Anyone any experience of P&O, Tui for Fjords
 

Hello,

Has anyone got any direct experience of a Fjords cruise with either P&O or Tui/Marella/thomson.

I have a spare weeks leave and was thinking of a cheeky solo cruise, I was leaning towards Marella because its AI, but seen some good P&O prices (never cruised them before) on the Ventura and I could add on a drinks package.

Any other recommendations for Jun/July this year. Not DCL as too expensive and must be AI or able to add on a full drinks package

Thanks :)

We did a one week Fjords cruise with P&O on the Britannia. We had a great time and have cruised with P&O again. We do not have the drinks package as we are not big drinkers and it would not be worth it. Have a feeling they no longer charge for tips which does save some money. In the cabin we had a tea/coffee maker which also came with biscuits (very English touch). If you visit Flaam most cruise ships sell the train as an excursion however the ship docks a 2 minute walk from the train station and we found it was considerably cheaper to get straight off and buy our own tickets.

Yes I believe tips are now included which is a good thing for my budgeting as trying to keep costs reasonably down.
I have only cruised with Thomson and NCL, and enjoyed both, but Thomson was more of a cheapy week away.
It is looking like I might be able to get p&o for a similar price though to Thomson/Marella so wondering if it’s worth the drive down to Southampton (Newcastle is closer)

Glad you enjoyed it, was the food and entertainment good?

We've been to the fjords before but on Princess. Just booked to go in June on the Ventura - our first time on P&O in almost 50 cruises! We don't bother with drinks packages as it's not worth it for us but we like the idea of taking a litre of spirits on board (and some empty miniature bottles!). No gratuities is confirmed. We did the select option and chose free parking in Southampton we also have shares in Carnival corporation which gives us £60 obc.
We drive to Southampton and stop in a Premier Inn nearby the night before - although return coach travel is an option on the select booking.

I haven't been to the Fjords but I have sailed on several of the P&O's fleet and many years ago on a Thomson one. The staff on the ships are wonderful. That's not an exaggeration. They really do their utmost to please, it's almost embarrassing sometimes. It makes you feel very humble.

Entertainment wise there's far more choice on Ventura. There are several dining rooms. If you fancy a more relaxed dining experience there are grab and go's for during the daytime but you can also have a full meal experience in the dining rooms. There are several evening dining options.

I'll be honest the food is not quite as impressive as it used to be, however, it's not in anyway bad. I think it's very much down to the individual. There's lots of choice available and you certainly don't come away hungry. When I say it's not as impressive I'm being picky and making comparisons to years gone by and it's not just on cruise ships that this has happened.

They normally have several Speakers onboard. These range from authors, sports stars, entertainers etc.

There are theatre productions in the evenings. Normally 2 a night, to make sure everyone has an opportunity to attend. There are also films shown, comedians, singers etc.

Not all on Ventura but on P&O we've seen Craig Revel Horwood, Gorka Marquez, Gemma Atkinson, Diane Buswell (her boyfriend at the time Pete from Emmerdale's - sorry I don't know his name), AJ Pritchard, Katya and Neil Jones. Author Gervase Phinn who all participate in performances or talks. There have been many others but I don't remember all their names, especially the rally drivers or Rugby people etc(sorry).

There seems to be several guests from several walks of life so it's quite varied.

Well I decided today to book on p&o, first time cruising with them, very exciting.
Any tips appreciated
Thanks to everyone who has responded

We did p & o Brittannia last summer to the Fjords. I really enjoyed it.

We did the Fjords on the Azura 2 years ago and had a great time.

It is actually the Azura i’m going on, 1st June. I go 4 weeks today, very scary and exciting x

You'll have a fabulous time. So much to see and do on the Azura.

Look out for the solo travellers get togethers in the daily magazine.

We are booked on the Azura for next year up to now but could go before then as well if we get a good deal.

Enjoy your trip