Other cruise lines

[dazlight]

Just wondering do everyone on here just do P&O ? Or do others as well. As we have always been with the in-laws we have only done P&O as they said it’s their favourite. 

 

We were thinking of trying a different one next year but booked Ventura to the Canaries.

 

I did some research on Fred Olsen as they go from Liverpool so closer to us but didn’t appeal to me as didn’t look like as many young families on them. Also was thinking TUI could be good as had a lot of holidays with them. 

 

Just thinking as we have the cruise bug now I can see us doing it a lot more so want to mix it up for locations. 

[Eglesbrech]

Every cruise line gives you a different experience and I would highly recommend you try some of the others to see what suits you best. The downside of this is losing out on “loyalty” points but imo they are not worth restricting yourself to one company for.

 

P&O gives you a good all round cruise experience for a fair price but it is by no means the best cruise line on the market.

 

For young families RCI has some great features (bumper cars, circus skills, ice rink, American diner, parades on the Royale promenade, sky rider etc) and Disney is even better (amazing family dining, Disney stage shows, character breakfasts, great pool scene for kids etc etc) they are however both a lot more expensive than P&O when you book and also once onboard as well.

 

TUI (Marella) would be worth a try, like P&O they provide a reasonable all round cruise (once you try another line you will however find yourself comparing the bits you like and don’t like on each line). We have had some good cruises with TUI.

 

With children I would definitely avoid Fred as it is for an older crowd. 

 

I have enjoyed different aspects of every cruise I have been on. You will find what suits you best by doing proper research in advance (as you are doing here).

 

[grapau27]

31 minutes ago, dazlight said:

Just wondering do everyone on here just do P&O ? Or do others as well. As we have always been with the in-laws we have only done P&O as they said it’s their favourite. 

 

We were thinking of trying a different one next year but booked Ventura to the Canaries.

 

I did some research on Fred Olsen as they go from Liverpool so closer to us but didn’t appeal to me as didn’t look like as many young families on them. Also was thinking TUI could be good as had a lot of holidays with them. 

 

Just thinking as we have the cruise bug now I can see us doing it a lot more so want to mix it up for locations. 

We sail on RCCL,Princess,P&O and NCL.

Every cruiseline has its own USP (unique selling point).

Personally I wouldn't cruise on Fred Olsen, Marella,MSC or Costa. 

[majortom10]

We have cruised with P&O, Princess and Cunard over the last 22 years and think it is good to vary it. What annoys me is those that say P&O are the best cruise line and that they wouldnt cruise with anyone else. That is their choice who they cruise with but is a silly statement to make saying "they are the best" when they have not cruised with anyone else to compare with

[Rupert2251]

It all depends on what you are looking for. Your in laws have good taste with P&O but you could also try Celebrity and Princess. Personally we stay away from the ships with bumper cars, ice rinks, flow riders and parades on the prom, if I wanted a theme park I'd book a weekend at Alton Towers! Do you want Southampton departures or would you consider a fly cruise?

[Eglesbrech]

4 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

We have cruised with P&O, Princess and Cunard over the last 22 years and think it is good to vary it. What annoys me is those that say P&O are the best cruise line and that they wouldnt cruise with anyone else. That is their choice who they cruise with but is a silly statement to make saying "they are the best" when they have not cruised with anyone else to compare with

I would agree. If someone really enjoys just one company then that is all fair and well and absolutely a personal choice but you need to try others to really compare what’s on offer.

 

On other lines you also need to try different cabin grades as the experience changes a lot with the grade eg Blu and suite class on Celebrity are excellent when compared to standard and Grill class on Cunard is a totally different experience.

 

 

 

 

[terrierjohn]

52 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Every cruise line gives you a different experience and I would highly recommend you try some of the others to see what suits you best. The downside of this is losing out on “loyalty” points but imo they are not worth restricting yourself to one company for.

 

P&O gives you a good all round cruise experience for a fair price but it is by no means the best cruise line on the market.

