Cunard VS P&O

[_kerry_]

Hi

We are looking at some P&O cruises for next summer. We have sailed with only cunard recently. We enjoy them very much. I have read that cruise lines are similar. Anyone have experience with both lines? Any favorite ships/ports?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

~Kerry

[LibraLass41]

I've been on all the present P&O fleet (except the latest small ship Adonia) and on Cunards Queen Mary, and know of many who have sailed Cunard....and I wouldn't say they are very similar atall... Yes they sail from Southampton...but after that no.

 

What P&O ships are you thinking of (child free? Large or medium sized?) Where do you want to sail too? Med? Canaries, Fjords,...

 

Many of us can help with ideas of P&O ships and ports if you can tell us more of your plans/ P&O serve British food,use £'p, (not $ like Cunard on board).

[Host Sharon]

In all major respects they are quite similar. The food is more international/ American on Cunard and very British on P&O - more veggies, smaller steaks etc. and silver service on most of the P&O fleet.

 

There are tea and coffee making facilities in all P&O cabins, but only suites get slippers and bathrobes.

 

Both now have auto-tipping. Entertainment fairly similar (ex. QM2 which is a league of its own).

 

I have sailed on all the ships of both the lines (except Azura) so any other questions - ask away.

[_kerry_]

Looking at possibly cruising the med. Ventura or Azura. Wouldn't mind kid free put not necessary. Yes we love QM2 & Cunard but have done crossings,fjords& baltic with them. Looking to do something different. Live in NY but don't mind leaving southampton.

Thanks:)

[Midsomer Madness]

If i had the choice between Cunard or P&O, I'd choose Cunard every time :) personally I think standards have dropped too much on P&O recently, although I still enjoy cruising with them its usually that they are the cheaper option and that means more cruises!

[Host Sharon]

Looking at possibly cruising the med. Ventura or Azura. Wouldn't mind kid free put not necessary. Yes we love QM2 & Cunard but have done crossings,fjords& baltic with them. Looking to do something different. Live in NY but don't mind leaving southampton.

Thanks:)

 

 

Of all the fleet, those two ships are probably going to be the most different from Cunard. Ventura only has casual and formal nights - no semi formal. If you want an experience more akin to Cunard, I'd go for the smaller vessels. Arcadia is of course another Vista ship similar to QV and QE, although the decor is plainer.

 

If you don't mind adult-only and smaller ships, then Adonia is probably closest to Cunard in ambience and food. Obviously I don't know your tastes and likes but can't help feeling Ventura might be a mistake. I'm not saying she isn't a lovely ship, but P&O seem to try and have a ship to suit everyone and it is important to choose the right ship for you as they are very different. If you like lots of different eating venues for example, then Azura is great. If you like a more traditional experience with lots of deck space, teak decking and ballroom dancing, then Oriana is perfect.

[annieuk]

We have cruised mainly with P&O but we did a 5 night cruise on Queen Elizabeth last year. QE was a wonderful, elegant ship. Apart from our first night the food was probably a step above P&O. However, we may have been unlucky but the service we received was far below that which we have come to expect from P&O. On our first evening we were the final two to join a table of 8 - no we weren't late but the others had been given their menus. The waiter didn't appear until he was ready to take orders. Eventually I caught his eye and said we didn't have menus. With a great sigh he went and got some and stood by us while we chose. When he delivered the food it was put down in front of us with no comment. The interaction we are used to wasn't there.

 

The next night we had a new waiter, don't know why. He was better but there was no "Good Evening" etc. I agree we were probably unlucky. We spoke to other people also in the Britannia restaurant and they had really good service at their table.

 

We did miss not being able to make tea or coffee in the cabin. On our second day we filled in a request card asking for one tea with milk and one hot chocolate to be delivered the following morning at 7am. Now I know it cannot arrive on the dot but it came at 6.40 - a little early. The tea did not have any milk and the hot chocolate was stone cold.

 

I realise these are minor points but I was expecting exemplary service. We really did notice the difference when it came to on board spend. The 15% added to everything does mount up and of course P&O do not charge this. The auto gratuities were $11 per person per day as opposed to P&O's £3.10.

 

We have close friends who have only ever sailed on Cunard and love it. As I say maybe we were unlucky but all these minor things add up and when it is your first trip with a cruiseline doesn't encourage you to book again.

