Other Cruise lines.

[screwy]

As we are relatively new to Cruising...7 on P&O and 2 circa 2000 on Thomson and Airtours we would like to try other brands but are put off by the tales of high bar prices, extra surcharges on bar purchaces etc. I know that most Balcony Cabins are virtually the same no matter what ship so that doesn't matter.We don't mind having to be a bit more Smart other than casual. Would really like to hear from those who use the other lines. Thanks All.....PS.. Were not Tight...just careful and not even from Yorkshire..lol

[towny44]

Our main experience other than P&O is Celebrity and a 2014 Princess cruise.
Both add a surcharge to their drinks prices of 15-18% worldwide, but Celebrity Eclipse sailings from the UK do not add a surcharge, however they inflate their list prices from Southampton so that the prices end up the same.
The end result is that bar prices are higher, but when you factor in the exchange rate, and that measures are much larger on US lines, then unless you are a way above average drinker the final cost is not dissimilar. My final on board accounts from all 3 are generally very similar.
If you want to compare bar prices most cruise line websites do provide on line pricing but not always bang up to date.
The other area where US lines charge higher than P&O is in the cost of shuttle buses, but on a normal cruise only about half the ports need a shuttle, and sometimes shared taxis can be a more economic alternative.

[Mervyn and Trish]

There are sometimes bargains to be had but if you're looking at the mass market lines such as P&O, Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and so on they all have the same sort of costs and it's a competitive market. So however the price breaks down into list price, extras and on board spend the final total is not going to be much different. They're all good lines too, so the main difference is going to be in style and personal preference. If you're relaxed about things like formality none will disappoint. You'll only find your personal favourite by trying them. A few years ago instead of one big cruise we did four 4-nighters on different lines and that helped us decide what we preferred.

[Manoverboard]

It sounds to me like you're stuck in a rut, it does however depend why you are looking ...

If it's a case of same ol same regarding P&O's formula then go for Princess or Celebrity for a touch of ' Elegant Chic ' rather than the usual Formality of P&O. The Ports will be pretty much the same as P&O and especially so if cruising out of Southampton, ditto Cunard.

The cost of the US Lines work out the same, or cheaper, overall if you buy at the right time but read the small print carefully regarding their offers. Celebrity, for example, have an offer on selected cruises at the moment that includes an included drinks Package ... it doesn't include the 18% gratuity that will be charged once on board. It that a Grrrr !!!! - not at all, it means that your drinks are going to be a mere 18% of their listed price. Look for the positives rather than the negatives is my advice.

We gave up with P&O ( bar Adonia ) some time ago due to their ongoing repetitive itineraries, if this is your problem too then opt for the smaller Cruise Lines ... Voyages of Discovery, Cruise & Maritime, Fred or Saga etc.

Once you have tried a couple of new Lines then consider doing one of the Riverboat Cruises, they can be expensive but they deffo add a new definition to the concept of cruising.

Hope that helps.

[sunseeker16]

If you sorta like P&O, you'll probably like Princess.
Many similarities but -sad to say - I think the little bit of 'Americanisation' is an improvement. Service has always been better, in my experience, and the food is half a notch up too
There are some real bargains to be had if you book at the right time - e.g. one week Iberia for £499, inside cabin, recently advertised - and other times the prices can be similar to P&O
The excursions are definitely better - more interested and varied
You will get some benefits on their loyalty schemes from your P&O history

[Meg 50]

I like the look of Oceania line - though I think they are generally fly cruises

[gfwgfw]

Why not explore Saga

Yes, the upfront price does seam to be a tad over the main players

BUTthis does include travel insurance, transportation twixt your home to ship, all gratuities, select dining in a very intimate venue with an interesting menu

On selected cruises you may be lucky with an all inclusive offered

The current small fleet are very well appointed albeit much smaller than their competitors floating sky scrapers

The crew are mainly recruited from the Philippines who have a wonderful attitude with passengers

Hope that my post could give you food for thought

Happy Cruising

Graham

[Boris+]

I think a bit might depend on your fluid consumption. If you drink lots, then maybe look out for a Celebrity itinerary which offers a drinks package included (and hopefully including the general gratuities too).

