Thomson vs P&O

[jake 26]

We are considering a 2018 cruise on Discovery 2 and I am keen to find our how Thomson (Tui) compare to P&O as they are who we cruise with most and since the drop in exchange rates don't feel we can consider the US lines at present. They is not a great difference in price between Thomson and P&O and wonder which is the better value if there is anyone who cruises on both lines could advise.

 

No contest in my opinion.

 

We have cruised extensively with P&O since 2004 and we have both logged over 9 months at sea with them, and sailed on all their ships bar Britannia, in many areas of the world. However, from around 2013, we felt that things were changing and the introduction of the bigger ships had a negative impact on many areas that were a trademark of P&O - staff friendliness, service levels, food quality etc.

We lost interest and returned to more land based holidays.

 

A few years ago we sailed on Legend of the Seas with RC,I and that was our favourite ship because of the Vision Class design, i.e. so much light in the dining rooms and Atrium, and it's classic cruise ship design.

When we heard the news that Thomson were acquiring Splendour of the Seas from RCI we were extremely interested as it is the sister ship of Legend, so we booked a Med cruise last October on TUI Discovery as it is now. We enjoyed it so much that, when we got home, we cancelled a cruise we had booked on P&O Aurora to celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary in favour of a Caribbean cruise on Discovery.

We have just returned from that and it really did meet our expectations in every way. We have been to the Caribbean before but this was the best.

Dave has succinctly put many of the good points but for us the highlights of the cruise were

1) A very beautiful ship which never felt crowded

2) A very happy crew who greeted you with a smile wherever you went

3) An excellent quality and choice of food wherever you went.

4) The ambience of the waiter dining areas.

5) We always asked to share a table in the MDR at breakfast and dinner and met some great fellow passengers, and that made for a very social cruise.

6) We chose a junior suite which was perfect in size and had many of the attributes of a main suite. It had a superb balcony with 2 chairs, table and sun lounger. We agreed it was the best cabin we'd ever had, and better value than P&O.

7) We found the entertainment similar to P&O, but we did miss a lot of it preferring to socialise or enjoying the balmy nights on deck.

8) We booked 6 excursions which we thoroughly enjoyed and thought were better value marginally than P&O.

 

Because it was our 50th wedding anniversary we booked a Blessing on Board which occurred on the exact date, in St Lucia, and performed by the Captain. The social hostess, Lisanne, organised the event brilliantly, and a few days later arranged dinner with senior officers for several couples doing similar. It really was professionally done.

 

So for us Thomson Cruises get 10/10 and we will return.

[Pensioncruiser]

Great report jack 26 thanks

 

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[CRUISIN LINDA]

Agreed with the above but you forgot to mention that P & O add tips to their onboard charges and even though this is a lot less than other cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean charge, there is still an obligatory charge added.

The tips on P&O are not obligatory. You can remove them and pay as you like :)

[Pensioncruiser]

Can you also wipe off the bar tips or is that mandatory?

 

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[CRUISIN LINDA]

Can you also wipe off the bar tips or is that mandatory?

 

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Do you mean the extra put on drinks on RCI etc? If so P&O don't do that. It is a flat rate of £5 per person per day, but as I said you can remove them.

[Pensioncruiser]

Yes, we have only ever been on Thomson and have been told that other lines add a service charge on the drink's bill which could not be removed but its only what I have been told not experienced.

 

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[davecttr]

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

[jake 26]

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

 

Tipping on P&O is now £6 per person per day.

[cyprus1959]

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

This did not happen on Britannia on our Carribean cruise in December, the only prices we were charged for were the drinks.

Edited April 18, 2017 by cyprus1959

[davecttr]

This did not happen on Britannia on our Carribean cruise in December, the only prices we were charged for were the drinks.

 

 

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

 

To clarify perhaps I should have written P&O drink prices include a non itemised service charge

[Longislandtea]

No contest in my opinion.

 

We have cruised extensively with P&O since 2004 and we have both logged over 9 months at sea with them, and sailed on all their ships bar Britannia, in many areas of the world. However, from around 2013, we felt that things were changing and the introduction of the bigger ships had a negative impact on many areas that were a trademark of P&O - staff friendliness, service levels, food quality etc.

We lost interest and returned to more land based holidays.

 

A few years ago we sailed on Legend of the Seas with RC,I and that was our favourite ship because of the Vision Class design, i.e. so much light in the dining rooms and Atrium, and it's classic cruise ship design.

When we heard the news that Thomson were acquiring Splendour of the Seas from RCI we were extremely interested as it is the sister ship of Legend, so we booked a Med cruise last October on TUI Discovery as it is now. We enjoyed it so much that, when we got home, we cancelled a cruise we had booked on P&O Aurora to celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary in favour of a Caribbean cruise on Discovery.

We have just returned from that and it really did meet our expectations in every way. We have been to the Caribbean before but this was the best.

