Sorry P&O you did not try hard enough.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Yes would agree that the wow for me is simply arriving, seeing the ship and being on board. We had better food on Fred Olsen than on P&O and I'm going to be interested to compare this year as we are on Fred in May and Oriana in October.

I think Fred has the best food of any cruise line I have been on :) Bit disappointed with food on Oceana last time.

[Scriv]

Yes would agree that the wow for me is simply arriving, seeing the ship and being on board.

 

Me too Jean - I feel like a big kid when I just see the ship and know I am getting on it :D

[jeanlyon]

My two favourites are Oriana and Braemar.

[LondonTowner]

Have to agree, Fred have better food and more attentive staff than P and O.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

My two favourites are Oriana and Braemar.

Not been on Oriana jeanlyon but I absolutely love the Braemar, my very favourite ship. Have had 3 wonderful cruises on her.

[Presto2]

Glad to hear that - we are P&O 'virgins' (bar a day visit on Oriana). We are sailing on Oceana at the end of March - we have watched several YouTube videos - she looks like a nice, medium sized, traditional type ship. We have sailed the US lines so we are looking forward to a different vibe as well (and a decent promenade deck!).

 

We love her as much as the Silhouette - 2 very different ships but both beautiful in their own way. If you are doing the Med cruise have a great time. We did Venice to Genoa last April and loved it. A lovely atrium, lovely staff, and fabulous prom deck !! Have a great time. :)

[tartanexile81]

Have to agree, Fred have better food and more attentive staff than P and O.

 

Sorry London Towner, I can't agree about the staff. Our waiter was rather surly but fortunately our assistant waiter on Fred was a bundle of fun and he more than made up for it. The food was boring but well cooked.

[ivygirl]

We have been on 9 P&O cruises now and have 2 booked this year. They may not be as 'glitzy' as the American ships but that is fine by me! I admit I have only seen photos of the huge American style ships but to me they just look tacky! Only been on a weekender once and that was enough! Never again! Atmosphere totally different not at all like a normal cruise. Nothing against other cruise lines and if P&O fail to please us we would jump ship!

[ivygirl]

We have been on 9 P&O cruises now and have 2 booked this year. They may not be as 'glitzy' as the American ships but that is fine by me! I admit I have only seen photos of the huge American style ships but to me they just look tacky! Only been on a weekender once and that was enough! Never again! Atmosphere totally different not at all like a normal cruise. Nothing against other cruise lines and if P&O fail to please us we would jump ship!

[pisces14]

Have to say that the only ship that always makes us smile (including Celebrity and RCI) and go 'wow' when we get on board is the Oceana - the atrium really is beautiful. Ironically, she was once a Princess ship :) She may be old but she still has that 'wow' factor for us . :)

 

Having said that - we loved Britannia - she was different.

 

:)

I'm so pleased to hear you say that. We are going on the Oceana for the first time. I know the first time I stepped on the Aurora I loved her, and she has remained my favourite. I'm going on the Oceana next because of the itinerary so I'm hoping I like her too. I really don't know whether the 'wow' factor is what I look for in a cruise ship though. Perhaps we all look for something different from a cruise or a cruise ship. I agree with others I really don't think a short cruise on any ship can possibly be the same as a 'proper' cruise.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Well we are going on P & O Aurora for a B2B in Nov/Dec and the fact that they have tea making facilities in the cabin, to me, is WOW! :D

[jeanlyon]

Having cruised a number of times with Fred and lots with P&O, I can't find fault with staff on either ship. They have all been great.

[john watson]

RCI actually advertise that they provide the WOW factor it is part of their marketing strategy. The ships have features like; The North Star which is a glass sphere to carry passengers 100 feet above the ship on a hydraulic arm, dodgems at sea, ice skating rink, 200' rock climbing wall, aqua theatre where they put on water shows etc. Some ships have a central avenue with interior balcony cabins overlooking the various parades the crew organises. This is wow. Thank god P&O go for a more subdued and elegant cruise with a bit more class. RCI always look less expensive on cruise fare but the bottom line is also wow.

 

P&O need to say that their cruises are impressive and to me they are better than the more British orientated opposition which should you compare them to you might well say wow.

 

Regards John

Edited January 22, 2016 by john watson

[tokyo]

Having been on many cruises the only time I have said 'wow' was when we got on board the Oceana and saw the atrium. I don't look for wow, I look for decent food, service etc. With the exception of one cruise last year, we have always enjoyed our cruises. It made no difference if it was a small ship (Artemis) or one of the larger ships.

