Eating aboard ventura

This is our second cruise to be. Our first was on the Olsen Boudicca. We had a table for two which was splendid.

We're trying out Freedom dining on the Ventura in January.

I've spoken to customer services and been round and round in circles on the website/personal planner. There's loads of info but nothing whittles down into a "freedom dining for dummies" sort of table.

Has anyone experienced life aboard as a couple having taken freedom dining? How did it all pan out in practice?

Specifically:

How easy was a table for two available and where would you go?

Which eateries would be most comfortable for breakfast and lunch? On the Boudicca it was like a stampede at these times.

Which restaurants observe formal dress code on formal nights?

What is available in the cabin to eat?

When finding a table for the evening sittings what is the proceedure ie. do you knock on the door of every restaurant onboard and wait for a table? What's the form here?

We may wish to join up with friends requiring a table for four particularly on formal evenings. How long is the wait for a table for two or four and where?

From this you would glean that eating is our main thing so, anyone's ACTUAL experience would be truly appreciated.

regards all

Peter

This is our second cruise to be. Our first was on the Olsen Boudicca. We had a table for two which was splendid.

 

We're trying out Freedom dining on the Ventura in January.

 

I've spoken to customer services and been round and round in circles on the website/personal planner. There's loads of info but nothing whittles down into a "freedom dining for dummies" sort of table.

 

Has anyone experienced life aboard as a couple having taken freedom dining? How did it all pan out in practice?

 

Specifically:

 

How easy was a table for two available and where would you go?

Which eateries would be most comfortable for breakfast and lunch? On the Boudicca it was like a stampede at these times.

Which restaurants observe formal dress code on formal nights?

What is available in the cabin to eat?

When finding a table for the evening sittings what is the proceedure ie. do you knock on the door of every restaurant onboard and wait for a table? What's the form here?

We may wish to join up with friends requiring a table for four particularly on formal evenings. How long is the wait for a table for two or four and where?

 

From this you would glean that eating is our main thing so, anyone's ACTUAL experience would be truly appreciated.

 

regards all

 

Peter

Its not difficult to get a table for 2 although at busy time you may have to take a pager. The wait is normally not longer than 15-20 minutes.

I assume you want to avoid the Buffet. You can use the Main Dining Rooms for Breakfast and Lunch and also the Glasshouse and Sindhu for lunch (a small charge applies for these two).

All restaurants except Buffet observe the Formal Dress Code.

There is a fairly good selection of Room Service but some items are chargeable.

You are allocated a Main Dining Room and Sindhu, Epicurean are bookable. Beach House and Glasshouse are turn up on the night.

There are a few tables for 4 in the Main Dining Room but tables for two are close together so you would have either option.

Now THAT'S a reply.

I can't thank you enough for that well laid out concise guide.

We're not difficult to please and all other issues I'm confident about dealing with on the fly but, you've brought comfort to our anticipation of this cruise. Without a comfortable eating experience a cruise would be a waste of money to us.

Thanks again.

Best regards

Peter

Thanks very much.

There are plenty of options. The MDR for Breakfast & Lunch is definitely more comfortable as is Afternoon Tea in the MDR. We always do a Freedom Dining and a table for 2 and have no real problems. You'll soon figure out the busy time and avoid it.

If you need any other help then just ask.

Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea in MDR. Read the Horizon Newsletter to find out opening hours for appropriate restaurants as they do not all cover all meals. Early doors at breakfast varies daily with sea days, ports and tender ports. Turn up at door, the guy always asks "Do you want to share, sir?" You say no thank you and he says "Just the two of you?" and you say: "Yes, thank you". A system of waiter/guides route you to the relevant table. This works for any size of group such as three, four or five together.

The "Room Service Menu" is available as a written list I believe and last time I was on board the "Interactive Television" could be navigated to get information about the menu and if items were chargeable. So you can order using the TV remote or phone an order through. Room service breakfasts are bookable overnight by filling out the card the night before and leaving it outside on your door handle before a set time.

