Early Savers Dining

[BrianI]

Really struggling to see why its unreasonable to not be allowed to state your preference at the time of booking a saver fare. Fully understand that you may be at the bottom of the list when the allocation is made but not to be able to give a preference is silly and will cause a lot of pointless work for the restaurant manager.

These are not whinges but helpful advice should pando chose to listern. Its called customer feedback.

Totally agree.

Brian

[Mysticalmother]

I have posted somewhere on another thread that I don't necessarily agree with or like the current fare structure. I have given P & O feedback accordingly.

 

I can also agree that it wouldn't cost P & O anything to at least ask Saver fare pax to express a preference - as long as we then don't get whinges that they didn't get their preference. (we would...) After all P & O can simply ignore the requests and justify the outcome. But the pax would be happy that they have had the opportunity to express a preference. (my cats may express a preference but I don't feed them Whiskas...:rolleyes:)

 

In the same vein I have seen saver fare passengers on this forum complain about the location of their cabin.....

 

But at the moment, it is the way it is. Accept it or go elsewhere.

 

 

Simples.

[Daftlad]

Indeed Kevinyork.

For the first time in many a booking, swayed by some of the opinions on this forum, I paid Select fare for my Fjord trip on Brittania in August.

It would appear that I am missing out big time in as much that the OBC applied when I booked is miniscule compared to those who have taken advantage of the extra OBC bonanza on the current campaign from P&O. Furthermore, the cost of the cabins have come down as well. Talk about double whammy.

Before I get taken to task about "must have been happy with the price at the time of the booking", yes, I will take this on the chin. I am currently looking at doing what others have done in the past, and that is cancel, lose deposit, and re-book, but only if the sums add up.

[balf]

Instead P&O want to punish those not prepared to pay the Select fare by removing options making them feel like second class cruisers.

 

 

You are not given the option of choice of cabin so why not complain about that as well. Do you feel like a second class air traveller when you turn right on boarding?

 

If I buy a lower grade product I don't expect it to be of the same quality as a higher one. If I pay less for a saver I don't expect to get the choices of a select.

 

David

[Malefage]

Didn't think I would create so many replies with my initial question!!! I know that you have to make do with less on an EarlySaver fare but if you go on a cruise with friends it would be good to eat together if nothing else. It was a case of Early Saver fare or no cruise. We can't all afford select prices. As we have cruised 7 times before and always paid full price in an inside cabin we just wanted for once to have a balcony as it will probably be the last cruise as finances are somewhat restricted now. Good to hear that the chances are good for our dining preference but as I said on earlier reply we can always lunch together!!!

[Dryce]

P&O didn't that's true but then it was one single price.

 

Are they charging extra for the choice - or discounting for the lack of choice?

 

Our problem with table is usually not the position but the other diners sitting at it.

 

I have to say this is my number one 'problem'. Less prefered sitting is an irritation .... bad company is a disaster.

 

I can't see why people are moaning about the pricing / discounting. It's not a new thing - just that the way it's presented is different.

 

The only real solution for some people would be to maybe go the Cunard route and operate with some different facilities for customers on different fare tiers.

 

Personally my view when booking is simple: 'is the price acceptable to me?'. As long as the answer is yes then I don't care what anybody else paid, when they booked, how much or how little OBC they got, or whatever. Once booked it's all about getting on board and getting on with the holiday.

[jeanlyon]

Really does depend on the cruise. My cruise on Adonia in April is already sold out in Inside and Outside. Only Balcony available. My cruise has never been as cheap as I paid originally, so the only thing that might happen now is that someone cancels late and there is a cabin available very cheaply and I would not have waited that long to book a holiday.

[kevinyork]

You are not given the option of choice of cabin so why not complain about that as well. Do you feel like a second class air traveller when you turn right on boarding?

 

 

 

If I buy a lower grade product I don't expect it to be of the same quality as a higher one. If I pay less for a saver I don't expect to get the choices of a select.

 

 

 

David

 

 

Not sure your analogy is supportable. I know cabin position is not a choice on a Saver fare. Im omly complaining about a lack of dining choice. Its something that costs P&O nothing but which they have placed an arbitary value on.

