New ship 2022

That's 2 or 4 of us I suppose.

 

I have to 'smile' though as I feel that I am already being made to feel like a 'past commodity' by a cruise line when I am only just turned 50. Have only been cruising since 2010 and already feel like we are 'yesterday's market' and not important enough for the cruise line.

 

We are looking at a holiday for our 25th anniversary and at this rate we will most definitely be heading for a land holiday with a hotel that appreciates us and is not just wanting to see us gone !!!

 

Is it me or are P&O missing out on the 'about to retire' generation ????????

 

As for catering for those who do not want to get off the ship - we have to sail in school holidays and on every cruise we have been on the vast majority get off the ship ............

Pleased to say Presto and Scriv that these big ships do not appeal to me either, and I am only 30.

On a cruise you should feel like you are on the water, feel close to the sea, be able to visit an extensive list of ports, be in a calming and relaxing environment, and be sailing on a ship which feels elegant, classy and comfortable with good service provided. These big ships are far too big, and feel like floating resorts without a character that you become attached to.

I understand P&O are trying to keep up with what the other lines are offering, and that change does have to happen, but I feel that P&O's loyal passengers are not being appreciated and will be the ones most affected.

As the fleet consists of Britannia the new ship joining in 2020, and with Azura and Ventura I think it would have made more sense to have built a new mid-sized ship, like a sister ship to Arcadia.

 

 

As I understand it, the problem in Venice was that the wash from the very large ships was damaging the wooden piles on which the city is built. Hence the imposition of a maximum tonnage. It could well be however that they were also unhappy with the sheer number of people these ships were bringing and the resulting congestion in the streets. When I was in Dubrovnik last summer I was told that there was a similar concern regarding numbers there and pressure to limit the total number of cruise passengers in port on any one day, or the nember of passengers carried by any one ship. It was said that cruise passengers in general spent relativelly little in the city, particularly in the cafes and bars as most of them went back to the ship to eat, yet their presence en masse put off other visitors who would spend more. I suspect that there is more than a grain of truth in that and that other ports may follow Venices example.

 

I really do love my cruises and we have had so many very special moments on a number of cruise lines.

 

I just feel that something has to be done re these silly sized ships ....... ok some will not agree but just my opinion.

 

I do hope that the major places ban them and then those that want to be on an AI resort at sea can just float about AI while the rest of us can stay on smaller ships, seeing the world and enjoying cruising as it was meant to be .

 

Feel like Victor Meldrew .................

Pleased to say Presto and Scriv that these big ships do not appeal to me either, and I am only 30.

 

On a cruise you should feel like you are on the water, feel close to the sea, be able to visit an extensive list of ports, be in a calming and relaxing environment, and be sailing on a ship which feels elegant, classy and comfortable with good service provided. These big ships are far too big, and feel like floating resorts without a character that you become attached to.

 

I understand P&O are trying to keep up with what the other lines are offering, and that change does have to happen, but I feel that P&O's loyal passengers are not being appreciated and will be the ones most affected.

 

As the fleet consists of Britannia the new ship joining in 2020, and with Azura and Ventura I think it would have made more sense to have built a new mid-sized ship, like a sister ship to Arcadia.

Glad it is not just me being 50ish !!!!!!

Ironically we were on Ventura in August and were not keen. Love Britannia and Oceana so are not big ship moaners.

We are on Celebrity in August 2018.... interestingly enough their new ship is not a huge ship and they are keeping it is medium sized in Edge ............

What are people's thoughts on the kind of itineraries the new big ships will offer?

Very repetitive ones and mostly the bigger ports and/or more tender ports, which is the biggest drawback to the very large ships in my opinion. However, I prefer the modernity and vastly improved facilities and cabins of Britannia over the older ships, My perfect ship would be a new build of a similar size to Aurora or Oriana, but that isn’t going to happen. I am hoping that Aurora may become Adult only once the new ships are introduced, especially once Oriana is eventually sold on (she will be 25 years old when the newbies arrive).

Very repetitive ones and mostly the bigger ports and/or more tender ports, which is the biggest drawback to the very large ships in my opinion. However, I prefer the modernity and vastly improved facilities and cabins of Britannia over the older ships,quote]

 

Totally agree and we loved Britannia and now have a soft spot --

 

Another 1,500 passengers seems a little bit too far for us though re size

That's 2 or 4 of us I suppose.

 

 

 

I have to 'smile' though as I feel that I am already being made to feel like a 'past commodity' by a cruise line when I am only just turned 50. Have only been cruising since 2010 and already feel like we are 'yesterday's market' and not important enough for the cruise line.

