Your experience on Azura was exactly the same as we encountered on their new ship Iona. Cost cutting, less staff and a general watered down experience. Been on many P&O cruises and this was the first where we noticed the reduced standards. Yes we understand the industry have billions to find following the covid years, but we definitely noticed the cuts. Great video.
My overriding thought with so many of these vlogs is that no matter how low the price is and how affordable cruising has become, people still expect bells and whistles as if they are entitled to 5 star service all the way. You answered your own question about why there couldn’t possibly be a ‘welcome aboard’ party with such strung out embarkation but the second gripe about lack of turn down and towel animals strikes me as a prime example of the highest expectations on the lowest budget, I mean does it REALLY matter that you turn down your own bed minus a chocolate? I’ve seen the advertised price for this coming January and it starts at £595 including return flights and what P&O STILL manage to provide is astounding ( especially as there are no service charges which add up to a lot on other lines, and the price you see is the price you pay). Silver Seas and Oceana provide every luxurious touch you can imagine but a typical week will set you back £3000 not £600. I did enjoy the presentation though and, having sailed P&O twice in a year, we are giving Cunard a go in November. We enjoyed Arvia in March and met some great people but others who not only were uncouth, they moaned loud and long. Cruising used to be for the elite (a time when I certainly couldn’t afford it) and it’s now for the masses and boy do some of those masses love to complain.
Thanks Gerard. I actually agree with most of what you say... The problem is that things like a turn-down service and a served afternoon tea are featured on the website as services you can expect on all cruises. When you get aboard and find that these things have been sacrificed I don't care whether the cruise is cheap or not - its unacceptable. I believe the phrase is "Bait and Switch". And a subtle point I am making is that P&O seems to be offering a two stream experience under the same branding - a full service if you pay more and go on a newer ship and the sort of second tier, low-feature experience we had on this cheaper cruise on an older ship. Many, many, many people aboard the Azura paid a lot more than £600 for their cruise built on their loyalty to P&O and were shocked at what P&O actually delivered...
@@MattsOceans ah you get no disagreement from me if they are guilty of false advertising and it’s so unnecessary because all they achieve is disgruntlement from customers who would have been happy if all of those services had NOT been advertised. I did enjoy the free afternoon tea on the IONA, but that was January 2022 so maybe it’s been withdrawn since then. My gripe is not with you (I’m sure you’re a good humoured respectful customer) it was the behaviour and attitude of a small minority on Arvia who made out they were practically getting a ‘Third World’ product and talked to staff like they were the dirt on their shoe. This was a cruise where we were flown out to Barbados and then spent 15 days sailing back to Southampton for £950 for a balcony cabin (I know some paid a lot more but that bargain fare was ridiculously cheap). I recently watched an old ‘Holiday’ programme from 1989 where a 14 night Mediterranean cruise in summer started at £2000 (when the average monthly take home was about £600). No specialty restaurants and bunk beds in 2 berth cabins (how times have changed). Anyway happy cruising
@@gerardmackay8909 I dug out and watched the original cruise series which "launched" Jane MacDonald and it depicted a radically different experience from what we enjoy now... Radically! I think Cunard might be a wise choice - enjoy!
@@jackjones6604 7 nights Queen Victoria from Barcelona to Southampton 14 October, on their website today, starts at £599 for and inside cabin (that’s as competitive as any P&O sailing). I was on QV for a 12 night Canaries cruise Nov/Dec and I’d say the overall cost probably came to about 20% more than you would pay on P&O but the experience was in a different league imo.
Review! Nah, sounds more like a deliberate winge to me. My experience of Azura, was very good, staff were always attentive, food as you say was very good, yes, I met P & O veterans who said "P & O have lost it, things have gone downhill?" but I must say, I as a new P & O customer did not have any problems. Yes things were dated? but at 10 yrs old, not outrageous. Ok, I agree, portion sizes were small, but every meal was 3 courses, so I am glad I did not end up looking like a pudding, and we were seated as a couple about 90% of the time,. your comments about the buffet are accurate, but all in all, this is a complaint video, not meant to be a review, unless you are deliberetly putting people off,and that will not do, as it is the best value for money cruise out there.
Certainly not a "deliberate winge"... And you seem to agree with most of the negative points I make in this video... Been back on P&O very recently (videos coming) and it was really quite good...
My wife and I were in the exact same cruise you report on and was totally shocked at how you said you enjoyed the cruise yet pulled it apart. I found the cruise absolutely brilliant. Staff friendly, Cabin stewards attentive and the ship welcoming and comfortable. Good was brilliant in the Buffet and I ate in the Glass house. Lots of choice and very good quality. I found all the ports nice to wonder round and the weather was brilliant. Can I pick a fault ...None whatsoever. Captain Turnbull is a great guy always willing to chat to passengers and share a story or two....yes he is Human and does a great job...so I don't agree with your comments and TBF there is nothing in your video that backs up anything you said.... Very strange Vlog / review
I'm thrilled you had such a good time! I agree with most of what you said... My point is that if you have cruised with P&O before, or with an other cruise line, you're expectations may well have been higher. Was this your first cruise? First cruise with P&O?
