Carnival to Dump Six Ships

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

Ahhhh Britannia ----- love her. We sailed on her in her first season and have had the same cabin a few times. Lovely ship. OUr new favourite 🙂

We have been on Britannia 4( I think ) times. My DW likes to try different cabins, but in all of them so far there is a snoring sound. No central staircase, don't you know so we like a midships cabin on 8/9 so we can have a listen to the grumpy gits moaning.😁

[Presto2]

5 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Good to see you have a preferred alternative. We haven’t been on Britannia since her maiden but if she makes it to the Caribbean in October, we will be coming back to Southampton on  her next spring

 

We enjoyed Azura too 😉  

Ventura - now scrap her !!!! (And wait for incoming!)

[Presto2]

5 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We have been on Britannia 4( I think ) times. My DW likes to try different cabins, but in all of them so far there is a snoring sound. No central staircase, don't you know so we like a midships cabin on 8/9 so we can have a listen to the grumpy gits moaning.😁

 

Strange aft cabin F729  has soot ---- and a snoring sound too. Must be a flaw with the design

 

Thanks for making me smile 😉

[DS_Dean]

7 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

We enjoyed Azura too 😉  

Ventura - now scrap her !!!! (And wait for incoming!)

 

Have the same thoughts about Azura and Ventura. I like Azura but despise Ventura, even though the ships are similar there is something about the vibe of Ventura thats off.

 

With Oceana departed my next best ships are Azura and Brtiannia, but they still will not compare to Oceana. Sad times!

[drsel]

 

 

 

Heard the rumour from other sources but have no info either way.

 

Update on possible princess deployment to Middle East. If it happens, it will be under Princess banner. P&O appear to be worried that they will move everyone then still not be able to sail. In some ways, Middle East suffering from a second wave. Therefore I think decision will be taken later by Princess

my US online travel agent (who is the official agent for the whole of North America for PO Cruises), said that they have not received any information about Oceana cancelling all its cruises in October November 2020 in the middle East

She said my booking is still valid as of now.

I told her I would not like to cancel it as I would love to experience Oceana for the first time in my life!

 

She said that in case PO cancels all Oceana Cruises, they will send an email to all the passengers giving them the option of a REFUND or 125% FCC.

I will need to wait for the email and only then can i call the agent and choose my refund.

 

the agent took my deposit ( in US dollars ) into their personal account and then wired the amount in pounds to PO in UK

 

if I can shift it to a Princess cruise in the middle East, I gladly would but I doubt it.

Is this possible?

I would not mind being transferred to a Princess cruise and paying the difference.

 

[Presto2]

2 minutes ago, DS_Dean said:

 

Have the same thoughts about Azura and Ventura. I like Azura but despise Ventura, even though the ships are similar there is something about the vibe of Ventura thats off.

 

With Oceana departed my next best ships are Azura and Brtiannia, but they still will not compare to Oceana. Sad times!

 

Couldn't agree more. 

[Presto2]

6 minutes ago, drsel said:

 

my US online travel agent said that they have not received any information about the Oceana cancelling all its cruises in October November 2020 in the middle East
She said my booking is still valid as of now.
I told her I would not like to cancel it as I would love to experience Oceana for the first time in my life!

She said that in case PO cancels all Oceana Cruises, they will send an email to all the passengers giving them the option of a REFUND or 125% FCC.
I will need to wait for the email and only then can i call the agent and choose my refund.

the agent took my deposit ( in US dollars ) into their personal account and then wired the amount in pounds to PO in UK

if I can shift it to a Princess cruise in the middle East, I gladly would but I doubt it.
Is this possible?
I would not mind being transferred to a Princess cruise and paying the difference.

 

Sorry, I think that Oceana's cruises have been cancelled and no alternatives. I may be wrong but that is what I think has happened.

Noticed that you are Elite with Celebrity ( a cruise line we love too) and it is sad that P&O have messed you about.

 

Being cynical it is strange that your TO knows what P&O have offered people re the cancellation though not accepting that the cruises have been cancelled .......

Edited July 7, 2020 by Presto2

[No pager thank you]

39 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Heard the rumour from other sources but have no info either way.

 

Update on possible princess deployment to Middle East. If it happens, it will be under Princess banner. P&O appear to be worried that they will move everyone then still not be able to sail. In some ways, Middle East suffering from a second wave. Therefore I think decision will be taken later by Princess.

 

To answer another query, yes there is now no family ship going to the canaries next summer. If Iona can’t go to Norway then logical option but understand hope is very much still to sail a full Norway season for Iona. I think again, could be late 2020/early 2021 before we know the resolution here. Also in question is whether Alaska reopens; like Norway, they’ve enjoyed the year off from the mega ships.

Thank you for this further update. 

 

Just trying to look at this tricky positively; scenario...

 

1) Oceana now confirmed as leaving the fleet so all cruises cancelled.

