Select price vs saver

[Son of Anarchy]

You can book Sindhu or Ocean Grill via Cruise Personaliser.  We could book for these about 15 weeks before sailing.  

[Bertie Doe]

30 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

You can book Sindhu or Ocean Grill via Cruise Personaliser.  We could book for these about 15 weeks before sailing.  

 

Thanks, that is good news. Thus far, all we've had is confirmation of deposit received from the TA. Let's hope we can access Cruise Personaliser. I know we get the tickets for the trip from P & O just before the cruise but I don't know what other contacts they'll make with us. I'll drop Iglu an email on Monday, thanks.

Paul

 

 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Bertie Doe said:

We've just paid the deposit on an Arcadia cruise next year. We looked at the pluses for Select and saw cabin choice, parking, obc and the big draw of Freedom dining. I did the sums and the gross difference between Select and Saver was £850 pp. When you deduct obc, and parking, this brings the net difference down to just £460 pp.

 

£460 equates to £20 pp per night for the 23 nights of this cruise. The cost of dining in Ocean Grill or Sindhu is £20 pp, so the saving pays for these meals throughout the trip. What clinched it for us, was seeing a sample menu :-

 

https://ask.completecruisesolution.com/help/ext/PO/life-on-board/cover_charges

 

Is it possible to book the restaurants in say, the week before cruising ? As the only complaint I've heard, is they get booked up pretty quickly.

 

 

 

Using Select Dining restaurants a lot is certainly a good approach if you don’t get your first choice of dining, but I don’t think you’d want to do it every night for a cruise that was longer than a week, as the menus are too restrictive and repetitive. The price difference you quote certainly would encourage most people to go for a Saver, but the issue is likely to be that you are looking at a cruise that has been on sale for quite a long time. Had you been able to book at launch there’s a chance you might have got a Select booking for the price you are now paying for a Saver. 

[wowzz]

My view is that the speciality restaurants are nice now and again, but not for a whole cruise (unless it is 7 says or less).

Plus, we quite like to speak to other people,  so enjoy the sociable aspect of freedom dining. 

 

 

[AndyMichelle]

We do whatever suits us at the time. 

I don't mind paying extra to get what I want but it mainly comes down to value. 

If we see a true bargain on saver, we then check it against select and weigh up the difference in cost.

Sometimes there is no difference, other times it can be a massive jump. 

Take into account OBC, and port transfers at £5pppp. 

We got caught out once with saver, getting a poor cabin on Oceana, but they quickly moved us with no fuss, but this is not always possible. 

Select is definitely better but if I could save hundreds for a saver, I tend to take my chances... Although all our recent cruises and pre booked ones were select, so that probably tells you something. 

Andy 

 

 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

We do whatever suits us at the time. 

I don't mind paying extra to get what I want but it mainly comes down to value. 

If we see a true bargain on saver, we then check it against select and weigh up the difference in cost.

Sometimes there is no difference, other times it can be a massive jump. 

Take into account OBC, and port transfers at £5pppp. 

We got caught out once with saver, getting a poor cabin on Oceana, but they quickly moved us with no fuss, but this is not always possible. 

Select is definitely better but if I could save hundreds for a saver, I tend to take my chances... Although all our recent cruises and pre booked ones were select, so that probably tells you something. 

Andy 

 

 

You were lucky that they moved you on Oceana Andy. I quite often hear people at reception complaining about their cabins and being told that the ship is full. Also, I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen trying to switch from Club dining to Freedom on the first day and being told that Freedom is at capacity. In fact, on a few cruises they have even had notices up stating that Freedom Dining is full and please do not ask to move! From memory, I think you prefer Club Dining, in which case you would most likely always get your first choice even if you booked a saver.

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

You were lucky that they moved you on Oceana Andy. I quite often hear people at reception complaining about their cabins and being told that the ship is full. Also, I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen trying to switch from Club dining to Freedom on the first day and being told that Freedom is at capacity. In fact, on a few cruises they have even had notices up stating that Freedom Dining is full and please do not ask to move! From memory, I think you prefer Club Dining, in which case you would most likely always get your first choice even if you booked a saver.

Yes, we have been lucky with dining, either first or second sitting is OK, we just adapt our day to suit. It usually means missing afternoon tea for early sitting or late night buffet for 8.30 sitting. 

We are not over fussy about position, but we were lucky to get moved from under the galley. 

But I think the more we have learned about the ships, we have our slight preferences, so sway towards select now. 

