help us choose ship

[chalky2012]

Hi, we have cruised twice before with NCL we want to try p and o this year and we intend to cruise between mid July and early august. We are looking at the Ventura,azura,oceana and oriana but don't know which would suit us best. We are both mid forties and liked the informal atmosphere of NCL so do you have to participate in the formal nights?/de

Edited May 26, 2014 by chalky2012

[davecttr]

The Oriana is probably the most formal of the four and is adults only which can mean a somewhat older group of passengers.

 

Azura would be less formal and being a larger ship has more onboard faclities than Oriana. Ventura is similar to Azura but is less formal because she does not have 'smart, jacket required evenings'. Ventura is doing fly cruises in the med this summer. IMO the most imformal ship will be Oceana with just the 2 evening dress codes, evening casual and black tie. Plus she has very few venues where black tie dress is required for entry.

 

All the P&O ships will appear more formal than NCL because the crew are pretty strict about standards of dress in the evenings. On black tie nights several of the venues including the main dining rooms would require a gentleman to wear a suit to gain entry.

 

If you prefer more casual dress there is no problem as long as you stick to the 'evening casual' code and avoid the places where black tie code applies. For example this summer on Ventura's black tie night I was still welcome in the theatre, show lounge, caberet club, main bar, casino and Glasshouse wine bar/restaurant. Plus the Waterside buffet and Beach house american diner, try the steak on hot lava rock!.

 

Oceana is even less formal with only the maindining rooms, Horizon Grill and Magnums champagne bar 'off limits' on formal night.

 

If you decide to try P&O you will be probably buying a saver fare for a cruise this summer

[Britboys]

As has already been said, Ventura & Oceana are the least formal of the ones you have looked at so may be more to your taste. If you have enjoyed the informality of NCL I would suggest you don't choose Oriana as she has a very traditional and formal style.

[Mateybubbles]

Hi, hubby and I are in our 30s and found Ventura to be less formal than Oceana. We found there was a lot more choice in bars, restaurants etc with her being a bigger ship.

[davecttr]

Hi, hubby and I are in our 30s and found Ventura to be less formal than Oceana. We found there was a lot more choice in bars, restaurants etc with her being a bigger ship.

Maybe Oceana was still in her winter season where she had 3 dress codes. In summer season they drop the jacket required nights. I must say this just confuses passengers. During the summer months i think she is the most relaxed ship because so few of the venues require formal dress, basically only one bar!. Yes, the ship has less facilities than Ventura but she is only 2/3rds of the size. Still my favourite P&O ship.

[tom_uk]

Hi, we have cruised twice before with NCL we want to try p and o this year and we intend to cruise between mid July and early august. We are looking at the Ventura,azura,oceana and oriana but don't know which would suit us best. We are both mid forties and liked the informal atmosphere of NCL so do you have to participate in the formal nights?/de

 

Chalky, you've already had some comments. Here's a link to the 'Reviews Page' on my blog. It includes links to reviews of several of the P&O ships, including Ventura and Oriana. You might get a feel for what cruises on P&O are like.

 

For whatever it's worth, I can't help thinking there's a lot of difference between NCL and P&O. Not just the 'formality' aspect but also in the dining arrangements. I think it's fair to say that all the current P&O ships were built with traditional dining in mind - set sittings, set tables. Several of them do now offer Freedom Dining - one of the restaurants is set to allow something like 'anytime dining', but it's still quite rigid. There's also table service at one of the buffets on Ventura and Azura in the evening. I did a short cruise on Norwegian Jewel - her maiden voyage, in fact - and I think it's fair to say that there's nothing on P&O like the range and flexibility of restaurants that NCL provides. I"m not saying either is better, but they are very different. Of course, you may be looking for that difference - I'd be interested in hearing why you want to try P&O this year.

 

Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas might be a half-way house: cruises ex-UK, but has something like NCL's approach to dining.

[daiB]

Hi, we have cruised twice before with NCL we want to try p and o this year and we intend to cruise between mid July and early august. We are looking at the Ventura,azura,oceana and oriana but don't know which would suit us best. We are both mid forties and liked the informal atmosphere of NCL so do you have to participate in the formal nights?/de

 

 

Just to give the full picture, it is true you can cruise without doing formal nights but you must be aware that on all ships 99% of the people cruising will wear formal on formal nights so certainly for the first formal night you may find you are one of only a few who do not participate. Now if this concerns you then P&O will not be for you.