We have just done our first cruise on Azura we were blown away and loved it so much booked again....being disabled in a wheelchair it was lovely to feel equal..the food & service was amazing!
I did this trip in December when the cutbacks were rolled out.. like yourselves really missed the afternoon tea service.. the low price meant that I used some of the premium restaurants which were excellent... There were only 1600 on board, too... I also had select dining and had no hesitation in having two main courses instead of a starter and main!!! I paid £795 balcony cabin and felt very happy at that price point...
Thanks Richard. I hope I made the point in the video that I enjoyed it and was happy with what I paid - it was just disappointing that P&O had scaled things back so much....
I think the thing is Matt I probably wouldn't do this again as time is precious and I had to make an effort to make it special ... if that makes sense ... singing off the sane hymn sheet I think..
Hi Matt, We cruised with P&O on Ventura - Azura's sister ship - last year in July. I had a great time too, but would agree, those ships are old, clunky, and the buffet is not fit for purpose. Can't remember the service being bad, though two of the 4 speciality restaurants were closed through the voyage. Can't say I've sailed with them before, and wouldn't bother again except for their newer ships, though I'm not one to pick a British cruise experience as it is. Having recently given MSC Virtuosa a try, we were both mainly delighted with the offering and will book with them again. One excellent thing on P&0 though was the Shanty/Irish folk band The Trawlermen, who were legends! I hear they do Princess ships too though. Thanks for your excellent videos!
Thanks Mike. MSC are in real competition with P&O which most people don't realise! I'm back on MSC myself soon.... It is also interesting how one good guest performer can make such a difference... The Elton John tribute act I saw last year still stands strong in my memory!
Just off Arvia. Yes she is new contemporary etc but the MDR food was poor the buffet was poor. We had drinks package and no problem making the most of it. Let’s see what Azura like for us. I like more traditional decor and love Britania and Queen Victoria (Cunard) I have a bargain price including flights accommodation food entertainment - you have to look to higher end cruising if you want a more luxury product. I’ve cruised many times and personally like P&O I don’t expect luxury and grateful to enjoy new experience at good price
Hi Matt...love your video's and opinion. We have travelled twice with p&o, on the iona and brittania.. I think you are correct in thinking that the service is better on there newer ships..a waiter walking off with your cruise card is very bad.. We have booked to go to the fjords on the iona in May, it will be colder than the canaries. Hopefully better service than you had.
I suspect most of the cruise lines are cutting back. We've just come back from our 6th cruise with Celebrity. A fab cruise around NZ and we had a wonderful time but we noticed lots of cuts - no welcome drink. Main dining room seems to have less choice, up cost items on some nights, and very poor quality steak. Speciality restaurants keep going up in price (I remember when it was $25) - they seem to be in the $60-$70 range now and again have up cost items. Buffet at lunch was great but in the evening it mainly focused on low quality grill items and burgers and hot dogs. Breakfast buffet seemed pretty good but had no variation at all that I could see throughout the cruise. We also felt the cabin attendants were rushed, our cabin had no loo paper on day 1, a draw full of toiletries in the bathroom belonging to the previous occupant (presumably) and a pair of old socks down by the corner of the bed. I had the Premium drinks package (my wife just the regular one - as she doesn't drink and it was included) and I regularly found that they would just give you the cheap zero brand stuff even if you asked for a branded drink or wine, I even asked for the better stuff off the Premium list to be told several times "don't have it". If you don't have a drinks package on Celebrity prices are incredibly expensive now -a bottle of Peroni running to $12 inc service. If you don't have a deal on the drinks package and want to buy the drinks package its $89 a day + 20% service ($109++ for the premium). Crazily high prices in the "Duty Free" shop. When I queried the high prices in the perfume shop I was told - "oh we will match UK high street prices if you can show us the price". I pointed out UK high street are not duty free and if their best is to match the high street (not a discounter) I might as well buy there. Good to sea that they no longer use plastic bottles for water, but disappointing to see that the tinned water was shipped in all the way from Midwest America. If you basing a ship in NZ and Australia for 8 months I would have thought they would have sourced locally - good water in Australia and NZ! We will probably cruise again with Celebrity but we did come away thinking it would be nice to try another line and maybe its time to go for a better one.
@@MattsOceans I wondered if it was because the ship is still to be refurbed (Celebrity spending the money on the new ships that are heavily reviewed) and if the high number of Brits (70%) on the cruise with a special deal was something to do with it. We had booked just the 1 cruise direct (at a good price 2 years ago) but it seemed most people had booked via one of the leading travel agents on a back to back cruise special. When we got back to Sydney apparently 1500 of the 2900 passengers were staying on - our Maitre D said it was the most he'd seen doing b2b in 15 years (His previous record was 900)
As previously stated on another of Matt’s vlogs all cruise lines are cutting back to reduce the debt they’ve incurred. Perhaps we need to get used to it as it’s not going to change
We did Azura from Malta in September and absolutely agree with your comments. We have done PandO previously and the difference was stark. Yes general we enjoyed it, yes it was cheap but the buffet was only half open, there were no waiters on the decks to bring drinks and the entertainment was amateur. We have booked a special 40th wedding anniversary cruise with them to the fiords in June. This was booked 18 months ago along with the excursions. Yesterday we got an email telling us that 3 of the main ports had changed and excursions cancelled due to berth availability issue. Visiting a rock with 4 lighthouses now! Got a £200on board credit for the rubbish entertainment on Azura. Just litteraly got back off 7 nights on MSC Virtuosa, wow what a difference! Fantastic experience except for getting covid tested positive this morning!. Thanks for the review concurs exactly with the experience in September.
