P&O v Celebrity etc

[alynn]

Hi

 

Based on the itinary we are thinking of booking a Ventura cruise in the Caribbean next January.

 

We have never sailed P&O before and wondered how they compare to Celebrity, Princess and RCI.

 

Last time out we found the Solstice to be absolutely amazing except for the entertainment,

 

Can anyone advise us how the staterooms (standard Balcony) compare sizewize, is the food as good, how is the entertainment and one for the technophobes, as the Ventura has a normal propulsion system ie propellors to pods is there much vibration felt at the aft of the ship in the staterooms (Celebrity Galaxy was horrendous for this)

 

Any information gratefully recieved

 

thanks

[pawwavingpuppy]

Hi there, we've cruised with Celebrity twice to the Caribbean, on the Century and the Summit, and had a fantastic time on both:)....This year we have decided to go with P&O for the first time on the new ship the Azura, which sailed into Southampton this morning ready for her naming ceremony. We enjoyed the live band we had on deck of the celebrity ships, playing Caribbean tunes and lots of reggae as you sailed in and out of ports, it made for an excellent atmosphere:).......the service and the food on these ships we also found to be excellent, just hope P&O compare....

Will be interested to see the replies

[Pink-belle]

I have only taken 1 proper P&O cruise and that was on Oceana (same as Sea Princess) but have had an overnight on Ventura.

The Ventura is the same ship design as the Emerald Princess. Stateroom size and design is exactly the same.

 

Personally, I felt slightly disappointed by my P&O experience, but we did sail from Southampton, with almost all british pax. It to me was like being in a good standard British hotel that moved. Food was of a good standard, but again very british. Not that thats a problem, but personally I like to try new things and feel like I have been away on holiday.

 

The Production shows were excellent, better than on Princess, where they seem to have made many cutbacks. On the cruise we were on there was no alternative entertainment, unless you wanted to watch recorded Football games :o Live music was lacking they played CDs in the atrium.

 

P&O on board prices are very reasonable, and free shuttles in port were a nice bonus. We never found it a step down from Princess, it was a step across. Personally we found the very Britishness of it all to not be what we would choose in a holiday. That however suits others very well.

 

We noticed no vibration problems during our short time on Ventura but were very midship. We were more aft on the Emerald and on Caribe deck, I was aware of slight vibration in that stateroom, not a big problem but you could certainly feel it if you tried to sit up and read in bed leaning against the headboard.

 

Other members of my family have sailed Ventura on longer cruises and would do so again without hesitation.

[Pink-belle]

Reading about the Caribbean bands on deck reminded me, P & O do do really good Sailaway parties, again the music is recorded but it was fun :)

 

Plus if you sail from Southampton the Band on the Quayside is very nice.

 

We are trying Celebrity Eclipse this year.

[LEESRE]

Having sailed on Celebrity and P&O many times I think you will see a big difference. One of the posters has said, I and seem to think they are American, that they did not like the Britishness. Well P&O is a British Cruise Company and yes it will have a British feel to it, just like Carnival ships have an all American feel to them. It is horses for courses!!!

 

We feel that Celebrity food is better than P&O and the Buffet areas especially on the Soltice class ships far superior. Price of drinks is another factor in favour of P&O they are far far cheaper and you do not have the dreaded 15% gratuity added every time. I do resent the fact that if you go and get your own drink from the bar on Celebrity you are still charged the 15%. Don't get me wrong we do pay the gratuities where apporpiate but feel that it goes a little too far in some instances.

 

As far as Pods to Propellers goes we found not much diffeence in either, we have sailed on Millennium many times.

Enterainment will be geared towards the British taste with live shows, unfortuantely P&O seem to be going more for the Comedy and Tribute bands etc than the full production shows. They do have some production shows during your cruise.

 

We feel that most of the staff on both cruise lines are very good some more than others.

This is my opinion and others that follow my post will differ.

[pawwavingpuppy]

The actual drinks prices on Celebrity seemed to be about what we pay in a pub around here very similar to London prices, but found the 15% on top a bit steep:(.........I'm really looking forward to cruising out of Southampton, as we have only cruised out of Fort Lauderdale. OH isnt sure about the 'sailaways' but I'll give them a whirl, I like a sing song;)....also liked the casinos on Celebrity, and we're not theatre show people.

 

I'm really looking forward to our P&O cruise:)

[Pink-belle]

I am actually English, not American :p Well aware that P & O is British. Never realised that not experiencing a different experience whilst on holiday visiting other countries would be a problem, but found out it was a negative for me.

