Camberley

Just from a personal view, it’s very much a “no frills” cruise company, but arguably without being too tacky. For the prices involved I think it’s absolutely fine, even in school holidays, but not particularly special if you crave something a bit more upscale - but it is, I feel, decent value for money for what it is. We used to just do P&O but we now do far fewer P&O cruises in favour of other cruise lines which tick our boxes much better, but we still keep our options open with P&O.

It can indeed be done and there are some phenomenal foods that are any combination of gluten-free, dairy-free, low sugar, low salt, suitable for vegans etc….. Sadly, a combination of using cheap alternatives for the key ingredients (which are themselves often ultra-processed rubbish), and making the dishes without any real conviction or love of food, will rarely a result in a good dish! And for me, a good dish - be it suitable for vegans, meat eaters or whatever - should be able to stand up well in its own right rather than a very obvious afterthought to “tick a box”.

Ah I came to this thread thinking it was about the movie under the stars but with a typo 🤣

We are also likely to be jumping ship as for us P&0 has become far too watered down and the last couple of cruises with them has been only about adequate overall. We are finding that even the extras you pay for are becoming less value. We have one paid for this summer with family on Arvia…..But despite my criticisms of them - and praise where it has been due - I always board with a very positive mind, so fair play if they win me back over: I am giving them every chance to - and I really hope they do. Granted, other cruise companies have also made cuts and changes, but for us some of those in a simpler price bracket we have also done have offered better value and a better experience. Again, this is just how we feel: I appreciate how subjective it all is.

This thread is now well and truly saturated

Well, this issue has certainly generated quite the Buzz!

No although it sure seems like it at times

Absolutely the same: it’s like diving into an ashtray and rubbing it all into your clothes, skin and mouth. Just a horrid, horrid experience

I’m so sorry about this and how you were treated onboard: a little concern for patients and looking out for them more can go a long way. I hope it doesn’t put you off cruising but I understand how you will be feeling at the moment,

It really is a dreadful flaw - and each time we’ve been on Iona we’ve seen from that deck the deliberate splashing by folk on the pool - and have been with friends on their balconies below as water cascades down. And normal swimming etc in there doesn’t cause this waterfall onto the balconies below. Personally I’d throw the offending splashers and family off the ship at the next port 🤣

Ah a lucky escape 🤣

Destinations aside, I have always found P&O to be fine for what it is: not downmarket and certainly not upmarket but no frills, pleasant, great crew and pretty reliable. There were signs of things such as little cuts here and there and deterioration in food quality (admittedly the food is a subjective view!): but these were fine for us as they were not major enough overall. And I don’t mind change of the experience is still good. But in the last couple of years I am now much more selective with P&O in terms of the ship than I used to be and am less keen on the “pack em in and be damned” mentality with some of their recent ships where quality seems to take second place over quantity: again, purely my opinion. Plus some very poor customer services issues that still remain unresolved over a year or so later: customer services in several cruise companies are rarely first rate in my experience but with P&O I think this area has certainly taken a nosedive. And of my cruises I now sail less with P&O (about 1/4 of my cruises are with them now compared to previously sailing exclusively with them). They still have something to offer for me, but I rarely find myself recommending them to others nowadays and I sail more with other companies that I find tick the boxes more for me - despite all of them still having their own “quirks”.

She looked ahead, discussed with MDR and made a preorder, as she is used to doing on other lines. Which you would think would be good enough! It was clearly not good enough. And with so many elements of cruising we all get varying experiences. It was just a shame for her that first time, and to a lesser extent that second time

A dear friend of mine who is coeliac sailed with us on Iona last year: her first time with P&O. Being used to cruising with other companies and potential food issues, she gave very clear notification in advance - and checked each night for the following day just in case. She actually loved the selection on offer and each night had, in theory, a varied selection of some nice looking and what she felt was delicious food. Sadly she spent most of the cruise sick because of cross-contamination from non GF foods. And it wasn’t because of any seasickness: she assured me she knows her body if she is ill because of ingesting gluten etc. P&O had a kind of “sorry but we try our best” response, which was really poor. However, she still went with P&O again earlier this year and apart from one meal she most of the cruise without being sick from cross contamination. For me even one meal messed up is bad - and there could be very severe implications for some people.

You can dress up as much as you want or you can dress more casually if you wish: just dress to the level YOU want (within reason depending on the venue and the “guidelines”: sometimes enforced, sometimes not) and be comfortable and confident in that. On formal nights, for example, I typically go reasonably smartish: decent trousers, shoes rather than trainers, standard shirt (often short-sleeved), tie and sometimes a suit jacket if going to a main dining room or speciality restaurant etc - rather than a full tuxedo/bow tie affair as that is what I find is more comfortable for me. But often the jacket is not needed and simply gets draped over my chair and I sometimes end up taking off my tie later in the night (shhh!). There are some passengers who love to moan when other folk’s attire is not what they would want to see being worn, but at the end of the day you are there to enjoy your holiday and not to gain approval of insignificant others. Whatever you wear, I hope you have a fabulous time.