Introduce a new Loyalty Tier

[cruising.mark.uk]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

I think a lot of people who have not cruised recently since COVID if they go with an open mind might be surprised. Yes P&O has declined in quality over the last few years but so have Princess and Cunard who we have been cruising with all 3 since 1997. Prices now are far cheaper and competitive than they used to be and something has to give. We would all like cruise lines to be as good as they were 25 yrs ago but with today's pricing but that isn't going to happen.

 

I agree with some of the sentiment, but I don't agree with the last sentence of the extract above.  For my wife and I, cruise lines are much better than they were 25 years ago, for the same or less cost.  We first cruises in 2004 on Princess and with P&O on Oriana and Arcadia in the couple of years after that.  For us, the overall experience on Iona, Sun Princess or Arvia (probably, we cruise on her for the first time in a couple of weeks) is twice as good as it was on our early cruises.  Dine where and when we want and with whom we want, with a vastly expanded choice of restaurants, free or at an upcharge, better cabins, the app / Medallion, Princess Plus or huge sums of OBC on P&O, much improved facilities and decor across the ships as a whole, better entertainment in Skydome etc, MUTS on Princess / the multi screen cinema on Iona and Arvia etc etc.  All for the same ££ (or less, certainly less once inflation is taken into account).

 

It seems to me that anyone who thinks cruising was 'better' 25 years ago than it is today and that quality has 'declined' has a very selective memory and heavily rose-tinted glasses.  Different, yes.  Better, definitely not in my opinion.

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

All companies are interested in maximising profits but to say -

 A couple or individual that have an interior cabin, don't drink, don't use the speciality restaurants,  don't go on P&O excursions etc are of no interest whatsoever to P&O, or indeed, to any cruise line.  

 

Is a complete and utter nonsense with no foundation whatsoever. You have not spoken to everyone on P&O ships who cruise and ask if they drink, book speciality restaurants or go on excursions so to say such a statement without any knowledge of such is fanciful. How do you know that those sitting at the next table in a bar or speciality restaurants are in an inside cabin or higher. So to make such a statement is rather silly.

 

 

At my age, there is no way I'm reading that! 

[zap99]

3 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

The best part of it is the discount on onboard spending 

Last couple we have had plenty of OBC. so the bill has been just about nil. Discount not starting till all the OBC has gone. RC and NCL give out some decent goodies like free drinks ,speciality meals, extra OBC. etc. With P&O the cruise price is quite low, as are the loyalty benefits.  We get 15% discount  with Warners.😁

[zap99]

6 minutes ago, wowzz said:

At my age, there is no way I'm reading that! 

No need. Just read posts on here , inside cabin, don't drink,never pay for meals, no excursions etc.

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, zap99 said:

No need. Just read posts on here , inside cabin, don't drink,never pay for meals, no excursions etc.

Thanks Zap - with customers like that, no wonder the share price is down ! (Joke by the way, before people start complaining !)

Edited March 25, 2023 by wowzz

[jeanlyon]

That's us.  Inside cabin, DIY ashore, don't pay extra for meals (yet!) but trying Sindhu on our next one.  We do drink though 🙂

 

Main reason for not doing P&O excursions is hate being on a coach with 50 people and listening to all that stuff from the guide.  Also, we have been to some super places on our own.  On our 5 th time in Venice, we got the train to Luca, what a lovely day.

Edited March 25, 2023 by jeanlyon

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, jeanlyon said:

We do drink though

Hoorah ! Which generates profit for P&O. 

[zap99]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Thanks Zap - with customers like that, no wonder the share price is down ! (Joke by the way, before people start complaining !)

Just had a thought, on our upcoming bargain basement Azura cruise we have no OBC. We have booked and paid for a P&O excursions already and will also run up a bill onboard. Oh well, £700 on Britannia in December.

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, zap99 said:

£700 on Britannia in December.

I see your £700 and raise it to £880 ! Plus £160 shareholder obc on top - champagne every night, as we have to spend it one way or another, and we certainly won't be doing P&O excursions. 

[jeanlyon]

47 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

I agree with some of the sentiment, but I don't agree with the last sentence of the extract above.  For my wife and I, cruise lines are much better than they were 25 years ago, for the same or less cost.  We first cruises in 2004 on Princess and with P&O on Oriana and Arcadia in the couple of years after that.  For us, the overall experience on Iona, Sun Princess or Arvia (probably, we cruise on her for the first time in a couple of weeks) is twice as good as it was on our early cruises.  Dine where and when we want and with whom we want, with a vastly expanded choice of restaurants, free or at an upcharge, better cabins, the app / Medallion, Princess Plus or huge sums of OBC on P&O, much improved facilities and decor across the ships as a whole, better entertainment in Skydome etc, MUTS on Princess / the multi screen cinema on Iona and Arvia etc etc.  All for the same ££ (or less, certainly less once inflation is taken into account).

