P&o changing "formal nights to "cocktail nights" + changes to kids clubs

[Kruzein]

Hi there

 

This is FYI

 

 

 

CRUISE NEWS

 

Hi all and welcome to another cruise flash.

P&O Cruises this week released news on changes they are making to their fleet

from 1st September 2009. This has come from passenger feedback so I am sure alot

of you out there will be glad to see the changes being made to go with what the

Australian market wishes.

 

Cocktail Nights

In keeping with the contemporary feel of their ships, P&O Cruises will be offering

Cocktail Nights instead of Formal Nights. Passengers will still have the pleasure

of special evenings on board but without the need to pack a formal outfit on your

cruise. Cocktail wear can be a cocktail dress or other elegant outfit for women

and a suit or dress pants and jacket with tie optional, for men.

 

Children's Program

As reported recently, P&O Cruises Australia is welcoming an increase in the

number of families choosing a cruise holiday. To better accommodate this increase

and the needs of travelling families, changes to the children's program will be

introduced from 1 September 2009. These relate to the age limits within the Shark

Shack and the Teen Lounge.

Effective 1 September 2009 the Shark Shack and the Teen Lounge age limits will change

and in line with this, the Teen Lounge becomes HQ.

The new age limits are outlined below:

Current (all departures until 31 August 09) New (departures from 1 September 2009)

Turtle Cove 3 to 6 years Turtle Cove 3 to 6 years (unchanged)

Shark Shack 7 to 12 years Shark Shack 7 to 10 years

Teen Lounge 13 to 17 years HQ 11 to 17 years

This week the office could be a bit slow in returning emails and calls as we spend

time getting acquainted with the Arcadia. So please bear with us during this next

week if you are waiting to hear from us as we will get to you.

On that note I'll sign off with a few deals including the return of the Top 10 deals

Live to Cruise

[Diddles62]

Nice idea, thats for posting that :)

[MargnGrah]

Hi there

 

This is FYI

 

 

 

CRUISE NEWS

 

 

Cocktail Nights

In keeping with the contemporary feel of their ships, P&O Cruises will be offering Cocktail Nights instead of Formal Nights. Passengers will still have the pleasure of special evenings on board but without the need to pack a formal outfit on your cruise. Cocktail wear can be a cocktail dress or other elegant outfit for women and a suit or dress pants and jacket with tie optional, for men.

 

Live to Cruise

 

I think that a lot of Aussies have been doing that for a long time.!!!!!!:D

 

It has just taken P&O a little time to catch up.

[cruisyguy]

Great idea regarding the dress codes for aussie cruisers but not to happy about the changes to the shark shack age limits .We waited for years to cruise untill both our kids would get into the same kids club .We cruised on the Dawn last year and it was fantastic , but now with our 11 year old daughter she will be in the new HQ club and Im not too happy with an 11 year girl hanging around with 17 year olds , to me that just wont be happening so Ill be contacting P&O and advising them of our concerns as we are planning to cruise again early next year.

[thied]

realy not much difference as cock tails is stiil formal as i see it and the children age charges are great

[seriola]

Great idea regarding the dress codes for aussie cruisers but not to happy about the changes to the shark shack age limits .We waited for years to cruise untill both our kids would get into the same kids club .We cruised on the Dawn last year and it was fantastic , but now with our 11 year old daughter she will be in the new HQ club and Im not too happy with an 11 year girl hanging around with 17 year olds , to me that just wont be happening so Ill be contacting P&O and advising them of our concerns as we are planning to cruise again early next year.

Have to agree with you there cruisyguy, I have reservations about that change as well. I dont think that the teen lounge changes are for the best, It doesnt affect us, but if it did I'd be concerned.

[sayaguru]

Great idea regarding the dress codes for aussie cruisers but not to happy about the changes to the shark shack age limits .We waited for years to cruise untill both our kids would get into the same kids club .We cruised on the Dawn last year and it was fantastic , but now with our 11 year old daughter she will be in the new HQ club and Im not too happy with an 11 year girl hanging around with 17 year olds , to me that just wont be happening so Ill be contacting P&O and advising them of our concerns as we are planning to cruise again early next year.

 

 

I have to admit that was my first thought.

 

I have read here where people ask how to get their 12 year old into the teen club and I ask myself WHY??

I know when my daughter was 11 I wouldn't want her in with 17 year olds. I've seen 17yr olds in action. On my last cruise parents were buying 16 and 17yr olds alcohol. Lots were quite drunk. Not what an 11 year old should be subjected too. They grow up too fast as it is.

 

WOW I sound really old now don't I?:eek:

[thied]

I have to admit that was my first thought.

 

I have read here where people ask how to get their 12 year old into the teen club and I ask myself WHY??

I know when my daughter was 11 I wouldn't want her in with 17 year olds. I've seen 17yr olds in action. On my last cruise parents were buying 16 and 17yr olds alcohol. Lots were quite drunk. Not what an 11 year old should be subjected too. They grow up too fast as it is.