If you are looking for a departure from Southampton, give Celebrity Eclipse a try - you may well start to notice the different attitude etc right from the moment you reach the terminal, which we certainly did.

Depending on the level of accommodation you book you may well get some speciality restaurant deals included too, and it's great not being limited to a choice of just one or two places to eat.

Good luck with making your choice.

[JoanneB]

I like the look of Oceania line - though I think they are generally fly cruises

We are converts to Oceania. Left P&O 4/5 years ago tried Celebrity which we enjoyed although our last one last year was a bit so-so, but Oceania suits our needs better. All the alternative restaurants are included in the ,admittedly higher, price the cabins are fabulous and the bars are good and trivia excellent.

The two larger ships Marina and Riviera are our favourite for us just the right size about 1200 people, but the rest of the fleet are the sister ships to Adonia for those who like the smaller size they do some excellent itineraries.

Our TA has just posted live from Oceania Riviera but be warned it was reading one of her live from reviews that got us hooked!!
https://www.facebook.com/gocruisewithjane

[Meg 50]

I like the look of Oceania line - though I think they are generally fly cruises

We are converts to Oceania. Left P&O 4/5 years ago tried Celebrity which we enjoyed although our last one last year was a bit so-so, but Oceania suits our needs better. All the alternative restaurants are included in the ,admittedly higher, price the cabins are fabulous and the bars are good and trivia excellent.

The two larger ships Marina and Riviera are our favourite for us just the right size about 1200 people, but the rest of the fleet are the sister ships to Adonia for those who like the smaller size they do some excellent itineraries.

Our TA has just posted live from Oceania Riviera but be warned it was reading one of her live from reviews that got us hooked!!
https://www.facebook.com/gocruisewithjane

It was reading Jane's reviews that made us want to try it too!

[JoanneB]

Albert's video is here too Meg just to keep up the interest!!
https://youtu.be/O2wsnpq0BGU

[OCEANIAFAN]

Also have you looked at Azamara, their prices include Booze also we gave up P&O some years ago and now cruise with Azamara, Oceania or Seabourn

[Boris+]

Also have you looked at Azamara, their prices include Booze also we gave up P&O some years ago and now cruise with Azamara, Oceania or Seabourn

It's only Az Journey for us at the moment - but we believe that the two ships are pretty much alike.

We have some very good friends that we sometimes cruise with, and we think so much alike that we trust their opinion; they didn't like Oceania, so we're not going to try it. (By coincidence, I know someone whose opinion I really don't think much of, and she loves Oceania - so that sort of puts the tin hat on it).

[Solent Richard]

As we are relatively new to Cruising...7 on P&O and 2 circa 2000 on Thomson and Airtours we would like to try other brands but are put off by the tales of high bar prices, extra surcharges on bar purchaces etc. I know that most Balcony Cabins are virtually the same no matter what ship so that doesn't matter.We don't mind having to be a bit more Smart other than casual. Would really like to hear from those who use the other lines. Thanks All.....PS.. Were not Tight...just careful and not even from Yorkshire..lol

Hello Screwy.

We have recently, well over the last three years, branched out with cruise lines having mainly concentrated on P&O and Cunard prior to that.

The main reason for that is that though we love both their cruising styles their itineraries now leave a lot to be desired for us.

A good example of our recent diversity was a wonderful cruise on Oceania's Riviera entitled Mayan Mystique and Viking's new Ocean cruise ship, Viking Star to some interesting Mediterranean ports: two we had not visited previously.

having said that we have booked to return to P&O in 2017 on Oceania and will be registering next Monday for a number of segments on one of Cunard's 2018 World Cruise schedule.

You can find examples of our diversity from celebrity to Oceania and from Silverseas to happen-Lloyd by visiting my cruise blog...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com

...and following the 'Cruise reviews' link.

[Silver_Shiney]

We've been big P&O fans in the past but our last two holidays have been with Cunard, and we think they have the edge on P&O. However, while booze at the bar is generally priced at a fair (for the location) rate, wine is fiendishly expensive - and in the restaurant, you aren't told how much it is. A large glass of house wine costs almost the same as a bottle on P&O!

