Understaffing and illness equaled below par standards.

6 of us set sail on 29 December as a precursor for our mum and her partner staying on for the full world cruise. 2 days prior to our sail date, a P&O email warned of norovirus on board and to arrive two hours later to allow for enhanced cleaning. Other than that email, we witnessed no enhanced protocols until the afternoon/evening of 1 January, by which time an announcement on board alerted to a number of cases on board and two of our party were already ill, including mum (78). Mum was poorly for 3 days and we had to leave her for her 3 month plus trip without having any contact, with another day of isolation ahead of her, and with 9 sea days before we find out how she is. My brother was violently sick on his first night home.

Additionally, the ship felt understaffed in all areas of service. We felt sorry for them because they just looked stretched, but ultimately the queues for the dining room were long and not every guest appeared patient. Dinner was often late and drawn out and mistakes were inevitable made. Likewise in the bar, most people learned to swarm around the bar end to get served because waiting at the table just meant a very long wait, and even after ordering the wait was long. Not the staff’s fault, just not enough of them, which perhaps also had an impact on their ability to properly or enhance clean against the sickness bug.

On a positive note, the food we had was all nicely prepared and we can’t say we had a bad meal – when those of us who could eat could attend dinner. Also thought the entertainment team were active and did a good job. Overall though, just not the standard we’ve come to expect from P&O, and we’d only just come back from the Caribbean and the Britannia 5 weeks earlier. Quite the disappointment.