Very honest comments. I'm taking my first P&O trip on the Ventura on a bargain price for a solo, after years of sailing with Marella. Your comments about the service standards seem to echo what's being said on the Facebook groups, so I'm not really expecting much from the trip!
The worst thing about making this sort of video is the fear that I'm going to deflate someone's excitement about an upcoming trip! I tried to emphasise that I still had a great time! And it was great value for money! Have a good trip!
@@MattsOceans Thanks Matt. I took the P&O trip to Portugal as an alternative to Marella in the Canaries. The P&O is literally half the price for a solo (drinks not included). I may try MSC next time, having seen your video of their company.
Honestly came back last Thursday from the repositioning and felt like any other cruise. Portions do seem a bit smaller, Menu's a little repetitive but overall a good cruise like pre Covid. If you want more portions waiters were more than happy, could also have a joke with them. Staff went above and beyond. Maybe the staff were having a bad week for some unknown reason. Especially when they spend so long away from home. If they have just joined the ship.... Some people laughed a long queue formed for the coaches in Tenerife at the airport and one person said "I've never experienced a fly cruise like this a long queue never doing this again, before they even knew the reason not many buses had showed up" An accident on the Motorway had happened. Entertainment was also brilliant. Can't wait for October and the year after.
That's great to hear. It repositioned up to Malta I believe? I did look at that option but we wanted to travel a little earlier... Perhaps there was a lighter passenger load as it was a longer trip?
Interesting, will be on this ship in three months time not having sailed on it before and my previous P&O cruise was January 2019 so that 56 month gap should enable me to see if the company have made any specific cost cuts
Just off the iona to Norway and p and o was disappointing. We were on ventura a few years back and everyone was made special but this time it was really disappointing. Agree with everything you said.
Thanks Thomas. Actually parked in Vigo today next to the Ventura! It's challenging for p&o to be offering such different experiences under the same brand
I think the ships do vary with p&o. We went on Venura last year for a 4 night cruise and it was just ok -quite dated. We went on Britannia in April though for a 12 nighter and thought it was brilliant, especially as it was under £600 each. Service was extremely good, and only a shade below our trip on Cunard which clearly more premium/expensive. Menu in the MDR was small as were the portions, but good quality and I’d rather that then piles poor quality. Based on your review I’ll stick with Britannia for next one. Great review though and appreciate your humorous commentary too.
Agree with nearly all your comments Matt. We started our cruising journey with P&O 20 years ago on Aurora and have travelled with them a few times since. (But have also tried other lines: Celebrity, Cunard, Princess, RCI, so are by no means blindly loyal to one line). Last summer we did a similar 1 week fly-cruise on Azura (from Malta, which is it's summer base) and like you we were mainly attracted by the price (£95 pppn including flights & tips really was a bargain) and so were prepared to overlook several shortcomings. But the ship was only at 60% capacity which I think made the lack of staff in some areas less noticeable. But it's indisputable that service standards have gone done since we first sailed with P&O, and it just isn't the "premium" experience it used to be. The lack of evening turn down service may be considered minor (do you really need that chocolate on the pillow?!) but I've read reports that where for example you have more than 2 passengers in a cabin the chore of having to make up the extra beds yourselves each evening is really not something you would be expecting to do. And it's smaller things too - like being able to get the restaurants to store the unused half drunk bottles of wine for you to have the next night, that is no longer available. You suggest that P&O are concentrating all their efforts on their new mega ships (Iona & Arvia) and to some extent that may be true. (We tried out Iona on a post Covid "cruise to nowhere" in 2021 and it was lovely, all shiny & new, but then it was only a third full... The reports I've read since seem to show that those ships too are suffering serious staffing issues with severe over crowding in many areas and 2 hour waits to get into dinner!) So to sum up I don't think we'll be going with P&O any time again soon. The 5000+ capacity ships are not really for us, and there are plenty of other lines & ships we've yet to try (Viking & Holland America have their attractions, and we also still have a soft spot for Cunard. And if you thought P&O was formal you should try them!)
Thanks so much Tony. Off on MSC again in a couple of weeks and really quite excited to see how they fare! And people were complaining about the wine storage on our cruise too - quite a few people were wandering around clutching a bottle, which is not a good look! Seems like a small and inexpensive service to offer...
Done many P&O cruises, Med, Caribbean and to be honest cannot find fault with any of them, Any holiday you can nit pick but for what you pay aad what you get is in my view a very good cruising experience.
Thanks - and you are right... This was a good experience... I'm thinking I need to go on one of P&O's newer ships on a more "peak time" cruise to answer the question of whether I experienced a "P&O Lite" experience...
