Food and dining on P&O ships

[molecrochip]

What you’re seeing is effective use of staff. Due to less staff than usual in the gallery, passengers are being encouraged to eat from the standard MDR menu of the night. How? By not displaying the other items which are cooked on an as and when basis.

 

It’s doesn’t mean they are not there and due to the many dietary requirements they cook for, I can almost guarantee that they are there.

 

The biggest problem you may face is a new waiter who has yet to learn how far off menu he can go!

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, molecrochip said:

What you’re seeing is effective use of staff. Due to less staff than usual in the gallery, passengers are being encouraged to eat from the standard MDR menu of the night. How? By not displaying the other items which are cooked on an as and when basis.

 

It’s doesn’t mean they are not there and due to the many dietary requirements they cook for, I can almost guarantee that they are there.

 

The biggest problem you may face is a new waiter who has yet to learn how far off menu he can go!

But even if that was the case surely the hotel manager would have known what was available?

[Mondeo man]

If a port is advertised, then you find that you can’t dock there because of weather conditions, are you then going to complain of false advertising?

 

There are only some ports that the ships call into and pick up supplies, these are limited at best.

[carlanthony24]

18 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Weather and the sea state is not within anyones control. Menus are, so the comparison is surely not relevant?

Any organisation has a duty of care to potential customers to be as accurate as possible about what they provide. A sample menu is just that and that is all well and good but when that sample is no longer a representation of what is provided then I would think it should be changed?

 

Web  pages can be changed at the flick of a button. Organisations do it on a daily basis to change pricing so a replacement sample menu should not be too difficult for a large organisation with a web team.

 

 

This is a example menu (Keyword Example Menu). Has Cruising Mark said I don't see anywhere on the site where they claim that these menus will feature on current cruises It may say always Available but again it is an example menu. Anyone with a bit of sense would say okay so this is what we can potentially get.....

Edited February 12, 2023 by carlanthony24

[molecrochip]

3 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Well your comments are interesting. We dined in Pearl restaurant onboard Iona for 11 of the 14 nights. I commented to our waiter very early in the cruise about the lack of items I listed. We had the same waiter every night and he was very experienced. He agreed with us fabout the lack of choice, so I went to the customer relations desk to complain and asked to see the Hotel Manager. We were given an appointment with the Restaurant Manager, Sheldon, I do not know his surname. I showed him a photo I hadon my phone and he was very surprised and stated he would report upwards. He stated things had changed and these options were not available.

 

How can you say some of these were available when we were told differently ?  Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing me thinks.

I don’t doubt your experience but the chicken and salmon were certainly there as they are part of the kids menu. You should have been offered this on enquiry.

 

The problem is there have been so many guests moaning about things just to try and get a free meal or compensation, that dealing with honest requests is getting lost.

[Eglesbrech]

3 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

This is an example menu (Keyword Example Menu). Has Cruising Mark said I don't see anywhere on the site where they claim that these menus will feature on current cruises It may say always Available but again it is an example menu. Anyone with a bit of sense would say okay so this is what we can potentially get.....

I don’t disagree about example menus as I said above however surely any organisation wants to be as up to date as possible? 

[bobstheboy]

1 minute ago, molecrochip said:

I don’t doubt your experience but the chicken and salmon were certainly there as they are part of the kids menu. You should have been offered this on enquiry.

 

The problem is there have been so many guests moaning about things just to try and get a free meal or compensation, that dealing with honest requests is getting lost.

Sorry, I was clear to both the waiter, 17 years with P&O, and his boss so nothing got lost in the dialogue. I certainly didn't want or was offered any inducement or freebie.

[carlanthony24]

4 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I don’t disagree about example menus as I said above however surely any organisation wants to be as up to date as possible? 

Easier said than done.

[molecrochip]

Just now, bobstheboy said:

Sorry, I was clear to both the waiter, 17 years with P&O, and his boss so nothing got lost in the dialogue. I certainly didn't want or was offered any inducement or freebie.

I want suggesting you were asking for anything, and I would agree that they not resolved your issue correctly. It was within their gift to do so and they failed.

[Fionboard]

With staff shortages and supply chain problems, I don't think the galley would be too happy if lots of people started asking for items not appearing on the menu though.

[Eglesbrech]

2 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

Easier said than done.

No it’s not. Web pages are very easily updated, it takes just seconds.

[bobstheboy]

I will add nothing got heated and my conversations with the waiter and his boss were cordial, even friendly and we exchanged pleasantries whenever we met. Our waiter was great and amongst the best in 30 years of cruising. Sheldon agreed that the published menu was misleading.

