Summer 2024

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

If there are only a few of us still cruising the experience could be a happy one. We holiday in lots of different ways and enjoy them all. We try and ignore miserable folk on holiday.

Or it could be filled with the new generation of cruisers who wear shorts and hoodies to dinner,  snaffle the pool chairs by 6.30, drink copious pints of lager by the pool while the missus knocks back wine and cocktails while displaying their latest tatoos in previously unmentionable places .... 

 

I can see us all now decked out like a 1950s Movietone day at Margate, Blackpool, or wherever as we make some King Canute like moves to hold back the tide.

 

I try to ignore everyone all of the time never mind on holiday!

Edited March 26, 2022 by Megabear2

[zap99]

8 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Or it could be filled with the new generation of cruisers who wear shorts and hoodies to dinner,  snaffle the pool chairs by 6.30, drink copious pints of lager by the pool while the missus knocks back wine and cocktails while displaying their latest tatoos in previously unmentionable places .... 

 

I can see us all now decked out like a 1950s Movietone day at Margate, Blackpool, or wherever as we make some King Canute like moves to hold back the tide.

 

I try to ignore everyone all of the time never mind on holiday!

You seem to have an interesting outlook on our future. Feeling better are we.?.

[Megabear2]

15 minutes ago, zap99 said:

You seem to have an interesting outlook on our future. Feeling better are we.?.

We are indeed! I've missed all the excitement.

[davecttr]

9 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Or it could be filled with the new generation of cruisers who wear shorts and hoodies to dinner,  snaffle the pool chairs by 6.30, drink copious pints of lager by the pool while the missus knocks back wine and cocktails while displaying their latest tatoos in previously unmentionable places .... 

 

I can see us all now decked out like a 1950s Movietone day at Margate, Blackpool, or wherever as we make some King Canute like moves to hold back the tide.

 

I try to ignore everyone all of the time never mind on holiday!

Reminds me of a couple of cruises on Ventura 😉

[Denarius]

15 hours ago, Selbourne said:

As my wife is disabled and no longer able to fly, I did a solo passengers tour with Riviera Travel to Krakow, which comprised a tour of the city, the salt mines and (the main reason that I went) Aushwitz and Birkenau. I was really impressed with them and the other guests were like minded people who were very easy to get on with. I can recommend them. 

Glad to read that, as I have recently booked two river cruises with them for 2023, one on the Rhone and one on the Rhine/Main/Danube. Have only done one river cruise, with Emerald in 2017, and was very impressed. But unlike Riviera their pricing is not very single friendly unless you can get a special offer.

[Britboys]

I've been reading all the posts about what people now feel about cruising with much interest. I think I am feeling quite ambivalent and confused. I'm someone who adapts to what is happening in some ways but not in others. Whilst I was really very disappointed with all my cancelled cruises due to Covid, I have just got on with it and don't really feel I have missed it.

For a long time I was looking forward to my late summer cruise on Aurora this year but as Covid has just gone on and on and...... I have lost that enthusiasm. I was confident that things would be better well over 2 years after Covid started but now much less so. I very much admire Les's attitude on his current Aurora cruise but tbh, I don't have much desire to pay well over £3000 to eat in the buffet every night.

Added to that, due to my personal choices in cruising, P&O is less attractive to me, including the fact that the itineraries are now just so repetitive and I find thinking about booking a cruise 2 years or more ahead ludicrous.

Decisions, decisions - something I'm hopeless with...😂

[Megabear2]

I still love cruising but am finding P&O itineraries difficult.  I know Molecrochip stated the research says its what people want but all these Norway cruises will only appeal once or twice to their new target audience.  P&O make those cruises cheap on the big ships perhaps a ploy to get people to cruise for a "taster". They aren't alone the amount of ex UK sailings to Norway is extraordinary.

[Angel57]

18 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I've been reading all the posts about what people now feel about cruising with much interest. I think I am feeling quite ambivalent and confused. I'm someone who adapts to what is happening in some ways but not in others. Whilst I was really very disappointed with all my cancelled cruises due to Covid, I have just got on with it and don't really feel I have missed it.

For a long time I was looking forward to my late summer cruise on Aurora this year but as Covid has just gone on and on and...... I have lost that enthusiasm. I was confident that things would be better well over 2 years after Covid started but now much less so. I very much admire Les's attitude on his current Aurora cruise but tbh, I don't have much desire to pay well over £3000 to eat in the buffet every night.

