Passenger Survey

[Harry Peterson]

9 hours ago, Cardiff girl said:

Re the Which survey, it's interesting but odd. Are there any other similar surveys to compare it against? One survey alone is a snapshot, as others have said. 

I’ve never seen one, but Which? have carried out this same exercise in previous years, with much the same view of P&O being taken by Which? readers. You could certainly argue that by definition they’re likely to be looking for good value for money, but aren’t we all? And unlike most other publications Which? doesn’t take money from the companies it reports on, so the usual bias isn’t there. It isn’t perfect, but it’s about as good as it gets.

[david63]

This type of survey is very much like reading reviews on Tripadvisor - you have to look beyond the headline data.

 

This survey had ~350 respondents for P&O which represents ~0.1% of P&O's passengers and ~0.05% of Which?'s subscribers - hardly overwhelming percentages.

 

How many of the respondents have cruised with more than one line? Obviously if someone is comparing Nobel Caledonian with P&O their views of both will be skewed.

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

 

 

Me too - it's an invaluable (and, unusually, independent) tool for aiding decisions on a very wide range of goods and services.  Particularly useful recently in deciding on a new printer - and its comparative running costs.  Our next cruise will probably be with Saga, after many years with P&O - and the reviews of P&O in Which? pretty much match our recent experiences, and those of friends.

 

As for 'small minority' and 'minor group', I wouldn't dismiss Which? readers quite so readily. Around 600,000 subscribers (roughly 75% that of the Daily Mail) plus family members, plus copies read in libraries across the UK and online.  That's not exactly a small minority group in most people's book - it's a pretty large chunk of people with a pretty substantial buying power!

Plus friends ask me what Which has to say about whatever they are  thinking of buying and the Car Magazine is popular too.

[terrierjohn]

7 hours ago, tring said:

 

We were told on the ships that we would get a questionaire by post, but never had one for either cruise we did this winter.  Seem to me it is something they send to some people but not others - I wonder if they decide who they will send it to and who they will not bother with?  Would be interesting if  Molecrochip has any thoughts on that?

 

It comes in a  e-mail which is sent the day you disembark, so either you are not signed up for e-mail correspondence, or possibly it ended up in your spam folder.

[Mad4WDW]

I think you’re all missing the point. The main takeaway from this survey is that a Which? Subscription is a waste of money. 

[Harry Peterson]

16 minutes ago, Mad4WDW said:

I think you’re all missing the point. The main takeaway from this survey is that a Which? Subscription is a waste of money. 

An interesting viewpoint. Care to provide any evidence for it, though, beyond your particular view of one tiny part of it?

[Fionboard]

59 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

It comes in a  e-mail which is sent the day you disembark, so either you are not signed up for e-mail correspondence, or possibly it ended up in your spam folder.

Did 8 cruises last year and received no surveys. I am signed up for email and get everything else from them!

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

This type of survey is very much like reading reviews on Tripadvisor - you have to look beyond the headline data.

 

This survey had ~350 respondents for P&O which represents ~0.1% of P&O's passengers and ~0.05% of Which?'s subscribers - hardly overwhelming percentages.

 

How many of the respondents have cruised with more than one line? Obviously if someone is comparing Nobel Caledonian with P&O their views of both will be skewed.

I think that is the nub of the matter. 

The samples are not representative.

Any table that gives first place to a cruise line, on the basis of 31 responses, out of over 1700 replies, is not worth serious consideration.

[david63]

13 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Any table that gives first place to a cruise line, on the basis of 31 responses, out of over 1700 replies, is not worth serious consideration.

And is also at four times the price per night than the "budget" cruise lines. Like comparing apples and oranges.

[kalos]

I think surveys are only as good as what you want to read into them . . . 

 

Accordion to a recent survey, 7 out of 10 people don't notice when a word in a sentence is replaced

by a musical instrument.

[SteveH2508]

There will also be a cultural bias in the sample, seeing as how Which subscribers will be almost exclusively British. This will affect perceptions of US styled cruise lines versus UK styled cruise lines.

