P&O Cruises Adonia - - Profile, Photo Tour and Interview with Managing Director Carol Marlow

Adonia is one of eight jewel-like ships that were originally built for Renaissance Cruises. After Renaissance went bankrupt the eight were dispersed amongst various cruise lines and now after a period of nomadic wandering have settled with two being owned by Azamara Club Cruises, three by Oceania, two by Princess Cruises and one, Adonia, by P&O Cruises. Despite their difficult beginning, the eight have gone on to achieve a very good reputation amongst cruise connoisseurs.




I am not particularly partial to small ships. However, I thought the 30,000 gross ton Adonia was a charming ship when I first saw her back in the days when she was the Royal Princess of Princess Cruises.. With its wood paneling, cushioned furniture, and traditional art work, the interior has the charm of an English country house. The ship is nicely laid out as well. The designers were able to include most of the things one would expect on a modern cruise ship - - specialty restaurants, a spa, a pool, shops, bars and lounges, etc - - within a relatively small space.



When the ship was transferred from Princess to P&O Cruises earlier this year, very few changes had to be made. P&O serves the British market and the ship already had a British decor. Consequently, all that had to be done was modify a few public areas so as to include some of P&O’s signature venues. Of course, the existing specialty restaurants which were signature Princess restaurants, also had to be changed. For that task, P&O turned to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White to create a new restaurant for Adonia. The other specialty restaurant was developed in-house by P&O.



To mark Adonia’s arrival at P&O Cruises, I asked P&O Cruises’ Managing Director to give us her thoughts about the line’s new ship. She discussed how the ship came to P&O Cruises and what the line plans for the ship. That article is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Marlow.html



I’ve also created a Beyondships profile of Adonia that includes copies of daily programs, menus from the restaurants, and other information about the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Profile.html. As always, there is a photo tour and commentary about the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Tour-1.html

Talking about Single Cabins and Talking with the Senior Officers of Ventura

When I sat down with Captain Alistair Clark, Executive Purser David Sheperd and Cruise Director Leon de Ste. Croix, and asked them to talk about Ventura, the word that kept coming up was “choice.” Ventura is designed to offer guests choices so that the guests can shape the cruise experience so that it suits their needs and tastes. This “choice factor” cuts across entertainment, dining, accommodations and activities. The ship is not based upon the principle “one size fits all.”

One also sees this choice factor across the P&O fleet. While some of the major cruise lines seek to have each of their ships resemble each other as closely as possible so as to maintain brand continuity, P&O has a markedly different set of ships. It is not just that the fleet has large, small and medium sized ships, but there are adults-only and family-friendly ships, traditional/more formal ships and contemporary/more casual ships. Again, this allows the passenger to select the cruise experience that is most suited to him or her.

Unifying all of this is an overall P&O flavor and way of doing things. When you step aboard a P&O ship, you know it is a P&O ship.
Our discussion about Ventura is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-interview.html

Because Ventura does present an array of dining choices, I thought it would be helpful to write an article that gives an overview of the various dining venues on the ship. To help me on this, I asked Food and Beverage Manager Alasdair Ross to give a brief introduction to each of the venues. That article appears at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-dining.html

Changing topics, this year’s crop of new ships includes two ships that have single-occupancy cabins. For the last decade or so, the prevailing attitude in the industry was that single-occupancy cabins were uneconomical and had no place on a modern cruise ship. Every cabin had to accommodate at least two people. As a result, solo travelers had to pay a single supplement that was sometimes twice the per person rate for a double-occupancy cabin.

Now, however, going against this common-wisdom both P&O’s Azura and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic have included some single-occupancy cabins in addition to the typical mix of suites and double-occupancy cabins. Neither line is charging a single supplement for these cabins.

Why did these lines do this and is this the start of something new? I asked several cruise line executives to comment including Carol Marlow, Managing Director of P&O, Dan Hanrahan, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises and Peter Shanks, Managing Director of Cunard. The article is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/Cruise-articles-singles.html

Talking with the Managing Director of P&O Cruises

When I was in England, I had the opportunity to speak with Carol Marlow, the Managing Director of P&O Cruises. Carol came to this post after heading Cunard Line for several years and she kindly agreed to answer some questions about the difference between the two iconic British passenger lines and about some of the challenges facing P&O.