 

As for the 2/3 day cruises, they are not always up to the same standards as a 14 day cruise. We did a 2 nighter b2b with a 14 night cruise. The two cruises were as different as chalk and cheese. The 14 nights were far better than the 2 nights.

 

Just a comment about the wow factor, once someone has had the wow factor on a ship, it no longer has the wow factor as you know what to expect. So it would mean that you would have to keep booking a different ship for any future cruises. I am off to the Baltics in July on the Aurora, we booked this cruise as we like the Aurora, she may lack the wow factor, but we still like her.

Edited January 22, 2016 by tokyo

[annieuk]

I think different people have a different idea of what is a Wow factor. I have been on Oceana 5 times now and still think "Wow" when I enter the atrium. I don't do that on any other P&O ship - have been on them all apart from Ventura and Britannia. We have been on Fred Olsen and Cunard and still return to P&O. If ever we don't like their product we will venture elsewhere but at the moment we like the fact that we can choose to sail on smaller ships - love Adonia and are on her again in four weeks but then unfortunately she's off to "fathom cruises" although hopefully she'll be back. We really like Aurora and have been on Azura four times in the Caribbean and feel she is a ship suited to the Caribbean although she wouldn't be our favourite.

 

Some people have the Wow factor from the American all singing all dancing ships with water slides etc. We don't like that so wouldn't choose to sail on one of those ships. As I said one person's Wow is another person's No Thank You!

[griffster]

my husband and I have just returned from our first ever cruise off P/O VENTURA in which we sailed around the canarys 2/1/2016. all I would like to say is that I could not find fault with the ship, or anything else. the cabin, A433, the food was very good, and most of all I was very impressed with the staff. they were very smart, very, very polite and very helpful, and they worked very hard. a credit to p/o. there was something for everyone. the only thing I will say is that I do not think we would sail in January again, unless to the Caribbean. we did have a force 12 storm when we left Southampton, but I am pleased to say I was not motion sick, or not ill. the cutlery was flying off the tables, along with one or two glasses!!!! anyhow, WE DID ENJOY.

[tartanexile81]

Well we are going on P & O Aurora for a B2B in Nov/Dec and the fact that they have tea making facilities in the cabin' date=' to me, is WOW! :D[/quote']

 

hello there Billy and Charlie's mum. Good to see you on the p&O UK boards. Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we all loved out TA on Ruby

[P&O SUE]

We said "wow" when we first saw Azura towering over houses as we arrived in Southampton! We couldn't believe how huge she seemed! (it was our first cruise) Second cruise we were on Ventura and we didn't think "wow" at all because she is very similar to Azura. However we did say wow at the ports because we went to Norway! I always say that first cruise was all about the ship and the next one was all about the ports.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

hello there Billy and Charlie's mum. Good to see you on the p&O UK boards. Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we all loved out TA on Ruby

Hi Rhona....looking forward to seeing more of the UK and spending more time on P & O UK.

 

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

[Somerset Cruiser]

Hard to believe but we were 'wowed' when we sailed on Airtours Seawing in 1995. These days will still enjoy cruising but the big ships are just functional really. Oceana is an exception, as others say the atrium is fantastic, except when the markets are on ;)

Edited January 23, 2016 by Somerset Cruiser

[yorkshirephil]

Hard to believe but we were 'wowed' when we sailed on Airtours Seawing in 1995. These days will still enjoy cruising but the big ships are just functional really. Oceana is an exception, as others say the atrium is fantastic, except when the markets are on ;)

 

There is a blast from the past, Sunwing was our first cruise, same year or year after, she seemed so big at the time, we were wowed to. We cruised on all the Airtour /Suncruise ships before they ceased cruising.

[The Mommy]

We are due to go on Britannia on Friday - just hope we are not disappointed, our last 3 tries with P&O were not OK for us regarding food and service - hoping this one is an improvement or sticking with the American lines is more for us - i.e Celebrity and Princess.

 

We keep selecting P&O to travel with our friends and because we like the flight arrangements and fantastic transfers in Barbados

[brillo]

heard of trolling but this is more than that it is just not true in any shape or form !!!

[PORT ROYAL]

GOOD FOOD IS A MUST???????????????? then stay away from p and o...

the food is disgusting!! I am a chef so I know what i'm talking about. the filth they serve up is the sort of muck you/we do not eat at home. it's the processed stuff and chemically enhanced rubbish.

 

Agree with your comments. The MDR leaves a lot to be desired, and many other diners raised this as an issue (moaners). But when it came to making it official and dining in the speciality restaurants (paying) for the duration of the cruise, as we did, there were no other takers.