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How does P&O compare to Princess and Celebrity?


ScotchBoy
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We love P&O but we'd like more imaginative itineraries. We have our own businesses and can only take an unbroken 2-3 weeks over the Christmas period when our offices close. We'd like to go with P&O to the Far East or South America, but it's not possible at our desired time. So, as Princess and Celebrity have ships based in these destinations over that period, we are considering sailing with them. We want to know what other people like/dislike about these two lines from a British point of view, as this great nation of ours has its own very distinct sensibilities. Thanks.

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We have cruised on all 3 lines and, due to their heritage, we think that Princess come closest to the P&O experience, a number of their ships are the same design although service, food and entertainment does differ. Celebrity, in our opinion, is a notch up on both Princess and P&O, with higher food and service standards, but weaker on entertainment.

Celebrity also shine on their ship design and standard of facilities, the Solstice class set a new standard when launched, and even the older Millennium class have better standard cabins and balconies than the other two.

Of course the major difference is in the passenger mix, P&O is predominantly British, whereas both the others will have a wider mix with many more North Americans, and in the far east Australians and Asians, probably more so on Princess which has furnished its ships specifically for the Japanese and far east passengers.

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I think it depends what you consider most important when cruising and of course that everyone's opinion is different.

 

If you enjoy a truly British experience you may be disappointed with Princess and Celebrity. I prefer the food on Celebrity whereas The entertainment is better on P&O.

 

I also find the crew a little more responsive to guests on the American ships and I like meeting people from all around the world but these are just my thoughts.

 

Hope you have an enjoyable cruise whichever line you select.

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I've only done Celebrity once and p&o twice but based on that I'd say that Celebrity are definitely a better quality experience - but then they do tend to cost more so you'd expect that.

 

The food was about the same in the main dining room and buffet much better on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity seem to be a really good blend of modern but understated elegance.

 

(One thing I should say is ive only been on older p&o ships and Reflection is much newer).

 

The service and staff generally on Celebrity were much friendlier. The ship seemed to have hordes of people constantly cleaning. It almost sparkled.

 

 

The entertainment on Celebrity was pretty dire, mostly acrobatics mixed with weirdly contrived musical stories. P&O shows were better in the main theatre with more west end style shows which I think appeals more to Brits. But then Celebrity didn't have those hi-de-hi style entertainments or loud sailaways which is also in their favour (for me anyway).

 

Celebrity are quite a bit more expensive (although that is sometimes offset with getting a drinks package thrown in for free on celebrity). If you don't have a drinks package, drinks are expensive plus taxes and tips on every order in line with the American model. Gratuities are higher. The specialty restaurants on Celebrity are a lot more expensive.

 

The dress code is more relaxed but still smart. Jackets required on "evening chic" for gents, but no tuxedoes required (though some people do wear them).

 

The main downsides for celebrity for me apart form the price are the lack of Southampton sailings which of course is good for British cruisers. Also the fact that most of their itineraries are around ten days rather than a full two weeks. Sometimes on a ten day itinerary you get a couple of overnights in port - although that can be nice, it does cut down on the number of days "travelling" and for me "being on a journey" is the main appeal of a cruise. Departing from Southampton just feels more romantic to me somehow.

 

I'm not a fan of the flag waving and "rule brittannia" thing that p&o do so it's absence on Celebrity was nice but of course the Britishness is the appeal for lots of people so you may miss that if you went with someone else. The other big thing p&o have going for them is the Crows Nest which you don't get on princess or celebrity. I love a good Crows Nest. Mmmmm.

 

 

 

 

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Edited by claudiniusmaximus
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We have cruised on all 3 lines and, due to their heritage, we think that Princess come closest to the P&O experience, a number of their ships are the same design although service, food and entertainment does differ. Celebrity, in our opinion, is a notch up on both Princess and P&O, with higher food and service standards, but weaker on entertainment.

Celebrity also shine on their ship design and standard of facilities, the Solstice class set a new standard when launched, and even the older Millennium class have better standard cabins and balconies than the other two.

Of course the major difference is in the passenger mix, P&O is predominantly British, whereas both the others will have a wider mix with many more North Americans, and in the far east Australians and Asians, probably more so on Princess which has furnished its ships specifically for the Japanese and far east passengers.

Hi,only 2 ships have been kitted out for Asia,Majestic-fully,Diamond-partly as it sails Aus also,cheers,Brian.
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I can think of no single aspect which puts P&O head and shoulders above either of the other two.

 

P&O drinks are cheaper, but Celebrity now offer drinks packages with most of their cruises so it becomes a moot point.

 

We prefer Soltice class ships over Princess and P&O Grand class ships. More user friendly layout, more passenger space and a crows nest bar.

