P and O Versus Princess Ships in Australia

[OverTheTop]

Hi all thinking of out next cruise (haven't even been on the first!):o and I was thinking of princess versus p and o cruises. I searched but couldn't find this topic, although I realise it probably has been covered.

 

I know different people will have different opinions and views on the topic, just after a general consensus, so all opinions valued. What are the pro's and con's of each? Considering things like prices, ships, specials, itineries, meals, kids clubs/facilities, facilities, out of pocket expenses when on board, tours offered, best value for money etc. :confused: Are there standout ships for p and o and princess? What are the must sail on ships in peoples opinions (we would most likely sail from Sydney)?

 

I know this thread has the potential to become tense;) so hoping I haven't stirred up a hornets nest!:rolleyes:

 

Also dumb question ~ to look up Princess cruises online is it just www.princess.com (no special australian princess site?)

[S&D]

Hi there,

 

Just a few comments on the Sun Princess which is Princess Australia...etc...

 

Prices on both lines seem to be on a par, but specials do come up on both.

 

This ship was built in around 1997, and is still very well maintained, crew are always busy with repairs and keeping all in very good order.

 

Ship is 77,000 tonnes, so a mid sized ship by todays standards. Around the same size but different layout to the Pacific Dawn -P&O Aust...which was a Princess ship until recently. (the former Regal Princess).

 

Princess ships here (Sun and Dawn)... offer a nice product, maybe a little quieter and a slightly older age group than the local P&O ships.

 

Very few children onboard the Sun Princess when we sailed.

 

The buffett area on the Princess is a nice layout, cozy place to eat..we enjoyed it!

 

There is 2 fixed dining times..early and late. All food in all areas was of a good standard.

 

The pool areas are very nice on the Princess ships...always plenty of sun loungers to be had.

 

The staff onboard were very good, always happy to see you and so polite.

 

Both Princess and P&O Aust run on Aussie $$.

 

The Pacific Dawn -P&O, has larger inside cabins.. at approx 190 sq ft...the Sun and Dawn Princess are a lot smaller at around 130 to 140 sq ft.

 

You will get a lot of varying opinions. We enjoyed our Sun Princess cruise, and hope you enjoy your cruise on whichever ship you choose...

 

Our very favourite ships are the larger Diamond - Sapphire Princess - USA Princess ships - purely personal opinion again. They do offer good deals when down here for the season, so a good option to maybe look at after you have tried the other ships???:) We didn't spend any more on the Diamond (USD)... than the Sun Princess, we were just careful!!!

 

...we have never met a cruise we didn't like..LOL..and remember the cruise is what YOU make it!!!!:D

 

Happy cruising

 

S&D

[Ela 2]

I will tackle the easy question first. To discuss sailings on Princess ships out of Australia you should use this site. Although it is titled 'P & O Australia', it now covers all cruiseship sailings out of Australia. The Roll Call for Princess is listed under the particular Princess ship.

 

My opinion on your individual questions -

 

Prices and specials - Fares on Princess ships can a bit more expensive than P & O, but specials come up on both cruise lines. Sometimes Princess is cheaper than P & O. Watch the on-line travel agents.

 

Value for money - This probably depends on whether you got a special or not.

 

Out of pocket on-board expenses - Count on slightly higher costs on Princess. There is a gratuity (10%) added to each drink order. The automatic tips costs more per day on Princess on P & O, but it is up to you whether you pay this. P & O Aust plus Dawn Princess and Sun Princess operate in AUD, but the Diamond Princess (and other cruiselines) operate in USD. On-board costs of everything (including tours) are much more expensive on ships working in USD.

 

Ships and facilities - In our opinion, Princess ships are a step 'above' P & O. Pacific Dawn is larger than the Pacific Sun and is a slight notch above.

 

Kids facilities - I think P & O probably do this a little bit better than Princess and you will always find more kids on P & O.

 

Meals - Princess has it a bit over P & O.

 

Itineraries - Not much difference. This is personal preference.

 

Tours offered - Both cruiselines work from the same tour list. We have noticed that on some tours the price with Princess is a little bit more than on P & O, but then we found one tour that was the other way around. We do our own tours anyway so it doesn't affect us personally.

 

Final choice - You mention that you prefer to sail from Sydney. That would generally limit you to the one P & O ship (Dawn at the moment, but Jewel from next December) and the Princess fleet. Look at the itinerary, dates and price to make up your mind. If you travel with children, you will need to see if there are vacancies in the kids' club for the cruise you are considering. Only a limited number of children in each group can go on each cruise, and in school holiday periods these places book out before the ship does.

 

Hope this helps. If you are unsure of anything, please ask. :):)

 

Evon.

