Cunard vs Royal Caribbean vs P & O

[Very Frequent Flyer]

Would you agree that, in terms of luxury and prestige, Cunard would be top of the list out of the 3, then Royal Caribbean, then P&O? I've always wanted to try P&O, but always have the impression that it is a party boat for teenagers and families, especially during school holidays and the dreaded schoolies period. Royal Caribbean would be a mix of family and "mature" couples, while Cunard is mainly mature couples (though I feel they are trying to target families as well now).

[Sutho]

Depends which P&O you are talking about. Also Cunard runs Vista class ships as in Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. They are pretty average ships, nothing fancy about them and exactly the same design as P&O's Arcadia.

 

QM2 would be the only ship in the Cunard fleet that has appeal to me. The other two are simply not worth looking at as there is nothing special or unique about them that sets them aside from any other line. P&O and HAL have variants of those ships.

 

Cunard sure has a reputation that would make me want to try QM2 one day but it is certainly not a luxury line that stands out above others. When I think of luxury I think of lines like Crystal or Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Both of those lines are extremely expensive, all inclusive and have reputations much better than Cunard.

 

QM2 is on my to do list but I am not really expecting anything overly fancy from it that sets it above the other lines I have tried.

[NSWP]

Would you agree that, in terms of luxury and prestige, Cunard would be top of the list out of the 3, then Royal Caribbean, then P&O? I've always wanted to try P&O, but always have the impression that it is a party boat for teenagers and families, especially during school holidays and the dreaded schoolies period. Royal Caribbean would be a mix of family and "mature" couples, while Cunard is mainly mature couples (though I feel they are trying to target families as well now).

By P&O, do you mean P&O Australia or P&O UK? Both very different products. In my view P&O UK is superior to P&O Australia. Last year we were on P&O UK's Arcadia, 49 days, Sydney to Southampton, it is a child free ship. A very good standard. As Sutho says, a Vista Class ship, like Queen Victoria and also the same as the HAL Vista ships, Niew Amsterdam etc.

[Very Frequent Flyer]

Yeah, I mean P&O Australia. I've heard about P&O UK being a far superior product than its Australian version.

 

I've always thought all ships in Cunard were the same grade. How wrong was I??? :eek:

[Sutho]

Cunard has a 3 class system so there is segregation between the highest paying passengers and the lowest paying passengers.

 

The Vista class ships although ok to cruise on are just your average standard cruise ship. Nothing special about them and nothing that sets them above any other ship.

 

QM2 on the other hand is still one of the largest in the world in terms of length, width, has few passengers and was built in Cunard style. The Vista class ships are a mass produced ship and there are at least a dozen of them. Carnival Spirit is a similar Vista version reffered to as the hybrid version of the ship.

[Aussieflyer]

Cunard has a 3 class system so there is segregation between the highest paying passengers and the lowest paying passengers.

Yes, there is segregation - but only for dining and access to a lounge and small deck area. For the rest of the time Princess and Queen's Grill passengers are just the same as everyone else. The shows, bars, spa etc are open to all passengers, regardless of class of booking. Some other ships have brought in similar "superior" classes - the MSC Yacht Club for example.

 

The Vista class ships although ok to cruise on are just your average standard cruise ship. Nothing special about them and nothing that sets them above any other ship.

 

QM2 on the other hand is still one of the largest in the world in terms of length, width, has few passengers and was built in Cunard style. The Vista class ships are a mass produced ship and there are at least a dozen of them. Carnival Spirit is a similar Vista version reffered to as the hybrid version of the ship.

The ambience of a cruise line is not dependent on the class of ship - Cunard can provide a superior (or not depending on your view) experience on the Vista ships. I agree that QM2 is different - the liner rather than cruise ship model makes it a different configuration.

In terms of passenger numbers, because of the way the ship is laid out and the lack of outside eating ect., QM2 can feel more crowded than other ships with more passengers.