It must be stressed that it is technically allowed to eat a breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and evening meal. I have never been able to keep that pace up and rationalised on a two or three daily meals strategy. In addition to this I rationalise meals based on reading the Horizon Newsletter, using a highlighter pen to sort out the activities I want to do/see and work meals round this. Top theatre acts need planning as you want to be eating in the evening ; in my opinion, fifteen to twenty minutes before second sitting to get the head start on second sitters heading off to the second performance of the really popular top shows to get best seats in theatre.

Regards John

The previous posters have very well covered most of the questions asked. As regards freedom dining, we have had freedom dining on Ventura as well as other ships and have had both tables for 2 and joined larger tables.

What we have found is that those people who opt for freedom dining and then a larger table are folks who are gregarious, like to meet and talk to other passengers and are genuinely good company to be with. This suits us and if it sounds like your sort of thing, then opt for a shared table. You'll meet interesting people and have lots more enjoyable meals that way.

If you don't fancy sharing then the tables for 2 are usually close to other diners and you usually end up chatting anyway. But of course if you just prefer to spend the evening gazing into each others eyes .....

We always have a table for two in freedom, and as others have said, at busy times you'll be given a pager. There are a few tables for two that are separate, but most are in a row, with little space between them. You certainly don't have to have a conversation with others around you on these tables if you don't want to.

Happy cruising.

We've only done one cruise with Fred Olsen and you have many more better options on P&O. We were on Ventura not so long ago, immediately after we'd been on Black Watch and there is just so much more flexibility of times and venues with P&O. I would say the food quality is on a par, and I'm sure you'll find you're spoilt for choice. Check out the different venues when you board / on the Horizon mentioned by John Watson.

We ALWAYS have a table for 2 at breakfast as It takes me ages to 'come to' in the morning but also as others have said, people are pretty sociable on P&O so it's good to share a table for dinner

This is our second cruise to be. Our first was on the Olsen Boudicca. We had a table for two which was splendid.

 

We're trying out Freedom dining on the Ventura in January.

 

I've spoken to customer services and been round and round in circles on the website/personal planner. There's loads of info but nothing whittles down into a "freedom dining for dummies" sort of table.

 

Has anyone experienced life aboard as a couple having taken freedom dining? How did it all pan out in practice?

 

Specifically:

 

How easy was a table for two available and where would you go?

Which eateries would be most comfortable for breakfast and lunch? On the Boudicca it was like a stampede at these times.

Which restaurants observe formal dress code on formal nights?

What is available in the cabin to eat?

When finding a table for the evening sittings what is the proceedure ie. do you knock on the door of every restaurant onboard and wait for a table? What's the form here?

We may wish to join up with friends requiring a table for four particularly on formal evenings. How long is the wait for a table for two or four and where?

 

From this you would glean that eating is our main thing so, anyone's ACTUAL experience would be truly appreciated.

 

regards all

 

Peter

Hi Peter,

I'm just wondering whether you realise that the term freedom dining just refers to your dining option in the evening with regard to the main dining room? There is a choice between a fixed time and sitting or freedom which is turn up at the time of choosing as per previous responses. For the main dining room options at breakfast and lunch or the buffet all passengers are the same irrespective i.e turn up when you want. Anyone can book speciality as posted.

I'll be eternally grateful to you that have taken the trouble to identify my concern and helped constructively.

We're not antisocial people, I'm keen to impart. In fact we made firm friends on our Boudicca trip. I just don't want the cruising populus, the majority of whom cruise for the social inter activity, to think I want to swim upstream against all that. I do want to "gaze into my wifes' eyes over dinner" as is intimated. It is for her that I want to cruise. There are precious few opportunities where we live for her to don a cocktail dress, be professionally waited on and take to the dance floor.

I've posted finally to thank you all again but also to assure you all I'm not a toffee nosed loner who doesn't want contact with real gregarious people.

I'm off to trawl cruise critic, the net and everywhere on the planet to see if I can book a cruise that includes a safari park stay/visit for 2017.