Added to that, due to my personal choices in cruising, P&O is less attractive to me, including the fact that the itineraries are now just so repetitive and I find thinking about booking a cruise 2 years or more ahead ludicrous.

Decisions, decisions - something I'm hopeless with...😂

I am not sure when you are due to pay, but maybe wait a bit longer until the last minute for paying.. 
I think if you are cruising by yourself (and I do think that makes a big difference) and if you not comfortable in the MDR with so many people around you then eating alone in buffet or Glass House is certainly not ideal.

Then there is the cabin. If u in an inside I personally would consider not going, but if in a balcony I think it is worth the risk.

But £3000 is a lot of money to be doing something that you are not going to enjoy as much as you hoped.

Nobody can really help, but how disappointed would you be if you didn’t go?

Gill x

[Windsurfboy]

With the size of new ships , P&O have to have 2 week cruises that fit in with lots of people's holiday entitlement  to fill them.. Not that much you can do from Southampton in two weeks  hence limited variety. So it may mean we will soon exhaust  P&O schedules.

 

It's only cruise lines and ships that cater for the retired that can offer more variety and longer cruises.

 

I share some of the fears above!  But not going during school holidays it will be quieter,  choosing a rear suite with big balcony we will have no worry about sun beds. Hopefully the Epicurean will also offer anoasis of calm at night. Even with eating in Epicurean each night, the price of avria suite is still well under half price of Cunard, who have hiked prices ridiculously.  So new ships have their benefits in price and hopefully variety of entertainment.  Also the new suites look great.

[Britboys]

11 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

I am not sure when you are due to pay, but maybe wait a bit longer until the last minute for paying.. 
I think if you are cruising by yourself (and I do think that makes a big difference) and if you not comfortable in the MDR with so many people around you then eating alone in buffet or Glass House is certainly not ideal.

Then there is the cabin. If u in an inside I personally would consider not going, but if in a balcony I think it is worth the risk.

But £3000 is a lot of money to be doing something that you are not going to enjoy as much as you hoped.

Nobody can really help, but how disappointed would you be if you didn’t go?

Gill x

Thanks for your thoughts Gill. I do have a while yet before the balance is due - the latter end of May. It will be interesting to see where we are with Covid by then. I am indeed sailing solo, which does make a difference depending on what the Covid Protocols are at the time of sailing. I do usually join tablemates to perhaps go to Sindhu once and Glass House once but the menu in both of those venues holds very limited appeal to me. Likewise the Beach House. I'm normally quite happy with the mdr.

I am in an outside cabin on this cruise.

How disappointed would I be if I didn't go? Good question. Probably not as disappointed as I was to lose my San Francisco to Hong Kong on Arcadia last year...

 

[Britboys]

4 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

... It's only cruise lines and ships that cater for the retired that can offer more variety and longer cruises...

But that's one of the other problems with P&O. Although they have the two smaller adult-only ships catering more to a retired demographic and operating longer itineraries, in recent years and going forward to 2024, they are calling largely at the same old ports year in, year out...

[Bill Y]

On 3/24/2022 at 10:02 PM, Megabear2 said:

Perhaps our waning enthusiasm is why P&O are looking for new punters

You may well have hit the nail on the head there!

 

While there are lots of things that make a good cruise for different people, for us it’s the destinations especially the buzz of new ones. Before the pandemic we had started to look elsewhere as the offerings from P&O did not seem to excite, even the world cruise segments were losing their appeal at as the whole cruises had been shortened, this was done by reducing ports of call. So a greater ratio of sea day and sailing past potential stops.

 

When the pandemic stated in earnest, with five cruises booked for 2020-21 including two river cruises we thought that we would go stir crazy without our cruising, but we found that we did not miss them. In fact when one by one they became cancelled or moved we felt relived that we had escaped from the stress and uncertainty of the testing, quarantining and the risk of been stranded abroad for which we were paying good money.

 

So P&O may wish to push their floating fun palaces at a new market of new cruising families with deep pockets, using big name destinations as the lure, but without variety what is to keep them coming back for more. Others have pointed out there are only so many times that you can enjoy a place and despite first impression from the brochure the iconic city may be more than a shuttle ride away.

 

The 24 & 35 night cruises interest us, whereas working families may not be able to get the time off and we keep the ships going though the winter. So hope that P&O still think that we are worth catering for with longer cruises and different ports. As repartition and booze cruises do not appeal, but then we might be in the minority as even cruises to nowhere had their fans.

 

It will be interesting to see if the longer cruises planed for Ventura will be viable ongoing?

