P&O vs Royal Caribbean

[earn]

We have cruised mostly Royal and a few Celebrity, Azamara, NCL and MSC.  Oh and one Carnival.  We are considering taking a P&O cruise because friends are already booked.  It is Iona to the Fjords in June.  Can people who have cruised both Royal and P&O give us some pluses and minuses of the switch?  I included the other lines in case P&O is actually closer to any of them for comparison.  Thanks in advance.

[Yorkypete]

4 minutes ago, earn said:

We have cruised mostly Royal and a few Celebrity, Azamara, NCL and MSC.  Oh and one Carnival.  We are considering taking a P&O cruise because friends are already booked.  It is Iona to the Fjords in June.  Can people who have cruised both Royal and P&O give us some pluses and minuses of the switch?  I included the other lines in case P&O is actually closer to any of them for comparison.  Thanks in advance.

You have to firstly remember that opinions here are just that, personal opinions. Having done a few of both lines P&O are cheaper...and it shows. On Royal the food is better, the entertainment is 100% better and the itineries are generally better. I persoally cannot recommend P&O on any point except the price. Things to do on Royal tend to be better, ie crazy golf, climbing wall etc whilst P&O have ...a basketball court which can be used for football. All in all you can tell I prefer Royal(Indy is the best hip I have been on)

[earn]

8 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

You have to firstly remember that opinions here are just that, personal opinions. Having done a few of both lines P&O are cheaper...and it shows. On Royal the food is better, the entertainment is 100% better and the itineries are generally better. I persoally cannot recommend P&O on any point except the price. Things to do on Royal tend to be better, ie crazy golf, climbing wall etc whilst P&O have ...a basketball court which can be used for football. All in all you can tell I prefer Royal(Indy is the best hip I have been on)

Thank you, I appreciate your thoughts.  We have just come off 12 days on Symphony but also love cruising Azamara, so willing to try anything.  Food is a biggie though.  I am coeliac and need to eat gluten-free, so have no idea how that will be either.

[gsmt47471015]

If you like Azamara then P and O may be a little below those standards for you ( done both) ,of course there is a sizable price difference and it shows, you wont know until you try it,

however just be prepared for a little less oomph!!! Personal opinion of course 🙂 

[suech1970]

Absolutely agree with Yorkypete.  Just returned from 2 weeks on P&O Britannia and totally stunned as to how poor the service and complimentary food was on board.  Luckily we only went on a cheap last minute deal, otherwise I would have been gutted!

We did get some cracking meals at their paying restaurants, of which we ate half the cruise.

Never sailed RC, not for the lack of trying but our preferred itineraries always seem to be on  Celebrity & NCL, but have never been disappointed with food or service on either. 
IMO P&O don’t come anywhere near Celebrity, NCL or even TUI😆 

PRO…..Price and maybe and itinerary you’ve always wanted to do

CON…..Poor complimentary food & service. IMO

[wowzz]

Ge aware that certain cruisers have their own agenda !

[zap99]

3 hours ago, earn said:

We have cruised mostly Royal and a few Celebrity, Azamara, NCL and MSC.  Oh and one Carnival.  We are considering taking a P&O cruise because friends are already booked.  It is Iona to the Fjords in June.  Can people who have cruised both Royal and P&O give us some pluses and minuses of the switch?  I included the other lines in case P&O is actually closer to any of them for comparison.  Thanks in advance.

Last year we sailed on Celebrity,  RC and P&O. Food on Celebrity was better than P&O. The cruise for 7 nights was a fair bit more money than P&O. On RC the food and entertainment was a bit better as was the food, but the drinks prices were hideous.  P&O was the cheapest, but was perfectly acceptable. We are on 3 P&O cruises this year, so ok in our opinion. We won't be booking any of them for 2024...yet. perhaps NCL will reduce their prices a bit as we do enjoy their ships.

