Any cruisers sailed with US lines before P&O and loved P&O anyway?

Husband and I are trying to find a cruise we like from the UK atm and can't decide...we keep umming and arring about P&O due to good prices but keep stopping ourselves from booking.

The reason?

We adore US style lines and do like a mixed passenger set up....although our Indy cruise was 89% British and we loved that. We feel like these lines have really spoiled us and although we like elegance of X on a cruise we like the hype and sensationalism of Royal/Carnival.

We would probably sail one of the 3 big ships in August from Southampton as they seem to have the cruises we are interested in. Worried it might be like butlins or be less luxurious with lacklustre entertainment.

It seems most of the reviews that are good are from die hard P&O cruisers/new cruisers and the negative are ones from cruisers who went elsewhere first.

We are a 30/29 aged married couple...no kids but have to sail in summer. :)

Any thoughts?

Thanks

I know where you are coming from. I enjoy the more diverse passenger mix on Cunard and princess.

But I like P&O and have sailed with them twice and probably sail with them again. That's not to say I didn't have a few issues with both cruises, but there's a lot of stuff P&O do really well.

The ships are large enough so you can have the holiday experience you want. The area around the main pools can feel a bit "butlins" from time to time, but that's just a small part of a very big ship.

In the evening the ship feels classy, understated and upmarket; and the food was noticeably better this time around; and was probably some of the best cruise ship food I'd had overall.

Go for it. Least you know the drink prices will be reasonable and no poor exchange rate!

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Thanks for the reply! (and from a fellow Derbyshirite...I am from just outside Bakewell before I met my husband and moved)

Would you say the food and entertainment (day and night) was comparable to Princess?

We did mostly Princess cruises (the odd Norwegian & Celebrity) before we did P&O. I too like a more eclectic mix of passengers than P&O tend to get.

However I've enjoyed my Pando cruises as much as Princess, finding that folks tend to be dressed up more for formal nights (& even the smart casual ones) than on the American ships.

The food tends to be standard British fare. We don't tend to sit around the pools or go to the entertainment, so can't comment on these, but in my experience I've not felt that any of my cruises were Butlins at sea. I'm also not a P&O cheerleader and have experienced some negatives on cruises, but overall have been happy and had some great times.

I'd say go for it and make the most of your cruise. Go with a positive outlook and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

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I too know exactly what you mean. I prefer the American Cruise lines myself such as Disney, RCI etc... but have also 'done' a few P&O cruises and although the feel is different it can still be very good as well. Don't expect the food to be as good as you maybe used to as American cruise lines tend to serve nicer quality along with excellent service however considering the lower prices P&O offer it kind of balances itself out. Also regarding Butlins, it can feel a bit like that but that depends on which ship you sail on as I find that there can be quite a difference between each one for example after sailing on the so called 'flagship' Britannia I found that a bit Butlins, (it was God awful' and the food was dreadful. The Azura & Ventura are much better options if you like Mid-large ships. They do have that very British feel and entertainment is also very British and a bit dated but the evening shows are normally great. In fact I would only put Disney above them for West end type shows. Just go with an open mind and you'll enjoy.

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I think you have already received some very useful and informative replies and I seem to concur with most of them.

The style of the ships, the quality of the entertainment and the classy feel of the ships in the evening are all similar to Princess and Celebrity where we derive our comparisons.

However food quality and presentation in the MDR, especially service is well down on either of the two US lines, and more telling the cleanliness of P&O is well below that of Celebrity, which we think is the best of the three.

During summer school holidays the passenger mix will tend towards younger families, although P&O does have a loyal pensioner base. You may see the occasional Aussie and Canadian and even the odd American, but 99.5% of passengers will be Brits, and as high season cruises sell out quickly the incidence of cheap offers, and even cheaper passengers, should be low or even zero. On our fjords cruise last August even the kids were well behaved.

I'm an RCI/Celebrity fan, but I've also cruised P&O and they're different from the American lines. Less glitz and bling. Much more British. I like them and their prices are wayyyy better than the American lines. No 18% service charge, and despite the whiners on here, the 'service charges' are way cheaper too. Try them, you'll be pleasantly surprised. FWIW, I have 4 cruises lined up. Two on P&O and two on RCI, must say something!

Having sailed on NCL prior to P&O, they're different experiences but I think holidays are a bit like wedding receptions; they are what you make of them. So I do like P&O regardless of previous cruises as I've had equally good holidays on both. :)

We have sailed with Princess, RCCl and Celebrity as well as once before on P and O. We are booked for 2 on the Azura. Our previous cruise was on the Azura who was just out of dry dock. We were not impressed with the stained and dirty carpet in our cabin nor the buckets which multiplied daily to catch leaks. However, having read good reviews and liking the itineraries we are going again. We have never had a bad cruise just some with the odd hiccup.

