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Loyalty Lunch

Port out

By Port out,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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Port out

Port out

Posted
Posted (edited)

Interesting change to the Loyalty Lunch. Normally the top tier have the Peninsular Lunch with Senior Officers hosting individual tables, however currently on Aurora they have discontinued the hosting aspect with a half hour pre lunch cocktail party at 11.30 where Senior Officers will apparently mingle with guests, then at noon, passengers then will make their way to the restaurant for the lunch without any officers present.

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Balaena

Balaena

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Port out said:

Interesting change to the Loyalty Lunch. Normally the top tier have the Peninsular Lunch with Senior Officers hosting individual tables, however currently on Aurora they have discontinued the hosting aspect with a half hour pre lunch cocktail party at 11.30 where Senior Officers will apparently mingle with guests, then at noon, passengers then will make their way to the restaurant for the lunch without any officers present.

Hope this isn't going to be the way forward for the Loyalty Lunch, so enjoy meeting up with the 'Table Host' and the banter which occurs. Problem with cocktail parties of this type is that those officers present get cornered by guests and very little mingling actually takes place.

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Harry Peterson

Harry Peterson

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Port out said:

Interesting change to the Loyalty Lunch. Normally the top tier have the Peninsular Lunch with Senior Officers hosting individual tables, however currently on Aurora they have discontinued the hosting aspect with a half hour pre lunch cocktail party at 11.30 where Senior Officers will apparently mingle with guests, then at noon, passengers then will make their way to the restaurant for the lunch without any officers present.

I'm never ever going to make it to Ligurian, but I'd hazard a guess that this will not be much appreciated by those who have.  It's not as if there was any real cost to it.

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

I'm never ever going to make it to Ligurian, but I'd hazard a guess that this will not be much appreciated by those who have.  It's not as if there was any real cost to it.

I agree.

I am curious as to how many top tier members there are in total and how many were on the cruise the op is referring to.

 

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jeanlyon

jeanlyon

Posted
Posted

loyalty lunches are for Caribbean and up.  We never go to them.  First of all, we don't drink at midday and the idea of sitting down to a huge lunch doesn't appeal at all, particularly when you are having dinner as well.  Guess that's just me.  We don't even go to the Captains cocktail party any more and that's because it's always at 8.15.  We like to go for a drink at 7 ish and eat around 8.

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Britboys

Britboys

Posted
Posted

Over the years, P&O have continuously (but slowly) distanced their officers from the passengers.  When I started cruising, a number of tables in the mdr were hosted by an officer for the duration of the cruise.  They weren't always able to make it but were there more often than not and on at least one night provided wine for the table.  Many officers also hosted parties that pax were invited to.  At Captain's Cocktail and Loyalty Parties, the officers used to make an effort to mix with pax but sadly now they seem to stand around in groups totally ignoring pax.

With the way prices have come down and ship capacity risen, I can understand why they don't host tables or individual parties but I do think it is a shame that almost any form of interaction between officers and pax now seems to be frowned on by the company.

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Tablelamp

Tablelamp

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Posted

It seems to be the way things are progressing.  The officers do a fantastic job.  However they need to remember that it is the passengers who pay their wages.  Unfortunately the P & O language doesn’t help.  Whoever heard of a ship being called a floating hotel - such rubbish.

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groovechick

groovechick

Posted
Posted
47 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Over the years, P&O have continuously (but slowly) distanced their officers from the passengers.  When I started cruising, a number of tables in the mdr were hosted by an officer for the duration of the cruise.  They weren't always able to make it but were there more often than not and on at least one night provided wine for the table.  Many officers also hosted parties that pax were invited to.  At Captain's Cocktail and Loyalty Parties, the officers used to make an effort to mix with pax but sadly now they seem to stand around in groups totally ignoring pax.

With the way prices have come down and ship capacity risen, I can understand why they don't host tables or individual parties but I do think it is a shame that almost any form of interaction between officers and pax now seems to be frowned on by the company.

Indeed, on our second ever cruise, on Sea Princess/Victoria, we were seated on a table with the purser (who's no longer the purser but the Hospitality Director or something equally daft). He was a lovely man who, it turned out, lived in a village just a few miles away from where I grew up. This was the first year that the ship was based in the Med and didn't return to Southampton, and they had real restocking problems, with suppliers delivering completely the wrong thing, or what they could supply rather than what the ship wanted, i.e. tray after tray of turnips rather than lettuces and tomatoes, especially in Egypt. The ship actually ran short of fresh water, ran out of some food and, even worse, Stilton and most wines, so being on the purser's table was great because we got all the info direct from the man at the top. That is the nice thing about Captain Turnbull, annoying announcements aside, he interacts with passengers and is a presence around the ship. Paul Brown doesn't/isn't. Wesley Dunlop does/is to a certain extent.

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Ranchi

Ranchi

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Posted

It’s hardly surprising. I’m sure officers are given guidance into dealing with passengers in a social context ( in the past it may have included offering a cigarette to the passenger and if they accept them you may, if you wish join them.) but it must be a bit of a strain. I have observed officers at social events being rounded on by passengers over issues on board or within the company. I wouldn’t mind betting that a few engineers breathe a sigh of relief if a warning light ( nothing too serious! ) flashes at 11:45 on lunch day. 

Having speculated the above, I have had a good many very enjoyable loyalty lunches and would be disappointed to see changes. 

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AndyMichelle

AndyMichelle

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

There’s been a lot of discussion in these forums about the changing demographics of people cruising these days with P&O, manners at the table, newspapers read etc..

 

Maybe the officers don’t like dining with P&O customers any more........😎

Maybe we don't want to dine with the officers... 

You pay all that money for a cruise and are expected to eat with the staff!! 😊

Andy 

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Balaena

Balaena

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On 12/11/2019 at 7:00 PM, AndyMichelle said:

Maybe we don't want to dine with the officers... 

You pay all that money for a cruise and are expected to eat with the staff!! 😊

Andy 

What a very strange attitude. One of the benefits of cruising is connecting with the very people that run the ship. If this is the way you think why travel on a ship, probably best to go to a hotel somewhere .. Oh! I get it, you think you are in a hotel and like to be treated like a 'nobody'. Me, I enjoy the interaction between ourselves and the officers which enhances the experience considerably and has forged many friendships spanning the years.

Bal

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jeanlyon

jeanlyon

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Posted (edited)

Yes do!!  It's such an old joke  "you are invited to dine with the Captain - Wot?  Eat with the staff!"

 

Personally, I am not bothered about eating with officers, although they probably have some good conversation.

Edited by jeanlyon
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