P&O or Princess Cruises?
The P&O ships are very similar to the Princess ships, but there are some subtle differences. The P&O ship had a covered second pool, on the Princess ships this was open air. I personally did not like the covered pool as it was noisy and smelt of chlorine (a bit like a visit to your local swimming baths). The open-air pool on the Princess ship has more decking areas for sunbeds and allows for a large screen to show their movies under the stars. We missed this on the P&O ship.
Another significant difference is that Princess is more flexible regarding their formal nights. On a Princess ship you can dress “smart casual” in the buffet restaurant and in the speciality restaurants. As someone who hates dressing up when on holiday, I enjoyed still being able to eat in restaurants other than the buffet. On the P&O ship, we had to dress up if we wanted to eat anywhere other than the buffet. After dinner I stopped in one of the bars for a drink and was asked to move on as I was not in a suit. This really did impose the dress code on us as there was not a bar I could visit whilst dressed in chinos and a collared shirt.
The final observation was that the crew on Ventura were not as friendly as those on Princess ships. We noticed there were not as many “hellos” as we passed the crew members. Maybe they reflect the British reserved attitude whereas the Princess ships adopt a more exuberant American style by greeting you every time.
So, what have I learnt from my first P&O cruise? I was surprised that the small differences I have described had such an impact on the overall enjoyment. I will now be advising clients about these differences to help them choose a cruise which fits in with them.