Life with P&O

[KenAndJulie]

We have just booked the new Arcadia for November 2005 (got a good deal). We have never sailed P&O before but have sailed Princess and Ocean Village (original Arcadia) which were very different but we had a great time on both.

 

Other posters on these boards have told me that P&O is a bit more formal than Princess and that the food is more British. Does anyone have any sample menus (maybe even a web address) ? Do the dining rooms require shirt and tie every night or would chinos/polo-shirt be acceptable for non-formal nights ?

 

I know we have loads of time but you don't know the pressure I am under from the good lady wife - she wants answers so that she can start planning her packing .. already

 

Thanks

Ken

[suekay]

Thanks Ken

You ask the questions.....I'll keep reading the answers!

It's frustrating not having instant access to answers to all my queries.......we've been spoiled on the Princess/RCI boards, but hopefully this board will take off as more UK cruisers become computer-savvy

[lesleyfb]

I'm catching up with all the P&O news too. We also have been with Princess and are on the Dawn Princess (again) this Oct but we have just booked a transatlantic on the Arcadia for 21st Oct 05 and am wondering what its going to be like. I think it will be fine. We've been on NCL, RCI, Celebrity & Princess and we've enjoyed every cruise so far. I've got 16 months to research P&O so by the time our cruise comes around we should be pretty P&O savvy. Hopefully.

[Morgans]

Ken&Julie - try this web address http://www.pocruises.co.uk. Under Ship (at the left hand side) click on Life on Board , then Dining and you should be able to bring up some sample menus etc.

We are very happy with P&O, as are several of our friends. In Europe they are very formal but I understand that they are less so when in the Caribbean. Chinos/polo shirts would be fine for casual nights. Informal is smarter than it sounds and formal -most men are in evening suits and ladies long dresses, although smart cocktail would be fine.

[LEESRE]

Ken and Julie,

If you wish to see the ship Arcadia the look at the Hlland America lines Oosterdam, she will be the same.

Arcadia was being built for Holland America to start with then Cunard and now P & O.

We are going on the new Arcadia in June next year have been on th4e Oosterdam and she is a beautiful ship.

[Gilliano]

I just happen to have a few menus in my cabinet. Here is one sample from Caribbean cruise April 2003 on the Oceana

 

Dinner - Starters

Traditional Caesar Salad

Seafood Cocktail

Vegetable Ravioli

Lamb Samosas

 

Soups

 

Scotch Broth

Chilled Pina Colada Soup with Citrus Biscuits (not had myself but have been informed by other half very nice)

 

Main

Cajun Tuna Fish Steak

Oriental Stirfried Chicken

Roast Rib of Beef with trimmings

Jhinga aur Ghga (tiger prawn and monkfish curry)

Saute of mushroom stroganoff

 

The waiters then bring two different vegetables around and two different types of potato. Vetegarian menus are also ways marked with v next to the dish.

 

Desserts

Chocolate Fudge Pudding

Strawberry and White Chocolate Roulade

Sherry Trifle

Ice cream

 

P & O are more formal and on a 16 night cruise they have 5 formal nights where they like everyone to dress up in dinner jacket/cocktail dress. They have informal nights which require gentlemen to wear jacket and they have smart casual. However, if you go on Caribbean cruise they do relax it a bit and have about 4 formal and the rest smart casual. Have a lovely time, we are booked to go on Arcadia January 2006. But even more looking forward to Aurora on 16 July.

 

Hope this helps

[KenAndJulie]

Thanks everyone for your help. However another little query ... do I really need a evening/dinner-jacket/tux for P&O or will a dark suit and tie be adequate.

 

Thanks again

Ken

[lesleyfb]

My husband doesn't have a tux either and he always wears a dark suit. I think that will be fine. I hope so cos that's all we will be taking.

[lior]

did someone fly with p&o to one of the cruise ships?

lior

[Druke I]

Been many moons since I sailed with P&O, on the late lamented old Oriana, but they were certainly more formal then than their Princess brethren.

 

On formal nights, majority of men did wear tuxedos, or white dinner jackets, with ladies in cocktail dresses, and a smattering of formal gowns.

 

I would hazard a guess that a dark business suit now would be OK for formal nights - everyplace except perhaps QM2 & QE2 are getting less and less formal.

 

Michael

[dougnewmanatsea]

Been many moons since I sailed with P&O, on the late lamented old Oriana

I assume you heard about her very unfortunate "incident" in China last week?

 

She looked grotesque internally at this point anyway but I hope she doesn't go for scrap now...

[minke]

Lior, we flew long haul with P&O to one of their ships. They used 3 767's chartered from Britannia & one chartered from Monarch. Not a plesant experince for anyone but we were given the seats in rows 7-12 A&B or G&H cramped up tighter than any other plane seat we have ever sat in, avoid those at all cost!

