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P&O cruiser trying Cunard


sammybonny
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We will be trying our first Cunard cruise in September on Queen Victoria.

We have been on several cruise lines including P&O and Princess.

 

Can anyone who cruises on both P&O and Cunard tell me what other differences we will find in addition to the dress code.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

 

 

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Dining could be different depending on what you are used to and what kind of cabin you have. If Britannia, then it's fixed seating at a fixed time - early or late. If not, then you will be in a different dining room (depending on cabin type) with your own, fixed table, available to you at whatever time you go for dinner (or breakfast or lunch).

 

If you are in a Grills cabin, there is a special lounge you can use and a special deck (or part of deck). On Q Elizabeth and Victoria, the lounge and deck are at the top, reached by a lift that requires your Grill-cabin keycard to be inserted to get to the deck.

 

Opinions will vary about quality of food, service, etc. I think Grills dining offers very good food and service generally, but some of the worst meals I have had on a ship have been there!

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Buffet for lunch is much better (in my opinion) then buffet on P&O. For example there is a sandwich bar where they make you a sandwich of your choice as well as a pasta bar where they boil the pasta for you and you pick the sauce etc.

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We are just trying it the opposite way to you , just come off 2 week on QE round Spain/Italy , we had std Britannia cabin and eating 1st sitting at 6pm .

Food and service was excellent but on a a few occasions we felt 6pm was a little too early to eat and used the Lido self service when we got back from a day onshore .

Thought we would try P & O for the next one and have booked aboard Ventura for next May with Freedom dining this time , there were 4 formal nights and 10 informal on our cruise .

We travelled from Piccadilly Manchester on the train to Southampton ( had a bit of a panic when we arrived at the station and found we had left train tickets/passports/money in bag on our doorstep ) .

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We will be trying our first Cunard cruise in September on Queen Victoria.

We have been on several cruise lines including P&O and Princess.

 

Can anyone who cruises on both P&O and Cunard tell me what other differences we will find in addition to the dress code.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

 

The acknowledged benefits are:

The accommodation (Bathrobes and slippers supplied)

The Service

The Food (including the superb buffet and free room service)

The drinks and cocktails (eg a Long Island Iced Tea is actually a bar steward made Long Island Iced Tea, not an 'interpretation' poured from a carton)

The Dancing (balls)

The live entertainment

The quality talks

The varied daytime activities

The total lack of pomposity, snobbery, arrogance, moaners, and bad manners.

Last, but in no way least, there are "The Cunarders".

 

To précis the Cunard benefits in one word, it would be "Class"

 

You will discover there is no going back.

Edited by PORT ROYAL
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Cunard are just a little bit nicer and better in most areas. Not much but it is noticeable. For example gowns and welcome aboard wine in your cabins. The crew uniforms are just a tiny bit smarter. The lounges, bars and theatre are a little more grand. The drinks prices and gratuities are noticeably higher.

 

I like both lines I am quite happy on all the Cunard fleet but prefer Queen Mary 2. On P and O I stick to Oriana and Aurora. The other P and O ships are too modern and high density for me. Perhaps an unfair view.

 

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Wine on Cunard is double the P&O price for the same bottle. A scandal.

 

 

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Then end the scandal? Immediately inform P&O they are undercharging for Wine. There may be a reward for your actions.

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We will be trying our first Cunard cruise in September on Queen Victoria.

We have been on several cruise lines including P&O and Princess.

 

Can anyone who cruises on both P&O and Cunard tell me what other differences we will find in addition to the dress code.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

 

You will find the dress code is what it says it is - Formal on Formal nights, as opposed to some people's interpretation of P&O's Formal night dress code.

 

 

In fact we found that a large proportion of passengers on Cunard dress up smartly/very smartly on every single night. We loved it.

 

The ships are extremely well presented, and, as already stated, the uniforms are just that little bit smarter.

 

Grills class is worth every penny - we found the dining experience to certainly be far superior to P&O (we do love P&O though). The Grills Bar & Lounge areas and the Grills Terrace for sunbathing are wonderful.

 

As people have said, they do have a superior product, and that is reflected in their prices.

 

I would be very surprised if you didn't enjoy it. :)

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Then end the scandal? Immediately inform P&O they are undercharging for Wine. There may be a reward for your actions.

Unfortunately, the opportunities are limited because as far as I can see, there is no example of Cunard selling the same wine as P&O for twice the price, or indeed for any price. The two wine lists are competely different with Cunard's featuring better quality wines and many more of them.

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Unfortunately, the opportunities are limited because as far as I can see, there is no example of Cunard selling the same wine as P&O for twice the price, or indeed for any price. The two wine lists are competely different with Cunard's featuring better quality wines and many more of them.

 

There are better quality wines, but there are also similar quality wines (at higher prices).