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, Bill Y said:

 

 

 

 

When the pandemic stated in earnest, with five cruises booked for 2020-21 including two river cruises we thought that we would go stir crazy without our cruising, but we found that we did not miss them. In fact when one by one they became cancelled or moved we felt relived that we had escaped from the stress and uncertainty of the testing, quarantining and the risk of been stranded abroad for which we were paying good money.

 

 

 

Totally understand that, very much the way I feel

 

We were going on Queen Victoria, in May year. After a lot of thought we paid our balance, and had started to tentatively look forward to it, then Cunard cancelled it, as QV's turn as a support ship had been extended. We were disappointed at first, but there was relief as well. As Covid infections are continuing to rise, the feeling of relief has grown.  It was a lot of money  to spend on an experience where we'd probably not do some of the things that  we enjoy, and spend a lot of time risk assessing and keeping distant. 

[P&O SUE]

I still want to cruise as I hate flying and there are places I still want to go to that are easier by cruise! A lot of you moan the Med itineraries are boring but I haven’t been to many of those places! I’ve holidayed a lot in Britain when the kids were little so I don’t hanker to see ‘unseen places’ here. 
We’re people who tend to always enjoy our holidays but the prices in the UK were shocking last year.

Having said that I’ve moved my 14 night Med cruise in June to Oct 2023 but kept my 3 night one coming soon to try it, but there’s a lot of stress with all the extra paperwork and the dreaded worry of failing testing at the port. However I’ve found myself getting excited thinking of clothes to take etc. The familiar buzz! Then I remember I mustn’t get too excited just in case!

 

Having said all that I’m really looking forward to our holiday to Guernsey in June! Going by catamaran.

 

No cruise jumped out at me in the 2024 cruises for various reasons though…

[Windsurfboy]

Pre registered and got my cabin number , worked very well,  aft suite on deck 14. High enough from noise if sunset bar and only a few sets is stairs to Epicurean. 

 

Still think P&O is great value.

[tring]

I knew we had no interest in summer 2024, especially with the itineraries published, but am a tad surprised to see only one person reporting a booking.  Certainly seems like the potential parting of P&O and us oldies is pretty mutual, or is it that people no longer see the launch prices as the lowest likely to be available?  If so, we have been thinking that as well - do not see how P&O can attract new cruisers who will steadfastly repeat the same itineraries year on year.

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

2 minutes ago, tring said:

I knew we had no interest in summer 2024, especially with the itineraries published, but am a tad surprised to see only one person reporting a booking.  Certainly seems like the potential parting of P&O and us oldies is pretty mutual, or is it that people no longer see the launch prices as the lowest likely to be available?  If so, we have been thinking that as well - do not see how P&O can attract new cruisers who will steadfastly repeat the same itineraries year on year.

 

 

 

Haven't  been on P&O for 7 years , so almost a new customer.  Been using Cunard, who are recently milking QG,  prices approaching Silversea and Seabourn. So I'm moving on,  trying a experiment.  Seeing if  Arvia suite with huge balcony  , dining in Epicurean and Sindhu every night and choice of all big ship entertainment works for us, if so a huge saving.  Also looking to book Silversea..

 

However agree unless P&O adds new intineraries  even if we like this option will soon run out of cruises 

[yorkshirephil]

8 minutes ago, tring said:

I knew we had no interest in summer 2024, especially with the itineraries published, but am a tad surprised to see only one person reporting a booking.  Certainly seems like the potential parting of P&O and us oldies is pretty mutual, or is it that people no longer see the launch prices as the lowest likely to be available?  If so, we have been thinking that as well - do not see how P&O can attract new cruisers who will steadfastly repeat the same itineraries year on year.

 

 

There are quite a few booked, three of us on here doing the Canaries to Malta repositioning. As you say a lot of same old same itineraries, we didn't think we would find anything until we saw the longer Azura repositioning cruise, if it were not for the fact we are doing the Greek isles on Aurora Oct 23 we would have booked the 26/27 night cruise. We settled for the 19 nights Canaries to Malta and at less than £1,200 pp it is a steal, I wouldn't bet on it not going down a bit more but we are happy with that price, the weird thing is that if you join the ship in Tenerife the day before it is almost £200 pp more. These cruises  won't suit a lot of the P&O faithful as they don't cruise from Southampton but as much as I dislike flying it will do for me, plus we don't get the risk of the cooler wetter days in March crossing the BoB. We were originally booked on Iona March 2023 to Canaries so we have just swapped and with very little price difference for the extra 5 days.

