Food and dining on P&O ships

[zap99]

16 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We both posted at exactly the same time and my post addresses your issue as to why cruise ships operate differently to land based holidays. In fact, this difference and the freedom to do what you want, when you want, is promoted by cruise lines as being their USP!

 

In all our years of cruising with P&O we have never encountered the chaos that you describe. We have used Freedom Dining since its creation and it works really well for us. I would say that over 90% of the time we have been able to walk straight in when we want, even when we ant a table for 2. On the occasions that we were given a pager the wait was never excessive and certainly nothing like what has been reported on some cruises recently.

 

We have always gone to the theatre early, but that is because my wife is a wheelchair user and the seats adjacent to the wheelchair spaces are often taken by people who aren’t accompanying wheelchair users (a point of great irritation, but that’s a separate issue). However, we have always seen people being able to wander in right up until the show starts, and often beyond.

 

It’s an interesting discussion and I guess that it exposes the differences in expectations between those of us who were drawn to cruising decades ago because of the fact that it was different, and those who are more recent converts who expect it to replicate their land based experiences. I guess there’s no right or wrong and cruise lines will go with what the new generation of cruisers want, as they are the future and we are increasingly the past. 
 

I’m still looking forward to our next cruise, but with the speed with which everything seems to be chopping and changing I’m not entirely sure what to expect. It will certainly be a voyage of discovery 😂 

Our next cruise with P&O is December. Goodness knows what procedures will be the norm then. But as that Chinese bloke said ' may you live in interesting times '.

Edited April 22, 2023 by zap99

[Interestedcruisefan]

23 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We both posted at exactly the same time and my post addresses your issue as to why cruise ships operate differently to land based holidays. In fact, this difference and the freedom to do what you want, when you want, is promoted by cruise lines as being their USP!

 

In all our years of cruising with P&O we have never encountered the chaos that you describe. We have used Freedom Dining since its creation and it works really well for us. I would say that over 90% of the time we have been able to walk straight in when we want, even when we ant a table for 2. On the occasions that we were given a pager the wait was never excessive and certainly nothing like what has been reported on some cruises recently.

 

We have always gone to the theatre early, but that is because my wife is a wheelchair user and the seats adjacent to the wheelchair spaces are often taken by people who aren’t accompanying wheelchair users (a point of great irritation, but that’s a separate issue). However, we have always seen people being able to wander in right up until the show starts, and often beyond.

 

It’s an interesting discussion and I guess that it exposes the differences in expectations between those of us who were drawn to cruising decades ago because of the fact that it was different, and those who are more recent converts who expect it to replicate their land based experiences. I guess there’s no right or wrong and cruise lines will go with what the new generation of cruisers want, as they are the future and we are increasingly the past. 
 

I’m still looking forward to our next cruise, but with the speed with which everything seems to be chopping and changing I’m not entirely sure what to expect. It will certainly be a voyage of discovery 😂 

Makes sense. And it's a real shame you can't reserve your accessible seats and not have to get to the theatre early. Like you could in the real world. 

 

I would actually describe that as broken that you can't do that Selbourne tbh

 

But over time youve come to accept getting to the  theatre early as something you have to do on a cruise ship that IMO you shouldn't have to do

 

You don't have to do that at normal theatres in the real world do you?

 

Why accept it as ok on a cruise ship just because it's always been like that?

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Yep that makes sense. 

 

Entirely different story if you wanted the 8.30pm shows. I assure you

 

No chance of 10 mins early getting in the popular shows at 8.30pm without the app from our experience

 

30 minutes early would be cutting it fine as well for those shows

We like to eat about 7.00. Finish....whenever. If there's time wander around to see pulse, or someone singing before wandering along to the 10.30 show. Thanks for your advice. We will certainly avoid 8. 30pm

[Interestedcruisefan]

18 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

You are talking about Arvia. Totally different cruising experience. Each to their own. 

No all my previous cruises were on smaller ships. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Azura and Britannia

 

Those ships without a booking app would mean always having  to rush to get to 8.30pm ish shows way before they started to make sure we got seats together

 

And from replies from others on smaller ships thats still happening now where the apps not being used?