[lior]

Lior, we flew long haul with P&O to one of their ships. They used 3 767's chartered from Britannia & one chartered from Monarch. Not a plesant experince for anyone but we were given the seats in rows 7-12 A&B or G&H cramped up tighter than any other plane seat we have ever sat in, avoid those at all cost!

 

thank you we will fly with b.a.

no fun to be cramped up.

can you give us more info on this cruise line

lior

[Elaine0138]

We have also just booked our first P&O. Some great deals out there, just too good to miss. We eventually settled on Arcadia's 18 September sailing.

[lior]

HI again

we are looking for "great deals" on thw adonia 14/1/05

can someone help

thank you

lior

[suekay]

Try http://www.savensail.com

They are showing that cruise on the website but unfortunately don't show prices - there is a contact number to ring

Their prices were the best for our Oceana cruise in Nov 2005 (£380 pp less than most of the others)

[Elaine0138]

I tried several companies and savensail was offering the best deal.

[Druke I]

Host Doug

 

Yes - I had posted on several different CC threads about Oriana's capsizing in Dalian, 6-17-04.

 

I first heard about in an e-mail from World Ocean and Cruise Liner Society.

 

There are some photos of her on her side on one of the threads, but I don't recall the link.

 

http://www.maritimematters.com also has some details on their site.

 

Michael

[que sarah sarah]

I don't belive this !!!!

This is like scarry ----Ken and Julie and suekay seeing you on these boards is something else .;)

 

Well Ken as you can guess ----We are thinking of going on "The New Arcadia " on the 4th November 2005 .The great thing about that cruise is ----the flight for it is a direct flight out of Belfast . The cruise is for 16 nights and it's an adults only cruise .Now after reading this thread I am thinking ------------ the flight could be awful cramped and as we always fly BA do I really want to do this ???

Help some feedback before I book this cruise .:)

 

 

Ken did you book your cruise through Newtownards ???

[KenAndJulie]

Hi Sarah

The 4th Nov is the very cruise we are on and yes we did book it through Kyle in Newtownards. I believe the flights are with Brittania - they aren't great bu then again I can put up with them for a few hours in return for the convenience of flying from/to Belfast .... no hanging about airports for hours waiting for connecting flights etc. Go for it - and if you are in tell them it was Ken and Julie that sent you :D :D :D

 

Ken

[que sarah sarah]

Oh Ken ,

I start this and then I am reluctant to switch cruise lines .The Direct flight is a big +++ but then we are Diamond Members with RCL and we have perks with them .

I looked at "save n sail" prices on this Nov cruise and they look great , I will shop around and see what I come up with. I will even go to Ards after the silly season .:rolleyes:

We had a great cruise in May in the Med on Brilliance and the Greek Islands were beautiful . We did a lot of the ports on our own and I think my favourite place was Capri .

 

We are now looking forward to our October cruise in the Med and have all our private tours booked together with 5 others from America I met on the CC RCL Meet and Mingle . Poor George (husband ) he just pays.

 

Ken and Julie we might just be on the same cruise YET

[minke]

Ken, if you are flying with Britannia make sure you avoid seat A&B or G&H in rows 7-12, they are much smaller seat pitch than any other seats on plane (or any other plane I have flown on) reason is they are cramped in between the bulkhead at the front of section & the doorway behind. The central seats of that section do not have same problem, when we flew with Britannia in January we requested an "aisle + inside" to make sure we avoided these terrible seats that we had for 16hours last year.

[que sarah sarah]

The drama of a P&O cruise .

I got a call today from a TA about the 4th November Arcadia cruise .

The short story is ---- the direct flight from Belfast to Barbados is full

and all the middle of the range s balcony cabins are sold .

I tried the P&O web site to if they had any cabins and filghts on hold but all gone .

It looks like I have missed the boat :(

 

1. 
   

[suekay]

Que Sarah Sarah

That's really hard luck. We looked at that sailing as well but decided on the Oceana Nov 11th instead, as the dates suited us better. The prices were so good on most of the P&O charter flights, but I'm surprised the Belfast flight is FULL so early - that's a lot of people heard about the bargains. Sounds like many of us are defecting next year!

Soon after booking, the advance Princess brochure arrived - similar itinerary to Oceana with direct flights to Barbados - prices not quite as good as the savensail price on the Oceana, but close, and worth thinking about (but don't know if they fly from Belfast - we use Manchester)

[que sarah sarah]

It was save n sail I used to try and book the P&O cruise . I thought it was something else to find that 4th November cruise from Belfast booked out .

The Oceana did that direct flight from Belfast twice a year in March and November .I thought it would be great to go on a brand new ship in November 2005 .

I am sure we will find a couple of cruises in 2005 .