 

It seems to me that anyone who thinks cruising was 'better' 25 years ago than it is today and that quality has 'declined' has a very selective memory and heavily rose-tinted glasses.  Different, yes.  Better, definitely not in my opinion.

I wasn't cruising 25 years ago, but cruising was definitely better 10 years ago in my opinion.

Edited March 25, 2023 by jeanlyon

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I see your £700 and raise it to £880 ! Plus £160 shareholder obc on top - champagne every night, as we have to spend it one way or another, and we certainly won't be doing P&O excursions. 

I'll keep an eye out for you Wowzz. You should be easy to spot..🤣

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

I wasn't cruising 25 years ago, but cruising was definitely better 10 years ago in my opinion.

Better, but more expensive. 

So, if you want to replicate the quality today,  all you need do is spend the same amount in real terms as you did 10 years ago. 

[jeanlyon]

13 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Better, but more expensive. 

So, if you want to replicate the quality today,  all you need do is spend the same amount in real terms as you did 10 years ago. 

Yes, you may well be right.  I looked back to the price of our cruises in 2013 and 2014 and actually it wasn't that much more expensive.  A little, but not much.  Food was definitely better.

[cruising.mark.uk]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes, you may well be right.  I looked back to the price of our cruises in 2013 and 2014 and actually it wasn't that much more expensive.  A little, but not much.  Food was definitely better.

As wowzz notes, though, you need to compare the then and now prices in real terms.  That's likely to turn 'a little' into 'quite a lot'.  There's a useful calculator here: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

 

[daiB]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes, you may well be right.  I looked back to the price of our cruises in 2013 and 2014 and actually it wasn't that much more expensive.  A little, but not much.  Food was definitely better.

Certainly do not agree the food was better then. We have had excellent food on our last 4/5 cruises in the last year. Now on Iona and the standard is very high.

[Josy1953]

Our first cruise was in 1982 on Canberra and as a percentage of our disposable income it was definitely more than what we are paying today.  The food in the main dining room was good but not as varied as we expect now.  We loved the cruise and it got us hooked on cruising but I wouldn't want to go back to those days.  Time moves on and things and expectations change, we have to accept somethings change for the better and others for the worse.

[Britboys]

7 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

I agree with some of the sentiment, but I don't agree with the last sentence of the extract above.  For my wife and I, cruise lines are much better than they were 25 years ago, for the same or less cost.  We first cruises in 2004 on Princess and with P&O on Oriana and Arcadia in the couple of years after that.  For us, the overall experience on Iona, Sun Princess or Arvia (probably, we cruise on her for the first time in a couple of weeks) is twice as good as it was on our early cruises.  Dine where and when we want and with whom we want, with a vastly expanded choice of restaurants, free or at an upcharge, better cabins, the app / Medallion, Princess Plus or huge sums of OBC on P&O, much improved facilities and decor across the ships as a whole, better entertainment in Skydome etc, MUTS on Princess / the multi screen cinema on Iona and Arvia etc etc.  All for the same ££ (or less, certainly less once inflation is taken into account).

 

It seems to me that anyone who thinks cruising was 'better' 25 years ago than it is today and that quality has 'declined' has a very selective memory and heavily rose-tinted glasses.  Different, yes.  Better, definitely not in my opinion.

Better is of course very subjective and I'm pleased for you that you feel it is now better.

I started cruising with P&O in 1997 and have no doubt that for me it was far better then. Food was infinitely better in terms of quality and was akin to a fine dining experience. There were regularly good quality well-known entertainers on board. There were lots of little niceties too, which whilst not important all added to the experience - decent unlimited bubbles at the Captain's Welcome Party, numerous other small cocktail parties held by ship's officers, midnight buffets, vast seafood buffets, quayside bands on sailaway from Southampton, complimentary ice creams on deck in hot weather, early morning tea/coffee, biscuits and orange juice delivered by your cabin steward.

Yes, it is much cheaper to cruise now but it is certainly very different.

[galeforce9]

15 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

That's us.  Inside cabin, DIY ashore, don't pay extra for meals (yet!) but trying Sindhu on our next one.  We do drink though 🙂

 

Main reason for not doing P&O excursions is hate being on a coach with 50 people and listening to all that stuff from the guide.  Also, we have been to some super places on our own.  On our 5 th time in Venice, we got the train to Luca, what a lovely day.

Not sure you mean that.  Lucca is near to Livorno 

[crompton21]

10 hours ago, Britboys said:

Better is of course very subjective and I'm pleased for you that you feel it is now better.

I started cruising with P&O in 1997 and have no doubt that for me it was far better then. Food was infinitely better in terms of quality and was akin to a fine dining experience. There were regularly good quality well-known entertainers on board. There were lots of little niceties too, which whilst not important all added to the experience - decent unlimited bubbles at the Captain's Welcome Party, numerous other small cocktail parties held by ship's officers, midnight buffets, vast seafood buffets, quayside bands on sailaway from Southampton, complimentary ice creams on deck in hot weather, early morning tea/coffee, biscuits and orange juice delivered by your cabin steward.

