Which is a better ship?

[strawberrypatch81]

After my honeymoon cruise I am looking at going on another cruise. I love P&O cruises and have always had so much fun! :D

I was wondering how do the other ships compare to Pacific Jewel, Pacific Pearl? I was looking into Voyager of the seas or Carnival spirit from Sydney.

How does the food and entertainment and the ships themselves compare? And the friendliness of the staff?

I love the food on P&O and all the wonderful shows and the service has always been wonderful.

Would you stick with P&O or choose another cruise?

 

Thanks. :)

[The_Big_M]

It's always a risk going from something that you enjoy to something else, even one that others enjoy. People have different preferences, so it depends what you want.

 

There are more facilities on those other ships that you mention, but sometimes the condition may not be great, or the service weaker. But someone may prefer having more facilities in one case whereas another prefers what they already get.

 

I haven't tried Spirit or Voyager yet, so can't give a recommendation, but suggest you think about what you value you most, and what you might be keen to try elsewhere to help you decide.

[Brossy]

I love P&O but if you're keen to try another cruiseship, try Radiance of the Seas. She is a good size, has quite a few places to eat, a couple of good shows (not as hood ad P&o though IMHO) and the ship is just beautiful.

[Cruise ship fan]

In terms of ships it depends on what you like, the P&O ships are smaller and don't have as many features but they are better balanced (if that makes sense) as, there is not too much of one thing and too little of the other, as well as they are more of a relaxation, but they lack many of the features in the other lines. Royal Caribbean has feature packed ships and Carnival has in the middle. Basically on ALL ships you will get the exact same service, the only difference is that you may get unlucky on some lines and get a bad crew member of members, that give an impression that the whole crew is like that, when in actual fact they are all the same. Although in some cases this is not the case, due to what is expected from the staff, as is the case with the Oasis class. We were talking to a member on the Radiance who had sailed on the Allure and hated it due to the huge load placed on the staff. Another reason it could suffer is under staffing, I find this to be the case on my last two RC ships, in the Buffet and in some lounges. This lead to tables having to be cleaned by passengers, at times, even when the table had been dirty for 30 minutes. The spirit also suffer from this in the buffet. Entertainment, on RC can be hit and miss. They had three production shows on our 11 night cruise, I skipped two as I wasn't remotely interested and the one I saw was great. Many of the shows they had were horrible and should of never of been shown in the main theatre, including a Piano act that should of been in the Atrium. Carnival has about the worst entertainment though, onboard the spirit we had 3 production shows, the first two were almost identical and one could be made to believe they were the same show, as well as them being dead (one costume change and only 4 props used in the whole show, all were chairs used in one scene). The last included many set changes but still failed to deliver. P&O has by far the best entertainment.

 

In terms of the ships each line has a slightly different feel. The P&O ships (except the Dawn) have a modern feel, and they made it so that its a more relaxing atmosphere. Royal Caribbean has a modern feel but it is made to feel more active and high tech (touch screen navigation screens). Carnival has a very loud in your face kind of feel., there us nothing simple about their ships, especially not the Spirit (which I think looks horrible in some places). Until after its dry dock in 2014, I would avoid the Voyager of the Seas as it is in poor condition.

[The_Big_M]

Royal Caribbean has a modern feel but it is made to feel more active and high tech (touch screen navigation screens).

 

Keep in mind the touch screen is only on Oasis/Allure and newly renovated ships since then e.g. Radiance. Most RCL ships do not have this.

[Guest012]

I would avoid the Voyager of the Seas as it is in poor condition.

 

Strawberrypatch having spent 18 nights on the Voyager last month i can assure you she is NOWHERE close to being in poor condition as the above poser has stated ... Half the fun of cruising is trying the different products and sure it's hard to not compare so if you go with an open mind and little to no expectations you should have a great time no matter which ship you choose

[Bella cruiser]

Strawberrypatch having spent 18 nights on the Voyager last month i can assure you she is NOWHERE close to being in poor condition as the above poser has stated ... Half the fun of cruising is trying the different products and sure it's hard to not compare so if you go with an open mind and little to no expectations you should have a great time no matter which ship you choose

 

Lol... badgerbill, I hope you meant poster.:D

 

To the original poster, I have only been on the Pearl so can't really comment on the others but I would certainly recommend her. We had a great time and whilst she is not the newest of the ships cruising from here she is nevertheless a very nice and well appointed cruise ship. Food and entertainment were very good and the crew is amazing, friendly and can't so enough for you.

[Cruise ship fan]

Strawberrypatch having spent 18 nights on the Voyager last month i can assure you she is NOWHERE close to being in poor condition as the above poser has stated ... Half the fun of cruising is trying the different products and sure it's hard to not compare so if you go with an open mind and little to no expectations you should have a great time no matter which ship you choose

 

Ok just try and write what I say off, but its fact and going on the Radiance just week later made it all the more obvious. Its also something that many other people have been saying as well so its not just me. We were planning on sailing on here at christmas next year but we have switched to the Radiance and put another cruise on the Voyager back until she is fixed up.

[The_Big_M]

Ok just try and write what I say off, but its fact and going on the Radiance just week later made it all the more obvious.

 

That's the danger with comparing against newly renovated ships. Radiance was only refurbished last year.

 

It's like the Solstice for me. It's been 4 years since launch and it hasn't had a reno in that time, and there were quite a few broken and damaged things around, in my cabin and elsewhere on the ship and as I've been on other Celebrity ships I compared to that. Even a staff member I spoke to lamented a bit about things not being upgraded that weren't working!

 

But to others where it's new they just see the good things of which there are many.

[dougo in oz]

I've been on the Pearl and Voyager and for me, Voyager wins over Pac Pearl any day of the week.

 

Even tho' the Voyager is huge, there is a lot more bang for your buck on the Voyager. The dining room is spectacular IMO and the food at dinner was some of the nicest I've had on a ship. The entertainment is second to none and if you have issues, they will be resolved.

 

My friend and TA just had a cruise on the Voyage Sydney to NZ and back and one of their friends picked up a tummy bug and was confined to her cabin. For her trouble, she was given some spa products, access to cable TV for free, medical bills waived and she got some REALLY good OBC for staying in her cabin.

 

Nothing like a bit of good customer service I always say.

[strawberrypatch81]

Wesome, thanks for the helpful advice. :)

[thied]

all cruise ships are the best, as long as you are one a cruise ship its all ways good.

[NSWP]

all cruise ships are the best, as long as you are one a cruise ship its all ways good.

Uh? I don't understand that comment. (are a cruiseship.)

[The_Big_M]

I think he added an 'e' after 'on' which he meant.

 

It would be great if he looked after the presentation of messages he wrote so that others could understand what he was trying to communicate better.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

That would be sweet:)