectful of others opinions .I am not concerned with which paper they read or which socio economic group they belong to

Well said Ann.

Interesting people come from all walks of life.

Andy

[Narrow boat girl]

Gosh I cannot believe that such a broad spectrum of people that come from what is in effect is a random sample of ages, backgrounds etc can be so judge mental. We are going on our first cruise, it has cost us in comparison to our various other holidays, what we consider quite a lot of money.

We both come from professional backgrounds of education and environmental engineering but it feels like because we are going with P and O we are slumming it and by the way we come from Yorkshire

[davecttr]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

A few years ago was told by a senior officer at a Peninsular Club tier lunch that P&O were aiming at attracting younger couples onboard because they spent more onboard on alcohol and speciality restaurants because the traditional "old school" P&O cruisers have been used to in the past to have not had to pay for anything as there were no speciality restaurants or pay for coffee lounges i.e. Costa onboard. They therefore except for alcohol didnt have very high amounts on their onboard account and they wanted to attract younger couples because their logic was that younger couples spent more therefore higher profits.

I think Princess? conducted a survey that showed the more cruises passengers had taken the less their onboard spend. as a lot of the profit comes from the onboard spend they don't really care for those who have completed hundreds of cruises and spend nothing.

[daiB]

15 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I think Princess? conducted a survey that showed the more cruises passengers had taken the less their onboard spend. as a lot of the profit comes from the onboard spend they don't really care for those who have completed hundreds of cruises and spend nothing.

We must be the exception then as last cruise we went to all Ventura’s paid establishments some more than once.

 

Its all well and good aiming for a younger set of passengers, not a bad thing ant to be encouraged, but you are not going to get large numbers of smilies cruising in most of September, October, November January, February and March. Half the year. So they still have to attract the younger retired cruisers who have the time and money to cruise.

[P-L-B]

2 hours ago, Narrow boat girl said:

Gosh I cannot believe that such a broad spectrum of people that come from what is in effect is a random sample of ages, backgrounds etc can be so judge mental. We are going on our first cruise, it has cost us in comparison to our various other holidays, what we consider quite a lot of money.

We both come from professional backgrounds of education and environmental engineering but it feels like because we are going with P and O we are slumming it and by the way we come from Yorkshire

I agree with your comments and analysis.

 

I have often wondered what cruise newbies make of some of the comments found on the forum.

They generally come for useful practical advice and are usually understandably apprehensive and nervous about what to expect from their first cruise.

Therefore, some of the comments they read must make them wonder what they are letting themselves into and if they have made the right choice.

Rest assured thankfully not all of your fellow passengers are as judgmental as some appear to be on here.

We have been cruising with P&O for several years now and have met some wonderful people and have many fantastic memories. Long may that continue.

I am sure you will have a great cruise and like many others you may get the cruising bug and want to continue cruising.

 

BTW, personally we have never felt that we were slumming it with P&O 

Edited April 23, 2019 by P-L-B

[Rupert2251]

9 hours ago, Narrow boat girl said:

Gosh I cannot believe that such a broad spectrum of people that come from what is in effect is a random sample of ages, backgrounds etc can be so judge mental. We are going on our first cruise, it has cost us in comparison to our various other holidays, what we consider quite a lot of money.

We both come from professional backgrounds of education and environmental engineering but it feels like because we are going with P and O we are slumming it and by the way we come from Yorkshire

As I've said before on some of the other threads, take no notice of some of the comments posted. Some people can give very useful information others just like to stir the spoon. I have sailed with P&O for many years and never felt like I was slumming it. Enjoy your first cruise, you develop a special bond with your first ship and you will definitely get the bug!

[Dermotsgirl]

I went on my first cruise in 2001, and it never crossed my mind to look at internet forums before I went - I'm glad, as I may have decided that I didn't fancy the idea of cruising after all!

 

P&O was, and still is, a cruiseline with broad appeal, and the people that cruise on their ships are a large cross section of society.

 

I'm not particularly interested in socio-economic categories.  I'm more concerned about interesting people, no matter what their background is. 

 

I think cruising has become more affordable. For example, my 19 night cruise in a balcony cabin on Azura in September is the same price we paid for our first 2001 cruise which was 14 nights in a balcony cabin on Aurora.  