Yes, it is much cheaper to cruise now but it is certainly very different.

Departing Southampton whilst leaning over an aft balcony on Iona, a memory of leaving with a band playing struck me.  To some amusement I realised that I couldn’t actually see the ground level at the midship area let alone stand any chance of hearing a band from where I was.

[Cynthia Darch]

18 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

I agree with some of the sentiment, but I don't agree with the last sentence of the extract above.  For my wife and I, cruise lines are much better than they were 25 years ago, for the same or less cost.  We first cruises in 2004 on Princess and with P&O on Oriana and Arcadia in the couple of years after that.  For us, the overall experience on Iona, Sun Princess or Arvia (probably, we cruise on her for the first time in a couple of weeks) is twice as good as it was on our early cruises.  Dine where and when we want and with whom we want, with a vastly expanded choice of restaurants, free or at an upcharge, better cabins, the app / Medallion, Princess Plus or huge sums of OBC on P&O, much improved facilities and decor across the ships as a whole, better entertainment in Skydome etc, MUTS on Princess / the multi screen cinema on Iona and Arvia etc etc.  All for the same ££ (or less, certainly less once inflation is taken into account).

 

It seems to me that anyone who thinks cruising was 'better' 25 years ago than it is today and that quality has 'declined' has a very selective memory and heavily rose-tinted glasses.  Different, yes.  Better, definitely not in my opinion.

Rubbish, cruising was far and above better 25 years ago and I don't wear tinted glasses. Clearly you prefer massive ships crowded with cheap paying cruisers who standards in the main are quite poor. As for the food offer many of us don't like the canteen type of dining offered, rather have a series of quality restaurants to visit each evening and during the day. Happy to have a buffet, not that I use it as it keeps a lot of folk that do away from the main dining experience. What has declined and P&O need to address it is the food offer in the main dining rooms, certainly on the bigger ships. So Different, yes Worse, definitely in my opinion.

[wowzz]

23 minutes ago, Cynthia Darch said:

Rubbish, cruising was far and above better 25 years ago and I don't wear tinted glasses. Clearly you prefer massive ships crowded with cheap paying cruisers who standards in the main are quite poor. As for the food offer many of us don't like the canteen type of dining offered, rather have a series of quality restaurants to visit each evening and during the day. Happy to have a buffet, not that I use it as it keeps a lot of folk that do away from the main dining experience. What has declined and P&O need to address it is the food offer in the main dining rooms, certainly on the bigger ships. So Different, yes Worse, definitely in my opinion.

How much did you pay for a cruise 25 years ago ?

[zap99]

1 hour ago, crompton21 said:

Departing Southampton whilst leaning over an aft balcony on Iona, a memory of leaving with a band playing struck me.  To some amusement I realised that I couldn’t actually see the ground level at the midship area let alone stand any chance of hearing a band from where I was.

In the old days, streamers were longer and trumpets louder. When I was a lad party poppers popped much better than nowadays...P&O cutbacks to blame IMHO.🤣

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, crompton21 said:

Departing Southampton whilst leaning over an aft balcony on Iona, a memory of leaving with a band playing struck me.  To some amusement I realised that I couldn’t actually see the ground level at the midship area let alone stand any chance of hearing a band from where I was.

I've always sailed on ships with a decent Promenade Deck low enough to be able to see and hear people on the quayside easily 😀 

[kalos]

Seems to be a lot of different views ,even keeping the cost out of it .

One reading how much todays dining is better than 40 years ago and one from 25

years ago who thinks it is in decline.

We all take away our memories and that's all they are ours and they are as valid as

the next persons .

As for the cabins (all jokes apart) ,we set off just over 12 years ago ,using an inside

cabin, sleeping on two beds configured in an L shape . We thought we had got the world

even though it felt like we were in a 4 berth caravan .

What drew us into cruising was the warmth and togetherness of the people we met .

To be honest fine dining is not our thing but we loved the MDR and using the buffet 

for those late night suppers ,they were amazing .We would chat about it in the MDR

the very next day and they would tell us about their fine dining night . Just  people

from all walks of life ,having a good time .

These days we have moved on and use the balcony cabin with a queen bed and 

only a few years ago we would order 2 bottles of Southern comfort ,a few lemonade 

and a dozen bottles of Becks (to keep the share holders happy 😆) and that was before

hitting the bars at night. Them were the days . 

These days due to medical issues ,there will be non of that ,apart from a lemonade .

Next time we do step onboard a ship ,we will be happy to chat with people from all 

types of cabins , if it's their first cruise or their 1000th.

The ships may change but hopefully not the people you get to meet .

[terrierjohn]

3 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I've always sailed on ships with a decent Promenade Deck low enough to be able to see and hear people on the quayside easily 😀 

Iona has a big one of those.👍