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Hi,only 2 ships have been kitted out for Asia,Majestic-fully,Diamond-partly as it sails Aus also,cheers,Brian.

That's the point I was trying to make, that they had kitted out their ships that were operating mainly in the far east, specially for that market, and thus Princess attracted a higher number of Asian passengers.

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That's the point I was trying to make, that they had kitted out their ships that were operating mainly in the far east, specially for that market, and thus Princess attracted a higher number of Asian passengers.
Hi,sorry I misread your post that all ships were kitted out,god forbid,cheers,Brian.
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Having cruised with all 3 cruise lines, I'd say that Princess is the most similar to P&O but with generally a more eclectic mix of passengers. The cabins are very similar too on ships like Ventura / Azura and for example : Emerald / Caribbean / Crown. I've personally found the staff more friendly and service better on Princess and their loyalty scheme is certainly better.

I don't like Celebrity as my experience had been surly and unhelpful staff, food allergies dealt with by ignoring them, and cabin stewards some of the worst we've ever had. Maybe we've just been unlucky, but I wouldn't rush back to Celebrity if at all. With some of the newer ships (e.g. Britannia & Majestic Princess) having updated interiors and nicer ships than some of the older ones, they are on a par with some of the Celebrity ships.

Drinks and tips / service charge ( if I dare mention the words) - are cheapest on P&O.

 

I know that others will disagree with my comments, but I speak as I find, and all things considered, Princess just edge out in front with Celebrity bringing up the rear in the slow lane. Just my opinion.

 

 

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Having cruised with all 3 cruise lines, I'd say that Princess is the most similar to P&O but with generally a more eclectic mix of passengers. The cabins are very similar too on ships like Ventura / Azura and for example : Emerald / Caribbean / Crown. I've personally found the staff more friendly and service better on Princess and their loyalty scheme is certainly better.

I don't like Celebrity as my experience had been surly and unhelpful staff, food allergies dealt with by ignoring them, and cabin stewards some of the worst we've ever had. Maybe we've just been unlucky, but I wouldn't rush back to Celebrity if at all. With some of the newer ships (e.g. Britannia & Majestic Princess) having updated interiors and nicer ships than some of the older ones, they are on a par with some of the Celebrity ships.

Drinks and tips / service charge ( if I dare mention the words) - are cheapest on P&O.

 

I know that others will disagree with my comments, but I speak as I find, and all things considered, Princess just edge out in front with Celebrity bringing up the rear in the slow lane. Just my opinion.

 

 

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I haven't been with Princess yet, but I would agree with these comments about Celebrity. We also found their staff surly and slightly militant towards passengers. Did not enjoy the Blu experience at all. In our experience, they made it very difficult for you to order from the MDR menu. I only tried it once, for some cheese and port in place of dessert, and it was way too much trouble! Also in Blu, the tables were so close together that it would appear rude NOT to speak to your neighbouring diners. We found the entertainment dire but we met two lovely couples (ex-pats) so the evenings went well. We enjoyed the food in the MDR (only went to Blu once, and thought the specialty restaurants rather expensive); and we thought the buffet was also very good. The bathrooms in the cabins were nicely appointed, better than P&O in general. But then it's a bathroom and as long as I can shower etc, it doesn't really matter how the decor looks.

 

Any which way, hope you have plenty of other info on this forum and enjoy exploring more exotic locations :D

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I don't like Celebrity as my experience had been surly and unhelpful staff, food allergies dealt with by ignoring them, and cabin stewards some of the worst we've ever had.

 

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I am so surprised on the surly and unhelpful staff and the ignoring of food allergies. My experience specifically on this issue is that at every single dining experience I was asked about the food allergy as I had notified Celebrity in advance of sailing to the special needs department.

 

As for cabin attendants, our experience is that they are some of the best we've had on Celebrity, taking the time to introduce themselves, which didn't happen on P&O.

 

I haven't been with Princess yet, but I would agree with these comments about Celebrity. We also found their staff surly and slightly militant towards passengers. We enjoyed the food in the MDR (only went to Blu once, and thought the specialty restaurants rather expensive); and we thought the buffet was also very good. The bathrooms in the cabins were nicely appointed, better than P&O in general. But then it's a bathroom and as long as I can shower etc, it doesn't really matter how the decor looks
Once again I am surprised as Celebrity IMHO have a far superior selection of specialty restaurants than P&O (at least 6 on Solstice class ships as opposed to 2 on P&O). Again IMHO the bathrooms are far superior than the dated ones on P&O with glass enclosed large showers and not the dreaded curtain that clings.

 

In general I believe the food is better than on P&O, the buffet is streets ahead of P&O (and other lines too) in terms of design and food quality.