@@MattsOceans Taking your advice on other channel and going to Seville for a week in Sept😎. Looking at a cruise thereafter or before in the Med for a few nights 4 or 5. Who would recommend, bearing in mind I don't like the "family cruise" with loads of kids. Don't mind young adults, can alwaus have a few drinks with them🤣🍻🍷🇿🇦
@@peetbothma6982 Fantasic! Think about side trips to Cadiz or Cordoba if you have a week there... September should be reasonably kid-free as its out of term time. The bigger challenge could be the 4-5 days as most cruises are a week. Cruisetimetables.com is a good way to find and visualise options then follow them up on the cruise lines website. Royal Caribbean may well have trips of < 1 week...
Sad to hear your feelings on Azura but can understand up to a point as my first cruise many years ago before pandemic was on Britannia of which I did 8 all of which were exceptional. Then since getting back to cruising all has changed for the worse but understandable under the health and safety they have had to employ on ships and my 4 on Iona were lacking on what my experiences on Britannia had been as you say no fanfare or pictures taken on arrival no turning down of the beds and imagine having to wear masks all the time for the staff so sad. Time has ticked on and having just come off Arvia apart from most of it enduring a cold and cough ( not Covid) I loved every minute with excellent food options outside MDR which I don’t like doing as I am on my own and hate shared tables, freedom dining times but mdr as per comments from others was a bit stressful , good entertainment and some lovely waiting staff even though you came across a few grumpy ones. My main gripe was with my fellow passengers hogging sun beds and seats and being very selfish but it was a big ship and fully booked so a lot of people together on a 6 day crossing of the Atlantic is not something I will be doing again . Hope you get a good experience with p and o in the future 👍
More and more mainstream cruiselines skip the evening cabin service. Most cruiselines are downsizing portions at the MDR. Lobster night contains one lobstertail. Like to have another one....you have to pay an extra charge. Thanks for the vid. Unfortunally i see to many bad reviews of P&O.
Another excellent video, travelled with P & O a few times, one good, two ok and one poor with a similar experience to yours on Brittania. Never had that on any other line, very odd. I doubt we will travel with them again.
Thanks Colin. Fascinating to monitor the comments on videos like this as it turns into a straw poll of other experiences. Plenty of people agreeing about P&O, one vote for MSC and one scaled down experience reported on Celebrity, of all people!
We have just done the Azura Greek cruise from Malta and agree 100% with everything you've said. As a veggie it was diabolical food. Staff lazy and unattractive. Entertainment at times dire. We WONT be doing another p&o cruise.
Haven't travelled on P&O yet, but have certainly been looking at them. Their newer, larger, 'party boats' don't appeal, so was looking at Aurora and Azura. Now I'm left wondering if I should steer clear of the line.
I'm optimistic that my experience was an outlier... Check back in a couple of days to see the comments that get left - most so far seem to be agreeing!
I’ve just come off Azura after 12 night transition cruise and I had a good time ! Oh what a shame not a fan fair when you got on !!!! Get a life and watch the muster video or be prepared to stand for an hour to say you’ve done it Yes there were cutbacks but not enough to say I had a bad time especially when the problems faced with what is going on in the world at present ! Yes food items were smaller but I just ordered large and not a problem, you find it a problem I didn’t entertainment was good apart from one act ! Would I after 10 cruises pre pandemic sail with P&O again? Definitely as I enjoyed my time on board as did most people Sorry but you need to get real and face up to the problems that all cruising companies face and alot of what you say has been on our previous cruise on Celebrity so what do you say to that Well done P&O considering you need to recoup 2+ years on no money See you in June 👍😂
Thanks Martin. First comment out of perhaps a dozen standing up for P&O - great to see and its great that you know who your next cruise will be with. I did enjoy myself (as I say perhaps 3 times in the video) but I'm not going to be so quick to tolerate a diminished experience. And you're comment emphasises that people looking to return to P&O after not cruising for a couple of years should be aware that its not the same experience...
Your experience on Azura was exactly the same as we encountered on their new ship Iona. Cost cutting, less staff and a general watered down experience. Been on many P&O cruises and this was the first where we noticed the reduced standards. Yes we understand the industry have billions to find following the covid years, but we definitely noticed the cuts. Great video.
Getting on P&O again later today to see if its the case across the fleet....
Arvia? We can wave as we're on the Isle of Wight!
My overriding thought with so many of these vlogs is that no matter how low the price is and how affordable cruising has become, people still expect bells and whistles as if they are entitled to 5 star service all the way. You answered your own question about why there couldn’t possibly be a ‘welcome aboard’ party with such strung out embarkation but the second gripe about lack of turn down and towel animals strikes me as a prime example of the highest expectations on the lowest budget, I mean does it REALLY matter that you turn down your own bed minus a chocolate? I’ve seen the advertised price for this coming January and it starts at £595 including return flights and what P&O STILL manage to provide is astounding ( especially as there are no service charges which add up to a lot on other lines, and the price you see is the price you pay). Silver Seas and Oceana provide every luxurious touch you can imagine but a typical week will set you back £3000 not £600. I did enjoy the presentation though and, having sailed P&O twice in a year, we are giving Cunard a go in November. We enjoyed Arvia in March and met some great people but others who not only were uncouth, they moaned loud and long. Cruising used to be for the elite (a time when I certainly couldn’t afford it) and it’s now for the masses and boy do some of those masses love to complain.
