dining preference question

[Les_ldh]

39 minutes ago, MrandMrsCoz said:

thank you 🙂

We are in a cabin on B deck at mid-aft, and with only 2 days left in work.....the dining times seem less important haha. 

Don’t forget to come back after your cruise and let us know how you got on, and if P&O were able to accommodate any of your requests. I’m sure you’ll have a great time, Ventura is a lovely ship and I had a fantastic cruise on her last year.

[happy v]

Have a good time.

I didn't realise you were going so soon when I posted.

[Broadside]

4 hours ago, MrandMrsCoz said:

I'm hoping due to us being on a bigger ship (Ventura) that we may be ok and get either the early sitting or freedom. I totally realise that the more expensive select price would've allowed us the flexibility and had myself or my husband being the one who booked, this is the option we would've gone with as we research our holidays before we book. My mum-in-law did what she thought was good and jumped in and booked without researching first in the trust that the travel agent in our high street would look after her. She did this after having booked a cruise with a travel agent for her an a friend 3 years ago and getting looked after very well. The travel agent have been absolutely dire and have left us so frustrated that I wrote a complaint on due to the lack of service my mum-in-law was given. The only information they have given is the booking reference number and print off of our E ticket and luggage label - this was only given to us 2 weeks ago, not for want of trying to get other information. They definitely didn't explain any dining options with my mum-in-law which I know as she seemed shocked when I explained the different options which I had found out after reading this forum and the P&O site. She asked them to make sure that we were situated close by as she is a single traveller with mobility issues/meds to take etc and instead of explaining at the time that to guarantee this, she needed tobook a select price, they just said that we had to wait until the cabins were allocated to find out but that 'we should be fairly close'. As it turns out, we are on a balcony on port, her on starboard but not to far away but I guess this is only pure chance.

We totally understand that those people who've paid extra should get the first choice - had we known at time of booking, we too would've paid the extra. I also know that we are able to dine in the buffet but that is not how we would choose to eat our main meal if we had the choice. With regards to the suggestion from someone that we are able to eat late like families in some other countries do regularly - again, it's not how we would choose if we had the choice but obviously if its the only choice then, we will cope with it.

We will go onboard with an open mind and good manners and hope that all works out well for us.

This is why I always book holidays after extensive research normally and not through travel agents but, it's a one off to appease my mum-in-law 🙂

 Relax - Chill out - With the £ that you have saved on this fare you can probably book a few speciality restaurants at a time of yiur choosing - Jobs a good un , Everyones a winner 😎

[P-L-B]

I am sure it will all work out fine for you all. Have a fabulous time.🥂

[MrandMrsCoz]

Well....only now, after a week of being back of normality am I ready to write a quick review. The reason being, we had the best holiday ever and to be quite honest, I tried to write a review last weekend after our return but it became too hard as I was emotional!

The dining worked out absolutely fine. My mum-in-law and us had been given different dining options (us on freedom and her on 6.30 sitting) but I asked at reception if this could be changed. They pointed me in the direction of the restaurant manager who had a large queue on embarkation day with people with similar problems. All turned out well for us as it seemed that many people wanted the early sitting so the manager seemed happy to give my mum-in-law freedom to sit with us so all was good.

Now for a quick review: Wow!!! Myself, my husband and son had never been on a cruise and as we normally sort our own holidays independently, we were slightly apprehensive at how we were going to deal with being on a ship with over 3000 people. My mum-in-law had been on one cruise previously with Royal Caribbean. We really shouldn't have had any apprehensions as from the moment we got to the Ocean Terminal till the disembarkation day, we had the best time ever! We decided to try things we wouldn't normally do and to embrace the activities put on and that's exactly what we did. We tried to learn the ChaChaCha (badly), we played pop quizzes, we watched Tina Turner tribute act, we watched several Headliners shows, we played 'fake' horse racing, we played Wii bowling, we learnt archery, hit golf balls, watched sunsets/sunrises, woke at 5am to watch beautiful scenery out of our cabin, dressed up posh for dinner, ate at the select restaurants on a few evenings, spoke with new and interesting people, tried foods we wouldn't normally try (only failure was the salt and vinegar ice cream which was served with a dessert and was awful in my opinion),  viewed lovely art pieces, visited amazing places and had the pleasure of seeing our 9 year old son being so moved by natural beauty, it moved him to tears (at the glacier), drank far too many delicious cocktails, took lots of cheesy selfies, took lots of beautiful photos of Norway's amazing views, made time to speak to each and every one of the lovely staff who were so kind to us, at dessert with each and every meal, smiled so so much every day and were proud at each and every day of how many compliments we received on how charming our son was when we shared dinner tables with our fellow passengers.

