Peninsular embarkation lounge on Aurora?

We are boarding Aurora on Tuesday can anyone advise us where the peninsular lunch buffet is held.

When we were on her recently it was held in Carmens.

Hope it's better than the two we've had on Britannia, the first of which was in Sindhu and the last in one of the main restaurants.

The choice of food was minuscule and the quality underwhelming and the 'champagne' was nothing of the sort - some sort of cheap fizzy plonk which tasted vile. It takes a lot for me to leave a free drink, but neither my wife nor I could drink it.

Personally, we find that a better plan is to use priority boarding to be first on, drop your hand luggage in the cabin and then head straight for the buffet. We have managed to get there before it has opened on our last 2 cruises and it means you have first pick, before the Norovirus spreading people who don't wash their hands arrive. For this reason, it is the only time throughout our entire cruise that we are happy to use the buffet.

Thank you for your replies. I think we may well visit the buffet.

The last time we had a Peninsular lunch was on boarding Oceana in May. It was really good - a selection of small hot dishes - you could take as much as you liked. There was also soup if anyone wanted it. The desserts were scrumptious - particularly the coffee eclairs, lots of choice. We thought the fizz was really good. Maybe it differs from ship to ship. We are on the same cruise as the OP and we will certainly be partaking of the complimentary lunch - like keeping away from the scrum in the buffet, especially with everyone having to cope with their hand luggage as well. I know some people go and dump their hand luggage in their cabin but we don't like to do this and get in the cabin steward's way.

Thank you for your replies. I think we may well visit the buffet.

I think that would be a mistake, as the food is fine and the fizz may not be the best you can get red or white wine which will be the house wine which is very drinkable.

Apart from that you will have a far nicer place to wait until your cabin is ready.

BTW the location changes with the cruise and the number of higher tier passengers on board

Dai

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We had lovely welcome lunch on Oceana. There was a good selection of food, drinks were served freely and it was just lovely to sit in the main dining room to wait instead of the crowded buffet.

This is for people Varibbean and above not all Peninsular Club but assume that's what the OP meant.

Some people are referring to 'waiting with hand luggage until their cabin is ready'. It may be unique to Britannia, but cabins are now ready when you board so this is unnecessary. You no longer have to wait for an announcement. I thought this was the case on all P&O ships now, but possibly not.

To be clear, I hate the buffet, but if you have priority boarding you can use it when everything is freshly laid out and there are no crowds. It's the only time I go there (for hygiene reasons) and enjoy a good meal. We then go to the priority lounge (which doesn't open until later) for free drinks (I shall try the house White next time as the fizz is undrinkable).

As someone else pointed out, you have to be Caribbean tier or above for priority access, unless (as is the case with us) you are in a suite.

As I've mentioned in another thread, you do not have to wait for your cabin to be ready - it is ready immediately upon boarding. This is part of the new boarding procedure P&O have put in place.

As a number of people have already said, the lunch/buffet is not for all Peninsular Club members, only for Caribbean Tier members and above.

All the replies have been very helpful, we are Caribbean peninsular members but haven't cruised out of Southampton for some time now.

Good that the cabins are now ready when you embark.

We are really looking forward to this cruise returning to P & O where we started our cruising adventures.

Hope it's better than the two we've had on Britannia, the first of which was in Sindhu and the last in one of the main restaurants.

 

 

 

The choice of food was minuscule and the quality underwhelming and the 'champagne' was nothing of the sort - some sort of cheap fizzy plonk which tasted vile. It takes a lot for me to leave a free drink, but neither my wife nor I could drink it.

 

 

 

Personally, we find that a better plan is to use priority boarding to be first on, drop your hand luggage in the cabin and then head straight for the buffet. We have managed to get there before it has opened on our last 2 cruises and it means you have first pick, before the Norovirus spreading people who don't wash their hands arrive. For this reason, it is the only time throughout our entire cruise that we are happy to use the buffet.

Yes, those grubby little poor people should stick to steerage.

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All the replies have been very helpful, we are Caribbean peninsular members but haven't cruised out of Southampton for some time now.

 

Good that the cabins are now ready when you embark.

 

We are really looking forward to this cruise returning to P & O where we started our cruising adventures.

The reality does not match what is planned. They now board the priority passengers as soon as possible, even if the cabins are not ready. The lounge is available as soon as you board and there is an announcement when cabins are ready.

We have done 3 cruises since June and this has been the case on all of them.

Some have boarded as early as 12.10.

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Yes, those grubby little poor people should stick to steerage.

