Comparing Princess to P&O.

[Interestedcruisefan]

Here's the video I made of my bread and butter pudding

 

It was actually luminous yellow

 

Maybe that's the way American's have bread and butter pudding?

 

But nothing like I've seen before. 

[david63]

9 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Here's the video I made of my bread and butter pudding

 

It was actually luminous yellow

Nice bowl😉

[david63]

49 minutes ago, MyriamS said:

businesses tend to prefer a politely worded complaint to them, which gives them a chance to fix the situation

Tried that on more than one occasion with P&O and nothing changes - gave up in the end (which may be the plan!)

[Cruisemeister2002]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

It's not a complaint if you are suggesting ways they can improve their passengers enjoyment.

Agree wholeheartedly. If somethings not right it's a pain in the butt to have to queue up at reception and on a cruise we had last year on P&O Ventura a 35 night cruise every day for the first 17 days we were at the reception desk. We aren't cereal moaners, it was that things that should have been sorted were not. The day before our cruise we received via email that we had been upgraded from an inside to sea view. Great. But we then had to take all labels off our cases and reprint. After travelling most of the day to Southampton we were met with huge queues, the ship was five hours late into port. Got to our cabin and the door cards were someone else's. I had paid for a Celebration Package that included flowers, Champagne, Champagne flutes in a presentation pack, bathrobes and slippers, two Speciality dinning and two facial/massage appointments. I had contacted P&O a few day's prior to cruise to make sure they would be in the cabin. Also part of the package was a formal photograph in a frame. No photographer on board, no frame. Nothing. That's why I agree that if something isn't right complain there and then. You can always write to head office when you return home.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, happy v said:

You should have been a diplomat, John🙂

Maybe, I could have said most cruise lines want to improve and appreciate this sort of feedback, but P&O appear to be the exception.

[terrierjohn]

....

Edited May 24 by terrierjohn
Duplicate post

[alpha whiskey]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Here's the video I made of my bread and butter pudding

 

It was actually luminous yellow

 

Maybe that's the way American's have bread and butter pudding?

 

But nothing like I've seen before. 

Yes, his twin sister was alive and well on Regal a couple of weeks ago.....making an appearance at breakfast too, with custard! 

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 minutes ago, alpha whiskey said:

Yes, his twin sister was alive and well on Regal a couple of weeks ago.....making an appearance at breakfast too, with custard! 

The custard looked so bad I didn't add to the pudding

 

(I do think it could have actually been alive as well)

[alpha whiskey]

4 hours ago, brian1 said:

Princess always had Canadian bacon which is a thicker version of ours.I asked nicely once and they produced proper English bacon.I think it was in the pursers vault.

There was English bacon on Regal, but it looked a bit anaemic and boiled (?)

P&O definitely does it better! 

There was a lot more menu choice on Regal in MDR and buffet, but we found the quality of the meat much better on P&O. We do get bored with too many P&O roast selections though.

You can't win them all! 

We didn't have to put up with queuing like poor ICF did, or have difficulty getting a MDR table when we wanted it.

 

[Thedonkeycentrehalf]

2 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

We aren't cereal moaners, 

So no complaints about breakfast then🤣

[Cloudyrain]

Just to update on here with my early Princess impressions (or Princessions 😉) - I think the food options are more vast (in both buffet and MDR) but that it is definitely more tailored to an American market. We are not foodies, but I am not particularly overwhelmed with the food: and creamed spinach is not something I will be rushing to try again! They do have British bacon, but conversly the Vegan/Veggie options are poor.

 

The staff and service are definitely better though: I can't think of a holiday or cruise where we have received better service. There is also little to zero queues. Embarkation was 11am to 3pm, arrival at any time, and we collected our Medallions, went through security, and were onboard ordering a drink in 15 minutes: this was at the 'busy' time of 11am.

 

The medallion is also great: what a great idea. I thought it was gimmicky when I first read about it, but actually it's brilliant. 
 

The kids/family provisions are less good, and it's not really as geared up to families as P&O.

 

Cleanliness and general facilities are comparable. The internet is excellent (but then I think P&O is also great). Entertainment I think is similar.

 

I don't have a "favourite" (yet) but if that changes, I will let you know!

[lancashire_cruisers]

We found what we thought was a really good price for a Penthouse Suite on Sky Princess with the Plus package so we booked it! In a surprising turn of events the price direct with Princess was over £400 cheaper than the usual cruise agents.

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 5/24/2024 at 1:30 PM, Thedonkeycentrehalf said:

So no complaints about breakfast then🤣

The yoke's on me. 

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 5/24/2024 at 11:16 AM, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Agree wholeheartedly. If somethings not right it's a pain in the butt to have to queue up at reception and on a cruise we had last year on P&O Ventura a 35 night cruise every day for the first 17 days we were at the reception desk. We aren't cereal moaners, it was that things that should have been sorted were not. The day before our cruise we received via email that we had been upgraded from an inside to sea view. Great. But we then had to take all labels off our cases and reprint. After travelling most of the day to Southampton we were met with huge queues, the ship was five hours late into port. Got to our cabin and the door cards were someone else's. I had paid for a Celebration Package that included flowers, Champagne, Champagne flutes in a presentation pack, bathrobes and slippers, two Speciality dinning and two facial/massage appointments. I had contacted P&O a few day's prior to cruise to make sure they would be in the cabin. Also part of the package was a formal photograph in a frame. No photographer on board, no frame. Nothing. That's why I agree that if something isn't right complain there and then. You can always write to head office when you return home.

That's the trouble with serial killers, they stab people with corn flake packets.

[Cloudyrain]

Just to update with my final Princessions (sorry, that's naff but stuck in my head!)

 

I actually think I may be a convert to Princess 😬

 

Don't get me wrong, some of the menu items are questionable (cold fruit soup 🤢) but overall the Regal was such a better experience. 
 

Embarkation and disembarkation were a dream: zero queues and about a 15 minutes process in total. Also, being able to board any time between 11 and 3 is great. 
 

The Ocean Now system is great, and the app that is actually an app was so much better than the app that's not an app used by P&O. 
 

Also just general service, staffing levels, and package options elevate Princess over P&O.

 

I do like P&O in general but this whole accessibility debacle, and the hassle of boarding is getting tiresome. It's like some of these things are seen as "just be grateful we are letting you cruise" rather than "we are glad you chose to spend your money with us".