We are totally converted to cruising and embraced each and every day we were on the Ventura. Yes, there were imperfections in our amazing holiday but that is life and nothing (even the mad crush at breakfast at disembarkation day) could spoil our amazing holiday. We all had the best time ever and will soon be organising our next cruise to celebrate my mum-in-law's 70th in 2020 and can't wait for more memories.😀

[eddie11]

That’s lovely

So pleased for you that all turned out well with the dining arrangements .  Next time you will be well armed to get exactly what you want at booking stage

Looks like you may have caught the cruise bug!  🚢 

[dgs1956]

Great news. I'm so pleased it went so well for you!

[P-L-B]

What a fabulous description of how your cruise went.

I am so pleased that you all had a great time.

Here’s to your next cruise. 🥂

[Slugsta]

What a lovely review! You clearly set out to make the most of your cruise from the start and I'm glad you had such a great time.

[kruzseeka]

Great to hear it all worked out so well and that you had a wonderful time.  Thank you too for reporting back. 

 

I often look for feedback from OP's and sadly that's not always forthcoming - even after being given lots of advice and information from other members.    Most posters respond with helpful and supportive posts and although there will inevitably be differences of opinions from time to time, for me the essence of the forum is to exchange advice and information.  I've been very grateful for the help and knowledge gained over the years.

 

So many thanks for letting us know how you got on. 😁

[Ranchi]

What a heart warming review. So glad you had a great time. I can empathise with so many of your experiences. I don’t think we’ve tried Wii games on board, we do like deck games & ping pong. 

As I was reading your review it occurred to me that dining preferences have changed over the years. When we cruised with our young children ( they are in their 30s now) we used to take first sitting as it was easier to get them into the nursery. At that time the ‘sophisticated’ option (as was implied to us one day- much to our amusement) was second sitting. (I must admit second diners did get that lovely golden warm quiet time on deck as all the first sitters headed down to change.) I do think that the ship ‘rocked’ on much later in those days. Bands played for dancing much later. If you take second sitting these days your after dinner entertainment choices are limited. I don’t think it’s an age thing, either. If you go on the family ships I think the age profile is pretty similar to that which we had when the kids were young. As an example, The nursery had a 2am pick up- I know the system has changed now, but it illustrates that the system was set up with the expectation of late nights. 

We have tried second sitting ( well, we didn’t have the option!) and did like the quiet hour but we still prefer first sitting. 

Edited August 31, 2019 by Ranchi

[daiB]

This kind of review reminds us all of why we go cruising.

 

Glad you had such a wonderful time.

 

Of course you are now doomed.

[grapau27]

22 hours ago, MrandMrsCoz said:

Well....only now, after a week of being back of normality am I ready to write a quick review. The reason being, we had the best holiday ever and to be quite honest, I tried to write a review last weekend after our return but it became too hard as I was emotional!

The dining worked out absolutely fine. My mum-in-law and us had been given different dining options (us on freedom and her on 6.30 sitting) but I asked at reception if this could be changed. They pointed me in the direction of the restaurant manager who had a large queue on embarkation day with people with similar problems. All turned out well for us as it seemed that many people wanted the early sitting so the manager seemed happy to give my mum-in-law freedom to sit with us so all was good.

Now for a quick review: Wow!!! Myself, my husband and son had never been on a cruise and as we normally sort our own holidays independently, we were slightly apprehensive at how we were going to deal with being on a ship with over 3000 people. My mum-in-law had been on one cruise previously with Royal Caribbean. We really shouldn't have had any apprehensions as from the moment we got to the Ocean Terminal till the disembarkation day, we had the best time ever! We decided to try things we wouldn't normally do and to embrace the activities put on and that's exactly what we did. We tried to learn the ChaChaCha (badly), we played pop quizzes, we watched Tina Turner tribute act, we watched several Headliners shows, we played 'fake' horse racing, we played Wii bowling, we learnt archery, hit golf balls, watched sunsets/sunrises, woke at 5am to watch beautiful scenery out of our cabin, dressed up posh for dinner, ate at the select restaurants on a few evenings, spoke with new and interesting people, tried foods we wouldn't normally try (only failure was the salt and vinegar ice cream which was served with a dessert and was awful in my opinion),  viewed lovely art pieces, visited amazing places and had the pleasure of seeing our 9 year old son being so moved by natural beauty, it moved him to tears (at the glacier), drank far too many delicious cocktails, took lots of cheesy selfies, took lots of beautiful photos of Norway's amazing views, made time to speak to each and every one of the lovely staff who were so kind to us, at dessert with each and every meal, smiled so so much every day and were proud at each and every day of how many compliments we received on how charming our son was when we shared dinner tables with our fellow passengers.

