CarlaMarie

It has never been about what time you get onboard. You get a choice of what dining preference you would like - club (and what time, table size) or freedom. Depending upon which fare type (saver, early saver, select (and the guaranteed select fares), you will often get your first choice and this is either confirmed before sailing or once onboard in your cabin (especially if you are a late booker).

I am completely lost as to how passengers are paying extra for freedom on the smaller ships which you get for free on the bigger ships? Passengers are generally paying more on the smaller ships for knowing they can choose club dining or freedom if they wish, adult only if they wish, currently no app, more port choice and itineraries (normally), less busy, more formal nights etc.... That is what you are paying for.

If you go back to my post, I agreed with Megabear that families are choosing more traditional dining than casual dining on Arvia. So of her MDRs (and her buffet), the Quays and Olive Grove are less popular than the traditional MDRs. Of the 4, 2 are hence in higher demand than expected. She is designed for the family market, and many will be on a budget and will be less likely to pay extra for speciality and shouldn't have to either to be able to have a meal at a suitable time for them. That's what I wrote and I stand by that. Arvia's second season will be very telling and I expect that is why P&O know they have a problem on her and are trying to think of a way to solve it.

Perfectly written.

That's great. Yes I knew Britannia uses the app as well, but on the main screen of the app it did say it wasn't necessary. That's why my parents tried to book in person to start with, and then turned up in the evening. It could have just been an issue on their cruise (the app had many a glitch), but in principle on Britannia like the ships below her you shouldn't have to book.

You cannot compare the price of speciality to land based restaurants. You can also not make an opinion it isn't expensive, because for some it actually is. For a start, passengers have already paid for the cruise - their accommodation and food in the buffet, MDR etc... Many passengers travel on a budget and do not wish to pay extra for what they essentially have already paid for. A couple travelling may pay extra, but a large family are unlikely to. Many regular cruisers are unlikely to pay for more speciality dining, compared to say a first time cruiser who wants to try everything. A regular cruiser may factor this in if it is their first time trying Arvia and feel they need to secure dining, but on a repeat cruise are unlikely to or will book a different ship. Currently, OBC is being offered in very attractive amounts, also some cruisers will still have FOBC from covid etc... Hence, this will also influence the popularity of speciality dining. But this will not last forever. Arvia is designed for families who are making different choices than P&O expected, and she is also attracting cruisers who she isn't intended for, which overall is putting pressure on the MDRs.

Before you very rarely had to reserve a table at Sindhu, the Glass House etc... Currently, the advice on ships other than Iona and Arvia does state that you do not need to book and they will accept walk ins. My Dad went to the Glass House during the day on Britannia to try and book a table for an evening, he was told he wasn't able to do that. That evening they went to the Glass House to get a table and were then asked to join the virtual queue using the app if they wanted a table. So it is misleading.

Interesting point Megabear about casual family cruisers also choosing dining venues that P&O hadn't anticipated. I think in general she is attracting a higher proportion of passengers each cruise who she wasn't actually built for. Especially during term time and with bargain fares on offer. Many also do not have a disposable income, are on a budget and cannot afford speciality on multiple nights.

Plus the dining venues are too small to accommodate those who want the traditional MDR experience. This is encouraging those to book speciality, for either multiple nights (then other passengers have zero chance of experiencing them), or to even have several bookings for the same night and cancelling last minute or just not turning up.

I also wonder if passengers will then book more than one venue for each night. We know this already happens, but this could potentially be on a greater scale.

I don't want this thread to derail like others have, this isn't about the pros of Arvia and all she has to offer. We are simply discussing this new change to how you can book. We all know Arvia has less traditional MDRs than Iona (very apparent on certain cruises), P&O are obviously thinking this will help but I am not sure how.

I don't think you have understood what I meant. When "freedom" dining was introduced, it was to offer an alternative to club dining of set times at 6:30pm or 8:30pm. You didn't have to book all the time, but just turn up. This isn't about the number of dining venues or choices that one has. This is about having to now book when before you didn't have to (unless you used speciality). If you are having to book during the day to secure a table at a time you think you would like or will work, that actually takes away the freedom passengers used to have.

I'm not sure how this will solve any of the issues, or how it vastly differs from what you can do currently. Furthermore, the whole concept of "freedom" dining has changed alot in comparison to when they first launched it.

@TigerB Thank you for your blog so far, I'm really enjoying reading it. I do hope your daughter is ok. Even though it sounds that you were all expecting it, it doesn't make it any easier and especially when you are away too. I hope she feels less overwhelmed tomorrow and enjoys the remainder of the cruise.

Very well put Selbourne and that is exactly how we feel.

I've mentioned on here a few weeks ago how passengers were smoking on a balcony on Britannia in May. Parents reported it, and nothing happened. Same with passengers feeding birds from a balcony - when reported the receptionist said they would have to check if that was allowed or not! If they ignore these reports and don't enforce rules then it will just continue. It is selfish behaviour.

I cannot wait!

Have a lovely time @Deeliteful Look forward to reading more about your cruise.

I think they have until 2026 to meet the new requirements, but they may be starting to put restrictions in place now.

Have a wonderful time!

According to Olden's port schedule you are still listed as arriving on the 27th. Have you received an email from P&O?

They really need to be more transparent regarding the reasons behind these changes which are often very last minute (and after full payment has been received). It is the least they owe their passengers.

Yes the packages do say they include a formal portrait photograph. There may just be one photographer who is onboard to do these and for those who request them, rather than a whole team of them. It might be worth sending P&O an email @lindylooellalouise to find out. You could also try calling, but you will be on hold for a very long time so email is probably quicker!

New appointments and the response to those can make the share price unsettled.

It dipped slightly yesterday