P&O standards

[Florry]

I was once stuck on a cruise with an emergency going on at home and I couldn't get back. I was talking to a bar steward on deck and he told me his sister had died back at home during that cruise. Not only is the work hard and the shifts long, but crew have issues going on that must affect them, and 8 month placements are a long time to be away from family and friends. So, if crew do seem miserable at times it may not be about passengers, money or P&O but the circumstances they are living. Apparently on the planes going back home the aircraft is loud with excitement and chatter, coming back to the ship there is virtual silence.

[westie1490]

We have also noticed the deterioration in the standard of the food served on P&O over the last few years . On the Ventura 28 day cruise in January , we ate in the speciality restaurants 6 times - usually we would only do this once per cruise .

The remarks about the crew I can also agree with to a certain extent . Some are more chattier than others , in comparison to Princess crew who appear to enjoy speaking to you , I don't know , maybe their working conditions are better .

I felt very sorry for the young ladies from Sindhu on Ventura who spent all day walking around with clipboards asking you to book . It really made P&O look desperate to fill the restaurant . One evening whilst in the buffet , we were asked 6 times within an hour , then went to sit in the Atrium where we were asked twice more ! The young ladies are so nice but I think they were embarrassed at having to constantly ask .

Another criticism of Ventura was the lack of entertainment in the Atrium early evening . We used to sit there before late sitting and it was like a ghost ship . Why not have some form of live entertainment earlier in the evening like Princess do . I'm not extolling Princess as there are negative points with that line also but there are many things that P&O could take from them to improve their act .

We do like sailing from Southampton and have enjoyed countless cruises with P&O but unfortunately if standards keep dropping in my opinion , then Princess will get our custom in future .

[Green Cathedral]

I should stop reading this thread, it's depressing me for my Azura cruise in May!

 

The OH is delighted that Green Beans are still ubiquitous... he hasn't been able to as much as look at one after the last cruise! Have to say, last year we found both the buffet and MDR average. The food in both wasn't inedible by any means, but nothing to get excited about. Mind you, as we commented at the time, it was no better or worse than that you'd expect at an average wedding and in some ways it's the same sort of mass catering operation that's underway.

 

We ate in speciality restaurants several times as a result. Perhaps that's the cunning plan! ;)

[Florry]

I should stop reading this thread, it's depressing me for my Azura cruise in May!

 

The OH is delighted that Green Beans are still ubiquitous... he hasn't been able to as much as look at one after the last cruise! Have to say, last year we found both the buffet and MDR average. The food in both wasn't inedible by any means, but nothing to get excited about. Mind you, as we commented at the time, it was no better or worse than that you'd expect at an average wedding and in some ways it's the same sort of mass catering operation that's underway.

 

We ate in speciality restaurants several times as a result. Perhaps that's the cunning plan! ;)

 

 

We hardly ever used to eat in speciality, now we seem to manage to work our way through all the menus in a single cruise. As you say the food isn't inedible, they have just streamlined so it is more along standard mass catering lines these days. Unless my expectations are higher than they used to be? Possible I suppose.

[Florry]

I might go through photos and serif there is evidence of any decline!

[daiB]

We have also noticed the deterioration in the standard of the food served on P&O over the last few years . On the Ventura 28 day cruise in January , we ate in the speciality restaurants 6 times - usually we would only do this once per cruise .

The remarks about the crew I can also agree with to a certain extent . Some are more chattier than others , in comparison to Princess crew who appear to enjoy speaking to you , I don't know , maybe their working conditions are better .

I felt very sorry for the young ladies from Sindhu on Ventura who spent all day walking around with clipboards asking you to book . It really made P&O look desperate to fill the restaurant . One evening whilst in the buffet , we were asked 6 times within an hour , then went to sit in the Atrium where we were asked twice more ! The young ladies are so nice but I think they were embarrassed at having to constantly ask .

Another criticism of Ventura was the lack of entertainment in the Atrium early evening . We used to sit there before late sitting and it was like a ghost ship . Why not have some form of live entertainment earlier in the evening like Princess do . I'm not extolling Princess as there are negative points with that line also but there are many things that P&O could take from them to improve their act .