[rugbypopsie]

I should hope it doesn't get tense there is no reason in the world why it should. We all love cruising for various reasons. People have told me that they have done two sectors of the same cruise and it felt totally different. Staff on board change and that can affect peoples perception of their ship. Weather, break downs, unexpected problems are just part of travelling. Your experience on these boards should show you just how often different people on the same ship at the same time have different opinions.

 

Like any holiday anywhere one size doesn't fit all. Before even considering comparing Princess with P and O you need to have asked yourself some questions.

 

I would be thinking along the lines of;

 

Is price a major consideration?

 

Then consider;

Ruling out any embarkation port other than Australia or NZ.

Considering choice of cabin,

insides are always cheaper.

Cruising in Aussie Dollars,

USD nearly doubles your onboard costs.

Can you save money by doing independent tours or an itinerary where tours are not an issue.

Can you cruise out of peak periods, prices are dearer in school holidays etc.

Can you cruise at the last minute (real bargains after final payment on unsold cabins).

Where do I want to go to?

 

What age group am you in and who are you travelling with, teenagers/small children/partner/parent/friends?

 

Then consider

 

What activities are likely to interest me/us on board, if you have children does the ship cater for them outside of school holidays?

If you are looking for a lively night life/or a quiet holiday then dont choose a ship which caters to a different age demographic unless you are in a group of your own.

 

For your first cruise consider something fairly short.

 

42 posts from someone who hasn't cruised yet looks like you have the makings of a real addict. I met someone who had done the same itinerary on the same ship 7 times!

 

Once you have considered these questions it should help in making your choice.

 

Whatever you choose your attitude and joining the roll call will help you have a great cruise no matter which ship you choose.

 

For the record I am a Princess nut...but am considering P and O because next cruise I will have my extended family with me and the younger ones will enjoy a more lively atmosphere. So a "float in a boat" using aussie dollars, somewhere warm,with kids club and a bit of night life will fit the bill nicely.:D:D

[Molly Doble]

In my personal opinion i prefer Princess, i still love cruising with P&O but we found that with Princess it suited us better. The Sapphire Princess was a beautiful ship with 4 swimming pools, we had set dining times and food was available 24 hours a day. They also had a soda card which is really handy for kids or non drinkers we paid $50 for the card and the drinks were unlimited.

 

We are not huge spenders on cruisers so to have things billed in US wasn't a problem for us.

On every ship we have cruised on the staff have been wonderful.

 

Whatever cruise you choose, it is what you make it and you will become addicted like the rest of us :D

 

Tania

[Ela 2]

On every ship we have cruised on the staff have been wonderful. Whatever cruise you choose, it is what you make it and you will become addicted like the rest of us :D

 

Tania

Ain't that the truth. :D:D:D

Evon.

[rugbypopsie]

Ain't that the truth. :D:D:D

Evon.

 

I will second that...look for the negative it will always be there but any day at sea is a great day for me:p:p:p

[OverTheTop]

Thanks for all your opinions. Gives me something to think about when booking cruise number 2 but that will depend on how much we spend on cruise number 1!:D

Angela

[Kinkacruiser]

We seem to have slotted into the Princess cruises....maybe its because of the loyalty rewards, or that the demographics suit us better. I'd be keen to book on the Pacific Dawn, especially that she will be Brisbane based.

I hope you'll be able to make an informed decision from what people have said...it's all top advice.

Cheers,

Anna

[tassie cruiser]

We have been on both Pacific Dawn and Dawn Princess and both NYE cruises. P&O definatly attracts younger people and Princess definatly attract older cruisers. The atmosphere on P&O more fun and lively and more activities, daily on top deck till late. Princess dont. Princess more dressing up, formal evenings etc..P&O more casual.

Princess food better in my opinion and all food included, ranging from pool snacks to Pizzas to room service, where P&O, these all incur a charge.Drinks are cheaper on P&O than Princess. Kids club activities so much better on P&O. So, if you are a younger person, i think you would enjoy P&O and if you are older Princess. No matter what you choose, at the end of the day you will have a great time on either. we will all be interested to hear what you choose.. Fiona

[Kiwi Kid]

We have been on both Pacific Dawn and Dawn Princess and both NYE cruises. P&O definatly attracts younger people and Princess definatly attract older cruisers. The atmosphere on P&O more fun and lively and more activities, daily on top deck till late. Princess dont. Princess more dressing up, formal evenings etc..P&O more casual.

Princess food better in my opinion and all food included, ranging from pool snacks to Pizzas to room service, where P&O, these all incur a charge.Drinks are cheaper on P&O than Princess. Kids club activities so much better on P&O. So, if you are a younger person, i think you would enjoy P&O and if you are older Princess. No matter what you choose, at the end of the day you will have a great time on either. we will all be interested to hear what you choose.. Fiona

 

I second what Fiona has said - at early 40's and having done both, prefer P&O simply because of the demographic it tends to attract. Tried Princess for April school holidays and didn't suit us - not enough families, kids club for a 12 year old didn't work and highlights for me, such as sailaway, were a non-event on Princess.