 

For young families RCI has some great features (bumper cars, circus skills, ice rink, American diner, parades on the Royale promenade, sky rider etc) and Disney is even better (amazing family dining, Disney stage shows, character breakfasts, great pool scene for kids etc etc) they are however both a lot more expensive than P&O when you book and also once onboard as well.

 

TUI (Marella) would be worth a try, like P&O they provide a reasonable all round cruise (once you try another line you will however find yourself comparing the bits you like and don’t like on each line). We have had some good cruises with TUI.

 

With children I would definitely avoid Fred as it is for an older crowd. 

 

I have enjoyed different aspects of every cruise I have been on. You will find what suits you best by doing proper research in advance (as you are doing here).

 

Of these we have only done RCI, but IMO they are significantly better than P&O, especially for families, we just returned from Independence OTS with our younger son and family, and had a wonderful time, but they are more expensive.

In addition we have sailed with Princess and Celebrity and both are worth trying, but but they not as good for young families as RCI.

[dazlight]

42 minutes ago, Rupert2251 said:

It all depends on what you are looking for. Your in laws have good taste with P&O but you could also try Celebrity and Princess. Personally we stay away from the ships with bumper cars, ice rinks, flow riders and parades on the prom, if I wanted a theme park I'd book a weekend at Alton Towers! Do you want Southampton departures or would you consider a fly cruise?

 

Dont mind really. The one we have just done we flew to Malta which wasn’t as bad as we thought as the wife takes everything. 

Done 3 in the med now so ruling that out for a few years. Wanted to go Iceland next year but it was adult only ship.  

[Pentlands]

Yes please ignore Fred with kids.

 

[Rupert2251]

 

9 hours ago, dazlight said:

 

Dont mind really. The one we have just done we flew to Malta which wasn’t as bad as we thought as the wife takes everything. 

Done 3 in the med now so ruling that out for a few years. Wanted to go Iceland next year but it was adult only ship.  

NCL do a lot of cruises to Iceland and right up north to the arctic circle. Sailed with them twice now once in the med on Gem then out of New York to the Bahamas also on Gem - very casual not at all like P&O but still enjoyed both cruises. 

[wowzz]

10 hours ago, majortom10 said:

What annoys me is those that say P&O are the best cruise line and that they wouldnt cruise with anyone else

I would second that. We have sailed with Celebrity and Princess, and both lines are significantly better than P&O, but the diehard P&O cruisers simply refuse to accept that there is anything inferior on the one and only cruise line that have ever been on.

P&O is a average, middle of the road cruise line, with prices to match.  We have 3 further cruises booked with them, but we accept that the overall standard of the cruise will be commensurate with the price we have paid.

[Harry Peterson]

4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I would second that. We have sailed with Celebrity and Princess, and both lines are significantly better than P&O, but the diehard P&O cruisers simply refuse to accept that there is anything inferior on the one and only cruise line that have ever been on.

P&O is a average, middle of the road cruise line, with prices to match.  We have 3 further cruises booked with them, but we accept that the overall standard of the cruise will be commensurate with the price we have paid.

Agreed.  Despite the die-hards in here who can't cope with any criticism,  P&O is very much a case of getting what you pay for. It's relatively cheap, but cutbacks have been necessary over recent years to achieve that.

 

For an objective view of P&O as against its rivals Which? is useful. There's a list of 20 cruise lines, with P&O coming in at 13 and Marella at 14. The better companies, to be fair,  do tend to charge more though.

 

Which? verdict on P&O:

 

An average experience at a reasonable price. 

Pros

Good social atmosphere

Matches brochure billing

Cons

Not great value

No wow factor

 

By far the most sailed-on cruise line from this year's survey, P&O Cruises' mediocre three stars in most categories should make customers question their decades-long loyalty to this brand.