 

WOW I sound really old now don't I?:eek:

no not old just carefull im the same when it comes to the kids we have a 2yr old and a 15 yr old and the is not way we would let eather of them run as they like around the ship or get alcohol from us or any one i dont now what i would if i court some one bying it for them.

[cruisyguy]

Just wondering why Thied would think the teen club age changes is great?:confused::confused:

[cruisin-m]

I always enjoy the formal nights, mixes things up abit, just as much as i like the completely informal island nights etc.

 

What are they thinking with the HQ, 11 year olds with 17 year olds! Theres simply no way the same activities aimed at 11 year olds will cater to 16-17 year olds, was FAR better how it was, if anything make HQ for 14-15 and over!

 

Can't say any of this sounds like good news to me, doesn't really affect me in anyway so I couldn't really care but it still isn't in the right direction.

[The_Big_M]

The previous (current) code was :

<LI class=" first over">Evening or cocktail dress for women <LI class=" last">Dinner jacket and tie, or suit for men

So the change is technically negligible for women, but practically means it's pretty open since "elegant" is quite subjective. For men, the change is to mean you can now have a mixed jacket and pants, as well as making the tie optional.

 

Comparing it to their current smart casual standard though, it's barely different, aside from requesting a jacket for men. Maybe they should just call it Smart Casual and Smarter Casual...

 

As for the kid's clubs changes, I'm not sure what the reasoning behind that is, except to guess that it will increase their children's capacity as they'll have fewer ages permitted in the Children's Centre.

[rugbypopsie]

There is no way that 11 or 12 year olds are a compatible group with older teenagers...I guess the clubs were not popular with the older group and they are seeking to fill them. My guess is that it will be unusual for the clubs to have any children registered that are older than 15. They will take one look at the younger kids and vote with their feet.

 

On our last cruise before Christmas our 15 3/4 year old did not go to the club during the day but went after dinner at night when all the younger ones were not around.

 

That said cruising is a great family holiday and my kids enjoyed the kids clubs and company.

[thied]

Just wondering why Thied would think the teen club age changes is great?:confused::confused:

the 11- 17 yr olds normaly split into 2 groups any way the younger kids may not like what the older kids do you could say the same about 7 yr old hanging around with 12 yr olds it would be ideal to make a 4th group so we 3-6, 7-10, 11-14, 15-17, may be we could put that to them any way it realy dos not matter what they do they wont please every one and at the end the day they are our kids and we are responable for them.

[CruiseW827]

I have a friend cruising in October and I don't think her 11 year old is any where near mature enough to deal with teenagers. He is going to roam the boat freely with no real restrictions. I have a feeling she may have second thought on going. Unless the rules for teens have changed they can come and go as they please.

[rugbypopsie]

Theid well said...they are our kids and our responsibility.

 

I am sure they will split into the two age groups and also sure the club will provide activities to suit both. Yes teens can come and go from the club but an 11 year old is too young to wander about unsupervised..Mum needs to put her foot down "in the club or with me, take it or leave it".:)

 

Kids have a great time on cruises you friend needn't worry.

[CassCruise]

.......We cruised on the Dawn last year and it was fantastic , but now with our 11 year old daughter she will be in the new HQ club and Im not too happy with an 11 year girl hanging around with 17 year olds , to me that just wont be happening so Ill be contacting P&O and advising them of our concerns as we are planning to cruise again early next year.

WOW I'm with you - we have recently been considering a P&O (as opposed to Princess) cruise but I have an 11 year old and there is NO way I would consider that - I will also be contacting P&O!

 

Thanks Kruzein for the info!

[thied]

dont get me wrong, kids have a ball on the ships ,

and is very safe but there are some mums and dads that think that when they are on board the ship and there crew take over for them, im sorry they dont they are our children and we have to look after them, we allways take one or both of our children with no trouble, there is a lot of security on P&O ship at all age groups

[thied]

on P&O a good thing is that in the evening you get a news letter about whats happening the next day when u have children (teens) with you you get a news letter for them as well so you as a perent can read this and be informed on what they have planed for the next day so and lots of other news as well. so 2 or 3 news letters depending on what age group you have with you its very good that way you get to say what they can or cant do.

[thunderchaser]

Ive got a 14 year old and I told her about the changes....Shes not too happy..at that age there can be a big age gap of maturity- for some it might be ok...but I know my 14/15 year old doesnt want to be "hanging out" with 11 year olds, and had she been 11 I wouldnt want her with the older kids either...

[planning obsessed]

I think the changes to HQ have been made to be able to take more families onboard. During peak holidays all of the kid's clubs are full, but outside these periods it seems to be consistently only the Shark Shack which fills up. On my cruise W907, there are 106 children aged 7 - 12. The limit should be 105, but at their discretion they can apparently go slightly over the limit. The Teen Lounge has a capacity for 200, but as of early January, after final payment, there were only 57 in this age group. I was also told that not so many of the older teens bother to go to the Teen Lounge. So in summary, they are often refusing people because of a full age group, as happened to us for a November cruise, while there is room in the higher age group. So in moving 11 and 12 year olds up to the older group where there is likely to be vacancies, they're creating more availability for the Shark Shack, thus catching more family bookings. I hope my logic is clear.