[bobstheboy]

3 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I want suggesting you were asking for anything, and I would agree that they not resolved your issue correctly. It was within their gift to do so and they failed.

That's right blame the staff onboard, never the fault of shoreside staff.

[Mondeo man]

So what do you exactly expect them to do if they haven’t got the items as advertised on the menu.

 

if they run out of items mid cruise there is nothing that can be done.

 

there is a thing called supply and demand, P&O may order the items, but at times the supplier can’t provide them.

[carlanthony24]

7 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

No it’s not. Web pages are very easily updated, it takes just seconds.

It isn't though. Most webpages are all coded one wrong move and well you may end up with no website. Has people have suggested P&O IT is not so good. If you think its easy, maybe contact them and offer them a helping hand...

[Eglesbrech]

Just now, carlanthony24 said:

It isn't though. Most webpages are all coded one wrong move and well you may end up with no website. Has people have suggested P&O IT is not so good. If you think its easy, maybe contact them and offer them a helping hand...

I could do that but they could not afford my hourly rate 😀

[carlanthony24]

Okay then

[Cathygh]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

I know they weren't on the menu but did you ask for the Salmon, prawn cocktail or pan fried chicken? You may have been surprised.

 

Did you know that you could ask for any of the following any night in the MDR:

• Beef Burger in Buns
• Pizza Margherita
• Mini Minced Beef And Onion Pasty
• Spaghetti Bolognaise
• Chicken Nuggets
• Grilled Chicken Breast
• Poached Salmon
• Pork Sausages
• Fish Fingers
• Pasta with Tomato Sauce
• Hot Dog
• Fried Egg
• Omelette

The chicken breast and Salmon are covered here.

Very interesting, thank you. However this has not been communicated down the lines. I asked for chicken on a recent cruise and was told it was not available that night. Another time I was told it would hold up the serving of the main course to the other diners on my table while it was prepared for me. So I will test this on my next cruise in May. 

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Sounds like a kids menu!

Given how small the MDR portions are now for adults, I can imagine that anyone ordering a meal from the ‘always available kids menu’ will need to head straight to the buffet afterwards 😂 

[Canberra forever !]

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Given how small the MDR portions are now for adults, I can imagine that anyone ordering a meal from the ‘always available kids menu’ will need to head straight to the buffet afterwards 😂 

On a cruise on Ventura last year my adult son ordered from the 'adult' MDR menu and the portions were so tiny he finished his meal and then went to the buffet! he never went back to the MDR... 

[carlanthony24]

Just ask for another portion never had a problem with doing so.

[Eglesbrech]

9 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

Just ask for another portion never had a problem with doing so.

We just got off 2 days ago. Another customer asked, the answer was no.

 

That could just be a one off, it was at Chefs table. It could be down to one waiter, then again it could be a new policy.
 

Perhaps Moley could elucidate?

[Selbourne]

54 minutes ago, carlanthony24 said:

Just ask for another portion never had a problem with doing so.

It’s wrong if you have to do that though. It’s embarrassing for the passenger and extra work for the hard pressed waiters. 

[carlanthony24]

6 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

It’s wrong if you have to do that though. It’s embarrassing for the passenger and extra work for the hard pressed waiters. 

Not embarrassing in the slightest maybe for some. Waiters were always asking people if they would like more. Even when not asked they brought out extra. Its brought on the same tray with the rest of the starters, mains or whatever.

Edited February 12, 2023 by carlanthony24

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, bobstheboy said:

I think I need to clarify my complaint because there are clearly misunderstandings. Prior to Covid, the MDR dinner menu would list starters, mains and deserts. On the left hand side of the menu was listed Always On items which I won't repeat. This was changed when cruising restarted and the Always On items were listed with the other options, not separately, but along side the item was written Always available, so you knew there were these options every evening. Now these items are not listed at all, but the online brochure still shows example menus from two+ years ago. 

 

Anyone researching a cruise having not travelled with P&O would expect these items as an alternative to possibly more fancy food and could be swayed to cruise with P&O.

 

They have had months to correct this anomaly and I think this is unacceptable. This is nothing to do with supply issues, I am sure Cunard sailing out of Southampton has fish of all types available. 

If you remember Bob, even before Covid they had started including the always available items on the main part of the menu, and they no longer called them always available, even though they were.

I realise this is typical downward service creep, which happens everywhere, just like smaller Mars bars and mandarin sized Terry's chocolate oranges, but I don't see that advertising standards are pursuing any of these.