 

[Bourdieu]

Most of my cruises have been on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, but I was on the Iona last month after 10 years away from P&O and the experience exceeded my expectations. Since Covid, most cruise lines appear to have made cut backs impacting on staffing levels and quality of food. I didn’t find the Iona any different to my recent experience on Celebrity, and I thought it was better than an autumn 2022 cruise on Princess. Moreover, I thought the entertainment was really good – especially in the Limelight and 710 club. The resident band, led by Harrison, in the 710 was amongst the best I’ve seen on any cruise.

[Yorkypete]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Ge aware that certain cruisers have their own agenda !

Which is?

[Yorkypete]

57 minutes ago, Bourdieu said:

Most of my cruises have been on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, but I was on the Iona last month after 10 years away from P&O and the experience exceeded my expectations. Since Covid, most cruise lines appear to have made cut backs impacting on staffing levels and quality of food. I didn’t find the Iona any different to my recent experience on Celebrity, and I thought it was better than an autumn 2022 cruise on Princess. Moreover, I thought the entertainment was really good – especially in the Limelight and 710 club. The resident band, led by Harrison, in the 710 was amongst the best I’ve seen on any cruise.

I have never tried the Limelight club as I will not pay £20-£30 extra . The entertainment is generally not good and the acoustics in the bubble are a little below our local pubs level. Many complain about it.

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

We've sailed twice on RC plus twice on Carnival

 

As well as several times on P and O

 

Enjoyed all of them

 

P and O the best value. Arvia (Ionas sister ship) the best facilities and most options for restaurants and bars and entertainment

 

The standard price is so cheap you could likely eat speciality every night and still spend the same money as RC  or Carnival and don't forget tipping is included on P and O as well

 

So depends how well you want to eat

 

If you ate a combination of Epicurean, the Japanese, Limelight, Sindhu, (the vegetarian restaurant - forget it's name now) and Glass House you would be eating way better than MDR on normal ships and often still paying less than standard price with MDR only on other ships

 

And MDR and buffets etc still perfectly good on P and O 

 

I would give P and O a go for sure especially the newer bigger ships. So many options on there to choose from

 

Entertainment options were great as well. 

 

Plus great cocktails in 710, Anderson's bar, Sindhu bar, Crows Nest and swim up bar (iced)

 

The quality is available on P and O if you go looking for it for sure. And the value better than the others IMO

Edited March 31, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[welshy74]

First difference - the price!!   I've done RC quite a bit but the prices started to increase above my budget.   As the on board currency is USD, and pound is very weak (Thanks Brexit! )  the drinks prices are extremely high.. plus them being an American ship you also get the added 18% gratuity.  P+O onboard currency is the pound and drinks are not overly expensive.  You can also take 1lt on per person.  So if you are a drinker, then P+O is certainly better value. 

 

Secondly the type of cruise.  RCL is all singing all dancing where as P&O is a little more subdued and a bit more formal.  They still have formal nights where black tie is expected.  

 

Iona is a beautiful ship and P&O has really grown on me.  It does not have all the 'wow' of RCL Oasis class but more in line with Princess.  

 

Food - I have had bad food on RCL and P&O but personally I prefer P&O.  

 

I've sailed RCL, NCL, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, MSC, Fred, Cunard and P&O  and they all have their unique plus points, but P&O are good value for money.  Celebrity and RCL are my favourites (if money was no object) and NCL/Cunard are at the bottom of my list.  

 

Thing is, we all have different views ! 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by welshy74

[earn]

Thank you to everyone who answered.  Your honest opinion is much appreciated.  I’m pleased to hear that drinks are not too expensive.  We are D+ on RCI and get 5 free drinks a day each, which is actually too much for us but I was expecting P&O to be compatible in price. No tips is also good and I didn’t realise that either.  RCI speciality restaurants are now really expensive at around $60 a head.  Hopefully that is a P&O win too.  We have never not enjoyed a holiday in our lives and don’t really need all that RCI offers, so I think we’ll give it a try, with our eyes open 😀  Thank you again.

