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p and o or princess


jonorma

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Hi jonorma, Welcome to P/O messageboard sorry I can't help you as I have only been on P/O. But I am sure there will be somebody on the boards who can help, most posters on here are friendly and helpful. I notice your on holiday on the Princess in April, so lets hope nobody is too negative about the ship and you have a great time.

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which is best tell me your views

Hi Jo. I once did a long comparison between the two. Here is a quick take. My quick take. The Princess ships' public areas are more ornate. They are prettier ships overall, I'd say. However, they do not have and I think tis a biggie - the Crow's Nest bar at the front of the ship. The Crow's Nest is a lovely place to visit during the day and watch the sea. It is right under the bridge and is perfect. It is quiet; at lunch has piano tunes. In the evening, before dinner, it is a quiet and refined place to have a drink. The Princess ships do not have a large bar with windows facing the front of the ship. They do have a nightclub at the very end of the ship (not all ships have this) but the bar is closed in it most of the day. Plus it is hard to get to and at the stern so everything has passed by the time you are seeing it. Not the same. The Princess ships are decorated beautifully and ornately. P & O will seem almost plain in comparison. Layouts are pretty similar. Cabins are a little different. The showers on Princess are a bit larger than the odd shaped little P & O showers. Mini - suites on Princess have tubs. P & O have little wooden cubicles for your clothes on your way into your cabin. They are nice and your clothing is out of sight. Princess' cabins usually have an area across from the bath with a long bar and everything is out in the open. That said, there is more room for clothing. Plus they have a cabinet feature at the end with shelves, pull out drawers and the safe. P & O have small drawers at the bottom of the cabinet. So there is more room on Princess but things are more hidden away on P & O. I think Princess' staff is nicer to deal with. They seem friendlier overall, from the purser desk on down. I think P & O is better in the dining room. The silver service going round with vegies and the like is just more refined and plush than the dining on Princess. Princess is definitely more casual. On formal nights, P & O has a requirement that you must be in dress if you are in public areas, other than the top deck. I like that. On Princess, passengers walk through in shorts and flip flops on formal nights during cocktail parties. On Princess you will frequently see people change back into casual clothes the minute dinner is over. It spoils the ambiance. On P&O, everyone participates and it makes for a special evening. If you plan to cruise again, Princess's frequent cruiser program is sooooo much better than P & O's. We traveled only P & O for years, then the Aurora broke down once and we had to scramble to find a different cruise and moved to Princess. They were so nice to us. We have gotten used to the free internet, free dry cleaning and all the amenities that Princess gives us where P & O does not. And most of our cruises have been on P&O. Princess honors the P&O cruises, P & O only goes back 3 years on their program. P &O has made it increasingly difficult for us to book with them, compared to the past. They aren't very welcoming to Yanks - even tho we have over 30 cruises with them. So for us, Princess wins. However, we love P&O and will cruise with them again - altho it is hard to give up free internet and Captain's lunches. But that's us. That doesn't pertain to your question. Sorry I cannot tell you which is better for children. Hope this is helpful.

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P & O only goes back 3 years on their program

 

I am not sure thats true as its been 6+ years since we cruised with P&O previous to our recent trip. They had our details and gave us a discount on our onboard spend due to being portunus club members.

 

Chris

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We have sailed on both lines, and do prefer Princess. We feel the American line has the edge, activities always start on time, the crew are more friendly and helpfull, food is cooked to our taste. The childrens clubs are well run. As a positive for P&O shuttle buses are free. Princess do charge.

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I am not sure thats true as its been 6+ years since we cruised with P&O previous to our recent trip. They had our details and gave us a discount on our onboard spend due to being portunus club members.

 

Chris

What my wife meant to say was that P&O was only going back three years from the start of Portunus Club. they did not include cruises that we took starting in 1964. Also, if you do not take a P&O cruise within three years of the last one you lose half of your membership points. We are still Portunus Club members (at the 2nd level) but will probably fall out of that range if we do not take another P&O cruise soon. Princess Cruises do not count with P&O if not booked in the UK.

On the other hand Princess has counted all cruises (36) and over 650 sea days.:D

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It's worth pointing out that shipwise, P&O is getting closer to Princess all the time. If you cruise on Oceana, Ventura or the forthcoming Azura, then you'r basically on a Princess ship that's been decorated/refurbished for the uK market. Oceana started her life as a Princess ship (Ocean Princess of, I think, 1999) while Ventura and Azura are very near sisters to Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess. Certainly they have the same hull.

 

None of these three P& ships have a Crow's Nest Lounge, unfortunately.

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