 

As prices have remained affordable,, it means I've been able to cruise twice a year.  If prices had gone up with inflation, I'd probably only be able to cruise once every couple of years. However, I don't regard P&O fares as low - we consider our outlay on cruises as a major purchase, and, as we are now retired, live fairly modestly for most of the year in order to afford our cruises.

 

 

[Denarius]

An interesting thread!

To answer the original question, I am 71 and have been cruising for 25 years. My first cruise was with Cunard in 1994, my first P&O cruise was in 1997.

My  personal observation at that time was that whilst Cunard were more formal, P&O were more pretentious. Cunard seemed to revel in the cosmopolitan nature of their passengers, P&O regarded themselves very much as Middle England at sea. Indicative of the latter attitude were P&Os organised special gatherings for groups such as Rotarians, Freemasons and Masonic widows -  but not Rastafarians or Buffs. :) Cunard did not organise anything for these groups but organised gatherings for Friends of Dorothy and Bill Wilson, something which would have been unthinkable for PO at the time. PO has imo changed much for the better in the ensuing years and is now a much broader church.

[Clodia]

On 4/23/2019 at 4:09 PM, Dermotsgirl said:

I went on my first cruise in 2001, and it never crossed my mind to look at internet forums before I went - I'm glad, as I may have decided that I didn't fancy the idea of cruising after all!

 

P&O was, and still is, a cruiseline with broad appeal, and the people that cruise on their ships are a large cross section of society.

 

I'm not particularly interested in socio-economic categories.  I'm more concerned about interesting people, no matter what their background is. 

 

I think cruising has become more affordable. For example, my 19 night cruise in a balcony cabin on Azura in September is the same price we paid for our first 2001 cruise which was 14 nights in a balcony cabin on Aurora.  

 

As prices have remained affordable,, it means I've been able to cruise twice a year.  If prices had gone up with inflation, I'd probably only be able to cruise once every couple of years. However, I don't regard P&O fares as low - we consider our outlay on cruises as a major purchase, and, as we are now retired, live fairly modestly for most of the year in order to afford our cruises.

 

 

I agree that prices have if anything decreased in relative terms. I'm 62, had my first cruise on Victoria in 2000, and paid almost as much for 14 nights per person as my friend and I paid back then. However, i pay more now because I cruise solo more since I retired.

Aurora seems to be the exception to this with some "popular" itineraries; when I was quoted £6500 for a cruise in Autumn 2019 for solo occupancy of a balcony, my reply was that I could go with Silversea for that. So I am. 

I've always liked P and O and while I've tried other lines I've always come back to them. Don't know whether Silversea will spoil me for them though.

[john watson]

On 4/22/2019 at 11:10 PM, davecttr said:

I think Princess? conducted a survey that showed the more cruises passengers had taken the less their onboard spend. as a lot of the profit comes from the on board spend they don't really care for those who have completed hundreds of cruises and spend nothing.

 

Whilst this may be true, you also have to remember that year on year additional bigger and bigger ships appear which need to be filled.  I think they need everyone they can get to book on board.  Ships like Iona have no Club Dining and are also moving into other new ideas which I assume are aimed at newcomers as well as being trialled on a success/failure basis.

 

Regards John

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, john watson said:

 

Whilst this may be true, you also have to remember that year on year additional bigger and bigger ships appear which need to be filled.  I think they need everyone they can get to book on board.  Ships like Iona have no Club Dining and are also moving into other new ideas which I assume are aimed at newcomers as well as being trialled on a success/failure basis.

 

Regards John

I've booked Iona for March 2021, and I thought the fare was very reasonable indeed.  As you say, they expect that people will spend more on board, what with all the various dining options, and they'll make their profit from their 'captive' audience.  

 

I would add that I fully intend try the various alternative dining venues

[daiB]

35 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I've booked Iona for March 2021, and I thought the fare was very reasonable indeed.  As you say, they expect that people will spend more on board, what with all the various dining options, and they'll make their profit from their 'captive' audience.  

 

I would add that I fully intend try the various alternative dining venues

So you are going to spend spend spend. Funnily enough, so are we and we could be on the same cruise.

 

I agree about the price, very good one of the cheapest we have booked in 20 years.