Andy 

[Scratchrat]

We just booked our first P&O cruise on Iona so this has Freedom only, I would never want timed dining as I simply don't like having my day scheduled around a meal, I wouldn't want to feel rushed doing other things or to have to miss out on something just because it's dinner time.

 

Holiday isn't the time for scheduling, that's what work is for 😄

[AndyMichelle]

25 minutes ago, Scratchrat said:

We just booked our first P&O cruise on Iona so this has Freedom only, I would never want timed dining as I simply don't like having my day scheduled around a meal, I wouldn't want to feel rushed doing other things or to have to miss out on something just because it's dinner time.

 

Holiday isn't the time for scheduling, that's what work is for 😄

Yes, don't let them dictate, then go to freedom when you are hungry and possibly wait for an hour. 😊

Each to their own. 

I know it works for many but the only time we tried it we hated it. 

The queues from 5 o clock and other passengers telling you they always go at 8 and have no problem tell you there isn't much freedom in it. 

I will miss getting to know my dining companions and waiters, this is a big part of the holiday for us. 

Lets hope Iona has it better organised. 

Andy 

[Scratchrat]

5 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yes, don't let them dictate, then go to freedom when you are hungry and possibly wait for an hour. 😊

Each to their own. 

I know it works for many but the only time we tried it we hated it. 

The queues from 5 o clock and other passengers telling you they always go at 8 and have no problem tell you there isn't much freedom in it. 

I will miss getting to know my dining companions and waiters, this is a big part of the holiday for us. 

Lets hope Iona has it better organised. 

Andy 

I've only sailed Carnival so far and their system is pretty good.

 

You get to the dining room, check in with the maitre'd and ask for a table of 2, they give you a rough estimate for when to be back (some ships give you a pager that buzzes when the table is ready) then you go away, enjoy the ship and come back to be seated. 

 

We loved it as it meant we could go whenever it was quiet, or whenever it fit in to our day. We're younger than the average cruise couple but not heavy drink/party types so we're more into the broadway style shows than we are the discos/piano shows and so we'd either grab dinner before the show or after! It works for us well.

 

For those who come on a cruise to meet new friends, timed dining is great, I've heard many stories of couples and families who have made long term friendships out of dinner companions.

[Bertie Doe]

Thanks all for the tips. It does seem that Freedom is the way to go and maybe worth the extra cost. We'll be on the Arcadia which probably works differently to Scratchrat's Iona.

 

a) Does freedom dining mean you can turn up at the MDR desk at say 6 pm one night and 8 pm the following night - or do you have to warn them in advance?

 

b) Cabin allocation with Select. Theresa  reminded me of a Costa cruise where we were allocated a balcony facing back. Great view over the stern, what's the catch? Well, the fine ash from the funnel plus heavy tobacco smoke, explained their unpopularity 😧

 

c) If we upgrade to Select now, when would cabin selection become available, would it be in the 15 weeks prior to sailing, mentioned by Son of Anarchy?

[terrierjohn]

8 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yes, don't let them dictate, then go to freedom when you are hungry and possibly wait for an hour. 😊

Each to their own. 

I know it works for many but the only time we tried it we hated it. 

The queues from 5 o clock and other passengers telling you they always go at 8 and have no problem tell you there isn't much freedom in it. 

I will miss getting to know my dining companions and waiters, this is a big part of the holiday for us. 

Lets hope Iona has it better organised. 

Andy 

We have very rarely experienced any problems on Freedom Dining when prepared to share a table, except maybe when its very quiet ( think overnights or late departures) when we have had to wait for our table to fill up.

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, Scratchrat said:

I've only sailed Carnival so far and their system is pretty good.

 

You get to the dining room, check in with the maitre'd and ask for a table of 2, they give you a rough estimate for when to be back (some ships give you a pager that buzzes when the table is ready) then you go away, enjoy the ship and come back to be seated. 

 

We loved it as it meant we could go whenever it was quiet, or whenever it fit in to our day. We're younger than the average cruise couple but not heavy drink/party types so we're more into the broadway style shows than we are the discos/piano shows and so we'd either grab dinner before the show or after! It works for us well.

 

For those who come on a cruise to meet new friends, timed dining is great, I've heard many stories of couples and families who have made long term friendships out of dinner companions.

The theory sounded better than the reality for us, but it must work as it is so popular. 

It is not the system that is really the issue, it is the mentality of the passengers that seemed to cause the issues. 