2) A fair chunk of customers either request a refund now, or choose to redeem a 125% FCC as they want certainty (or are strangely relieved to be taken away from having to decide if to cruise in 2020).

3) Ongoing Middle East experience of pandemic is less severe than feared.

4) Therefore, Princess do decide to transfer a ship to the Middle East as per the discussion yesterday, with a substitute for the remainder of the prior booked Oceana voyages in the current brochure as a working position up to Gala 2.

 

Outcome: Potentially some unexpected bargains for customers seeking to redeem FCCs and struggling to find equivalent/affordable prices on the other ships, via the substitute ship.  Even a few late deals?

 

[drsel]

 
Sorry, I think that Oceana's cruises have been cancelled and no alternatives
Being cynical it is strange that your TO knows what P&O have offered people re the cancellation though not accepting that the cruises have been cancelled .......

the TA did not know anything about the cancellation or any options given to passengers.
I told her the two options that I read here.

[No pager thank you]

14 minutes ago, DS_Dean said:

 

Have the same thoughts about Azura and Ventura. I like Azura but despise Ventura, even though the ships are similar there is something about the vibe of Ventura thats off.

 

With Oceana departed my next best ships are Azura and Brtiannia, but they still will not compare to Oceana. Sad times!

Fair enough.  I've never quite understood why some passengers despise/strongly dislike Ventura in particular.  

 

I understand the big ship / small ship objection, but Azura is so close a sister ship to Ventura that I find the positive feedback for one and the negative feedback for the other hard to compute?

 

What's the vibe issue?  

[majortom10]

There is a website I have just been looking at of a shipping agent with many cruise ships for sale and there is a Princess one but not sure which one but does look very similar to Oceana it says it is a Sun Princess class and was built in 1995 so it might actually be Sun Princess and is for sale at $170000000. Good news is there are no P&O cruise ships on there for sale.

 

Edited July 7, 2020 by majortom10

[molecrochip]

3 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

There is a website I have just been looking at of a shipping agent with many cruise ships for sale and there is a Princess one but not sure which one but does look very similar to Oceana it says it is a Sun Princess class and was built in 1995 so it might actually be Sun Princess and is for sale at $170000000. Good news is there are no P&O cruise ships on there for sale.

 

Don’t rely to heavily on these websites. They show ships they think are for sale. If someone is interested, they then contact the cruise line offering to introduce and broker a deal.

[majortom10]

Just now, molecrochip said:

Don’t rely to heavily on these websites. They show ships they think are for sale. If someone is interested, they then contact the cruise line offering to introduce and broker a deal.

Yes I agree but there is no smoke without fire and I am sure that if the cruise lines werent willing to sell the ships they wouldnt allow them to be on these websites.

 

[Presto2]

14 minutes ago, drsel said:

 

the TA did not know anything about the cancellation or any options given to passengers.
I told her the two options that I read here.

 

You TA now needs to look up the most updated info! Disappointed for you - you would have loved her. Not as posh as Celebrity but the same heart ...

[davemorton]

12 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

Fair enough.  I've never quite understood why some passengers despise/strongly dislike Ventura in particular.  

 

I understand the big ship / small ship objection, but Azura is so close a sister ship to Ventura that I find the positive feedback for one and the negative feedback for the other hard to compute?

 

What's the vibe issue?  

I dont mind either ship, but much prefer Azura.  It is true what people say, Azura just seems like a friendlier ship when on board, less 'edge' so to speak. 

[drsel]

Now I just need to wait for an official email from PO Cruises, offering me a full refund or FCC.

I'm hoping for a substitute Cruise , but the middle East as a destination has been removed from the PO website, along with Oceana

[majortom10]

15 minutes ago, drsel said:

Now I just need to wait for an official email from PO Cruises, offering me a full refund or FCC.

I'm hoping for a substitute Cruise , but the middle East as a destination has been removed from the PO website, along with Oceana

All they will offer is full refund or 125% FCC on any future cruise on other ships

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, DS_Dean said:

 

Have the same thoughts about Azura and Ventura. I like Azura but despise Ventura, even though the ships are similar there is something about the vibe of Ventura thats off.

 

With Oceana departed my next best ships are Azura and Brtiannia, but they still will not compare to Oceana. Sad times!

if you try one of Ventura's round trip Caribbean cruises, I think you will have a completely different view of her, we have done 3 and had a great time on all of them.

[majortom10]

Funny how people have differing preferences we did Ventura maiden cruise and havent been on her since and we did Azura maiden voyage and went on to cruise on her 4 more times. Dont ask me why I just cant put my finger on it but we much preferred Azura.

[wowzz]

Just a random thought, but whilst I appreciate that Oceana was always on the "hit list", I wonder if the fact that the autumn/winter 20/21 schedule could have played a part in her demise. 

A combination of shortish cruises, uninteresting itineraries, plus unrest in the area is not an attractive combination. I would love to know what her occupancy levels were for the winter season. 

