Changes

[jeanlyon]

We are 3 hours away in Devon, so no other port suits.  None of these changes bother us and the hefty prices on other lines mean we stay with P&O. 

[grapau27]

9 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

Anyone nearer than 20 minutes from the port? We are 30

So as this thread is about changes can P&O move the dock so it's nearer to us?☺️

We are 20 minutes drive from Newcastle and there are several itineraries they could do from here.

Fred Olsen, Marella and MSC have home ported here but we don't sail on them but P&O coming here would be fantastic for us.

[wowzz]

I don't see why P&O don't make the Captain's Log and menus available on line. Then, those that want them can print them off. We, like I suspect many others, just threw them away.  

[AndyMichelle]

21 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

Anyone nearer than 20 minutes from the port? We are 30

So as this thread is about changes can P&O move the dock so it's nearer to us?☺️

I would like them to shift the port down to the Hamble River at Warsash, then I would be 2 minutes away...😊

Andy 

 

 

[emam]

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I don't see why P&O don't make the Captain's Log and menus available on line. Then, those that want them can print them off. We, like I suspect many others, just threw them away.  

 

What do you mean by menus? Do you get some specially printed ones to take home?

[AndyMichelle]

Just now, emam said:

 

What do you mean by menus? Do you get some specially printed ones to take home?

Yes, your waiters usually give you copies of your menus at the end of the cruise with a little note saying they hoped you enjoyed their service. 

Obviously fishing for tips, so perhaps now tipping has stopped, they don't see the need? 

Andy 

[Britboys]

2 minutes ago, emam said:

 

What do you mean by menus? Do you get some specially printed ones to take home?

For many years, each day's menu in the mdr has been printed with the date on it.  On the penultimate night of the cruise, these have been given to you at the table in a folder, to take home with you - usually with a greeting written inside the folder by your waiters.

[Britboys]

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yes, your waiters usually give you copies of your menus at the end of the cruise with a little note saying they hoped you enjoyed their service. 

Obviously fishing for tips, so perhaps now tipping has stopped, they don't see the need? 

Andy 

"In the old days" Andy (😁), the food was so good and so different for most folks that it was nice to have them as a souvenir - the fronts were also nicely printed with ship scenes etc.  Nowadays, the cynic in me says they give them away to save them having to recycle them...

[Cathygh]

17 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I would like them to shift the port down to the Hamble River at Warsash, then I would be 2 minutes away...😊

Andy 

 

 

 I would prefer it moved to the source of the Hamble as it's near to me but I don't think the ship would get that far!

Edited January 4, 2020 by Cathygh

[SargassoPirate]

4 hours ago, Cathygh said:

Yes, Andy it doesn't stop overall enjoyment and new cruisers wouldn't know there is anything different. Overall P&O offer good value for money. 

Cathy

 

My first cruise with P&O is a world cruise booked for 2022.  I have just under 50 cruises with other lines, but for a world cruise P&O offered the best price.  

 

I am one of those who won't notice the absence of the little extras on P&O, but have seen them slowly disappear on other lines so I am aware of the the cheapening of the overall cruise experience.  However, once I realized that any cruise line's goal is to cut back as far as they can and then squeeze every extra dollar out of me as they can once I'm on board, I started my own program of cutbacks.  We don't do specialty dining, don't buy anything in the on-board shops, don't book excursions through the ship, don't donate at the casino., and we never set foot in the sales spa.

 

I guess after so many cruises, we are a bit jaded.  We now look at the ship as another form of transportation to get us to where we want to go, such as transocean cruises and the aforementioned scheduled world cruise.   When compared to flying from the US to the UK, for example, the QM2 is generally cheaper than two first class air tickets.  We have some land travel in Europe next year, and Princess offered a 14 day transatlantic to Fort Lauderdale that was cheaper than flying.

 

As long as we keep our expectations at a reasonable level for the cruise experience, we are seldom disappointed.  

 

 

[emam]

Quote:  Yes, your waiters usually give you copies of your menus at the end of the cruise with a little note saying they hoped you enjoyed their service. 

 

 

We usually use a mixture of freedom dining and the buffet (going later on it's quieter). It also depends on the last night how the BoB is on our return journey as to whether I am eating at all. I much prefer a bigger breakfast than a big meal at night time and find a three course meal too much on a night.

Edited January 4, 2020 by emam
Quote

[Monorail Orange]

As others have said, its sad to see these things disappearing.

 

OK, the majority of things do not affect your cruise experience (ie. the flower in the cabin) but it does make it seem like they are cutting costs left, right and centre where other lines seemingly are not.

 

It makes you wonder what will set P&O apart from its rivals if it just becomes overly basic and run-of-the-mill?

[Denarius]

I first sailed with P&O in 1997 and could make a long list of things which have dissappeared or been cut back in the intervening years. If however, I asked myself whether I expected to get those things on that first cruise I would in all honesty have to answer no. You don't miss what you aint never had. So back to the present, long standing cruisers like me miss things we once had, but many (most?) new cruisers do not, because they did not expect them. And if asked to pay more to get them, they would probably decline.

[Harry Peterson]

20 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

As others have said, its sad to see these things disappearing.

 

OK, the majority of things do not affect your cruise experience (ie. the flower in the cabin) but it does make it seem like they are cutting costs left, right and centre where other lines seemingly are not.

 

It makes you wonder what will set P&O apart from its rivals if it just becomes overly basic and run-of-the-mill?

It's the price that sets P&O apart from its rivals, because in most other respects it now offers an inferior experience, after all the cuts.  It's obviously a policy decision by Carnival to go for the bottom end of the market, leaving its other brands to target the higher spenders.

