Goodbye to P&O

[Megabear2]

8 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Each, or for 2?.

Each.  Still a bargain with everything paid for. There's even some obc and a couple of select dinners.

 

The 13 night one via Aruba is £3049 for the balcony, again AI.

 

We looked at a Marella one too, fly cruise but that was over £4,000 each with PE and premium drinks.

Edited October 7, 2023 by Megabear2

[zap99]

19 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The one I mentioned is balcony on 20 March with everything including hotel etc for 13 nights and apparently comes with flight, All Inclusive Drinks, Wi-Fi Package, Hotel Included and Transfers Included

 

There is one for less just flight and cruise.

 

Enjoy the Brandy!

And the Karaoke . French girls are winning so far.🤣

 

[uk338]

*posted in wrong topic*

Edited October 8, 2023 by uk338

[sweep2907]

On 10/6/2023 at 4:30 PM, Harry Peterson said:

Thanks for that. Funnily enough, the thing we miss most might well align with yours - the removal of most of the speakers that made helped sea days pass quickly. We’re not lovers of sea days, but the wide range of really good, well qualified speakers on interesting topics such as the history of cruise ships, films and the English legal system kept us very happy. All of these sessions were well attended, so their removal was simply an economy. 
 

We were also disappointed with the failure to keep the ships up to the standard we’d grown to expect from P&O. The suites used to be nigh on faultless, but they became tired and shabby, complete with plumbing issues. No issues with the food, as it was, but I’ve not been impressed by some of the reports I’ve seen - I’m glad your experience was positive though. 
 

We’ve been unable to cruise since 2019 for health reasons - simply too crowded, enclosed and therefore high risk of infection. The people who put us on to P&O in the first place have all now defected, some to Saga and some to Celebrity.  Our next cruise, subject to the NICE approval of one particular drug, will probably be with Saga because it’s got to be right after all this time! Having said that, thanks for the suggestions - nothing’s ever ruled out. We weren’t very keen on the idea of cruising at all originally, but after the first one we were converts.

Losing speakers shouldn't be an economy or cost cutting thing. Speakers (unless celebrities) who speak on their careers or specialist topics do not get paid by the cruiseline. Having spoken to former police officers or concorde pilots, they simply get their cruise paid for and find it a great way to cruise cheaply! 

[Selbourne]

16 minutes ago, sweep2907 said:

Losing speakers shouldn't be an economy or cost cutting thing. Speakers (unless celebrities) who speak on their careers or specialist topics do not get paid by the cruiseline. Having spoken to former police officers or concorde pilots, they simply get their cruise paid for and find it a great way to cruise cheaply! 

Although, more often than not, they are allocated passenger cabins that, with less speakers, can be sold to fare paying passengers!

[Harry Peterson]

18 minutes ago, sweep2907 said:

Losing speakers shouldn't be an economy or cost cutting thing. Speakers (unless celebrities) who speak on their careers or specialist topics do not get paid by the cruiseline. Having spoken to former police officers or concorde pilots, they simply get their cruise paid for and find it a great way to cruise cheaply! 

This is true, though there is a real cost in the shape of lost income from the cabin of course.  The other notional cost is the potentially lost income from other chargeable activities while passengers are happily listening to a 'free' lecture.

 

It may be of course that the P&O demographic has changed, so that typical passengers no longer want the sort of 'educational' talks that used to feature; Swan Hellenic used to excel in this area. 

