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Captain
 
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Last Login: 17 November 2009 16:20
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| Why would P and O want another child free ship? Allowing kids on board means more bodies on board which means more profitable sailings. They may well designate the odd cruise as child free but the reality is the profile of cruisers has changed dramatically in recent years and P and O will react to the market.
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Commodore
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| My money is one of the existing P&O fleet going child free. Azura is child friendly, adding 3 thousand berths next year. Arcadia and Artemis sail fairly full most of the time, so its is likely there will be another child free ship. Oriana and Aurora have been mentioned before, but Carnival also have 80+ ships to choose from if they want to transfer one from another brand. We shall know next spring when the new brochure comes out! Richard
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Commodore
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| [quote] .... Why would P and O want another child free ship .... Fam3 Conversely why would they not. All the recent large ships have been family orientated so why would you wish to begrudge one or two smaller ships for passengers who may prefer them. The reason is not a hatred of children for the majority, it is because smaller ships can get into the smaller ports and these ports are not usually the destinations that families are looking for. ( Fjords, The Baltic & Black Sea etc As far as profitability goes I would suggest that if you had two ships of the same size with the same number of passengers the one that was child free would make the most profit - have yet to see any child book an excursion or run up a bill as high as the one we tend to get at the end of a cruise. (LOL) There are enough ships to go round for everybody surely. .
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Commodore
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| Free Runner Are you guessing or do you know something from inside information?(That Arcadia will be the only child free ship in the fleet from 2010/11) I wouldn't say Azura was being marketed child friendly atall - Ventura is, but Azura hardly mentions children, until the last page....more promotion on 'a ultimate tranquil haven' thats not what i would call a family friendly ship! Much is made of the fact she will be the sister ship to Ventura BUT then the brochure says 'no two sisters are the same/ it will be chic and stylish with truly grown-up delights...' Perhaps Oriana or Aurora will be the 2nd child free ship in the fleet...
Sue - aka Libralass
Cruises in 2009 - May Oriana Canaries, July Celebrity Equinox Pre-Inaugural 2n cruise, August - Oceana Fjords.
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Commodore
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Last Login: Today @ 10:24
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| ''Allowing kids on board means more bodies on board which means more profitable sailings.'' Kids don't spend money in the bars like Adults - since when are kids profitable? Arcadia and Artemis are very often full when they sail - unlike Ventura which is always heavily marketed with special offers......
Sue - aka Libralass
Cruises in 2009 - May Oriana Canaries, July Celebrity Equinox Pre-Inaugural 2n cruise, August - Oceana Fjords.
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Commodore
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| We would consider a smaller ship for the unusual ports but wouldn't want it to be childfree. There are enough ships sailing in the small childfree category - Marco Polo, Saga, Discovery, Minerva, Ocean Majesty and Fred Olsen. (if not completely chidfree then almost). P and O should concentrate on a brand that suits all ages, we hate being on a ship full of old moaners and pushers. On the last cruise we sat on a table with four people in thier eighties and they were wonderful company but a large number of the passengers were elderly extremly rude to staff and impatient in queues etc etc. Lets have a mix of ages on all P&O ships, it is a mainstream cruiseline.
Able.S.
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Commodore
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| I agree with you Sue .. it appears that Ventura is being marketed at the family while Azura is to be marketed at the 'traditional' cruiser while not excluding families. I think there is room in the market for a variety of ships.
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Commodore
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| Hi Manoverboard - it is a quick and simple exercise just to schedule a particular ship to undertake a particular route or voyage at a time of year when not many children have historically been booked on such a specific ship/voyage combination, and then to market the specific ship/voyage as child free. The only thing would be that certain personnel who normally work directly with children on the specific ship/voyage would either have to be rostered off, or rostered to other duties or a different ship. Then it's just down to marketing, and monitoring the responses, not so? As my lovely Alexandr says - 'simples'. Cheers
HC ------, -------, ---, ---- .
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Commodore
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| If P&O decide to change a ship to "child-free" they would need to do so well ahead of people booking. If they decide to reclassify after having taken a booking or two there might be legal problems under "contracts" liability. regards Keith
Ships cruised on: SS France RMS Queen Elizabeth Oronsay Oceana Ventura Vision of the Seas
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Commodore
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| I really think that is beyond the bounds of P&O's imagination, let alone their organisational skills. Their itineraries are so entrenched, ports booked up so far ahead,supplies at ports of call and cotacts with tour operators, I don't think it could be done, and if it could, I do not think it would interest them, too much work/logisitics involved. Yes, there are cruises on child friendly ships that have very few children on board. Aurora, recently to the US/Canada, had just a few children, our next on Oriana, which as it's 5 weeks will probably only have a few young children. Our cruise to Greenland had some children, but is not exactly a sunshine summer holiday cruise.
wolfhound
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