Food and dining on P&O ships

[lambinator1982]

we have a similar situation on iona in January  - there were 13 of us. had to go on two tables and were always close by. We also used Virtual queues, the max you can book for is 10 on the app but when we all turned up they managed to sort two tables out eveytime with no issues

[thornegirl]

We are on Arvia on 2nd April and have a shed load of OBC, I want to book various restaurants with some of the OBC.  

 

Do you have to pay for the booking on your cruise personaliser once they are open for booking or not.  Ive never pre booked the restaurants before but after reading on here that they get booked up pretty quickly I just wanted to know the process.  

 

If you do have to pre-pay, I'll try to book the ones that I want while I'm in the embarkation lounge via the My Holiday app.  

[Gettingwarmer]

Yes you do have to prepay and you get your loyalty discount.

[sandancer]

Booking opens 2 weeks before sail date so the only way to guarantee you’ll get in will be booking in advance and making payment then. Some cruise lines allow you to use obc pre-cruise. P&O are not one of them. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by sandancer

[thornegirl]

Thanks for the information,  I'll wait until we are in the embarkation lounge then.  We've got over £1K OBC, which is a lot for us to spend as we are not big drinkers.  We normally only have about 3-4 alcoholic drinks per day and not every day on a 14 day cruise.  I'll be able to get quite a few Xmas presents onboard then.

[cheshire]

I strongly suggest you book before onboard.  We booked three nights and loved it.  The menu changes every seven days or so.  Don’t wait until onboard. Many did and couldn’t get in

[smokey01]

Hi,

 

We are looking at a July 2024 Britannia cruise and trying to decide between a select or early saver fare. It has been about 10 years since we booked an early saver and back then we could at least make a note of our preference for late sitting and table for 2. Whenever we booked early saver in the old days we always got what we wanted or were able to swap to it on embarkation day. I believe now early savers don’t get the chance to enter a preference and it is strictly what you get assigned, is that correct?

 

If we do opt for a select fare I guess as the cruise is some time yet that we could pretty much guarantee late sitting but would we guarantee a table for 2? If we go with anytime dining then I presume Britannia uses the app to book a dining slot as per Iona/Arvia?

[sandancer]

I may have invented this but I thought I read that it is more expensive to reserve onboard. That wouldn’t bother us as we also have a nice pot of obc but want to make sure we get our bookings. We’ve paid upfront for all our excursions so paying for restaurants is a no brainer. 

[Ardennais]

What’s the dress code for the Epicurean on non-formal nights? Smart casual? 

[jeanlyon]

Is it really £30 pp?  And what is so good about it to cost that much.

[cheshire]

18 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

What’s the dress code for the Epicurean on non-formal nights? Smart casual? 

Yes.  But please no casual jeans, trainers and t shirt..  

[cheshire]

1 minute ago, jeanlyon said:

Is it really £30 pp?  And what is so good about it to cost that much.

The food and service is excellent.  There are menus online and I have a few photos. 

[jeanlyon]

The only paid for restaurant I used to enjoy was Sorrento.  Lovely Italian food.  I wouldn't pay £30 pp for a meal on board.  I usually only have one course.

[TigerB]

9 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Is it really £30 pp?  And what is so good about it to cost that much.

20% discount if booked before embarkation; so, £24, plus the Peninsular discount off that

[TigerB]

4 hours ago, thornegirl said:

Thanks for the information,  I'll wait until we are in the embarkation lounge then.  We've got over £1K OBC, which is a lot for us to spend as we are not big drinkers.  We normally only have about 3-4 alcoholic drinks per day and not every day on a 14 day cruise.  I'll be able to get quite a few Xmas presents onboard then.

 

If, by embarkation lounge you mean at the port before you board the ship, you won't be able to use My Holiday and have it charged to your OBC. To register for My Holiday for the first time, you need the last few digits from your cruise card, which you won't get until you go to your cabin.

As posted above, you get 20% for booking ahead, plus any Peninsular discount.

[Scorpio41]

On 2/4/2023 at 12:38 PM, Selbourne said:

Interesting that the small print says that neither afternoon tea or loyalty cocktail parties will take place on either Iona or Arvia, and it sounds as though that’s a permanent thing. 

It maybe due to the number of passengers onboard. Too many to cater for with attendance numbers unknown. 

