First Look as New P&O Iona Sails into Southampton

The new 5,200 guests P&O Iona sailed into Southampton on Sunday ahead of her naming ceremony.

Dame Irene Hays, chair of Hays Travel, Britain’s largest independent travel agency, will name the LNG-fueled ship and a specially produced Nebuchadnezzar (equivalent to 20x 750ml bottles) of Alex James’s Britpop cider will smash against the hull of the ship to bring it a good fortune in the future.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said “It is a landmark day for both P&O Cruises and for the travel industry as a whole.

“We are on the cusp of a bright new beginning and Iona’s arrival into Southampton this morning is very visible evidence of this much-anticipated future.

“Our guests are longing to get back to sea and Iona’s summer season of UK coastal cruises, including her maiden voyage on August 7 up to her namesake island of Iona, has seen overwhelming demand.”

P&O Restart by March 'Not Impossible'

P&O Restart by March 'Not Impossible'

P&O Iona

The likelihood of P&O Cruises returning to sailing by March is “not impossible”, according to boss Paul Ludlow.

The line’s president has said a decision on its restart of operations would be “informed by what is happening with the country at large”, speaking on Tuesday (3 November) ahead of England’s second national coronavirus lockdown later this week. 

The government was having to consider the national “macro environment” when working with UK cruise operators, he said - P&O’s operations are currently suspended until the end of February 2021.

“Do I think March is still realistic? I don’t think it’s impossible,” Ludlow told media during a briefing for its summer 2022 programme, which went on sale this week.

“We’re going to see what happens over the next few weeks. We could leave it [a decision on further extending the suspension] until the New Year but we have to think of our guests and agent partners.

 “From my perspective, if you have to move things further to the right [suspend further] I would want to make that decision this year.

“We are in regular contact directly with the government, and via Clia, and the dialogue remains very positive. I’m pleased with how talks are progressing.”

Discussing P&O’s eventual return to operations, Ludlow said Covid testing “will be key” to a successful resumption.

Although he added that he believed cruising could still operate safely without a vaccine with adapted onboard health and safety protocols in place.

He confirmed – as suggested by Clia’s recent pledge – that all P&O vessels would feature testing capabilities onboard.

“The type [of testing] is yet to be defined as the technology is moving so quickly but we are committed to being able to test all of our guests and crew.”

Upon the line’s restart, Ludlow predicted social distancing could be used “really effectively” with ship capacity capped “at about 85%” but said a lower threshold could be put in place.

“It depends upon which ship and where it’s going. The answer to how long we do that [limit capacity] and what level does somewhat depend on our testing capabilities and the prevalence of a vaccine. I think at this stage there are too many unknowns.”

P&O Cruises sets new return date

P&O Cruises will extend its operations pause until Oct. 15, the Carnival Corp. brand said Tuesday. 

“As a business, our operational focus is not when can we resume sailing but is instead of how can we develop a comprehensive restart protocol that will keep everyone onboard -- our crew and guests -- safe and well and still give our guests an amazing holiday,” said P&O president Paul Ludlow in a release. 

The British cruise line said it is focusing on working in close coordination with relevant public health organizations to approve the enhancement of its health and safety protocols.

“Our aspiration is to be adopting best practice in managing COVID-19 within the travel industry,” Ludlow said, adding that the line already has in place many of the protocols now being adopted for social gathering venues such as hand-sanitizing stations and rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures. 

P&O’s Iona, a 5,200-passenger ship powered by liquefied natural gas, was supposed to enter service in May. German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has not set a new delivery date.

P&O and Cunard Extend Cruising Stop to May 15; Iona Delayed

P&O Cruises and Cunard Line are extending their pause in operations for all sailings up to and including May 15, 2020, as a result of the continued impact of COVID-19.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said:  “It is clear that our original date of April 11 to resume sailings, which would have been a 30-day pause in operations, is just not feasible in light of the government announcements last week.

“Regrettably, therefore, we are now extending this pause until May 15. Given the current guidelines, it is prudent and practical to extend the pause until normal operations can be resumed.

“As we work through the evolving restriction on ports around the world future itineraries may be subject to change and so we are looking at how we phase our ships back into service.”

In addition, the restrictions have forced the temporary slow down of work by Meyer Werft in Germany, where the final outfitting on new ship Iona is being completed, according to a statement.

Ludlow continued: “We are working with the team at the shipyard to see exactly how this will impact upon Iona’s delivery.

All guests with a holiday booked up to and including May 15 this year will automatically receive a future cruise credit of 125%.

Coronavirus: P&O Cruises boss says ‘bear with us’

Coronavirus: P&O Cruises boss says ‘bear with us’

P&O Iona currently doing sea trails.

P&O Cruises’ president, Paul Ludlow, has asked passengers to show “some forbearance and patience” as the cruise line deals with mass cancellations amid the coronavirus crisis.

On March 16, the cruise line was one of four Carnival brands which announced a temporary halt to all cruises, lasting until mid-April.

P&O Cruises said it will provide a 125% future cruise credit for passengers affected by the suspension.

In a message for passengers, Ludlow said: “I am…aware that some of you have stated you are frustrated at some of the changes we have had to make to our policies.

“While I understand your concerns, I would ask you to bear with us as we work through the multitude of new guidelines from government and industry bodies, including Abta.

“These are being updated regularly as this situation evolves and we are striving to strike the right balance between doing our very best for our guests and working in line with the rest of the travel industry in what will be, without doubt, the most challenging period the travel industry has ever seen.

“P&O Cruises needs you, more than ever, to stay with us and to show some forbearance and patience.