[the wandering two]

On 3/31/2023 at 10:13 AM, welshy74 said:

Secondly the type of cruise.  RCL is all singing all dancing where as P&O is a little more subdued and a bit more formal.  They still have formal nights where black tie is expected.  

 

Only if you are on a large new ship, our Last Royal cruise on Jewel had the usual theatre rotating mix of show/singer/magician etc, pianist in Schooner bar, occasional participation show in atrium, but not much else.

I'd rate P&O higher for food especially Iona with the Quays & Olive grove included. 

Small plates in Glass House great value, although was only serving a reduced menu when we were last on in January. Eaten in Epicurean, Sindu & Keel+Cow once and underwhelmed with all of them.

American cruise lines + drinks=$$$$+18% tip.

P&O wins with the virtual queue dining on the app. Read the endless threads on RCI page re My Time Dining problems. 

Depends if you are cruising for the itinerary or ship. We have upcoming trips on each  I mentioned,  Iona for the ship & new year, Jewel for itinerary, Iceland, Greenland, Nova Scotia etc. 

 

[the wandering two]

Posted the above before I read your reply,  at D+ you'll certainly know the $$ of everything on Royal. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

20 minutes ago, the wandering two said:

Only if you are on a large new ship, our Last Royal cruise on Jewel had the usual theatre rotating mix of show/singer/magician etc, pianist in Schooner bar, occasional participation show in atrium, but not much else.

I'd rate P&O higher for food especially Iona with the Quays & Olive grove included. 

Small plates in Glass House great value, although was only serving a reduced menu when we were last on in January. Eaten in Epicurean, Sindu & Keel+Cow once and underwhelmed with all of them.

American cruise lines + drinks=$$$$+18% tip.

P&O wins with the virtual queue dining on the app. Read the endless threads on RCI page re My Time Dining problems. 

Depends if you are cruising for the itinerary or ship. We have upcoming trips on each  I mentioned,  Iona for the ship & new year, Jewel for itinerary, Iceland, Greenland, Nova Scotia etc. 

 

The large P and O ships have so much different entertainment happening now in so many venues. And great quality.

 

 

[Jennizor]

On 3/31/2023 at 12:09 AM, Yorkypete said:

I have never tried the Limelight club as I will not pay £20-£30 extra . The entertainment is generally not good and the acoustics in the bubble are a little below our local pubs level. Many complain about it.

 

How can you say the entertainment in the Limelight Club is not generally good if you haven’t tried it? We were on Iona recently and went twice, first time was Ray Quinn, he was excellent and got a standing ovation at the end of the night. Second was Joel Jackson, who although not as good as Ray Quinn, gave a great performance. The meals were also very good. We paid £24 each after loyalty discount and it was well worth it. We didn’t hear anyone complaining and spoke to several people during the cruise who had been and not one complaint.

 

We have been to the Limelight Club several times over the years and always had a great experience.

[Yorkypete]

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

The large P and O ships have so much different entertainment happening now in so many venues. And great quality.

 

 

Again it is a matter of personal opinion. On RCI we saw Grease and Jersey Boys, both performed in the theatre with 'extras' on the promenade..The large P&O ships have a lot of venues but the bubble is out due to acoustics so bad you can hardly hear the words. I don't know about the Limelight as I will not pay £25-£30 extra to see acts.The crew of entertainers in the theatre are good on P&O but (again IMO are nowhere near as good as RCI.

[Interestedcruisefan]

Just now, Jennizor said:

How can you say the entertainment in the Limelight Club is not generally good if you haven’t tried it? We were on Iona recently and went twice, first time was Ray Quinn, he was excellent and got a standing ovation at the end of the night. Second was Joel Jackson, who although not as good as Ray Quinn, gave a great performance. The meals were also very good. We paid £24 each after loyalty discount and it was well worth it. We didn’t hear anyone complaining and spoke to several people during the cruise who had been and not one complaint.