I've heard that Celebrity's all-inclusive packages are good value, but I've also heard that the bar staff are extremely slow in serving - so slow that the drinks package actually doesn't work out to be worth it, as you can't get enough to cover the cost. Perhaps others here who use the line can give more informed comment on that?

[Solent Richard]

We've been big P&O fans in the past but our last two holidays have been with Cunard, and we think they have the edge on P&O. However, while booze at the bar is generally priced at a fair (for the location) rate, wine is fiendishly expensive - and in the restaurant, you aren't told how much it is. A large glass of house wine costs almost the same as a bottle on P&O!

I've heard that Celebrity's all-inclusive packages are good value, but I've also heard that the bar staff are extremely slow in serving - so slow that the drinks package actually doesn't work out to be worth it, as you can't get enough to cover the cost. Perhaps others here who use the line can give more informed comment on that?

Hi Silver Shiny.

With a considerable number of both Cunard and Celebrity cruises under my belt I'd say that wine pricing on both lines is very similar.

On my Celebrity Eclipse cruise last may I pre-purchased their Premium Drinks package. I was very pleased that I did...

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/201 ... er-cruise/

That saved a whopping $19.00 a day on what they charged once onboard.

[Silver_Shiney]

Thanks for that, Richard, a very interesting cruise report (have you been in that nuclear submarine? Fascinating!)

My main gripe was the price of house wine on Cunard. I was shocked to see how much it was on the QM2 in October, but completely forgot about it when we went on Queen Elizabeth in January and got another shock. I've no complaints about the price of beers and spirits on Cunard though.

Did you find the bar staff slow on Celebrity? One I'd heard was that they remember who has purchased the drinks package and manage to ignore/bypass them...

[AnnCAgain]

We've done several Celebrity cruises with drinks packages and never had to wait any longer than on P&O for drinks. Not everyone has a drinks package, so, unless they get to know you, how do they know you have one? If you stay in a bar and have a second/third drink we found the same waiter would approach us as the glasses were nearly empty and offer us another. We have never paid the 18% gratuities either, that was alluded to in another post.

[Silver_Shiney]

Thanks, Ann

[towny44]

We've done several Celebrity cruises with drinks packages and never had to wait any longer than on P&O for drinks. Not everyone has a drinks package, so, unless they get to know you, how do they know you have one? If you stay in a bar and have a second/third drink we found the same waiter would approach us as the glasses were nearly empty and offer us another. We have never paid the 18% gratuities either, that was alluded to in another post.

No but in fairness to those that continue to put drinks price costs as the main reason not to cruise on US lines, Celebrity do charge more for their Eclipse drink prices than on their non UK based ships which do add 18%.
However the higher cost of drinks is worthwhile compared to all the other benefits that Celebrity Eclipse offers.

[Silver_Shiney]

For me, John, the cost of drinks doesn't come into what line I cruise with, it's will I get value for money if I buy the drinks package.

[Manoverboard]

We've done several Celebrity cruises with drinks packages and never had to wait any longer than on P&O for drinks. Not everyone has a drinks package, so, unless they get to know you, how do they know you have one? If you stay in a bar and have a second/third drink we found the same waiter would approach us as the glasses were nearly empty and offer us another. We have never paid the 18% gratuities either, that was alluded to in another post.

One of mine, I recall ... we will deffo be paying the 18%.

As far as I can tell it seems to depend when you book, which ship and where one sails from as their offers seem to fluctuate somewhat during the season.

ps ... tis good to know that they are up to speed regarding the pouring of drinks .... hic.

[towny44]

For me, John, the cost of drinks doesn't come into what line I cruise with, it's will I get value for money if I buy the drinks package.

Now that does depend on how much you drink, as I don't want to be drunk in charge of a wheelchair then I would never get value from a drinks package, even when its free as it will be on my next Eclipse cruise in June.

[qbman1]

Not really "free" is it - they must build the cost into the overall price

[towny44]

Not really "free" is it - they must build the cost into the overall price

You would think so Cubie but I managed to change my booking lose the deposit (only £300 for two unlike P&O's 15%) and still make a substantial saving on Celebrity's buy one get one half price deal last spring.
So if you are correct then someone else is picking up my tab.