If we like Celebrity, will we like P&O?

[1980dory]

None. Hence why we fly scheduled in business and not packaged charter.

 

It makes me wonder why CC doesn't have a 'thumbs down' button.

Such arrogance!

[davecttr]

There is, i just did it :)

 

in post icons below the reply text box

[Presto2]

We've been with both and love both for different things. Just go and embrace the differences and have a great time. :D

[richleeds]

It makes me wonder why CC doesn't have a 'thumbs down' button.

 

Such arrogance!

 

 

You should not confuse a factual statement for arrogance.

[richleeds]

We've been with both and love both for different things. Just go and embrace the differences and have a great time. :D

 

 

Agreed. You just need to not fall into the "it was better on Celebrity" (or vice versa) trap.

[MissMilliment]

Thanks for all the opinions so far, I have got a couple of quotes in now and it looks like we are not going with Ventura after all because they want to charge full price for the third passenger in the children's cabin whereas Celebrity and Princess charge only half the fare - a saving of nearly $1000! :eek:

I am looking at Caribbean Princess now, operating a similar itinerary or going for a fly-cruise out of Venice,this would give us a greater choice of options the increased cost would mean losing the balcony which we don't want to do.

Also we live close to Southampton so flying elsewhere to start a cruise seems crazy.

I know this is the P&O board, but if anyone has any experience of Princess that they want to share, I would be most grateful.

Also, on a general note - we kind of fell into booking our cruise last year having never even considered it as an option before and we booked in January. Now here it is only October and we are looking at next summer. How long in advance do most people tend to book stuff? Is there much less choice if you leave it till only a few months ahead?

[johncandt]

Been on both Reflection to Med and Azura to Caribbean, Celebrity was a much nicer and it seemed bigger ship , service was first class maybe just a little better than P and O but not much, i would recommend if going on Celeb is to try and get the free drinks package we had it this time and have secured it for next year on Equinox.To be fair to P and O their prices are reasonable , depends on how much you drink.My advice would just be to take your time look at all the options , find the things that suit you and enjoy, must say my idea of hell would be a cruise in school holidays !!!!

[jaceyar]

Loved Ruby Princess last year - same ship as Ventura this year but more classy. Two adult only pools was good for us and the food was excellent. The International Cafe was fantastic and the tapas in Vines were divine. Biggest difference was that Ventura was much more lively each evening due I suppose to being all Brits. Also Princess have good drinks packages, P&O have nothing to compare. Whichever you choose, it'll be fab.

[MissMilliment]

Can't do a great deal about travelling in school holidays - I am a teacher so even when the kids are doing their own thing we will be stuck with travelling in school holidays until I retire!

 

Good to hear you enjoyed Ruby Princess. We are not bothered by evening liveliness or lack thereof as we generally get up early to make the most of port days and are shattered soon after dinner! But we do like a good drink package! Had the classic package as a 123 Go perk on Eclipse last year and made the most of it!

[richleeds]

Loved Ruby Princess last year - same ship as Ventura this year but more classy. Two adult only pools was good for us and the food was excellent. The International Cafe was fantastic and the tapas in Vines were divine. Biggest difference was that Ventura was much more lively each evening due I suppose to being all Brits. Also Princess have good drinks packages, P&O have nothing to compare. Whichever you choose, it'll be fab.

 

 

Yes, the international cafe is a great addition and the Costa franchise is a poor substitute.

[Jo and Rob]

Eclipse is our favourite ship and Celebrity is certainly a class act but P&O also has advantages. In fact I think all cruise companies have their highlights. We too have avoided Cunard for fear that it would be too stuffy for the children. We have sailed Azura (sister ship of Ventura) and can share some thoughts between Celebrity and P&O.

 

 

1. Booking Price - Celebrity is often surprisingly cheaper initially and does cater for the whole family.
   
2. Drinks - Far cheaper on P&O. We don't drink alcohol on Celebrity unless there is a free drinks package whereas on P&O the price is reasonable so we don't mind.
   
