Do We Really Need Another Mega-Ship P&O?

Here we go – yet another Giant of a ship being built!  Like we havent got enough already!

I hate the big ships!  So impersonal.  Floating cities, crammed with as many passengers as the cruise line can get away with….

Its all about the money and less about the customers comfort, and experience in my view….  Cram them all in, throw in a few novelties, or ‘Signature Guest Experiences…..??  employ a few thousand woefully underpaid staff members, put up the gratuities  and prices of course,  get a Celebrity to christen it and Boom! roll out another monster.

If you havent heard, P&O have just announced a new Mega-Ship is currently being made ready for delivery in 2020.  Bigger even than the Britannia, (4324  passengers compared to  5200+ passengers on the new ship,) hailed as the biggest, best blah blah blah!

So here’s the official line: from  Paul Ludlow P&O Cruises SVP

‘Good morning,
we are delighted to announce that P&O Cruises is to build a next-generation cruise ship for delivery in 2020. It will be the largest cruise ship to be built specifically for British guests.  

The new ship will exceed 180,000 gross tons and will accommodate approximately 5,200 guests (lower berths). Through an innovative use of space, the ship will offer an extensive range of dining, entertainment and relaxing features.

The ship will be built by Meyer Werft at its shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and will feature the company’s exclusive “green cruising” design as one of the first generation of cruise ships to be fully powered by Liquefied Natural Gas, shipping’s most advanced fuel technology, which will significantly reduce air emissions.

The number of British passengers taking a cruise in the past five years has significantly increased, boosted most recently by our very successful launch of Britannia last year. We know there is still huge potential as more and more people realise the value for money, choice and range of dining and entertainment options available on ships of all sizes. With an amazing range of itineraries, from two days to three months, there is a cruise to suit every budget.

This ship will be the largest in the P&O Cruises fleet, will have a striking new exterior and interior design and will include the company’s classic and iconic features. We are also developing and exploring new signature guest experiences, details of which will be announced soon.’

So basically its going to run on liquified gas – not sure what to make of that to be honest. Very ‘Green’ and environmentally friendly it seems.            Lets hope the bill’s paid on time every month! I wonder if they will get the inevitable Utilities switch cold calls! (I know..bad joke, but stick with it I’m on a roll!)  Also, read ‘squashy’ for ‘innovative use of space’  and if you don’t believe me, check out the ‘bijou’ balcony cabins on Britannia!  Pokey comes to mind….  And whilst I’m on the subject of Britannia, lets hope the shipbuilders have a bit of a re-think when designing the stairways and lifts. The never ending corridors – reminds me of the film The Shining……

Yes no doubt more British passengers have taken up cruising in recent years, but how many really like these big floating cities?  Always a queue – never enough seating – impersonal, as you rarely see the same people twice – even if you want to! and let’s not mention sun beds around the pool!

There’s been so much written and spoken about the standards dropping across the P&O Fleet recently, from the customer service experienced on board, quality of the food, entertainment, cabin facilities – that shouldn’t P&O be investing their Shareholders money in improving their existing fleet which range from  Medium to  Large. ? No small ship since selling off the Adonia.  I think P&O have missed a trick here.  Surely building a small ship and bringing the standards back up to what P&O built their past reputation on,  would be money better spent?  From what we’ve seen and heard from our clients who have given feedback on our website, this is a widely expressed opinion…

Havent you had enough of these Leviathans of the Sea??  Or am I in a minority here?

More information can be found on our website www.cruise.co.uk

#crowdedseas  #notanothermegaship #p&o #notafanofthebigships