Cunard VS P&O

Hi

For those who cruised both P&O and Cunard how do they compare?

We have done many P&O Cruises but are trying Queen Victoria this time instead, not very impressed with Oriana last time.

Any observations and comparisons welcome.

Many Thanks

Darren

There is very little comparison, other than they are both ships that sail the oceans.

We have done many P&O cruises and recently about half as many with Cunard. Our choice nowadays would almost always be Cunard. Having said that we are trying a short trip on Britannia in a couple of weeks, just to take a look, but I don't expect to be booking with P&O again.

Service, especially in the Grills, and quality of meals is better on Cunard, cabins are better appointed and crew members friendlier. Drinks are more expensive and also gratuities, but this refects the better product I feel. Speakers are far, far better.

This is our view - others perhaps think differently.

Hi

 

For those who cruised both P&O and Cunard how do they compare?

 

We have done many P&O Cruises but are trying Queen Victoria this time instead, not very impressed with Oriana last time.

 

Any observations and comparisons welcome.

 

Many Thanks

 

Darren

I've cruised quite often with P&O but have stopped doing so, Cunard is a much better line. I agree totally with cruiseluvva.

I'm not very well qualified to answer as I've only done one P&O cruise - a fly cruise on Ventura last year.

There were a few things we liked - we had a deluxe balcony cabin for not much more than the standard balcony price, it was much larger, closer in size to PG on Cunard. Entertainment options were more varied, we enjoyed the musical offerings in The Tamarind Club.

We might try one of the smaller P&O ships in the future if an itinerary was particularly interesting.

Apart from that I would choose Cunard every time - better food, more formal (if that is your thing), better service, better speakers.

I hope you enjoy QV.

I've done 1 on QV and 1 on Azura. Never again on Azura. QV was wonderful [emoji4]

Agree with Capt Pugwash.

Cunard all the way. We tried a short break on Oriana at Easter and although some people on forums seem to think she's elegant and beautiful, I disagree totally. She was tired, tatty and old. There is no comparison to Cunard. Back to Cunard we go.....after a trip on Azura in Aug (booked before the Oriana trip).

Cunard all the way. We tried a short break on Oriana at Easter and although some people on forums seem to think she's elegant and beautiful, I disagree totally. She was tired, tatty and old. There is no comparison to Cunard. Back to Cunard we go.....after a trip on Azura in Aug (booked before the Oriana trip).

One very nice thing on Oriana is the open stern bar with lots of mahogany and teak, it is a real bar and in a great position. It is very nautical unlike all the plastic ones that normally grace ships nowadays. Having said that, it wouldn't convince me to go back on board.

Not too good a pic of it !

The medium sized P&O ships - Aurora, Oriana, etc. have some similarity to QV/QE but in my experience are rather more cheek by jowl especially in the evenings. I sometimes wonder if it's because Cunard has an older age profile so more of them are in bed immediately after dinner.

The new behemoths - Ventura, Azura, I cannot comment on because we've always avoided them with an expectation of people being crammed like sardines.

P&O entertainment is better if you like the more lively stuff, comedians or production shows. Cunard is better for enrichment. Cunard alcohol prices will likely make you feel a little hard done by at first. You will definitely experience less buffet rage and the people pocketing tea bags are more subtle about it.

I suspect that pound for pound, you will not want to go back to P&O unless the very limited range of Cunard itineraries becomes dreary and you want to see something different. In which case, try Celebrity.

.

Hi

 

For those who cruised both P&O and Cunard how do they compare?

 

We have done many P&O Cruises but are trying Queen Victoria this time instead, not very impressed with Oriana last time.

 

Any observations and comparisons welcome.

 

Many Thanks

 

Darren

I have done both and most definitely prefer Cunard. My personal opinion. Have just returned from 61 nights on Queen Elizabeth. She is quite an elegant ship and passengers seem to behave more respectfully to one another than when I went on P & O. I went on Arcadia which is an all adult ship.

I found the food on Cunard much better.

The medium sized P&O ships - Aurora, Oriana, etc. have some similarity to QV/QE but in my experience are rather more cheek by jowl especially in the evenings. I sometimes wonder if it's because Cunard has an older age profile so more of them are in bed immediately after dinner.

 

The new behemoths - Ventura, Azura, I cannot comment on because we've always avoided them with an expectation of people being crammed like sardines.