 

Good value for money, to be fair, but very much no-frills cruising.

[majortom10]

36 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I first sailed with P&O in 1997 and could make a long list of things which have dissappeared or been cut back in the intervening years. If however, I asked myself whether I expected to get those things on that first cruise I would in all honesty have to answer no. You don't miss what you aint never had. So back to the present, long standing cruisers like me miss things we once had, but many (most?) new cruisers do not, because they did not expect them. And if asked to pay more to get them, they would probably decline.

It is not just something confined to P&O we started cruising in 1997 with Cunard and have also, as well as P&O, cruised with Princess and seen a certain decline in many things across all cruise lines and read many others saying the same with regards to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity so do not think it is down to Carnival ownership. The cruise industry has changed dramatically in the last 20 years with far bigger ships and a lot more cruisers and a lot cheaper cruise fare.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

It's the price that sets P&O apart from its rivals, because in most other respects it now offers an inferior experience, after all the cuts.  It's obviously a policy decision by Carnival to go for the bottom end of the market, leaving its other brands to target the higher spenders.

 

Good value for money, to be fair, but very much no-frills cruising.

You obviously have never sailed on Costa Harry, as I said earlier, and the same friend would also offer MSC as a line with much lower standards than P&O. Whilst I accept that Celebrity is a higher standard, after you factor in the much higher prices, I think P&O is now far better value, as is Princess. 

As we need an accessible cabin these prices are for launch offers, and I accept that late bookers on these other lines might pick up a bargain, but the choice cabins might all have gone.

[ann141]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

I would like them to shift the port down to the Hamble River at Warsash, then I would be 2 minutes away...😊

Andy 

 

 

We have a river running at the bottom of our garden but we are one of the furthest places in England from the sea so I think it would be a bit much to ask??

[Les_ldh]

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

We are 20 minutes drive from Newcastle and there are several itineraries they could do from here.

Fred Olsen, Marella and MSC have home ported here but we don't sail on them but P&O coming here would be fantastic for us.

I can beat you there grapau ... 5 minutes walk! 😁

[Cruising Nomads]

Although the Chefs parade seems to have disappeared on our last two cruises chefs have come round the restaurant and stopped and spoken to passengers on various nights.

[Eglesbrech]

4 hours ago, Britboys said:

Having been lucky enough to have cruised since 1995, I find it really sad to see all these little touches disappearing.  One of the main things I like about cruising is that it has always been 'different' to a normal hotel holiday.  It seems that P&O and some of the other big lines are now hell bent on making it into a hotel holiday on the water...😞

I am currently sitting on a beautiful balcony directly overlooking the sea, listening to the waves crashing in on the shore (and my OH snoring on his lounger in the sun!) in a hotel that offers lots of extra little touches - more than P&O  do now when compared to years gone bye. Yes we are just in one place rather than a new port each day but the standards are high.

 

Rather than a hotel holiday on the water this is cruise of the old style on the shore. We have now done several “cruise style” hotel holidays on dry land and they compare really well.

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

I am currently sitting on a beautiful balcony directly overlooking the sea, listening to the waves crashing in on the shore (and my OH snoring on his lounger in the sun!) in a hotel that offers lots of extra little touches - more than P&O  do now when compared to years gone bye. Yes we are just in one place rather than a new port each day but the standards are high.

 

Rather than a hotel holiday on the water this is cruise of the old style on the shore. We have now done several “cruise style” hotel holidays on dry land and they compare really well.

 

 

We’re increasingly coming round to the same viewpoint. No more expensive, probably cheaper in fact, and the flexibility to choose locations and hotels offering precisely the standards and facilities you’re looking for. 

 

Decent hotels also maintain and update their rooms and facilities considerably more effectively than P&O have done in recent years.

[CarlaMarie]

My parents were on Ventura in November and although they were given the menus to bring home they did notice a few changes - the front of them were not printed with the P&O logo (only pages 2 and 3 were printed) and no food thought of the day was added. 

[Angel57]

On Aurora a few weeks ago there was no chefs parade but the chefs came to the table to say hello.

The biscuits in the cabin were dreadful but apparently they will be changed when the current supply runs out.

We were on freedom and had no menus, but club diners did have them.

We had bottled water in cabin ( and they tried to charge me for the complimentary one!).

We had wine waiters and the waiters that took our order still wore it on the same old note pads.

I didn't get slippers but think i was just missed out (not bothered).

We did have the log of the cruise on the last evening.

Still love Aurora despite the little things disappearing.

[molecrochip]

Had a long chat with an officer on our last cruise re changes. Captains cocktail parties should still happen on cruises of more than 7 days and chefs parades on cruises 10 days and over. 
 

You may have been unlucky re flower and mints.

 

Re: menus and captains logs, many people kept leaving them behind so they were printing them for the sake of it. If you ask they are still available.

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

We’re increasingly coming round to the same viewpoint. No more expensive, probably cheaper in fact, and the flexibility to choose locations and hotels offering precisely the standards and facilities you’re looking for. 

 

Decent hotels also maintain and update their rooms and facilities considerably more effectively than P&O have done in recent years.

I would agree with you, apart from the fact that as we get older, the overall airport experience, plus flying for 8 or 10 hours, gets a little wearing. 

We love small boutique hotels in the Caribbean at this time of year,  but to be honest, even travelling in PE rather than Club, the cost compared to a P&O cruise in a decent cabin is  far, far more.  

Edited January 4, 2020 by wowzz