 

 

 

We are looking at a holiday for our 25th anniversary and at this rate we will most definitely be heading for a land holiday with a hotel that appreciates us and is not just wanting to see us gone !!!

 

 

 

Is it me or are P&O missing out on the 'about to retire' generation ????????

 

 

 

As for catering for those who do not want to get off the ship - we have to sail in school holidays and on every cruise we have been on the vast majority get off the ship ............

With you on all of that Presto.

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Glad it is not just me being 50ish !!!!!!

 

Ironically we were on Ventura in August and were not keen. Love Britannia and Oceana so are not big ship moaners.

 

We are on Celebrity in August 2018.... interestingly enough their new ship is not a huge ship and they are keeping it is medium sized in Edge ............

Celebrity Edge cannot in any sense be considered medium sized, at 117,000 tonnes and 2900 lower berths it is a very similar size and capacity to Azura and Ventura, and although 5000 tonnes smaller than it's Solstice class it will have more cabins.

I am afraid that passengers wanting medium sized Arcadia type ships will in the future have to migrate to the premium market, or HAL and Cunard, although even their newest ships will have nearly 3000 passengers. Otherwise it will be the hand me down cruise lines like Fred O, CMV, TUI or Saga.

Ok Edge isnt huge but she is about the same size as Ventura and our lovely Silhouette.

Not quite the same as a ship with 5000 passengers.

Perhaps we all need to redefine what a medium and large ship is now ... to me medium is Azura. , large is Britannia and anything larger is silly ......

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I consider myself a small to medium ship lover.

Hated Azura - it didn’t flow for me, on sea days with poor weather it was nigh on impossible to get a seat during the day anywhere central as simply too many passengers for the available space, and the queueing in some ports to get on and off was so bad we nicknamed her Qzura. I have to say re the queueing for shuttles in some ports this seemed to us to be down to

poor organisation as much as anything else.

I have been on Celebrity Eclipse about 5 or 6 times and I love her. I think they are similar size but the experience is so different.

The ship flows well and I have never been conscious of queueing. Also easier to find a seat in central areas (except perhaps the cafe al baccio where sadly some passengers hog seats for hours)

I haven’t compared passenger numbers or sizes of public areas but my perception is of much more space on the Eclipse

Looking forward to trying her sister ship Silhouette later in the year.

Have no P&O cruises booked this year following the cancellation of our Adonia cruise. May consider Aurora as what I read on here appeals

I have to say, we prefer the medium Aurora sized liner. We prefer to be on a ship for a holiday. We prefer some luxury and don’t like ‘pack em in and sell em cheap’ packages, to cater for 5000. We don’t wish to be on a top heavy floating block of flats, where using the stairs would become a marathon, nor where any rough weather will remind everyone they’re actually on the sea... We enjoy walking the prom, in fact, if a ship has no prom deck we will not go on it. Full stop. We had a short break on Azura and didn’t enjoy the ship as it was just too large and as someone else stated, it didn’t ‘flow’ as there were too many dead ends, I can’t imagine how it would feel to be on this new ship. I’m a long way off being retired, but do wonder whether I’ll also need to start to look at other companies sailing from the UK (we can’t do fly cruises) as the P&O questionnaires we regularly receive, do point to them moving towards a new mass market clientele. We’ve only been on 5 cruises (in just over 2 years) and we’re already noticing the changes some regulars bemoan. Shame.

 

There is a plan for a new approach to the Venice terminal which does follow the current route. Ships will dock at the current industrial port of Marghera, the opposite side of the long bridge to Venice. Due to be open in 2022.

 

 

Am I right in thinking that the ships won't be able to come up the Grand Canal though via St Mark's Square???

 

 

I think I read that the Venetians are not happy about the large ships as it floods the City with too many people all at once.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the main attractions of Venice is the sail in and sail away along the Guidecca canal past St Marks square and all the sights. There is a plan for a new cruise port at Marghera west of the bridge but the approach would be through the lagoon from the south so no magic sail in or out. It would also involve tiresome shuttles to Venice proper. An alternative is a new dredged channel through the lagoon to the existing cruise port but again no magical canal sailing.

It is undoubtedly true that the infrastructure of many smaller ports struggle to cope with the arrival of large shps carrying several thousand passengers. Also there is I believe an increasing local reaction against them because their passengers spend relatively little on shore but dissuade other tourists from visiting whilst they are in port. I feel that eventually we will see large ships increasingly confined to the relatively small number of ports which can adequately cater for them.

