Cunard or P&O World Cruise for a solo traveller

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

If you have a certain budget, would you prefer to be in the best cabin/suite in a "cheap" cruise line, or the cheapest cabin in a more expensive line?

Fortunately (?) I can't see  myself ever having  to make that decision, at least for a world cruise. 

Provided that it is a one class ship on which all passengers have the same dining arrangements and access to facilities, I would take the cheapest cabin in a more expensive line.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Denarius

[Windsurfboy]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

If you have a certain budget, would you prefer to be in the best cabin/suite in a "cheap" cruise line, or the cheapest cabin in a more expensive line?

Fortunately (?) I can't see  myself ever having  to make that decision, at least for a world cruise. 

 

My answer would have been for a purely ONE CLASS ship the cheaper cabin in the very best cruise line. These tend to be mini suite size may be slightly smaller.

 

However for some of the main stream cruise lines the ship within a ship concept (Grills,  Yacht club  etc) alters the equation , you can get luxury , quiet and the benefits of the entertainment of a big ship. However  drawback is limited ports.

 

It's interesting that apart from Epicurean breakfasts for suites , P&O has not embraced the ship within ship concept. However you can have a luxury experience more akin to a top level cruise line on P&O, a suite with a big balcony,  book the retreat , use the speciality restaurants,  make use of P&Is reasonable and extensive wine list to buy some top level wines .  It won't cost you as much as a "luxury " line 

 

 

[wowzz]

46 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Don't you mean the titanic. Look at the different classes of people on that ship during it's sailing if the movie is to believed. I have never seen snowpiercer movie or tv series.

No, definitely not Titanic. Snowpiercer is much more like Cunard.

[amfc_lenny]

Have to admit having watched snowpiercer it did remind me a little of an exaggerated Cunard. Definitely another taily here! 🤣

[wowzz]

39 minutes ago, amfc_lenny said:

Have to admit having watched snowpiercer it did remind me a little of an exaggerated Cunard. Definitely another taily here! 🤣

Somehow, I dont think we'll find Port Royal in the tail!

[Windsurfboy]

6 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Somehow, I dont think we'll find Port Royal in the tail!

 

Who knows

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

My answer would have been for a purely ONE CLASS ship the cheaper cabin in the very best cruise line. These tend to be mini suite size may be slightly smaller.

 

However for some of the main stream cruise lines the ship within a ship concept (Grills,  Yacht club  etc) alters the equation , you can get luxury , quiet and the benefits of the entertainment of a big ship. However  drawback is limited ports.

 

It's interesting that apart from Epicurean breakfasts for suites , P&O has not embraced the ship within ship concept. However you can have a luxury experience more akin to a top level cruise line on P&O, a suite with a big balcony,  book the retreat , use the speciality restaurants,  make use of P&Is reasonable and extensive wine list to buy some top level wines .  It won't cost you as much as a "luxury " line 

 

 

When I first started cruising in the mid 1990s one common feature of cruise ships, QE2 excepted, was that they were single class. However humble or exalted your cabin you dined in the same places from the same menu and had the full run of all passenger facilities - even on top Cunard ships like the Vistafjord. But in recent years separate classes have effectively made a reappearance, with dining and other facilities on some ships being reserved for occupants of the more expensive cabins and suits. As you rightly say this subtly alters the equation, but I think that the general principle still stands in that the reintroduction of class seems to be a mid market thing which has not as yet permeated the top end of the market.

[Windsurfboy]

2 minutes ago, Denarius said:

When I first started cruising in the mid 1990s one common feature of cruise ships, QE2 excepted, was that they were single class. However humble or exalted your cabin you dined in the same places from the same menu and had the full run of all passenger facilities - even on top Cunard ships like the Vistafjord. But in recent years separate classes have effectively made a reappearance, with dining and other facilities on some ships being reserved for occupants of the more expensive cabins and suits. As you rightly say this subtly alters the equation, but I think that the general principle still stands in that the reintroduction of class seems to be a mid market thing which has not as yet permeated the top end of the market.