[starquake]

On 10/5/2023 at 8:37 PM, Ocean Mouse said:

I suppose like a lot of British people we sailed P&O because it was very convenient to sail from Southampton but for us they are moving too far "down market". Definitely continue to cruise. Recently tried Oceania, fabulous cabin, service and ship but eyewateringly expensive. Next up Princess. Have previously sailed with MSC (wonderful transatlantic, dreadful within Europe), Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. We are going to expand our horizons 😁

 

Our friends moved from P&O to Cunard for most sailing and have now sailed 3 Cunard sailings (2 with us).  We've never sailed on P&O ourselves (yet) but are booking next year at moment (hence being on here), but we have been on Princess and found the ships too busy for our taste when compared with Cunard.    The number one comment of our friends who moved from P&O to Cunard said was that the coffee in the buffet was actually "drinkable" and they didn't feel need to spend money on espresso coffee during the trips when directly compared with P&O.   They also said the food was slightly better.   BTW don't think the dress code on Cunard is dressy, it's mostly same as Princess and P&O these days -> it's just on formal nights *everyone* on the ship participates, well near 99%, but to our experience that is very similar on Princess, albeit with a few less formal nights.

 

I'm not saying this too negatively as we are booking P&O for the itiniary in our case and going other way -> Simply put they have an iterinary next year we want to book.

[mrsgoggins]

39 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Although, more often than not, they are allocated passenger cabins that, with less speakers, can be sold to fare paying passengers!

This is one of the reasons we have selected Cunard for a special occasion cruise next year. I don’t care for all the dressing up involved, but we are really hoping for interesting speakers. Our one and only Viking cruise had 4 excellent speakers.

[mrsgoggins]

20 minutes ago, starquake said:

 

Our friends moved from P&O to Cunard for most sailing and have now sailed 3 Cunard sailings (2 with us).  ……   BTW don't think the dress code on Cunard is dressy, it's mostly same as Princess and P&O these days -> it's just on formal nights *everyone* on the ship participates, well near 99%, but to our experience that is very similar on Princess, albeit with a few less formal nights.

 

I'm not saying this too negatively as we are booking P&O for the itiniary in our case and going other way -> Simply put they have an iterinary next year we want to book.

That’s reassuring for me.  I didn’t read your post before I did mine 😉

Edited October 8, 2023 by mrsgoggins

[starquake]

Just now, mrsgoggins said:

This is one of the reasons we have selected Cunard for a special occasion cruise next year. I don’t care for all the dressing up involved, but we are really hoping for interesting speakers. Our one and only Viking cruise had 4 excellent speakers.

Have to say we've been more impressed with Cunard speakers than any other line we've been on to date.   We may have been lucky, but we have had excellent political and scientific presentations from actual experts in field, along with some (relatively) famous people in Hayley Mills, Paul Nicolas, and Rula Lenska doing lectures and q&a in one of the cruises we've been on.   I would say about 70% of the talks have had appeal enough for us to see.

 

John Suchet the Newsreader/classic FM presenter was on the cruise this summer, and both his lectures were must not miss occasions with an excellent description of tricky and sticky situations encountered in his long career.

 

The main thing with Cunard is the surprise when you get on board of who the lecturers and this has usually been a pleasent surprise to us.

I am actually disapointed seeing this thread that P&O are removing such things, as it probably won't stop the booking we are making for next year (given that has not many sea days) but it would make us not consider any longer cruise with them.

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

This is one of the reasons we have selected Cunard for a special occasion cruise next year. I don’t care for all the dressing up involved, but we are really hoping for interesting speakers. Our one and only Viking cruise had 4 excellent speakers.

Whether we were just unlucky I don’t know, but certainly our two P&O cruises so far this year (Britannia & Iona) were extremely disappointing when it came to guest speakers, certainly compared to what we were used to pre Covid. By contrast, our Cunard cruise was significantly better in that regard. I shall be interested to see what it’s like on Ventura in a few weeks time, as we have 3 sea days in a row at the start of the cruise and without decent guest speakers I shall be bored rigid 😂 

[Harry Peterson]

2 hours ago, starquake said:

Have to say we've been more impressed with Cunard speakers than any other line we've been on to date.   We may have been lucky, but we have had excellent political and scientific presentations from actual experts in field, along with some (relatively) famous people in Hayley Mills, Paul Nicolas, and Rula Lenska doing lectures and q&a in one of the cruises we've been on.   I would say about 70% of the talks have had appeal enough for us to see.

 

John Suchet the Newsreader/classic FM presenter was on the cruise this summer, and both his lectures were must not miss occasions with an excellent description of tricky and sticky situations encountered in his long career.

