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Tuesday 9 October 2012

Too big for the Brits?

P&O cruises have just announced they have started building their newest ship. Set to launch in 2015 it will be their biggest yet at 141,000 tonnes and capable of carrying 3,611 passengers.
If you're interested you can read the full press release here on our forums.
Carol Marlow has said "The design will make a stunning statement across the entire ship’s interiors. Through their ideas, (Richmond, the design company),they will imbue the ship with a cohesive personality which works across all the public areas including the cabins, cafes, bars, restaurants and lounges. Richmond’s designs will add an elegant and timeless Britishness to appeal to everyone who steps on board and will facilitate an excellent evolution of the P&Oness our passengers know and love.”

If I'm honest though I'm a little worried about the size. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these cruisers who only sails on small ships, I love big ships.
The bigger the better.
In fact two of my favourite ships are the Independence of the Seas and the NCL Epic. The problem is I'm not a huge fan of P&O's big ships. The main reason I like big ships is that there is so much to do onboard.............
Ice Skating rinks.
Rock Climbing walls
Water slides
Mini Golf courses
Flow riders.
However to get these kind of ships you need to book with an American Cruise line. P&O have always shied away from going in this direction and instead just built a small ship on a bigger scale so you might get an extra bar or restaurant and extra cabins but that's it. There's no 'wow' factor to the ship, nothing unique that will keep you coming back for more. Nothing that really stands out.
Their ships are nice enough. I liked the Azura when I went on but if I had to pick the Azura or the Independence I know which it would be.
At 3,600 passengers the new P&O ship will be of a similar size to the Freedom class of Royal Caribbean but I'm almost positive you won't find any of the features you see on those ships, just lots of extra revenue generating guests.
What do you think? Am I be unfair to P&O? I know a lot of people love the size of the Azura and Ventura and their 'family friendly' theme but to me a large ship should just have more to offer.
Do you think the British market will appreciate a new large ship or will they stick to the American brands for their fix of large ships?
Let me know what you think......

Happy cruising

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