We are totally converted to cruising and embraced each and every day we were on the Ventura. Yes, there were imperfections in our amazing holiday but that is life and nothing (even the mad crush at breakfast at disembarkation day) could spoil our amazing holiday. We all had the best time ever and will soon be organising our next cruise to celebrate my mum-in-law's 70th in 2020 and can't wait for more memories.😀

We are delighted to read your review and hearing you had a fantastic cruise.

We just got off Ventura yesterday and like you we totally enjoyed our cruise too.

Happy 70th birthday next year for your MIL,you will be hooked on cruising now and rightly so.

6 years ago we celebrated Paulines mam's 90th birthday on board Ventura.

This was her last cruise and sadly she died last October.

Graham.

Edited August 31, 2019 by grapau27

[SarahHben]

It's lovely to read such a positive review, I'm glad you had such a great time!

We'll be cruising for the first time next June and I am extremely excited but also a little apprehensive as it is all new to us.

[AndyMichelle]

2 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

It's lovely to read such a positive review, I'm glad you had such a great time!

We'll be cruising for the first time next June and I am extremely excited but also a little apprehensive as it is all new to us.

No need to be apprehensive, you are obviously doing 'due diligence' and will know what to expect, which is half the battle.

Take heed of Graham's post above, he always gives a balanced view and if he says cruising is good, then it must be.

Dont expect perfection and don't let the inevitable little niggles get to you and you will have a fantastic experience.

Andy

[SarahHben]

23 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

No need to be apprehensive, you are obviously doing 'due diligence' and will know what to expect, which is half the battle.

Take heed of Graham's post above, he always gives a balanced view and if he says cruising is good, then it must be.

Dont expect perfection and don't let the inevitable little niggles get to you and you will have a fantastic experience.

Andy

Thank you Andy.

Maybe there is such a thing as too much research 🙂 

[AndyMichelle]

32 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

Thank you Andy.

Maybe there is such a thing as too much research 🙂 

I don't think so.

For new cruisers, the biggest complaint seems to be 'I wasn't expecting X'.

By researching, you will be prepared for the negatives (3,000 ish people in one place, they can't please everybody), you will prepare yourself for the worst then realise it is a great way to holiday.

That little pang of anxiety is a good thing.

Andy

[SarahHben]

23 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I don't think so.

For new cruisers, the biggest complaint seems to be 'I wasn't expecting X'.

By researching, you will be prepared for the negatives (3,000 ish people in one place, they can't please everybody), you will prepare yourself for the worst then realise it is a great way to holiday.

That little pang of anxiety is a good thing.

Andy

I've been researching P & O in general and our ports in Norway but I'm looking forward to reading comments from people on the first few Iona cruises so we'll get an idea of what to expect from the ship herself.

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

No need to be apprehensive, you are obviously doing 'due diligence' and will know what to expect, which is half the battle.

Take heed of Graham's post above, he always gives a balanced view and if he says cruising is good, then it must be.

Dont expect perfection and don't let the inevitable little niggles get to you and you will have a fantastic experience.

Andy

Thanks Andy,you always give great and helpful advice too.

This was our 51st cruise and we have loved every cruise to date.

Graham

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by grapau27

[grapau27]

41 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

I've been researching P & O in general and our ports in Norway but I'm looking forward to reading comments from people on the first few Iona cruises so we'll get an idea of what to expect from the ship herself.

We have been fortunate to sail on several ships maiden voyage or during their maiden season and usually the best crew sail on them and they pull out all the stops to really enhance your cruise.

Iona looks like it is going to be fabulous.

[AndyMichelle]

10 hours ago, SarahHben said:

I've been researching P & O in general and our ports in Norway but I'm looking forward to reading comments from people on the first few Iona cruises so we'll get an idea of what to expect from the ship herself.

Iona will be clean, modern, with up to date technology.

It will also be busy, overwhelming and confusing...

The 'given' with P&O (imo) is the service will be great, food generally good and it will have the cream of the entertainment from the fleet.

Everybody has their favourite captain and ours is Wes Dunlop, so she is in safe hands.

My pang of anxiety is the design/layout. Will they be able to accommodate that many people comfortably in public areas?

I had the same fears about Britannia but always found a favourite spot, even when busy.

Andy

[pete14]

4 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Iona will be clean, modern, with up to date technology.

