P&O v Princess

[terrierjohn]

25 minutes ago, david63 said:

My wife should not have had her P&O loyalty brought over. This was confirmed by Princess - but it happened and it is there now. The only benefit that makes any difference is the 10% off excursions and we don't do many of those anyway

I thought elite gave you a mini bar set up, and free laundry, as well as some free wi fi?

[david63]

6 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I thought elite gave you a mini bar set up, and free laundry, as well as some free wi fi?

No free wi-fi these days but you do get the others and as my wife is Elite we get them anyway

[Gettingwarmer]

13 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I thought elite gave you a mini bar set up, and free laundry, as well as some free wi fi?

They do. Wi Fi no longer free minutes but 50% off. Even with these perks Plus still works out a good bargain. 

[Astrajet]

39 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Anyone had Ocean Village cruises credited on P& O ?

Our two Ocean Village cruises never showed up on P&O UK but they did appear on our P&O Australia cruise account!  

[Eglesbrech]

22 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I thought elite gave you a mini bar set up, and free laundry, as well as some free wi fi?

The mini bar set up is quite generous actually. You also get other intangibles like priority tender tickets.

[Presto2]

2 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

My P&O loyalty going back to Ocean Village is on Princess but not on P&O ! Anyone had Ocean Village cruises credited on P& O ?

We did from the one cruise we did with them.

[paulatsea]

Did 3 cruises on ocean village but nothing transferred to p&o - is it too late now  ? ! 
Really liked ocean village - wish I had done the last one when it went to Australia - just missed out as fully booked when I asked.

Edited June 18, 2023 by paulatsea

[Eglesbrech]

23 hours ago, Presto2 said:

On another thread someone suggested that we look at a Princess cruise. Have been having a look and have been surprised by the prices (in a good way).

Just wondering how Princess compares to P&O at the minute. I know that it is US dollars etc but am wondering how the service compares and over all cruise experience

E,g, Have they kept some of the traditions that P&O seems to have put to one side?

Thanks 

 

P&O and Princess are becoming ever closer in what they offer. Pre pandemic I would have said Princess was far better than P&O for everything (except drink prices) but things have changed in the last year or two at least for ex U.K. cruises. P&O are now offering two Princess style drinks packages, Princess appear to be quietly moving towards P&O style for selecting cabins. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if eventually P&O adopt the dining plus options for reserve mini suites.

 

embarkation - Princess wins, much quicker.

 

Cabins - both offer comfortable clean cabins. Until recently you could choose your cabin on Princess at no extra cost but recently they seem to be offering a lot of “guarantee” on the basic balcony cabins etc.there has been discussion about this on the Princess board. For the moment Princess still offer turndown and free breakfast.

 

Drinks - cost less on P&O and you can take on a bottle onboard which you can’t on Princess. Princess offer a wider selection of fancy cocktails etc and until recently their plus package was excellent value but they have dumbed it down (generic wines) and are charging a lot more for it now. They do however have frequent half price package offers.

 

Service- much of a muchness as it can vary from cruise to cruise on both. Like P&O there can be long queues for dining, bar service etc. both apps are a bit flaky but Princess has the advantage that you can order a drink to where you are which is great - when it works which it sometimes doesn’t.
 

MDR - the food is far better in the standard dining room on Princess IMO and they still have better menus on formal nights, we had for example the choice of rack of lamb, beef wellington, lobster (but reports from other cruises that they had Lancashire hot pot and toad the hole!). They also have a good choice of always available. Downside of Princess is lack of sit down and served areas to eat on port days, only so often you can eat pizza at Alfredo’s as good as it is.

 

Speciality - P&O better for this, the Princess speciality restaurants are fine but lack elegance imo and the food is just a bit boring imo.

 

Buffet - both are the tenth ring of hell in my opinion. Both are too busy and messy at the time you would want to use the eg long lie and miss breakfast in the MDR.

 

Bars - Princess has an issue with adequate seating and it can be like musical chairs trying to find somewhere to sit for a drink in the evening - the one who moves the quickest gets the seat. I have rarely had this issue on P&O and can usually find somewhere nice to sit for a pre dinner drink.

 

Gratuities - included on P&O, extra charge Princess unless you buy a package when they are included with that.

