P&O trialling once a day room service.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

It is fact unfortunately.

The trial happened on Oceana December 1-3 2018 and confirmed by phone yesterday by P&O head office guest services.They said it was trailing fleetwide.

Guest services are notorious for inaccurate information.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

It is fact unfortunately.

The trial happened on Oceana December 1-3 2018 and confirmed by phone yesterday by P&O head office guest services.They said it was trailing fleetwide.

 

Well there is no way the trial is happening fleet wide at the moment as I have four friends cruising at the moment on different ships and they have not mentioned it at all. Non of them are P&O mad and would have been shouting about this if it were the case.

 

The silence is deafening 

[grapau27]

28 minutes ago, daiB said:

 

Well there is no way the trial is happening fleet wide at the moment as I have four friends cruising at the moment on different ships and they have not mentioned it at all. Non of them are P&O mad and would have been shouting about this if it were the case.

 

The silence is deafening 

Just repeating what we experienced on Oceana December 1-3 and I posted a picture of proof we were on that ship and were told yesterday by phone by P&O head office guest services lady.

I think it is a terrible idea and we said so.

If anyone is cruising soon maybe they can ring and see if it is selected ships or not.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by grapau27

[daiB]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

Just repeating what we experienced on Oceana December 1-3 and were told yesterday by phone by P&O head office guest services lady.

I think it is a terrible idea and we said so.

If anyone is cruising soon maybe they can ring and see if it is selected ships or not.

 

 

 

 

 

Well on Oriana everything is as it has always been. I have just had it confirmed. I think someone has been making things up to placate you. It is clearly not happening on other ships now. Unless it is only one small section on each ship.

 

You will have lots to put in your feedback.

 

Can’t  see how it can work when you have more than two in a cabin and the other beds need making up.

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, daiB said:

 

Well on Oriana everything is as it has always been. I have just had it confirmed. I think someone has been making things up to placate you. It is clearly not happening on other ships now. Unless it is only one small section on each ship.

 

You will have lots to put in your feedback.

 

Can’t  see how it can work when you have more than two in a cabin and the other beds need making up.

I agree it is a ridiculous idea.

Paulines mam had died 6 weeks before this cruise and we didn't need this trial especially being in a Suite.

[grapau27]

45 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Guest services are notorious for inaccurate information.

Our cabin steward told us the first time we saw her and why we believed P&O head office GS when they confirmed this.

Hopefully she was mistaken and it is only selected ships.

This was a 2 night cruise and the short cruises with a lot of novice cruisers on them would be an ideal time for them to try this.

[Selbourne]

I am wondering if this may be a trial for very short (party) cruises only, as a number of other things that occur on full cruises seem to be curtailed when it comes to these cruises. Just a thought.

[Harry Peterson]

Just to put this into perspective, surely the actual impact of this is minimal for 90% of customers?

 

What's really being lost, apart from a turn down?   Really worth all the fuss?

[grapau27]

28 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I am wondering if this may be a trial for very short (party) cruises only, as a number of other things that occur on full cruises seem to be curtailed when it comes to these cruises. Just a thought.

I agree.

In my opinion service is always not as good on these short cruises and it would make sense that P&O would trial something new on here.

We are dead set against 1 room service a day and why I posted our experience on here.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, docco said:

Just to put this into perspective, surely the actual impact of this is minimal for 90% of customers?

 

What's really being lost, apart from a turn down?   Really worth all the fuss?

You keep saying this but seem not to take notice of other posters who have given their reasons. 

For us we want the beds making in a morning and the cabin tidying and the bathroom cleaned to make it pleasant for us when we return from breakfast.  In an evening after we have showered before dinner, we want the bathroom cleaned again and any towels changed where necessary, and the daytime runner and cushions from the bed stowed away; and at both times we want fresh cups, glasses and the tea, coffee and milk replenished.

It would never be possible to satisfy us with only one room service a day.

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

You keep saying this but seem not to take notice of other posters who have given their reasons. 

For us we want the beds making in a morning and the cabin tidying and the bathroom cleaned to make it pleasant for us when we return from breakfast.  In an evening after we have showered before dinner, we want the bathroom cleaned again and any towels changed where necessary, and the daytime runner and cushions from the bed stowed away; and at both times we want fresh cups, glasses and the tea, coffee and milk replenished.

It would never be possible to satisfy us with only one room service a day.

I totally agree with you it is unacceptable to us too.

I checked again with Pauline as we were both listening to the conversation and the P&O guest services lady said :- I believe this is going to be piloted on all the ships.

It was piloted on Oceana when we were on her December 1-3 and cabin steward said it had just started but Butler had not been informed so this must have been the first.

The Oceana is back from the Canaries in a couple of days so hopefully we will get some updates from returning passengers.

[Harry Peterson]

13 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

You keep saying this but seem not to take notice of other posters who have given their reasons. 

For us we want the beds making in a morning and the cabin tidying and the bathroom cleaned to make it pleasant for us when we return from breakfast.  In an evening after we have showered before dinner, we want the bathroom cleaned again and any towels changed where necessary, and the daytime runner and cushions from the bed stowed away; and at both times we want fresh cups, glasses and the tea, coffee and milk replenished.

It would never be possible to satisfy us with only one room service a day.

Clearly then we have different requirements. I’m quite happy with the standard hotel approach of one towel change a day and one tidy-up. There’s nothing there that would bother me in the least, but we’re all different.

 

I do like a nice suite though, and P&O continues to make that relatively affordable by keeping costs under control.

[Nauti Buoy]

Just off Aurora on 10 Dec.

Cabin Steward was excellent and was in twice a day.

