When I’m not on our ships mixing with passengers and crew I am based in the new Carnival UK headquarters in Southampton, Carnival House. As the home port for the majority of our ships, we felt Southampton was very fitting for our landmark property. The impressive design of our new building has already become a major feature of the city centre, highlighting even more Southampton’s status as the number one cruise port in north west Europe.
Just off West Quay Road, on Harbour Parade, Carnival House is located close to Southampton’s cruise terminals. Not only is it convenient for accessing the ships, but we can also wave you off as you depart on your cruise holiday.
Carnival House has 150,000 sq ft of flexible office space, on five floors, which wraps around a full height atrium that is quite reminiscent of the atria on board our ships. But more importantly, our new building has for the first time, brought all of our staff together from five different locations across Southampton. It provides a state-of-the-art working environment, which enhances our efficiency. It is all part of the ‘working behind the scenes’ that ensures that your holiday experience is the best it can be.
With kind regards,
Carol
Posts
41 comments:
Welcome Carol looking forward to your input,may I say that a splendid headquarters building is very nice but what is most important is service that is provided from this building such as telling people about itinery changes,I am on Arcadia cruise J921 next tuesday.
Yours Truly
Alan Beal
Hi Carol,
As Alan above we are on Arcadia next Tuesday 8th Dec, looking forward to 10 nights relaxation. If you are in the HQ and wanting something to do pop down at lunchtime and say hello to us !!! Luckly we live in Hythe so a very short journey to the docks, all of 20mins. Pass your building regularly as my wife loves West Quay for shopping !!!
Regards,
Derek.
Thank you for stepping in to continue the blog Carol.
My partner Tony & I have been lucky enough to have cruised with P&O since 1997. It is great that the ships have been upgraded to such a luxurious & comfortable standard and it is good that there is such a choice of ship size & style. I would however also put in a plea to bring back some of the heritage to P&O Cruises. Let us be passengers, not guests; let us go on cruises not holidays; let us have a Purser's Desk, not a Reception. As relative youngsters we have many cruising years left hopefully - keep cruising different and special please. And find us a small replacement for the Artemis and much-missed Victoria :-)
Kind regards,
Andrew
I hope that you are planning on replacing Artemis with another child free ship. Also do you have any plans to ensure that people do not put towells on sunbeds and then disappear for hours. Celebrity have pool attendants and monitor and remove towels. I would like to see this on all P&O ships. It is not fair to leave it to the passengers to sort out. Finally I would like to see the dress code enforced on all ships.
If you continue to ban good customers from your forum because they stand up to the gang of bullies you will be short of customers!! You should get some more professional & streetwise staff in your admin department who can tell the difference between someone defending themself & someone causing the problem, not be swayed by gangs seeking revenge for some imagined insult.
The above was not ANON it was me JTD..it wouldn't take the name!!
Carol, thanks for taking on this blog after James C.
Well done on all the things you have been doing at P&O and the other fleets.
We have cruised with P&O for many years and like Andrew would love to see (some fairly simple things):
1. Us being treated as passengers, not guests.
2. Cruises not holidays. It just doesn't feel as special otherwise
3. Bridge or engine room tours. I appreciate tours of the engine room might be difficult due to H&S but surely more bridge tours could be a possibility as I understand a lot of people who travel would love to be shown round (even for a small fee which could be donated to the guys up there).
4. Where are the proper officers on the ship? We always see officers with white and gold walking around, but rarely see the officers from the bridge/engine rooms - it would be nice to see more of them around the ship to talk to. Junior and senior ones?
5. We really enjoy hearing the noon speeches updating us on the ships progress. Any chance of having maybe a few of these on sea days and perhaps one on overnight journeys because at the moment we don't know what is really happening on most passages. e.g. perhaps an announcement from the bridge a few hours after sailing in the pm before the evening entertainment gets fully underway.
Thank you Carol for doing this. Hope you don't get too much slack ^^^
John
Reading the above comments, there is clearly still demand for a traditional product. I think this could be achieved by replacing Artemis with a similar sized vessel, keeping it child-free, and appealing to a different niche in the market....those people who are willing to spend more on a premium product (those passengers who are defecting from P&O according to the various cruise fora) ...probably along the lines of Swan Hellenic which is within your experience. I'd like to see more speakers along historic and cultural lines rather then just "selling tours".
I'm not saying the whole company should move this way - just a ship or two...to counter-act the feeling that P&O is dumbing down. There is also a place for the fun/family ships - Oceana and Ventura. Arcadia and Aurora could fit between the two ends of the spectrum.
Clearly a fleet of 6 or 7 ships gives P&O the option to appeal to all ends of the market...with every ship offering its own unique style.
I'd also like to suggest one ship doing a "sort-of" permanent world cruise...ie not coming back to Southampton every 2 weeks but sailing in 2 week sectors around the world so that people can have the option of travelling further afield in the summer holidays. At present, July and August invariably means Europe....leaving people moving to other lines, at the risk of losing them for good, if they like what they see.
Sorry if I've gone on a bit but I think there is so much P&O is good at, it is sad to see negative comments on the cruisng fora - usually about very minor niggles.