I'm sailing for the first time with P&O on Britannia in May to the Fjords and on Azura in December to the Caribbean but new destinations for us and I was a little apprehensive as I've previously sailed Princess, RCI & NCL and I really love RCI - I didn't know if another line could compare. We're a couple 28 & 33 but I decided unless we go and experience it ourselves we will never know!

The prices were very competitive compared to other lines and the grats & drink prices are good the only thing is they don't do the unlimited drinks packages and they seem to do a lot of formal nights - 4 on a 2 week cruise, but we can always eat in the buffer and chill in the hot-tubs if we don't want to join in.

I always say - a holiday is what you make it. So my advice just book it and find out for yourselves :) Enjoy!

As you asked the question...

Having cruised many times over several lines, I cruised on the Azura to the Med. with hubbie and the two mothers. The only good thing about it were the drink prices. That's all. The food was appalling...the idea of a salad was bits of lettuce, cucumber and something called salad cream which was essentially thick tasteless mayonnaise.

The service and entertainment was nowhere near the quality of any ship I have ever been on.

We will obviously be avoiding P&O in the future.

As you asked the question...

 

Having cruised many times over several lines, I cruised on the Azura to the Med. with hubbie and the two mothers. The only good thing about it were the drink prices. That's all. The food was appalling...the idea of a salad was bits of lettuce, cucumber and something called salad cream which was essentially thick tasteless mayonnaise.

 

The service and entertainment was nowhere near the quality of any ship I have ever been on.

 

We will obviously be avoiding P&O in the future.

I had to smile at the salad cream comment, each to their own [emoji23]

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Wendychloecruiser, I cannot believe you didn't know what salad cream was. I LOVE it!

velvet water, our first 2 cruises were on Celebrity - Summit then Equinox and we've also cruised with Princess, Cunard, RCI and Fred Olsen. Now though we mainly cruise with P&O. I'm not keen on the food in the MDR but that's partly because the food is fairly traditional in style and not really my cup of tea. However on the bigger ships you're considering there's a good selection of alternative venues if you want something other than the MDR. Yes there's a bit of a surcharge but we enjoy the food in The Beach House and The Glass House and think they're worth the small amount you have to pay. There's lots we like about P&O - the bar prices, no gratuities on drinks etc, the fact you can take alcohol onboard, the ships themselves, we meet lots of lovely people and there's more varied entertainment in the bars and lounges than on Celebrity.

We've sailed with NCL before and enjoyed it but we still prefer P&O. The American ships are much, much louder (bar Princess).

Dan

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Husband and I are trying to find a cruise we like from the UK atm and can't decide...we keep umming and arring about P&O due to good prices but keep stopping ourselves from booking.

 

The reason?

 

We adore US style lines and do like a mixed passenger set up....although our Indy cruise was 89% British and we loved that. We feel like these lines have really spoiled us and although we like elegance of X on a cruise we like the hype and sensationalism of Royal/Carnival.

 

We would probably sail one of the 3 big ships in August from Southampton as they seem to have the cruises we are interested in. Worried it might be like butlins or be less luxurious with lacklustre entertainment.

 

It seems most of the reviews that are good are from die hard P&O cruisers/new cruisers and the negative are ones from cruisers who went elsewhere first.

 

We are a 30/29 aged married couple...no kids but have to sail in summer. :)

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

Our favourite cruise line is Celebrity, high crew to pax makes for really good service.

We have cruised many times with P&O but are doubtful we will cruise with them again. Our last cruise on Britannia was dreadful we have never before been so bored on a cruise. We have since been on QE2 and loved her the food and service was outstanding as was the entertainment. Our next cruise is on celebrity Solstice to Australia and New Zealand. There is a good mix of people on the roll call and it looks like being a great trip.

Hello, Velvetwater.

I have reread your original post, after reading all the posts above.

I'd say the most important factors are those that you state:

• "We are a 30/29 aged married couple...no kids"
  
• "We adore US style lines and do like a mixed passenger set up"
  
• "We like the hype and sensationalism"
  

Let these be your guide.

Keep in mind, no matter what ship you choose,

summer cruises will feature parents, grandparents and children and,

generally, the longer the cruise the older the demographic.

If I was 29 and childless again, I know which ships I'd shortlist.

We are Princess elites who recently completed our first P&O cruise. We chose the P&O cruise because of the itinerary. Princess seems to do the same cruises over and over. P&O does not market to the U.S. so the booking process was difficult and unwelcoming, but once we got on board we loved it. It was fun being the only Americans on board. Also the passenger mix seemed to be younger than the usual Princess geriatric set.

What we liked:

Our ship -- the Aurora -- was beautiful. There were wonderful places to relax and hide away. The wide promenade deck was great. Princess has pretty much abandoned the wrap around promenade.

Our cabin was so nice. We had a balcony cabin which was much nicer than anything we have had on a Princess ship. Also our cabin steward was fantastic.

The entertainment staff did an amazing job. Unlike Princess, there was always something we wanted to do. Even on port days there were games and a movie.

