Thoughts on 4 day cruise, Aurora R915

[JimHatch]

3 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

I do agree with you. Plates should never be cleared until everyone on the table has finished that course, and I’d expect (and invariably get) a sensible pause between courses.

 

Having to wait night after night after night though for the same people going through starter plus soup plus fish course before the mains would be a trial. 

 

I agree. Waiters were removing my plates before my wife had finished, and vice-versa.

[Britboys]

9 minutes ago, JimHatch said:

 

I agree. Waiters were removing my plates before my wife had finished, and vice-versa.

Only experienced this a couple of times on over 20 cruises.  After checking with our tablemates, I just explained to the waiters that we would prefer them not to clear the table until everyone had finished and they were fine after that.

[Tablelamp]

31 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

As a solo traveller I prefer to eat with a group of others in the evening. There's are always others who want to go to the show, or whatever, and to pair up on tours etc. 

 

I dread the first night convo of "how many cruises?", "which ship?", etc, etc. If I was facing that every night I would go bonkers! For the same reason I tend to avoid MDR for breakfast and lunch. 

 

And if I hear one more patronising remark along the lines of "how brave I am travelling on my own" I will be getting done for murder! In my eyes travelling alone is far easier than travelling with others. 

 

FOR FANGED ROSE - PATRONISING REMARKS!   I may join you in the Dock and we will go down together!   You are on the same cruise as I am in September.

 

What is brave about it, I don’t need people to walk about with at home and am quite content being by myself.  For the first time in May / June, I asked NOT to be put on a table for singles.  What a difference, I was treated like a person, not like a person on my own.  There was one other sole traveller on the table but we didn’t necessarily sit together, all change most evenings.  A huge improvement.

[Tablelamp]

16 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Only experienced this a couple of times on over 20 cruises.  After checking with our tablemates, I just explained to the waiters that we would prefer them not to clear the table until everyone had finished and they were fine after that.

 

I have done the same thing,  providing you smile and are polite, there is never a problem,

There has only been one occasion when a waiter was ‘taking the Micky’.   The amount of tips he had from the table would have taught him not to do it again.  

 

Just occasionally you do get passengers who can be rude to the waiters, no call for 5hat at all.

[Tablelamp]

FOR FANGED ROSE - PATRONISING REMARKS!   I may join you in the Dock and we will go down together!   You are on the same cruise as I am in September.

 

What is brave about it, I don’t need people to walk about with at home and am quite content being by myself.  For the first time in May / June, I asked NOT to be put on a table for singles.  What a difference, I was treated like a person, not like a person on my own.  There was one other sole traveller on the table but we didn’t necessarily sit together, all change most evenings.  A huge improvement.

[FangedRose]

8 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

FOR FANGED ROSE - PATRONISING REMARKS!   I may join you in the Dock and we will go down together!   You are on the same cruise as I am in September.

 

What is brave about it, I don’t need people to walk about with at home and am quite content being by myself.  For the first time in May / June, I asked NOT to be put on a table for singles.  What a difference, I was treated like a person, not like a person on my own.  There was one other sole traveller on the table but we didn’t necessarily sit together, all change most evenings.  A huge improvement.

I've done that on a few cruises and it did not work out too well. I was either ignored, or had the feeling that they felt sorry for me. I feel far more comfortable on a table with others in the same position as myself. 

[Britboys]

When I sail solo I prefer to be on a table with other solos too.  Not everyone goes to the solo coffee meets and a solos table has always meant I have been able to pal up with others to go and watch the show or meet for a pre-dinner drink.  I am quite outgoing so at other times have got talking to many other people during the course of the cruise too.

[Ranchi]

What a difference a day or four makes!  Only the cruise before I had a couple of breakfasts in the buffet & my complaint was soggy almost boiled bacon. The toast though was fine. I prefer MDR for breakfast & lunch. 

We found the Crows Nest service very slow (waiting from 5:35 to 5.55 for a couple of drinks to be made - we didn’t date order a second!

We found service fine ( once started) in 1st sitting MDR and good good quality & hot with one exception - my wife had to request a steak knife to attack here beef one meal. 

One challenge ahead for P&O & their passengers will be how they cope with minimising of single use materials esp. pre wrapped butter pats. On the last cruise there were occasions where star shaped pats of butter were offered in place of wrapped pats. The problem was that the stars were stored on ice & I can imagine some frayed nerves as rock hard butter meets brittle breakfast toast. 

[JimHatch]

9 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

What a difference a day or four makes!  Only the cruise before I had a couple of breakfasts in the buffet & my complaint was soggy almost boiled bacon. The toast though was fine. I prefer MDR for breakfast & lunch. 

We found the Crows Nest service very slow (waiting from 5:35 to 5.55 for a couple of drinks to be made - we didn’t date order a second!

We found service fine ( once started) in 1st sitting MDR and good good quality & hot with one exception - my wife had to request a steak knife to attack here beef one meal. 

One challenge ahead for P&O & their passengers will be how they cope with minimising of single use materials esp. pre wrapped butter pats. On the last cruise there were occasions where star shaped pats of butter were offered in place of wrapped pats. The problem was that the stars were stored on ice & I can imagine some frayed nerves as rock hard butter meets brittle breakfast toast. 

 

Haha! yes....the rock hard butter and brittle toast. I opted for Flora.....but had to find it as I was looking for the little sachets! I'd like to see butter in foil/paper wraps, and not on ice. 

 

I could only dream of soggy bacon in the buffet. Dry was the order of the day, and a few I would queue with mentioned this, plus thee anaemic-looking sausages. Swings and roundabouts. I hope for better next time! 🤣