Just back from our Britannia Cruise. Some thoughts...

[Megabear2]

19 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You didn't say that you had just come back from Britannia.  You said that your last cruise was on Azura.

You also said that you didnt want to cruise with P&O again. 

So, why did you change your mind ?

 

Actually Loveheart started the thread regarding the Britannia cruise he/she just returned from.  The Azura cruise was mentioned as the one previous to the one on Britannia under discussion.

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, loveheart said:

I started this thread so I did in fact say that I had just come back from Britannia. I  also said that my recent experience didn't  make me want to sail on Britannia or any other P&O ship but I never said I wouldn't book with them ever again. 

I didn't realise that you were the OP. Your later posts were ambivalent. 

I apologise if I have upset you.

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Actually Loveheart started the thread regarding the Britannia cruise he/she just returned from.  The Azura cruise was mentioned as the one previous to the one on Britannia under discussion.

It's all getting very messy!  So where does Azura fit in ? I've lost track ,

Anyway, I have apologised for any upset I may have caused. 

[loveheart]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I didn't realise that you were the OP. Your later posts were ambivalent. 

I apologise if I have upset you.

No worries. Goodnight x

[Megabear2]

Just now, wowzz said:

It's all getting very messy!  So where does Azura fit in ? I've lost track ,

Anyway, I have apologised for any upset I may have caused. 

I believe Loveheart's cruise on Britannia was their third P&O cruise the previous ones being on Azura pre 2019.  RCI and Celebrity were mentioned as alternative comparisons.  I think the point being made was Britannia was okay but not up to the standard previous cruises achieved.

[wowzz]

Just now, Megabear2 said:

I believe Loveheart's cruise on Britannia was their third P&O cruise the previous ones being on Azura pre 2019.  RCI and Celebrity were mentioned as alternative comparisons.  I think the point being made was Britannia was okay but not up to the standard previous cruises achieved.

Thanks - you are obviously paying a lot more attention than I am !

[AndyMichelle]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

 So where does Azura fit in ? I've lost track 

Ha ha... 

This is hilarious... 

Read back Wowzz, second reply to this thread and the first person to mention Azura was you!!!

Thank you for making me smile

Andy 

[Selbourne]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

Without wanting to be unkind,  that means your last cruise with P&O was prior to 2018. 

I'm not therefore sure why your opinion is of any relevance.  

Still, as you will never be sailing with P&O again, we can disregard your comments.

As a general point, I never really follow the logic of why the opinions of those who haven’t cruised since pre Covid are irrelevant. Has the P&O product really changed beyond all recognition over the past few years?

 

Aside from one or two very minor refits (which seem to mostly be about carpets!), from my reading of the reviews from those who have cruised recently, nothing major has changed. In fact it could be argued that the majority of noticeable changes are, if anything, negative.
 

Whilst all these points certainly haven’t been mentioned by every reviewer, the things that I have read include fewer staff, some services withdrawn (some questionably under the excuse of Covid), speciality restaurants being closed, smaller portions in MDR’s, less shows, apps that aren’t apps and are temperamental, even more port changes than normal, maintenance problems (plumbing etc) caused by lay-overs, cabin quarantine, quarantine zones and the associated last minute cabin changes for those who have paid Select fares to avoid this plus, of course, all the testing rigmaroles.
 

It could be that I’ve missed some comments about things that have significantly improved during the last few years (other than the obvious fewer passengers, which is a temporary phenomenon), but my point is that I fail to see why the experiences that those of us had pre-Covid (in our case, every P&O ship up to Nov 2019) is suddenly rendered irrelevant by all the above factors? Put another way, if someone found P&O to be a bit lacking in some respects pre 2020, what has changed for the better over the last two years to mean that these observations are no longer relevant? I’m not being sarcastic BTW, I am genuinely interested to know, as we have P&O bookings for next year on Iona and Ventura and I am currently concerned about them. 

[Selbourne]

8 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I agree with you, we also thought Britannia was looking to be in good condition, and the extra cleaning especially in the Horizon Court was very noticeable, carpets were well cleaned between busy periods, and the tables seemed to be cleaned more effectively as they were vacated.