3. Drinks for the cabin - limited to 2 bottles of wine on Celebrity, unlimited on P&O with the option of bringing spirits too!
   
4. Excursions - Cheaper on P&O
   
5. Afternoon tea - available everyday on P&O, mighty fine cup of tea and proper tiered cake plates with finger sandwiches, and mini cakes with scones, tea cakes and crumpets brought round by the waiters. Celebrity, scones available from the buffet only with maybe one afternoon tea if you are lucky, unless you want to pay for it in a specialty restaurant.
   
6. Kettle - available on both if sailing from the UK.
   
7. Service Charge - no additional service charge is added to drinks on P&O.
   
8. Tips - really expensive on Celebrity and very cheap on P&O.
   
9. Main Dining Room - quality of food is better (more fine dining) on Celebrity although silver service on P&O.
   
10. Vegetables - abundant on P&O and rather lacking on Celebrity.
    
11. Breakfast - real baked beans, may not be a deal breaker but if you are British and like a cooked breakfast it may matter.
    
12. Sailaway parties - sing along party atmosphere on P&O complete with flag waving.
    
13. Icecream - free on Celebrity but a small fee on P&O unless in the buffet or restaurant.
    
14. Kids clubs - P&O have better clubs according to my two.
    
15. Pools - Fresh water on all P&O, salt water on some Celebrity (Millennium class, not Eclipse).
    
16. Formal night - much more formal on P&O, gentlemen are not allowed to dine without a jacket.
    
17. Black and White night - P&O holds a black and white formal night which 90% follow, themed nights on Celebrity are mostly about discos later rather than dining.
    
18. Room service - free on both
    
19. Photographs - cheaper on P&O
    
20. Brunch - stopped on Celebrity so not on either now.
    
21. Anytime Dining - Available on P&O without preparing tips.
    
22. Spa raffles - not available on Celebrity any more.
    
23. Children's tea - Available at 5pm if your children would rather eat early some nights rather than dine formally with you.
    
24. Evening Entertainment - targets more of an English audience for comedy, shows are better on Celebrity.
    
25. Daily quiz and newspaper summary - available on both.
    
26. Adult only area - Free solarium (indoor pool for adults and relaxation area) on Celebrity but Sanctuary has a fee on P&O (relaxation area which does have attendants, pool is outdoor and dependant on the ship whether the adult only pool near the sanctuary is free to all or not - it was part of the exclusive charge on Azura). P&O does have an additional adult only pool at the back of the ship but this may be opened to the children depending on the captain.
    

I'm sure there are lots more!

Edited October 12, 2014 by Jo and Rob

[lodge172]

We have cruised P&O and Cunard with teenagers. If you do not want so many children on board Cunard are excellent. My teenagers loved it, the evenings are more dressy and they have wonderful lectures which mine loved. The shows are more staid but if this is not your thing anyway its great. Has the edge on P&O.

[kruzseeka]

Jo - I think that P&O have stopped the silver service, at least that has been our more recent experience. However, it is still true to say that there are more substantial vegetable portions served than we found on Celebrity.

 

I have no experience of the facilities or quality of provision for children, but I would certainly agree with your comprehensive and balanced comparisons which chimes with our impressions too.

[richleeds]

Point 9, think Silver service has stopped on all P&O ships

 

 

On point 10, I agree veg is lacking as standard but we always ask for a side of extra veg on Celebrity with our main course and it always arrives with a smile, and while we are on the healthy part of of the cruise, the buffet salad bar on Celebrity is fantastic, P&O is the worst we have had at sea.

[themanwithahat]

My sister and her family recently went on Celebrity, she's been on two or three P&O cruises ; they seemed to think overall it was about the same, some ups and some downs, which kind of fits Jo and Rob's list. When I was looking at possible cruise lines, Celebrity struck me as one we would probably like, given that we like P&O.