[jeanlyon]

Won't bother us.  Quite happy for it to be cleaned once a day.  Don't want towel animals or chocs either.  But I suspect it might just be for very short cruises.  time will tell.

[majortom10]

As usual the right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing with regards to P&O. Received today from P&O on their Facebook page after sending them a PM-

 

"I can assure you our cabin stewards still do day clean and turn-down service so this is not the case. The only time this may differ is embarkation day. Rest assured however these both remain throughout your cruise".

[terrierjohn]

58 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

As usual the right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing with regards to P&O. Received today from P&O on their Facebook page after sending them a PM-

 

"I can assure you our cabin stewards still do day clean and turn-down service so this is not the case. The only time this may differ is embarkation day. Rest assured however these both remain throughout your cruise".

This does not surprise me, but the frequency that this sort of misleading info is reported does make me wonder if P&O are actually trying it on to see the reaction to a range of cost saving options.

[Harry Peterson]

30 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

This does not surprise me, but the frequency that this sort of misleading info is reported does make me wonder if P&O are actually trying it on to see the reaction to a range of cost saving options.

Quite possibly. It’s a very cheap form of market research.

[ONT-CA]

 

Should the original posting have any validity, when a gratuity is offered to a bar person for having delivered an ordered drink, the result is more attention to needs as well as preferential repeat service.  Could then a cabin steward be similarly enticed into additional service?  After all, tip charges previously but not longer collected are now at our disposal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Presto2]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 5:30 PM, grapau27 said:

We were in a Suite on Oceana December 1-3 2018 and our cabin steward told us room cleaning was trialling once a day.

P&O customer services confirmed this by phone today.

 

NOT happy at all. One of the lovely things about cruising on P&O is / was the feeling that you were being spoiled and part of that was the fact that you had room service twice a day and a wonderful turn down service. Just love to get back at the end of a lovely evening / long day to find the cabin all clean, low lights etc. I really do wonder what idiots come up with these ideas --- then again, let's remove the service charge but reduce wages as cabin staff won't be working as many hours.

 

Really do disagree with this one.

[Host Sharon]

It crossed my mind that IF it is happening, it might be in response to the launch of Iona. After all, servicing that many cabins twice a day is going to be a challenge.

[Presto2]

5 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

It crossed my mind that IF it is happening, it might be in response to the launch of Iona. After all, servicing that many cabins twice a day is going to be a challenge.

 

I think it is so sad. I remember the days when I used to look at a P&O brochure and think that it was such a special cruise line that we would never be able to afford it. The name 'P&O' meant something !

 

 Well we were able to afford it and went on Oceana for our first P&O cruise in 2010. It was magical and it felt like a very good 4 star hotel. Since then we have lost: silver service; the champagne fountain (yes it did happen so let's not go there again); the band at sailaway (loved, loved, loved it) ; free cabin service and now the turn down service seems to be following. Being cynical the dress code is next and P&O will become the 'cheap and cheerful line' that Carnival want it to become.

[majortom10]

10 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

It crossed my mind that IF it is happening, it might be in response to the launch of Iona. After all, servicing that many cabins twice a day is going to be a challenge.

They wont struggle to collect the cruise fare for every cabin so they should employ enough stewards to service the rooms twice a day. Having had conflicting reports whether this is happening or not if it does end up to be true it clearly shows another decline in standards on a P&O cruise and where will it end.

[Host Sharon]

1 minute ago, Presto2 said:

 

I think it is so sad. I remember the days when I used to look at a P&O brochure and think that it was such a special cruise line that we would never be able to afford it. The name 'P&O' meant something !

 

 Well we were able to afford it and went on Oceana for our first P&O cruise in 2010. It was magical and it felt like a very good 4 star hotel. Since then we have lost: silver service; the champagne fountain (yes it did happen so let's not go there again); the band at sailaway (loved, loved, loved it) ; free cabin service and now the turn down service seems to be following. Being cynical the dress code is next and P&O will become the 'cheap and cheerful line' that Carnival want it to become.

We had champagne fountains on Aurora's world cruise last year.

 

[majortom10]

2 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

I think it is so sad. I remember the days when I used to look at a P&O brochure and think that it was such a special cruise line that we would never be able to afford it. The name 'P&O' meant something !

 

 Well we were able to afford it and went on Oceana for our first P&O cruise in 2010. It was magical and it felt like a very good 4 star hotel. Since then we have lost: silver service; the champagne fountain (yes it did happen so let's not go there again); the band at sailaway (loved, loved, loved it) ; free cabin service and now the turn down service seems to be following. Being cynical the dress code is next and P&O will become the 'cheap and cheerful line' that Carnival want it to become.

Silver Service in the true meaning hasnt been available on a P& ship for over 25yrs and the "pretend" service of seperate vegetables was well past its sell by date because if on a table for 8 and everybody had manners and waited until everybody had been served those that were served the vegetables i.e silver service style first ended up having cold food. Dont know of any cruise line that does silver service.

[Presto2]

4 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Silver Service in the true meaning hasnt been available on a P& ship for over 25yrs and the "pretend" service of seperate vegetables was well past its sell by date because if on a table for 8 and everybody had manners and waited until everybody had been served those that were served the vegetables i.e silver service style first ended up having cold food. Dont know of any cruise line that does

 

Let's not fall out about silver service ---- just our observations from first cruise. It just doesn't feel as special. I do understand the changes but they are changes non the less.

 

Have thought of another loss though since writing the last post ....... alcohol policy changes ........

 

Compared to many of you we haven't been cruising that long but just look at the things we have listed in a relatively short time ..