Sailing on her is an experience but IMO it is more a marketing exercise to claim Cunard is exclusive - or maybe it is as a result of the premium paid to cruise on them. Passengers tend to be more "well-heeled" than on some other lines. In the past I can accept that the line was luxury but in this tight economic climate Cunard has cut out/down a lot of its previous offerings.

[wjh]

QM2 would be the only ship in the Cunard fleet that has appeal to me. The other two are simply not worth looking at as there is nothing special or unique about them that sets them aside from any other line.

 

How correct, we did sectors on Queen Elizabeth as a trial. The best part of the cruise was getting off it. We are mid 50s and were possibly the youngest aboard, to me it felt like a floating nursing home not to mention the toffie noses. Class distinction still exists.

[Very Frequent Flyer]

No wonder the QM2 costs considerably more than the other 2 from the same departure and arrival ports. I received a quote for a Sydney to Hong Kong cruise for under $3000. I couldn't recall which ship it was but it was certainly much less than the $7000 quoted 3 years ago.

[Mikey22]

It depends on what you are looking for on a Cruise.

We did a short trip on the Arcadia and it was a nice Ship but as others have mentioned it was a bit different in a way that makes me think I was glad it was just two days.

We would have been the youngest on the ship in our mid forties.

 

They are not that expensive or exclusive if you are flexible and happy with any itinerary.

 

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[Very Frequent Flyer]

How did you manage to get such big discounts?

[Aussieflyer]

How did you manage to get such big discounts?

 

These are the last few cabins on legs of the world cruises which are being sold at a discount - only insides left for most of the itineraries. They are shown on the Cunard site (Australian $). Also received emails about the discounted fares.

[NSWP]

How did you manage to get such big discounts?

You just need a good cruise agent to E mail you last minute deals. e.g. last year, we got 2 for 1 deal, oceanview cabin on Arcadia, Sydney to Southampton - 49 days @$5200 each. That equates to $106 per day, my rough benchmark for economical cruising.

[Sutho]

Actually I forgot to mention that Arcadia will probably give more of a Cunard feel for the ships itinerary. The ship was supposed to be a HAL ship first then it was constructed as the Queen Victoria when Cunard decided that they did not want it. The entire interior of the ship was built to Cunard specifications with very little change when P&O took the ship. You can tell Arcadia has the Cunard style funnel and mast in terms of shape. The majority of the ship was disigned for Cunard. When P&O took it they just changed the names of all the rooms. Electra the late night disco was supposed to be the childrens club on Queen Victoria so when it became adult only P&O made it the night club which explains the very short seating close to the ground. In fact the design of that night club was the same as the childrens club.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Very Frequent Flyer.....Have you thought about trying out Celebrity. Their service is excellent as are their ships. The Solstice is here at the moment for our cruise season, it will return to the Northern Hemisphere in April but will return again in Sep/Oct.

Today I actually saw some great deals on her for later this year when she returns here.

 

We're on the Queen Elizabeth in a couple of weeks for 21 nights. I intend to do a blog if you're interested in following it.

Jilly:)

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

QM2 would be the only ship in the Cunard fleet that has appeal to me. The other two are simply not worth looking at as there is nothing special or unique about them that sets them aside from any other line.

 

How correct, we did sectors on Queen Elizabeth as a trial. The best part of the cruise was getting off it. We are mid 50s and were possibly the youngest aboard, to me it felt like a floating nursing home not to mention the toffie noses. Class distinction still exists.

 

 

Do you think the QM2 would be any different? If any ships from any cruiseline are doing world cruises and you do any part of a world cruise you will always get an older age group. They're the ones who can afford to cruise for that long....:D

 

If you want a younger age group around you then do a 7 night or a 12 - 14 night cruise and you will get a younger working age group on board.

 

Jilly:)

[Mikey22]

How did you manage to get such big discounts?

 

They are emailed by online travel agents weekly.