2019 to 2022: How has cruising on P&O Changed?

 

Our last P&O cruise was a wonderful trip to Iceland on Ventura in 2019. Soon after we booked a cruise on Aurora to the Eastern Med for early summer 2020. This was of course cancelled due to the pandemic. We converted our future cruise credit to a suite on a European cruise on Iona in Spring 2022, but later fearing the then Spanish habit of off-loading Covid cruise passengers into Spanish hotels, we again converted to a round British Isles cruise on Arcadia in July 2022.

And here we are…at last….onboard Arcadia and currently sailing towards Edinburgh. I admit that we were still quite nervous about the risks of Covid on a cruise ship, but, like many others on this cruise, opted for a UK itinerary as we felt safer, and for better or worse, we are here.

I didn’t intend to write a cruise blog on this cruise, but there seem to be so many differing views about cruising with P&O on social media, that I have changed my mind. I hope my blog helps to give a rational view of the current situation.

The Background

Our first cruise on Arcadia was to the Baltics in 2005, her maiden year. She was considered to be modern, stylish, and very large. There was no freedom dining, only fixed sittings with silver service. We loved the ship. Since then, far larger cruise ships have appeared, with more family friendly activities, a wider variety of dining and cabins, and we love them too.

But we have changed. We are now grandparents, older, slower, and finally retired.  And the world has changed. Not only are we at the tail-end of a pandemic, but we are also in a global economic crisis, so it seems likely that some cost cutting in the cruising industry is inevitable.

My one post Covid cruising experience is only now on Arcadia, adult only, and some things have inevitably changed, though I have no idea whether these changes are for commercial reasons or because of COVID. Time will tell…

What Has Changed?

The speciality restaurants are closed

This, we are told, is due to lack of staff. I suspect that P&O will re-open them as soon as possible, as these restaurants generate income. For the record, the lack of these restaurants did not impact on our enjoyment of our current cruise.   

The menu choices are smaller

The regular items, such as prawn cocktail, salmon or chicken breast are frequently on the menu, but not now everyday. Soup and salad have been integrated into the starter choices, though you can ask for them separately. Portion sizes are ample, but there is slightly less choice in the buffet. Jugs of cream appear to have disappeared. For the record, we have missed the extra choices, but this did not impact significantly on our current cruise, and it was good to see less waste.

There are no port speakers onboard

There were no port talks, either live or on our TV, or information sheets onboard about our destinations. For the record we really missed these, especially as the ship’s (expensive) wifi keeps cutting out, so you often can't plan in advance.

There is no evening ‘turn-down’

Unless you are in a suite, the cabin stewards no longer turn down your bed and leave a chocolate in the evening. For the record, we didn’t miss this at all. I confess, it was quite nice not having to worry about leaving our cabin tidy before going to dinner, and they gave us chocolates at dinner.

There is no TV guide in our cabin

I’m sure there used to be. This was a nuisance, as we had to keep flicking through the channels.

There are no photographers onboard

Remember those smiling P&O photographers who jumped out and took your photo at every opportunity? They've gone.  In the past we spent our time trying to avoid them, but did enjoy looking at the photos daily in the gallery. I rather hope they return.

Hygiene

Hand gel is readily available, masks are free, and cleaning is meticulous throughout the ship. Well done P&O!

Booking freedom dining, shows and excursions is encouraged via a P&O my holiday app

The ‘my holiday’ app is the big joke of our cruise. I consider myself good with technology, but I have given up using it altogether. Booking doesn't always work, the queue system often fails,  and the signal keeps cutting out. Not all passengers have tablets or smartphones, and many with the equipment just can't understand how to work the system…hardly surprising as the system doesn't work properly! They normally have one person in the library (when it is open) tasked with explaining to confused passengers what to do. I don’t blame him for his evident lack of patience, as the queues were long at first,  but it was a fiasco, and the passengers are confused. Ditch the App, P&O, until it works properly and your staff have the skills to teach the passengers how to use it!

In conclusion

I would say it’s a mixed picture. Try not to be put off by some of the negative ‘hype’ on social media, but don’t expect cruising to be as it was, at least in the short-term. It depends on what’s important to people.

   

   

Ventura: Breakfast Buffet.

I've finally managed to organise a few more photos from our wonderful trip to Iceland on Ventura in June this year. The focus of my next few posts is on food, starting with breakfast in the buffet. I do try not to be intrusive when people are eating, so some of the photos are a bit rushed, but I hope they give an idea. The buffet is situated on deck 15 close to the two main swimming pools. There are four large buffet stations (two on each side) with additional seating at the back of the ship and beside the pool. It can get quite crowded at peak times on sea days, but we always found a seat.

Varied teas, coffee and water are always available on a self-serve basis with juices also on offer at breakfast.

If you prefer to be served, the restaurants open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but we quite enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and lunch. There is a good choice of food.

Cereal

Fruit and yoghurt

Cold meats and cheese

And of course cooked options, including poached/boiled eggs and omelettes to order.

The toast can be rather solid, but there is a wide variety of other bread.  And there are plenty of options for people on special diets.

 With tea and coffee making facilities in all cabins and continental breakfast (at no charge) also available to order, you really are spoilt for choice! 