What we did not like:

We quit doing formal nights after our very first Princess cruise. We were horrified to learn that on our P&O cruise there were 5 "black tie" nights. Unlike Princess, formal night attire is strictly enforced. It ruined 5 nights. Ironically "smart casual" on P&O was much more casual than on Princess.

The food on P&O is horrible. We are adventurous eaters, but on P&O we just quit trying, instead opting for something we knew would be edible. Room service and the buffet were even worse.

So in the end what's important is different for every person. Each cruise is unique. The passengers change. The staff will change. The itinerary will be different. The cruise will never be repeated.

Cruising can be so subjective as people want different things from their cruises. Our first ever cruise was on Independence and we were wowed. I would say we are usually wowed when on Royal Caribbean. We then tried Azura when she was new and tried our first Balcony which is always nice. We've done 6 P&O cruises over the last 9 years. Yes we've enjoyed them however they have become a bit more expensive over the last few years in their efforts to avoid having 'deals'. Yes bar prices and daily tips are less than the US lines but then spirit measures are smaller and their cocktails lack the flair and wide choice of the US lines. All but one of our Royal/Celebrity cruises have come with drinks packages so the drinks prices haven't been an issue and we've still got a good deal on the cruise price in comparison with P&O. Sometimes less expensive but with a drinks package included.

We've enjoyed the food on P&O (apart from the buffets) but we miss the variety on the US lines and more importantly service in the dining rooms on P&O has not been a patch on the service on Celebrity and Royal. I don t mind paying higher tips when the service levels are so much higher. P&O have better value speciality restaurants though.

We like the mix of passengers on the US lines. Even when sailing ex UK many US cruise line sailings attract a wide variety of passengers and we have met some great people. There seems to be a higher degree of whingers on some P&O trips we've done which we have not encountered on the other lines but in their aim of attracting younger, newer cruisers this might start to change.

Royal have very impressive ships with loads to do and great entertainment. There is always something happening. Celebrity has a more upscale feel with very few kids and offers a relaxed and classy cruise but you need to make your own entertainment.

Part of the issue (could be a benefit?) P&O have is their varied ships which offer a more ship specific cruise experience such that your experience on one ship could be quite a bit different to another ship in their fleet so choosing which ship is right for you is important.

P&O would now have to be significantly lower priced to lure us back onboard having been spoilt by Celebrity and Royal. Of course everyone looks for different things in a cruise so my opinion is just that and there are many loyal and very satisfied P&O cruisers.

Finally whilst opinions are obviously subjective, overall ratings across hundreds or thousands of past customers can give a better overall comparison and Royal/Celebrity ships attract ratings well in excess of those ships in the P&O fleet in the reviews section of this site.

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Hello, Velvetwater.

I have reread your original post, after reading all the posts above.

 

I'd say the most important factors are those that you state:

• "We are a 30/29 aged married couple...no kids"
  
• "We adore US style lines and do like a mixed passenger set up"
  
• "We like the hype and sensationalism"
  

Let these be your guide.

 

Keep in mind, no matter what ship you choose,

summer cruises will feature parents, grandparents and children and,

generally, the longer the cruise the older the demographic.

 

If I was 29 and childless again, I know which ships I'd shortlist.

Whilst this is mostly fair enough, if it's children that one wants to avoid then some P&O ships are adults-only. Though the corollary of that is that the average age of their adult passengers is probably greater.

Husband and I are trying to find a cruise we like from the UK atm and can't decide...we keep umming and arring about P&O due to good prices but keep stopping ourselves from booking.

 

The reason?

 

We adore US style lines and do like a mixed passenger set up....although our Indy cruise was 89% British and we loved that. We feel like these lines have really spoiled us and although we like elegance of X on a cruise we like the hype and sensationalism of Royal/Carnival.

 

We would probably sail one of the 3 big ships in August from Southampton as they seem to have the cruises we are interested in. Worried it might be like butlins or be less luxurious with lacklustre entertainment.

 

It seems most of the reviews that are good are from die hard P&O cruisers/new cruisers and the negative are ones from cruisers who went elsewhere first.

 

We are a 30/29 aged married couple...no kids but have to sail in summer. :)

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

We prefer Royal Carribean being diamond members and the food especially lunchtime is better but we love P&O as we get 7.5% discount after 93 nights sailing on P&O,the entertainment is better and i like Old Speckled Hen beer on P&O plus the kettles and biscuits in our cabin and the chocolates and champagne when we go in the Superior deluxe cabins.

love sailing with RCCL

We love Celebrity especially the Eclipse, more importantly we love the sun and Caribbean sea. P&O and Celebrity have one thing in common, declining MDR food standards but both have decent alternatives. P&O has a major advantage, the ease of getting to the sun with minimum sea days mimimising the effects of the chair hoggers that are prominent on both lines.

With the decline of our currency, P&O offer better value than Celebrity but an inferior product.

Thanks for the advice folks..

We actually like cruises with kids as in lowers the age range, some adult only ships have some great routes but we would be a bit young for the age demographic!

As you can see by my signature I made a choice in the end.