Phoenix had an option to buy her a couple of years ago but they didn't pick her back then. I understand they then tried to get their hands on "Prinsendam", but it appears that HAL intends to keep her for now.

It wouldn't suprise me to see Phoenix buying "Artemis" now. IMHO, she would be a wonderful ship for them!

Best,

rd77, yes the reviews vary from one extreme to the other, possibly because she is different to other vessels and people are not sure of things. I enjoyed my trip aboard anyway, she has open great deck areas, and the cabin we had was large.

I will be sorry to see her go, IMHO P&O missed a great opportunity with her to extend her life in a considerable way, they could have easily installed extra balconies, added alternative restaurants etc that woudl have seen her keep pace. Of course the first mistake P&O made with her was not building a couple more sisters !

That said I am sure she will do well with her new owners, any idea when the transfer might take place ?

quote:

---

Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
This was the same website that was reporting that Costa Allegra was going to Paquet !

---

Why say such a counter-truth?
"Mer et Marine" website has never ever reported that COSTA ALLEGRA "was going to paquet"! Never.
Read again the article, or acquire a good translator, or ask to someone really knowing French language and you'll see they have never claimed such a thing:
http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=110755

Mer et Marine usually has very serious and well documented articles with pertinent analysis. They usually provide serious journalistic work. I personnally consider them among the most reliable sources.
When they're not 100% sure of their information, they use the conditional mood, like they've just done with the above ARTEMIS affair. When a fact or a news is finally not true or uncomplete, they always make an erratum or an addendum shortly.

I'm sure they will either correct either confirm what they're saying about this "sale" shortly, as soon as they know for sure at 100%.

[ 09-04-2009: Message edited by: Vaccaro ]

Two things to remember before you make more caustic remarks !

1 - I have worked as a officer on cruise ships for over 30 years.

2 - I am now the UK Manager for an international cruising website.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
jetwet 1

Two things to remember before you make more caustic remarks !

1 - I have worked as a officer on cruise ships for over 30 years.

2 - I am now the UK Manager for an international cruising website.

I think I have forgotten more about cruise ships, than you have ever known, having been involved with them for over 50 years !

---

Neil, all of which means nothing as yet again you stated something as a fact that was not true, while I don't doubt you have knowledge of the happenings on cruise ships 20 years ago times have changed.

We can go back and forth if you like, that works for me, but please don't try the "I worked on cruise ships for 30 years" on me, that means nothing other than if the questions relate to the happenings on those ships in that time frame.

First with an official statement from P&O - see Captain Greybeard's blog.

[ 09-04-2009: Message edited by: greybeard ]

To me I have never considered cruising on Artemis.

I feel and am pretty sure allot of others feel the same way that ships like Oriana and Aurora are P&O ships through and through and when people think of P&O they think of those ships. Arcadia has managed to fit into P&O's profile very well too. I cant speak for Artemis as I have never been on it.

As for Ventura/Azura I feel they are more of Princess type ships than P&O, where a ship like Oceana can easily fit into both the P&O and Princess fleets.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
One of the smaller Princess cruise ships could always be transfered to P & O as a replacement for Artemis.

---

Neil,

not a snowball's chance in you-know-where of that. Those ships are great earners for Princess, they won't give one up. Besides that, this move proves that P&O is foward-focused on larger, contemporary ships, not smaller, more traditional tonnage.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:

Neil,

not a snowball's chance in you-know-where of that. Those ships are great earners for Princess, they won't give one up. Besides that, this move proves that P&O is foward-focused on larger, contemporary ships, not smaller, more traditional tonnage.

Tim

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:
...this move proves that P&O is foward-focused on larger, contemporary ships, not smaller, more traditional tonnage.

Tim

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by mike sa:
With no new ships on order and theirworld deployment strategy I don't think Princess would want to transfer any of their ships especially when the financial crunch begins to ease.

---

Well, it would all be a matter of revenue, wouldn't it? Oceana's sister ships are Dawn Princess, Sea Princess and Sun Princess. Dawn & Sun are cruising out of Australia, Sea is cruising on the west coast of N America, covering everywhere from Mexico to Alaska. If Carnival Corp management thought that one of these ships could earn more money sailing ex-UK as a P&O ship - and we all believe that per diem rates seem to be higher in the UK than elsewhere - then I would imagine that the ship could well be redeployed.

Does anyone know how well they're doing? Dawn & Sun are still in their first year in Australia, aren't they?

From the P&O point of view, I get the feeling that Oceana is quietly well-accepted by P&O customers. You don't hear the complaints about her that you hear about Ventura (too crowded, too many kids) or indeed the different complaints you hear about Arcadia (too bland).

Given that Princess has an almost new fleet of ships I think that the first to go would be the Sun class. They already gave Ocean Princess to P&O as Oceana. After the announcement of P&O getting Arcadia Adonia went back to Princess as Sea Princess. I got the impression that Adonia as an adult only ship did not sit well in the P&O fleet and probably would have been better family friendly like Oceana.

Regarding Arcadia - I like that ship and think it fits in well with the P&O profile and is very similar to Aurora and Oriana in the general P&O feel on board.