 

If I turn right on an aircraft I expect the same privialages as everyone else that turns right, not to be offered a pot noodle instead of an airline meal just because I got a good deal.

 

Your mentality about cruse pricing is exactly what P&O want to feed off. Book with a US line and there is no such thing as 'a lower grade product' just the exact same product everyone else is going to enjoy, albeit at the market price when they booked.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[caber]

Didn't think I would create so many replies with my initial question!!! I know that you have to make do with less on an EarlySaver fare but if you go on a cruise with friends it would be good to eat together if nothing else. It was a case of Early Saver fare or no cruise. We can't all afford select prices. As we have cruised 7 times before and always paid full price in an inside cabin we just wanted for once to have a balcony as it will probably be the last cruise as finances are somewhat restricted now. Good to hear that the chances are good for our dining preference but as I said on earlier reply we can always lunch together!!!

 

I shouldn`t think you will have a problem. We are just off Ventura. We were on a saver fare and were allocated second sitting. We thought 8.45 was a bit late so asked at the door of the restaurant on the first night (we had just arrived) if we could change to freedom dining. We were changed with no bother, as were the couple in front of us. Many people were chopping and changing.

[balf]

s

 

If I turn right on an aircraft I expect the same privialages as everyone else that turns right, not to be offered a pot noodle instead of an airline meal just because I got a good deal.

 

/QUOTE]

 

Well you do get the same meal. What P&O are saying effectively is yes, you can ask for your preference re dining and we will be happy to accommodate you as long as those who have paid more than you have first choice. If you think that's unreasonable that's where we differ.

 

David.

[mrbluesea]

Sorry, but the problem is that on a saver fare you cannot even give a preference when you book. You are also advised at the time of booking that you cannot ask to change your allocated dining time when onboard. Its good however to see that commonsense is applied when on board albeit at extra work for the restaurant manager.

[jeanlyon]

Maybe Fred O's policy is better. Late Savers can choose dining if they pay £2 pppn. So on a 14 night cruise - that's an extra £56 which is nothing if you consider what you have saved on the main fare.

[Dryce]

Sorry, but the problem is that on a saver fare you cannot even give a preference when you book. You are also advised at the time of booking that you cannot ask to change your allocated dining time when onboard. Its good however to see that commonsense is applied when on board albeit at extra work for the restaurant manager.

 

If P&O are properly organised in dealing with preferences then in reality if you don't get your preference it is for one reason .... it's not available - beause if it was available you would have got it.

 

So telling people they can't change it is sort of telling it as it is.

 

However in reality the situation is perhaps a bit more complicated. Some people will literally miss the boat, and some of passengers on higher tier fares will change their minds once on board - either because they realise they made the wrong choice or they just want to get away from a bad table.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Dryce

[daiB]

If P&O are properly organised in dealing with preferences then in reality if you don't get your preference it is for one reason .... it's not available - beause if it was available you would have got it.

 

So telling people they can't change it is sort of telling it as it is.

 

However in reality the situation is perhaps a bit more complicated. Some people will literally miss the boat, and some of passengers on higher tier fares will change their minds once on board - either because they realise they made the wrong choice or they just want to get away from a bad table.

 

 

Exactly, even if you book select dining if there are 500 places and 600 people book that sitting and are select then the last 100 who booked are going to be unlucky. Booking saver or early saver simply pushes down the pecking order.

 

At the moment if you want second sitting no matter how or when you booked it is likely you will get it.

[Dryce]

At the moment if you want second sitting no matter how or when you booked it is likely you will get it.

 

I rather get the impression that freedom dining has maybe tipped things such that second sitting is often the third choice.

[Daftlad]

I rather get the impression that freedom dining has maybe tipped things such that second sitting is often the third choice.

 

Second sitting is too late for us. A lifetime of eating at an early hour has seen to that.

Having been allocated freedom dining last cruise, I am hoping that we strike lucky a second time.

If not, and we are not on first, which seems unlikely, the buffets or speciality restaurants await us.

[tjwa]

They await us as well if we don't get freedom dining on Ventura in a couple of months time. It will be Buffet, Beach House or Glass House.

