Back to P & O after 15 years.

[bunkrest]

On the verge of booking a winter cruise on the Aurora, incidentally my first and last cruise with P & O was on the Aurora it will be great to see if she still has the wow factor as I remember all those years ago...I'm looking for any hints and tips not specifically Aurora but obviously that would be great but more P & O in general, freedom dinning for example I have no idea how that works....auto wine by the glass (from a machine I believe)....if anyone has seen me trying to pay for car parking from a machine will soon realise why I would go tea total...suite benefits (not saying I'm booking one but it has been known ) you pay a premium,apart from space what else do you get...so you get the gist feel free to chip in....many thanks in advance...

[mygo1999]

Freedom dining basically you turn up at the restaurant at a time that suits you. If there is a queue you may have to wait a while, normally they give you a pager so you don't have to hang around. If you are flexible and don't mind dining with other people you will be seated quicker. We have always found because we dine later we have never had to queue.

 

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[P&O SUE]

Hi, I can help with freedom dining. Basically you get allocated your dining room (card in your cabin) and then you just go to that dining room when you want to between 6 and I think 9pm. You'll be asked if you want to share a table or not. If you are happy to share you'll go staright in if you prefer a table for two you may be given a pager and wait a while. We like a table for two and we are happy to go to the nearest bar and get a glass of wine while we wait (average wait time about 20 mins!)

[the english lady]

On the verge of booking a winter cruise on the Aurora, incidentally my first and last cruise with P & O was on the Aurora it will be great to see if she still has the wow factor as I remember all those years ago...I'm looking for any hints and tips not specifically Aurora but obviously that would be great but more P & O in general, freedom dinning for example I have no idea how that works....auto wine by the glass (from a machine I believe)....if anyone has seen me trying to pay for car parking from a machine will soon realise why I would go tea total...suite benefits (not saying I'm booking one but it has been known ) you pay a premium,apart from space what else do you get...so you get the gist feel free to chip in....many thanks in advance...

 

Well my goodness where does one start.

You now have 3 fares select -with choices of dining and actual cabin (usually-slight muddiness there)

early saver -which may or may not come out for all cruises and all cabins on cruise ..2nd choice of dining(you can state a pref when booking) and I think you can state the grade of cabin, but Pando decide which cabin

Saver-may or may not appear much closer to sail date, can be cheaper than select ,but you get no choices..you can state type of cabin(inside/outside) etc,but Pando decide where. No choice of dining. You MAY be able to change on board, but not always.

Freedom dining others have covered.

You now have auto tips added to your account, instead of envelopes.

You can go down to reception to remove or amend them, up to you. I find it much easier to just leave on.

Our next cruise is on Aurora. She is a lovely ship. Really you only get the extra space in suites/mini suites. Oh and an iron/ironing board/trouser press. Canapes every evening and 1 free bottle of bubbly.

You do get early embarkation if in a suite/mini suite -there has been some very long threads about how Pando are trying to get people to stick to the time they are allocated, as with some of the big ships (Britannia) you could get over 1,500 people turning up from 12pm...

No free internet. no dining somewhere else for breakfast (like on some other Pando ships)

We think the standards of the speakers have gone down ,but horses for courses..if you tend not to go to the talks you would not know.

Food, is very subjective, we like what is offered (2014 it was broccoli with everything,2015 it was green beans). It comes fully plated so no waiting for others to be served veggie.

We have dined in the glasshouse, which I think have the auto wine machines, but we just ordered as per normal.

I think if you just go with an open mind, and not try and compare how it is, with how it was, you will still enjoy Aurora.

[bunkrest]

Thank you all some good information for me to ponder just a question re: freedom dinning is freedom dinning a requested choice at the time of booking like early/late sitting or is it something that you can dip in and out of...example, if I have an early sitting in the MDR can I on occasion go along to the freedom dinning restaurant instead?....or have I got it completely wrong and it's all freedom dinning...

[M&A]

Hi, I can help with freedom dining. Basically you get allocated your dining room (card in your cabin) and then you just go to that dining room when you want to between 6 and I think 9pm. You'll be asked if you want to share a table or not. If you are happy to share you'll go staright in if you prefer a table for two you may be given a pager and wait a while. We like a table for two and we are happy to go to the nearest bar and get a glass of wine while we wait (average wait time about 20 mins!)

 

We just returned from our first cruise on P&O Arcadia and did the Freedom dining, we never had to wait for a table unless you wanted a table for two. But...........the food was the worst experience of any previous cruise.

[P&O SUE]

Thank you all some good information for me to ponder just a question re: freedom dinning is freedom dinning a requested choice at the time of booking like early/late sitting or is it something that you can dip in and out of...example, if I have an early sitting in the MDR can I on occasion go along to the freedom dinning restaurant instead?....or have I got it completely wrong and it's all freedom dinning...

 

No you can not dip in and out. You are either freedom or first or second seating. You can, of course, choose the buffet or any pay for (select) restaurants also any day for a change.

[the english lady]

Thank you all some good information for me to ponder just a question re: freedom dinning is freedom dinning a requested choice at the time of booking like early/late sitting or is it something that you can dip in and out of...example, if I have an early sitting in the MDR can I on occasion go along to the freedom dinning restaurant instead?....or have I got it completely wrong and it's all freedom dinning...

 

Just to confirm you can only state which dining you would like, and get it with a select fare. You can state a pref with an early saver fare, and no choice at all with saver fare.

[bunkrest]

Thank you everyone that answers a lot of questions:-)

Just looked online it'll be an early saver I'm happy with that..

Edited March 11, 2016 by bunkrest

[sunnyhat]

Auto wine by the glass was in the buffet restaurants, three out of the four times I tried to use it I had to find a waiter for assistance, so after that I got wine from elsewhere and took it to the buffet with me.