 

entertainment - both pretty good for the theatre shows and both a bit lacking during the daytime for things to do.

 

Princess still do some nice additional touches from the old days like the champagne fountain.

 

Loyalty - for me Princess wins here, lots of nice little extras for Elite passengers but some will prefer the % discount offered by P&O.

 

So yes for now Princess have some of the more traditional elements left, turndown, (free) cake on your birthday or anniversary, champagne fountains etc but for how long is the question,

 

I predict that both lines will offer much the same in the not too distant future. 

[doog442]

5 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

My P&O loyalty going back to Ocean Village is on Princess but not on P&O ! Anyone had Ocean Village cruises credited on P& O ?

 

We went on Ocean Village 2, it never transferred to P&O but like you it did to Princess. 

I organised a cruise for my elderly mother in law for this May just gone on the Regal Princess. I was amazed they picked up a cruise she did with Carnival in 1987. 

[michwat]

We've done several cruises with P&O but are cruising with Princess next May - my second with them and my husband's first - he is showing as Elite and I am Gold!  Another glitch I think but we' ll take the Elite benefits!

 

Michele

 

 

[RA10]

8 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

My P&O loyalty going back to Ocean Village is on Princess but not on P&O ! Anyone had Ocean Village cruises credited on P& O ?

 

We cruised on Ocean Village in Aug 2008.  It does not show up in past cruises on P&O website.  We have not sailed Princess yet so not set up an account with them.   

[Presto2]

6 minutes ago, RA10 said:

 

We cruised on Ocean Village in Aug 2008.  It does not show up in past cruises on P&O website.  We have not sailed Princess yet so not set up an account with them.   

We sailed OV in 2009 and it has always shown up and transferred to our points.

[bobstheboy]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

We sailed OV in 2009 and it has always shown up and transferred to our points.

I am going to ask why Princess can find our Ocean Village cruises, total nights 35 and  P&O can't,  when it was part of their company 

[Presto2]

17 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

I am going to ask why Princess can find our Ocean Village cruises, total nights 35 and  P&O can't,  when it was part of their company 

Princess can find our PO . Good luck 

[ann141]

I agree with many of the others who have posted that P and O and Princess are fairly similar. We prefer the food on Princess and particularly like Alfredo's an Italian restaurant which is free and the fact that Mr Whippy ice cream is free! As we are Elite on Princess( mainly due to our cruises on P and O we really appreciate the extras like a free mini bar, free laundry etc. We usually book the standard package as hubby doesn't drink and only like the occasional one. The excursions on Princess tend to be dearer than P and O as is the shuttle bus. Overall we prefer Princess but still like P and O and would always choose which itinerary we preferred 

[zap99]

17 hours ago, paulatsea said:

Did 3 cruises on ocean village but nothing transferred to p&o - is it too late now  ? ! 
Really liked ocean village - wish I had done the last one when it went to Australia - just missed out as fully booked when I asked.

We did 5 OV cruises. We asked....oh no you don't. 🤣

[Fionboard]

Did Britannia and Royal Princess in 2015. Same ship but chalk and cheese. Love Britannia but did not like Royal. The latter had more cabins (more crowded), no Crows Nest or Sunset Bar. Not sailed Princess since. 

[Gettingwarmer]

7 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Did Britannia and Royal Princess in 2015. Same ship but chalk and cheese. Love Britannia but did not like Royal. The latter had more cabins (more crowded), no Crows Nest or Sunset Bar. Not sailed Princess since. 

Won’t sail on Britannia due to the cramped balconies. On Princess Royal class ships we always have cabin on the bump. Do miss Crows Nest though. 

[majortom10]

9 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Did Britannia and Royal Princess in 2015. Same ship but chalk and cheese. Love Britannia but did not like Royal. The latter had more cabins (more crowded), no Crows Nest or Sunset Bar. Not sailed Princess since. 

Britannia has a capacity of 3647 and Royal Princess 3600 don't think you would notice the difference in crowds onboard.

[Fionboard]

10 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Britannia has a capacity of 3647 and Royal Princess 3600 don't think you would notice the difference in crowds onboard.

Certainly did. It was very busy and noisy. Maybe space on Britannia better used. 

[Tomcruise92]

So I'm now back from my first ever cruise on the P&O Azura. It was booked very last minute and with the included flights to Malta, it was an excellent deal. Having only ever cruised on Princess, I thought it may be fun to do a comparison.