 

 

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It seems that you are deliberately trying to misrepresent my comment, which is both unfortunate and unnecessary.

Norovirus does not discriminate between passenger types or category of cabin. I have lost count of the number of guys I have seen use the toilets on board and leave without washing their hands, heading straight for the restaurants. Also, the revolting habit that some people have of licking spills off their fingers whilst serving food in the buffet. That is how Norovirus spreads and I chose not to have my holiday ruined by it. An advantage of priority boarding is that you can get to the buffet prior to it opening and therefore use it before hundreds of others (some of whom will fit either or both descriptions I have mentioned) have handled the tongs. It's got absolutely nothing to do with loyalty tier, class of person or cabin types, just a statistical probability given human nature and increasing volumes of people.

As well as not using the buffet, I hope you also don't press the lift buttons, don't hold the hand rails and push all the doors open with your foot. Us riff raff get everywhere!

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As well as not using the buffet, I hope you also don't press the lift buttons, don't hold the hand rails and push all the doors open with your foot. Us riff raff get everywhere!

 

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Oh dear. Now there's two of you being silly. I'm not really sure that I can be bothered to merit this with a reply, but for the benefit of those who may be unaware of Norovirus but genuinely interested, I would suggest reading up on it. Without going into all the graphic details, it spreads from poor toilet hygiene meeting food. Buffets are the highest risk areas, hence why, during an on board outbreak, a buffet will be closed or staff allocated to serve passengers. Other areas of the ship, whilst not entirely risk free, are far less susceptible to spreading the virus.

before the Norovirus spreading people who don't wash their hands arrive. For this reason, it is the only time throughout our entire cruise that we are happy to use the buffet.

It was you who attributed class of travel to this, not us. You didn't talk about the probability going up through more people using the buffet. Since you don't use the buffet AT ALL, after that initial visit, you just mean that all those priority passengers DO wash their hands and are unlikely to spread norovirus. If you thought otherwise, why would you use it at all?

Anyway, the last I'll say on the matter.

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Oh dear. Now there's two of you being silly. I'm not really sure that I can be bothered to merit this with a reply, but for the benefit of those who may be unaware of Norovirus but genuinely interested, I would suggest reading up on it. Without going into all the graphic details, it spreads from poor toilet hygiene meeting food. Buffets are the highest risk areas, hence why, during an on board outbreak, a buffet will be closed or staff allocated to serve passengers. Other areas of the ship, whilst not entirely risk free, are far less susceptible to spreading the virus.

My wife is a nurse. I don't need you to explain what it is, how it's spread and where the high risk areas may be. But I appreciate your attempts to educate me. If I had a cap, I'd doff it towards you.

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It was you who attributed class of travel to this, not us. You didn't talk about the probability going up through more people using the buffet. Since you don't use the buffet AT ALL, after that initial visit, you just mean that all those priority passengers DO wash their hands and are unlikely to spread norovirus. If you thought otherwise, why would you use it at all?

 

Anyway, the last I'll say on the matter.

 

 

 

 

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Absolute rubbish. Read my post again. I referred to being at the buffet before it opened and therefore first in line. Of course it's nothing to do with the type of passenger or what type of cabin they haver simply the numbers. I don't use the buffet beyond that point as you only get the chance to do that once - when you board as a priority passenger.

It is a great shame that these forums can, on occasion, go the way of social media, when certain people chose to pick a fight over the way that they chose to misinterpret a comment that someone else has made.

I suspect that my mistake was referring to the fact that we had enjoyed priority boarding as suite passengers. As your wife will know (being a nurse), jealousy is a disease for which there is no cure.

Hope it's better than the two we've had on Britannia, the first of which was in Sindhu and the last in one of the main restaurants.

 

The choice of food was minuscule and the quality underwhelming and the 'champagne' was nothing of the sort - some sort of cheap fizzy plonk which tasted vile. It takes a lot for me to leave a free drink, but neither my wife nor I could drink it.

 

Personally, we find that a better plan is to use priority boarding to be first on, drop your hand luggage in the cabin and then head straight for the buffet. We have managed to get there before it has opened on our last 2 cruises and it means you have first pick, before the Norovirus spreading people who don't wash their hands arrive. For this reason, it is the only time throughout our entire cruise that we are happy to use the buffet.

You are now in a very big hole that you started digging yourself by making the above statement incinuating that unless on both your recent cruises that you were the very first to board and were the first in the buffet, which I very much doubt, that everybody after you that is not Liguarian Tier/Suites are the people that spread Norovirus and those who are Liguarian Tier or in suites always wash there hands and dont spread Norovirus which is an arrogant and silly comment to make.