Of course we had nothing go wrong, so maybe that helped us to have a rosier tinted view.

Many of the missing things like the turn down service, did not cause us the sort of inconveniences we had been expecting, and overall we thought it felt almost like pre covid cruises.. Even before covid we had stopped bothering with the Peninsular drinks parties, they were far too crowded and the canapes and scarce drinks made it feel like a wasted 1-2 hours.  However we did enjoy the Baltic and Ligurian lunch, and I do hope they bring back the officer hosted tables once covid is resigned to history.

We returned from our cruise really looking forward to our next foray in October.

Delighted to hear that you had a good cruise John. Can I just ask, were there any noticeable changes that affect wheelchair users or their ‘pushers’?

[Dermotsgirl]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

Without wanting to be unkind,  that means your last cruise with P&O was prior to 2018. 

I'm not therefore sure why your opinion is of any relevance.  

Still, as you will never be sailing with P&O again, we can disregard your comments.

Just a heads up Wowzz, I haven’t cruised since before Covid, I now have no P&O Cruises booked, and I may not cruise with P&O again, so you can now start disregarding everything I say.. 

[gsmt47471015]

11 hours ago, Bazrat said:

Just out of interest are the prices similar, and are the flights included in the price, plus do you have to tip onboard 

Prices are only slightly higher,  our flights were included, and yes you have to tip, or should I say they are added to your account ,you can of course have them taken off . Konningsdam is two or three years newer than Britannia but it felt like it was new , everything worked (toilets etc) and full glass shower cubicles in the staterooms which felt quite plush, drinks prices are higher than P and O however we were put on the have it all package before boarding (nice surprise) and allowing for our obc we came off the ship with them owing us money!!!! Which they paid into our account the next day. The one small negative was the MDR as the choices were at times bizarre but the ship, the decor , the service and entertainment were excellent 

[terrierjohn]

23 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Delighted to hear that you had a good cruise John. Can I just ask, were there any noticeable changes that affect wheelchair users or their ‘pushers’?

Nothing negative that I can think of Selbourne, in fact I hope the trend to give priority to wheelchair users in the lifts continues, and I hope that those passengers that went out of their way to defer to us did appreciate my grateful thanks.

There was also a dedicated wheelchair check in desk in the accessible waiting area, which we found speeded up the check in process.

There seemed to be more "Can I help you" staff in the buffet, and although we did not need or use them, they were always on hand if we had needed them.

There are still the obvious drawbacks on the sunbathing decks, which despite the deck staff leaving reasonable walkways on set up, quickly become an impossible maze to negotiate. However we did find the sunset bar area was our favourite spot, where a sunny or sheltered spot could nearly always be found for a wheelchair and one chair.

But of course these comments are Britannia specific and we will have to wait until October to see how Iona compares.

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Nothing negative that I can think of Selbourne, in fact I hope the trend to give priority to wheelchair users in the lifts continues, and I hope that those passengers that went out of their way to defer to us did appreciate my grateful thanks.

There was also a dedicated wheelchair check in desk in the accessible waiting area, which we found speeded up the check in process.

There seemed to be more "Can I help you" staff in the buffet, and although we did not need or use them, they were always on hand if we had needed them.

There are still the obvious drawbacks on the sunbathing decks, which despite the deck staff leaving reasonable walkways on set up, quickly become an impossible maze to negotiate. However we did find the sunset bar area was our favourite spot, where a sunny or sheltered spot could nearly always be found for a wheelchair and one chair.

But of course these comments are Britannia specific and we will have to wait until October to see how Iona compares.

Thanks John. That’s encouraging. I shall be very interested to hear how you both find Iona as you will be going on her before us. Friends of ours are on her at present and won’t be impressed that some of the speciality restaurants are closed. 

[Fionboard]

14 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Were all of the speciality (extra cost) dining venues open throughout your cruise?

Absolutely, and very well attended. No sign of staff shortages either.