I always look at P&O cruises first, but do sail with other lines if their product fits my needs better at the time. I am also a Carnival shareholder so have a vested interest!!
Many thanks Carol for taking on this blog and listening to us.
Carol many thanks for continuing the Blog which we have enjoyed since it started. Looking forward to hear your comments etc.
Good Luck!
I agree with the comment about your forum, you need to look in to this as I know you have lost in excess of £30,000 worth of business as a result of the very amateur administrator banning some very good P&O customers for not very good reasons.
Myself, I have not been banned but know of at least 2 people who have and will not be crusing with P&O in 2010, they both took more than 1 P&O cruise in 2009.
I am sure this will fall on deaf ears as usual.
Good luck in you new job
Derek
Hi Carol, Greetings from across the pond. I'm the American recording artist, Dean Friedman, (hits: Lucky Stars, Lydia, Ariel, Woman of Mine, etc..)I've always enjoyed an enthusiastic and loyal following in the UK and am interested in the possibility of performing on a P&O Cruise. If you're familiar with my work and interested in learning more, please contact me at dean@deanfriedman.com .
Regards,
Dean
Wow, if Dean is for real, then I say lets see him on a P & O ship soon. I love his songs. Along with one of the other favourites of mine Gerard Kenny.
It's always nice to see new entertainment onboard. The trouble with being regular cruisers is you seem to see the same acts time and time again. I love Tom O'Connor, but I bet I could repeat his act word for word now ;-)
But as with most things in life, you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. A very true saying.
Keep up the good work Carol.
Elaine (aurorabore)
Well said Elaine!
Not long now and you are of on your Chrissy Cruise. Hope you have a great time and look forward to reading your input on the Blog through your cruise.
We were in the Caribbean/Panama two years ago at the same time as you will be, we were on Island Princess from San juan, Puerto Rico to Acapulco,and it took us 11 flights there and back to Australia. The weather is very similar to here in QLD, maybe not as humid. The Americans on the ship sometimes found the heat a bit hard to cope with.
Only 85 sleeps till we leave on Aurora, we just can't wait.
Have a great Christmas!
I have seriously been put off booking another cruise with p & o due the childish people that frequent the community forum. I got some good tips for my first cruise and got involved in general discussion, what childish, pompous people that frequent the forum. Their actions do put you off cruising, they ban innocent members and leave the real trouble makers to carry on targeting the innocent by goading them into argumnts.
I hope to cruise again but seriously considering another line as I would be concerned at meeting any of these people on my cruise.
Helen
I would be grateful if you could comment on why you have recently withdrawn the gifts that passengers received when becoming Sapphire and gold members.
Hi Carol,
Could you please tell us if we can take our own wine and beer on board Aurora for our own personal use in our cabin?
Some people say they have done and others say they had it confiscated.
Hi Carol,
I will be on eight week cruise from auckland to southampton,I have noticed numerous times on community boards about only one iron being available in laundry room,
Can we have more.?
Could a laundry package be added for pre payment for whole cruise.?
On Arcadia there are 3 laundrettes, each with few washers and dryers, one ironing board and iron and little room for any more. Would be a treat to purchase a laundry package. How would it be organised and policed between approx 2000 passengers, you maybe would get your laundry done twice in the 8 weeks. On our 7.5 weeks last year on the Grand Voyage we used and lent our own travel iron, a great thing to invest in. Otherwise the stewards will bring you an ironing board and iron to your stateroom on request or you can pay an exhorbitant price to have everything done by the ship laundry, in that case you will need to bulk up your credit card, is a stupid price per article.
Beware of the gossip about being thrown off the ship for engaging in laundry wars, but be aware that there are persons that will leave their washing in either the machines or dryers all day therefore no one else gets a chance at clean clothes, that aspect should be addressed just like the reserving of deck chairs with towels.
Carol,
All I can say, having read the replies so far is...Good Luck!
Gosh Carol, You certainly have your work cut out for you - there is such good reason not to cruise - passengers never being satisfied and always finding that itty bitty thing to moan about - Good Luck!
WOW, What's happening? This blog has become so serious and political and even verging on nasty.
Bring back the happy blog!
Well we have been cruising now for approx 19 years, starting off on Canberra. Things have changed greatly over the years and as anyone in charge of a business knows that things have to move with the times. I for one think most of the changes are for the better. It's a shame most of my fellow passengers do not feel the same!
Elaine (aurorabore)
Well said again Elaine!
I will continue to cruise with P&O UK, am more than happy with the service and very happy to just be on a cruise even though it is a very long flight to the UK and back.
I do not enjoy the Community Forum on this site so I seldom look in and only ever on Cruise Related threads.
Fortunately, my experience of P&O passengers on board ships is totally different and 99% of fellow cruisers have been good company. Please don't let the Forum put you off.
Come on guys - give Carol a chance of keeping this Blog interesting & lively without getting so serious.
Andrew
(Brightonbreezy)
Well said Andrew. I bet Carol's wishing she'd never bothered to take over the blog for a couple of weeks and lord only knows what James must be thinking!
