P&O vs Celebrity

Sorry,for Portsmouth, please read Southampton,not thinking about it

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All this talk of drinks prices reminds me of something I found extremely annoying on Celebrity Infinity........for the first 48 hours they kept pestering people to buy a drinks package. Even though we had a basic one included, they wanted us to upgrade to a better one. There were staff coming round in every communal area, and they just wouldn't leave you alone.

Another thing to check, if it's important to you, is whether there are tea and coffee making facilities in the room. It may be that if the ship sails from the UK you will get them, as they know the British like to make their tea! As our Celebrity went from Vancouver there were none.

I took my own kettle, but that meant my suitcase was impounded during the scanning process, and the first I knew about any problem was when it still hadn't turned up after several hours on board. When I eventually tracked it down I had to go down to the cargo area of the ship to retrieve it and lug it back to the room myself. They didn't even ask me to unlock it so they could check it, so I don't know why they didn't just deliver it in the first place. They had written the word kettle on the outside so they knew what it was from the scan.

All this talk of drinks prices reminds me of something I found extremely annoying on Celebrity Infinity........for the first 48 hours they kept pestering people to buy a drinks package. Even though we had a basic one included, they wanted us to upgrade to a better one. There were staff coming round in every communal area, and they just wouldn't leave you alone.

 

Another thing to check, if it's important to you, is whether there are tea and coffee making facilities in the room. It may be that if the ship sails from the UK you will get them, as they know the British like to make their tea! As our Celebrity went from Vancouver there were none.

 

 

I took my own kettle, but that meant my suitcase was impounded during the scanning process, and the first I knew about any problem was when it still hadn't turned up after several hours on board. When I eventually tracked it down I had to go down to the cargo area of the ship to retrieve it and lug it back to the room myself. They didn't even ask me to unlock it so they could check it, so I don't know why they didn't just deliver it in the first place. They had written the word kettle on the outside so they knew what it was from the scan.

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We checked before we went that it was ok. They let us use it on board.

UK based ships now have kettles etc,

The steward noticed we never used it so asked if we wanted it removing to make more space on the limited surface.

We checked before we went that it was ok. They let us use it on board.

I am really surprised about that 😳

Maybe the rules have changed now. It was in 2015. I'm very much someone who abides by the rules, so I wouldn't have done anything I shouldn't, but I can't go without my cup of tea!

My issue wasn't that they checked and held the suitcase in the first case, but with the lack of communication about what had happened. They obviously didn't have an issue with the kettle, as they never asked to see it when I did go and collect the case.

Anyway, we live and learn, and this is getting off the original topic! With so many cruises and cruise lines to choose from, I will stick to those that have in room tea making facilities!

I’m suddenly very interested in this thread since the Celebrity Edge brochure came this morning - you might want to search for pictures it looks amazing roll on 2018/19

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I’m suddenly very interested in this thread since the Celebrity Edge brochure came this morning - you might want to search for pictures it looks amazing roll on 2018/19

 

 

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I am a big Celebrity fan but the initial computer graphics of the ship look very strange to me especially the moving platform tacked onto one side. But I will reserve judgement until I see the real thing, then I will then have to wait until they base one in Southampton before I can consider sailing on one of this class

I am a big Celebrity fan but the initial computer graphics of the ship look very strange to me especially the moving platform tacked onto one side. But I will reserve judgement until I see the real thing, then I will then have to wait until they base one in Southampton before I can consider sailing on one of this class

Yes we don’t fly as a rule, but I was hoping I could convince my OH to fly one way as there is a cruise from Southampton. I love the graphics, hope it lives up to the promises.

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Sorry can't resist, but Celebrity in Southampton have just reinforced my belief that they are superior to P&O with regards to boarding, muster and on time departure.

This morning we walked from the Premier Inn West Quay (wow the new dining venues at West Quay are great btw) through dock gate 8 to berth 101 and City Terminal at 11:15, cleared security scanning, checked in, pre boarding photo taken and on board by 11:30. Cabins available bang on 1pm. Bags delivered by 1:30pm.