[tring]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

It comes in a  e-mail which is sent the day you disembark, so either you are not signed up for e-mail correspondence, or possibly it ended up in your spam folder.

 

I do sign up for all communications from P&O every few months it so and we did  not get the questionaires, not were they in junk.  Come to that the only correspondence we get is connected to our booked cruises, sadly that includes the marketing ones about the ship and spending opportunities on board which come at Xdays before the cruise.  We have never had any other marketing though, such as offers.

 

I have seen threads previously when some people had reported receiving them and others did not, so we are not alone.  More likely to do with their IT dept., in reality, but certainly not a fair system as we like to report our experiences.  I do write reviews in here normally but did not this year because of other matters.

 

[mrbluesea]

I think this type of survey is one piece of data that people will use when forming an opinion.  It has its uses but should not be taken in isolation of other factors.  It therefore has some value,  if treated with care.

[Harry Peterson]

Just spotted this in the full report in Which?:

 

"Using the table: In November 2022, we asked 1,727 members of Which? Connect and the general public about their experiences of cruise holidays in the past two years. For star ratings, n/a means too few responses to be awarded a rating. Indicative price/night Based on the brochure price of a Med/Norway cruise in a balcony cabin in June/July 2023, not including flights. Passenger-to-space ratio Number of people on ship compared with its size. On-board facilities Quality of communal facilities, such as cinema and gym. Cabin quality Cleanliness, condition of furniture, comfort. Port excursions quality Examples include organisation, availability and price. Value for money Price in relation to experience. Customer score Combines satisfaction and likelihood of recommending brand."

 

I'd assumed it was just Which? members they'd surveyed - obviously it was wide than that.  I can't think of any other genuinely independent UK survey of cruise lines that's been undertaken with that number of people giving their opinion. 

 

It's obviously not a definitive outcome - it couldn't be, given that so much of it's based on opinion.  But it's certainly useful as a guide, and since it also shows indicative prices it's easy to spot why certain companies might sit at the top.  The comparison between Saga and P&O is an interesting one, since quite a few members of these forums have switched to Saga from P&O as the one has kept up its quality (increased it, even) and the other has ditched it.  It is fair to say, though, that the pricing does reflect that.

[Mad4WDW]

6 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

An interesting viewpoint. Care to provide any evidence for it, though, beyond your particular view of one tiny part of it?

Well for a start I guess its ok to judge a publication based on my view of a tiny part of it because the part of the publication in question made the same kind of judgement of an industry based on the tiny part they saw.

 

From what I saw it was badly researched, it quoted prices that were incorrect, Princess were misrepresented especially. If your article headline is " Why it pays to go on an all-inclusive cruise" then you should at least check your price information is correct. 

[Harry Peterson]

3 minutes ago, Mad4WDW said:

Well for a start I guess its ok to judge a publication based on my view of a tiny part of it because the part of the publication in question made the same kind of judgement of an industry based on the tiny part they saw.

 

From what I saw it was badly researched, it quoted prices that were incorrect, Princess were misrepresented especially. If your article headline is " Why it pays to go on an all-inclusive cruise" then you should at least check your price information is correct. 

Unfortunately, you’ve clearly not read the actual report. Just, presumably, the article in the Mail or elsewhere. If you’d read the actual report you’d understand that the allegations you make have no foundation in fact. 

[Mad4WDW]

6 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Unfortunately, you’ve clearly not read the actual report. Just, presumably, the article in the Mail or elsewhere. If you’d read the actual report you’d understand that the allegations you make have no foundation in fact. 

I read the Which? article. This is the headline. It goes on to point out incorrect pricing in a table 🤷‍♂️

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by Mad4WDW
typo corrected

[Interestedcruisefan]

I've just done a Caribbean cruise on Arvia including flights for less than £90 per person per night (2 sharing an inside cabin)

 

If that's not 5 out of 5 for value in terms of measuring any Caribbean holiday then nothing is

 

Anyone paying £170 per person per night on P and O as in that survey is clearly putting other things ahead of value when they book so shouldn't really be asked to comment on value?