Bye all and thanks again.:)

Well if you find a cruise that offers you the opportunity to go on safari in 2017, come back and let us know as I don't fly and a cruise and stay with a safari is top of my bucket list.

I'll be eternally grateful to you that have taken the trouble to identify my concern and helped constructively.

 

We're not antisocial people, I'm keen to impart. In fact we made firm friends on our Boudicca trip. I just don't want the cruising populus, the majority of whom cruise for the social inter activity, to think I want to swim upstream against all that. I do want to "gaze into my wifes' eyes over dinner" as is intimated. It is for her that I want to cruise. There are precious few opportunities where we live for her to don a cocktail dress, be professionally waited on and take to the dance floor.

 

I've posted finally to thank you all again but also to assure you all I'm not a toffee nosed loner who doesn't want contact with real gregarious people.

 

I'm off to trawl cruise critic, the net and everywhere on the planet to see if I can book a cruise that includes a safari park stay/visit for 2017.

 

Bye all and thanks again.:)

We are the same, we prefer a table for two but are far from being anti-social. We never miss a course at dinner and have found we tend to hold up a bigger table. We can chat or not to adjacent tables.

Do you Ballroom dance ?

That's another reason to cruise. The dancing lessons.There's nowhere where we live. A great percentage of the lessons and evening dancing was cancelled on the boudicca on account of a 5metre to 12 metre swell. (The boudicca's as about as stabilised as the waltzers).

I'm really looking forward to that particular activity on Ventura.

Good observation about staggered meal courses when joining a larger table, by the way.

My review will be posted as soon as we return mid January.

Anyone done the coach shuttle ? We're coming from Bangor, Gwynedd to Southampton at silly-o-clock in the morning and back.

Regs all

Peter

That's another reason to cruise. The dancing lessons.There's nowhere where we live. A great percentage of the lessons and evening dancing was cancelled on the boudicca on account of a 5metre to 12 metre swell. (The boudicca's as about as stabilised as the waltzers).

 

I'm really looking forward to that particular activity on Ventura.

 

Good observation about staggered meal courses when joining a larger table, by the way.

 

My review will be posted as soon as we return mid January.

 

Anyone done the coach shuttle ? We're coming from Bangor, Gwynedd to Southampton at silly-o-clock in the morning and back.

 

Regs all

 

Peter

The dance lessons on P&O are pretty good if you are a beginner. The dancing is a bit limited as its on the Atrium. Its small and a bit open. We do a lot of Ballroom and Latin and don't have much difficulty though. You just have to have a go at it.

We're in Nottingham and do the coach shuttle to Southampton. No stress.

We've done the coach from Scotland so if you think it's early from Wales.....

We don't travel down by coach any more because of the early start. We have to leave our house before 2:00 a.m. and it ruins the first couple of days on the ship for us - but I hate mornings and getting up early at the best of times.

However we don't mind the journey home on the coach. Everybody on the coaches gets the same time and you usually have to wait in the theatre to be called to disembark. Once you've collected your luggage(lots more looking than on Boudicca) and gone through customs, someone directs you to your coach. You then hand over your luggage to the driver and sit back and relax

One thing to be aware of on Ventura is that a lot of the tables for two have a bench type seat against a wall which I found very low and with soft cushions which was not the more upright dining position that I prefer

Phil

As I feel among friends...............

I've just run the baggage label gauntlet. :confused:

Firstly I got a rosebud, then a swan, then a bowler hat.....:rolleyes:

And finally I clocked what the end product should be. :eek:

Thank you all for listening.

Must go, matron's calling.:p

One thing to be aware of on Ventura is that a lot of the tables for two have a bench type seat against a wall which I found very low and with soft cushions which was not the more upright dining position that I prefer

Phil

I would echo that comment, and would add that they are particularly uncomfortable when you are in a DJ.

There are very few tables for two with two proper chairs, and those that do exist are not in good locations (the equivalent of being outside the toilet door in a real restaurant).