 

P&O entertainment is better if you like the more lively stuff, comedians or production shows. Cunard is better for enrichment. Cunard alcohol prices will likely make you feel a little hard done by at first. You will definitely experience less buffet rage and the people pocketing tea bags are more subtle about it.

 

I suspect that pound for pound, you will not want to go back to P&O unless the very limited range of Cunard itineraries becomes dreary and you want to see something different. In which case, try Celebrity.

 

.

So true, always tell how many P&O cruisers have been on doing a passage on QM2 by the empty Twinings box on last night.

:D

On a recent Cunard Voyage the Captain did a Q&A with the Entertainment Director. The Captain talked about his long career which included being a Captain on both Cunard and P&O. When questions were opened to the floor a passenger asked what he now thought of P&O. He said Cunard had a long history of traditional and formal standards which have been largely maintained. P&O originally had the same traditional history, but had now become a holiday cruise line. He said he would not go back now that he had a choice of which ships he could serve on.

I would tend to agree with him except for the point that if the Cunard brand is steeped in tradition, why as Brits, do we have to suffer the $ on board over the £? P&O still uses the £!

P&O was a decent cruise line some years ago. In the 1980's I cruised on P&O a lot. Nowadays I hate P&O . I have only done one cruise on her in recent years and it was a rather long one. 99 days a world voyage on Arcadia. It was not a good experience. I have Cruised also for many years on Cunard and I have never tired of Cunard. Value for money we have had a world cruise on Cunard that cost the same as the P&O world cruise, and there is a huge difference in the two companies in my opinion. P&O are not in the same league as Cunard when it comes to style and elegance, plus I prefer the mixed nationalities you find on Cunard as opposed to a load of British people all moaning on P&O. :)

P&O was a decent cruise line some years ago. In the 1980's I cruised on P&O a lot. Nowadays I hate P&O . I have only done one cruise on her in recent years and it was a rather long one. 99 days a world voyage on Arcadia. It was not a good experience. I have Cruised also for many years on Cunard and I have never tired of Cunard. Value for money we have had a world cruise on Cunard that cost the same as the P&O world cruise, and there is a huge difference in the two companies in my opinion. P&O are not in the same league as Cunard when it comes to style and elegance, plus I prefer the mixed nationalities you find on Cunard as opposed to a load of British people all moaning on P&O. :)[/quote

 

Well put Maggiemou - we feel exactly the same after many cruises on P&O as you'll see below. Now it's all Cunard. However, we are going to give them another go after several years, on Aurora which was our favourite P&O ship, to the Baltic in July. I hope I'm not wasting our money!

 

Incidentally, the same Captain was asked whether he ever went cruising and he said he never thought the day would come , but yes he does and has been on HAL and Seabourne.

Apart from that I would choose Cunard every time - better food, more formal (if that is your thing), better service, better speakers.

Hi Host Hattie,

I think we can all agree that most opinions on cruise line offerings are subjective - people are attracted to them based on their personal preferences and experiences. As such your caveat on Cunard's formality in this context is completely unnecessary. Moreover your use of that qualifier here suggests that this particular attribute of Cunard is the most subjective and least desirable of their product offerings.

Indeed, if one is put off by this nightly ritual, then virtually all other cruise lines will provide solace to those who prefer a less dressy routine.

Rather than proffering back-handed complements, I would instead suggest that for those who prefer Cunard's overall experience that they trumpet the fact that Cunard is one of the few lines that provide an essentially traditional shipboard experience, with dressing for dinner being an unabashedly positive aspect of it.

P&O was a decent cruise line some years ago. In the 1980's I cruised on P&O a lot. Nowadays I hate P&O . I have only done one cruise on her in recent years and it was a rather long one. 99 days a world voyage on Arcadia. It was not a good experience. I have Cruised also for many years on Cunard and I have never tired of Cunard. Value for money we have had a world cruise on Cunard that cost the same as the P&O world cruise, and there is a huge difference in the two companies in my opinion. P&O are not in the same league as Cunard when it comes to style and elegance, plus I prefer the mixed nationalities you find on Cunard as opposed to a load of British people all moaning on P&O. :)[/quote

 

Well put Maggiemou - we feel exactly the same after many cruises on P&O as you'll see below. Now it's all Cunard. However, we are going to give them another go after several years, on Aurora which was our favourite P&O ship, to the Baltic in July. I hope I'm not wasting our money!