If she had been deployed on a combination of Med and Canary cruises,  the occupancy levels might have granted her a stay of execution. 

[No pager thank you]

18 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

if you try one of Ventura's round trip Caribbean cruises, I think you will have a completely different view of her, we have done 3 and had a great time on all of them.

I agree.  We have done a very similar itinerary on both Azura and Ventura - both in good weather, so probably fair to draw a comparison.

 

I remember people saying to us, well if you like Azura, you will definitely like Ventura - not wrong.  We have been on Ventura four or five times in recent years; great holiday every time.  

 

However, my view is that the differences between Ventura and Azura are overstated.  The differences in my mind are subjective i.e. I thought that the crew on Ventura were a bit friendlier and more welcoming, but not much in it.  Each to their own.

 

Overall favourites are still Aurora and Britannia.

 

Whilst they are not quite twin sisters, to me, they (Azura and Ventura) have a very close resemblance, in a way that I imagine Iona will have with Gala 2. 

 

I would be happy to sail on either Ventura or Azura.  Feels like heresy to say this week, but the only one I have not "got the vibe" of was Oceana.   I wasn't too upset to see her on the fly cruise routes from Malta and Dubai, as we only travel from Southampton. 

 

Still sad to see her go though.

[ann141]

28 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

if you try one of Ventura's round trip Caribbean cruises, I think you will have a completely different view of her, we have done 3 and had a great time on all of them.

I agree.I had felt that Ventura seemed dull compared with some other ships but we did a 28 night Caribbean sailing last year and really enjoyed it.We are booked to sail on her again in Jan 2021 for the 35 night roundtrip sailing but still not sure whether to go.One thing that helps a good vibe in my opinion is if the crew seem happy and they did when we last sailed on Ventura We mainly choose a cruise based on Itinerary rather than a particular ship though my favourite P and O ships are Britannia and Aurora

[No pager thank you]

2 minutes ago, ann141 said:

We mainly choose a cruise based on Itinerary rather than a particular ship though my favourite P and O ships are Britannia and Aurora

We have something in common then Ann 😁

 

Some people say how can you like the bigger and smaller ship at the same time - makes perfect sense to me.

[DS_Dean]

The thing with Oceana was that she was very much the "happy ship" to the extent where she was "the happy ship and she knows it". What I mean by this is that as soon as you embark that happy ship vibe is immediately there, perhaps aided by being wowed by her amazing atrium which for me has always been the best in the fleet.

 

Then on that first night in the theatre where there was the introductory show, they always started off by saying how much Oceana was the happy ship and how well loved she was by guests and crew. Right from the get go the message was that you were on the happy ship and this sets the mood for the rest of the voyage. I have always found the passengers and crew to maintain this happy spirit for the duration. Speaking with crew over the years, more than once I have heard that Oceana was a preferred ship to get a contract on, it always seemed like the crew wanted to be there and this reflected greatly into the overall vibe on the ship. 

 

Britannia has such vast options for dining and entertaining and great facilities. Azura..  I have always enjoyed my time on her. I dont have any particular issues with Azura... except maybe the horrible sewage smell which has been going on for many years and seemingly not fixed.

 

Then there is Ventura.. it is very hard to describe, I think for me the decor of the ship may play a part but it seemed  dull. The entertainment was weaker and I think the entertainment team just seemed not engaged. The general ambience and mood of other passengers just wasnt the same as it has been on other ships. That is my experience anyhow. 

 

I think P&O mentioned in the announcement that much like Oriana, in general Oceana really was a beloved ship on the whole and she was packing personality which is perhaps lost on the likes of newer ships. 

[molecrochip]

5 minutes ago, DS_Dean said:

Then there is Ventura.. it is very hard to describe, I think for me the decor of the ship may play a part but it seemed  dull. The entertainment was weaker and I think the entertainment team just seemed not engaged. The general ambience and mood of other passengers just wasnt the same as it has been on other ships. That is my experience anyhow. 

You’d be surprised how much an ents team make a difference to the atmosphere on a ship. This also comes down to their leader, the Ents Manager/Cruise Director.

 

A very visible team with a chirpy EM is needed on a big ship. Around 2012, you had Neil Oliver and Laura Bennison as main EMs on Ventura/Azura and they led from the front. Their alternates never had such gusto. Ventura’s alternate for a couple of years was Hughie Taylor. I’m told his style was great on a small ship but lost on the big ships. I once did an Oriana cruise and we had a great older chap EM who played to the older crowd - he was excellent.

 

Since 2015 when Neil went to Britannia then Laura left P&O around 2017, Ventura and Azura have struggled.

 

There are still some other great EMs that can do the job such as Tracy Clegg, Natalie Milverton and some newer ones too such as Abbie (can’t remember her surname) who has worked her way up under Neil.

 

Neil remains my favourite EM although Matt O on Princess gives him a run for his money.