[Hobson1754]

On 4/22/2019 at 3:34 PM, molecrochip said:

 

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Hobson1754

[Hobson1754]

Having seen a couple of previous posts relating to P & O becoming akin to Butlins and this being our first P & O cruise, I was seriously thinking of cancelling our Caribbean cruise booked on Brittania for next January. However after speaking to my TA and seeing this and some further responses I’m feeling a little more settled that the general feeling is that the  shorter cruises may tend to be more Butlins! This paired with the fact that some might have had a negative experience  which isn’t the norm. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with Butlins but don’t think it’s particularly for us - especially not for what we’re paying! I’m well aware that cruising isn’t the same as it used to be when we first cruised - about 25 years ago - but things never stay the same and I’m sure that we’ll have a good holiday. Unfortunately what we miss now is the ‘Wow’ factor you used to get at dinner when your meal was placed in front of you.  Think it has to do partly with quality not being as good but also, as time goes on you tend to get used to quality & expect better and better.

[Windsurfboy]

I would like to reply to this topic in terms of economics. 

 

Firstly  PROFIT comes firstly from a full ship, empty rooms have a far bigger impact on PROFIT, than a bit extra on board spend. Of course if you can fill a ship with high spenders great. However the economics of a ship are such that, a ship 75% full of high spenders makes less money than a ship full of medium low spenders. 

 

Not all older passengers are low spenders, we may not hit the bars till the wee hours, but the folders passengers will most likely be those buying good/expensive wine, and an after dinner cognac.

 

Secondly if you want to fill a ship do you want those who can afford the occasional cruise, or the who go year in year out and often on multiple cruises.

 

If you look at the OECD statistics, 95% of the wealth of the world is in the hands of the over 55's , 90% plus in the over 60's.  Young brand managers often repeat the mantra, we must capture the youth market as the are the future. Whereas those with more experience know the key to success is "To follow the money". Many of today's pensioners, still have golden ticket of final salary pensions, no mortgage, the dispoablr income and t ime to cruise more than once a year. Turning your back on this market is dangerous. 

 

[molecrochip]

3 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

Having seen a couple of previous posts relating to P & O becoming akin to Butlins and this being our first P & O cruise, I was seriously thinking of cancelling our Caribbean cruise booked on Brittania for next January. However after speaking to my TA and seeing this and some further responses I’m feeling a little more settled that the general feeling is that the  shorter cruises may tend to be more Butlins! This paired with the fact that some might have had a negative experience  which isn’t the norm. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with Butlins but don’t think it’s particularly for us - especially not for what we’re paying! I’m well aware that cruising isn’t the same as it used to be when we first cruised - about 25 years ago - but things never stay the same and I’m sure that we’ll have a good holiday. Unfortunately what we miss now is the ‘Wow’ factor you used to get at dinner when your meal was placed in front of you.  Think it has to do partly with quality not being as good but also, as time goes on you tend to get used to quality & expect better and better.

I would agree - go enjoy yourselves. I think it’s still 99% what you make of it.

 

I tend to find the Caribbean cruises to be more laid back and chilled. Certainly not like a four day break to Amsterdam!

[Harry Peterson]

6 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

Having seen a couple of previous posts relating to P & O becoming akin to Butlins and this being our first P & O cruise, I was seriously thinking of cancelling our Caribbean cruise booked on Brittania for next January. However after speaking to my TA and seeing this and some further responses I’m feeling a little more settled that the general feeling is that the  shorter cruises may tend to be more Butlins! This paired with the fact that some might have had a negative experience  which isn’t the norm. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with Butlins but don’t think it’s particularly for us - especially not for what we’re paying! I’m well aware that cruising isn’t the same as it used to be when we first cruised - about 25 years ago - but things never stay the same and I’m sure that we’ll have a good holiday. Unfortunately what we miss now is the ‘Wow’ factor you used to get at dinner when your meal was placed in front of you.  Think it has to do partly with quality not being as good but also, as time goes on you tend to get used to quality & expect better and better.

Our recent 12 day cruise was certainly Butlins. If that’s what customers want, and they do appear to, so be it.

 

It’s not what we want though. And it’s gone that way even within the last 7 years.

[Bazrat]

14 minutes ago, docco said:

Our recent 12 day cruise was certainly Butlins. If that’s what customers want, and they do appear to, so be it.