Kettle delivered at 3pm, muster prompt at 3:30pm, sail away 15 mins early at 4:15pm.

Next stop Boston 🇺🇸 in 7 days.

Sorry can't resist, but Celebrity in Southampton have just reinforced my belief that they are superior to P&O with regards to boarding, muster and on time departure.

 

This morning we walked from the Premier Inn West Quay (wow the new dining venues at West Quay are great btw) through dock gate 8 to berth 101 and City Terminal at 11:15, cleared security scanning, checked in, pre boarding photo taken and on board by 11:30. Cabins available bang on 1pm. Bags delivered by 1:30pm.

 

Kettle delivered at 3pm, muster prompt at 3:30pm, sail away 15 mins early at 4:15pm.

 

Next stop Boston 🇺🇸 in 7 days.

Pete

I am very envious - we did this cruise last year and it was great. Love the Eclipse - have a great time

Off Eclipse yesterday, our first time with Celebrity.

Things Celebrity do better -

Boarding and disembarkation.

Buffets

Super shows

Smart cabins

Larger bathrooms

Live music

Friendly staff

Captain and Officers regularly walking round talking to guests

Best Cruise Director we have ever seen

Large theatre no need to get there until 5 mins before 9 pm show

What do PO do better -

Evening meals in MDR

Lower drinks prices although we had a package.

Port info

Dancing venues

Children's clubs

Any one want more info let me know.

Unable to edit my post above but should mention PO do formal nights much better. There were quite a few men in DJ, lots in suits, more in jackets but no tie, the rest had shirt and tie or shirt but no tie.

Also the Future Cruise staff on PO could teach celebrity a lot about customer service. They were a miserable sharp unfriendly bunch on Eclipse. We might have booked but they couldn't wait to get rid of us and there was no queue. Any questions we asked were met with yes no or basically find out yourself.

Would we sail again with Celebrity, definitely but only if the price was right and a drinks package is included. We came away with a zero account.

We are great fans of Celebrity. We are trying P& O Ventura for an Xmas New Year cruise simply because Celebrity don't go out of Southampton that time of year and Cunard much too expensive. Hope we haven't made a mistake!!!!!!!!:evilsmile:

We are great fans of Celebrity. We are trying P& O Ventura for an Xmas New Year cruise simply because Celebrity don't go out of Southampton that time of year and Cunard much too expensive. Hope we haven't made a mistake!!!!!!!!:evilsmile:

We have done both and would happily sail with either. P&O is cheaper and I would say that comparing the ships we have been on is like comparing a 4 star and a 5 star hotel. Yes, one is better, but you have to pay the additional cost. I'm sure that you will have a great time - try not to worry too much and go and enjoy yourself.

Thanks for all the feedback - we have booked! I will report back next August on what I think. Travelling as a family with age range 11-88 and an awkward dietary requirement so will have much to report...

Hi all.

Resurrecting this as I promised to report back. Returned today from a fabulous itinerary around Scandinavia & Russia

Our observations:

Check in & disembarkation - seamless and far better than P&O. A few niggles however such as our linked bookings hadn’t been carried through to dining. Our drinks packages were not included on our boarding cards correctly which we didn’t discover until a few days later. All issues were dealt with efficiently (including cancelling one drinks package half way through the cruise as it hadn’t been used due to their error)

Cabin - we loved the bigger bathroom & style but storage space for clothes was lacking (3 in our cabin)

Ship (Silhouette) was gorgeous. Loved the modern airy feeling, however too many high end shops. No ‘basics’ shop which thankfully we didn’t need but would have been good to have. Same old selling of tat at various points of the day.

Kids club - difficult to compare as few teenagers due to itinerary (& A level results week) so middle child didn’t have any company. Youngest child loved the freedom and mix of nationalities though and preferrred it to P&O.