Dave has succinctly put many of the good points but for us the highlights of the cruise were

1) A very beautiful ship which never felt crowded

2) A very happy crew who greeted you with a smile wherever you went

3) An excellent quality and choice of food wherever you went.

4) The ambience of the waiter dining areas.

5) We always asked to share a table in the MDR at breakfast and dinner and met some great fellow passengers, and that made for a very social cruise.

6) We chose a junior suite which was perfect in size and had many of the attributes of a main suite. It had a superb balcony with 2 chairs, table and sun lounger. We agreed it was the best cabin we'd ever had, and better value than P&O.

7) We found the entertainment similar to P&O, but we did miss a lot of it preferring to socialise or enjoying the balmy nights on deck.

8) We booked 6 excursions which we thoroughly enjoyed and thought were better value marginally than P&O.

 

Because it was our 50th wedding anniversary we booked a Blessing on Board which occurred on the exact date, in St Lucia, and performed by the Captain. The social hostess, Lisanne, organised the event brilliantly, and a few days later arranged dinner with senior officers for several couples doing similar. It really was professionally done.

 

So for us Thomson Cruises get 10/10 and we will return.

 

I was 100% P&O until I tried Thomson. Will never go back to P&O now. I love the people on Thomson.

[jake 26]

I was 100% P&O until I tried Thomson. Will never go back to P&O now. I love the people on Thomson.

Totally agree.

We shared tables morning and evening in the MDR for 14 days and got to know so many nice people it really made the holiday, coupled with the friendly smiley staff.

[cyprus1959]

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

 

To clarify perhaps I should have written P&O drink prices include a non itemised service charge

If that is the case then the drinks on board were still cheaper than what we were paying in the Premier Inn at Gatwick airport. I was pleasantly surprised with the prices of the drinks and thought they would have been more costly.

[Longislandtea]

If that is the case then the drinks on board were still cheaper than what we were paying in the Premier Inn at Gatwick airport. I was pleasantly surprised with the prices of the drinks and thought they would have been more costly.

 

P&O Drinks are very reasonably priced. But I like the price of the AI on Thomson better.:D

[Lanzalady]

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

 

To clarify perhaps I should have written P&O drink prices include a non itemised service charge

 

Exactly Dave. The drinks price is inclusive of service and taxes! I think that you were confusing the 18% service charge that most American lines add to their drinks but I cruised P & O last year and the price of the drinks is the price that is shown on the price list. See list attached: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/life-on-board/PO_barlist.pdf. The daily amount added for tips is now £6 for all guests 12 and over. From the P & O website:

"During your time on board, you'll be looked after by lots of people - waiters, buffet staff and cabin stewards, who'll go out of their way to make each moment of your holiday special. But, we know that

 

rewarding good service every time it happens just isn't convenient. So, our Service Reward Programme is a simple, one-off way for you to say ‘thank you’ for all the service you receive. A discretionary daily amount of £6.00 is added to your on-board account for each guest aged 12 and over. The Service Reward appears on your folio as a ‘service charge’ and is confirmed in your holiday information booklet, accessed through your Cruise Personaliser. Of course, if you want to personally reward a crew member in addition to this, feel free to do so."

[Adam Coulter]

We are considering a 2018 cruise on Discovery 2 and I am keen to find our how Thomson (Tui) compare to P&O as they are who we cruise with most and since the drop in exchange rates don't feel we can consider the US lines at present. They is not a great difference in price between Thomson and P&O and wonder which is the better value if there is anyone who cruises on both lines could advise.

 

We wrote this piece: Thomson vs P&O Cruises: http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=2219

Hope it helps!

[davecttr]

Pity it does not mention the solo cruiser experience, it was excellent on Discovery last summer and the best I have experienced in over 30 cruises. the P&O offering has dwindled to essentially nothing. Drink prices seem to be important to some. Things might have changed but my last Thomson cruise had spirit measures of 40ml compared with the P&O 25ml. the mixer was free on Thomson, you pay for the mixer on P&O. I was pleased with the comments which balanced out if you ignored the rants.! Celebration is based in the UK this summer and Discovery will be next year with some departures from Southampton.

 

The review mentioned quizzes etc in several bars on P&O. There is a definite difference with Thomson here. P&O spread the 'butlinesque' entertainment around the ship and Thomson tend to concentrate it in certain venues. The Venue on the upcoming Explorer and the Discoveries, Liberties on Celebration and the Medusa Lounge on Dream.

 

I will say again that in my opinion there are more similarities between the lines than differences with P&O perhaps on a downward curve and Thomson on a upward one with their latest ships.

[jake 26]

We wrote this piece: Thomson vs P&O Cruises: http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=2219

Hope it helps!

 

The article is well balanced.

Thomson do have a tremendous plus in that you can join their wide range of itineraries from so many local airports, whereas P&O are very limited in that respect.