 

It’s not what we want though. And it’s gone that way even within the last 7 years.

You seam to be in the minority docco but you have well documented your dislike of p&o,as I have never been to butlins I cannot compare them but your comparison must obviously mean you can

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, Bazrat said:

You seam to be in the minority docco but you have well documented your dislike of p&o,as I have never been to butlins I cannot compare them but your comparison must obviously mean you can

Indeed I can. I know both very well indeed. Butlins is fine in its own way, as is P&O. It’s the convergence of the two that’s surprised me over recent years.

 

Not a great surprise really, since both are competing for a very similar target audience now, as P&O offers prices aimed at filling its large ships.

[Bazrat]

8 minutes ago, docco said:

Indeed I can. I know both very well indeed. Butlins is fine in its own way, as is P&O. It’s the convergence of the two that’s surprised me over recent years.

 

Not a great surprise really, since both are competing for a very similar target audience now, as P&O offers prices aimed at filling its large ships.

Interesting we watched a few videos on other cruise ships with water slides go carts etc,which is really not our thing especially when one person said it was ok to wear shorts in all the dining rooms apart from one funny enough that was not p&o.

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, Hobson1754 said:

Having seen a couple of previous posts relating to P & O becoming akin to Butlins and this being our first P & O cruise, I was seriously thinking of cancelling our Caribbean cruise booked on Brittania for next January. However after speaking to my TA and seeing this and some further responses I’m feeling a little more settled that the general feeling is that the  shorter cruises may tend to be more Butlins! This paired with the fact that some might have had a negative experience  which isn’t the norm. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with Butlins but don’t think it’s particularly for us - especially not for what we’re paying! I’m well aware that cruising isn’t the same as it used to be when we first cruised - about 25 years ago - but things never stay the same and I’m sure that we’ll have a good holiday. Unfortunately what we miss now is the ‘Wow’ factor you used to get at dinner when your meal was placed in front of you.  Think it has to do partly with quality not being as good but also, as time goes on you tend to get used to quality & expect better and better.

 

Try not to worry. You will have a great time. Personally I don't think any cruise line is perfect and we have learned to make our cruise what we want it to be. Everyone is different and we find that a cruise on P&O gives us the chance to do just that. There is something for everyone. If you don't fancy something and think it is a 'bit Butlins' then don't do it. There are some activities that we avoid like the plague but others love. Are these activities wrong? No, just right for some people and wrong for others.

 

Britannia is a lovely ship - well we think so - and would sail on her in the Caribbean in a heartbeat. Will it all be perfect all of the time? Guess not. Where is? Have yet to find a hotel on land or sea that is 100% perfect.

 

Our ideal cruise is: comfortable and clean accommodation, great sea views, a lovely cabin, wonderful, friendly staff, great fellow passengers, a fabulous itinerary where we see new place, the chance to dress up if we want to, good food and entertainment to suit everyone. Oh, and it doesn't break the bank !!!! I would say that all of our P&O cruises have provided this and continue to do so.

 

 

 

 

[grapau27]

51 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

Try not to worry. You will have a great time. Personally I don't think any cruise line is perfect and we have learned to make our cruise what we want it to be. Everyone is different and we find that a cruise on P&O gives us the chance to do just that. There is something for everyone. If you don't fancy something and think it is a 'bit Butlins' then don't do it. There are some activities that we avoid like the plague but others love. Are these activities wrong? No, just right for some people and wrong for others.

 

Britannia is a lovely ship - well we think so - and would sail on her in the Caribbean in a heartbeat. Will it all be perfect all of the time? Guess not. Where is? Have yet to find a hotel on land or sea that is 100% perfect.

 

Our ideal cruise is: comfortable and clean accommodation, great sea views, a lovely cabin, wonderful, friendly staff, great fellow passengers, a fabulous itinerary where we see new place, the chance to dress up if we want to, good food and entertainment to suit everyone. Oh, and it doesn't break the bank !!!! I would say that all of our P&O cruises have provided this and continue to do so.

 

 

 

 

I agree with this.

To the op for a better meal and ambience there are the speciallity restaurants like Epicurean.

Now that P&O have banned lots of alcohol being brought on board at every port you will certainly notice a better atmosphere around the ship.

Edited May 1, 2019 by grapau27