 

Popular 8.30pm shows either you have to get there early or they are full ?

 

That's not the case on Arvia. I pre-book all the 8.30pm shows. Guarantee a seat and arrive 10 mins before the show starts. Takes me 30 second to pre-book seats. And saves me 35 mins waiting time every night we want to see a theatre show

 

Dream come true for us. 30 seconds to pre-book or 30 to 45 mins sat in a theatre waiting around

 

It very much still is the case on smaller ships. Get there 30 to 45 mins early or don't get a seat. And whilst that's the case I will avoid the smaller ships 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Selbourne]

26 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I can't remember the halcyon days where every thing revolved around me. If the procedure is to book in advance, we will do that. If it is to turn up at the restaurant front desk and be given a table or a pager, no problem. Book on the app ?...Will do. We have done all of the above and got fed and entertained. If everyone wanted the same procedure, life would be easy for P&O, but they don't. We just go with the flow.  If it doesn't suit us we will flow somewhere else.

In all honesty (and I mean this quite seriously) I wish that I could be more like you and just take all this in my stride. You are never phased by any of it! Unfortunately, I like to know what I’m getting. Change is fine (and often good) but when I’ve made a decision to book a cruise based upon what I  believe the experience will be, I find it unsettling when I keep reading that it’s in a constant state of flux and keeps changing.
 

The good thing is that we now have a number of cruises booked, including 3 this year on 3 different P&O ships, so we will have plenty of first hand experience of what this brave new world is like and how it impacts on us. Who knows? I may come back from them and be a complete convert to the new P&O and become ICFs best friend 🤣 

[Selbourne]

12 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Makes sense. And it's a real shame you can't reserve your accessible seats and not have to get to the theatre early. Like you could in the real world. 

 

 

Ah, now I have to admit, you got me there! 🤣 

[zap99]

23 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

It's funny how quickly perception changes... 

I think the 'small ships' being referred to by ICF are Azura and Ventura... 

It's not that long ago we were calling these the 'big girls'... 😊

Andy 

Our first P&O cruise was on Britannia. Next P&O ship was Iona. On Azura this week we were aft. When we got off the lift at the wrong end .....Blimey, its quite long 🤣

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

In all honesty (and I mean this quite seriously) I wish that I could be more like you and just take all this in my stride. You are never phased by any of it! Unfortunately, I like to know what I’m getting. Change is fine (and often good) but when I’ve made a decision to book a cruise based upon what I  believe the experience will be, I find it unsettling when I keep reading that it’s in a constant state of flux and keeps changing.
 

The good thing is that we now have a number of cruises booked, including 3 this year on 3 different P&O ships, so we will have plenty of first hand experience of what this brave new world is like and how it impacts on us. Who knows? I may come back from them and be a complete convert to the new P&O and become ICFs best friend 🤣 

You can be my best friend regardless Selbourne!

 

Lol

 

I think I should help champion reserved theatre seats for wheelchair users on the app

 

Should have happened long ago tbh

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

In all honesty (and I mean this quite seriously) I wish that I could be more like you and just take all this in my stride. You are never phased by any of it! Unfortunately, I like to know what I’m getting. Change is fine (and often good) but when I’ve made a decision to book a cruise based upon what I  believe the experience will be, I find it unsettling when I keep reading that it’s in a constant state of flux and keeps changing.
 

The good thing is that we now have a number of cruises booked, including 3 this year on 3 different P&O ships, so we will have plenty of first hand experience of what this brave new world is like and how it impacts on us. Who knows? I may come back from them and be a complete convert to the new P&O and become ICFs best friend 🤣 

Thanks ( I think ). We had 3 cruises last year on 3 different lines. I can't remember much about queues, apps, etc. I recall Celebrity as being better than RC and P&O, but can't really tell you why. I look through my photos and remember the lovely places we visited and the lovely people we met ( you know who you are ). I remember all those Lbs I put on. Perhaps I have a selective memory, but would repeat any of our cruises again. App, or no app.😁

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Good points being made on both sides of this debate, really enjoying it. 

In my and many others simple world, embracing change is not easy, until we get used to it. 