 

I did a quick lookup as I am sailing on Cunard today. The wines on their menu that sell for $35 (inc 15% service) retail on the UK High St for £7. The $40 retail for £8.50, and the $45 for £10. I stopped there.

 

So far my impression of Cunard is (mostly) favorable over P&O.

 

Far more efficient check in. First meal finished (so you can tell how efficient boarding is as I got on today, and have no form of priority boarding) was acceptable, although could have been better (ploughman's lunch ice cold as straight out of the fridge).

 

Cabins slightly better furnished and larger than the P&O average.

 

Anyway, we shall see as the week progresses.

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Or inform Cunard that they are overcharging

But the original claim appears unfounded so there is no evidence they are - other than the notoriously high mark-up on wine that applies to all restaurants, cruise lines (including P&O), etc.

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Unfortunately, the opportunities are limited because as far as I can see, there is no example of Cunard selling the same wine as P&O for twice the price, or indeed for any price. The two wine lists are competely different with Cunard's featuring better quality wines and many more of them.

The wine lists on both P&O and Cunard's web sites list Chapel Down Bacchus: £17.50 on P&O and $35 (before gratuity) on Cunard, so the premium is over £14 taking the gratuity into account. I've no idea if those are the current on-board prices but the P&O prices look familiar from December.

 

Interestingly Chapel Down's own restaurant charges more than P&O: they're closer to the Cunard list price.

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The wine lists on both P&O and Cunard's web sites list Chapel Down Bacchus: £17.50 on P&O and $35 (before gratuity) on Cunard, so the premium is over £14 taking the gratuity into account. I've no idea if those are the current on-board prices but the P&O prices look familiar from December.

 

Interestingly Chapel Down's own restaurant charges more than P&O: they're closer to the Cunard list price.

Perhaps typically, it seems the P&O website includes at least two different lists. The one I looked at initially doesn't include this wine. There appear to be over 300 wines on the Cunard list so perhaps there are one or two others that are common. On the face ot it, there are similarities such as in the Corney and Barrow claret - but Cunard has a C&B Reserve claret of defined vintage while P&O just has a C&B claret. However, the fundamental point that Cunard doesn't simply charge double for the same wine stands, I think.

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You will find the dress code is what it says it is - Formal on Formal nights, as opposed to some people's interpretation of P&O's Formal night dress code.

 

 

In fact we found that a large proportion of passengers on Cunard dress up smartly/very smartly on every single night. We loved it.

 

The ships are extremely well presented, and, as already stated, the uniforms are just that little bit smarter.

 

Grills class is worth every penny - we found the dining experience to certainly be far superior to P&O (we do love P&O though). The Grills Bar & Lounge areas and the Grills Terrace for sunbathing are wonderful.

 

As people have said, they do have a superior product, and that is reflected in their prices.

 

I would be very surprised if you didn't enjoy it. :)

We are looking forward to being able to dress up every night and are becoming increasingly disappointed that most cruise lines now seem to be getting more and more casual and quite few not having formal nights at all.

 

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We cruise a lot with P&O but have cruised with other lines too dependent on itinerary and have been on Cunard several times. Although we adhere firmly to the P&O dress code we find it too formal on Cunard. For us, the atmosphere on Cunard may be described as understated but for us it is just boring. We area mature couple and we enjoy all our cruises but for us P&O is less stuffy and more relaxed which is what we want. That is not to say we don't enjoy our Cunard cruises but definitely have more fun on P&O and find the whole experience more sociable. The worst thing about Cunard is the entertainment particularly the speakers and entertainment in lounges.

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Cloudy Bay is another one not on the P&O list I first looked at, but OK I accept that of the 300 wines Cunard offer, 2 are also available on P&O for less (although not actually half as much). This one is available for £18 in the shops. Perhaps the three different prices (Cunard/P&O/shop) refect the respective levels of service and ambience.

 

PS. Readers may be glad to hear this is my last comment on wine prices. If anybody finds any more wines that are more expensive on Cunard than P&O I will believe them, but personally I am happy to pay the premium.

Edited by Teddy123
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We are looking forward to being able to dress up every night and are becoming increasingly disappointed that most cruise lines now seem to be getting more and more casual and quite few not having formal nights at all.

 

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You are on a winner here then, it's jacket and tie acceptable all nights with DJ or tuxedo on formal nights which are more numerous. A guy we saw every night on Queen Elizabeth wore a kilt every night with more/less casual jacket as appropriate. Even saw a guy in a pipers doublet and on Ascot Ball evening a guy in a grey top hat and tails suit. The precise ball themes are disclosed on the website I believe but many themes are not well supported but the formality is.

 

The waiter and service staff are not usually Goan but more Eastern European, service is good. If you go to afternoon lectures at the theatre or to see afternoon films it is possible to just go in a private box free of charge in the theatre, not many people know this. In the evening the theatre boxes are bookable and expensive I think.

 

Regards John

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