Not enough to do on P&O ships

I have only been on three cruises all with P&O so unable to compare with other cruise lines. Invariably we meet people who say how boring, drab and dull P&O ships and cruises are compared with other lines. Lack of things to do during the day, ships decor, not enough entertainment, poor facilities and food are the main complaints.

We have thoroughly enjoyed each cruise (booked again on the Ventura in December) and have had little to complain about to date.

Would be interested in your observations.

I have only been on three cruises all with P&O so unable to compare with other cruise lines. Invariably we meet people who say how boring, drab and dull P&O ships and cruises are compared with other lines. Lack of things to do during the day, ships decor, not enough entertainment, poor facilities and food are the main complaints.

 

We have thoroughly enjoyed each cruise (booked again on the Ventura in December) and have had little to complain about to date.

 

Would be interested in your observations.

How odd I have had 30+ cruises with them and found the same. I have one or two booked as well.

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I've only ever been on two cruises, both with P&O both on the same ship, have two more booked (again on exactly the same ship with P&O) so I have nothing to compare it to but we bloody loved it! And never were bored. :)

I can't say that I have ever been bored on a P&O ship but I will say that some other lines do offer more or different things to do. If your first ship was for example RCI where you can ride bumper cars, go ice skating, play putting, sky dive, surf and learn circus skills ( should you wish to!) then P&O could seem a little tame by comparison for daytime activities. It all depends on what kind of things you like. I love skating when on RCI but enjoy for example the guest speakers when on P&O.

My pet hate on P&O are the "events" that are actually thinly disguised sales pitches but again most lines do this in one way or another,

They also copy each other, the first time I joined a choir was on a celebrity ship many years ago and now P&O do this. I am sure that other lines have "borrowed" ideas from P&O.

Same with the decor, food etc it is all down to what you like. Most lines provide a good general product but each is a little different and customers will find the overall package that suits them best.

We have been on Oceana and Ventura twice each and would certainly not call them dull or drab and whether you find there is enough for you to do on a cruise is down to the individual and what you expect from a cruise. The reasons we like cruising is the ease of getting to the ship, being served better food than I can cook at home, reasonably good entertainment, and interesting ports. We also like the quizzes, watch films and sometimes the guest speakers and my husband enjoys the casino. We have been on Royal Caribbean, Independence of the Seas which we also thoroughly enjoyed.

We are going on Aurora this Sunday and hopefully we will have a great time.

Also, I think it can depend on the ship. We have converted to P&O from Celebrity and Cunard. We love the understated decor; the absence of 'the hard sell' by the crew; the international quizzes (US ships are US-centric, and don't get me started on their interpretation of historical and geographical knowledge! :eek:); attentive crew; entertainment is pretty good; bonded luggage is a fantastic luxury; tea/coffee facilities in all cabin types; no additional gratuities on beverages; many sailings from UK (no flying!). We have just had a wonderful cruise on Oceana, two more cruises already booked and a third in the offing. We love P&O; they're not perfect, but they tick enough boxes for us.

We have cruised with P@O and Royal Caribbean. Definately RCI are far superior at keeping you entertained and they cater for all age groups where as P&O cater for the over 60s as far as entertainment is concerned but there isn't much to keep the younger generations amused. Don't get me wrong there are things P&O are better at such as price of drinks and less hard sell onboard. We cruised on Oriana for 12 nights and we were bored stiff on the sea days as it resembled a care home so we would never sail on an adult only ship again. The quality of food onboard P&O is average at best but I guess you get what you pay for and their cruises are very well priced.

I have only been on three cruises all with P&O so unable to compare with other cruise lines. Invariably we meet people who say how boring, drab and dull P&O ships and cruises are compared with other lines. Lack of things to do during the day, ships decor, not enough entertainment, poor facilities and food are the main complaints.

We have thoroughly enjoyed each cruise (booked again on the Ventura in December) and have had little to complain about to date.

Would be interested in your observations.

You said you enjoyed your cruise so that's what matters.

The entertainment onboard is focused on Brits and it is always excellent and the sailaway from the last port is always memorable

The big RCI ships have a lot more activity with rock wall climbing,ice rink,slides,zip wires, putting greens etc but you need to sign waivers on some and your insurance might not cover you if you have an accident.

The night time shows are also hit and miss so if you have enjoyed P&O the grass isn't always greener on the other side but then we absolutely loved Harmony of the Seas and the new Symphony of the seas is coming to Barcelona next year so if you want action go on that ship.

At risk of getting severely criticised, I am over 60, grew up in the 60's and 70's and music has always played a big part of my life. I play in a rock n roll band and enjoy music that is a bit more up-tempo, that doesn't mean I dislike all other music. I do raise my eyebrows (what's left of them) when people say, P&O cater for the over 60's. They don't.

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At risk of getting severely criticised, I am over 60, grew up in the 60's and 70's and music has always played a big part of my life. I play in a rock n roll band and enjoy music that is a bit more up-tempo, that doesn't mean I dislike all other music. I do raise my eyebrows (what's left of them) when people say, P&O cater for the over 60's. They don't.

 

 

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It might be true for the adult only ships but not the family ships

My experience has been the adult only ships, where the majority of entertainers are similar, male/female ballad singers. Although very good in their own way, I do go and watch them, the variety is limited. This is not an outright criticism (heaven forbid, we should criticise P&O) but an observation, as the saying goes "you can't please all the people all of the time".

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My experience has been the adult only ships, where the majority of entertainers are similar, male/female ballad singers. Although very good in their own way, I do go and watch them, the variety is limited. This is not an outright criticism (heaven forbid, we should criticise P&O) but an observation, as the saying goes "you can't please all the people all of the time".