[Fionboard]

10 hours ago, loveheart said:

Why is my opinion not relevant? I have just come back from 2 weeks on Britannia if you had bothered to read my first post you will have seen that fact.I didn't say I would NEVER sail with P&O again I said I'm not sure I would sail on Britannia again so please get your acts right before you post such a rude reply.

Do not worry, a couple of  people on this forum just like to be rude and sarcastic. It is a sad trait in some! Just ignore their posts.

[zap99]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

As a general point, I never really follow the logic of why the opinions of those who haven’t cruised since pre Covid are irrelevant. Has the P&O product really changed beyond all recognition over the past few years?

 

Aside from one or two very minor refits (which seem to mostly be about carpets!), from my reading of the reviews from those who have cruised recently, nothing major has changed. In fact it could be argued that the majority of noticeable changes are, if anything, negative.
 

Whilst all these points certainly haven’t been mentioned by every reviewer, the things that I have read include fewer staff, some services withdrawn (some questionably under the excuse of Covid), speciality restaurants being closed, smaller portions in MDR’s, less shows, apps that aren’t apps and are temperamental, even more port changes than normal, maintenance problems (plumbing etc) caused by lay-overs, cabin quarantine, quarantine zones and the associated last minute cabin changes for those who have paid Select fares to avoid this plus, of course, all the testing rigmaroles.
 

It could be that I’ve missed some comments about things that have significantly improved during the last few years (other than the obvious fewer passengers, which is a temporary phenomenon), but my point is that I fail to see why the experiences that those of us had pre-Covid (in our case, every P&O ship up to Nov 2019) is suddenly rendered irrelevant by all the above factors? Put another way, if someone found P&O to be a bit lacking in some respects pre 2020, what has changed for the better over the last two years to mean that these observations are no longer relevant? I’m not being sarcastic BTW, I am genuinely interested to know, as we have P&O bookings for next year on Iona and Ventura and I am currently concerned about them. 

What I find amusing is the folk who comment on the ' falling standards 'when they haven't been on any cruise/holiday since 2019 and have no plans to do so for another year or so. How do they know?. Do they say they are basing their opinions on heresay.?. Also some mention how superior a certain cruise line is, yet they haven't been on one of their ships. They make authoritative comments based on other people's opinions, but don't say so.

[dunnster1965]

7 minutes ago, zap99 said:

What I find amusing is the folk who comment on the ' falling standards 'when they haven't been on any cruise/holiday since 2019 and have no plans to do so for another year or so. How do they know?. Do they say they are basing their opinions on heresay.?. Also some mention how superior a certain cruise line  , yet they haven't been on one of their ships. They make authoritative comments based on other people's opinions, but don't say so.

 

I quite agree. Whilst I respect people's opinion and would defend their right to express it there are those people on here (and any message board) who confuse opinions with facts and take umbrage when challenged or called out on it. Whilst it can be entertaining the 'ignore' button is a good way to filter the wheat from the chaff.

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, zap99 said:

What I find amusing is the folk who comment on the ' falling standards 'when they haven't been on any cruise/holiday since 2019 and have no plans to do so for another year or so. How do they know?. Do they say they are basing their opinions on heresay.?. Also some mention how superior a certain cruise line is, yet they haven't been on one of their ships. They make authoritative comments based on other people's opinions, but don't say so.

But surely it’s not hearsay when you are informed by people who have cruised with the same cruise line pre, during and post pandemic and are making comparisons? Extreme and dubious reports are usually easy to spot and are thankfully very rare. I trust the vast majority of members of this forum to report the truth as they find it and I don’t think that many people lie.
 

We haven’t cruised since the end of 2019 but I’ve read enough reviews now to have gained a pretty thorough picture of what has changed and with future cruises booked I’d like to think that I am able to comment on these things or ask questions without being dismissed purely because we haven’t cruised ourselves for a few years? That would seem completely illogical to me. 

