Select Dining reservations

[PhilJamesWill]

Is it necessary to pre book the Epicurean and Sindhu? I would prefer to book a table once we're on board but I don't want to risk not getting a table.

 

 

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[danielundecided]

Yes. For the restaurants such as Sindhu and the Epicurean you need to book in advance on your cruise personaliser. I think they're available to book up to 12 weeks before you set sail. The P&O FAQ section has a list of cover prices for each restaurant

 

Dan

 

 

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[Florry]

The only time I book in advance is for a short cruise. I have a bit of a ritual: I print off a spreadsheet (geek) which shows date, ports, sea days sail times etc. As soon as I get onboard I get a cruise overview and mark on the spreadsheet formal nights and Indian nights in the buffet. Then I find out which days have which menu in the speciality restaurants and then I can decide which nights to book which restaurant (phew). Then I go to the place where the suite buffet/high tier lunch is being held as there is always a table outside where you can make your reservations. I book them all in one go (and there are usually quite a lot) and have never had a problem getting a table even with a later boarding time. There is sometimes someone who will take bookings in the reception area, or at the restaurants themselves depending on the ship. It's a bit of a faff but it ensures it all comes out of my OBC. The longer the cruise the easier it is to get a table and also the cheaper the supplement. Hope this helps.

 

 

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[Florry]

You can also book via the phone in your cabin but I find it stressful trying to get through.

 

 

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[PhilJamesWill]

The only time I book in advance is for a short cruise. I have a bit of a ritual: I print off a spreadsheet (geek) which shows date, ports, sea days sail times etc. As soon as I get onboard I get a cruise overview and mark on the spreadsheet formal nights and Indian nights in the buffet. Then I find out which days have which menu in the speciality restaurants and then I can decide which nights to book which restaurant (phew). Then I go to the place where the suite buffet/high tier lunch is being held as there is always a table outside where you can make your reservations. I book them all in one go (and there are usually quite a lot) and have never had a problem getting a table even with a later boarding time. There is sometimes someone who will take bookings in the reception area, or at the restaurants themselves depending on the ship. It's a bit of a faff but it ensures it all comes out of my OBC. The longer the cruise the easier it is to get a table and also the cheaper the supplement. Hope this helps.

 

 

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Okay, I'll probably do the same. Where do you get the cruise overview from?

 

 

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[Florry]

Reception or your cabin - if you're not bothered about Indian night you can probably just guess the formal nights and the person taking the bookings will know too.

 

 

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[PhilJamesWill]

Okay, thanks for the info.

 

 

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[Jennizor]

Hi Philjameswill, we are on your upcoming cruise. We deliberated about whether to book the Sindhu before we sailed or wait until onboard. In the end, as there had been so many good reviews, we decided not to take any chances and booked for the night we are in Gran Canaria. It doesn't matter to us whether it is a formal night or not, we love the formal nights wherever we eat. Very excited about trying Britannia for the first time.

[Florry]

Hi Philjameswill, we are on your upcoming cruise. We deliberated about whether to book the Sindhu before we sailed or wait until onboard. In the end, as there had been so many good reviews, we decided not to take any chances and booked for the night we are in Gran Canaria. It doesn't matter to us whether it is a formal night or not, we love the formal nights wherever we eat. Very excited about trying Britannia for the first time.

 

 

If it's a port day it's unlikely to be formal [emoji4] I tend to prefer MDR on formal because there is usually a special menu. Have a great trip.

 

 

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[Cruise Puss]

Hi Philjameswill, we are on your upcoming cruise. We deliberated about whether to book the Sindhu before we sailed or wait until onboard. In the end, as there had been so many good reviews, we decided not to take any chances and booked for the night we are in Gran Canaria. It doesn't matter to us whether it is a formal night or not, we love the formal nights wherever we eat. Very excited about trying Britannia for the first time.

 

We can also recommend The Limelight Club. A stunning room. We've seen Madeline Bell and Eric N Ern in there - both extremely good (Eric N Ern were brilliant!). Certainly, in our opinion, worth the extra money.

 

You should love Britannia - she's gorgeous. Just try everything. The cakes in the Market Cafe are really really nice, as are the Gourmet Boards, and it's worth some time in The Retreat and Spa (one situated at the top of the ship & one situated at the bottom).