Thanks Gerard. I actually agree with most of what you say... The problem is that things like a turn-down service and a served afternoon tea are featured on the website as services you can expect on all cruises. When you get aboard and find that these things have been sacrificed I don't care whether the cruise is cheap or not - its unacceptable. I believe the phrase is "Bait and Switch". And a subtle point I am making is that P&O seems to be offering a two stream experience under the same branding - a full service if you pay more and go on a newer ship and the sort of second tier, low-feature experience we had on this cheaper cruise on an older ship. Many, many, many people aboard the Azura paid a lot more than £600 for their cruise built on their loyalty to P&O and were shocked at what P&O actually delivered...
@@MattsOceans ah you get no disagreement from me if they are guilty of false advertising and it’s so unnecessary because all they achieve is disgruntlement from customers who would have been happy if all of those services had NOT been advertised. I did enjoy the free afternoon tea on the IONA, but that was January 2022 so maybe it’s been withdrawn since then. My gripe is not with you (I’m sure you’re a good humoured respectful customer) it was the behaviour and attitude of a small minority on Arvia who made out they were practically getting a ‘Third World’ product and talked to staff like they were the dirt on their shoe. This was a cruise where we were flown out to Barbados and then spent 15 days sailing back to Southampton for £950 for a balcony cabin (I know some paid a lot more but that bargain fare was ridiculously cheap). I recently watched an old ‘Holiday’ programme from 1989 where a 14 night Mediterranean cruise in summer started at £2000 (when the average monthly take home was about £600). No specialty restaurants and bunk beds in 2 berth cabins (how times have changed). Anyway happy cruising
@@gerardmackay8909 I dug out and watched the original cruise series which "launched" Jane MacDonald and it depicted a radically different experience from what we enjoy now... Radically! I think Cunard might be a wise choice - enjoy!
I'm sure Cunard will be great - but that is why it costs almost double what you will pay for a P&O cruise.
@@jackjones6604 7 nights Queen Victoria from Barcelona to Southampton 14 October, on their website today, starts at £599 for and inside cabin (that’s as competitive as any P&O sailing). I was on QV for a 12 night Canaries cruise Nov/Dec and I’d say the overall cost probably came to about 20% more than you would pay on P&O but the experience was in a different league imo.
Review! Nah, sounds more like a deliberate winge to me.
My experience of Azura, was very good, staff were always attentive, food as you say was very good, yes, I met P & O veterans who said "P & O have lost it, things have gone downhill?" but I must say, I as a new P & O customer did not have any problems.
Yes things were dated? but at 10 yrs old, not outrageous.
Ok, I agree, portion sizes were small, but every meal was 3 courses, so I am glad I did not end up looking like a pudding, and we were seated as a couple about 90% of the time,.
your comments about the buffet are accurate, but all in all, this is a complaint video, not meant to be a review, unless you are deliberetly putting people off,and that will not do, as it is the best value for money cruise out there.
Certainly not a "deliberate winge"... And you seem to agree with most of the negative points I make in this video... Been back on P&O very recently (videos coming) and it was really quite good...
Its definitely made me think whether its worth booking for Jan 2025. Excellent review Matt thanks
It was a very good experience just a little different... Hopefully this would prepare you!
My wife and I were in the exact same cruise you report on and was totally shocked at how you said you enjoyed the cruise yet pulled it apart. I found the cruise absolutely brilliant. Staff friendly, Cabin stewards attentive and the ship welcoming and comfortable. Good was brilliant in the Buffet and I ate in the Glass house. Lots of choice and very good quality. I found all the ports nice to wonder round and the weather was brilliant. Can I pick a fault ...None whatsoever. Captain Turnbull is a great guy always willing to chat to passengers and share a story or two....yes he is Human and does a great job...so I don't agree with your comments and TBF there is nothing in your video that backs up anything you said.... Very strange Vlog / review
I'm thrilled you had such a good time! I agree with most of what you said... My point is that if you have cruised with P&O before, or with an other cruise line, you're expectations may well have been higher. Was this your first cruise? First cruise with P&O?
We have just done our first cruise on Azura we were blown away and loved it so much booked again....being disabled in a wheelchair it was lovely to feel equal..the food & service was amazing!
I did this trip in December when the cutbacks were rolled out.. like yourselves really missed the afternoon tea service.. the low price meant that I used some of the premium restaurants which were excellent... There were only 1600 on board, too... I also had select dining and had no hesitation in having two main courses instead of a starter and main!!! I paid £795 balcony cabin and felt very happy at that price point...
Thanks Richard. I hope I made the point in the video that I enjoyed it and was happy with what I paid - it was just disappointing that P&O had scaled things back so much....
I think the thing is Matt I probably wouldn't do this again as time is precious and I had to make an effort to make it special ... if that makes sense ... singing off the sane hymn sheet I think..
