Is rumour true that club dining is to be phased out?

[daiB]

1 hour ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

I do not see the point of this move.  Reduce choice. Alienated some passengers (who may go to a different cruise line). For what benefit to P and O?

 

Best wishes, Stephen 

Stephen you have remembered that it is only on Iona where there is no club dining.

P&O have said so in a number of responses to this rumour.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

46 minutes ago, daiB said:

Stephen you have remembered that it is only on Iona where there is no club dining.

P&O have said so in a number of responses to this rumour.

 

At the moment. I guess the new big ships will only have Freedom. As old small ships leave the fleet there will be only Freedom left.  Club dining does not need to be abolished. 

 

Best wishes, Stephen. 

[Denarius]

14 hours ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

 

At the moment. I guess the new big ships will only have Freedom. As old small ships leave the fleet there will be only Freedom left.  Club dining does not need to be abolished. 

 

Best wishes, Stephen. 

But I suspect that it will be if freedom only works on Iona. P&O tend to trial new developments on one or two ships then roll them out across the fleet if they are well recieved.

Edited May 10, 2019 by Denarius

[CCFC]

Royal Caribbean tried Freedom only on some of their newer ships, it didn't last long.

[Britboys]

Always interesting to see other people's thoughts & feelings on these issues.  When I travel solo, the last thing I want is to have to meet new people every night at dinner.  Happy enough to do that that at breakfast and lunch but want to relax with some familiar faces in the evening.  I also hate dining alone in a 'formal' restaurant - fine in a Pizza place or such like but I would feel awkward in the likes of Sindhu.

[Britboys]

On 5/8/2019 at 11:58 AM, Denarius said:

I have sailed solo for several years since the death of my late partner and always opt for freedom dining. I like to meet new people and would not like to be tied to dining with the same people at the same time every evening. One problem however, lies with regards to speciality restaurants. I would love to try Sindu in particular but am not enamoured wiith the idea of dining there in splendid isolation. I regard dinner as a social occasion. It would be helpful to me and other solo travellers if a shared tables were provided each evening in the speciality restaurants at say 8pm for which solo travellers could make reservations.

 

Do you ever do the Coffee Meet-ups for solos Denarius?  They are a good place to get to know others and maybe suggest joining up to eat in one of the for-fee restaurants.

[Britboys]

2 hours ago, Denarius said:

But I suspect that it will be if freedom only works on Iona. P&O tend to trial new developments on one or two ships then roll them out across the fleet if they are well recieved.

 

I don't think they would roll it out to Arcadia, Oceana or Aurora but if it goes well, I can see it being operated on Azura & Ventura.

[terrierjohn]

On 5/2/2019 at 10:52 AM, Sarah1974 said:

Is it possible with Freedom dining to book a dining slot in advance?  With Royal Caribbean's My Time Dining you can book a time (not always what you want) in advance or turn up and try your luck - they don't offer a pager system

Sort of defeats the whole idea of freedom dining if you pre book a time slot.

[jeanlyon]

This is very interesting.  We have always gone Club second sitting, but just back off Aurora where our first table was a nightmare with some horrible people.  Never happened to us before.  Have had great tables.  So we asked to move and were put on another Table for 8, but only 2 others who were very nice (there are 3 of us).

 

So we decided to make our next cruise Freedom.  We would prefer to eat at 8.  Presume that wouldn't be a problem.  Very happy to share a table#

 

So are you put on a table for 8 where the others have already started eating?  Also, I couldn't believe the queue on Aurora for Freedom.  It started at 5.10 and snaked all the way round to the Atrium part?  Why are they queuing at just after 5 - it doesn't start until 6?

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

Not sure why people queue so early - I’ve not seen it that early on Ventura or Azura.

 

A table for 8, sharing, should present no problems at all.  You’ll find that you’ll all join the table at about the same time, order together, and eat together.

 

Can’t recommend it enough. Works very well indeed.

[Sarah1974]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Sort of defeats the whole idea of freedom dining if you pre book a time slot.

For me I’m not sure I want first or second seating - the times don’t suit.  I want to dine at a regular time that I can choose.  That to me is freedom.

[wowzz]

Given a choice, I prefer a table of 6, as then everyone can interact. Tables of 8 tend to split into 2 fours. Having said that, we've had many a good evening on an 8 top that carried on whilst the waiters were setting up for breakfast. But, Yes, we did leave before making a nuisance of ourselves. 

[daiB]

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

This is very interesting.  We have always gone Club second sitting, but just back off Aurora where our first table was a nightmare with some horrible people.  Never happened to us before.  Have had great tables.  So we asked to move and were put on another Table for 8, but only 2 others who were very nice (there are 3 of us).

 

So we decided to make our next cruise Freedom.  We would prefer to eat at 8.  Presume that wouldn't be a problem.  Very happy to share a table#

 

So are you put on a table for 8 where the others have already started eating?  Also, I couldn't believe the queue on Aurora for Freedom.  It started at 5.10 and snaked all the way round to the Atrium part?  Why are they queuing at just after 5 - it doesn't start until 6?

 

 

Jean, they queue because they don’t want freedom they want first sitting. They have turned freedom into first sitting so the dining room fills up quickly and no one can then enter until the sitting is finished. This started soon after freedom dining was introduced. There are still very large numbers of people who would like fixed dining. This is one way they can get it.

[BrianI]

On our cruise on Aurora last month, we arrived at the freedom restaurant (Medina) at various times between 1815 and 2000. At no time did we have to queue and we were able to go straight in. I believe that the early queue is for those wanting a table for two.

Brian

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

8 minutes ago, daiB said:

Jean, they queue because they don’t want freedom they want first sitting. They have turned freedom into first sitting so the dining room fills up quickly and no one can then enter until the sitting is finished. This started soon after freedom dining was introduced. There are still very large numbers of people who would like fixed dining. This is one way they can get it.

