Comparing Princess to P&O.

[terrierjohn]

We are on Sky Princess at present  so decided to post a few musings of our experiences as compared to P&O.

This was our first day experience.

 

Embarkation was far easier, apart from getting rather wet walking back from the short stay car park after leaving our car with P4C. We were blue lane and directed straight to the accessible check in, immediately met by a Princess check in agent armed with a tablet, gave her our cabin number and passports and she checked us both in in a few strokes, then sent a colleague off to get our medallions, then straight to a fairly short queue to go through security. The result was we were on board in approx 20 minutes from entering the terminal.

The cabin furnishings looked pristine and no stale smells in the bathroom. The shower power was quite a bit higher than Iona in March, and the temperature was constant throughout my shower, again unlike Iona which fluctuated a bit too much for comfort. However shelf storage was a lot less, leaving sink top looking cluttered.

Despite having pre booked a shared table for 18:40 in the Estrella MDR,  there were lengthy first night queues, and we were not seated until after 19:00., in this procedure the P&O virtual queue system, if most passengers were to use it, is superior. However the menu had far more choice for all courses, the quality was about the same as on recent P&O cruises, although the portion size was higher.

 

I will add my further experiences and any requests you have as the cruise progresses.

[Cathygh]

That more or less sums up my experience of Princess but althought we had prebooked a table every niht at 7.30 we often missed it but this did not seem to cuse any issues. Last time we went on Princess we could order a drink any where on the ship and it would be delivered fairly promptly but I think you to paya one off charge of £2.50 to enable that, is that correct?

[AndyMichelle]

Have a great time John. 

We will watch with interest. 

We did look at Princess on your recommendation last year, but the prices seemed to jump overnight, so are trying Cunard instead, but still have a very open mind. 

Andy 

[Gettingwarmer]

1 hour ago, Cathygh said:

Last time we went on Princess we could order a drink any where on the ship and it would be delivered fairly promptly but I think you to paya one off charge of £2.50 to enable that, is that correct?

Not if you are on Plus or Premium. And I think the extra only applies in respect for drinks to your room under Standard fare. 
 

https://www.princess.com/en-uk/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages

 

Under standard fare
A one-time access fee of $14.99 per person per voyage will apply for OceanNow® delivery and a $5 room service fee will apply for each order placed by stateroom phone. OceanNow delivery refers to orders placed through the app that are delivered to wherever you are, including your stateroom.

Edited May 6 by Gettingwarmer
Add URL +

[terrierjohn]

One further point  we are currently cruising at 22kts which will enable us to get to Vigo in only 1 sea day, which is why we will have 7 ports on this cruise.

[Ardennais]

Hope you have a lovely cruise. Our next one is Princess too! 

[Cloudyrain]

I'm looking forward to your opinions as we are going on our first Princess soon (albeit on a different ship).

[Peanut006]

My daughter & her husband are on Sky Princess on 19 May so I will be following this thread with interest

 

Michelle

[terrierjohn]

Our first 2 days have shown a lowering of standards in the breakfasts in the buffet. Too many items are just not hot enough, the english bacon is very inferior to P&Os, and there is no sign of sunny side up soft yolk fried eggs, most are too overcooked.

The conserves eg marmalade, honey and the nuts and other toppings for cereals etc, are now in too smallish containers, and far too often empty,  and the staff have to leave the toast machines to search for replacements.

All minor 3rd world complaints but can be annoying as you struggle to balance several plates.

[Camberley]

We love Princess - now loving them a bit more than P&O - although we sail with both and feel each offers better things than the other in places. For us, Princess curiously still has a slightly less “mass market” vibe to it when on board and doesn’t feel quite as cheap/penny pinching as P&O does in areas.
 

But yes, their breakfasts were a poor second to P&Os: ugh, the bacon. And without sounding like I’ve escaped from a Carry On film, trying to get a good sausage on board was a saga! But we found Princess’s food quality in the MDRs much better overall and more variety, although we slightly prefer P&O’s speciality restaurants. 

Edited May 7 by Camberley

[Gettingwarmer]

10 minutes ago, Camberley said:

But we found Princess’s food quality in the MDRs much better overall and more variety, although we slightly prefer P&O’s speciality restaurants. 

Agree. 

[john watson]

2 hours ago, Camberley said:

 

But yes, their breakfasts were a poor second to P&Os: ugh, the bacon. And without sounding like I’ve escaped from a Carry On film, trying to get a good sausage on board was a saga! 

 

The original film "Carry On Cruising" was based on a P&O ship Oronsay. In respect of your mentioning saga, I don't think you will get a good firm sausage on that cruise line matron..

 

Regards John

[AndyMichelle]

Princess offering £1 deposit on 25/26 cruises for 2 days... 

That may sway us😊

Andy 

[david63]

34 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Princess offering £1 deposit on 25/26 cruises for 2 days... 

That may sway us😊

Andy 

Prior to that, and it may be back after this offer, deposits are fully refundable.

[sandancer]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Princess offering £1 deposit on 25/26 cruises for 2 days... 

That may sway us😊

Andy 

Tempting but I couldn’t find any 26 cruises. We already have a 21 night on Britannia in June 26 but would have liked a Princess cruise as well. 

[Purdey16]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Princess offering £1 deposit on 25/26 cruises for 2 days... 

That may sway us😊

Andy 

I’ve just booked this morning with that in mind but was told if I pay it all off today I get a further £250 off plus my cruise miles off and the on board spend was 550$  on a 16 night Iceland/Greenland cruise and I wangled 6 bottles of wine out of them 😁 , I know it’s a risk paying it off in advance but insurance will cover if need be due to illness.