 

Yes, the cruise may cost more, but with drinks packages included (where the measures are larger not the UK pub measures served on P&O which is why they appear less expensive) they are competitive to the P&O ones we had booked (but have cancelled).

 

You get what you pay for and for us it's Celebrity, RCI or MSC (although trying NCL in 2018 replacing the 2 P&O we had booked).

 

As I've stated many times (much to the disgust of many on here), Celebrity have a far superior embarkation process, the dress code is more relaxed, and as mentioned before there's none of the 'holiday camp' atmosphere with the flag waving sail away.

 

Many like that, I loathe it as I expect and enjoy a more low key atmosphere. Even the more 'American' lines don't have such a rowdy sail away.

 

To me the Millennium and Solstice class ships on Celebrity are designed better with passenger flow a major consideration and there's none of the trekking up and down we experienced on Azura to get to some venues.

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To us both lines have their plus points and negative points and we find that the response depends on what you want out of a cruise and individual taste. E.g. some say that the food on Celebrity is better. We tend to prefer their buffet but we prefer the main meals in the MDR with P&O.

 

The best way to decide is to go and see what you think of the cruise line if you are tempted.

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To us both lines have their plus points and negative points and we find that the response depends on what you want out of a cruise and individual taste. E.g. some say that the food on Celebrity is better. We tend to prefer their buffet but we prefer the main meals in the MDR with P&O.

 

The best way to decide is to go and see what you think of the cruise line if you are tempted.

For us, like Peteuk, its an easy choice it has to be Celebrity all the way, I certainly do not recognise any of the negatives that HomelessBear quotes, at least not on the Eclipse from Southampton.

Our only problem since we don't fly is the poor choice of itineraries from Southampton, having now done them all at least twice we have run out of options.

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We love P&O but we'd like more imaginative itineraries. We have our own businesses and can only take an unbroken 2-3 weeks over the Christmas period when our offices close. We'd like to go with P&O to the Far East or South America, but it's not possible at our desired time. So, as Princess and Celebrity have ships based in these destinations over that period, we are considering sailing with them. We want to know what other people like/dislike about these two lines from a British point of view, as this great nation of ours has its own very distinct sensibilities. Thanks.

I suggest you try Celebrity. You probably will never return to P&O again.

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I am so surprised on the surly and unhelpful staff and the ignoring of food allergies. My experience specifically on this issue is that at every single dining experience I was asked about the food allergy as I had notified Celebrity in advance of sailing to the special needs department.

 

 

 

As for cabin attendants, our experience is that they are some of the best we've had on Celebrity, taking the time to introduce themselves, which didn't happen on P&O.

 

 

 

Once again I am surprised as Celebrity IMHO have a far superior selection of specialty restaurants than P&O (at least 6 on Solstice class ships as opposed to 2 on P&O). Again IMHO the bathrooms are far superior than the dated ones on P&O with glass enclosed large showers and not the dreaded curtain that clings.

 

 

 

In general I believe the food is better than on P&O, the buffet is streets ahead of P&O (and other lines too) in terms of design and food quality.

 

 

 

Yes, the cruise may cost more, but with drinks packages included (where the measures are larger not the UK pub measures served on P&O which is why they appear less expensive) they are competitive to the P&O ones we had booked (but have cancelled).

 

 

 

You get what you pay for and for us it's Celebrity, RCI or MSC (although trying NCL in 2018 replacing the 2 P&O we had booked).

 

 

 

As I've stated many times (much to the disgust of many on here), Celebrity have a far superior embarkation process, the dress code is more relaxed, and as mentioned before there's none of the 'holiday camp' atmosphere with the flag waving sail away.

 

 

 

Many like that, I loathe it as I expect and enjoy a more low key atmosphere. Even the more 'American' lines don't have such a rowdy sail away.

 

 

 

To me the Millennium and Solstice class ships on Celebrity are designed better with passenger flow a major consideration and there's none of the trekking up and down we experienced on Azura to get to some venues.

 

 

 

I was going to post my views, but the above says all I would have wanted to post.

 

As a final note our next door neighbours were P&O cruisers. They decided to join us on our Celebrity cruise last month and haven't stopped talking about it, " the service was better on Celebrity than P&O" "the buffet was better than P&O" "the entertainment was better than P&O" "the ship was beautiful" "the cabin was much better than a P&O" and finally....."the boarding was way better than P&O).

 

 

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I was going to post my views, but the above says all I would have wanted to post.

 

As a final note our next door neighbours were P&O cruisers. They decided to join us on our Celebrity cruise last month and haven't stopped talking about it, " the service was better on Celebrity than P&O" "the buffet was better than P&O" "the entertainment was better than P&O" "the ship was beautiful" "the cabin was much better than a P&O" and finally....."the boarding was way better than P&O).