 

I agree on all the points you made,  I don't think for example Cunard QG matches the top luxury lines. I don't think the luxury lines would contemplate having different levels except for cabin size, as it would devalue their very luxurious smaller cabin experience. 

 

However big ships have some advantages especially in rough seas. Luxury is irrelevant if you feel sick.  So for some people,  like us who after bad experience would never use a ship less than 60 - 80000 tons , for crossing the north and south Atlantic for example coming back from S.A.. So ship within ship concept has it's place. As the luxury lines are normally  sub 20000tons

[brian1]

3 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

When freedom dining started we enthusiastically embraced it, and enjoy the ability to eat in different places and at times to suit our evening plans. 

 

As Brian mentioned, we've chosen the option of Britannia Club so give us some flexibility around timing, and also because the cruise was originally for this year as a treat for our 40th wedding anniversary

 

We moved to a cruise next May so our 40th anniversary will  be history by then, but we still chose Britannia Club, just for the experience.

 

In 2017, we did two legs of the Aurora world cruise, 50 nights in all. It was a great experience, but 50 nights in the main dining room would have been too much, as would a jacket every night for my husband. My husband wore a suit every day of his working life, so the Cunard dress code is less of a draw for us, but will of course adhere to it, as it's all part of the Cunard offering.

 

I do hope the cruise will go ahead next year.  It's a British Isles cruise, so I feel it'll have a better chance than some of the other cruises. but time will tell.  

You'll love it,the MD gets to set your dessert alight every night if you wish.Also there are specials on the breakfast menu every day as you walk in..I was gutted when I didn't notice the devilled kidneys one morning,lol.

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Why do you doubt that you will?

We need an adapted cabin, and the luxury lines dont seem to offer a larger cabin for these over the normal sized cabins, so no extra value there. My wife cannot board a coach, so the often included in the price shore excursions are of no benefit. My wife is also virtually teatotall, so inclusive drinks offer little advantage.

Therefore as a careful but not  miserly Yorkshireman, there are financial downsides for us, and as we are more than happy with the quality of P&O, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, it seems somewhat pointless going upmarket, and we can use the savings for extra holidays.

[ace2542]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

No, definitely not Titanic. Snowpiercer is much more like Cunard.

I guess I will have to watch it then.

[ToxM]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

If you have a certain budget, would you prefer to be in the best cabin/suite in a "cheap" cruise line, or the cheapest cabin in a more expensive line?

Fortunately (?) I can't see  myself ever having  to make that decision, at least for a world cruise. 

 

This is a conundrum I have set myself on a number of occasions during more boring times in lockdown. 

 

I love Oceania as a cruise line, they are premium, their lowest cabin on the ship they use for world cruises is SMALL..but it’s 180 days, they have no class system on board, no formal nights and the food is sublime and the ship only has 600 odd passengers. 

 

For the current 38k for an Oceania inside fare I can sail from Southampton in a suite with a butler for 100 days but have to pay for soft drinks and do my own laundry and pay for any onboard medical, whereas soft drinks, speciality dining, medical and serviced laundry is all free with Oceania. I also don’t really drink alcohol, but I glug down coffee and soft drinks at a rate of knots….I get a choice of 38 free tours or 6k in obc with Oceania and all tips are paid. 

 

Internet is free on Oceania as well… 

 

I like P&O but apart from the ease of boarding and disembarkation at Southampton £ for £ plus overall experience, Oceania wins for me. 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by ToxM

[enchantedvoyage]

On 5/25/2021 at 5:39 AM, ericfromri said:

i have done this on Cunard QM2 in 2007 and had a great time.  never taken po as they do not interest me .  i will state that you get what you pay for.         the QM2 has free self service laundry.  was a long time ago, so the memory is foggy from all the other cruises.

I would usually prefer Cunard but I'm not happy with them right now. They are offering some cruises around UK on the QE this summer, but it is only being offered to UK and EU residents. Why would that be when no other cruise lines based in the US or other countries are not excluding people from countries that aren't their own? Whether passengers are fully vaccinated or not should be the only criteria. 