Hi Matt, We cruised with P&O on Ventura - Azura's sister ship - last year in July. I had a great time too, but would agree, those ships are old, clunky, and the buffet is not fit for purpose. Can't remember the service being bad, though two of the 4 speciality restaurants were closed through the voyage. Can't say I've sailed with them before, and wouldn't bother again except for their newer ships, though I'm not one to pick a British cruise experience as it is. Having recently given MSC Virtuosa a try, we were both mainly delighted with the offering and will book with them again.
One excellent thing on P&0 though was the Shanty/Irish folk band The Trawlermen, who were legends! I hear they do Princess ships too though.
Thanks for your excellent videos!
Thanks Mike. MSC are in real competition with P&O which most people don't realise! I'm back on MSC myself soon.... It is also interesting how one good guest performer can make such a difference... The Elton John tribute act I saw last year still stands strong in my memory!
Just off Arvia. Yes she is new contemporary etc but the MDR food was poor the buffet was poor. We had drinks package and no problem making the most of it. Let’s see what Azura like for us. I like more traditional decor and love Britania and Queen Victoria (Cunard) I have a bargain price including flights accommodation food entertainment - you have to look to higher end cruising if you want a more luxury product. I’ve cruised many times and personally like P&O I don’t expect luxury and grateful to enjoy new experience at good price
Thanks - been on the Arvia myself and I did quite like it - thought the food was decent but as you say, a long way from luxury
Great video Matt! Enjoyed it. Very analytical. We were on an almost identical itinerary!
Thanks. Analytical seems to be my thing!
Hi Matt...love your video's and opinion.
We have travelled twice with p&o, on the iona and brittania..
I think you are correct in thinking that the service is better on there newer ships..a waiter walking off with your cruise card is very bad..
We have booked to go to the fjords on the iona in May, it will be colder than the canaries. Hopefully better service than you had.
I'm hoping this was a dumbed down Canary experience to fill a lull in the schedules...
I suspect most of the cruise lines are cutting back.
We've just come back from our 6th cruise with Celebrity. A fab cruise around NZ and we had a wonderful time but we noticed lots of cuts - no welcome drink. Main dining room seems to have less choice, up cost items on some nights, and very poor quality steak. Speciality restaurants keep going up in price (I remember when it was $25) - they seem to be in the $60-$70 range now and again have up cost items. Buffet at lunch was great but in the evening it mainly focused on low quality grill items and burgers and hot dogs. Breakfast buffet seemed pretty good but had no variation at all that I could see throughout the cruise.
We also felt the cabin attendants were rushed, our cabin had no loo paper on day 1, a draw full of toiletries in the bathroom belonging to the previous occupant (presumably) and a pair of old socks down by the corner of the bed.
I had the Premium drinks package (my wife just the regular one - as she doesn't drink and it was included) and I regularly found that they would just give you the cheap zero brand stuff even if you asked for a branded drink or wine, I even asked for the better stuff off the Premium list to be told several times "don't have it". If you don't have a drinks package on Celebrity prices are incredibly expensive now -a bottle of Peroni running to $12 inc service. If you don't have a deal on the drinks package and want to buy the drinks package its $89 a day + 20% service ($109++ for the premium).
Crazily high prices in the "Duty Free" shop. When I queried the high prices in the perfume shop I was told - "oh we will match UK high street prices if you can show us the price". I pointed out UK high street are not duty free and if their best is to match the high street (not a discounter) I might as well buy there.
Good to sea that they no longer use plastic bottles for water, but disappointing to see that the tinned water was shipped in all the way from Midwest America. If you basing a ship in NZ and Australia for 8 months I would have thought they would have sourced locally - good water in Australia and NZ!
We will probably cruise again with Celebrity but we did come away thinking it would be nice to try another line and maybe its time to go for a better one.
Thanks Paul. Celebrity is positioned as one of the premium lines so if this was the experience that's a concern!
@@MattsOceans I wondered if it was because the ship is still to be refurbed (Celebrity spending the money on the new ships that are heavily reviewed) and if the high number of Brits (70%) on the cruise with a special deal was something to do with it. We had booked just the 1 cruise direct (at a good price 2 years ago) but it seemed most people had booked via one of the leading travel agents on a back to back cruise special. When we got back to Sydney apparently 1500 of the 2900 passengers were staying on - our Maitre D said it was the most he'd seen doing b2b in 15 years (His previous record was 900)
As previously stated on another of Matt’s vlogs all cruise lines are cutting back to reduce the debt they’ve incurred. Perhaps we need to get used to it as it’s not going to change
We did Azura from Malta in September and absolutely agree with your comments. We have done PandO previously and the difference was stark. Yes general we enjoyed it, yes it was cheap but the buffet was only half open, there were no waiters on the decks to bring drinks and the entertainment was amateur. We have booked a special 40th wedding anniversary cruise with them to the fiords in June. This was booked 18 months ago along with the excursions. Yesterday we got an email telling us that 3 of the main ports had changed and excursions cancelled due to berth availability issue. Visiting a rock with 4 lighthouses now! Got a £200on board credit for the rubbish entertainment on Azura. Just litteraly got back off 7 nights on MSC Virtuosa, wow what a difference! Fantastic experience except for getting covid tested positive this morning!. Thanks for the review concurs exactly with the experience in September.
