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P&O the Walmart of Cruising


artemis10
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You really do get some really pointless posts on here but this beats them all.

Do you seriously expect us to believe such nonsense that a senior officer would make such a comment?

 

Yes I can because we sat at Peninsular Club lunch on Azura with a certain female Purser who is still currently working on P&O and has done for a number of years. When we said we were not happy with the dress code and enforcement on the ship it had been noted but she followed on to say football shirts can be more expensive than many formal shirts and that she had designer jeans that had cost more than most mens formal dinner suits. With an attitude like that from a senior officer what hope is there for enforcing dress code and one of the reasons we switched to cruising primarily with Cunard which has a better dress code and is enforced.

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Yes I can because we sat at Peninsular Club lunch on Azura with a certain female Purser who is still currently working on P&O and has done for a number of years. When we said we were not happy with the dress code and enforcement on the ship it had been noted but she followed on to say football shirts can be more expensive than many formal shirts and that she had designer jeans that had cost more than most mens formal dinner suits. With an attitude like that from a senior officer what hope is there for enforcing dress code and one of the reasons we switched to cruising primarily with Cunard which has a better dress code and is enforced.

 

Obviously as I was not there with you, I cannot possibly know what her inference was from that but sadly, she is essentially right. An average price football shirt is now £50+ and designer jeans far more than that. Personally, I really don't even get the concept of designer jeans. They originated as outdoor work-wear and I generally only wear them shopping or going to football games.

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You really do get some really pointless posts on here but this beats them all.

Do you seriously expect us to believe such nonsense that a senior officer would make such a comment?

 

 

Well I certainly do ! You'd be surprised at the comments I've heard ( on Cunard) from former P&O senior officers, who now have to rotate between P&O and Cunard.

 

They dread the thought of having to be rotated back.

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Yes I can because we sat at Peninsular Club lunch on Azura with a certain female Purser who is still currently working on P&O and has done for a number of years. When we said we were not happy with the dress code and enforcement on the ship it had been noted but she followed on to say football shirts can be more expensive than many formal shirts and that she had designer jeans that had cost more than most mens formal dinner suits. With an attitude like that from a senior officer what hope is there for enforcing dress code and one of the reasons we switched to cruising primarily with Cunard which has a better dress code and is enforced.

She is right about the cost of those clothes items but wrong in the good taste category.

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I hate getting dressed up so for my upcoming P&O cruise I’m going to have to buy a £25 suit from Asda. Grrrr

While in M&S outlet at Dalton Park Murton County Durham yesterday they had a selection of suits for £69.

At that price people have no excuse to not wear a suit on formal night.

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You really do get some really pointless posts on here but this beats them all.

Do you seriously expect us to believe such nonsense that a senior officer would make such a comment?

 

 

Why not? I would think a lot of the older crew members could be a tad disenchanted with the way things are changing

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But there is no WalMart in the UK is there? So the correct title of the thread should be 'P&O The Primark of Cruising' or perhaps 'P&O the Lidl of Cruising.' :halo:

 

Which should make Cunard..'The Harrods of Cruising' or is that an overstatement? :hearteyes: I reckon it is having been on Cunard. So Cunard 'The Sainsburys of Cruising.' lol.

 

 

 

Yes, there is Walmart in Uk. They purchased ASDA and rebranded some of their stores

 

 

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While in M&S outlet at Dalton Park Murton County Durham yesterday they had a selection of suits for £69.

At that price people have no excuse to not wear a suit on formal night.

 

Yes they have, they might want to have a casual cruise or miss the formal dinner that evening, all OK as far as P&O are concerned. :evilsmile:

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Couldn't agree more! I am someone who sails on a number of different lines but am still very happy to cruise with P&O as I feel they provide a good quality, good value product. Sadly, there seem to a few people around who see 'dissing' P&O as a sport or fun pastime.

 

Couldn't agree more Britboys.

 

And what really gets their goat is the fact that P&O have such a regular loyal following and, what's more to the point, cruise more often than the detractors.

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Well I certainly do ! You'd be surprised at the comments I've heard ( on Cunard) from former P&O senior officers, who now have to rotate between P&O and Cunard.

 

They dread the thought of having to be rotated back.

 

Awe bless, it's such a cruel world.

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Indeed! The OP who appears to have many undisclosed sources didn't say when this alleged discussion took place, presumably it was during the Port & Stilton when by then a few glasses of wine had been consumed and not just the bow ties were being loosened.

 

as it turns out my undisclosed source was correct with regards to the alcohol policy.

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as it turns out my undisclosed source was correct with regards to the alcohol policy.

 

"Undisclosed Source", you seem to have a few of those. Think you've been watching too many crime dramas. More like someone who told someone else who I overheard telling someone else.

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I could easily name the Purser or whatever they are called these days about her attitude to dress code but do not think it is right or proper to do so on here. But while I agree to the cost of football shirts and designer jeans they are still a football shirt and whatever the cost neither have a place in any restaurant on formal evenings.

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Couldn't agree more! I am someone who sails on a number of different lines but am still very happy to cruise with P&O as I feel they provide a good quality, good value product. Sadly, there seem to a few people around who see 'dissing' P&O as a sport or fun pastime.

 

I agree completely!

 

Past cruises

Carroll A Deering

Bel Amica

High Aim 6

Jian Seng

Mary Celeste

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I agree completely!

 

 

 

Past cruises

 

Carroll A Deering

 

Bel Amica

 

High Aim 6

 

Jian Seng

 

Mary Celeste

 

 

 

And as if to prove your point Andrew......

 

 

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I could easily name the Purser or whatever they are called these days about her attitude to dress code but do not think it is right or proper to do so on here. But while I agree to the cost of football shirts and designer jeans they are still a football shirt and whatever the cost neither have a place in any restaurant on formal evenings.

 

Don't disagree with your sentiments at all - in fact I still think Jeans are inappropriate wear on any night aboard a ship but would never say anything as P&O have deemed they are acceptable. What I was conjecturing about in my earlier post was whether the Purser had not put her point across well and hence seemed to display a poor attitude? Think I have narrowed it down to one of two Pursers... :).

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Couldn't agree more Britboys.

 

And what really gets their goat is the fact that P&O have such a regular loyal following and, what's more to the point, cruise more often than the detractors.

 

Thank you Richard - and that means a lot coming from you, with your experience of cruising at all levels from budget to ultra-luxury!

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Couldn't agree more! I am someone who sails on a number of different lines but am still very happy to cruise with P&O as I feel they provide a good quality, good value product. Sadly, there seem to a few people around who see 'dissing' P&O as a sport or fun pastime.

 

I totally agree with you. We are just back from an Azamara cruise and next year we shall be on Aurora and later next year another Azamara. 2 totally different products but both equally enjoyable in their own way. We always do our homework before we book a cruise and when asked which is our favourite ship our reply will be " the one that we are on at the time". I feel very lucky that I am able to enjoy such fabulous holidays - many people can only dream of such luxury.

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During a Peninsular lunch recently one of the guests at our table said that he thought P&O standards were dropping, the senior officer hosting our table replied that he thought P&O was heading towards being the Walmart of cruising, pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap! I think they are more likely to become the Ryanair of cruising.

 

The senior officer needs to get his Retail analogies correct. Stack them high and sell them cheap was a phrase made famous by Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco. And, is P&O the Tesco of British based cruising? Probably :)

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No but ASDA have to do what Walmart tell them, just like P&O are ruled by Carnival.
Good point. I wonder how much input Carnival put into the alcohol decision. Quite a lot I would imagine, as it was making their alcohol policy in their other lines look parsimonious.

 

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