If things have to change, we want it set out simply and to run smoothly. 

Once this happens, we will all be OK. 

Andy 

 

I agree Andy,  both ICF and Selbourne make good arguments in favour of their preferred system, however neither system is perfect, and they both have flaws. The pre booking of dining in the MDR leads to empty tables while there are customer waiting in the virtual queue, and because P&O dont want to antagonize those passenger unable or unwilling to use the app we have 2 queues, which further slows down the virtual queue. Perhaps the answer is to go back to having one MDR freedom via one virtual queue, and one for pre booking with a virtual queue back up for slack periods.

As for the theatre I agree with ICF that the old system did result in you needing to get there in good time if you wanted the 8:30 show. The app could work here if they introduced a booking charge which was cancelled when you checked in or if you cancelled before the show, say 30 minutes prior. That should reduce no shows and minimise last minute arrivals.

The old dining system was also flawed but mainly because there were never enough tables for two, that now seems to have been addressed so my version should work reasonably well.  But it would probably struggle the same during school holiday cruises when ships are full to bursting.

Of course both options do need a robust IT  system that works fully and well, which might be why the P&O version is so poor. 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by terrierjohn

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Simple answer. If you want spontaneity and not to be constantly organizing yourself, stick to the smaller ships. Lovely on Aurora at present. No queues, no pre booking, no stress! 

At a very high supplement 

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Good points being made on both sides of this debate, really enjoying it. 

In my and many others simple world, embracing change is not easy, until we get used to it. 

If things have to change, we want it set out simply and to run smoothly. 

Once this happens, we will all be OK. 

Andy 

 

Yes, I’m really enjoying hearing what everyone has to say.

 

I’m not against tech, as long as it enhances the customer experience.  For example, my local M&S Cafe now has screens to order the food and drink, you take a pager thingy to a table and your order is brought to your table within 5 minutes, 10 minutes at the most. It’s great, and I never want to go anywhere else for coffee.

 

It’s what I hope for the P&O ‘app’ - something that will make the cruise better for passengers. I can see that it has worked for some passengers. But from other reports, it still seems that it can be flakey and not fully reliable, and still causes some angst. I hope to see consistently improving reports.

 

Incidentally, I had thought that I was ‘done’ with P&O, but I keep thinking about a week on Iona, just to see for myself what the app experience is like , 

[snaefell]

We very much like to make it up as we go along,so many times at home when we have booked something in advance when the day comes around we really don't feel like it!

On a cruise we would normally have a drink before dining(usually buffet these days) & then decide if we are heading for a show,the Crows Nest or our balcony.

We once had an aft suite on Britannia,the cabin was marvelous but it is a bus ride after a long hard night in the Crows Nest!

I find it quite funny to find Britannia referred to in one post as a small ship,we sailed on her in her first year when people were saying they wouldn't go near such a monster!

[terrierjohn]

6 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

And what about self service tills in supermarkets?

 

When they first introduced them I wouldn't go near them at all. I bet most of you felt the same as me (maybe some of you still won't touch them)

 

Now if there's ever a queue in the supermarket I'm over to them like a shot

 

Absolute godsend

 

With me it was a case of having to use one once or twicet and getting used to using them

 

Now seeing the benefits and wanting to use them when they can help me avoid a queue

 

The  apps on cruise lines IMO provide way way more benefits than downsides. Like most tech. I think people who won't embrace the apps are mad or just don't realise how easy they are and haven't appreciated the benefits they can bring.

 

Surely people see the benefits of self service tills now. Even if it's just others in the queue ahead of them using them so you get closer to the front of the queue for normal service

So far on our 2 cruises on Iona the app has worked reasonably well, but these were outside school holidays. Even so we did find the Olive Grove and Beach House a bit of a problem, unless you booked early on embarkation day. We also found the 2 queue systems in the MDR rather frustrating, the virtual queue line was generally longer, meaning that non app users were able to get to a table faster. Surely this is not how it should work.

As for the theatre, for wheelchair users and their carers unless you arrived very early there was no way you could sit together. I realise that this is due to the selfishness of some disabled people, who park their massive chariots and both the scooter user and partner walk to the carers seats and occupy 2 of them, if a disabled person is capable of walking surely they could walk to a normal seat and leave the very limited carers seats for those carers whose wheelchair user cannot walk to a normal seat.