For context, I'm in my 30s and haven't been cruising too long, but have now done five Princess trips and have no experience of other lines.

 

Cost

We payed just £750 for a week onboard P&O Azura with flights and a balcony on the saver fare. On a similar Regal Princess cruise of the same duration in the med last year (taking off the plus package upgrade for parity) we paid £999 + flights and shuttle buses taking the coat to around £1400. I spent £300 on board Azura whereas I spent £280 on Princess last time (I think it has now increased to £50 per day) plus plus around £150 on speciality dining a couple of retail items. I had roughly the same amount of speciality dining and drinks onboard both cruises.

Azura and the P&O experience for the cost is good. We had a consistent cruise, very good service (on the whole) and nice food. We did not buy a drinks package as the drinks appeared reasonable.

Of note, I dislike the P&O saver and select pricing model. One of the key things for me is to choose a good room location as I'm an extremely light sleeper. To do this on P&O would mean paying an additional £1000+ for the particular cruise I was on, and I didn't see many other benefits of the select fare so avoided that. Luckily the room was quiet and got plenty of sleep.

Princess has placed it's package deals front and centre. Without a package, drinks are very expensive and with the addition of gratituties, it always makes sense for my partner and I to use the Plus/Premier option. This makes the outset payment much higher but it's nice to relax on board and not worry about an ever growing bill.

 

Ships and Staterooms

P&O Azura ship is pleasant, but is in need of refurbishment. There is a charm to the ship, and the public areas had nice new furniture, as did the pool areas. The ship does have some issues with its drainage and a sewage smell is prominent in a couple of places which needs to be resolved. This wasn't a major deal.

The staterooms are very 'well used' let's say. The White Company toiletries are lovely and the balcony furniture was great. Our favourite area of the ship was Brodies. This was really different for us in comparison to Princess and we loved the relaxed vibe. The Venezia buffet on Azura is extremely small and cramped, which is a result of the addition of the Beach House, using what was originally buffet space.

Princess ships appear to be kept more consistent and up-to-date. The beds and linens are better quality (albeit, I have only used the Azura so this may not reflect the entire fleet). On the older Princess ship I have stayed on, the rooms seem to have been updated and well appointed. The buffet is generally spacious and well designed.

The lack of turndown service on P&O definitely gives Princess a more elevated feel in terms of Staterooms.

 

Entertainment

P&O shows were diverse. We enjoyed the Stephen Mulhurn Astonishing show. Of note here, was the lack of a live band during stage shows. The atrium area didn't have much live music, instead it was mainly used for line dancing to a track/CD.

Princess stage shows are traditional, but very well to exceptionally done. They have a live band/orchestra and good vocalists. The shows are polished. We enjoy the live music around the ships, particularly in the Piazza. As a Brit, understandably there is a more American vibe for some of the entertainment, but that is reflective of the line and not a criticism, rather a point of note.

 

Food and meal service

P&O food surprised us. The MDR was generally good quality. It was a little repetitive at times but the starters and main dishes were nice. The steaks were very good. The desserts were often a let down and bland. Overall I really enjoyed the MDR experience and the wait staff were really friendly and helpful. The Glass House and Beach House were really cool, I loved the experimental menus and it definitely gave the food offer on P&O more contemporary and relaxed feel in comparison to Princess. The Glass House in particular, was nice to sit and have a drink at lunch time with small plate/tapas options. I understand that traditional P&O cruisers like fixed dining, but those of us who had the freedom dining option, the inability to book needs addressing. You also can't join a queue, you just get a buzzer. We waited for an absolute maximum of 15 minutes (usually more like 3-5 minutes) which was fine. I would prefer a booking system like Princess here.

Princess MDR service is good, but the service on the Sky Princess recently was incredibly slow. We have also noticed a decline in Princess service recently. We were averaging 2 hours a night. P&O massively won here for us based on a comparison to recent Princess cruises. P&O meals took us on average an hour to 1.15. It was neither rushed or slow. Overall, the MDR experience was similar.

The P&O MDR afternoon tea was well done but the Princess afternoon tea marginally wins (minus the awful Princess strawberry jam, again P&O win on the jam front (Bonne Manan!)). P&O had excellent scones. As you can probably tell, I love afternoon tea. P&O only offered this once a week and Princess on sea days only.