 

BTW you do not need to have a DJ a suit will do fine.

 

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai.

 

 

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[davecttr]

Less than 99% on Ventura a couple of weeks ago, given the numbers using the Waterside buffet, Beach House diner and Glasshouse on formal nights I would estimate more like 80%

[daiB]

Less than 99% on Ventura a couple of weeks ago, given the numbers using the Waterside buffet, Beach House diner and Glasshouse on formal nights I would estimate more like 80%

 

 

As you know Dave it depends on the ship and time of year. Never been on a P&O ship including Ventura with less than 95% with DJ's. Without knowing what time of year we are looking at and where the cruise is going to. Difficult to be accurate.

 

 

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[ipb1962]

Hi All

 

I'm sure my comments will upset some but one of the highlights of P&O cruises is to get dressed up. Why would you want to dress down?

 

In my opinion the world has become a scruffy place, personally I love the formal nights and I will even dress in a suit on a smart night and almost always wear a jacket on a casual night...I regularly get comments for my mod style and look..

 

Ian.

 

Remember, there are those who love fashion but we have the style.

[davecttr]

Hi All

 

I'm sure my comments will upset some but one of the highlights of P&O cruises is to get dressed up. Why would you want to dress down?

 

In my opinion the world has become a scruffy place, personally I love the formal nights and I will even dress in a suit on a smart night and almost always wear a jacket on a casual night...I regularly get comments for my mod style and look..

 

Ian.

 

Remember, there are those who love fashion but we have the style.

I have done formal many times. Have pictures of me with the captain, me getting drunk with the captain, me arm wrestling with the captain ;)

 

formal just does not interest me anymore so i stick with evening casual. P&O ships or most of them are big enough to accomodate all preferences.

[Sea Green]

Jumping in with my opinons...

 

Went to the Fjords on Ventura last year and Baltics on Oriana last month. And yes while Ventura is touted as more informal due to two dress codes and being family friendly, it did feel a little antiseptic and corporate, maybe because it was a bigger ship? I still had a great time though. I found the atmosphere on Oriana a bit warmer (not temperature wise, Ventura was horribly stuffy!)

 

I think we all need to go on each P&O ship AT LEAST once to get a full picture ;)

[chalky2012]

thanks everyone for your advice i'm sure it will help us decide which ship to choose, we will let you now what we decide and how we get on :)

[Host Hattie]

Less than 99% on Ventura a couple of weeks ago, given the numbers using the Waterside buffet, Beach House diner and Glasshouse on formal nights I would estimate more like 80%

 

Same on our Ventura fly cruise, there seemed to be quite a lot of people not adhering to the dress code.

 

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[ipb1962]

I have done formal many times. Have pictures of me with the captain, me getting drunk with the captain, me arm wrestling with the captain ;)

 

formal just does not interest me anymore so i stick with evening casual. P&O ships or most of them are big enough to accomodate all preferences.

 

Well that's great for you...but having your photo taken with the Captain on many occasions is irrelevant to the discussion about formal or informal dress.

 

The way you dress is all about standards, in my opinion this is what is lacking in our society today. So maybe your lack of interest is more of a reflection on conforming to your environment, take a look on the high street and see how many well dressed people you see.

 

Keep up the dress code P&O and enforce it rigidly.

 

Ian.

[dgs1956]

Hi All

 

I'm sure my comments will upset some but one of the highlights of P&O cruises is to get dressed up. Why would you want to dress down?

 

In my opinion the world has become a scruffy place, personally I love the formal nights and I will even dress in a suit on a smart night and almost always wear a jacket on a casual night...I regularly get comments for my mod style and look..

 

Ian.

 

Remember, there are those who love fashion but we have the style.

 

Absolutely !!!!!!!!! I would be very unhappy if P&O dropped the Formal Nights but there is no chance of that. Too many people enjoy dressing up.

David

[davecttr]

Well that's great for you...but having your photo taken with the Captain on many occasions is irrelevant to the discussion about formal or informal dress.

 

The way you dress is all about standards, in my opinion this is what is lacking in our society today. So maybe your lack of interest is more of a reflection on conforming to your environment, take a look on the high street and see how many well dressed people you see.

 

Keep up the dress code P&O and enforce it rigidly.

 

Ian.

 

What surprises me is the 'traditionalists' don't or don't wish to understand that someone dressing evening casual on formal night is FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THE DRESS CODE. As for me dressing evening casual, if you have a problem with that, tough, take it up with P&O.