[Astrajet]

13 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

we are doing the Greek isles on Aurora Oct 23

We are on that one too!  We booked it as a replacement for last October's similar cruise on Aurora which was cancelled. 

See you on board!

Edited April 2, 2022 by Astrajet

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

There are quite a few booked, three of us on here doing the Canaries to Malta repositioning

We are booked on the March 2023 repo, but will probably cancel, and book a Princess Med cruise instead.

 

[tring]

38 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Haven't  been on P&O for 7 years , so almost a new customer.  Been using Cunard, who are recently milking QG,  prices approaching Silversea and Seabourn. So I'm moving on,  trying a experiment.  Seeing if  Arvia suite with huge balcony  , dining in Epicurean and Sindhu every night and choice of all big ship entertainment works for us, if so a huge saving.  Also looking to book Silversea..

 

However agree unless P&O adds new intineraries  even if we like this option will soon run out of cruises 

 

I think trying new things is something a lot of people are doing for various reasons.  Seems a good time to explore possibilities, hope it goes well for you.

 

For our part we are forgoing having our holidays planned before us in detail to seeing what is available last minute, or what we just fancy doing at the time, whilst still having some advance bookings in place.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by tring

[Waju]

We all know the itineraries for the next 3 summers (including this one) and I'm REALLY said to say nothing really appeals to me anymore.  We're doing Azura for 2 weeks this year, even though I hate flying, but to be honest we felt 'pressured into it really as a swap for the Baltics.  We could have changed to next year but the prices made my eyes water.

 

We'll see how things go now and not be in a rush to book years ahead anymore, we are in a position to go at the drop of a hat if a bargain pops up so perhaps that's the way forward for us.

 

 

[silkworms]

On 3/30/2022 at 5:49 PM, Windsurfboy said:

Pre registered and got my cabin number , worked very well,  aft suite on deck 14. High enough from noise if sunset bar and only a few sets is stairs to Epicurean. 

 

Still think P&O is great value.

Epicurian is more forward than aft on Arvia but the walk there and  back will be really good for breakfast every morning! The balconies look

great on the aft suites, we’ve gone for deck 12 as read about showers 

from the infinity pool reaching over the top balconies, hoping they

have been able to fix this after knowing it happens on Iona.

 

Terri

[tring]

27 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

There are quite a few booked, three of us on here doing the Canaries to Malta repositioning. As you say a lot of same old same itineraries, we didn't think we would find anything until we saw the longer Azura repositioning cruise, if it were not for the fact we are doing the Greek isles on Aurora Oct 23 we would have booked the 26/27 night cruise. We settled for the 19 nights Canaries to Malta and at less than £1,200 pp it is a steal, I wouldn't bet on it not going down a bit more but we are happy with that price, the weird thing is that if you join the ship in Tenerife the day before it is almost £200 pp more. These cruises  won't suit a lot of the P&O faithful as they don't cruise from Southampton but as much as I dislike flying it will do for me, plus we don't get the risk of the cooler wetter days in March crossing the BoB. We were originally booked on Iona March 2023 to Canaries so we have just swapped and with very little price difference for the extra 5 days.

 

Ahh, presumably chatted about on another thread. 

 

We have both Oct '22 and March '23 Azura repositionings (16 and 20 nights), already booked on good launch prices, so will see how they go first, though have had thoughts of other things which would clash with those, so we may just change them nearer the time.  Otherwise, fly cruises are much more our thing as seems little point in travelling to the south coast to spend so long at sea going to/from a cruise destination.  Though if we do fly, we would always prefer to combine with a land hol or spend longer than 14 nights on a ship on a ship, so those itineraries can be very good for us.  Just the time of year when weather down there is fairly reliable as well, but not too hot.  The weather here is not likely to be good either, so a good escape.

 

 

[terrierjohn]

51 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Haven't  been on P&O for 7 years , so almost a new customer.  Been using Cunard, who are recently milking QG,  prices approaching Silversea and Seabourn. So I'm moving on,  trying a experiment.  Seeing if  Arvia suite with huge balcony  , dining in Epicurean and Sindhu every night and choice of all big ship entertainment works for us, if so a huge saving.  Also looking to book Silversea..

 

However agree unless P&O adds new intineraries  even if we like this option will soon run out of cruises 

I suspect that P&O, as well as the other  big cruise lines, will be following the US formula of routine cruises on the large "resort" style ships, especially on warm weather itineraries.