We prefer Discovery to all the P&O ships with the possible exception of Aurora which is a similar size, although Discovery beats Aurora in the range and number of balcony cabins.

I think Thomson (TUI) cruises are undergoing terrific change with the latest additions to the fleet, and are in the ascendancy compared to P&O.

[Ergates The Ant]

What an excellent and entertaining review. Despite not being either a Mail or Mirror reader, it has made me think I should look at Thomson for a trial cruise in the near future!

I have done a couple of cruises on P and O, and found several things not to my liking. I found the selection of food in the buffet in the evening was very limited at times. If I didn't like the theme for the evenings food, there was limited alternative ( and I do prefer a more relaxed experience for dinner than the MDR)

I didn't find all the service staff friendly and responsive, our cabin steward was lovely, as were many of the behind the counter staff in the buffet, but I did notice some bar staff who seemed to make an effort not to 'see' customers waiting to order drinks, and I was surprised once to have a menu casually tossed to me in the MDR. Not all staff by all means, but enough for me to notice, and I have never had this happen on other cruise lines.

I always book a balcony, and the older Thomson ships might have been a problem, but it looks as if the newer ships are worth a closer look.

Thanks again

[Ergates The Ant]

And I love the idea of the (!) discretionary service charge being included in the fares, ie the staff wages included in the cruise fare, as is usual practice in the UK.

I find that much more comfortable, I can tip additionally if I want to thank staff for an extra effort.

[Pensioncruiser]

Interesting post as a cruiser who has only ever been with Thomson for the past 14 yes.

 

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[cyprus1959]

P&O add a non itemised service charge to their drink prices. This is because bar waiters are not part of the £5.50 per day discretionary service charge scheme. I have heard that this charge is 12% and you can not remove it.

 

To clarify perhaps I should have written P&O drink prices include a non itemised service charge

 

According to P&O you are totally wrong, here is the email I received from them,

PO Reservations <customerservices@pocruises.com>

 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​1:22 PM (2 hours ago)

 

 

to me

Dear Mr Davies,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

100% of the service reward is shared between accomodation and restaurant service staff.

 

There is no service charge on drink purchases from the bars onboard.

 

I hope this information has helped to answer your enquiry and we look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

 

Kind regards

Zoe

Customer Services

P&O Cruises

[davecttr]

According to P&O you are totally wrong, here is the email I received from them,

PO Reservations <customerservices@pocruises.com>

 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​1:22 PM (2 hours ago)

 

 

to me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr Davies,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

100% of the service reward is shared between accomodation and restaurant service staff.

 

There is no service charge on drink purchases from the bars onboard.

 

I hope this information has helped to answer your enquiry and we look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

 

Kind regards

Zoe

Customer Services

P&O Cruises

 

 

P&O are right and so am I

 

 

There is no service charge added to the price of drinks you purchase in the bars. It is there though although P&O might call it something else like 'bar staff incentivisation scheme". How do I know it is there? because the staff have told me on several different P&O ships.

 

 

This is how I was told it works. The bar sales for each bar are totalled up and the 'incentive total' calculated for that bar, this total is shared out amongst the staff working in that bar. The waiters are rotated around the various bars on the ship so everyone gets a fair share of the busy and quiet bars.

 

 

I was also told 'I don't like working in that bar because it is quiet and I don't get paid as much',

 

 

Ever wondered why the waiters in the coffee bar seem deeply disinterested? They get hardly any 'tips'.

 

 

Finally how would the customer care person know. They are reading their reply from a script.

 

 

ps - the bar keepers have different arrangements and the bottom line is we pay the waiters wages anyway, all of them.

[cyprus1959]

P&O are right and so am I

 

 

There is no service charge added to the price of drinks you purchase in the bars. It is there though although P&O might call it something else like 'bar staff incentivisation scheme". How do I know it is there? because the staff have told me on several different P&O ships.

 

 

This is how I was told it works. The bar sales for each bar are totalled up and the 'incentive total' calculated for that bar, this total is shared out amongst the staff working in that bar. The waiters are rotated around the various bars on the ship so everyone gets a fair share of the busy and quiet bars.

 

 

I was also told 'I don't like working in that bar because it is quiet and I don't get paid as much',

 

 

Ever wondered why the waiters in the coffee bar seem deeply disinterested? They get hardly any 'tips'.

 

 

Finally how would the customer care person know. They are reading their reply from a script.

 

 

ps - the bar keepers have different arrangements and the bottom line is we pay the waiters wages anyway, all of them.

 

Wow, firstly you say in clarifaction that P&O do add a service charge to their drinks, now you are saying they do not??? How do you know that the P&O CS person was "reading" their reply from a script?

[okavango]

Wow, firstly you say in clarifaction that P&O do add a service charge to their drinks, now you are saying they do not??? How do you know that the P&O CS person was "reading" their reply from a script?

 

Maybe commission would be a fairer description than service charge