Entertainment - pretty much comparable day time & evening activities. Very limited TV available (specifically comparing to Britannia last year where top new release films were available for free). Saw a couple of great acts and some that really didn’t do it for us - but everyone likes different things so to be expected and with a mix of nationalities (large US & UK contingent but people from India, Germany, Australia, Spain & numerous others) it would be difficult to please everyone.

Drinks - we had a package so didn’t affect us but prices were outrageous!

Food - this is the decider for us as pretty much everything else was comparable to Britannia at least. Great that ice cream available free during the day - big hit with the kids. Buffet - good range for most people and liked that all food is allergen labelled. MDR - very surprised at quality given most posters here consider Celebrity to be better. Very disappointed (only cruise I have ever lost weight....). We had to ask numerous times for extra veg as frequently there was none. I have specific dietary needs and was not well catered for at all compared to P&O. Even preordered meals were frequently bland at best. No gluten free crackers for cheese were available for example. I know i’m difficult to cater for and knew this would be an issue, however the rest of our party who eat almost anything felt that (apart from steaks), P&O were far superior in service and quality of food. We didn’t try the speciality restaurants as felt cover charges were way too high.

Service in general - bar service on P&O was far better. We often had to go up to the bar to be served - few waiters around and those that were seemed disinterested in actually serving. Little things were better on Celebrity - flavoured water & covered seating area on return to the ship for example, line at reception / guest services being surveyed by other staff to see if they could help without you having to wait.

All in all. A fantastic cruise & really liked the atmosphere on Celebrity, however the food would be a serious consideration if we were to return.

Hi all.

 

Resurrecting this as I promised to report back. Returned today from a fabulous itinerary around Scandinavia & Russia

Our observations:

Check in & disembarkation - seamless and far better than P&O. A few niggles however such as our linked bookings hadn’t been carried through to dining. Our drinks packages were not included on our boarding cards correctly which we didn’t discover until a few days later. All issues were dealt with efficiently (including cancelling one drinks package half way through the cruise as it hadn’t been used due to their error)

Cabin - we loved the bigger bathroom & style but storage space for clothes was lacking (3 in our cabin)

Ship (Silhouette) was gorgeous. Loved the modern airy feeling, however too many high end shops. No ‘basics’ shop which thankfully we didn’t need but would have been good to have. Same old selling of tat at various points of the day.

Kids club - difficult to compare as few teenagers due to itinerary (& A level results week) so middle child didn’t have any company. Youngest child loved the freedom and mix of nationalities though and preferrred it to P&O.

Entertainment - pretty much comparable day time & evening activities. Very limited TV available (specifically comparing to Britannia last year where top new release films were available for free). Saw a couple of great acts and some that really didn’t do it for us - but everyone likes different things so to be expected and with a mix of nationalities (large US & UK contingent but people from India, Germany, Australia, Spain & numerous others) it would be difficult to please everyone.

Drinks - we had a package so didn’t affect us but prices were outrageous!

Food - this is the decider for us as pretty much everything else was comparable to Britannia at least. Great that ice cream available free during the day - big hit with the kids. Buffet - good range for most people and liked that all food is allergen labelled. MDR - very surprised at quality given most posters here consider Celebrity to be better. Very disappointed (only cruise I have ever lost weight....). We had to ask numerous times for extra veg as frequently there was none. I have specific dietary needs and was not well catered for at all compared to P&O. Even preordered meals were frequently bland at best. No gluten free crackers for cheese were available for example. I know i’m difficult to cater for and knew this would be an issue, however the rest of our party who eat almost anything felt that (apart from steaks), P&O were far superior in service and quality of food. We didn’t try the speciality restaurants as felt cover charges were way too high.

Service in general - bar service on P&O was far better. We often had to go up to the bar to be served - few waiters around and those that were seemed disinterested in actually serving. Little things were better on Celebrity - flavoured water & covered seating area on return to the ship for example, line at reception / guest services being surveyed by other staff to see if they could help without you having to wait.

 

All in all. A fantastic cruise & really liked the atmosphere on Celebrity, however the food would be a serious consideration if we were to return.