We do like sailing from Southampton and have enjoyed countless cruises with P&O but unfortunately if standards keep dropping in my opinion , then Princess will get our custom in future .

 

 

We were on that 28 night Ventura cruise and everyone we met said the food was among the best they had had. Well over the past few years. The speciality return to is always going to be a hard sell on a long cruise as people have set budgets. We had 5 nights away from the MDR because we wanted to try the other venues not because the food was poor

 

 

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[terrierjohn]

We were on that 28 night Ventura cruise and everyone we met said the food was among the best they had had. Well over the past few years. The speciality return to is always going to be a hard sell on a long cruise as people have set budgets. We had 5 nights away from the MDR because we wanted to try the other venues not because the food was poor

 

 

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Stop telling porkies Dai, you met me and I certainly did not think the food was the best we had had, possibly not the worst but well into the bottom decile.

Edited March 25, 2016 by terrierjohn

[daiB]

Stop telling porkies Dai, you met me and I certainly did not think the food was the best we had had, possibly not the worst but well into the bottom decile.

 

 

Who is telling porkies now John. The people I met said it had improved.

 

Personally I felt it was little different to that I had had on most other ships. Not too sure what people expect from mass catering, certainly not fine dining.

 

 

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[kruzseeka]

I have read all the comments and it's clear that some people do not believe there has been a deterioration in the food quality experienced by some people on some sailings on some of P&O's ships because they themselves haven't found that to be so.

 

I don't dispute that the food on the cruises they have been on was good since I wasn't on the trip and couldn't therefore draw comparisons,

 

Equally, comparisons between say, Celebrity and P&O are valid but again refer to what individuals thought based on particular cruises on particular ships on the dates they travelled. (We found Celebrity food better in our experience although we've been happy with the standards on P&O thus far.)

 

The underlying message I take from this thread is that there is a theme emerging that from the experience of a lot of posters standards on their last P&O cruise, or current cruise in the case of those on the Aurora Worldie, food quality has dropped.

 

I accept this on the grounds of:

I didn't experience what they report so can't refute it

A lot of people are saying the same thing

Most of those people are regular P&O passengers who have not had cause for complaint before - so why would they now?

They provide reasoned explanations and examples of why they were dissatisfied

They are making comparisons based on before and now and having cruised with P&O a lot of times imo they are in a position to make valid comparisons.

And surely the clincher is the exchanges between the F&B manager, Head Chef, Purser and passengers on the Aurora Worldie which must tell us something is amiss there - and there was even an admission of cut budgets too!

 

If enough people make such reports, surely we have to accept something has changed and not for the better. Luckily we haven't yet experienced this but we haven't been on P&O since last Autumn but I wouldn't presume to disbelieve what is being reported. However I will be keen to draw my own comparisons next month and can only hope that this trend has been reversed. I will make what will be as objective a comparison as I can on my return! Hopefully it will be a positive post but if not I suspect it will be met by some with disbelief.

[westie1490]

Just the reaction I expected ! I spoke to many people on that 28 day cruise who felt exactly the same as I did with regards to the food . Still with that many people on a ship I guess we can expect that some expect a higher standard than others .

[janny444]

Food quality and standard is a very tricky subject..."One man's meat is another man's poison" sort of thing. On our last cruise with P&O on the Ventura 2013 something happened which I hadn't experienced before or since...although with not cruising with them since it may be a regular occurrence now with P&O...In the MDR on the 3rd night of a 14 night cruise after we had finished our meal everyone was handed a survey to fill in regarding the MDR food/service etc. Up to that 3rd night the food had been abysmal but I have to say after the surveys had gone out there was a very slight improvement. Never experienced that before or since on other cruise lines...is that a regular occurrence now with P&O....the handing out of surveys in MDR on 3rd night? As said earlier if the standard on P&O "ticks all of your boxes then for you that is all that matters.