[cruisyguy]

I understand how this may suit P&O better but I still dont wont my 11 year old daughter mixing with 17s .Hopefully they will split the HQ group into smaller more suitable groups once they are in there .

 

Heres hoping

[thied]

I understand how this may suit P&O better but I still dont wont my 11 year old daughter mixing with 17s .Hopefully they will split the HQ group into smaller more suitable groups once they are in there .

 

Heres hoping

yes lets hope they do

[chrisyscrapper]

As a Mum of two kids in the Shark Shack age group at the moment, I know how frustrating it is to find the perfect cruise to suit our family only to be told that the Shark Shack is full for that one ... sorry try again LOL :rolleyes:

 

It will be nice to know that we may have more chance of getting on school holiday cruises or the more popular ones now with the age split changes ... but I will still struggle with my 11 year old child up with the 'big' kids - so to speak - when they get to that age. Which will be sooner than I think I am sure :eek:

 

We will see if we can find out on our cruise in April from the staff if they have any idea if the HQ Group will be split up a bit as they used to split the Shark Shack into 7-9 and 10-12 for some activities.:)

[licra]

Hi

I am travelling in October :D and found this information regarding the kids clubs changes and it mentions specifically that the teen lounge will have seperate activities:) available for 11-14yr olds and 15 -17 yr olds, i have attached the info below. It sounds like they have identified the age issue here. I thought others might be interested in this info too.

 

Lisa

New HQ for young passengers onboard P&O Cruises

 

Date: 17 Feb 2009

 

Young cruisers travelling with P&O Cruises will have a new place to meet friends and ‘hang out’ when a new youth headquarters is introduced in September 2009.

HQ will cater for passengers aged between 11 – 17 years old, offering a wide range of activities including air hockey, karaoke, sport tournaments and hip hop dance classes.

will cater for passengers aged between 11 – 17 years old, offering a wide range of activities including air hockey, karaoke, sport tournaments and hip hop dance classes.

The introduction of 11 and 12 year olds to HQ comes after feedback from young cruisers and their parents.

There will be opportunities for 11 – 14 years olds to participate in separate activities to those aged 15 – 17 years to cater for their interests.

Sture Myrmell, Vice President Hotel Operations for P&O Cruises, said the introduction of HQ reflects the changing interests of our younger guests.

"The new youth headquarters caters for a broader age group than before, however, the activities they participate in will still be suited to their interests and needs," Mr Myrmell said.

"HQ is an exciting new initiative to ensure our young guests, and their parents, have an enjoyable holiday. All the activities are fully supervised by experienced and qualified team leaders."

From 1 September 2009, Sydney-based Pacific Dawn and Brisbane’s Pacific Sun will offer two kids clubs - Turtle Cove for three to six year olds and Shark Shack for those aged seven to 12 years – and HQ, a centre for 11 – 17 year olds

[cruisin-m]

Hi

I am travelling in October :D and found this information regarding the kids clubs changes and it mentions specifically that the teen lounge will have seperate activities:) available for 11-14yr olds and 15 -17 yr olds, i have attached the info below. It sounds like they have identified the age issue here. I thought others might be interested in this info too.

 

Lisa

New HQ for young passengers onboard P&O Cruises

 

Date: 17 Feb 2009

 

Young cruisers travelling with P&O Cruises will have a new place to meet friends and ‘hang out’ when a new youth headquarters is introduced in September 2009.

HQ will cater for passengers aged between 11 – 17 years old, offering a wide range of activities including air hockey, karaoke, sport tournaments and hip hop dance classes.

will cater for passengers aged between 11 – 17 years old, offering a wide range of activities including air hockey, karaoke, sport tournaments and hip hop dance classes.

The introduction of 11 and 12 year olds to HQ comes after feedback from young cruisers and their parents.

There will be opportunities for 11 – 14 years olds to participate in separate activities to those aged 15 – 17 years to cater for their interests.

Sture Myrmell, Vice President Hotel Operations for P&O Cruises, said the introduction of HQ reflects the changing interests of our younger guests.

"The new youth headquarters caters for a broader age group than before, however, the activities they participate in will still be suited to their interests and needs," Mr Myrmell said.

"HQ is an exciting new initiative to ensure our young guests, and their parents, have an enjoyable holiday. All the activities are fully supervised by experienced and qualified team leaders."

From 1 September 2009, Sydney-based Pacific Dawn and Brisbane’s Pacific Sun will offer two kids clubs - Turtle Cove for three to six year olds and Shark Shack for those aged seven to 12 years – and HQ, a centre for 11 – 17 year olds

 

At least they are acknowledging they will have completely different interests in every manner but i'm still not convinced it's a good move.There's little chance any 15-17 year old is going to enjoy themselves or even go when there are 11 and 12 year olds in the same vicinity,especially if they use the "teen lounge" room for both groups.

 

Only thing that might work is if the younger kids get exclusive use in the day when 15-17 yr olds do their own thing then from like dinner onwards to late the 15-17 year olds get it exclusively or something similar.

 

They should at least give the two groups a different name, no 15+ person will associate themselves with the group 11 year olds are in.