We have made many friends but also met some interesting companions, luckily enough, no bad ones. 

The difference in the service was also noticeable to us. 

But, I'm open to change, booked on Iona so will have to try it again. 

Andy 

 

 

 

[AndyMichelle]

8 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

Thanks all for the tips. It does seem that Freedom is the way to go and maybe worth the extra cost. We'll be on the Arcadia which probably works differently to Scratchrat's Iona.

 

a) Does freedom dining mean you can turn up at the MDR desk at say 6 pm one night and 8 pm the following night - or do you have to warn them in advance?

 

b) Cabin allocation with Select. Theresa  reminded me of a Costa cruise where we were allocated a balcony facing back. Great view over the stern, what's the catch? Well, the fine ash from the funnel plus heavy tobacco smoke, explained their unpopularity 😧

 

c) If we upgrade to Select now, when would cabin selection become available, would it be in the 15 weeks prior to sailing, mentioned by Son of Anarchy?

Yes, freedom means in theory you can dine at anytime, but the popular times get busy. 

Remember that the shows are usually set around the club dining times. 

If you pay select price, you choose the cabin and are allocated immediately. 

Andy 

[zap99]

13 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

We have very rarely experienced any problems on Freedom Dining when prepared to share a table, except maybe when its very quiet ( think overnights or late departures) when we have had to wait for our table to fill up.

Same here,rarely more than 30mins. We also like the freedom of deciding where we want to eat, not just the time.

[DamianG]

31 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I will miss getting to know my dining companions and waiters, this is a big part of the holiday for us. 

Lets hope Iona has it better organised. 

Andy 

 

On our most recent cruises we have been on freedom dining and generally go to the same restaurant around 7pm. We've found that if there is a particular table/location that we like you can ask for it again and the restaurant managers are more than happy to try allocate it to you (and after a few days they see you coming and automatically look in the same area for you). That way we get to know the waiters and it's lovely how they make a fuss of our son. We also get to build a rapport with them which for us definitely enhances the dining experience. 

 

There are 5 of us so we usually get allocated a 6 seater table which I appreciate makes table allocation a little easier for the restaurant managers. That said, in our experience we often see the same people seated in the same location (even those on a table for 2) so lots of passengers must do the same as us.

 

We'd happily go back to club dining but these days (with our son in mind) we find 6:30pm too early and 8:30pm too late . When we tried 1st sitting we found it far more rushed than 2nd sitting as we would be out of the restaurant by 8pm (often earlier) and by 9pm our son would want to go back to the cabin. Going to dinner between 7-7:30pm means we are out for around 9pm leaving us an hour or so to enjoy some music or a show before our son has had enough. An in-between club dining time would therefore suit us just find but for now we make freedom dining work almost as well.

[No pager thank you]

37 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

Thanks all for the tips. It does seem that Freedom is the way to go and maybe worth the extra cost. We'll be on the Arcadia which probably works differently to Scratchrat's Iona.

 

a) Does freedom dining mean you can turn up at the MDR desk at say 6 pm one night and 8 pm the following night - or do you have to warn them in advance?

 

b) Cabin allocation with Select. Theresa  reminded me of a Costa cruise where we were allocated a balcony facing back. Great view over the stern, what's the catch? Well, the fine ash from the funnel plus heavy tobacco smoke, explained their unpopularity 😧

 

c) If we upgrade to Select now, when would cabin selection become available, would it be in the 15 weeks prior to sailing, mentioned by Son of Anarchy?

Hello,

 

To answer your questions:

 

a) Yes, with Freedom, you turn up anytime you wish, usually between 6 and 9-9.30pm.  Most people turn up between 6.30 and 8.30pm.  As discussed on a separate thread, Freedom on Arcadia often incurs waits to be seated, due to the layout / capacity management of the dining room.

 

b) Yes you can choose a cabin and that's a major advantage of Select.  We go for a cabin near the lifts (for mobility reasons).  Either ask for advice on here, check out the ship reviews, or seek advice from whoever you book with.

 

c) Cabin selection is available at the point of booking.  You can also, if you wish, sign up for a free upgrade.  Good if you are open minded about where you are; if you are after a specific cabin type then say no.

 

Hope this helps - enjoy!

[ann141]

48 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

We have very rarely experienced any problems on Freedom Dining when prepared to share a table, except maybe when its very quiet ( think overnights or late departures) when we have had to wait for our table to fill up.