Edited March 26, 2016 by janny444

[terrierjohn]

Who is telling porkies now John. The people I met said it had improved.

 

Personally I felt it was little different to that I had had on most other ships. Not too sure what people expect from mass catering, certainly not fine dining.

 

 

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Come on now Dai, did I meet you or was I dreaming?

Also your claim that the quality was the same that you always have is limited to P&O ships, I can honestly affirm that the mass catering on Celebrity has always been better quality than P&O, but of course only IMO..

But interestingly my last experience on Princess was no better than P&O, this was however after a gap of 6 or 7 years, during which time I guess that the Carnival influence had become more obvious. No wonder their profits and share price have soared recently.

[annieuk]

I know that people can only say how things were when they were on board. Well I have had three cruises in the past year on three different ships and I have not felt a decline in the standard of the food. In fact we felt things were better with the plated meals in the MDR - food was hotter and we did not have to wait while everyone on the table were served with potatoes and vegetables. I think sometimes people do not ask for what they want. I love cauliflower but dislike cheese so when cauliflower appeared listed as a vegetable accompaniment I asked if I could have mine without cheese sauce - no problem. Also at future meals the waiter remembered that I didn't like cheese.

 

I have always felt that the cold selection in the buffet could do with some attention and needs more variety but the hot selection has always been good, in our opinion. We also liked the fact that we could have sandwiches made during lunch time - good for a quick snack.

 

On our recent cruise when we passed cabin stewards in the corridors on our way to breakfast there was always a "Good Morning" and a smile. So that's how we have found things. We are off to Oceana in a few weeks time and I have no hesitation in saying we expect to have a good time. I do hope that threads like these are not putting new cruisers off - it is only the opinion of a section of cruisers.

[balf]

So far on this thread we have seen 16 posters (I've just counted them) who have reported dissatisfaction with the food aboard P&O ships. To me that's far too many to be written off as "moaners". We have to accept, and more importantly P&O have to accept that for many food standards have fallen well below the acceptable for these customers.

 

Of course if everyone fell into the "everything is perfect" category there would be no problem, but they don't and there is.

 

David.

[jetset763]

Just to put the cherry on top I have been suffering with food poisoning/tummy bug since getting off yesterday. I am so angry we were so very careful with hygiene. I have videos of all of the sinks not working in the buffet. Really unhappy about this. We brought up the hygiene issues early on in the cruise and they did nothing at all to improve it.

 

 

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[Somerset Cruiser]

I really don't know what to make of this, in the last 18 months we have been on Oriana, Azura, Ventura and Britannia. 37 nights in total and I struggle to recall a meal I didn't enjoy, there was 1 or 2. I am not fussy in the sense that I like all types of food. But if it isn't of good quality and well presented then I will send it back.

 

Menus have more variety now and although I don't think standards have fallen but they are variable from ship to ship and from time to time.

[Clodia]

There's an easy way to avoid being persuaded to book Sindhu by those lovely ladies: cruise alone!

I sat in Andersons on Aurora last cruise having a pre dinner cocktail and watching one of these ladies with clipboard work the room. I was intending to go to Sindhu one night so waited for her to approach me thinking this would be a convenient way to arrange my booking.

She asked every couple in the room but ignored me. I almost didn't book, but felt that would be cutting off my nose to spite my face so called into Sindhu a couple of days later to book my table. I mentioned it to the manager though!

[gadabout60]

So far on this thread we have seen 16 posters (I've just counted them) who have reported dissatisfaction with the food aboard P&O ships. To me that's far too many to be written off as "moaners". We have to accept, and more importantly P&O have to accept that for many food standards have fallen well below the acceptable for these customers.

 

Of course if everyone fell into the "everything is perfect" category there would be no problem, but they don't and there is.

 

David.

 

And as well as the 16, P& O did tell me that the MDR on my Oceana Xmas cruise did not achieve the standards they hope to achieve in the end of cruise questionnaires

[jody75]

Across the cruise industry the food budget per head has diminished significantly over the years, also staff numbers have declined in an attempt to maintain prices in the face of rising inflation. Therefore it is not surprising that many people have seen a fall in service and food quality?