 

As for formal nights - think it depends on those on board. On Princess many chose not to partake, whereby on our 2 P&O cruises, the majority seemed to have made the effort. (Great opportunity to get family portraits at a fraction of the cost you'd pay at home).

 

Room service - we used it twice on Princess but only because it was there - and we really didn't need it! Princess food was on a par with P&O - except we never got lobster on P&O. Many who had sailed on her more than once stated that they'd lost their edge a bit from 6-12 months ago.

 

Drinks - definately cheaper on P&O - and for some reason the bar service in the lounges seemed to be better (maybe more people were drinking, hence more staff!) In saying that, both lines employ amazing staff who truely want to serve you well.

 

Cabins - P&O are slightly larger for a standard inside or outside (no suite experience I'm afraid!) Though as it's an older ship, their bathrooms can run into problems - a factor on both lines - but on both our P&O cruises our shower was a little sluggish in draining.

 

Tendering - P&O have rules and adhere to them - Princess seemed like they didn't want to upset any of their more mature guests! So the bunfight for tickets really was a fight - despite waiting for 3/4 hr, you weren't guaranteed good tickets, as people turned up 5 minutes prior to issue and just pushed there way through, collecting huge quantities for people that weren't there.

 

As many have mentioned, you get out of a cruise what you put in - I found more things to my liking, hence wanted to participate in, on P&O. Princess seemed to cater for their demographic, whilst P&O to a younger, more lively audience.

 

Just my personal opinion - which obviously differs from those above, but everyone is different - which is great or you'd never get a cheap Princess deal as they would have waiting lists!! :p Happy cruising - Jo

[Kinkacruiser]

Isn't it good that we have a choice now? As cruising continues to grow, so will the cruiseliners servicing Australia. That has to be a plus.

Cheers,

Anna

[Emma Chisit]

Thanks for starting such an interesting thread, OverTheTop. We are booked on Star Princess in September - San Francisco to Sydney (30 days). US Princess line I know, but interesting to read the well-thought out comparisons offered by other posters, as we are just back from our first cruise on P & O's Pacific Sun. (Review posted on this forum). We seem to fit the Princess demographic as described by others here, as we are older cruisers who like a quiet atmosphere. However, on our return, we definitely recommended the P & O product to our son and his family as we were impressed by the activities for children, and the atmosphere.

[cruisin-m]

-Princess ships are alot nicer and spacier than P&O ships.

 

-Princess is generally more expensive however Princess offer far better specials then P&O which is essentially always on 'special', you pretty much just always pay full price called a 'special'. We saved heaps by booking with Princess over P&O this time around.

 

-P&O are more lively outside of Summer/School holidays. If you go in Winter on an around Australia cruise not in school holidays Princess will be a very old crowd. In saying that I've been on Princess in Summer holidays and they were as good, if not better then P&O in vibe with a really young crowd and families.

 

-Food and service is better on Princess as well as no 'extra' costs such as pizzeria, grill, room service etc.

 

-Drinks are much the same, maybe a tad more on Princess as they charge 10% grat, but then your allowed to take drinks on which I prefer. ;)

 

-Youth stuff is smaller on Princess and doesn't run as long but I've heard people saying they preferred the stuff they did.

 

 

If you can get Princess for cheaper than P&O in Summer on popular cruises such as Christmas, NYE and one after NYE then I'd definitely go with them and I'm a young bloke too. :)

[Molly Doble]

There has been a lot of discussion about P&O v Princess in regard to ages. Last year we cruised on the Sapphire Princess 14 nights to NZ and apart from there being more Americans than aussies, there were a lot of older people. Earlier this month we cruised on the Pacific Dawn 17 nights to Samoa and there was also a lot of older people on that cruise. But having said that i guess people in their twenties might think i am in the older bracket (40's) even though i don't feel it.

 

At the end of the day we love to cruise and we still plan to be cruising for many years to come. So i guess at some point we will fit the older demographic.:D We have enjoyed meeting a variety of people regardless of age.

 

We just love to cruise :D

[kcbj]

For the record I am a Princess nut...but am considering P and O because next cruise I will have my extended family with me and the younger ones will enjoy a more lively atmosphere. So a "float in a boat" using aussie dollars, somewhere warm,with kids club and a bit of night life will fit the bill nicely.:D:D

 

Hi RugbyPopsie,

 

My in-laws were on your last cruise. The one where the Canadian Captain had had enough of the whingers and told them.

 

They loved the cruise and couldn't work out what the whingers were on about.

