5 Things That P&O Cruises Does Better Than Any Other Cruise Line

I’ve cruised on all five of P&O Cruises’ family-friendly ships. So, why do I keep coming back to this cruise line?

There are a few reasons – some of them just things that P&O do quite well, but others that I think puts them completely above other cruise lines.

These aren’t for everyone but if you’re a cruising family, you might find that some of these put P&O at the top of your list too.

1. The Night Nursery

For anyone cruising with children under five, P&O Cruises’ night nursery is an absolute godsend!

Open from 6 pm until 2 am each evening, parents can drop off their kids in a dark, quiet room, leaving two qualified members of staff to watch them while they sleep.

Nothing quite beats the feeling of skipping away from your happy children, with a glass of wine in your hand, knowing that you’re free to do whatever you like! Leisurely five-course meal? Theatre? Casino? Late-night comedy? Yes to everything!

Sitting around the dinner table, sipping wine with our new-found friends each evening, the conversation would usually turn to our children. “Where are they?”, our fellow diners would enquire.

“Oh, they’re asleep”, We’d reply.

“I bet that’s quite expensive, isn’t it?”, They’d ask.

“Nope! It’s free!”

Cue smug looks from us as we pour more wine.  

The night nursery opens at 6 pm, and children must be silent in there so as not to wake the others. Unless they’re old enough to understand that they must NOT wake the babies, they need to be either asleep or very sleepy when you settle them in to bed.

We’d usually leave our two in the kids’ club next door until around 9 or 10 pm (it’s open until 11), where they’d drift off watching a film, before moving them over to the night nursery.

2. Children’s Tea

P&O Cruises offer a special children’s tea at 5 pm each evening. An area of the buffet is open just for families, with a whole host of daily-changing children’s favourites such as pizza, spaghetti, fish fingers, potato letters, fruit and vegetables.

Of course, children are welcome to eat at any other time, and in any of the restaurants, but we found the kids’ tea to be so convenient. We’d make sure the children enjoyed a decent meal around 5 pm, before sending them off to the kids’ club at 6 pm so that we could enjoy our evening in peace.

“You’re not allowed in kids’ club until you’ve finished your vegetables” always seemed to work well to get them to eat the green things too!

Suggested read: P&O Cruises Menus

3. The Breakfast Buffet

Another highlight of our cruise was the breakfast buffet! I particularly liked that it was open from 6 am until 12 pm. That’s six full hours of breakfast time! I even had two breakfasts some days!

As I get up at the crack of dawn with the kids almost every day of the year, I hate the thought of them wanting to sleep in on holiday (which they often did, thanks to the evening fun of the kids’ club) only for me to have to set an alarm to not miss breakfast. No such worries with P&O Cruises!

Breakfast was also served in the main dining room for those who fancy a more formal affair. Or you can also have room service free of charge, delivered at a time to suit. Just hang a card on your door when you go to bed saying what you want and when.

4. The In-Room Television

Now I’m never one for watching TV on holiday, but the in-cabin televisions on board P&O are worth a mention.

For starters, on the newer ships they’re really big! And you’ll find so much on there – cartoons, news channels, all kinds of movies, sports, weather, lots of radio stations and even a map showing where the ship is.

I also liked the bridge cam channel. If, like us, you’re in an inside cabin, switch the TV to the bridge cam to create a virtual window and to help you decide how to dress for the weather!

5. The Price!

I work in the cruise industry, so spend a lot of time looking at cruises, and P&O Cruises seem to always come out cheaper than other cruise lines offering similar itineraries.

Whilst you won’t find water slides, rock-climbing walls and ice-rinks on board P&O cruise ships, the quality of service, food, entertainment and accommodation is just as good.

So, if you’re conscious of your budget or have been saving for a while for your cruise, I’d definitely recommend this cruise line as one to try.

Read more: How To To Find Family Cruises With Free Child Places

What’s more, P&O Cruises don’t add on a charge for tips (also known as gratuities) as most other cruise lines do.

Tips can cost anything up to £20 per person, per day – so with P&O Cruises you’re saving up to £560 on a two-week cruise for two people just on the cost of tips! Of course, if you still want to tip any members of staff they won’t refuse it, but this is in no way expected.

Alcohol Policy Changes

P&O Cruises is one of the few cruise lines to let you bring your own alcohol on board. But the policy is nowhere near as good as it used to be, so I’ve removed this from the main list above!

Guests are permitted up to 1 litre of wine and Champagne onboard per person, to be consumed in your cabin. But you used to be allowed to bring a litre of spirits too – and me and my husband would often bring a bottle each with us, along with soft drinks for mixers.

Each evening, we’d call room service and ask for some ice (free of charge) and enjoy a couple of drinks whilst getting ready to head out for the evening.

Had we ordered all these drinks individually, based on 40 single measures in each litre bottle, it would have cost us £364!

So it’s a real shame that P&O changed the policy in May 2024.

If you’re a long-time P&O fan, you’ll know that there have been some serious cutbacks over the past 5 years or so.

Check out this post: 20 Things That P&O Cruises Used To Offer That They No Longer Do to see what’s not included any more.

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