[janny444]

Point 13. No ice cream served in the buffet only in the MDR. That was on the Oceans...not sure about the other ships

[Jo and Rob]

Jo - I think that P&O have stopped the silver service, at least that has been our more recent experience. However, it is still true to say that there are more substantial vegetable portions served than we found on Celebrity.

 

I have no experience of the facilities or quality of provision for children, but I would certainly agree with your comprehensive and balanced comparisons which chimes with our impressions too.

 

Good to hear. I found the silver service a little irritating as the plate looked good on arrival but then lost its finesse as the vegetables were plonked on the plate!

 

Do they put vegetable dishes down on the table? That would certainly be my preference.

[kruzseeka]

Good to hear. I found the silver service a little irritating as the plate looked good on arrival but then lost its finesse as the vegetables were plonked on the plate!

 

Do they put vegetable dishes down on the table? That would certainly be my preference.

 

No extra vegs in dishes - but quite a good helping of several veg served on your plate. I guess if you were to ask for extra that would be forthcoming. I asked for a different choice of potato with my main course and ended up with the potatoes and veg selection from two different dishes! :o

[Jo and Rob]

Here is a Balcony cabin tour for Azura.

 

 

 

Here is a cabin tour for a balcony cabin on Eclipse.

 

[Mynki]

Here is a Balcony cabin tour for Azura.

 

 

 

Here is a cabin tour for a balcony cabin on Eclipse.

 

 

We've actually been invited on the Azura next year as part of an extended family cruise, hence me looking at the P&O sub forum.

 

Thanks for posting those links to the Youtube videos. The very uninspiring Azura cabin and other posts have made my mind up. I think we'll look at different options. :)

[kruzseeka]

Here is a Balcony cabin tour for Azura.

 

 

 

Here is a cabin tour for a balcony cabin on Eclipse.

 

 

Thanks Jo for posting those. They are very informative - I really enjoyed seeing them.

[terrierjohn]

Both lines have many similarities but we find that Celebrity, especially Eclipse is quite a bit better than P&O.

Major differences as follows:-

Eclpise - Cleanest ship at sea, they have far more pointed toilet rolls than P&O, and cleaning staff are very visible.

Eclipse - exterior paintwork pristine, P&O ships look grubby and rusty by comparison.

Service - far better and provided with a smile on Celebrity, and they have far more waiters and table cleaners in their buffet than P&O.

Drinks are a bit more expensive on Celebrity but IMO not by the amount some have commented on here,; maybe they forget the exchange rate.

Food in the MDR, especially meat is far superior on Celebrity.

Azura and Ventura feel far more crowded than Eclipse and other than C deck the balconies are 50% deeper on Eclipse.

If you do choose P&O I hope you're not disappointed.

Edited October 12, 2014 by terrierjohn

[rickpo]

Yes thanks Jo & Rob, nice videos.

As for uninspiring they look perfectly OK, as far as ordinary cabins go, I've been in worst in the past.

If you want something special then go for a suite.

 

Rick.

[richleeds]

Yes thanks Jo & Rob, nice videos.

As for uninspiring they look perfectly OK, as far as ordinary cabins go, I've been in worst in the past.

If you want something special then go for a suite.

 

Rick.

 

I think its more than P&O dont have the added sparkle around the ship, the interiors look a bit beige.

[tartanexile81]

We could all nit-pick some of the finer points of Jo's list but on the whole it's a fair comparison. There are positives and less positives (no negatives. We love cruising!) about the different lines. We really liked Celebrity but for us there were slightly more positives with P&O.

 

We've cruised with all the main cruise lines now, depending on itinerary, and the cruise we're on is always great. BUT we recently did a trans-Atlantic on Cunard and to be honest we know it's not our style of cruising (too stuffy for us) so we're unlikely to book again.

 

P&O is out go-to line and the reason we like it more than any other line is because we always cruise on our own but we're very sociable and we enjoy the entertainment and friendly passengers more than any other line.

Edited October 14, 2014 by tartanexile81