Is P & O for me??

[SinbadThePorter]

On 4/21/2023 at 8:24 AM, Korimako said:

I am considering a cruise from NZ to the South Pacific with P&O.

 

If your preference is to sail from Auckland visiting New Caledonia and/or Fiji and returning to Auckland, then probably your only real option is on P&O Pacific Explorer.

 

P&O is usually regarded as a budget cruise line. It is generally more family oriented than other cruise lines, so you tend to see more young adults and children on board.

 

For a quieter cruise I would recommend Princess or Celebrity, however they may not have the itineraries you want.

[Vader1111]

On 4/21/2023 at 8:24 AM, Korimako said:

Advice needed please. I am considering a cruise from NZ to the South Pacific with P&O. I will be travelling solo, elderly female, and just want a relaxing, away-from-it-all break. I'll probably book a balcony cabin to have some private outdoor space.

I have looked at other cruise lines e.g Princess and Carnival and they would be far too "busy" for me. Will P & O suit me, or is it going to be too "busy" too??

I have looked at smaller ships like Ponant and Paul Gauguin, but have not found an itinerary I like, because I would prefer to leave from NZ.

I have also posted this on the P & O forum.

Thanks

In my experience, Princess target their cruising experience at the Baby Boomers.  P&O target the children of the baby boomers, and their families.  Holland America target the Baby Boomers' parents.

 

Of course you'll find children on Princess cruises, and elderly retirees on P&O ships, and no doubt they'll all find something to entertain themselves... but those are the demographics that the cruise lines seem to target most.

[MMDown Under]

11 hours ago, Vader1111 said:

In my experience, Princess target their cruising experience at the Baby Boomers.  P&O target the children of the baby boomers, and their families.  Holland America target the Baby Boomers' parents.

 

Of course you'll find children on Princess cruises, and elderly retirees on P&O ships, and no doubt they'll all find something to entertain themselves... but those are the demographics that the cruise lines seem to target most.

Thanks for the laugh to start the day.  

When choosing a cruise line it helps if you know what you don't like.  

I have discovered I don't like ships -

with multi languages.

non maintained, with toilet issues, leaking roofs, etc.

with too short a time in port 

[MMDown Under]

24 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Thanks for the laugh to start the day.  

When choosing a cruise line it helps if you know what you don't like.  

I have discovered I don't like ships -

with multi languages.

non maintained, with toilet issues, leaking roofs, etc.

with too short a time in port 

Forgot the big ones -

cruising from Australia charging on board in $US

cruising from Australia to USA charging gratuities

[arxcards]

15 hours ago, Vader1111 said:

In my experience, Princess target their cruising experience at the Baby Boomers.  P&O target the children of the baby boomers, and their families.  Holland America target the Baby Boomers' parents.

 

Of course you'll find children on Princess cruises, and elderly retirees on P&O ships, and no doubt they'll all find something to entertain themselves... but those are the demographics that the cruise lines seem to target most.

They are pitching at a moving target, so the generational names are just a point in time and there is a lot of overlap. If you are currently age 50 - 60, all of the lines are targeting your wallet.

 

 

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, arxcards said:

They are pitching at a moving target, so the generational names are just a point in time and there is a lot of overlap. If you are currently age 50 - 60, all of the lines are targeting your wallet.

 

 

Age is just a number.  When I first cruised overseas in my early 20s both cruises, to and fro the UK, were world cruises, so had mainly older passengers.  On way over, I shared a 4 bunk cabin with three older ladies and on the way back I shared as 4 bunk cabin with one older lady and two young girls. The cruiselines arranged for passengers to share.  I found the older women were a wealth of knowledge and I enjoyed their company.  

[ceeceeDee]

I think the time of year and the length of the cruise are the biggest factors affecting the 'rowdiness' of a cruise. We are 'mature age' (though not 'élderly') and definitely not party animals, though we enjoy a good time. Our first cruise with P&O was 10 days to the south pacific on a New Years cruise. Yep school holidays AND the festive season. We had an absolute ball, were not overrun by screaming kids (I believe there were about 700 on board, but we rarely saw them) and even News Years Eve was not overly rowdy. So in this case, I think it was the length of the cruise that precluded the rowdy lot.

Another time we cruised the south pacific again (same ship, 7 days) when the Commonwealth Games were in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and we decided to 'get out of Dodge' rather than deal with the Games crowds. Again, not rowdy, again lots of 'ínvisible' kids. The really funny part was, that the majority of the passengers were Gold Coasters with the same idea as us! In fact one couple we met lived about 3km from us!😄

So the bottom line is, in my opinion, don't go in school holidays and don't go for less than 7 days and you should be fine with P&O, particularly if you opt for a balcony cabin or spend a bit extra on a Byron mini suite which will give you access to the suites only Byron Beach Club area.

[Jean C]

Our first cruise many years ago was to the Islands with P&O. Towards the end of the cruise, for something to do, we went to the kids performance in the main theatre. We were stunned by how many kids appeared on stage, they'd certainly been hidden throughout the cruise - so "invisible kids" is a good term for them. I get the impression the kids clubs on board are very good so for much of the cruise they're well entertained 😇

[Aus Traveller]

39 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Our first cruise many years ago was to the Islands with P&O. Towards the end of the cruise, for something to do, we went to the kids performance in the main theatre. We were stunned by how many kids appeared on stage, they'd certainly been hidden throughout the cruise - so "invisible kids" is a good term for them. I get the impression the kids clubs on board are very good so for much of the cruise they're well entertained 😇

The Kids' Clubs are excellent. One of my sons went on a short P&O cruise to Sydney for Australia Day (pre-COVID) with his wife and young son. They had trouble getting their son out of the Kids' Club to go ashore or for anything else.

[Jean C]

Another funny little observation about kids on board that P&O cruise - we were going for one of our regular wanders around the promenade deck when we came across a line of very little ones going for a walk with a tiny Philippino lady in the lead, she was hardly any taller than the little kids 😄

 

On a Carnival cruise we helped out a small group of boys who were on a "scavenger hunt" filling in a questionnaire with various bits of info they were to find around the ship. We enjoyed helping them as much as they were enjoying the hunt 🙃 Never seen them before on the cruise and never saw them since 😇