Elaine (aurorabore)
Well thanks for continuing the blog! I love P&O and cant wait to book my next cruise, nothing to moan about me!
If any P&O staff read this blog then i would just like to say a huge thankyou for making my wedding day 08/11/08 on Oriana so perfect!
Best wishes for christmas and new year everyone...happy cruising!
xmaslisa
P&O is my favourite cruise line. Went on my first P&O cruise in 2000 and have been on four P&O cruises since and two on P&O sister brands. Keep the blog going Carol and I hope to work for P&O once I have completed my degree course in travel and tourism management.
Thankyou so much for the last three comments, I have been so unhappy with all the controversy! Andrew, Elaine and xmaslisa you are all champs and have made my day a lot better.
Most Humans hate change and expect the world but there are the few of us that are happy where ever we are and to be on a ship and enjoying yourself is the ultimate to me.
Whatever you do it is what you make it yourself and if you have the negative and down right obnoxious attitude then you bring everyone else down.
No one is forced to read this blog,or go on a cruise, most people in the past were very, very happy and as soon as the "Boss" was the head blogger everything changed, we the faithfull no longer had a happy blog but whatever the whinners say, I for one will never listen.
So sorry to Carol, she should not have to be expected to be attacked in the manner in which she has been.
Who cares about the forums or anything else, life and holidays go on, stop spoiling it for everyone else.
Whoops, while I was writing Stuart emailed so now I must say the last 4 comments and include Stuart. See it is now more like a happy little blogging community!
No-one is attacking Carol, just taking the chance to voice their opinions & see what she has to say, she did assk after all!
Johnthed0g
Just to comment on this particular blog entry Carol - Carnival House is quite pleasing on the eye and is certainly better than its Blue & Yellow next-door-neighbour ;-). It is just a shame that ABP could not have come up with something a bit more interesting for the Ocean Terminal. It does its job extremely well but won't win any architecture awards.
Andrew
(Brightonbreezy)
Can you please advise me why Aurora is in Bremerhaven. Is it a planned maintenance visit or a problem ?
Andrew
It is a lovely looking building. I should think it's much better having everyone under one roof rather than dotted around the city! When I was down in Southampton a couple of weeks ago, I noticed at night that lights change colour on the building. It's certainly a large improvement on the Terminus Terrace building!
I actually quite like Ocean terminal too, although I am slightly concerned that if the weather is inclement on the 18th those joining Arcadia, could be playing hunt the terminal. On the 18th Oriana is in berth 106, Black watch is in 101, Aurora 38/39 from midday and Arcadia in berth 46. Fingers crossed that we don't have high winds!
Derek, I think you'll find that Aurora is in Bremerhaven on planned maintenance. She is due back to Southampton on the 18th December.
Elaine (aurorabore)
I love P&O as well. I have cruised with them since 1983 and have watched the changes with interest. It isn't like it used to be - thank goodness! We now have our own bathrooms, TVs, direct dial telephones and a choice of places to eat to mention a few things. Looking forward to Arcadia tomorrow and trying to keep warm on our Winter Wonderland cruise!
We haven't had a blog for many days and wonder whether we could have an update please? The beauty of Nigel's blog was that it was updated daily, without fail. I think this keeps up the momentum and keeps people interested. When it arrives, I enjoy it!
Think she's been frighten off by all the comments. Not surprising, as it is useless writing to P&O.
Hi Elaine,
I'll look out for those colour changes in Carnival House next time I am in Southampton. You are certainly right about Terminus Terrace - it may have provided 'sterling' service but was past its sell-by. We have been through Ocean Terminal a total of 3 times and I just feel that whilst it is fine inside, ABP really missed a trick with the (IMHO) dull & boring exterior. I suppose I was hoping they might have given a nod to the illustrious past and created something modern but echoing the site's Art Deco past. Naturally, that is not down to P&O - they were not holding the purse strings.
Look forward to further Blogs Carol - there are far more objective friends on here than harsh critics.
Andrew
(Brightonbreezy)
Looking out of my bedroom window across Southampton water, a lovely morning, I can see Arcadia in berth 46. Will be joining her later for the Christmas Markets cruise WOW !!!
Derek, all I can say is...You are a lucky fella!
Have a good one!
I see a few negative comments about the Community Forum. I disagree, it has over 44,000 members, is very lively and active. Any P&O or cruise question is normally answered within minutes. Everyone is so helpful.
In the General Chat section spats occur and can degenerate into insults. BUT, Admin. are quick to delete those and issue warnings. After a few warnings then regretably Admin are left with no choice but to ban someone. Truthfully it's usually warranted.
I stress that it's a minor thing as on the rest of the Forum thousands of cruising subjects are covered by members to the benefit of all.
I'm surprised your Marketing Dept. doesn't use the Forum for Surveys, Focus Groups, etc. Many a Company would die to have a captive audience of a cross section of its customers such as the Forum.
Well done P&O for running the Forum.
Well said Dave. I cannot believe a few bitter banned members of the forum are ruining this blog. Get over yourselves, it's a forum! And a great forum at that. Helpful and full of information from cruisers.
Keep up the great work Carol, we love P&O!!
Ex
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