 

So would you find a difference cruising with P&O yes but not massive unless you are used to Grill class with Cunard. The passengers will be almost 100% British whereas Cunard is much more international. On our QE cruise there were large contingents of Japanese and Spanish. The food, in my opinion, on P&O is good but not quite up to Cunard standards.

 

Will we cruise with Cunard again, not sure. Maybe if it were an itinerary we really wanted and the price was right.

[Chunky2219]

I can give you a comparison of P&O Aurora and Oceana versus Cunard QV and QE. They are broadly similar in size and we we enjoyed all four. The P&O ships were longer in the tooth and showing a little age, but not in any way tatty. We've deliberately avoided the mega-ships like Ventura and Azura so can't comment there.

 

Food is generally better on Cunard but not spectaularly so, I'd be happy eat on either. The Cunard buffet is better quality and you have less chance of meeting an errant elbow at busy times.

 

Entertainment is better on P&O if you are a fan of West End style production shows, comedians, etc. You won't see some of the high brow stuff and certainly won't experience a production of Shakespeare on a transatlantic like we did. There is a similar range of activities like pub quiz, etc. but I can't remember seeing any bridge.

 

One noticable difference is in the evening. On a Cunard ship you can always find somewhere to sit in any of the bars, whereas with P&O (especially on Oceana) we found it impossible at times. You will also see a lot more kids. It tends to be a younger crowd overall.

 

If you are minded to move up-market to a suite the differences are more pronounced. Cunard QG and PG food is rather better, as is the single seating arrangement. QG cabin soft drinks plus some booze is free but you pay for it all on P&O. However, the butlers on P&O were much better and more attentive and you get (or used to get) a cabin stocked with magazines and newspapers. I don't know if this is still the case 3 years after our last voyage. A P&O suite includes extensive coffee and tea making facilities, something you won't have seen on Cunard.

 

P&O on board charges are in sterling, which saves the trouble of getting a credit card that won't sting you for a US$ transaction. That of course, will be no use whatsoever to you at the other side of the pond.

 

You will notice more emphasis on selling cheap tat and cocktails, but nowhere near as bad as on a Carnival ship. I can't say I noticed a big difference in the price of drinks or excursions. The Cunard wine list is a smidge more expensive. I thought the P&O choice of excursions was better, but this might just reflect the itinerareis we took.

 

Although a big Cunard fan I'd be happy to sail P&O again. The reason why we haven't is simple - Cunard seem to have better like-for-like prices. On late deals they are very much better, especially outside the summer season.

 

My personal recommendation would be a Med cruise or the Canaries. If used to Cunard, I personally would avoid the two big P&O ships but this is just personal prejudice from an old gimmer, based on some of the negative reports I've had from friends who took the plunge.

 

I hope this helps.

.

.

[bazzaw]

We have sailed on Oriana and Arcadia - 6 weeks both ways, Australia to UK. And have been on shorter 2 weeks cruises on QV, QE and QM2 in European waters. We enjoyed them all. Food was much the same for me - as were the evening shows. Overall, I think that P&O are definitely down a notch or two from Cunard. Cunard is much more "formal" and the ships more "elegant". However it is difficult to compare cruises - our experience with P&O were two half legs of World cruises - whereas the Cunard cruises were your typical holiday jaunts. On both cruiselines, if the sun comes out, you don't see the Brits - they are all out "sunbaking" and not very sociable. When it is cold/raining, they all come inside and are much more sociable.

 

Barry

[L & S]

It's not that we Brits are unsociable - its just that we don't see the sun very often so we have to make the most of it.:D:D:D

[bazzaw]

It's not that we Brits are unsociable - its just that we don't see the sun very often so we have to make the most of it.:D:D:D

 

Yes - I know!! :D We were recently on two similar cruises on Cunard - one to the Baltic on QV and one to the western Med on QE. Basically, back to back cruises. They were similar in that they both had about 400 Aussies onboard each ship. They were disimilar in that the Baltic cruise was cold, windy and wet - whereas the Med cruise was warm and sunny. The difference between the two cruises was really noticeable and I think general consensus was that the Aussies enjoyed the cold wet one more. The "atmosphere" onboard was very different - with the cold wet one being very congenial.:confused:

 

Barry

[C at Sea]

I've sailed mainly on P&O but have done a voyage on Queen Vic. I thought ship was beautiful. Much more elegant than P&O of which done all except Ventura.