 

Arvia in the Caribbean is simply unbeatable value

 

And once you pay that price you shouldn't really be comparing to cruises where people aren't paying £300  per person per night and more

 

It's like comparing chalk and cheese?

Edited March 5, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[zap99]

6 hours ago, kalos said:

I think surveys are only as good as what you want to read into them . . . 

 

Accordion to a recent survey, 7 out of 10 people don't notice when a word in a sentence is replaced

by a musical instrument.

Anyone missing that must be a bassoon .

 

[Ardennais]

10 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

It comes in a  e-mail which is sent the day you disembark, so either you are not signed up for e-mail correspondence, or possibly it ended up in your spam folder.

We didn’t get one either and I check my spam folder carefully.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

We didn’t get one either and I check my spam folder carefully.

Then you and Tring are probably correct in assuming a P&O IT ***** up.

[molecrochip]

20 hours ago, tring said:

We were told on the ships that we would get a questionaire by post, but never had one for either cruise we did this winter.  Seem to me it is something they send to some people but not others - I wonder if they decide who they will send it to and who they will not bother with?  Would be interesting if  Molecrochip has any thoughts on that?

It goes to all however I feel lots of people have had issues with getting P&O emails since their last system upgrade (during the pandemic).

 

11 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Did 8 cruises last year and received no surveys. I am signed up for email and get everything else from them!

Do you actually get other email? Do you get your booking confirmations and marketing emails etc?

 

9 hours ago, tring said:

I do sign up for all communications from P&O every few months it so and we did  not get the questionaires, not were they in junk.  Come to that the only correspondence we get is connected to our booked cruises, sadly that includes the marketing ones about the ship and spending opportunities on board which come at Xdays before the cruise.  We have never had any other marketing though, such as offers.

 

I have seen threads previously when some people had reported receiving them and others did not, so we are not alone.  More likely to do with their IT dept., in reality, but certainly not a fair system as we like to report our experiences.  I do write reviews in here normally but did not this year because of other matters.

 

29 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Then you and Tring are probably correct in assuming a P&O IT ***** up.

Hmmm. I suspect so. I know of P&O staff members who have not received certain booking emails until the system was kicked.

 

I know some TAs put their email address in and therefore provide all info via them and therefore you don't get emails. They should put your details in and theirs separately in the relevant agent space.

 

My suggesting is to call P&O, check your email address, set your preferences to everything, and then start again.

[jh1809]

23 hours ago, Cardiff girl said:

Off topic, but this reminded me - is there still a customer satisfaction survey at the end of P&O cruises?

I was on Azura in January and I didn't see one in my cabin. Does it come after by email? If so, I didn't receive it, and I was planning to praise several crew by name as I'm told this helps them a lot. 

Fortunately I'd nominated my cabin steward in the exceptional service box by reception, but I wondered if my survey had gone adrift. 

Yes, it's sent by email now. It's a relief not to be expected to fill one in at the end of the cruise, when there's so much else going on. The downside is that my memory is so atrocious now that, by the time I get home and get around to filling in the survey, when rating the entertainment I struggle to remember which name goes with which act!

[tring]

43 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

It goes to all however I feel lots of people have had issues with getting P&O emails since their last system upgrade (during the pandemic).

 

Do you actually get other email? Do you get your booking confirmations and marketing emails etc?

 

 

Hmmm. I suspect so. I know of P&O staff members who have not received certain booking emails until the system was kicked.

 

I know some TAs put their email address in and therefore provide all info via them and therefore you don't get emails. They should put your details in and theirs separately in the relevant agent space.

 

My suggesting is to call P&O, check your email address, set your preferences to everything, and then start again.

 

We did not get emails from P&O before covid either and everything is correct from my side.  Will try as you say, but forgive me if I do not expect there to be a change as I have tried to sort it previously and just gave up.

 

 

[Britboys]

The only thing I received after my cruise last summer was an invitation to do a Feefo review. P&O now seem more keen to get 4 or 5 star ratings on Feefo than getting real feedback about your experience...