 

Happy Cruising. :)

[sapphire4]

Hi, we tend to risk it. The Epicurean is really good if you want completely spoiling. A bit like a theatrical experience with the serrano hams, flambés etc... brought to the table and the service is impeccable. A bit pricey though. There are two menus so it may be worth checking out which one you fancy. We didn't have such a good experience in Sindhu. Athol Kutcher was on-board at the time and the waiters were more interested in the private dining area where he was entertaining methinks than us mere mortals? The food in the Limelight club was probably the best we had on the Britannia but we personally weren't keen on the Eric and Ernie act. Once on-board you can sneak a peek at the TV outside the restaurant relaying the show to see if you want to make a booking. I'm afraid I'm a bit of an organising geek as well. I check when the black tie nights are, the ports etc.. and decide where we want to eat. We always opt for freedom dining then we can suit ourselves. Some of the themed buffets in the MDR are amazing. The Beach house is also worth a visit. The portions are huge and the steaks, kebabs excellent for a nominal fee. I have to say that we tend to get a bit over faced with the food and the inevitable weight gain!! I think we are on the same cruise to the Canaries. Enjoy! The ship is amazing. Very modern boutique style.

[Florry]

I didn't realise you were going on Britannia, there are so many dining choices I would echo the comments here to try them all [emoji4]

 

 

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[PhilJamesWill]

We're definitely going to try all the restaurants. It's just deciding when. We'll probably go to the MDR on most of the formal nights as I assume the menu is a bit more special on those nights. We might do the Epicurean on one of the formal nights. Where do you recommend we eat on the first evening? I was thinking of going to the buffet of the Beach House.

 

 

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[sapphire4]

There may be special offers on some restaurants for the first night. We always go around and have a look at the menu boards which show all the choices for lunch and dinner in the MDR and check out the buffet menu then decide. Another thing to think about is the free afternoon tea served in one of the MDR at about 3pm. I'm not sure if they do it on the Britannia but we had it one day on the Ventura earlier this year and it was lovely. We personally found the Eric Lanards afternoon tea really sickly and not cheap. The Britannia also does a grab and go section next to one of the pools. I liked some of the salad choices from there and the other half liked the pizza slices. we haven't yet tried the Glass House yet but that looks very nice. The choice is huge. You could literally eat all through the day!! Not to mention the buffet suppers!!

[daiB]

The length of the cruise would determine if you need to book. Short, yes long no.

 

 

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[Florry]

We're definitely going to try all the restaurants. It's just deciding when. We'll probably go to the MDR on most of the formal nights as I assume the menu is a bit more special on those nights. We might do the Epicurean on one of the formal nights. Where do you recommend we eat on the first evening? I was thinking of going to the buffet of the Beach House.

 

 

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We always eat in a speciality first night, but that's got more to do with my egg allergy than anything, I think you may get a free bottle of wine between certain times on first and second nights but this may have changed and may vary with demand. The Beach House was my least favourite venue on Britannia, hubby was happy enough but I'm not a fan of things like BBQ ribs. I think Britannia sail away is about 6pm so if you'd rather just be free to explore and not spend too much time eating in a restaurant, then the buffet is a good option - they make it look special in the evening and I thought the Britannia buffet was very good. Years ago the buffet in the evenings wasn't used much, but I find this is becoming more popular as more people want to vary their experience and have some lazy, less formal evenings. Depending on the act, the Limelight might be a good first night choice because your food and entertainment is all in one venue so less effort if you are tired. I think what I'm trying to say is they are all good and it's hard to choose! [emoji12]

 

 

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[mandylennon]

On our 2 week cruise on Ventura in July, we didn't book before for any of the speciality restaurants. Each evening someone would come around the main dining room and ask if you wanted to book, when we said we would but didn't know which day, he had a spreadsheet available and offered a free bottle of wine if we booked there and then. We went to Sindhu twice, it wasn't very busy, but we ate quite early. We didn't fancy the menu on Epicurean but really liked the Beach House.

[kersh]

We always pre book if we are celebrating a special occasion on board. Other than that we book as we get on board at the priority lunch. They come round to take bookings and know when the formal nights are and also the special top tier lunches. No way would we book a speciality restaurant on the same day as the luncheon.

 

Sue

[P&O SUE]

I agree, if it's a special occassion or a short cruise book in advance,otherwise wait until you're onboard as there are always offers - normally free bottle of wine if you dine quite early.

 

Also you could keep checking your Personaliser - I've been looking at mine every now and again and can see some days filling up (it's only a 5 night cruise) but we've decided to wait until we board - we really like the Glasshouse and you don't need to book for that. One day of my cruise they had nothing for the Epicurean until 8.45pm but other days had all times so it's worth looking.