P&O vs Royal Caribbean

[sarah78]

I'm looking to cruise again this summer, my last 4 cruises were with carnival. I have heard mixed reviews about P&O with respect to food and service. I would like to try the independence - royal Caribbean. Would this be a better ship than say the Ventura? Any advice would be really appreciated. P.s I'm 35 yrs old and travelling with my husband, no children

[weliketocruise86]

Royal Caribbean is our favourite cruise line, I am waiting to find out whether P&O are better.

 

Each cruise line is different in its own way, we have never had a bad cruise.

 

I am doubtful that P&O will be better than RCI but for the price we paid for a 14 night cruise in the Caribbean I have no doubt we will have a great time.

Edited February 13, 2014 by weliketocruise86

[bee-ess]

I would say that they are about par with each other but Celebrity is better than both IMHO.

P&O are not as good as they used to be but as good as RCI I would say, although I have only been on RCI once and that was out of the USA but didn't reckon it was anything out of the ordinary.

[Suedonim]

We've done 2 RCL cruises and will soon do our first P&O, so still can't compare, but the initial things I've discovered whilst researching:

 

a) ship tours seem a lot cheaper on P & O than RCL

b) wine and alcohol is a lot cheaper on P & O than RCL

c) RCL seem to have the edge on sports activities on ship

d) RCL do free ice cream cones on deck

e) RCL do an all inclusive soda package

 

The latter mean more to me as I have kids!

[sagaris]

If I remember correctly P&O do a soda package. It is for 20 drinks and I think it now cost £30. I am not sure how much the drinks are separately though.

 

Molly

[simonpjd]

If you like the and understand the word 'soda' then don't go with P&O. P&O is a very British cruise experience and us Brits have no idea about 'soda'. We drink soft drinks and the choice of these over this side of the pond is hugely superior to the coke and sprite only choice over there !!!

[sagaris]

If you like the and understand the word 'soda' then don't go with P&O. P&O is a very British cruise experience and us Brits have no idea about 'soda'. We drink soft drinks and the choice of these over this side of the pond is hugely superior to the coke and sprite only choice over there !!!

 

Hi Simonpjd,

 

I should have said soft drinks package:o:)

 

Molly

[kevinyork]

Peoples views will depend on what they want from a cruise. There is a lot more going on on an RCI ship and the shipsare impressive. P&O is more sedate and has a generally higher average age.

 

Weve been on Ventura and Indy. If price were the same we would chose Indy again, no question.

 

However, we had our first taste of Celebrity last year and loved it so we are back on the Eclipse twice this year.

 

 

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[moswinner1]

Firstly, as has been said, one mans meat is another mans poison. We have had 7 P&O cruises, with another two booked for this year, However, The Independence of the Seas is by far our favourite ship. It just has the WOW factor and is so easy to find your way around. Yes P&O drinks are cheaper but they don't measure the "Shorts" on RCI and measures can be quite large. As for Excursions, despite what was said earlier, we found the RCI trips seemed cheaper than P&O. If Ventura and Independence where off on the same itinerary we would choose Independence every time.:):)

[chimaer]

We've sailed on Ventura and Independence and if I had the choice and they were the same itinerary and price etc I'd choose independence. They were both lovely ships though and would go back on both.

 

I think the food was nicer on independence, there was loads more to do and I'd definitely choose it for a longer cruise as I think I'd get bored on sea days on a long Ventura cruise. But you felt more crammed in in the buffet area on independence. It was busier than Ventura and they'd crammed more seating into a smaller space. I personally though the RCI trips were cheaper. The tips were a lot cheaper on P&O and that soon adds up. Both were 3 night cruises but we paid £3 something a day each for 2 days on p&o and $12 something a day for 3 days on rci. RCI felt a bit more butlins at sea. And I felt we were trying to be sold loads all the time

[kevinyork]

We've sailed on Ventura and Independence and if I had the choice and they were the same itinerary and price etc I'd choose independence. They were both lovely ships though and would go back on both.

 

 

 

I think the food was nicer on independence, there was loads more to do and I'd definitely choose it for a longer cruise as I think I'd get bored on sea days on a long Ventura cruise. But you felt more crammed in in the buffet area on independence. It was busier than Ventura and they'd crammed more seating into a smaller space. I personally though the RCI trips were cheaper. The tips were a lot cheaper on P&O and that soon adds up. Both were 3 night cruises but we paid £3 something a day each for 2 days on p&o and $12 something a day for 3 days on rci. RCI felt a bit more butlins at sea. And I felt we were trying to be sold loads all the time

 

 

So you would choose Butlins at sea over Ventura :-). But then again so would we.

 

We actually thought the buffet on Indy was way more spacious than on Ventura where people seemed to sit and refill their tea cups endlessly and hogged tables. The buffet food choice was much wider on Indy by a big margin.

 

Service on Indy IMO is way above P&O in all respects.

 

The promenade on Indy is impressive but can get busy at times. We thought trips were a lot cheaper on P&O.