Edited February 17, 2015 by tjwa

[Daftlad]

They await us as well if we don't get freedom dining on Ventura in a couple of months time. It will be Buffet, Beach House or Glass House.

 

We did exactly that routine on our Ventura cruise in September on top of the Freedom option.

Used the dining room on formal nights. It varied things quite nicely.

[tjwa]

We did exactly that routine on our Ventura cruise in September on top of the Freedom option.

Used the dining room on formal nights. It varied things quite nicely.

 

Good to know that.

[Daftlad]

Good to know that.

 

I like the themed evenings in the buffet, in particular, the Indian cuisine.

Granted, they are not perhaps as grand as a few years back when such events were ticket only, and the waiters and waitresses dressed up fantastic, but a welcome change nontheless.

[tjwa]

I'm hoping that since there is now a cover charge for the Beach House the wait isn't as long as it used to be.

[john watson]

Sorry, but the problem is that on a saver fare you cannot even give a preference when you book. You are also advised at the time of booking that you cannot ask to change your allocated dining time when onboard. Its good however to see that commonsense is applied when on board albeit at extra work for the restaurant manager.

 

Not being allowed to give a dining preference when booking is ridiculous as this group of lower tariff customers could be granted what they wanted if it were known albeit after all the higher tariff customers had been accommodated as their various requirements had been satisfied.

 

This is justified by the cruise line, shore side, by stating that you cannot get it changed once on board. Your allocation is final. Logically with two choices; half the people end up with what they prefer not to have. With three choices about two thirds of saver people might want to change.

 

However once on board a sense of wanting to please as many people as possible takes over and a big queue forms. If we assume that this is mainly saver type fare etc. tariff people; it begs the question that most of them would not be queueing if they had been given what they wanted initially but was unknown to the dining management who by chance put them in the less favoured option.

 

If everybody irrespective of tariff paid declared their dining preference then all the top tariff people were allocated successfully were seated appropriately followed by the the next tariff and so on, once seats were full it would be simpler to say you cannot change because the restaurant is full.

 

Currently none of the dining options are likely to be full because many people are on an option they do not like. Therefore there are loads of people moving from freedom to set early or late and vice versa. In other words lots of space is being vacated and taken up.

 

Shore sides attitude is that you cannot choose and therefore many people must endure an option they would prefer not to have despite others are also on an option they do not prefer. The two groups must not swap and both get what they want.

 

Regards John

[the english lady]

So working on this theory everyone is asked on booking what dining they would prefer.

approx.1 1/2 weeks before sailing they start allocating tables (I know this from when we have requested a certain table in the mdr).

By this time all the select fares would be given their requests. The early savers will be given theirs. You then have the saver fares....that will have to be slotted in among what space is left. However among them you have 2 cabins travelling together that must have the same table...you have someone who must eat early whatever....long list.

Are you going to say that everyone who paid a saver fare ,who did not get what they wanted will not come on hear and complain.

When these fares came out, it was I don't mind where my cabin is or what time I dine, I just want to cruise cheaply.

Then it was I don't mind where my cabin is but I must have 2 next to each other, and I want to cruise cheaply.

Then it was I don't mind when I eat, but I have to have a table for 4 people travelling together, or be on first sitting, and I want to cruise cheaply.

Then it was ask us what dining we want, and the parameters within that dining, and I want to cruise cheaply.

Of course none of you would never ever pay a cheap fare and complain about the position of the cabin, or the fact that you told them what sitting you wanted and have not been put on it...

[Mysticalmother]

The English Lady - I look forward to perhaps meeting you on Arcadia in July. I think we have the same outlook on things!

[john watson]

Under the system which I described any super saver fares passengers unsuccessfully requesting first sitting should be allocated freedom dining. In this way they can sit together as a family and amalgamate with other diners as they wish. By booking super saver they have substantially reduced their chances of being allocated a "top choice slot". Restaurant manager should likely run out of other set sitting spaces earlier. The queue to get it changed will be shorter as there are fewer disappointed passengers (as explained earlier) and fewer people would queue knowing successful changes are now extremely hard to get as there are fewer people seeking extrication from a set up they did not want as all requirements were known from the start, at the booking up time.

 

Regards John

Edited February 18, 2015 by john watson