[terrierjohn]

I think we had a medical emergency last night, got back to our starboard cabin to find we could see the coast and were sailing ENE,  then pilot boat pulled alongside us to guide us into port, no idea which. By 1:00am we were still some way out, but by 4:00am we were sailing south again.

Fortunately it does not seem to have delayed us, and we are cruising at 17kts and just about to round the south western tip of Portugal.

A beautiful sunny day at sea today, lots of waiters bringing drinks and food orders, and deck stewards bringing round chilled face cloths to keep passengers refreshed. Service standards on Princess are certainly higher than P&O.

[Lee Jones Jnr]

21 hours ago, john watson said:

 

The original film "Carry On Cruising" was based on a P&O ship Oronsay. In respect of your mentioning saga, I don't think you will get a good firm sausage on that cruise line matron..

 

Regards John

 You mean P&O Ohisay

Edited May 8 by Lee Jones Jnr

[Ranchi]

We particularly liked: the international cafe(?) at the base of the atrium; the pizza restaurant ( though I understand uncharged (Plus)  access is now limited;)The grill (paid for) was quite good; Rudi’s, again quite good - a bit less of the entertainment by the waiters perhaps. The pre dinner get together with snacks & entertainment for higher tiers was also good (although I understand points transfers are no longer possible.) The theatre shows (we thought) were better than P&O ( even with the computer gremlins causing a hiatus during two shows.) The lounge game shows were truly ‘end of the pier’ I’m afraid. Deck sports are much more organised on P&O. Ballroom dancing was scheduled but that simply meant a member of the bar staff moved a few chairs and tables and the piped music played some big band tracks- no compère, even. This might be a common theme, the daily paper lists lots of activities but the vast majority are simply ‘availability of equipment’. Most are un-hosted 
Cabin very well equipped and appointed (std balcony) Steward excellent. 

oh, almost forgot! Good selection of cheese in the buffet in the evening cf Brie & Edam every night in MDR. Why can’t they put some decent stuff in the main restaurant?

[BouncingWheel]

4 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

The lounge game shows were truly ‘end of the pier’ I’m afraid. Deck sports are much more organised on P&O

I liked a lot about my princess cruise but I found the daytime entertainment woeful and a big minus point for me.

[grapau27]

On 5/6/2024 at 12:22 PM, terrierjohn said:

We are on Sky Princess at present  so decided to post a few musings of our experiences as compared to P&O.

This was our first day experience.

 

Embarkation was far easier, apart from getting rather wet walking back from the short stay car park after leaving our car with P4C. We were blue lane and directed straight to the accessible check in, immediately met by a Princess check in agent armed with a tablet, gave her our cabin number and passports and she checked us both in in a few strokes, then sent a colleague off to get our medallions, then straight to a fairly short queue to go through security. The result was we were on board in approx 20 minutes from entering the terminal.

The cabin furnishings looked pristine and no stale smells in the bathroom. The shower power was quite a bit higher than Iona in March, and the temperature was constant throughout my shower, again unlike Iona which fluctuated a bit too much for comfort. However shelf storage was a lot less, leaving sink top looking cluttered.

Despite having pre booked a shared table for 18:40 in the Estrella MDR,  there were lengthy first night queues, and we were not seated until after 19:00., in this procedure the P&O virtual queue system, if most passengers were to use it, is superior. However the menu had far more choice for all courses, the quality was about the same as on recent P&O cruises, although the portion size was higher.

 

I will add my further experiences and any requests you have as the cruise progresses.

Following along John.

We were last on Princess November/December 2019 on a Hawaiian cruise from San Francisco and wondered what our Elite benefits would be on Sky Princess.

Best wishes for a wonderful cruise.

[P&O SUE]

Have a great cruise John. 
We went on one Princess cruise in 2019. At the time it took me a while to ‘get into it’ and I wished I hadn’t pre paid for the soft drinks package as it was difficult to find anything about it onboard. Alfredo’s was good but now is not included in the fare which is a shame. 
The weather wasn’t great so it was often hard to find a good seat inside. We only had an inside cabin but I think if we’d had a balcony we would have enjoyed it more.

I often look at Princess cruises but find they are so expensive.

I was impressed with the champagne fountain on the formal night although I did think ‘what a waste if champagne!’ 
Also all the balloons coming down from the ceiling but, again, thought of the waste when they were all popped on the floor!

This was Sapphire Princess.

[yorkshirephil]

6 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

 

I often look at Princess cruises but find they are so expensive.

 

Not always Sue, Princess do have some well priced cruises if they suit your needs. We are on Sky Princess to USA and Canada whereas the Arcadia equivalent is just over £1000 pp more for the same cabin grade. 

[P&O SUE]

42 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Not always Sue, Princess do have some well priced cruises if they suit your needs. We are on Sky Princess to USA and Canada whereas the Arcadia equivalent is just over £1000 pp more for the same cabin grade. 

Since 2020 I haven’t found the deals so good. Add on the dollars onboard as well. I was looking at one that went to Malaga and I wanted the excursion to the Alhambra- nearly 300 dollars each! 

[david63]

31 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

Since 2020 I haven’t found the deals so good. Add on the dollars onboard as well. I was looking at one that went to Malaga and I wanted the excursion to the Alhambra- nearly 300 dollars each! 

I agree that Princess excursion are expensive in comparison to P&O's but do appear to be more aligned to those of other cruise lines.

 

You will find that the majority of Americans who cruise Princess in Europe will do independent excursions.