 

Incidentally, the same Captain was asked whether he ever went cruising and he said he never thought the day would come , but yes he does and has been on HAL and Seabourne.

 

We were on the same Passage !

We sail both (just off a month on QE) and prefer Cunard without a doubt. Saying that though we have just booked the Oceana for the 2017 January Caribbean/New Orleans cruise because we wanted to do that and the price was right. To us that's the thing; Cunard if possible but if P&O are doing something we want.........as long as it isn't Azura!

I have tried P&O once, but never again.

What a wonderful thing having a choice is!

Cunard every time. We tried P & O 'Arcadia' two years ago - very unfriendly, no atmosphere, good embarkation, but disembarkation total shambles. Freedom dining was so chaotic we changed to the more traditional 'sittings'. Every meal was served with sauce/gravy slopped on the side of the plate, soup slopped in the saucer - at times so bad we sent it back for a clean saucer. There just wasn't the 'finesse' that Cunard have, and hopefully will continue to maintain for a long time.

We've never done P&O, but my Wife's Grandparents, who are ardent Cruisers & huge fans of Cunard have recently returned from a Fjords & Waterfalls cruise on the new Britannia.

Her words: "She's alright, but she's not a patch on The Queens"

One point they both made, which can be seen on Britannia's deckplans, is that only the fore and aft stairwells have stairs beyond the lowest 3 passenger decks. The Central Stairwell is lift only beyond Deck 7, (Deck 5 is as low as passengers can go) which we were told led to huge queues for the lifts. Not ideal when you are in your 80s.

.... plus I prefer the mixed nationalities you find on Cunard as opposed to a load of British people all moaning on P&O. :)

Hmm, as a very happy cruiser with P&O and a soon-to-be-first-timer with Cunard I'm not quite sure of my welcome judging by the above remark. :rolleyes: Had I better pretend not to be British and deny my cruising background to fit in?

Not at all but Cunard does tend to attract a more international passenger mix, depending on ship/itinerary.

Not at all but Cunard does tend to attract a more international passenger mix, depending on ship/itinerary.

Absolutely and I really look forward to that international mix having a very strong and mixed international history myself - but I would just like to defend the 'load of British people all moaning on P&O'. We may be British, we may like P&O, but we don't all moan.:)

Hi

 

For those who cruised both P&O and Cunard how do they compare?

 

We have done many P&O Cruises but are trying Queen Victoria this time instead, not very impressed with Oriana last time.

 

Any observations and comparisons welcome.

 

Many Thanks

 

Darren

Good morning Darren.

Perhaps I'm reasonably qualified to join this conversation having 273 nights with P&O and 233 with Cunard.

The point I would make first is that they are both very different experiences. In the main that has evolved because where P&O is essentially a 'British' experience and brand where Cunard, on the other hand, while being a 'British' experience is essentially a global brand.

Taking the above into account I would say that comparisons in general may be a little unfair but that wouldn't answer your question.

So much depends on what you, as a person, wants from a cruise.

In my case I enjoy both because i know what to expect. I find P&O a more relaxed cruising experience than Cunard. I can take a book and be guaranteed to read it. I know that P&O's lecture programme will, in my case be a lottery as to whether I'm interested. P&O are definitely cheaper, there is less formality and they give exactly what it says on the tin. Take a look at my recent experience on Britannia...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/03/30/britannia-the-maiden-cruise/

As far as Cunard are concerned this is my favourite cruise line and if I had to make a choice it would rest with them. Fortunately it doesn't and I find variety the spice of life.

Cunard is certainly more formal than P&O and in terms of a socially orientated experience, into a different level. There is more 'class' on Cunard and by that I don't refer to some folk's rather pathetic references to segregation of dining arrangements.

Across the board you will pay more - give or take the basic price on a late deal. But what you will get is a cruising experience up a notch or two - if that is what floats one's boat.

I mentioned in my P&O statement the lectures. This is one area where Cunard excel and very often I have a problem on which one to choose if they overlap. As a keen ballroom dancer there are no better ships on which to enjoy oneself.

Of course both lines have amazingly strong followings and while this really gets up the noses of the members of some UK cruise forums it speaks volumes for the two lines.

Hope that helps and, in the interest of balance, here is a link to one of my latest Cunard cruises...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/01/14/queen-elizabeth-fanzine-and-hamburg-cruise/