 

Room service

Princess wins this hands down. You can order on the app. Its generally for us, been quick and hot, and pleasant. The breakfast offer is good.

P&O room service was okay, but the lack of coffee  with breakfast was bad. I know there is a Nescafé sachet or two in the room, but I don't think it would hurt P&O to bring a cup of coffee with the breakfast in bed. The mini conserves with the in room breakfast are a nice touch.

 

Overall

I do think Princess is more upscale. I read a lot of reviews of P&O before going with people saying it is very similar to Princess. In my experience, it was definitely different. The Azura was very fun and we had a brilliant week, with lovely company and laughed a lot. Azura had a slightly more British holiday park feel than my previous experiences and the cruise was definitely more budget feeling (which rightly so, cost less so this again is not a criticism, as I paid less so would expect this). The Princess ships have elements of holiday park vibe, but there was definitely more on Azura. There are a few minor things P&O could do to elevate the experience for me, by introducing an app and booking system for meals, changing the package set ups and reintroducing a turn down service (I know this sounds snobby but as a neat freak I really like this). I would definitely cruise both lines again, but my preference overall would be Princess.

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Tomcruise92

[Britboys]

Thanks for taking the time to report back. Glad you had a good cruise.

I think P&O and Princess used to be closer in terms of experience but over more recent years, P&O has become more 'budget' in a number of ways.

I've only done Princess twice, most recently on Coral in Alaska in 2019. I felt the Princess experience was undoubtedly more upscale than P&O now is.

[Cathygh]

Thank you, Did Azura not have the My Holiday app? We used it on Azura in October last year. You can use it to join a virtual queue for the MDR. However when I was on Iona in May (half term, so very busy)  trying to use it to join a queue for the MDR was chaotic, but I know it worked ok for others on less busy cruises.

[Camberley]

We’ve done both, so far more with P&O than with Princess (and since cruises returned). Overall we slightly prefer Princess and after another recent Princess cruise we have cancelled three of our upcoming P&O cruises schedules over the next two years to go with Princess instead. We still enjoy P&O but we are having to be more picky in terms of the ship/time of year etc.,,A few of our thoughts, but of course elements of these are so subjective:

 

- We find both have superb staff and crew who add massively to the experience of life on board. They are the true heart and soul of the ships.

 

- Prefer entertainment on P&O - was slightly less polished and a touch more dated on Princess. 

 

- Much prefer food on Princess for the MDR, buffet etc: better cooked, more variety and less functional/canteen-like. Makes it more like a treat which, for us, holiday eating should be (can’t be done with those who eat merely to live and without the joy that can come with food!). But P&O win hands-down in terms of their Speciality Restaurants.

 

- More comfortable experience in cabins/beds/sofas on Princess. Such a small thing, really, but those sofas we have in our cabins on P&O ships are dreadful.

 

- Less “tacky” on Princess overall. P&O have, for us, become noticeably more mass market, esp. on their larger ships, and it sometimes feel a bit “cheap” that it doesn’t have quite as much as that ‘luxury-feeling holiday experience at a decent cost’. It is fine for what it is, and fair enough for cruise lines to expand in that way to make them appealing to many more etc…but for us P&O barely screams “special” now. Not that Princess is perfect, but for similar money it has for us maintained more of a tone that is befitting a holiday that is more than what some might consider a holiday camp at sea.

 

- Better communication from Princess, incl. when not on board: P&O remain a bad joke in terms of their responses to queries that are often the mere brush-off, stock responses. Princess have, for us, been more helpful and informative.

 

- The Princess app, compared to P&O’s web-based attempt, is much better and much more useful. It has its glitches too, but it is a more positive experience.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Camberley

[Tomcruise92]

33 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

Thank you, Did Azura not have the My Holiday app? We used it on Azura in October last year. You can use it to join a virtual queue for the MDR. However when I was on Iona in May (half term, so very busy)  trying to use it to join a queue for the MDR was chaotic, but I know it worked ok for others on less busy cruises.

 

 

It did have the My Holiday app but the virtual queues have been removed across the ship. The maitre d told us that virtual queuing was being removed from all ships (not sure if anyone can confirm that?).