 

The main thing with Cunard is the surprise when you get on board of who the lecturers and this has usually been a pleasent surprise to us.

I am actually disapointed seeing this thread that P&O are removing such things, as it probably won't stop the booking we are making for next year (given that has not many sea days) but it would make us not consider any longer cruise with them.

Cunard’s still doing proper talks, then. Good to hear. Rula Lenska - the wonderful Rock Follies!

[Winifred 22]

On a recent Cunard cruise some days there were 4 Insight speakers not including the Art talks which I also enjoy. 

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 10/5/2023 at 4:29 PM, Ocean Mouse said:

Our 5 week roundtrip cruise to the Caribbean was due for final payment today. After our experience on our last cruise we have decided we will not be going.

This means losing our deposit but as we booked this cruise nearly two years ago the money is long gone and its loss is not regretted. Far less painful than forking out another £8k+ for something we would not enjoy 

So an aft facing balcony cabin on deck D should be available shortly. I hope it finds a good home

Same as yourself. Went on Ventura in March/April this year. The only cruise I have ever been on when ten day's before disembarkation I wanted to get off. It was a 35 nighter to Caribbean, USA and Mexico. Started badly and didn't get any better. Cabin changed the day before we set off. Queues like you wouldn't believe at Southampton due to Ventura getting in five hours late. Got onboard and went to cabin. Someone else's door card in slot, went into cabin and wrong dining arrangements with no table number. Had paid for a Celebration package £400 for flowers, chocs, spa, champagne, bathrobes and slipper, champagne flutes, formal photographs and two speciality dinning times. Absolutely nothing in the cabin. Spent 15 days of the cruise to sort out everything. No photographer onboard, although one turned up halfway through the cruise, no frames for formal photo's. Went to make bookings at spa, didn't know we had changed cabins. Immigration into US at New Orleans a nightmare having to trudge along endless lengths of airbridge and once inside building even more corridors before getting to desks which had about five officers for 2,500 plus crew. Considering it was supposed to be a two day stop we lost a morning and some didn't get off the ship until late afternoon. Miami we had done most of the excursions available, so went to a shopping mall. Late away as a passenger needing wheelchair facilities couldn't board as lift wasn't working. Poor person ended up being left behind. The guy who was the "Guide" hadn't a clue, didn't know what time we were supposed to depart mall, was supposed to have been provided with a map and vouchers, nope, didn't see them. Got back and went through terminal building on to airbridge, again up and down, around and around to ship, but wait, problem with the part that joined the ship had moved. Waited fifteen minutes in a tunnel of 91degrees, then told to go back to terminal building and access ship on the quay. Stood in a queue of around fifty people, thirty went onboard and then an official said the port manager didn't want anyone on the quay, so back to terminal building. Fifteen minutes later back onto airbridge to ship. Entertainment so, so, although tribute acts excellent (Robby Williams and Cher). Food very poor except Sindu three times and Beach House. Speakers non existent except one on photography virtually the whole cruise. Many passengers coughing and spluttering onboard before the cruise even started and then Ventura left five and a half hours late. Third day La Coruna, then 10 days sailing due to missing Burmuda, on return 6 days to Punta Del Garda and a further three days to Southampton. So the best part of 19 sail days to and from Southampton. Going on a Princess cruise next year five days each way. Bliss.    

[FangedRose]