I agree with you in this. One local example is South Queensferry. The local authority welcomes the ships with open arms, they put on a piper and close off virtually all of the local car parking so that the ships coaches can park right next to the tender port.

The locals hate it as the people get off the ship and straight on a coach to Edinburgh. The more intrepid make their way to the train station so the trains are overcrowded. Very few actually stay in the town and spend any money.

Other visitors are put off coming into the town as they can't get parked so on cruise days the shops and restaurants are actually quieter not busier.

This is all fine for the coach company and for Edinburgh which benefits but not for the locals.

So businesses may get a bit of benefit but many actually don't.

I agree with you in this. One local example is South Queensferry. The local authority welcomes the ships with open arms, they put on a piper and close off virtually all of the local car parking so that the ships coaches can park right next to the tender port.

 

The locals hate it as the people get off the ship and straight on a coach to Edinburgh. The more intrepid make their way to the train station so the trains are overcrowded. Very few actually stay in the town and spend any money.

 

Other visitors are put off coming into the town as they can't get parked so on cruise days the shops and restaurants are actually quieter not busier.

 

This is all fine for the coach company and for Edinburgh which benefits but not for the locals.

 

So businesses may get a bit of benefit but many actually don't.

I also think it’s a shame in port when passengers come back on board for lunch and don’t support local restaurants and cafes.

Also ships tours tend to benefit the cruise lines with much of the profit going to them. Much better to support local tours and give them the profit

It’s no wonder that some ports don’t like cruise ships in town

Am I right in thinking that the ships won't be able to come up the Grand Canal though via St Mark's Square???

Correct

I am very sad that 2 monsters are ordered; my favourite ship is Aurora and really though I like Azura she's as big as I want to go. I'm trying Britannia next year with an open mind but suspect it'll be the only time!

If Aurora goes, so do I.

Oh dear - another megalith. I can see I'll have to defect to Fred Olsen.

Yes!

I think these two big ships conclusively prove P&O's commitment to the mass-market and multi-generational cruises on-board very big floating resorts. This demographic is quite a long way from P&O's original fan-base, the more mature, more traditional, 'socks & sandals' brigade. They enjoyed the more traditional, more intimate ships, such as Victoria and Oriana. However I guess that P&O need the appeal to the British masses, to fill these thousands of new cabins and secure their future.

However I do wonder how much different their product will feel from RCI, NCL, Princess and MSC in the future.

These new ships have been called the world's most crowed, by some commentators. That's probably not true - but let's just say that they will definitely be very 'busy'. Southampton port will need to adapt to process that many passengers, regularly. They need to maker the roads bigger and NOT just the terminals.

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I also think it’s a shame in port when passengers come back on board for lunch and don’t support local restaurants and cafes.

 

Also ships tours tend to benefit the cruise lines with much of the profit going to them. Much better to support local tours and give them the profit

 

It’s no wonder that some ports don’t like cruise ships in town

That's an interesting point. We were in Kotor a few years back on Oceana and we stopped at a lovely outdoor restaurant for lunch. I think it was something silly like £15 for 2 beautiful, large salads, 2 large beers and a yummy cake. I remember how cheap it was as it was cheaper than when we go to a local garden centre for a sandwich and tea / coffee at home! It was beautiful.

Sitting opposite us was a couple from the ship who had stopped for a drink - they were very sarcastic about us having lunch there when 'the ship was already there with a meal they had paid for'.

Now we love Oceana, but there really is no comparison with what they were serving for lunch and what we ate. Ok it cost us £15 but it was worth it just to sit and soak up the atmosphere !!

That's an interesting point. We were in Kotor a few years back on Oceana and we stopped at a lovely outdoor restaurant for lunch. I think it was something silly like £15 for 2 beautiful, large salads, 2 large beers and a yummy cake. I remember how cheap it was as it was cheaper than when we go to a local garden centre for a sandwich and tea / coffee at home! It was beautiful.

 

Sitting opposite us was a couple from the ship who had stopped for a drink - they were very sarcastic about us having lunch there when 'the ship was already there with a meal they had paid for'.

 

Now we love Oceana, but there really is no comparison with what they were serving for lunch and what we ate. Ok it cost us £15 but it was worth it just to sit and soak up the atmosphere !!

