ALDI VS WAITROSE

Its something we do on a weekly basis , we cant live without doing it and choices have to be made regarding it and that is supermarket shopping. But what drives us to shop at the supermarkets we shop at, we have a choice in which we choose but for whatever reason the majority of us choose the same supermarket because of the following reasons. Good value for money – we want to know that the groceries we are buying arn’t going to be cheaper at the other supermarket down the road.  Quality – we don’t mind paying a bit extra but are expectations are high and we want to know that we are buying quality food with the finest ingredients. Location – another factor when choosing our supermarket, with time not always on our side then the supermarket nearest to us will do.

You could also use this scenario when it comes to choosing your cruise , why do we choose the cruise we go on , do we wait last minute and book a 4* cruise and pay half the price as it was originally or do we book in advance  for a  5* cruise costing more but be secure in the knowledge you will get what you have paid for once on board.

What happens therefore when our 4* good value choice doesn’t seem to be good value any more because once on board the  standards have dropped altogether and what happens when the 5* cruise doesn’t live up to expectations as the quality of the finest ingredients is not as expected and the luxury surroundings as promised are now rusty and tarnished. This can be a reality and indeed has become a reality in recent weeks. Lets change the Title……..

P&O OCEANA VS CELEBRITY MILLENIUM

Two very different cruising experiences, both entered service in the year 2000 and both carrying between 2000 and 2100 passengers . Oceana, home from home and very much in the heart of the P&O fleet versus Millenium , the flagship of the Millenium Class ship and carrying forward Celebrity’s Modern Luxury Theme. Will you be suprised to hear that over the last month the only complaints I have had has been for both of these two ships. Oceana had to divert one of its itineraries recently due to a problem with a propella shaft and spent 70 hours in Barcelona, and with only a 25 per cent refund this wasn’t the only gripe customers had whilst on board. The food many say was extremely poor and inedible, strange how some compared the eateries on board to supermarket cafes. Have P&O started to cut corners when it comes to the standards of the food served on board , many of you seem to think so or is this just a one off? Celebrity Millenium having just had a recent makeover I was expecting marvellous applause from this ‘Modern Luxury’ ship, unfortunately not, some customers have reported not many changes seem to have been made in any makeover apart from a few more coffee machines. It has been reported certain areas were rusty and shabby and the food had to be served via a waiter including the self service buffet which meant extra queues at the restaurants and bars. To be honest I think this was just a precaution due to an outbreak they had had a few weeks ago which has now been sorted . I am not trying to refer to Oceana as Aldi and Millenium as Waitrose  something I am not trying to do , but despite the differences of these brands sometimes we are let down by the choices we make and the money we spend.

So whats the solution? Well its all about the research and choose wisely, when it comes to choosing our supermarket if we arn’t happy with it then the next time we go we can choose a different one. Nice and simple, thats not the case with the cruises we book. Cruise.co.uk has the Uk’s biggest review site for all cruise lines so take time out to read them . I personally have a very honest approach when guiding customers to what cruise ship may be best for them and if there are issues with a particular ship I am upfront about it, then you the customer can form your own opinion . Speak to friends and family and listen to the their opinions.

On the upside from the majority of reviews I read and hear of on various ships there is nothing but praise for all the crew on board, entertainment staff and of course the Captain with the sense of humour. Cruising is still on the increase because of all of these reasons so Keep on Cruising. In the meantime P&O and Celebrity , listen to your customers regarding these two ships .

Holly xx