P and O Cruises Australia NB and O Cruises (International) see below.
Onboard (Cruise Critic Review)
The line is popular with families, and children are well taken care of in kids' clubs staffed by qualified teachers and childcare workers. The line has won accolades for its family-friendly atmosphere.
Editor's Note: The line sometimes has specials with kids under 12 cruising free when traveling in a cabin with two adults.
Food choices include formal dining rooms, Lido buffets and alternative dining steakhouses (for an added fee). While the Sun has assigned seating in the dining rooms, Pacific Dawn introduced to the Australia market the concept of "Your Choice Cruising," with no reservations required in the dining room during 5:30 - 10 p.m. dinner hours (although you can make reservations if you want to). The food gets generally favorable ratings from the Aussie crowd, although some complain the buffets could display less lavishness and more attention to taste and detail.
Onboard activities day and night include fitness classes, jogging, cooking demonstrations, live bands, dancing (including under the stars), game shows, cocktails of the day, table tennis, casinos, cabaret shows, karaoke, deck parties, massages, trivia quizzes, in-cabin movies, 24-hour dining, yoga, shuffleboard, Bingo, dance classes, dress-up parties, the popular Sun Idol talent show, traditional afternoon tea, ice cream served poolside, lectures and port talks.
The Australian dollar is the onboard currency. The ships have formal nights, usually one or two on a one-week cruise (check itinerary); formal is defined onboard as jackets for men and cocktail dresses for women (black tie isn't required).
P&O Australia recently announced that starting with the line's October 2010 departures, gratuities will no longer be automatically added to passengers' onboard bill, leaving them to tip -- or not -- at their own discretion.
Fellow Passengers
With an average age of 42, the crowd tends to be younger than on most other American and British lines. Some 31 percent of passengers are under 29, with only 20 percent over age 60. The passenger following is a loyal one, with 42 percent of passengers in 2006 repeaters, having sailed at least once with the line before. In 2007, Princess Cruises began marketing P&O Cruises Australia to North American passengers, as an expansion of their Down Under product.
Ships cruising to, from or within Australia in 2012-13
(Source Wikipedia) P&O Cruises Australia originates from the passenger division of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, a UK shipping company which operated the world's first passenger ships in the early 19th Century. P&O subsequently became the first company to operate passenger routes to Australia, with the first of these voyages occurring in 1932.[1] These voyages eventually developed into the cruise holidays we recognise today and so P&O adopted the brand name P&O Cruises, with the specialist Australian service becoming known as P&O Cruises Australia.
In December 2009, the Pacific Dawn was moved from Sydney to its new home port at Brisbane. This was done to allow thePacific Jewel and after its acquisition the Pacific Pearl to be based in Sydney. The Pacific Sun will be moved to Fremantle for part of the year to carry out Asia cruises then the other parts of the year it will be based in Auckland, Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney for a few cruises.
-----------------------------------------------------
P and O (International)
Onboard
When Adonia joins the fleet in May 2011 it will be an adults-only ship. Currently, Arcadia and Artemis are child-free; the rest welcome families of all ages.
However, from November 2011, Oriana will also become a child-free cruise ship.
Passengers cruising on Azura, Ventura, Arcadia and Oceana can choose Club Dining (traditional set seating) or Freedom Dining, where they can choose where to eat and when. Aurora, Oriana and Artemis offer Club Dining; Aurora and Oceana also have two speciality restaurants each.
As already mentioned, Azura has Sindhu, a specialty Indian restaurant courtesy of Atul Kochhar. It also has the Glass House -- a wine bar for which TV wine expert Olly Smith has selected 32 different wines.
Arcadia and Oriana each has a specialty restaurant by British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes. Ventura has 10 restaurants, including a specialty restaurant by British chef Marco Pierre White. In 2008, Aurora's Cafe Bordeaux was given the Marco treatment and transformed into a French bistro, while Oceana's Cafe Jardin will offer a Frankie's Bar and Grill-style menu.
Arcadia's contemporary activities and ship features have been expanded on Ventura and Azura, with an increasing number of dining and entertainment options. Fitness and spa facilities took a leap forward with Azura -- the line introduced the Retreat -- a special adults-only haven.
As the ships sail from the U.K. for much of the year, the weather can be tricky. Azura,Ventura, Aurora, Arcadia and Oriana each has a swimming pool with a sliding glass roof. The pools on Oceana and Artemis are open to the elements.
The fleet flies the British flag, but ships are registered in Bermuda to allow for weddings at sea. The only exception is Azura, which has a Southampton registry.
Fellow Passengers
(Source: Wikipedia) P&O Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line based at Carnival House inSouthampton, England, and operated by Carnival UK. Originally a constituent of thePeninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise line in the world, having operated the world's first passenger ships in the early 19th Century. It is the sister company of, and retains strong links with P&O Cruises Australia. P&O Cruises was de-merged from the P&O group in 2000, becoming a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, which subsequently merged with Carnival Corporation in 2003, to form Carnival Corporation & plc. P&O Cruises currently operates seven cruise ships with a total passenger capacity of 14,970 and a 5% market share of all cruise lines worldwide.[1] Its most recent vessel MS Adoniajoined the fleet in May 2011.
Current fleet
| Ship | Built | Entered service for P&O | Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adonia | 2001 | 2011 | 30,277 GT |  Bermuda | ex-Royal Princess |
| Arcadia | 2005 | 2005 | 86,799 GT | Bermuda | Originally ordered as Queen Victoria for Cunard Line, transferred to P&O during construction |
| Aurora | 2000 | 2000 | 76,152 GT | Bermuda | |
| Azura | 2010 | 2010 | 115,000 GT | Bermuda [4] | |
| Oceana | 2000 | 2002 | 77,499 GT | Bermuda[5] | ex-Ocean Princess |
| Oriana | 1995 | 1995 | 69,153 GT | Bermuda[5] | |
| Ventura | 2008 | 2008 | 116,017 GT | Bermuda |
[edit]Future fleet
On 1 June 2011, Carnival Corporation & plc announced an order from Fincantieri for a new 141,000 ton cruise ship for P&O.[3]The ship, unnamed at the time of the announcement, is to have a capacity of 3,611 people, and will enter service in 2015.[3]
| Ship | Will enter service for P&O | Gross tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | 2015 | 141,000 GT | Largest cruise ship to be built for the UK market.[3] |
No comments:
Post a Comment