Thanks for that - although I'm sad to hear that the wider P&O experience mirrors mine... I hope the covid is mild and over quickly...
Very honest comments. I'm taking my first P&O trip on the Ventura on a bargain price for a solo, after years of sailing with Marella. Your comments about the service standards seem to echo what's being said on the Facebook groups, so I'm not really expecting much from the trip!
The worst thing about making this sort of video is the fear that I'm going to deflate someone's excitement about an upcoming trip! I tried to emphasise that I still had a great time! And it was great value for money! Have a good trip!
@@MattsOceans Thanks Matt. I took the P&O trip to Portugal as an alternative to Marella in the Canaries. The P&O is literally half the price for a solo (drinks not included). I may try MSC next time, having seen your video of their company.
Honestly came back last Thursday from the repositioning and felt like any other cruise. Portions do seem a bit smaller, Menu's a little repetitive but overall a good cruise like pre Covid. If you want more portions waiters were more than happy, could also have a joke with them. Staff went above and beyond. Maybe the staff were having a bad week for some unknown reason. Especially when they spend so long away from home. If they have just joined the ship.... Some people laughed a long queue formed for the coaches in Tenerife at the airport and one person said "I've never experienced a fly cruise like this a long queue never doing this again, before they even knew the reason not many buses had showed up" An accident on the Motorway had happened. Entertainment was also brilliant. Can't wait for October and the year after.
That's great to hear. It repositioned up to Malta I believe? I did look at that option but we wanted to travel a little earlier... Perhaps there was a lighter passenger load as it was a longer trip?
@@MattsOceans we were sailing full
Interesting, will be on this ship in three months time not having sailed on it before and my previous P&O cruise was January 2019 so that 56 month gap should enable me to see if the company have made any specific cost cuts
It will be interesting to see if you spot any differences...
@@MattsOceans I am expecting a few cuts but we shall see
Just off the iona to Norway and p and o was disappointing. We were on ventura a few years back and everyone was made special but this time it was really disappointing. Agree with everything you said.
Thanks Thomas. Actually parked in Vigo today next to the Ventura! It's challenging for p&o to be offering such different experiences under the same brand
I think the ships do vary with p&o. We went on Venura last year for a 4 night cruise and it was just ok -quite dated. We went on Britannia in April though for a 12 nighter and thought it was brilliant, especially as it was under £600 each. Service was extremely good, and only a shade below our trip on Cunard which clearly more premium/expensive. Menu in the MDR was small as were the portions, but good quality and I’d rather that then piles poor quality. Based on your review I’ll stick with Britannia for next one. Great review though and appreciate your humorous commentary too.
Thanks Jon. The feedback to these videos does suggest that the P&O experience can vary quite significantly between ships....
Agree with nearly all your comments Matt.
We started our cruising journey with P&O 20 years ago on Aurora and have travelled with them a few times since. (But have also tried other lines: Celebrity, Cunard, Princess, RCI, so are by no means blindly loyal to one line).
Last summer we did a similar 1 week fly-cruise on Azura (from Malta, which is it's summer base) and like you we were mainly attracted by the price (£95 pppn including flights & tips really was a bargain) and so were prepared to overlook several shortcomings. But the ship was only at 60% capacity which I think made the lack of staff in some areas less noticeable.
But it's indisputable that service standards have gone done since we first sailed with P&O, and it just isn't the "premium" experience it used to be. The lack of evening turn down service may be considered minor (do you really need that chocolate on the pillow?!) but I've read reports that where for example you have more than 2 passengers in a cabin the chore of having to make up the extra beds yourselves each evening is really not something you would be expecting to do. And it's smaller things too - like being able to get the restaurants to store the unused half drunk bottles of wine for you to have the next night, that is no longer available.
You suggest that P&O are concentrating all their efforts on their new mega ships (Iona & Arvia) and to some extent that may be true. (We tried out Iona on a post Covid "cruise to nowhere" in 2021 and it was lovely, all shiny & new, but then it was only a third full... The reports I've read since seem to show that those ships too are suffering serious staffing issues with severe over crowding in many areas and 2 hour waits to get into dinner!)
So to sum up I don't think we'll be going with P&O any time again soon. The 5000+ capacity ships are not really for us, and there are plenty of other lines & ships we've yet to try (Viking & Holland America have their attractions, and we also still have a soft spot for Cunard. And if you thought P&O was formal you should try them!)
Thanks so much Tony. Off on MSC again in a couple of weeks and really quite excited to see how they fare! And people were complaining about the wine storage on our cruise too - quite a few people were wandering around clutching a bottle, which is not a good look! Seems like a small and inexpensive service to offer...
Done many P&O cruises, Med, Caribbean and to be honest cannot find fault with any of them, Any holiday you can nit pick but for what you pay aad what you get is in my view a very good cruising experience.
Thanks - and you are right... This was a good experience... I'm thinking I need to go on one of P&O's newer ships on a more "peak time" cruise to answer the question of whether I experienced a "P&O Lite" experience...