 

Just offering my opinion as others may not have thought of that aspect :)

[Beckyfaye-2008]

I choose a cruise mainly for the itinerary, and irrespective of whether it was a British or American ship, and would go with the flow, whichever nationality it was geared to. However if there was a choice, then I would prefer it was full of British than I would Americans, just my preference, nothing against individual Americans.

Just that when I am with a crowd of people, I prefer my own nationality's company.

[Gerrym]

I have been on Solstice, Ventura, Oceana, Aurora, Oriana and Arcadia.

 

Personally I believe Solstice is a stunning ship and is a better experience than the offerings from P&O.

 

I think the one area that P&O is better, as previous posters have said, is the drink prices. P&O are much more reasonable. I don't think that is enough to make the difference though given that you are probably spending a few grand on the cruise.

 

That said, I would go on any of the P&O ships like a shot (except Ventura).

 

In my opinion you wont have a bad experience on P&O, you will have a better experience on Celebrity.

 

 

This is a very subjective subject but each poster can really only tell it as they see it.

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Gerry

 

 

PS, just to add that C deck on Ventura offer great size balconys and personally I think they are worth having over the mini suites even though they are less money. The mini suites on D deck are completely overlooked by all those above. (A, B and C decks).

[bellaj]

We are doing our first Celebrity cruise later this year and have high hopes for it (we have been with RCI previously).

 

Last year we did P&O on the Ventura and .... well put it this way, we're not looking to book with them again.

 

We agree totally with Pink-belle - the Britishness of it all was a downer (and yes we are Brits - we just thought we would try another line) and just made it generally less special - but it's only our opinion.

[tom_uk]

In the last couple of years we've bounced back and forwards between P&O and Celebrity, and we enjoy both of them. We've done three Celebrity cruises: Galaxy twice and Solstice last autumn; and two P&O cruises, a short one on Oriana and a longer one on Ventura. We're back on Ventura in May, and probably again in May 2011.

 

I wouldn't like to say which we prefer. Solstice is in many ways stunning, but there are things about her that we don't like: the absence of a Promenade deck, for example. We aren't happy with many aspects of their drinks policy: the high prices, the 15% gratuity, and the fact that you don't know how much you're getting (they don't use standard measures.) In fact prices are high generally on X - excursions, charges for shuttle buses, charges for internet access, etc. On the other hand, the things about Solstice that we liked, we really loved - the atrium and the main dining room among others. And we certainly enjoyed meeting people from the US and from other countries. Although we did have a funny experience with a table of French Canadians on our first night.

 

P&O: well, it's the opposite, really. Like other people, we're not fans of the Great British Sailaway, and there are areas in which the ships are showing the age of their design - I think Arcadia is actually the most recent design. But the things on their ships that we like, we really like. So we're happy with both.

 

As regards food, we have had excellent meals, OK meals, and 'not that good' meals on both, probably in equal proportion. You won't get curry on Celebrity! We've never had an awful meal on either.

 

Maybe - to be truthful - we're easy to please. For us, the glass is definitely half-full. (If it ever goes lower, we find a waiter and get it filled back up again....)

[lostinvegas]

We did a Caribbean cruise on Ventura last year and we are going on the new Celeb ship in a few weeks time. We have also previously cruised with Carnival.

 

We found that Carnival and P&O had similar standards when it came to service and food. The difference was that the Carnival food and entertainment was very much aimed at an American market and P&O was more traditional British.

 

We enjoyed Ventura, I can't really see where the negativity comes from, apart from maybe people who are a bit older and were expecting a very traditional British experience. Ventura is very much a ship for people who are a young (or young of mind and heart).

 

For me the Entertainment was a bit patchy on P&O, not terrible but some of the musicians were poor, the comedy was excellent though. The theatre is a superb venue, with excellent acoustics and visuals. There were no MUTS which I feel let Ventura down a little and would be a superb addition to the evening entertainment. The show lounges and bars got very busy at night so get your spot early.

 

Chris

[KenAndJulie]

The inlaws are big fans of Celebrity but tried their first P&O cruise earlier this year (on Oceana). They had a mixed bag of comments.

In P&Os' favour was

- simplicity of getting to and from ship (no need to collect baggage for an overnight stay in America and no need to clear immigration on way to ship)

- food was slightly better

- entertainment (quality and quantity - especially stage production type shows)

- half the expected tipping amounts

- cheaper onboard prices (without 15% gratuity being added in)

 

In Celebrities favour

- the balcony cabin

- the ship itself

- general ambience

- dancing (they do like their dancing)

- not as many brits (more cosmopolitan)

 

There were other points but I can't remember what they were at the minute. I think that overall they are still Celebrity fans but would have no concerns over booking another cruise with P&O.