Shops Onboard Ventura

The shops on P&O ships do differ, and their stock varies, but if, like me, you enjoy a bit of retail browsing, then you might be interested in the shops that were on our most recent cruise on Ventura to Iceland. For passengers lucky enough to have some excess onboard credit, it was good to be able to choose to spend some of it at the various outlets on board.
For everyday basics, such as toiletries, painkillers and small souvenirs 'Essentials' was well stocked. I purchased a hairbrush as I had forgotten mine. However, please note that the shops do not open when the ship is in port, so don't save buying essentials on board until a two-day port visit!

There were also special events and temporary tables selling sale items, chocolate, inexpensive watches and costume jewellery in and around the atrium.

Some of the events were very busy.

There was a selection of medium priced clothing for men and women., which I judged to be mostly aimed at shoppers in mid-life or beyond.

At the 'designer' end of their stock were sunglasses, bags, and exquisite jewellery, though the more expensive jewellery prices were not displayed unless the customer actually asked.

And there was, of course a selection of perfume and duty free cigarettes and spirits. The alcohol was not for consumption onboard, so kept for collection by passengers until the final day of the cruise.

The highlight for me was the Dixons Travel shop which was located close to the photo gallery. They stocked a wide selection of competitively priced technology and accessories including fitbit watches, tablets, phones and earphones. The staff were very knowledgeable and would help anyone who needed to set up their purchases.

All very tempting......!!!

Reykjavik from Ventura

We are finally sailing in a southerly direction towards Scotland after two amazing days in Reykjavik. This is the most northern capital city in the world. It is clean and friendly with many interesting places to visit.

There were also lots of great tours on offer from Reykjavik to the surrounding geothermal landscape. However on this occasion we chose to explore the city itself. The cost of living in Iceland is far higher than in the UK, but with a bit of planning there are still plenty of affordable ways to enjoy the area.

The free shuttle bus provided from the ship took us on a ten minute journey from the port to the Harpa Concert Hall which was very close to the city centre. The Harpa itself, a beautiful example of modern architecture, was well worth a visit.

It had interesting souvenir shops (not cheap to buy, but free to browse), modern well appointed toilets ( about £1-60 per visit) and a FREE view of the harbour through the carefully sculpted windows at the back of the building.

 
 From the Harpa we took the 5 minute walk into the city centre, past one of the many free wifi spots and the Hard Rock Cafe to the traditional buildings of the main shopping area.

 We found some Christmas tree decorations to buy, and took the necessary statue photograph, before heading back to the ship for lunch (the cheapest food option!)

We bought our 24 hour hop on bus ticket (just over £20) in the early afternoon which meant we could use it the following morning as well.

So here (in no particular order) are a few of our 'hop on, hop off' discoveries starting with the Lutheran Church with its finely crafted steeple.

We were fascinated by the design of the sloping roofs intended to fend off the the snow from the newly built flats.

We were tempted to take the inexpensive ferry which carried passengers over to a nearby island.

For anyone curious about the life of whales, a visit to the Whale Exhibition is a must.

We spent our second morning on the viewing platform of the Perla Dome. This was definitely the highlight of our visit.

For about £7 each we took the lift to the fourth floor and walked all around the outside of the dome. The clear skies and sunshine offered us breathtaking views of the whole of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains.

 So it's farewell to Reykjavik, at least for now. We were very lucky with the warm sunny weather, which really showed this wonderful city at its best.

For anyone interested in Ventura, we now have 2 sea days, so my next blog posts will focus on the ship and (of course) the food.

  

Akureyri in Iceland from Ventura

We woke at 4 am this morning (Icelandic time) to discover ourselves surrounded by the most spectacular views. We had entered the Eyjarfjord an hour earlier and were sailing gently towards the Icelandic town of Akureyri. This is northern Iceland's largest fishing port and its cultural and industrial capital. We soon caught a glimpse of the town before we finally docked just before 8 am.

We were one hour behind UK clocks, but as there was less than 50 minutes between sunset and sunrise, the whole idea of  time felt slightly surreal. Once again the weather seemed to forget that we were so close to the Arctic Circle, and, after a leisurely breakfast, we headed ashore wearing only lightweight coats. The one and only hop on hop off bus was waiting for us. It ran once an hour so we were lucky to find a seat.

The bus took about 45 mins and cost around £20 each, which is probably more than you would pay in the UK . The literature on the bus described the town as 'dynamic', which seemed to be rather a flattering description of this reasonably quiet little town. Nevertheless it was a very good way to discover all the various points of interest, including the museums, Botanical Gardens, and shopping areas. We had to admire the way the residents of this remote northern location had created a thriving town with eye-catching ideas to raise a smile.

  Apparently all the red traffic lights were changed to a heart shape after the Icelandic bank crash in 2008.

Once we had finished our bus tour we took the ten minute walk into the town centre.

The architecture of the Icelandic houses was interesting, and there was plenty of seating to rest in the semi-pedestrianised town square before entering the main shopping street.

They had also provided many information display boards throughout the town to help us discover its history and find the selection of cafes and souvenir shops in the main street.

We  finally purchased a few Christmas tree decorations at a souvenir shop before embarking ready for our journey to the next port of call. So here is one final photo from our sailaway back up the fiord. We spotted several whales emerging above the water surface as we left Akureyri. It was almost impossible to capture an image of them on my phone, but I made an attempt. The whale is the black dot about 20 feet in front of the red whale spotting boat. I hope the whale spotters managed to take some better photos than this one....