 

 

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[moswinner1]

So far we've had some saying that the excursions on P&O are cheaper and others like myself saying RCL are cheaper. I think you have to take into consideration the country you are visiting. For example a four hour trip in Norway will be more expensive than a four hour trip in Spain. I think to get a true picture you have to compare trips of the same duration to the same attraction in the same country. This we have done in Norway and RCL were cheaper than P&O.:):)

[daiB]

The best way is to do them both and then come back and tell us what you think.:rolleyes:

 

 

Gan Canny

 

 

Dai

:cool:

[Cruise_lover11]

We have done both and enjoyed both. I would say that both P&O and Royal Caribbean are as good as each other. Given the choice between Indy and Ventura though I would probably choose Indy, but that's only because Ventura isn't my favourite P&O ship, although it is nice. I find that cruises with P&O tend to be a bit cheaper although things like excursions seem to be cheaper with RC. We struggled more to get a table in the buffet on Ventura than Indy. It is all down to personal opinion and what you enjoy. Obviously RC is more American while P&O is British. We personally prefer the food on P&O but again it depends what you like and having said that, there is nothing wrong with the food on RC, it is just down to personal taste. We have had great times on both and would recommend both. If you are into a more action based holiday you may prefer Indy for the activities on board such as the surf machine etc although even if you are not into that there is plenty more to do.

 

I am late 20s and hubby is early 30s and we would do both again :)

[livgarb]

I would be interested in ppls views on this l, we are about to book our very 1st cruise this summer, one is on oceana (canaries) the other is brilliance of the seas (fjords) We have 2 small children (5,3) so are looking for facilities around them. They both around the same price and for 12 days, we just can make our minds up thanks in advance!

 

 

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[kevinyork]

I would be interested in ppls views on this l, we are about to book our very 1st cruise this summer, one is on oceana (canaries) the other is brilliance of the seas (fjords) We have 2 small children (5,3) so are looking for facilities around them. They both around the same price and for 12 days, we just can make our minds up thanks in advance!

 

 

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No doubt. RCI.

 

 

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[daiB]

I would be interested in ppls views on this l, we are about to book our very 1st cruise this summer, one is on oceana (canaries) the other is brilliance of the seas (fjords) We have 2 small children (5,3) so are looking for facilities around them. They both around the same price and for 12 days, we just can make our minds up thanks in advance!

 

 

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I would tend towards Oceana as she is going to a warmer and more reliable climate. The children's facilities on Oceana are very good and the staff excellent. I would not leave it too late to book either cruise as family cabins tend to go quickly

 

Gan Canny

 

 

Dai

[Cruise_lover11]

I would be interested in ppls views on this l, we are about to book our very 1st cruise this summer, one is on oceana (canaries) the other is brilliance of the seas (fjords) We have 2 small children (5,3) so are looking for facilities around them. They both around the same price and for 12 days, we just can make our minds up thanks in advance!

 

 

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I would also go with Oceana and the canaries due to the itinerary. When we went on a cruise to the fjords, there was very few children on it. P&O offers entertainment for children which I have heard is good. We're off to the canaries with Oceana in July so it might be the same cruise :)

[livgarb]

Thank you everyone! We are going with the weather and oceana! It's departing on the 26th can't wait now we have finally decided :-)

 

 

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[Cruise_lover11]

Thank you everyone! We are going with the weather and oceana! It's departing on the 26th can't wait now we have finally decided :-)

 

 

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That is the one we're on too :)

[bigjoe001]

Hi There,

 

Been on both lines quite a few times, In a nutshell P&O really does suit the UK Market, £ on board currency, no additional 15% added to drinks, UK based shows, and UK (90%) of time based individual acts - i.e. Catherine Jenkins etc.

 

The food overall is more or less on par.

 

There is virtually no real difference between the 2, excepting that RCI is US$ based, and so dependent upon exchange rates, can work out somewhat expensive over a 14 night voyage. And finally, P&O passengers tend to be 99.9% from the UK, on RCI the will be a mix, and if sailing from the US - then less that 2% of passengers will be from the UK, even from Southampton expect at least 25% - 35% of passengers not to be from the UK.

[kevinyork]

Hi There,

 

 

 

Been on both lines quite a few times, In a nutshell P&O really does suit the UK Market, £ on board currency, no additional 15% added to drinks, UK based shows, and UK (90%) of time based individual acts - i.e. Catherine Jenkins etc.

 

 

 

The food overall is more or less on par.

 

 

 

There is virtually no real difference between the 2, excepting that RCI is US$ based, and so dependent upon exchange rates, can work out somewhat expensive over a 14 night voyage. And finally, P&O passengers tend to be 99.9% from the UK, on RCI the will be a mix, and if sailing from the US - then less that 2% of passengers will be from the UK, even from Southampton expect at least 25% - 35% of passengers not to be from the UK.

 

 

I think P&O would love to be considered 'more or less on par' with RCI. IMO RCI offer a much better overall experience and a more quality packaged product. Better service, better facilities, better ships, more to do and better customer service.

 

 

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[daiB]

I think P&O would love to be considered 'more or less on par' with RCI. IMO RCI offer a much better overall experience and a more quality packaged product. Better service, better facilities, better ships, more to do and better customer service.

 

 

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Good try Kevin that is the third time you have said that in this thread.

 

To be more objective, P&O have more choice if you want to cruise ex UK, with seven ships from next year to choose from. Also they cruise year round from the UK. RCI, Celebrity and Princess do not.

 

Can I remind people that this is a P&O section of the site so you would expect more people have used them.

 

If you can fly and are happy with that then you have a great deal more choice.

 

 

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[weliketocruise86]

Just wondering how some people can comment on this thread when they have only cruised with P&O :rolleyes:

[kevinyork]

Just wondering how some people can comment on this thread when they have only cruised with P&O :rolleyes:

 

 

You mean DaiB?

 

 

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