P&O is in the enviable position of being the public’s favorite cruise line in a rapidly growing market. However, the other major cruise lines have realized the potential of the British market and several have entered it in a big way. How does the home team respond?

In order to meet the growing demand for cruise holidays, P&O has grown the capacity of its fleet by adding new ships. However, as a result, the fleet is now composed of ships that differ widely in size, age and style. How does one ensure the qualities that made P&O popular are maintained through this larger and more disparate fleet?

Ms. Marlow’s answers to these questions as well as her thoughts on the new Azura and the upcoming replacement of the Artemis by the Adonia are posted at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-art-Marlow.html

QE2's Last Call in New York

The 16th of October was a difficult day. It was Queen Elizabeth 2’s final call in New York. Back in 1969, I went with my parents to take a look at the new Cunard ship and was captivated. Although I was not able to begin immediately, I am proud to say I have subsequently done some 75 voyages on QE2.

That is what made October 16th difficult. Having spent such a large part of my life on the ship, having known so many people onboard, there are memories around each corner of that ship. I don’t have any bad memories of being on QE2. But, there is a certain melancholy that comes from the memory of good times now gone.

I must confess that I bristle somewhat when QE2 is referred to as a classic ocean liner. Yes, she meets the technical definition of an ocean liner with her strong narrow hull and ability to do speeds that only warships can match. However, her designers expressly intended her to be different from the liners of the past. She was very much a ship of her time and needs no association with ships of the past to support her greatness. It was not just that she was so technologically advanced, the celebrities who came aboard, or the luxury of her appointments, people who came into contact with her recognized that there was something different about this ship, something splendid, something great.

Now, of course, there are ships that are more technologically advanced with more amenities and features for passenger comfort. In time, some of them may develop a character similar to that of QE2 borne out of being involved in history making events as well as from abiding by a creed that being the best is just part of the daily routine. Indeed, Cunard’s QM2 has that potential.

I have no strong interest in what the new owners plan to do with the ship once she becomes a floating hotel in Dubai except to hope that they will treat it with respect. QE2 as I knew her will cease to exist once she goes out of Cunard’s service later this month. The crew and the passengers are vital to the life of a ship. Furthermore, the throb of the engines is like a heartbeat and with the swell of the ocean waves as she travels one can feel her breathing. Ships that become hotels or museums are all well and good from a historical preservation perspective but they are just not the same. Where QE2 will live on is in the hearts and minds of the people that knew her.

Cunard kindly invited me to the ceremony marking QE2’s last call in New York. It was a very nice but poignant affair with Cunard’s President Carol Marlow, Captain Ian McNaught of QE2, and Commodore Bernard Warner of QM2 sharing some reflections on the occasion.
Afterwards, I walked around the public rooms and the open decks one last time. Then, I went down to Pier 84 to wait for the QE2 to sail. Pier 84 is now a public park a half mile or so from the Manhattan Passenger Ship Terminal. The ships must pass it as they head out to sea and because it projects into the river, it provides a good close view.

Unfortunately, there were heavy rain showers that afternoon. They caused many of the other people who had gathered on the pier to disperse. However, I sat on a bench huddled under my Cunard umbrella.

Just after five, the rain showers ended. Not long after, QE2 backed out into the river. Ships leaving the Passenger Ship Terminal have to make a 90 degree turn in order to go down the river to the sea. They then present their port side to Manhattan as they leave.

This time, the current was stronger than usual due to the recent rain. Despite the best efforts of two tug boats, QE2 refused to make the turn. As a result, she drifted down river with her bow toward Manhattan. It was as if she were taking one long last look.

By the time the ship arrived at Pier 84, the tugs were starting to have some success making her turn. The bow began to swing round in front of us. A single blast from QE2’s horn saluted the remaining well-wishers and shortly thereafter she was heading down the river the way she had done hundreds of times in the past.

I have posted the public remarks made at the ceremonies http://www.beyondships.com/QE2-NYlastcall.html and a photo essay of QE2 leaving Manhattan on her last transatlantic voyage http://www.beyondships.com/QE2-NYlastcall-2.html. There are also copies of a Daily Programme and menus from the last transatlantic voyage. Plus, I have added copies of the ship’s current fact sheets to the site. http://www.beyondships.com/QE2.html