[2BACRUISER]

If you like Tui all inclusive holidays, you wont find fault with Marella but we think they are pricey compared to P&O even if you take into account AI and flights. Saying that with kids go on either of their Discovery ships which are geared towards them, the older ships and the Explorer ships are more suited to adults and a more mature crowd. They have lots of ships in the Med next year doing a very varied program of cruises. The other bonus is you can fly from your local airport. 

If you have teens look at RCI more for them to do especially if you dont mind crowds that come with big ships with lots of facilities.

hth

Edited September 3, 2019 by 2BACRUISER

[majortom10]

Always been a great fan of Princess in the past and always thought the cruise experience over all being better than P&O but returned last week from Crown Princess and was amazed at how much they have deteriorated since our cruise last year. So much that for the first time in many years we did not purchase a Future Cruise Deposit.

 

 

[wowzz]

43 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Cons

Not great value

No wow factor

 

I think that is a little unfair - I reckon that P&O is reasonable value for money for the majority of pax. Not sure if the premium for suites is really justified however.

The one big drawback for us is the lack of a cosmopolitan passenger mix. Being surrounded by Brits,  day after day, night after night, does become tedious after a while.

Edited September 3, 2019 by wowzz

[kenhem]

12 hours ago, dazlight said:

Just wondering do everyone on here just do P&O ? Or do others as well. As we have always been with the in-laws we have only done P&O as they said it’s their favourite. 

 

We were thinking of trying a different one next year but booked Ventura to the Canaries.

 

I did some research on Fred Olsen as they go from Liverpool so closer to us but didn’t appeal to me as didn’t look like as many young families on them. Also was thinking TUI could be good as had a lot of holidays with them. 

 

Just thinking as we have the cruise bug now I can see us doing it a lot more so want to mix it up for locations. 

We cruise 2 - 3 times a year, all no fly from Southampton, the majority on P&O but occasionally on RCI or Celebrity if we can get a reasonable deal. As others have said RCI are excellent for families, although we enjoy them in school term time when there are a lot less families. 

 

[Eglesbrech]

42 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Agreed.  Despite the die-hards in here who can't cope with any criticism,  P&O is very much a case of getting what you pay for. It's relatively cheap, but cutbacks have been necessary over recent years to achieve that.

 

For an objective view of P&O as against its rivals Which? is useful. There's a list of 20 cruise lines, with P&O coming in at 13 and Marella at 14. The better companies, to be fair,  do tend to charge more though.

 

Which? verdict on P&O:

 

An average experience at a reasonable price. 

Pros

Good social atmosphere

Matches brochure billing

Cons

Not great value

No wow factor

 

By far the most sailed-on cruise line from this year's survey, P&O Cruises' mediocre three stars in most categories should make customers question their decades-long loyalty to this brand.

I’m quite surprised about the “not great value” comment from Which. Transport, accommodation, food and entertainment with prices starting from under £500 a week for inside and not much more for a balcony is great value compared to other holidays.

 

Re those who are completely loyal to P&O, that is a personal choice and if people are happy then that great, that is after all what a holiday is about. Why should they need to question it based on a survey. People like what they like.😀

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

People like what they like.😀

But, if you never try anything else, how will you know if what you like is any good? Surely it doesn't hurt to try at least one other cruise line, rather than sticking religiously to P&O,  time after time.

[Eglesbrech]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But, if you never try anything else, how will you know if what you like is any good? Surely it doesn't hurt to try at least one other cruise line, rather than sticking religiously to P&O,  time after time.

You are preaching to the choir with me, I have tried lots of different lines. I would get fed up with the same food, entertainment and ambiance on just one.

 

The point I was making was that if people are happy then they perhaps don’t feel the need to try anything else.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Eglesbrech
Typo

[john watson]

In my experience P&O are excellent and comparatively inexpensive.  If you like the product then I suggest looking at Princess as they are fairly similar but have a far more cosmopolitan crowd.  The problem with P&O is after you have done their range of itineraries you will need to repeat them which is something I do not like doing.  Princess will offer cheap late deals on circumnavigating the British Isles.  They also do faraway places reasonably cheaply but you need to factor in flights e.g. Hawaii, Alaska and Japan.  It is a good way to experience these distant lands.