They had problems with Christmas Day dinner on Arvia, with some not eating lunch till late and not in the main dining rooms.

[davecttr]

20 minutes ago, Scorpio41 said:

It maybe due to the number of passengers onboard. Too many to cater for with attendance numbers unknown. 

They had problems with Christmas Day dinner on Arvia, with some not eating lunch till late and not in the main dining rooms.

Yes, there are no large venues on those ships which could manage if hundreds of people turned up. The Club House looks the best bet as the Crows Nest is too small and the Skydome might be too disruptive.

[davecttr]

I kept my cruise card from iona last year and there is a 12 digit code plus an asterisk at each end. My boarding pass for my upcoming Iona cruise has a 12 digit code with asterisks. Different numbers of course but might be worth a try in the terminal.

[thornegirl]

I've booked entertainment in the embarkation lounge last year when we were boarding Iona.  Already got the My Holiday app on my phone and its the last few digits on the boarding pass that you book in with. The cruise card numbers are the same as on the boarding pass, or they were last year. 

 

I really don't want to pay prior to boarding as we have so much OBC, if we can't get in will go to one of the other select restaurants. 

[Fionboard]

Yes, the boarding pass is the same as the cruise card. You get it scanned as soon as you get on board at your muster station. 

[Beckett]

5 hours ago, smokey01 said:

Hi,

 

We are looking at a July 2024 Britannia cruise and trying to decide between a select or early saver fare. It has been about 10 years since we booked an early saver and back then we could at least make a note of our preference for late sitting and table for 2. Whenever we booked early saver in the old days we always got what we wanted or were able to swap to it on embarkation day. I believe now early savers don’t get the chance to enter a preference and it is strictly what you get assigned, is that correct?

 

If we do opt for a select fare I guess as the cruise is some time yet that we could pretty much guarantee late sitting but would we guarantee a table for 2? If we go with anytime dining then I presume Britannia uses the app to book a dining slot as per Iona/Arvia?

Hello Smokey.

 

I am on a Select Fare cruise on Britannia in October and was able to choose early sitting as requested. I also asked for a table for 2 and was told they would mark it as my preference but couldn’t guarantee it. If, when I get on board, I haven't been allocated a table for 2 I will just wait until they find me one - which they will. I believe it's easier on early sittings. 

 

I can't  help you with the App because I haven't cruised since 2019 and it wasn't in use then.

 

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great time.

 

Best wishes. Jane xx

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, thornegirl said:

I've booked entertainment in the embarkation lounge last year when we were boarding Iona.  Already got the My Holiday app on my phone and its the last few digits on the boarding pass that you book in with. The cruise card numbers are the same as on the boarding pass, or they were last year. 

 

I really don't want to pay prior to boarding as we have so much OBC, if we can't get in will go to one of the other select restaurants. 

Ah, I stand corrected.  Thanks for that; good to know for our next trip 🙂

I take it, that you can get a good signal from the ship wi-fi whilst in the terminal?

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, sandancer said:

I may have invented this but I thought I read that it is more expensive to reserve onboard. That wouldn’t bother us as we also have a nice pot of obc but want to make sure we get our bookings. We’ve paid upfront for all our excursions so paying for restaurants is a no brainer. 

It is now £30pppn in Epicurean.

Loyalty discount does not apply until after you use up your OBC.

If you can book and pay online your loyalty discount comes off the price.

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, thornegirl said:

I've booked entertainment in the embarkation lounge last year when we were boarding Iona.  Already got the My Holiday app on my phone and its the last few digits on the boarding pass that you book in with. The cruise card numbers are the same as on the boarding pass, or they were last year. 

 

I really don't want to pay prior to boarding as we have so much OBC, if we can't get in will go to one of the other select restaurants. 

Sindhu,Glass house and beach house are well worth booking as well as Epicurean and you just pay for what you want.

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, davecttr said:

I kept my cruise card from iona last year and there is a 12 digit code plus an asterisk at each end. My boarding pass for my upcoming Iona cruise has a 12 digit code with asterisks. Different numbers of course but might be worth a try in the terminal.

It is the last 6 numbers that count Dave.

You need to sign in on the app with your name,date of birth and If I remember correctly your cabin number.

Put phone in Airplane mode and turn on WiFi in your settings and if you connect to the ships WiFi you should be able to log in.