Much as it pains me to say it, P&O Cruises UK have become a "Budget" cruise line whereas it used to be a leading mid-market line. The advertisements show passengers enjoying a glass of fizz on their balconies dressed in evening wear and sitting at restaurant tables enjoying fine dining but, the reality is that this is not the norm. 16 years ago, when we began cruising with P&O it was far better but, as you will read further on, standards have fallen significantly over the years! However, we still think that P&O offer the best value for money cruising on the market which is why we still cruise with them. We have now done in excess of 31 cruises with P&O Cruises UK alone and still defend them when we hear criticism from new P&O passengers who have sailed with other cruise lines. The truth is, they are often not comparing like for like. For instance, we wouldn't compare a cruise with Princess Cruises with P&O as they are not like for like! P&O do not charge hidden taxes and expect gratuities to be paid on top of the fare. P&O charge a good price for what they offer and passengers can budget, if they need to and enjoy themselves.
If you want a better dining experience or are able to afford a suite with a butler rather than a standard or deluxe cabin you are free to do so but this all comes at a price. Fine dining is available and suite passengers have exclusive options for breakfast but the fact is that P&O seem to have problems selling suites and often end up auctioning them off as the sailing date approaches.
The Pandemic put cruise lines in an unenviable situation with ships laid up and no revenue coming in. Crews still had to maintain the ships, business debt and liabilities still had to be managed so it was obvious that once sailing recommenced costs would have to reduce. Many changes were introduced and many service offerings suffered but, a lot of the changes had already been made before the pandemic. Between 2012 and the start of the pandemic there was an obvious watering down of services onboard and what we are left with nowadays is a shadow of what cruising with P&O Cruises UK used to be.
P&O Cruises UK is still very British orientated compared with most other cruise lines and long may it remain so.