Thanks Matt. Explanation understood😊👍🇿🇦
Cheers Peet
@@MattsOceans Taking your advice on other channel and going to Seville for a week in Sept😎. Looking at a cruise thereafter or before in the Med for a few nights 4 or 5. Who would recommend, bearing in mind I don't like the "family cruise" with loads of kids. Don't mind young adults, can alwaus have a few drinks with them🤣🍻🍷🇿🇦
@@peetbothma6982 Fantasic! Think about side trips to Cadiz or Cordoba if you have a week there... September should be reasonably kid-free as its out of term time. The bigger challenge could be the 4-5 days as most cruises are a week. Cruisetimetables.com is a good way to find and visualise options then follow them up on the cruise lines website. Royal Caribbean may well have trips of < 1 week...
@@MattsOceans Thanks Matt👌
@@MattsOceans Thanks Matt👌
Sad to hear your feelings on Azura but can understand up to a point as my first cruise many years ago before pandemic was on Britannia of which I did 8 all of which were exceptional. Then since getting back to cruising all has changed for the worse but understandable under the health and safety they have had to employ on ships and my 4 on Iona were lacking on what my experiences on Britannia had been as you say no fanfare or pictures taken on arrival no turning down of the beds and imagine having to wear masks all the time for the staff so sad. Time has ticked on and having just come off Arvia apart from most of it enduring a cold and cough ( not Covid) I loved every minute with excellent food options outside MDR which I don’t like doing as I am on my own and hate shared tables, freedom dining times but mdr as per comments from others was a bit stressful , good entertainment and some lovely waiting staff even though you came across a few grumpy ones. My main gripe was with my fellow passengers hogging sun beds and seats and being very selfish but it was a big ship and fully booked so a lot of people together on a 6 day crossing of the Atlantic is not something I will be doing again . Hope you get a good experience with p and o in the future 👍
Thanks Jayne - at least the crew's masks are gone now! MSC for the next cruise...
We had a very similar experience Oct 22. We sailed from Southampton to Spain and Portugal. But overall we enjoyed it. It was a very cheap cruise.
Thanks Mike - it is good value but I just expected more!
More and more mainstream cruiselines skip the evening cabin service. Most cruiselines are downsizing portions at the MDR. Lobster night contains one lobstertail. Like to have another one....you have to pay an extra charge. Thanks for the vid. Unfortunally i see to many bad reviews of P&O.
Thanks Ronald. A sample of one is always a challenge but the comments seem to be agreeing with me!
Another excellent video, travelled with P & O a few times, one good, two ok and one poor with a similar experience to yours on Brittania. Never had that on any other line, very odd. I doubt we will travel with them again.
Thanks Colin. Fascinating to monitor the comments on videos like this as it turns into a straw poll of other experiences. Plenty of people agreeing about P&O, one vote for MSC and one scaled down experience reported on Celebrity, of all people!
We have just done the Azura Greek cruise from Malta and agree 100% with everything you've said. As a veggie it was diabolical food. Staff lazy and unattractive. Entertainment at times dire. We WONT be doing another p&o cruise.
Thanks Cheryl - I'm sorry you had to agree! Plenty of other options out there though!
Haven't travelled on P&O yet, but have certainly been looking at them. Their newer, larger, 'party boats' don't appeal, so was looking at Aurora and Azura. Now I'm left wondering if I should steer clear of the line.
I'm optimistic that my experience was an outlier... Check back in a couple of days to see the comments that get left - most so far seem to be agreeing!
Well thats me well put off booking a cruise
It might put you off booking an off season cruise on P&O's oldest ship.... It shouldn't put you off all cruises!
I’ve just come off Azura after 12 night transition cruise and I had a good time !
Oh what a shame not a fan fair when you got on !!!! Get a life and watch the muster video or be prepared to stand for an hour to say you’ve done it
Yes there were cutbacks but not enough to say I had a bad time especially when the problems faced with what is going on in the world at present ! Yes food items were smaller but I just ordered large and not a problem, you find it a problem I didn’t entertainment was good apart from one act !
Would I after 10 cruises pre pandemic sail with P&O again? Definitely as I enjoyed my time on board as did most people
Sorry but you need to get real and face up to the problems that all cruising companies face and alot of what you say has been on our previous cruise on Celebrity so what do you say to that
Well done P&O considering you need to recoup 2+ years on no money See you in June 👍😂
Thanks Martin. First comment out of perhaps a dozen standing up for P&O - great to see and its great that you know who your next cruise will be with. I did enjoy myself (as I say perhaps 3 times in the video) but I'm not going to be so quick to tolerate a diminished experience. And you're comment emphasises that people looking to return to P&O after not cruising for a couple of years should be aware that its not the same experience...
Love teneriffe
Not perhaps a world class destination when stopping on a cruise for a day, but it is very nice!
I wonder if the viewers realise they get small lessons in maths and statistics as well as excellent reviews every time they watch a Matt Video?!
Thanks for thar... Need to add philosophy and home economics and my work is done!!!
sorry, but this "cruise" looks more like a glorified long haul Ferry service.
I think this was a little better than that, but I take the point!
@@MattsOceans My only experience on a P&O ferry was from Calais to Dover :)
NEGATIVE MATT
When the experience merits it!!!