[Dermotsgirl]

3 hours ago, brian1 said:

You'll love it,the MD gets to set your dessert alight every night if you wish.Also there are specials on the breakfast menu every day as you walk in..I was gutted when I didn't notice the devilled kidneys one morning,lol.

I like eggs benedict for breakfast so I’ll be sure to watch out for that 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, enchantedvoyage said:

I would usually prefer Cunard but I'm not happy with them right now. They are offering some cruises around UK on the QE this summer, but it is only being offered to UK and EU residents. Why would that be when no other cruise lines based in the US or other countries are not excluding people from countries that aren't their own? Whether passengers are fully vaccinated or not should be the only criteria. 

Well, every other cruise line is operating to the same criteria, so you cannot single out Cunard.  

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I agree on all the points you made,  I don't think for example Cunard QG matches the top luxury lines. I don't think the luxury lines would contemplate having different levels except for cabin size, as it would devalue their very luxurious smaller cabin experience. 

 

However big ships have some advantages especially in rough seas. Luxury is irrelevant if you feel sick.  So for some people,  like us who after bad experience would never use a ship less than 60 - 80000 tons , for crossing the north and south Atlantic for example coming back from S.A.. So ship within ship concept has it's place. As the luxury lines are normally  sub 20000tons

From an academic point of view,  as I will never be doing a world cruise, or segment thereof, my own thoughts are  that in a large ship, even if you are in a luxurious penthouse suite, when you arrive in port,  you will be part of the 4000 cruisers destroying the local ambience.  On a ship with less than 1000 cruisers, you and your fellow cruisers will not "swamp " the port.   

[ericfromri]

3 hours ago, enchantedvoyage said:

I would usually prefer Cunard but I'm not happy with them right now. They are offering some cruises around UK on the QE this summer, but it is only being offered to UK and EU residents. Why would that be when no other cruise lines based in the US or other countries are not excluding people from countries that aren't their own? Whether passengers are fully vaccinated or not should be the only criteria. 

this was established long before the end of may cruise announcements.  this is so people would travel around their own country.  no foreigners.

[brian1]

8 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I like eggs benedict for breakfast so I’ll be sure to watch out for that 

Also a choice of smoothies every day.

[brian1]

I had to Google Snowpiercer.It seems no different from the Orient Express or the Rocky Mountaineer.

[wowzz]

23 minutes ago, brian1 said:

I had to Google Snowpiercer.It seems no different from the Orient Express or the Rocky Mountaineer.

Although you can't get off Snowpiercer! 

[brian1]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Although you can't get off Snowpiercer! 

Don't they throw you off if you run out of dosh.Sounds good.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, brian1 said:

Don't they throw you off if you run out of dosh.Sounds good.

Even taileys don't get thrown off. Someone has to do the menial work. 

[brian1]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Even taileys don't get thrown off. Someone has to do the menial work. 

I can't believe you said in another thread that Dan Brown was a load of tosh.I'm reading Inferno at the moment,cost me 25p in a charity shop.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, brian1 said:

I can't believe you said in another thread that Dan Brown was a load of tosh.I'm reading Inferno at the moment,cost me 25p in a charity shop.

I always think that reading a Dan Brown book is like eating a Chinese meal. An hour after finishing it, you want something more substantial! 

[Windsurfboy]

19 hours ago, wowzz said:

From an academic point of view,  as I will never be doing a world cruise, or segment thereof, my own thoughts are  that in a large ship, even if you are in a luxurious penthouse suite, when you arrive in port,  you will be part of the 4000 cruisers destroying the local ambience.  On a ship with less than 1000 cruisers, you and your fellow cruisers will not "swamp " the port.   

 

Once again I agree with what yo say

 

 so for coming home from South Africa ,  going up South and North Atlantic and no interesting ports will use a big , Cunard or P&O ship

 

For Black sea with many interesting ports are going on Saga at 999 passengers.

 

Don't know where we'd test a 4000 ship, perhaps an itinerary that stops at bigger cities where 4000 people are lost , as long as you get priority boarding and embarkation 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Windsurfboy