It will also be busy, overwhelming and confusing...

The 'given' with P&O (imo) is the service will be great, food generally good and it will have the cream of the entertainment from the fleet.

Everybody has their favourite captain and ours is Wes Dunlop, so she is in safe hands.

My pang of anxiety is the design/layout. Will they be able to accommodate that many people comfortably in public areas?

I had the same fears about Britannia but always found a favourite spot, even when busy.

Andy

At least when people board the first few Iona cruises, nobody will know where they are going and what they are doing for the first day or so. Everybody lost together!

[SarahHben]

4 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Iona will be clean, modern, with up to date technology.

It will also be busy, overwhelming and confusing...

The 'given' with P&O (imo) is the service will be great, food generally good and it will have the cream of the entertainment from the fleet.

Everybody has their favourite captain and ours is Wes Dunlop, so she is in safe hands.

My pang of anxiety is the design/layout. Will they be able to accommodate that many people comfortably in public areas?

I had the same fears about Britannia but always found a favourite spot, even when busy.

Andy

Wes Dunlop was captain of Britannia last year when my daughter went to Norway and she said he was great.

We booked Iona mainly because as first timers we wanted a 7 night cruise and husband was keen to go to Norway and Iona is the ship doing that route next year. Then after booking I looked at the forums which at the time did have a fair amount of anti 'big ship' comments and I started to worry about a few things. I suppose my biggest worries are that 1) It will feel too crowded and noisy, but we have a balcony cabin to escape to if needed. 2) That it will be more casual than my expectations. For me the dressing up side of things is part of what attracted me to cruising, but I plan to wear my long gowns regardless. 3) That we will miss the ship, I wasn't worried about that until your 'Missing the ship' post Andy 😂 

It is good to read from seasoned cruisers that they are looking forward to Iona too, at times it has felt like it's the ship for those of us that dont know any better 😂

 

Thank you for your replies

[Josy1953]

1 hour ago, SarahHben said:

Wes Dunlop was captain of Britannia last year when my daughter went to Norway and she said he was great.

We booked Iona mainly because as first timers we wanted a 7 night cruise and husband was keen to go to Norway and Iona is the ship doing that route next year. Then after booking I looked at the forums which at the time did have a fair amount of anti 'big ship' comments and I started to worry about a few things. I suppose my biggest worries are that 1) It will feel too crowded and noisy, but we have a balcony cabin to escape to if needed. 2) That it will be more casual than my expectations. For me the dressing up side of things is part of what attracted me to cruising, but I plan to wear my long gowns regardless. 3) That we will miss the ship, I wasn't worried about that until your 'Missing the ship' post Andy 😂 

It is good to read from seasoned cruisers that they are looking forward to Iona too, at times it has felt like it's the ship for those of us that dont know any better 😂

 

Thank you for your replies

Ignore the anti big ship comments, we all have preferences for different sizes of ships. 

1) It is unlikely that Iona will feel crowded and noisy, we have been on all of the current P&O ships and have not found any of them to be too crowded or noisy, there are plenty of quiet spots and as you say you have a balcony to escape to. 

2)Dress to please yourself not others, I always dress up for evenings on cruises because I have few other opportunities. 

3) Give yourself plenty of time to get down to Southampton and you won't miss the ship, we always stay the night before in Southampton and count it as an extra day on holiday.

 

Norway is beautiful, I am sure that you will enjoy your cruise and you will become addicted, we are soon to go on our 49th cruise (28th P&O) and have 4 others booked.

 

We have not looked at Iona because we found Britannia a little too large for us but if either Britannia or Iona was going to somewhere that we have not been to but would like to visit we would book on them.

[AndyMichelle]

6 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

Ignore the anti big ship comments, we all have preferences for different sizes of ships. 

1) It is unlikely that Iona will feel crowded and noisy, we have been on all of the current P&O ships and have not found any of them to be too crowded or noisy, there are plenty of quiet spots and as you say you have a balcony to escape to. 

2)Dress to please yourself not others, I always dress up for evenings on cruises because I have few other opportunities. 

3) Give yourself plenty of time to get down to Southampton and you won't miss the ship, we always stay the night before in Southampton and count it as an extra day on holiday.

 

Norway is beautiful, I am sure that you will enjoy your cruise and you will become addicted, we are soon to go on our 49th cruise (28th P&O) and have 4 others booked.

 

We have not looked at Iona because we found Britannia a little too large for us but if either Britannia or Iona was going to somewhere that we have not been to but would like to visit we would book on them.

Great advice Josy.