[zap99]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

But surely it’s not hearsay when you are informed by people who have cruised with the same cruise line pre, during and post pandemic and are making comparisons? Extreme and dubious reports are usually easy to spot and are thankfully very rare. I trust the vast majority of members of this forum to report the truth as they find it and I don’t think that many people lie.
 

We haven’t cruised since the end of 2019 but I’ve read enough reviews now to have gained a pretty thorough picture of what has changed and with future cruises booked I’d like to think that I am able to comment on these things or ask questions without being dismissed purely because we haven’t cruised ourselves for a few years? That would seem completely illogical to me. 

But some folk talk as though it is their personal experience. If I say ' Saga is very much superior to P&O ' readers may assume that is my opinion based on my experience '. If I say my aunties friend who is 107 thinks Saga is full of youngsters......🤣

[gsmt47471015]

57 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

But surely it’s not hearsay when you are informed by people who have cruised with the same cruise line pre, during and post pandemic and are making comparisons? Extreme and dubious reports are usually easy to spot and are thankfully very rare. I trust the vast majority of members of this forum to report the truth as they find it and I don’t think that many people lie.
 

We haven’t cruised since the end of 2019 but I’ve read enough reviews now to have gained a pretty thorough picture of what has changed and with future cruises booked I’d like to think that I am able to comment on these things or ask questions without being dismissed purely because we haven’t cruised ourselves for a few years? That would seem completely illogical to me. 

I believe that if you have sailed on another line and you can give a balanced and factual account to help others than that is very useful👍

[Selbourne]

10 minutes ago, gsmt47471015 said:

I believe that if you have sailed on another line and you can give a balanced and factual account to help others than that is very useful👍

Apart from overnights on two CMV ships and a tour of QM2, we have only ever cruised with P&O. All the ships (bar Iona - booked for next year), most multiple times, since 1996 but presumably that means that my opinions or comments are irrelevant or not valid? 

Edited June 27, 2022 by Selbourne

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Apart from overnights on two CMV ships and a tour of QM2, we have only ever cruised with P&O. All the ships (bar Iona - booked for next year), most multiple times, since 1996 but presumably that means that my opinions or comments are irrelevant or not valid? 

They are relevant but without actually cruising on other lines it is difficult to know whether your views of P&O might be changed if you had personal experience of other cruise lines offerings.

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Apart from overnights on two CMV ships and a tour of QM2, we have only ever cruised with P&O. All the ships (bar Iona - booked for next year), most multiple times, since 1996 but presumably that means that my opinions or comments are irrelevant or not valid? 

 

45 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

They are relevant but without actually cruising on other lines it is difficult to know whether your views of P&O might be changed if you had personal experience of other cruise lines offerings.

I started cruising in 1994 with Cunard. Since then I have sailed  mainly with P&O - 33 times - but also with Cunard, Costa, Celebrity, Saga and Star Clippers. Had I only sailed with P&O I would have considered myself well qualified to comment on the relative merits of the different P&O ships on which I have sailed, and changes in the experience they have offered over the years. I would not however, have felt qualified to compare these with other lines. To see P&O in context you need to have something to compare it with.

 

[Trevor Fountain]

28 minutes ago, Denarius said:

 

I started cruising in 1994 with Cunard. Since then I have sailed  mainly with P&O - 33 times - but also with Cunard, Costa, Celebrity, Saga and Star Clippers. Had I only sailed with P&O I would have considered myself well qualified to comment on the relative merits of the different P&O ships on which I have sailed, and changes in the experience they have offered over the years. I would not however, have felt qualified to compare these with other lines. To see P&O in context you need to have something to compare it with.

 

I think your views on comparisons with Cunard, Celebrity and Saga would certainly be welcome, however I don't think your time spent in the coffee shop or the hairdressers would be of much interest.

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

They are relevant but without actually cruising on other lines it is difficult to know whether your views of P&O might be changed if you had personal experience of other cruise lines offerings.

I know what I like about P&O and I know what I don’t like. I appreciate that some of the things that I don’t like may be common amongst other cruise lines, but I’m not sure that by experiencing them elsewhere as well I would suddenly develop a liking for them!