Part of the cruise for us is trying food in the various ports but we have met people who say that they only eat on board because " why waste money buying food when it is free on board ". We have even seen people filling water bottles in the buffet before going ashore so that they didn't have to buy a drink. I suppose we are all different and have different view of what is worth spending money on. When I meet my friends for afternoon tea at Crewe Hall every few months I realise how cheap good food is when we stop for lunch in various ports.

Part of the cruise for us is trying food in the various ports but we have met people who say that they only eat on board because " why waste money buying food when it is free on board ". We have even seen people filling water bottles in the buffet before going ashore so that they didn't have to buy a drink. I suppose we are all different and have different view of what is worth spending money on. When I meet my friends for afternoon tea at Crewe Hall every few months I realise how cheap good food is when we stop for lunch in various ports.

Ahhhhhh Crewe Hall -------- very nice ;-)

Perhaps see you there some time !!! :D

Although these new mega-ships won’t suit many ‘traditional’ cruisers (new ships rarely do), I do feel that P&O is doing the right thing for the future success of their brand.

 

We have cruised on all the P&O ships over the past 22 years, other than Arcadia (a situation which will be rectified this year) and the clientele has changed enormously. We were in our early 30’s when we first cruised with P&O on the then 12 month old Oriana. We were younger than 99% of the passengers, most of whom were wealthy retirees. Throughout the cruise, we heard regular moans from people complaining about how they didn’t like this ‘massive’ new ship and how they much preferred Canberra.

 

As most people know, the glory days of gold plated pensions is mostly over, now that it is known that they were never affordable in the first place! Final salary / defined benefit pensions are now almost extinct in the private sector and even the comparatively far better public sector pension schemes are contributory and a little less generous than they used to be. So pensioners of the future will not enjoy the pension incomes of their parents generation and P&O will not be able to rely on this segment of the population to anywhere near the same extent.

 

Add to this the vast increase in the number of cabins that they have to fill. I was looking at the 1996 brochure for our first cruise. It bragged that there were around 45 cruises to choose from that year and the biggest ship was Oriana. Now they have as many cruises as that every few months and Oriana is the smallest ship!

 

Then, finally factor in that cruising is now starting to appeal to all generations and that younger people want bigger resort style ships with all the variety and choice that they offer.

 

Once you consider all the above, the rapidly changing passenger demographic and the fact that bigger ships are more cost efficient to run per passenger (hence why cruises are comparatively cheaper now than when we first cruised), it makes absolute sense for P&O to go in that direction.

 

Do I like it? Not really. We prefer the smaller ships as the overall cruise experience suits us better. But the new ships, particularly Britannia, offer far better facilities and appeal far more to the likes of our adult children. For what it’s worth, we also find that the bigger ships don’t feel as congested as the smaller ships inside on a dull sea day, so there are some other advantages.

 

So, although we would be gutted if the likes of Aurora and Oriana eventually leave the P&O fleet as more and more of the mega-ships are introduced, my business head tells me that if I was the CEO of P&O, I would be doing exactly as they are.

my favourite was Artemis. loved the size of the ship, and it was a great cruise as well.

Ahhhhhh Crewe Hall -------- very nice ;-)

 

Perhaps see you there some time !!! :D

Definitely the best place I have had afternoon tea. I have a little group of 5 friends and we celebrate all of our birthdays there.

We have found that the spa at Crewe Hall is also good for a day out.

Hope to see you there some time. :D:D

Definitely the best place I have had afternoon tea. I have a little group of 5 friends and we celebrate all of our birthdays there.

 

We have found that the spa at Crewe Hall is also good for a day out.

 

Hope to see you there some time. :D:D

Small world ;-)

Will try that afternoon tea !!!

I have cruised on the smaller ships and the massive ones. As a 40 something,at this time in my life, i prefer the larger ships for one reason and it actually has nothing to do with the size. It is the amount of things to see and do whilst on-board. I totally get why the small ships are popular and I do like them especially as they can get into the smaller ports. As I get older I think I probably will like them best but on a long cruise I find I need more to keep me occupied which the big ships always win hands down. If P&O don't address this with the new ships they might as well not bother. Saying that I don't understand why they can't have both size ships to suite different needs and likes.

I wonder what the range of activities and entertainment will be like in comparison to the current ships? And whether they will be targetting certain groups?

 

There is a plan for a new approach to the Venice terminal which does follow

 

 

Am I right in thinking that the ships won't be able to come up the Grand Canal though via St Mark's Square???

 

 

 

The ships don't go up the Grand Canal....they wouldn't fit under the bridges !!!:). It's the Giudecca Canal they currently sail up!