 

 

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I think people had already covered most points, we have cruised all three and I find it difficult to say which one is best when you weigh up the for's and against's. I would say give them a try as it is always nice to get new experiences.

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I am interested in those posters who commented that they found Celebrity crew surly. In my opinion (and it is just my opinion) P & O crew have turned surly into an art form.

 

On my last cruise on the line every little thing seemed to be too much trouble and is one of the reasons I haven't returned since.

 

Tried Viking Ocean for the first time recently. They are light years ahead in every department except possibly entertainment. Just my opinion

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The dress code is more relaxed but still smart. Jackets required on "evening chic" for gents, but no tuxedoes required (though some people do wear them).

 

 

Whilst Jackets / suits etc are the norm on Evening Chic there is no requirement to wear a Jacket now, just a suggestion.

 

Also, perhaps worth noting that the Evening Chic dress code only applies to the Main Dining Room. You can dress Smart-Casual in the other bars and restaurants.

 

My wife and I like the dress code on Celebrity. She likes to dress up, me less so. I don't mind wearing a nice jacket but don't enjoy the whole Polyester Penguin thing.

 

I suspect the Evening Chic dress code was introduced as a soft step towards doing away with 2 dress codes. It wouldn't surprise me if within 2-3 years Celebrity moves to one dress code. I've read recent trip reports suggesting people are very much more casual on Evening Chic nights (this was on a summer med cruise from Rome) now than perhaps our last cruise on Celebrity ex Southampton last September.

 

Currently, Celebrity is using its M Class (Millennium and Constellation) ships on Asian itineraries. These are older and slightly smaller than the fantastic Solstice Class ships but these ships still have many fans.

 

My wife is very loyal to Celebrity hence me having to work extra long hours to pay for our holidays Those "free drinks packages" and "free on board credit" that Celebrity offers are anything but, Celebrity cruise prices can be much higher than a comparable P and O cruise , but less difference than Princess Cruises. Be wary of cheap offers, inside cabins and Guarantee grades as these typically don't come with a free drinks package. Celebrity prices on board are in US Dollars and not only have prices gone up on board in recent years a bit, mandatory service charges have risen from 15% to 18% and the pound has weakened against the dollar - meaning that drinks prices on board can seem very expensive. A beer could be in the region if £6-£7 more if you go for a premium bottled beer , wine £8-£9 a glass.

 

If you want to find more about Celebrity, their menus, ships, bar prices etc I'd recommend this couple's excellent website

http://www.thepreismans.com/

Edited by DYKWIA
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I've cruised with all 3 but now mainly cruise with P&O although certainly wouldn't rule out Princes again for the right itinerary and would maybe consider Celebrity.

 

It all depends what you're looking for on a cruise.

 

  • We want a good sized balcony cabin with plenty of storage, and in a quiet location. Tick- all three offer that.
  • We want a choice of dining venues as we're not great fans of banquet style dining in the MDR or the buffet. Tick - they all offer that now.
  • We want to sail from Southampton. P&O offers more departures, all year round
  • We want a wide range of entertainment across the ship. Only P&O offers that to us. On Princess we like the entertainment in Crooners - but that's only one venue. In the Celebrity lounges the entertainment was not to our taste - too much jazz and barber-shop type groups.

 

That's just my opinion

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Hi,I think Princess offer a better product,regarding quality and choice of food,more friendly and better service and more classy overall IMO,cheers,Brian.

 

Totally agree with brian1. We were very loyal P&Oers, then in 2002 we realised it is a huge world out there so moved to Princess. Don't regret it. Been all over the world. The South America round the Horn cruise was fabulous. Also done quite a few in the Far East. Beijing to Singapore with pre cruise tour in China is our best ever.

 

We returned to P&O for 2 cruises last year, Caribbean and Atlantic Islands. Shocked at deteriorating standards. Without being a snob, I loved one review of the Caribbean which referred to "18 stone females with more tattoos than brain cells". Nasty, but we thought the same! Was also surprised at the lack of ambition of cruisers, booking the same cruise next year. Really. Don't think we have ever done that.

 

With apologies to the majority of passengers who were really nice.

 

Go on, do it, you know you can.

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Forgot to mention, going on Celebrity cruise later in the year. Arabian Sea and India. Should be interesting to compare them with Princess.

 

We also love the mix of passengers on Princess, Americans obviously, but Canadians, Australians, New Zealander's, etc. Makes for some very interesting dinners in the MDR.

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Have to say that we have looked at Princes a number of times for cruises to the Med. as their itineraries are so good. Sadly we haven't booked as we find that they are easily £1000 more per cruise (even before we add the flights!) when we have to travel, so we have stayed with P&O and are more than happy. Next year we are going with Celebrity in August as we are on Oceana for a week in April and got a good deal. We never seem to see Princes doing special offers....

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