“Also, I promise you that I fully understand the disappointment caused for many of you, given your holidays have been curtailed, have been cancelled or are looking unlikely in the current situation.

“We are working through the very complex plan for our resumption of sailings and we will be sharing that once completed.”

The full statement is on the P&O Cruises Twitter feed @pandocruises

Abta issued guidance to members on delaying refunds on Friday and hopes for government confirmation of the changes today (March 23).

These would see ‘refund credit notes’ issued to consumers protected by the ATOL scheme, initially up to July 31.

Carnival UK reveals major restructure

Princess Cruises’ UK boss is to switch brands and take the helm at P&O Cruises.

The announcement comes as part of a major restructure of the commercial teams for P&O Cruises and Cunard less than a week after the shock announcement that Carnival UK's chief commercial officer Gerard Tempest was to exit the business after two years.

Ludlow’s new role as senior vice-president of sales and marketing for P&O Cruises will also see him take responsibility for sales support, guest insight and the digital teams of both P&O Cruises and Cunard.

Cunard is now recruiting for the role of senior vice-president of sales and marketing.

As part of the restructure, sales and distribution director Chris Truscott will be leaving the business.

Head of partner sales, Jeremy McKenna, will lead the agency sales team for both brands, reporting directly to Ludlow in the interim period until the new Cunard role is appointed.

P&O Cruises marketing director, Christopher Edgington, will report into Paul Ludlow and Cunard’s Angus Struthers will report into the equivalent for Cunard when appointed.

Carnival UK chief executive, David Noyes, said that bringing sales and marketing together in one role would help Cunard and P&O Cruises create more momentum for the brands.

"I am delighted to appoint Paul to this critical role. Paul’s 15 years of experience within our company makes him an ideal fit to lead the sales and marketing teams for P&O Cruises to ensure sustained growth of the brand.

"Chris Truscott leaves this business in a significantly better position than the one he joined. He should be proud of what he has achieved and the relationships he has built."

Ludlow said: "Following the launch of Britannia in March, which positioned P&O Cruises at the forefront of the nation’s mind, there has never been a more exciting time for the company.

"The potential for the industry as a whole is vast and I am determined, through giving a seamless, exemplary guest experience, working closely with our travel agent partners, to develop this growth to the maximum for P&O Cruises."

During his time at Princess Cruises, Ludlow oversaw the creation of an individual sales team and commercial operation for the brand. He led the team which launched Royal Princess, named by the Duchess of Cambridge, and also oversaw the launch of new travel agent tools such as the recently-launched booking portal OneSource.

Princess Cruises is now recruiting for Ludlow’s replacement.

Princess Cruises documentary puts off travellers

Princess Cruises has defended its decision to allow cameras on board one of its liners after travel agents claimed tourists have been put off by its documentary The Cruise Ship.

Paul Ludlow, Princess Cruises' managing director in the UK and Europe, stated that the company is currently 50 per cent ahead of its sales target and he claimed the series "really picked up momentum" over the course of its run, reports Travel Mole.

He said: "Our weekend web traffic has doubled and enquiries have spiked, particularly from those new to brand. We hope this effect is being felt across the industry and we've received a number of comments from agents that the series led to a sharp increase in new-to-cruise customers.

 

“Of course we welcome comments from both travel agents and guests, and are in the process of reviewing all the feedback we have received. This will help us determine the success of the show and potential for a second series."

But travel counsellor Helen Wheatley claims tourists have been put off booking a cruise as a result of the four-part documentary, with one would-be cruiser describing it as their "worst nightmare" after seeing the show.

She said: "Why do cruise lines such as Princess allow cameras on board, when they should know that editing will paint them in a light to entertain viewers, not always to their advantage?"

Personal travel advisor Jane Haughey added that she believes it was a "daft move" on the part of Princess Cruises, due to the fact the liner depicted in the programme came across as a "party ship", which may be off-putting for some people considering booking a cruise trip.

She noted: "I did have to persuade a client that it very much depends on where the ship is located and a cruise that is going to the Caribbean will have a large amount of US passengers on it."

In order to make the ITV series, cameras were on board Royal Princess for a five-week period last year, with the voice over provided by comedian, actor huge cruise fan John Thomson.

Princess Cruises to appear in fly-on-the-wall documentary

By Robin Searle 

Princess Cruises is to appear in a primetime four-part fly-on-the-wall documentary on ITV.

The cruise line has revealed that camera crews were given behind-the-scenes access to Royal Princess after it was launched last year by the Duchess of Cambridge.

The results will appear in four episodes of The Cruise Ship, though broadcast dates have yet to be announced.

Paul Ludlow, Princess Cruises managing director for the UK & Europe, said the line was given no editorial control over the series.

But he believes the results will provide a boost for the cruise industry in general, and Princess sales in particular.

“This is the single biggest thing happening for cruise this year as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

“This idea has been in the pipeline for a while now and it quickly became something very exciting.”

He added: “It will show the cruise industry in a really positive light and demonstrate the incredible experiences our guests have on board. Our crew are the stars of the show and it reflects how hard they work.”

The programme allows Princess to once again capitalise on the excitement generated when the duchess helped christen the ship, according to Ludlow.

“There was a great feeling in the industry when the Duchess of Cambridge launched Royal Princess and this will bring back a lot of that feeling,” he said.

“This will only have a positive effect for us as a brand and for bookings.”

Last year, BBC2 broadcast The Cruise: A Life at Sea, a series focusing on the chaplain on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral. It drew criticism that it reinforced perceptions that cruises were for older people, but the line’s Nathan Philpot reported “over £1 million in sales” in the three days after the first show.