We too have rarely experienced problems with Freedom Dining and we like to share a table. The few times we have had Club Dining we have found that if 2 of the 6 don t turn up it isn t as good and I think sometimes as Freedom tends to be more popular, if people have booked a Saver Fare and are allocated Club Dining which they may not want, they opt to eat in the buffet or pay for Dining instead.Of course it may just be that they have just seen us at the table and decided to dine elsewhere!!!

[majortom10]

We have used Freedom on P&O since its inception on Ventura maiden cruise and before that with Princess and their Anytime and we have never had any problems with having to wait with only a handful of times when we have been given a pager and even then waited no more than 15 minutes.

[No pager thank you]

34 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yes, freedom means in theory you can dine at anytime, but the popular times get busy. 

Remember that the shows are usually set around the club dining times. 

If you pay select price, you choose the cabin and are allocated immediately. 

Andy 

My understanding is that 80% or more of passengers prefer Freedom dining, as quoted from restaurant managers.

 

This struggles to align with the design of the smaller ships with two similarly sized MDRs. 

 

However, with the switch to all Freedom on Iona, my guess would be that Club Dining will either be slowly phased out or reduced to a single sitting.

 

Those who do want to attend as a group at the same traditional time each evening are perfectly able to do so.

 

More of the dreaded pagers on the way!

 

I'll be very interested to see what happens on Iona.

[pete14]

58 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

Thanks all for the tips. It does seem that Freedom is the way to go and maybe worth the extra cost. We'll be on the Arcadia which probably works differently to Scratchrat's Iona.

 

a) Does freedom dining mean you can turn up at the MDR desk at say 6 pm one night and 8 pm the following night - or do you have to warn them in advance?

 

b) Cabin allocation with Select. Theresa  reminded me of a Costa cruise where we were allocated a balcony facing back. Great view over the stern, what's the catch? Well, the fine ash from the funnel plus heavy tobacco smoke, explained their unpopularity 😧

 

c) If we upgrade to Select now, when would cabin selection become available, would it be in the 15 weeks prior to sailing, mentioned by Son of Anarchy?

We love being at the back of the ship. Rarely has ash from the funnel been noticeable although it was a problem on Britannia before they put canopies above higher deck balconies. There should be no problem with tobacco smoke because smoking is only allowed in a few small designated areas. On Arcadia, there is a smoking area towards the back of the ship but probably around 25 metres from the actual aft. It wasn’t at all noticeable on our aft balcony 7 months ago.

[emam]

Someone mentioned the Azipod 's earlier (not sure which thread). Are those what makes the noise when coming into port, or are they thrusters or something to push the ship sideways. We usually have an aft inside cabin and I quite like hearing whatever they are, as it lets us know we are docking. 

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, emam said:

Someone mentioned the Azipod 's earlier (not sure which thread). Are those what makes the noise when coming into port, or are they thrusters or something to push the ship sideways. We usually have an aft inside cabin and I quite like hearing whatever they are, as it lets us know we are docking. 

Not really. You are probably hearing the thrusters  which push the boat sideways. (We will be getting these on our next narrow boat).

Rather than try and explain here, just Google Azipods,  and you will get all the information you need.

[emam]

I posted then went to look it up. I have always thought the noise was from thruster 's but when Azipod's was mentioned, (probably to do with Iona), I thought it might have been them.

The little I gleaned on Azipod's is that they are a type of thruster which can help you cut through ice, give a ship more storage space and need checking every five years. Which is enough info for me, the rest is way above my head and interest. 

 

I am happy to know that I have been thinking rightly that its thruster's I hear and when I do hear them, I should be on deck watching. Though by that time, hearing them in the cabin, I am too late to see us docking. That is where the advantage of a balcony would come in for most people.

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, emam said:

I posted then went to look it up. I have always thought the noise was from thruster 's but when Azipod's was mentioned, (probably to do with Iona), I thought it might have been them.

The little I gleaned on Azipod's is that they are a type of thruster which can help you cut through ice, give a ship more storage space and need checking every five years. Which is enough info for me, the rest is way above my head and interest. 

 

I am happy to know that I have been thinking rightly that its thruster's I hear and when I do hear them, I should be on deck watching. Though by that time, hearing them in the cabin, I am too late to see us docking. That is where the advantage of a balcony would come in for most people.

In brief Azipods are flexible propeller mountings, that allow for extra manouvrability,  as they do not require a rigid propeller shaft. I gave no idea where the ice breaking  idea comes from - not sure that any P&O ships are going to be cutting through the polar ice any time soon!