I think we are all loosing the plot here. I only wanted to know where the Caribbean buffet will be on Aurora.

Just shows how we can all get carried away.

Enjoy your evening everyone.

Thank you for the entertainment.

Anne.

Lots of cruise booked for us to enjoy.

You are now in a very big hole that you started digging yourself by making the above statement incinuating that unless on both your recent cruises that you were the very first to board and were the first in the buffet, which I very much doubt, that everybody after you that is not Liguarian Tier/Suites are the people that spread Norovirus and those who are Liguarian Tier or in suites always wash there hands and dont spread Norovirus which is an arrogant and silly comment to make.

I'm team Selbourne, I don't think s/he is in a hole. People need to stop taking offence at every opportunity. Selbourne was referring to the fact that (for whatever reason) s/he (don't want to offend you Selbourne!) boards first and is therefore able to get to the buffet first. Regardless of whether s/he is actually first or one of the first, the fact remains the chances of infection at that point is minimal.

Personally I like a little filth in my food - good for the immune system, but I get his/her point.

Whatever time you board, I'm sure you can probably get some ketchup from the buffet to go with the chip on your shoulder should you have one.....

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I interpreted Selbourne's posts to mean that having witnessed countless instances of poor hygiene they don't feel that they can take a risk eating in the buffet, unless they are able to arrive before others may have contaminated the serving implements. I think that is everyone's individual choice. I have seen people serving themselves, licking their fingers before moving along the line and we have all complained about people not using g gel etc. The buffet does present a higher risk than eating in other venues, so we all pay our money and make our choice. I studied food hygiene and microbiology for many years, I use hand gel in all restaurants as soon as I am seated to mitigate the risk and I do use the buffet.

Getting back on topic, I find the fizz and red wine fine in the priority meeting place, but the food is mostly deep fried and all the sandwiches contain mayo so I don't eat much. Luckily I'm not usually too hungry having risked all manner of nasties in a double sausage mcmuffin [emoji23]

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Absolute rubbish. Read my post again. I referred to being at the buffet before it opened and therefore first in line. Of course it's nothing to do with the type of passenger or what type of cabin they haver simply the numbers. I don't use the buffet beyond that point as you only get the chance to do that once - when you board as a priority passenger.

 

 

 

It is a great shame that these forums can, on occasion, go the way of social media, when certain people chose to pick a fight over the way that they chose to misinterpret a comment that someone else has made.

 

 

 

I suspect that my mistake was referring to the fact that we had enjoyed priority boarding as suite passengers. As your wife will know (being a nurse), jealousy is a disease for which there is no cure.

[emoji3][emoji3][emoji3] you talk of social media and go on to make a comment like that. As someone else has said, you dug a hole and left no way out. Yes I'm probably jealous both of your extraordinary wealth and your norivirus-free hands. All I can do is to work harder and try and attain the same wealthy, bug-free status as you! Wish me luck! [emoji57]

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I'm team Selbourne, I don't think s/he is in a hole. People need to stop taking offence at every opportunity. Selbourne was referring to the fact that (for whatever reason) s/he (don't want to offend you Selbourne!) boards first and is therefore able to get to the buffet first. Regardless of whether s/he is actually first or one of the first, the fact remains the chances of infection at that point is minimal.

 

Personally I like a little filth in my food - good for the immune system, but I get his/her point.

 

Whatever time you board, I'm sure you can probably get some ketchup from the buffet to go with the chip on your shoulder should you have one.....

 

 

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Thanks Ehg. You get my point exactly. We've been very lucky on our last 2 cruises that we were the very first passengers to board on one and amongst the first half a dozen the other time. On both occasions, we were at the buffet before it opened and amongst the first to use it when it opened.

On lots of other posts, people criticise the buffet for poor food choice, poor quality, luke warm food etc etc. I have to say we have no criticisms at all in that regard. It's just that I've seen far too many people leave the loo without washing hands and head straight into the buffet and I'm afraid that just puts me off. We have been fortunate in never having suffered Norovirus on any of our cruises to date and long may that continue. As the buffet is the biggest risk area, I chose not to use it beyond this one visit. No hardship given the multitude of choice on board these days.

As for the ludicrous and childish comments made by a few others, I shall not comment further. But, once again, thank you for understanding the serious point I was making and not choosing to twist things to imply that I was saying something that I wasn't.

There are times when I think this forum has sunk to the level that only Jeremy Kyle would enjoy [emoji53]

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