They just seem more cared for!! Went on Azura twice this year and from her decor you wouldn't think she was a newish ship. Went on Queen Vic when she was roughly the same age and she was immaculate!

Food about the same. Entertainment better on P&O. Service - much better on P&O. Prices once on board much more expensive on Cunard. It is in dollars and you have to add the dreaded 15% service etc.

All in all I wouldn't discount Cunard but probably would go for P&O if had to choose similar cruise.

[balf]

e :) personally I think standards have dropped too much on P&O recently

 

And not on Cunard as well? We have sailed on both lines this year and have noticed a big drop in standards on Cunard. Food is always a matter of personal taste. The fish we had on QE last month was poorly cooked (overlooked to the point of sloppy) and the steaks on P&O were vastly better than the indifferent ones on QE.

 

On the other hand, if you are a Diamond member thr perks are much better on Cunard. But it s nice to have a kettle in the cabin withP&O.

 

Swings and roundabouts.

 

David

[Midsomer Madness]

I agree, its swings and roundabouts...but imo I think Cunard is the better all round product, plus they do fly cruises to the Med in the summer which P&O don't (still stuck in the dark ages). I would also add that we prefer the more international mix of passengers on Cunard. The food we had on QE in May was far better than what we'd previously had on the QV, (apart from when we were in the Grills). The food on Azura in March was pretty dreadful in the main restaurant, cold or tepid food on each occasion we ate there..that could of course have been down to the freedom rather than club dining, it will be interesting to see what its like on Aurora in a couple of weeks time!

[Host Sharon]

plus they do fly cruises to the Med in the summer which P&O don't (still stuck in the dark ages).

 

I'm guessing P&O don't have the demand or they would base Adonia for example there. I for one would rather sail through the Bay than face the horrors of airports, which writes off one third of the Cunard fleet for me in the summer.

[Midsomer Madness]

Sharon, they shoved Adonia out there in the winter, may have been different if they'd put a ship out in the summer, its not like they don't have enough to choose from (and have trouble filling at the moment). Doubt they'll try it though, despite a lot of passengers seeming to like the ideal :(

 

sorry to go off topic! :)

[davecttr]

Adonia is probably the worst ship P&O could use for med fly cruises. It has to be a family friendly bigger ship with lots of facilities. One of the main attractions of fly cruises is you don't have to spend endless sea days avoiding spain etc. Lots of potential cruisers with families would rather fly.

[tom_uk]

I don't know but it could just be that it's Carnival not P&O or Cunard who makes the strategic decisions as to which line will do fly-cruises in the Mediterranean. I get the feeling that Carnval's concern is to prevent Cunard & P&O going head-to-head in the UK market; they've much rather the two lines hit different market sectors and thus maximise revenue. There's enough competition out there from Royal Caribbean, NCL and MSC to have two Carnival lines slugging it out with each other.

 

It's also the case that Princess & HAL (also Carnival lines, of course) already do a lot of Mediterranean fly-cruises; again, I shouldn't think they want too much competition from other Carnival brands.

[daiB]

I don't know but it could just be that it's Carnival not P&O or Cunard who makes the strategic decisions as to which line will do fly-cruises in the Mediterranean. I get the feeling that Carnval's concern is to prevent Cunard & P&O going head-to-head in the UK market; they've much rather the two lines hit different market sectors and thus maximise revenue. There's enough competition out there from Royal Caribbean, NCL and MSC to have two Carnival lines slugging it out with each other.

 

It's also the case that Princess & HAL (also Carnival lines, of course) already do a lot of Mediterranean fly-cruises; again, I shouldn't think they want too much competition from other Carnival brands.

 

Spot on Tom,

 

P&O are not going to offer fly cruises to the Med. This is because of your stated reasons and because they would have great difficulty with aircraft space in the summer, unlike in the winter when they are utilising underused capacity going to the Caribbean.

 

I suspect they are finding that the demand is still there for UK departures.

 

Also it they pulled out say Ventura from summer sailings out of Southampton some other company would step in and take their place.

 

They are well set up un Southampton and it is not going to change.

 

 

Gan Canny

 

 

Dai