P&O…..what are you doing?

It was less than 12 months ago I wrote a blog  ‘Adonia is coming home’ so you can imagine my surprise when I heard the news last week that P&O had sold her to Azamara Club Cruises.  But I suppose everything has its price and they were made an offer to good to turn down.

This was the official line from P&O –

P&O Cruises can confirm that it has signed contracts for the sale of its 30,277 ton ship Adonia.

The sale will be completed in March 2018 and Adonia’s last cruise as a P&O Cruises ship will be D804 leaving Barbados on February 23 and ending in Barbados on March 9, 2018. Guests booked on any Adonia cruises after March 2018 will be contacted directly either by P&O Cruises or their travel agent.

P&O Cruises SVP Paul Ludlow said: “During her time with us Adonia has captured the hearts of many thousands of P&O Cruises guests. She has ventured into new ports of call around the globe and has negotiated Icelandic Fjords, European rivers and Caribbean coves. We will ensure that these discovery itineraries are continued on other ships in the fleet.

“With almost six months until Adonia leaves the fleet, we will ensure that each of the cruises in her final season with us are extra special and celebratory.”

Now I can’t help thinking this is a huge mistake as I’ve had nothing but positive feedback for the great little ship and am hoping there is something in the pipeline for an adult only small ship……time will tell.  What I do know is that P&O’s loss is Azamara’s gain!   Having been on Azamara she will be a fine addition to their fleet when she is re-branded and launched as Azamara Pursuit. 

The new addition, the Azamara Pursuit, is comparable in size to the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. As such, it will also allow visits to unique ports that larger ships are unable to reach. Together, the three ships will support the brand’s commitment to enrich destination immersion around the world, by staying longer in port to allow guests to experience more.

The ship’s décor will be updated to match the brand’s upmarket position. These updates will be similar to the renovations recently introduced on the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, bringing guests the experience of a boutique hotel at sea.

P&O are trying to push customers toward the Oriana and Aurora for a similar experience but even though they are small they are still more than twice the size of Adonia so I don’t think you can compare plus Aurora accept children!

I’ve noticed Fred Olsen who DO have small ships are offering extra discounts to those affected by the sale and will hopefully gain some customers from that promotion.  This what they are offering :

£100pp off for cruises between 7-11 nights,   £200pp off for cruises over 12 nights.

If you’ve been affected by this let me know if I can assist or if you have any questions just get in touch.

Haydn