 

Great response to this thread too.

 

Cheers

 

Clive:)

[OverTheTop]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. We are already booked on Pacific Dawn for September this year. I am already considering our next cruise and thought we may look at a Princess cruise to compare. It seems like P and O fit the bill a little better for us at the moment (5 kids from 3 to 16) ultimately for us it comes down to price so who knows and as I said before it depends how much we spend on the first cruise!

 

We are the sort of family that will have a blast no matter what. I was surprised to see that some of the newly released cruises for p and o are almost full in terms of kids clubs! We need to go during school holidays (teacher) so I hope there are spaces left.

 

By the way what is people favourite Princess ship (sailing from Australia)?

Happy Days

Angela

[cruisin-m]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. We are already booked on Pacific Dawn for September this year. I am already considering our next cruise and thought we may look at a Princess cruise to compare. It seems like P and O fit the bill a little better for us at the moment (5 kids from 3 to 16) ultimately for us it comes down to price so who knows and as I said before it depends how much we spend on the first cruise!

 

We are the sort of family that will have a blast no matter what. I was surprised to see that some of the newly released cruises for p and o are almost full in terms of kids clubs! We need to go during school holidays (teacher) so I hope there are spaces left.

 

By the way what is people favourite Princess ship (sailing from Australia)?

Happy Days

Angela

 

Well the two dedicated Aussie Princess ships Sun/Dawn Princess are identical, just Sun Princess is two years older and Dawn Princess is fitted with movies under the stars and "the sanctuary" adults only spa area.

Sun Princess gets fitted with both of those early next year though as well.

 

I can only comment on the Dawn Princess but that's by far the nicest Aussie ship we've been on, with best service and best vibe on it.

 

With your 5 kids, I'd look out for P&O's cutbacks in the teen facilities, they just throw everyone from 11-17 in the one group now, so depends on your kids, but most are bothered when they're 13+ especially 16-17 yr olds and hanging around 11 year olds.

 

While Princess still have a dedicated teens only group with a dedicated dj and they set out the activities so it interests everyone, e.g tshirt painting on early for younger and parties and stuff up late for the 16-17 year olds and all.

[rugbypopsie]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. We are already booked on Pacific Dawn for September this year. I am already considering our next cruise and thought we may look at a Princess cruise to compare. It seems like P and O fit the bill a little better for us at the moment (5 kids from 3 to 16) ultimately for us it comes down to price so who knows and as I said before it depends how much we spend on the first cruise!

 

We are the sort of family that will have a blast no matter what. I was surprised to see that some of the newly released cruises for p and o are almost full in terms of kids clubs! We need to go during school holidays (teacher) so I hope there are spaces left.

 

By the way what is people favourite Princess ship (sailing from Australia)?

Happy Days

Angela

 

Sailing from Australia I have sailed on the Pacific Princess, around the islands, Star Princess from Darwin to Thailand, Diamond Princess last Christmas to NZ and Dawn Princess the long way around Asia in May/

April....so...I guess you can see my addiction of these ships I loved the Pacific Princess she is quite small but feels really roomy...I loved the Star too...however currently for regular sailings from Australia it would have to be the Diamond...I had a teenage daughter with me and my 84 year old Mum and we all had a blast!! Beautiful modern ship, NZ was great itinerary (have done the Pacific Islands a few times) I also got a really, really good deal for a school holiday cruise...so it wins hands down! Dawn Princess would be bottom pick...not that it is bad, its not, but the older layout and very small staterooms didn't match up to the others. I was on the whingers cruise as Clive mentioned so I guess that didn't help.

 

I will probably take another look at the Dawn when the refit is completed...Movies under the Stars sounds like a great option and hopefully they will do something about the layout of the buffet...I do want to support choice in sailings from Australia.

[lilly4350]

Hi all thinking of out next cruise (haven't even been on the first!):o and I was thinking of princess versus p and o cruises. I searched but couldn't find this topic, although I realise it probably has been covered.

 

I know different people will have different opinions and views on the topic, just after a general consensus, so all opinions valued. What are the pro's and con's of each? Considering things like prices, ships, specials, itineries, meals, kids clubs/facilities, facilities, out of pocket expenses when on board, tours offered, best value for money etc. :confused: Are there standout ships for p and o and princess? What are the must sail on ships in peoples opinions (we would most likely sail from Sydney)?

 

I know this thread has the potential to become tense;) so hoping I haven't stirred up a hornets nest!:rolleyes:

 

Also dumb question ~ to look up Princess cruises online is it just www.princess.com (no special australian princess site?)

 

 

I know, great suggestion, TRY THEM ALL!!! And when you have done all the Australian cruise lines, then start on all the overseas ones. We have at 4 cruises that we want to do over the next few years. Totally addicted!

 

Lilly