[alynn]

Thanks everyone for the comments, We've taken the plunge and booked Ventura for next January, All things considered P&O have the best 14 night itinerary visiting a couple of places we've not yet visited,

 

Have to say that Celebrity up to now would be our first choice but we think there's no such thing as a bad cruise, especially in the caribbean in January vs the good old british winter.

 

gerrym, took on board what you said about C deck cabins, they are bigger so thats what we've gone for, thanks

 

Tomuk, have to agree that Celebrity can be expensive, but what an experience, Bellaj & lost in vegas you'll love it. admittedly the entertainment in the theatre can be a let down but must see is the 'cirque de soliel' type show which is amazing.

 

Thanks again to everyone who took the trouble to reply

[RMS Olympic]

What makes the atmosphere on P&O ships "Brittish"?

I am interested in sailing Azura, and would like to know whether an American would be welcomed.

I am well travelled and have done Italian, Greek and German ships. I do not need the typical north american product and actually like to see cultural differences on a ship.

However in many posts throughout Cruise Critic and elsewhere I have read the words describing very Brittish, typical Brittish etc.

Can you tell me what this translates to?

Is the cuisine really different? Bangers and mash, toad in the hole etc?

Is it more of a quiet environment on board....very reserved? Formal dress?

Do the passengers represent a cross section of England (income, education,occupation)?

Very curious as to what it would be like.

I remember I was told to beware of German ships...that it was a bad idea. Sailed the Deutchsland out of Kiel....loved every blessed moment and I dont speak German.

So I wouild appreciate some response from those that have sailed P&O.

Respectfully

Tom

[Beyondships]

What makes the atmosphere on P&O ships "Brittish"?

I am interested in sailing Azura, and would like to know whether an American would be welcomed.

I am well travelled and have done Italian, Greek and German ships. I do not need the typical north american product and actually like to see cultural differences on a ship.

However in many posts throughout Cruise Critic and elsewhere I have read the words describing very Brittish, typical Brittish etc.

Can you tell me what this translates to?

Is the cuisine really different? Bangers and mash, toad in the hole etc?

Is it more of a quiet environment on board....very reserved? Formal dress?

Do the passengers represent a cross section of England (income, education,occupation)?

Very curious as to what it would be like.

I remember I was told to beware of German ships...that it was a bad idea. Sailed the Deutchsland out of Kiel....loved every blessed moment and I dont speak German.

So I wouild appreciate some response from those that have sailed P&O.

Respectfully

Tom

 

It is difficult to say precisely why P&O is so British in atmosphere but it has always been immedaitely apparent to me on going aboard a P&O ship. It could be that the vast majority of passengers are British, it could be that the staff follow a British way of doing things and cater to British tastes, it could be that the ships tend to be more restrained than many American ships in decor, it could be the impact of tradition from all the line's years of being in the passenger business. Whatever the reason, I have found Ventura to be distinctly different than her Princess sisters (Crown, Emerald and Ruby) and similarly Oceana to be different than her Princess counterparts.

 

I have also found it interesting that P&O's "Britishness" is different from Cunard's "Britishness." P&O's atmosphere reminds me of the Britain I knew from days at university there whereas Cunard seems like the more public face of Britain that people in other countries think of when they think of Britain.

[RMS Olympic]

By the way I just discovered another web site...Beyondships....fantastic.

Your comparison of Cunard and P&O gives me some insight having sailed 3 Cunard vessels.

I have a similar question on CC concerning P&O Austalia and what makes them designed for aussies.

P&O as far as being "traditional" would be very much to my liking. I for one prefer the old style of cruising...with a regimented schedule. Not the try to please everybody with bells and whistles.

My second cruise way back was on Sitmars Fairwind.......absolutely no bell nor whistles....loved every minute of that ship, the crew, the food and the way the old girl handled big swells.

Guess I need to try P&O. Have to admit I wish I had sailed the old Camberra. She passed us at night (I was on the Stella Solaris) and both ships were heading to Santorini. It was about midnight and the Camberra came up from our stern...thought she was going to run us over...blew her horn and passed us right by. I was so excited I almost wet my pants.

I also hope to book passage on the Pacific Pearl in the near future...hoping her refit (post Ocean Village tackiness)is well done. The Former Star Princess was truly my Favorite Princess ship bar none.

Thanks again.

Tom