 

 

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Very true there is a lot to like about P&O, i know there is more they could do especially the lunch time buffet choice is limited but i would never critisise them and would not hesitate to get on any of the ships.

Personally, I don't need organized entertainment during the day. I quite enjoy a game of quoits or table tennis, but otherwise content to read or watch the sea go by. I'm on holiday!! I still work, so it's just wonderful to chill out, relax and enjoy. Don't likek the sailways, too flaming loud, but mostly the shows are good.

Personally, I don't need organized entertainment during the day. I quite enjoy a game of quoits or table tennis, but otherwise content to read or watch the sea go by. I'm on holiday!! I still work, so it's just wonderful to chill out, relax and enjoy. Don't likek the sailways, too flaming loud, but mostly the shows are good.

The flag waving and songs are great and they don't last for long so we usually attend but most of the time we prefer to find somewhere quiet to lie down.

P&O always seem to have a full and varied programme of activities, through the day on sea days and every night. We occasionally do a quiz if we are in the venue its happening, although most on P&O are in Brodies, which is not our venue of choice. Quite often we are spoilt for choice in an evening, other times nothing appeals to us, but we are seldom bored.

It will be interesting to compare this with our next cruise venture which will be our first time on RCI, whatever they offer we will be interested to watch even if I don't participate.

P&O always seem to have a full and varied programme of activities, through the day on sea days and every night. We occasionally do a quiz if we are in the venue its happening, although most on P&O are in Brodies, which is not our venue of choice. Quite often we are spoilt for choice in an evening, other times nothing appeals to us, but we are seldom bored.

It will be interesting to compare this with our next cruise venture which will be our first time on RCI, whatever they offer we will be interested to watch even if I don't participate.

What RCI ship are you going on?.

Endless hours of amusement to be had just watching the surf area on RCI. You get these young men that strut up full of confidence then fall flat on their nether regions.

For me the best ship for entertainment (as in shows) is Disney. They outclass most other lines with their stage shows etc but they also cost a lot more.

I can't just sit around all day so I do feel the need for at least some activities but adapt to what the line I am on offers.

The most retro we experienced was dolphin racing on Fred Olsen with painted wooden Dolphins, dice and a hilarious running commentary, this was straight out of the Butlins era but fun.

Endless hours of amusement to be had just watching the surf area on RCI. You get these young men that strut up full of confidence then fall flat on their nether regions.

 

For me the best ship for entertainment (as in shows) is Disney. They outclass most other lines with their stage shows etc but they also cost a lot more.

 

I can't just sit around all day so I do feel the need for at least some activities but adapt to what the line I am on offers.

 

The most retro we experienced was dolphin racing on Fred Olsen with painted wooden Dolphins, dice and a hilarious running commentary, this was straight out of the Butlins era but fun.

The RC flow riders are great to watch but most people rarely stay on their boards for long.

I like the daytime entertainment on P&O, my ADHD doesn't let me settle and I need entertaining! I do have one criticism, the organised activities by the events team often clash or are scheduled so that you can't go from one to the other so there are no activities for 2 hours then three 20 minute ones all at the same time.

Celebrity have half the Ents staff of P&O and pack in more. The staff member who hosts the events works for 4 hours a day and does ALL the events in that time period, so he goes from a quiz, to quoits, to Wii games etc, so they never overlap. A lesson for P&O. Plus P&O staff seem to operate in pairs and seldom by themselves, I wonder is this for safety incase the quizzes get serious???

What RCI ship are you going on?.

Navigator grapau, its on my signature.

Navigator grapau, its on my signature.

I use my android phone and most of the signatures are missing.

Navigator is a lovely ship,my favourite area being the central promenade.

I have only been on three cruises all with P&O so unable to compare with other cruise lines. Invariably we meet people who say how boring, drab and dull P&O ships and cruises are compared with other lines. Lack of things to do during the day, ships decor, not enough entertainment, poor facilities and food are the main complaints.

We have thoroughly enjoyed each cruise (booked again on the Ventura in December) and have had little to complain about to date.

Would be interested in your observations.

I've been on a few (just off Azura last week in fact) and yes especially during the day if it's a sea day and the weather ain't up to much I've found nothing much to do, you look through the the Horizon just hoping there could be something of interest but it usually disappoints unless your into countless sales pitches, cooking demos or the odd history lesson. Really it's an age thing I suppose, P&O still continue to cater their daytime entertainment for the more 'mature' guest shall we say. I'm approaching fifty and find absolutely nothing of interest. Thank god for ports and of course the weather.

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Loved reading everyone's opinions. I agree about the events that are just sales pitches, but people must go and buy things or they wouldn't do it [emoji849]

I don't mind the lack of things to do, I like to get up late, go to the thermal suite, drink coffee, find people to chat to, watch a film.

It's good down-time from the demands of life at home [emoji4]

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Loved reading everyone's opinions. I agree about the events that are just sales pitches, but people must go and buy things or they wouldn't do it [emoji849]

I don't mind the lack of things to do, I like to get up late, go to the thermal suite, drink coffee, find people to chat to, watch a film.

It's good down-time from the demands of life at home [emoji4]

 

 

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I agree with you there.

I use my android phone and most of the signatures are missing.

Navigator is a lovely ship,my favourite area being the central promenade.

I am looking forward to exploring Navigator, having watched various videos and Cruise Critics photo shoot from when Navigator first came over to the UK I am getting quite excited. The layout seems significantly different to the Grand Princess design that we are used to on P&O and it looks to be so much bigger than Azura or Ventura but still only the same number of passengers. It will also be interesting to compare it to Celebrity Eclipse with which we are also familiar.