 

We have been to the Limelight Club several times over the years and always had a great experience.

I have to agree we've done the Limelight Club twice

 

First time was Britannia staycation - Eric and Ern. That was a great night. Brilliant entertainment we would normally have to pay to see in theatres back in the UK. Food good not great back then. 

 

Second time was Arvia and Mary Mac  (a drag act. Absolutely brilliant. And the meal was as good as Epicurean that night so you are paying for quality food as well as the entertainment)

[Yorkypete]

2 minutes ago, Jennizor said:

How can you say the entertainment in the Limelight Club is not generally good if you haven’t tried it? We were on Iona recently and went twice, first time was Ray Quinn, he was excellent and got a standing ovation at the end of the night. Second was Joel Jackson, who although not as good as Ray Quinn, gave a great performance. The meals were also very good. We paid £24 each after loyalty discount and it was well worth it. We didn’t hear anyone complaining and spoke to several people during the cruise who had been and not one complaint.

 

We have been to the Limelight Club several times over the years and always had a great experience.

My comment was about the general entertainment not the limelight to which I have never been to. I repeat, after paying thousands for a cruise which includes ents I am not about to pay an extra £25=£30 for the Limelight.I have to say I have not heard of either of the people you mention so I cannot comment on them. The Jersey Boys, who I am sure most people have heard of performed several times on RCI...and it was free.!

[Interestedcruisefan]

8 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Again it is a matter of personal opinion. On RCI we saw Grease and Jersey Boys, both performed in the theatre with 'extras' on the promenade..The large P&O ships have a lot of venues but the bubble is out due to acoustics so bad you can hardly hear the words. I don't know about the Limelight as I will not pay £25-£30 extra to see acts.The crew of entertainers in the theatre are good on P&O but (again IMO are nowhere near as good as RCI.

I agree the bubble entertainment not as good as elsewhere but that's just one of many venues? Easy to avoid if you don't enjoy. 

 

But you've got Pianists in Crows Nest and The Atrium.

 

Shows in the Atrium.

 

710 club with superb jazz

 

The Clubhouse with great live music

 

Limelight Club with great entertainment

 

The Headliners Theatre as well. The quality of singers and dancers and live acts in there was very high. Room for improvement in some shows but overall very entertaining.

 

Out  of interest - Grease and Jersey Boys performed by who exactly? 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

My comment was about the general entertainment not the limelight to which I have never been to. I repeat, after paying thousands for a cruise which includes ents I am not about to pay an extra £25=£30 for the Limelight.I have to say I have not heard of either of the people you mention so I cannot comment on them. The Jersey Boys, who I am sure most people have heard of performed several times on RCI...and it was free.!

Which Jersey Boys is this?

[Yorkypete]

Just now, Interestedcruisefan said:

Which Jersey Boys is this?

I don't know which they were though they had appeared in a Broadway show. They were brilliant and also performed to packed crowds in the Promenade on the overhead 'bridges'. I have to say they were the best show I have seen on a cruise. Who is Ray Quin?

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

I don't know which they were though they had appeared in a Broadway show. They were brilliant and also performed to packed crowds in the Promenade on the overhead 'bridges'. I have to say they were the best show I have seen on a cruise. Who is Ray Quin?

 

Ray Quinn was from X Factor or something like that. I've not seen him in Limelight.

 

But also a lead roll in Grease in the London West End for several years. I have seen him in that.

 

There  are countless "Jersey Boys" acts doing the rounds all over the world. Just like there are countless tribute acts doing Abba etc etc

 

I've no doubt the ones you saw were amazing. In fact I think I saw a Jersey Boys act on our RC cruise. And they were great.  But they aren't restricted to RC and they aren't the real Jersey Boys. It's just a tribute act? That we both enjoyed

Edited April 1, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Jennizor]

He’s a singer and actor. He’s was in Brookside many years ago and has been on several reality programmes (not that I have watched any). He’s an excellent singer and entertainer, as was confirmed by the standing ovation.