 

The introduction of specialty restaurants has given their customers choice as well as giving the cruise companies a profit stream which helps maintain the headline price. It is no different than the accommodation choice, do you choose an inside cabin or a suite. Without the suite passengers the cost would be higher for everyone, simple economics. The moaners want the higher levels of service and seldom prepared to pay.

[terrierjohn]

Across the cruise industry the food budget per head has diminished significantly over the years, also staff numbers have declined in an attempt to maintain prices in the face of rising inflation. Therefore it is not surprising that many people have seen a fall in service and food quality?

 

The introduction of specialty restaurants has given their customers choice as well as giving the cruise companies a profit stream which helps maintain the headline price. It is no different than the accommodation choice, do you choose an inside cabin or a suite. Without the suite passengers the cost would be higher for everyone, simple economics. The moaners want the higher levels of service and seldom prepared to pay.

No, no, no Jody75, we do not want unattainable food qualty or standards, we just want P&O to provide the same sort of standards that other cruise lines provide for the same cost, or sometimes quite a bit less.

[davecttr]

No, no, no Jody75, we do not want unattainable food quality or standards, we just want P&O to provide the same sort of standards that other cruise lines provide for the same cost, or sometimes quite a bit less.

well said :)

[kruzseeka]

No, no, no Jody75, we do not want unattainable food qualty or standards, we just want P&O to provide the same sort of standards that other cruise lines provide for the same cost, or sometimes quite a bit less.

 

Or even the standards P&O had provided prior to the most recent cruises on which people are commenting.

 

Dismissing their observations and labelling people moaners is unreasonable imo. People are offering genuinely held opinions based on comparisons. I think too that dragging in people's choice of cabin isn't relevant to the discussion as food standards are the focus of the reviews. People pay less or more for cabins based on what they personally wish their cabin to provide eg a balcony. They are not paying for food of different quality.

 

Clearly all cruise lines are trying to improve their profit margins but it would be interesting to know what the cut in food budget p.p./day actually amounts to. I suspect if P&O were to declare what it is - most of us would willingly pay the extra to ensure decent food quality and I think it would represent very little more in the context of what we pay for our cruises.

[tankmc]

Across the cruise industry the food budget per head has diminished significantly over the years, also staff numbers have declined in an attempt to maintain prices in the face of rising inflation. Therefore it is not surprising that many people have seen a fall in service and food quality?

 

The introduction of specialty restaurants has given their customers choice as well as giving the cruise companies a profit stream which helps maintain the headline price. It is no different than the accommodation choice, do you choose an inside cabin or a suite. Without the suite passengers the cost would be higher for everyone, simple economics. The moaners want the higher levels of service and seldom prepared to pay.

 

 

Compared to 3-4 years a go the cost of cruising has risen not gone down. The holiday we was on was not a cheap holiday at all and for some people they can only do this once in a lifetime.

[pkpon]

Just off Britannia yesterday.

 

Food quality has definitely gone downhill compared to the Oriana last year.

 

My argument is that I booked this cruise two years ago at full fare so why should I pay the penalty for poor food and staff cutbacks because of people paying cheap last minute fares.

[GirlyCruiser]

Don't forget your cruise was on adult only ship, and was 'out of season' with a lot people on the ship who are not restricted to when & where they holiday with no work commitments. I know it was a Northern Lights cruise (hopefully you got to see them and it looked fantastic) but if I was on Oriana at this time of the year I'd expect it to a bit "floating old folks home" too!! I know the older people tend to prefer the adult only ships as there's no children but am hoping for a slightly better mix of ages when we go in June. We haven't been on an adult only ship since Arcadia about 10 years ago so we usually sail out of school holidays so there's not as many children on board. We have to factor in each others jobs when choosing a cruise so are a bit restricted to when we go.

As for the food, as other people have said & sorry if I've missed your answer, did you mention to it anyone on board? Am hoping food will be good when we go!