That’s really interesting. I am a big fan of Celebrity and have found the food better than P&O. However I don’t think MDR food on either is as good as it was 5 years ago

Buffet on Celebrity is considerably better than P&O in my view

However we have grown to love the speciality restaurants on Celebrity. Off with them again next month on the Silhouette (lovely ship) and have booked a 5 dinner package so will be happy with that

Hi all.

 

Resurrecting this as I promised to report back. Returned today from a fabulous itinerary around Scandinavia & Russia

Our observations:

Check in & disembarkation - seamless and far better than P&O. A few niggles however such as our linked bookings hadn’t been carried through to dining. Our drinks packages were not included on our boarding cards correctly which we didn’t discover until a few days later. All issues were dealt with efficiently (including cancelling one drinks package half way through the cruise as it hadn’t been used due to their error)

Cabin - we loved the bigger bathroom & style but storage space for clothes was lacking (3 in our cabin)

Ship (Silhouette) was gorgeous. Loved the modern airy feeling, however too many high end shops. No ‘basics’ shop which thankfully we didn’t need but would have been good to have. Same old selling of tat at various points of the day.

Kids club - difficult to compare as few teenagers due to itinerary (& A level results week) so middle child didn’t have any company. Youngest child loved the freedom and mix of nationalities though and preferrred it to P&O.

Entertainment - pretty much comparable day time & evening activities. Very limited TV available (specifically comparing to Britannia last year where top new release films were available for free). Saw a couple of great acts and some that really didn’t do it for us - but everyone likes different things so to be expected and with a mix of nationalities (large US & UK contingent but people from India, Germany, Australia, Spain & numerous others) it would be difficult to please everyone.

Drinks - we had a package so didn’t affect us but prices were outrageous!

Food - this is the decider for us as pretty much everything else was comparable to Britannia at least. Great that ice cream available free during the day - big hit with the kids. Buffet - good range for most people and liked that all food is allergen labelled. MDR - very surprised at quality given most posters here consider Celebrity to be better. Very disappointed (only cruise I have ever lost weight....). We had to ask numerous times for extra veg as frequently there was none. I have specific dietary needs and was not well catered for at all compared to P&O. Even preordered meals were frequently bland at best. No gluten free crackers for cheese were available for example. I know i’m difficult to cater for and knew this would be an issue, however the rest of our party who eat almost anything felt that (apart from steaks), P&O were far superior in service and quality of food. We didn’t try the speciality restaurants as felt cover charges were way too high.

Service in general - bar service on P&O was far better. We often had to go up to the bar to be served - few waiters around and those that were seemed disinterested in actually serving. Little things were better on Celebrity - flavoured water & covered seating area on return to the ship for example, line at reception / guest services being surveyed by other staff to see if they could help without you having to wait.

 

All in all. A fantastic cruise & really liked the atmosphere on Celebrity, however the food would be a serious consideration if we were to return.

Thank you for posting this. We've cruised with both and actually have a cruise booked with Celebrity next year after a few years break so we were keen to hear your thoughts. We have been very disappointed so far with the way Celebrity has handled the booking and the fact they withheld so many cabins so it's reassuring to read that your onboard experience was good. It isn't good though that your diet want catered for as well s it should have been and that IMO is unforgivable in this day and age. Overall P&O has the edge for us but we are always looking for interesting itineraries so try various lines. We also had a drinks package and wifi package thrown it next year so we're happy and paying a whole lot less than a recent Fred Olsen cruise!

Hi all.

 

Resurrecting this as I promised to report back. Returned today from a fabulous itinerary around Scandinavia & Russia

Our observations:

Check in & disembarkation - seamless and far better than P&O. A few niggles however such as our linked bookings hadn’t been carried through to dining. Our drinks packages were not included on our boarding cards correctly which we didn’t discover until a few days later. All issues were dealt with efficiently (including cancelling one drinks package half way through the cruise as it hadn’t been used due to their error)

Cabin - we loved the bigger bathroom & style but storage space for clothes was lacking (3 in our cabin)

Ship (Silhouette) was gorgeous. Loved the modern airy feeling, however too many high end shops. No ‘basics’ shop which thankfully we didn’t need but would have been good to have. Same old selling of tat at various points of the day.

