14 Night Mediterranean Cruise for 2 Adults - P&O Ariva Full Board - 16th - 30th April - £1080 (£540pp) @ Seascanner

Having been on 2 P&O cruises last year, and previously sailed on royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Princess, I can honestly say that I have no idea how they do it so much cheaper.

The difference between P&O and the other lines we have sailed with was very difficult to pin down. In my head the food may not have been quite as good as the others, but that might just be my perception as it was still very good and I might be subconsciously looking for a reason to be cheaper.

What I can say is that my wife and I have become P&O converts and are going again this year. I would probably have jumped at this offer if I had enough leave!

Yes, been with Marella 5 times.

Go for Discovery or Discovery 2 for the wow factor atrium and glitzier main dining room. Explorer and Explorer 2 are quite plain by comparison. They have a new(er) ship called Voyager which is a sister ship to Explorer.

Yes, theres merit in going with Marella as first time cruisers. Their USP is that its a package holiday "wrapper" around the cruise, so you simply turn up at the airport, get a TUI flight, then you're taken directly by coach to the ship. Going home is the reverse of that. So its all easy and hassle free.

If you do like a drink i'd recommend paying the little bit extra for the premium drinks package. You get then premium spirits, better wines, better range of cocktails, better range of beers and - notably - you get cans of fizzy drinks rather than from the pump. The cans can also be asked for unopened to take back to your room and put in your fridge. The canned drinks also make a big difference to your spirits, if say you want a whiskey and coke, its much nicer. Also a 2 litre bottle of water to your room.

Food is of a decent standard. Worth paying for the speciality dining options, which like most cruise lines is a level above in terms of quality and experience.

Staff are really friendly and cant do enough to help.

Like most cruise lines, school holidays are usually busy and can attract big families groups and loads of kids. As you are going in September you shouldnt experience that.

You could get a much better cruise on a new ship such as MSC for similar money (make sure you buy their drinks package on booking, not after) but you'd need to be prepared to book your own flights, maybe be there the day before, arrange your own transfers etc.

They're still a good jumping off point for cruises and you'll definitely love it. Once you've got the bug, then have a look at MSC, P&O etc for their offerings.

Conversely, if you're the sort of person whos happy to book your own flights etc then theres other options out there.

But, couldnt fault anyone going on Marella for a first cruise.

We have always went either balcony or suite (offers permitting!) but last December went with an inside cabin on MSC for £299 for a week. To be honest we were very impressed. The room was excellent and there was that much to do on the ship that we were only in the room for sleeping and showering anyway, as you say.

Balconies are much more usable during the summer months but out of season how much time is someone going to spend on one? Feels like that even for this cruise in April. Its not going to be that warm, so why spend more than needed?

Have a great time!

I wanna go!

Maybe because it spreads like wildfire on a cruise ship, and passengers tend to be elderly and vulnerable. Note also that Covid cases are isolated in their cabins.

Pretty much all cruise lines do it. You only have to look on the back of the ships as to where they're registered to see they're not following UK wages and employment laws.

The reason of course P&O Cruises has been picked out is because (a) they came under scrutiny as part of the P&O Ferries debacle and (b) they're a cruise line that pitch themselves as "British" and their target market is the UK.

And for all the talk of poor wages, many crew will stay with the cruise line for years, knowing its better than what they'd get at home and also includes food and lodgings.

They're generally speaking not "employees" though, they're on fixed term contracts. Even in land based companies in the UK temp workers, zero hour contract workers, and fixed term contract workers could have been badly affected during covid.

But yes, the problem many cruise lines are facing - in fact many companies in the UK too are facing - is that the people who were superfluous to requirements at the time went and found other jobs and stayed with them. Its why in many parts of the UK theres a real issue getting taxi drivers, lorry drivers, bar staff, restaurant staff, etc as they went elsewhere and wont be coming back.

How much did you pay for the drinks package please?

i dont think theres a "budget" cruise line. it would somewhat defeat the point.

There are cruise lines specialising in these large ships now, and those big ships needs bums on seats (well, cruisers in cabins), so they'll sell out a % of the cabins at probably cost price, knowing that other cabins will make them a profit and in fact even cruisers taking this deal will likely have notable onboard spend - notably drinks and food / restaurant purchases.

Lets be honest, this creates a great headline price, but P&O will upsell some of those in to outside or balcony rooms, where they can make more £££s.