 

Surely they could just book a Select fare.  For my cruises the difference in price seems minimal (after onboard credit) at the time I always book. With a Select fare I have always got the sitting and table size I want. I always like a table for eight on second sitting. Would I not be able to get first sitting on a Select fare?  I had assumed it was almost guaranteed. Are the people who queue early wanting a table for two I wonder?

 

Thank you, Stephen 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[daiB]

1 minute ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

 

Surely they could just book a Select fare.  For my cruises the difference in price seems minimal (after onboard credit) at the time I always book. With a Select fare I have always got the sitting and table size I want. I always like a table for eight on second sitting. Would I not be able to get first sitting on a Select fare?  I had assumed it was almost guaranteed. Are the people who queue early wanting a table for two I wonder?

 

Thank you, Stephen 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not everyone gets what they want and not everyone can book early. First sitting books up quite early then freedom then second. We have met people who booked select and wanted first sitting but did not get it.

 

Because we book on day one of booking we always get what we want. If you book 6 month before you don’t always. 

 

On Ventura recently I would go to the bar at about 19.00 and there would be a constant buzzing as people were called to dinner. Most had drinks and so had been in the bar a while. Clearly a full freedom dining room or even two.

[Britboys]

From what I have been told whilst on Oriana & Aurora Stephen, first sitting is in much demand so if you book quite late on a Saver fare, it is not easy to get allocated first sitting.  I always go for second sitting and have noticed since the introduction of alternative dining and freedom dining that empty seats at tables are now quite common on second sitting.  Not sure what the situation is on the larger ships as I rarely sail on them.

[Harry Peterson]

37 minutes ago, daiB said:

Jean, they queue because they don’t want freedom they want first sitting. They have turned freedom into first sitting so the dining room fills up quickly and no one can then enter until the sitting is finished. This started soon after freedom dining was introduced. There are still very large numbers of people who would like fixed dining. This is one way they can get it.

I don’t know which ships you’ve been on, but you don’t Freedom Dine and what you imagine to be the case just isn’t backed up by the facts. Plenty of other posts to confirm that.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

Jean, they queue because they don’t want freedom they want first sitting. They have turned freedom into first sitting so the dining room fills up quickly and no one can then enter until the sitting is finished. This started soon after freedom dining was introduced. There are still very large numbers of people who would like fixed dining. This is one way they can get it.

I don't think that's the reason Dai, I think they want to ensure they are first into the theatre for the 8:30 show, first sitting fixed diners normally descend on the theatre about 8:15 and have to fight for the leftover seats.

[daiB]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I don't think that's the reason Dai, I think they want to ensure they are first into the theatre for the 8:30 show, first sitting fixed diners normally descend on the theatre about 8:15 and have to fight for the leftover seats.

Same thing John, there are a number of reasons for wanting first sitting.

[daiB]

37 minutes ago, docco said:

I don’t know which ships you’ve been on, but you don’t Freedom Dine and what you imagine to be the case just isn’t backed up by the facts. Plenty of other posts to confirm that.

All of them and I have done freedom. But people talk as well. Imagination plays no part.

[Harry Peterson]

15 minutes ago, daiB said:

All of them and I have done freedom. But people talk as well. Imagination plays no part.

I'm sorry - I thought you said you'd always done club dining, and must have misunderstood your recent comment:

 

"I have to say that all of these problems that people have had seem to me to be the down side of freedom dining. We have always done club dining and w have never experienced any of the problems given above."

 

I'm speaking from actual experience of Freedom Dining every time, and I can assure anyone considering it that what you're saying about Freedom Dining is based solely on what you think it might be like - not what it is like.

[daiB]

30 minutes ago, docco said:

I'm sorry - I thought you said you'd always done club dining, and must have misunderstood your recent comment:

 

"I have to say that all of these problems that people have had seem to me to be the down side of freedom dining. We have always done club dining and w have never experienced any of the problems given above."

 

I'm speaking from actual experience of Freedom Dining every time, and I can assure anyone considering it that what you're saying about Freedom Dining is based solely on what you think it might be like - not what it is like.

No not what I think what I observe. We have done freedom to try it out. We did not encounter the problems as we still dined fairly late and we would take any table size.

 

But I have seen the queues forming half an hour before the restaurant opened I have talked to people who have had to wait because they could not get a table at 18.30 on a number of occasions. I have read many complaints about freedom dining not giving them the freedom they thought they were going to get. But clearly you think you have so much more experience of P&O so you must be right.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

From what I have been told whilst on Oriana & Aurora Stephen, first sitting is in much demand so if you book quite late on a Saver fare, it is not easy to get allocated first sitting.  I always go for second sitting and have noticed since the introduction of alternative dining and freedom dining that empty seats at tables are now quite common on second sitting.  Not sure what the situation is on the larger ships as I rarely sail on them.

 

It seems I am lucky in wanting second sitting. I did not know it is easier to get. 

 

When I have had single seating (on Cunard) we always end up dining at 8.30.

 

Thank you, Stephen. 

[jeanlyon]

Well sounds like we should be fine trying to eat at 8pm.  And we will sit down with the others at the table and order at the same time.  We will give it a try on the next cruise.

 

Second sitting seems to have changed with a lot of either empty tables or half full tables.  Also, although we have always had good tables before, this time was awful.  We knew we weren't spending another evening with them!

 

So if I want to eat at 8, we just go to the restaurant and ask to be seated?  And we say we are happy to share.  I have already asked on the ship what happens to the wine order and apart from the first night, you order a bottle and if you don't finish it they give you a slip to ask for it the next night.  Sounds good to me.