Kids club - difficult to compare as few teenagers due to itinerary (& A level results week) so middle child didn’t have any company. Youngest child loved the freedom and mix of nationalities though and preferrred it to P&O.

Entertainment - pretty much comparable day time & evening activities. Very limited TV available (specifically comparing to Britannia last year where top new release films were available for free). Saw a couple of great acts and some that really didn’t do it for us - but everyone likes different things so to be expected and with a mix of nationalities (large US & UK contingent but people from India, Germany, Australia, Spain & numerous others) it would be difficult to please everyone.

Drinks - we had a package so didn’t affect us but prices were outrageous!

Food - this is the decider for us as pretty much everything else was comparable to Britannia at least. Great that ice cream available free during the day - big hit with the kids. Buffet - good range for most people and liked that all food is allergen labelled. MDR - very surprised at quality given most posters here consider Celebrity to be better. Very disappointed (only cruise I have ever lost weight....). We had to ask numerous times for extra veg as frequently there was none. I have specific dietary needs and was not well catered for at all compared to P&O. Even preordered meals were frequently bland at best. No gluten free crackers for cheese were available for example. I know i’m difficult to cater for and knew this would be an issue, however the rest of our party who eat almost anything felt that (apart from steaks), P&O were far superior in service and quality of food. We didn’t try the speciality restaurants as felt cover charges were way too high.

Service in general - bar service on P&O was far better. We often had to go up to the bar to be served - few waiters around and those that were seemed disinterested in actually serving. Little things were better on Celebrity - flavoured water & covered seating area on return to the ship for example, line at reception / guest services being surveyed by other staff to see if they could help without you having to wait.

 

All in all. A fantastic cruise & really liked the atmosphere on Celebrity, however the food would be a serious consideration if we were to return.

Thank you for posting this. We've cruised with both and actually have a cruise booked with Celebrity next year after a few years break so we were keen to hear your thoughts. We have been very disappointed so far with the way Celebrity has handled the booking and the fact they withheld so many cabins so it's reassuring to read that your onboard experience was good. Overall P&O has the edge for us but we are always looking for interesting itineraries so try various lines. We also have a drinks package and wifi package thrown it so we're happy and paying a whole lot less than a recent Fred Olsen cruise

Would agree that Celebrity MDR is of a poor standard although still better than P&O. Celebrity buffet is excellent but you need to time your visit as overcrowding can be a problem. Celebrity MDR has deteriorated so much that the last few cruises we eat in the specialty restaurants every evening. Dining packages are great value and Murano restaurant is one of the best on the seas whilst the Epicurean on P&O Britannia is second rate in comparison.

I thought it was impossible to double post!! I have no idea how it happened so I apologise

We are doing the opposite to Dolpinwatcher. We have cruised almost exclusively with Celebrity for the past few years and are about to take our first P&O cruise in December. We will miss the Elite Plus perks but the itinerary and the included flights to Barbados swung it for us. Cruising at Christmas with Celebrity is just too expensive. We love Celebrity but we will board our P&O ship with every intention of enjoying the cruise.

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We are doing the opposite to Dolpinwatcher. We have cruised almost exclusively with Celebrity for the past few years and are about to take our first P&O cruise in December. We will miss the Elite Plus perks but the itinerary and the included flights to Barbados swung it for us. Cruising at Christmas with Celebrity is just too expensive. We love Celebrity but we will board our P&O ship with every intention of enjoying the cruise.

Totally agree Celebrity prices have gone ridiculous, tried Britannia not for us but direct flights Gatwick to Bridgetown is superb. We have chosen MSC yacht club, Gatwick to Bridgetown with no sea days and cheaper than P&O with so much more to offer, can’t wait.