1 hour ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Same as yourself. Went on Ventura in March/April this year. The only cruise I have ever been on when ten day's before disembarkation I wanted to get off. It was a 35 nighter to Caribbean, USA and Mexico. Started badly and didn't get any better. Cabin changed the day before we set off. Queues like you wouldn't believe at Southampton due to Ventura getting in five hours late. Got onboard and went to cabin. Someone else's door card in slot, went into cabin and wrong dining arrangements with no table number. Had paid for a Celebration package £400 for flowers, chocs, spa, champagne, bathrobes and slipper, champagne flutes, formal photographs and two speciality dinning times. Absolutely nothing in the cabin. Spent 15 days of the cruise to sort out everything. No photographer onboard, although one turned up halfway through the cruise, no frames for formal photo's. Went to make bookings at spa, didn't know we had changed cabins. Immigration into US at New Orleans a nightmare having to trudge along endless lengths of airbridge and once inside building even more corridors before getting to desks which had about five officers for 2,500 plus crew. Considering it was supposed to be a two day stop we lost a morning and some didn't get off the ship until late afternoon. Miami we had done most of the excursions available, so went to a shopping mall. Late away as a passenger needing wheelchair facilities couldn't board as lift wasn't working. Poor person ended up being left behind. The guy who was the "Guide" hadn't a clue, didn't know what time we were supposed to depart mall, was supposed to have been provided with a map and vouchers, nope, didn't see them. Got back and went through terminal building on to airbridge, again up and down, around and around to ship, but wait, problem with the part that joined the ship had moved. Waited fifteen minutes in a tunnel of 91degrees, then told to go back to terminal building and access ship on the quay. Stood in a queue of around fifty people, thirty went onboard and then an official said the port manager didn't want anyone on the quay, so back to terminal building. Fifteen minutes later back onto airbridge to ship. Entertainment so, so, although tribute acts excellent (Robby Williams and Cher). Food very poor except Sindu three times and Beach House. Speakers non existent except one on photography virtually the whole cruise. Many passengers coughing and spluttering onboard before the cruise even started and then Ventura left five and a half hours late. Third day La Coruna, then 10 days sailing due to missing Burmuda, on return 6 days to Punta Del Garda and a further three days to Southampton. So the best part of 19 sail days to and from Southampton. Going on a Princess cruise next year five days each way. Bliss.    

Seems to me that apart from cabin number mix up (which should not happen, and I would be upset about) it seems that the majority of problems were caused by USA port officials. You can't blame P&O for that! Very common on all non American cruise ships calling at USA ports.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, FangedRose said:

Seems to me that apart from cabin number mix up (which should not happen, and I would be upset about) it seems that the majority of problems were caused by USA port officials. You can't blame P&O for that! Very common on all non American cruise ships calling at USA ports.

Folk can blame P&O for most things.🤣

[kalos]

30 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Folk can blame P&O for most things.🤣

 Even a 30 line plus paragraph 😉

[zap99]

39 minutes ago, kalos said:

 Even a 30 line plus paragraph 😉

But it was a long, long cruise and it missed Burmooda.

[Ocean Mouse]

On 10/5/2023 at 4:29 PM, Ocean Mouse said:

Our 5 week roundtrip cruise to the Caribbean was due for final payment today. After our experience on our last cruise we have decided we will not be going.

This means losing our deposit but as we booked this cruise nearly two years ago the money is long gone and its loss is not regretted. Far less painful than forking out another £8k+ for something we would not enjoy 

So an aft facing balcony cabin on deck D should be available shortly. I hope it finds a good home

Had an email from P&O this morning giving us until this Thursday to pay. I expected them to immediately flog off our cabin, and for a lot more money than we contracted for two years ago as it is fully booked. Fascinating 

[Gettingwarmer]

3 hours ago, Ocean Mouse said:

Had an email from P&O this morning giving us until this Thursday to pay. I expected them to immediately flog off our cabin, and for a lot more money than we contracted for two years ago as it is fully booked. Fascinating 

So you didn’t inform them you were cancelling?

[gsmt47471015]

We have done a number of the 35 night cruises and would also question the amount of sea days ,when looking at other ships they appear to be able to reduce the amount of time spent at sea? 

[Ocean Mouse]

2 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

So you didn’t inform them you were cancelling?

Nope

[Gettingwarmer]

1 hour ago, Ocean Mouse said:

Nope

So you haven’t cancelled your contract

[terrierjohn]

25 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

So you haven’t cancelled your contract

Its cancelled by default if you dont pay.

[Ocean Mouse]

Exactly