 

Regards John

[grapau27]

13 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I’m quite surprised about the “not great value” comment from Which. Transport, accommodation, food and entertainment with prices starting from under £500 a week for inside and not much more for a balcony is great value compared to other holidays.

 

Re those who are completely loyal to P&O, that is a personal choice and if people are happy then that great, that is after all what a holiday is about. Why should they need to question it based on a survey. People like what they like.😀

Very well said.

We love cruising.

We are high loyalty on RCCL,P&O and Princess and they all have their pros and cons but I would happily get back on any of them tomorrow.

Graham

[majortom10]

2 minutes ago, john watson said:

In my experience P&O are excellent and comparatively inexpensive.  If you like the product then I suggest looking at Princess as they are fairly similar but have a far more cosmopolitan crowd.  The problem with P&O is after you have done their range of itineraries you will need to repeat them which is something I do not like doing.  Princess will offer cheap late deals on circumnavigating the British Isles.  They also do faraway places reasonably cheaply but you need to factor in flights e.g. Hawaii, Alaska and Japan.  It is a good way to experience these distant lands.

 

Regards John

Princess now have a daily gratuity charge, increased recently to $14.5 per person per day and have greatly increased price drinks and service charge per drink to 18% which might deter a lot of P&Oers.

[grapau27]

3 minutes ago, john watson said:

In my experience P&O are excellent and comparatively inexpensive.  If you like the product then I suggest looking at Princess as they are fairly similar but have a far more cosmopolitan crowd.  The problem with P&O is after you have done their range of itineraries you will need to repeat them which is something I do not like doing.  Princess will offer cheap late deals on circumnavigating the British Isles.  They also do faraway places reasonably cheaply but you need to factor in flights e.g. Hawaii, Alaska and Japan.  It is a good way to experience these distant lands.

 

Regards John

I agree,cruises primarily from Southampton through the Bay of Biscay are limited but we love cruising and our balcony at the back of Ventura last week was fantastic.

We prefer RCCL for their Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona,Rome and Venice.

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Agreed.  Despite the die-hards in here who can't cope with any criticism,  P&O is very much a case of getting what you pay for. It's relatively cheap, but cutbacks have been necessary over recent years to achieve that.

 

For an objective view of P&O as against its rivals Which? is useful. There's a list of 20 cruise lines, with P&O coming in at 13 and Marella at 14. The better companies, to be fair,  do tend to charge more though.

 

Which? verdict on P&O:

 

An average experience at a reasonable price. 

Pros

Good social atmosphere

Matches brochure billing

Cons

Not great value

No wow factor

 

By far the most sailed-on cruise line from this year's survey, P&O Cruises' mediocre three stars in most categories should make customers question their decades-long loyalty to this brand.

But these were the results of a survey amongst Which subscribers only.  It was fairly small in number and only represents the demographic of Which subscribers.  I'm not entirely dismissing the conclusions but feel it is not representative of the UK cruising demographic as a whole. 

[Harry Peterson]

7 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I’m quite surprised about the “not great value” comment from Which. Transport, accommodation, food and entertainment with prices starting from under £500 a week for inside and not much more for a balcony is great value compared to other holidays.

 

Re those who are completely loyal to P&O, that is a personal choice and if people are happy then that great, that is after all what a holiday is about. Why should they need to question it based on a survey. People like what they like.😀

I take your point. I was referring to the Which? survey more for the purposes of providing comparisons with other companies in line with the OPs original post - Which? provides those comparisons independently. 

 

They use this methodology, so it's based on actual experiences with the various brands:

 

We asked thousands of cruise passengers to tell us about their experiences and to reveal what they really think of each brand.