 

P&O is a mass market cruise line. If you want to cruise exclusively 'posh' Carnival will be quite happy to accomodate you aboard Cunard.

[daiB]

What surprises me is the 'traditionalists' don't or don't wish to understand that someone dressing evening casual on formal night is FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THE DRESS CODE. As for me dressing evening casual, if you have a problem with that, tough, take it up with P&O.

 

P&O is a mass market cruise line. If you want to cruise exclusively 'posh' Carnival will be quite happy to accomodate you aboard Cunard.

 

 

I am with Ian.

 

 

 

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[ipb1962]

What surprises me is the 'traditionalists' don't or don't wish to understand that someone dressing evening casual on formal night is FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THE DRESS CODE. As for me dressing evening casual, if you have a problem with that, tough, take it up with P&O.

 

P&O is a mass market cruise line. If you want to cruise exclusively 'posh' Carnival will be quite happy to accomodate you aboard Cunard.

 

I have no problem with how you wish to dress, that is your prerogative.

 

I do not consider myself to be a 'traditionalist' but I believe in representing myself well with personal high standards, whether that be in my appearance or how I articulate myself.

 

You choose to use the phrase 'posh', again I fail to see how this is relevant to the way that a person chooses to dress.

[AchileLauro]

My personal preference is for SMART casual of an evening but I am quite happy to dress appropriately on formal nights. After all that is the expected standard of dress that I knew about when I was signing on for the cruise.

 

I'm afraid that I simply don't understand the logic of someone booking a cruise with a company that has recognised standards and then tries their level best not to conform and in the process spoils the occasion for everyone else. It's like turning up wearing saggy jeans with the knees ripped at a wedding . Why don't they just book with another company that is better suited to their requirements and life style. :confused:

Edited May 28, 2014 by AchileLauro

[davecttr]

My personal preference is for SMART casual of an evening but I am quite happy to dress appropriately on formal nights. After all that is the expected standard of dress that I knew about when I was signing on for the cruise.

 

I'm afraid that I simply don't understand the logic of someone booking a cruise with a company that has recognised standards and then tries their level best not to conform and in the process spoils the occasion for everyone else. It's like turning up wearing saggy jeans with the knees ripped at a wedding . Why don't they just book with another company that is better suited to their requirements and life style. :confused:

I agree 100% with that statement ;)

 

Anyway I get the impression that the original poster will have been put off trying P&O :(

[Flo71]

We loved the Ventura and hope that P&O go the next step and make it smart casual for all evenings, they are already taking a step in the right direction with the Britannia only having 2 dress codes.

 

There is no need on the Ventura to adhere to formal nights if you don't wish to the buffet or room service is adequate on these couple of nights. We saw plenty of smart casual as evening wear on formal nights and it didn't appear to shock or spoil anyone's holiday ;)

[AchileLauro]

I agree 100% with that statement ;)

 

Anyway I get the impression that the original poster will have been put off trying P&O :(

 

I'm not trying to put anybody off or deter them, or for that matter cause offence. I just ask that they consider the feelings of their fellow passengers who enjoy the P&O experience which is probably slightly too traditional for some tastes.

Yes I probably would be in favour of P&O enforcing the dress code more strictly in some areas of the ship on formal nights e.g. lounges and theatre. This is coming from someone who dresses as a slob when around the home but was forced to comply with a strict uniform code for all his working life.

Edited May 28, 2014 by AchileLauro

[bobstheboy]

Back last week from a two week cruise on the Ventura. A large percentage observed the dress code on formal nights but there were still a considerable minority who obviously couldn't care less and walked around the bars and sat in the theatre in very casual clothes, some of which I wouldn't have worn on the upper deck during the day.

 

I enjoyed not having to wear a jacket and tie on 10 out of the 14 nights but an effort on the other 4 night is not too much to ask.

Edited May 28, 2014 by bobstheboy

[daiB]

I'm not trying to put anybody off or deter them, or for that matter cause offence. I just ask that they consider the feelings of their fellow passengers who enjoy the P&O experience which is probably slightly too traditional for some tastes.

 

Yes I probably would be in favour of P&O enforcing the dress code more strictly in some areas of the ship on formal nights e.g. lounges and theatre. This is coming from someone who dresses as a slob when around the home but was forced to comply with a strict uniform code for all his working life.

 

 

Are you sure that is not me you are talking about :).

 

Fully agree with your statements.

 

 

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