[Interestedcruisefan]

10 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

So far on our 2 cruises on Iona the app has worked reasonably well, but these were outside school holidays. Even so we did find the Olive Grove and Beach House a bit of a problem, unless you booked early on embarkation day. We also found the 2 queue systems in the MDR rather frustrating, the virtual queue line was generally longer, meaning that non app users were able to get to a table faster. Surely this is not how it should work.

As for the theatre, for wheelchair users and their carers unless you arrived very early there was no way you could sit together. I realise that this is due to the selfishness of some disabled people, who park their massive chariots and both the scooter user and partner walk to the carers seats and occupy 2 of them, if a disabled person is capable of walking surely they could walk to a normal seat and leave the very limited carers seats for those carers whose wheelchair user cannot walk to a normal seat.

I guess the wheelchair problem could be managed way better. But would rely on a really good member of staff to supervise that area and use best practise

 

And any policies to be pre-communicated

 

In your situations I would be asking P and O to implement something better for sure

 

Doesn't mean they would listen of course

[Denarius]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

It's funny how quickly perception changes... 

I think the 'small ships' being referred to by ICF are Azura and Ventura... 

It's not that long ago we were calling these the 'big girls'... 😊

Andy 

It is. When I started cruising in the early 1990s a typical cruise ship like P&Os Victoria or Cunards Vistafjord weighed around 25,000 GRT and carried 600 to 800 passengers. The 49,000 GRT 1,500 passenger Canberra - the Great White Whale - was hugh and the 70,000 GRT 1,800 passenger QE2 enormous; but both were smaller than the 76,000 GRT 1,900 passenger Aurora.

[charchar88]

Hello 🙂

 

I was hoping someone could help me? I'm going on a P&O Britannia cruise in June, travelling with my one year old. We've booked the freedom dining option as with a toddler I wanted as much wiggle room as possible with regards to timings.

 

My parents are also cruising with us and are having club dining at the earlier sitting.

 

For one of the formal nights we'd like to eat together - is the only option for this to book a table together at one of the premium restaurants? Or could we all turn up at the freedom dining restaurant and eat there?

 

I can't find an answer to this anywhere, so thought I'd ask on here before I give P&O a call. 

 

Thank you in advance 🙂

[molecrochip]

I suggest you ask your parents to speak with their head waiter at the podium. They may be able to find you all a table for that night. As an example, they will know which tables have booked for a speciality restaurant that night and will therefore be empty.

[charchar88]

Just now, molecrochip said:

I suggest you ask your parents to speak with their head waiter at the podium. They may be able to find you all a table for that night. As an example, they will know which tables have booked for a speciality restaurant that night and will therefore be empty.

 

That's a really good idea that I hadn't thought of, thank you! 

[molecrochip]

Failing that, you’ll probably get away with going to the freedom restaurants together.

[Host Sharon]

This is a food and drink thread folks. Please start a new one for entertainment if you wish.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, charchar88 said:

Hello 🙂

 

I was hoping someone could help me? I'm going on a P&O Britannia cruise in June, travelling with my one year old. We've booked the freedom dining option as with a toddler I wanted as much wiggle room as possible with regards to timings.

 

My parents are also cruising with us and are having club dining at the earlier sitting.

 

For one of the formal nights we'd like to eat together - is the only option for this to book a table together at one of the premium restaurants? Or could we all turn up at the freedom dining restaurant and eat there?

 

I can't find an answer to this anywhere, so thought I'd ask on here before I give P&O a call. 

 

Thank you in advance 🙂

Unless you particularly don’t want to eat with your parents each night, I would have thought that you’d be better off if you were all first sitting on the same table. 
 

We tend to dine fairly late and have frequently noticed parents with young children dining late, because it suits them, whilst the little ones are over tired and irritable. When our kids were young we dined early in order to avoid this and most parents of young kids do the same, so you wouldn’t feel out of place. 

[Megabear2]

11 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Unless you particularly don’t want to eat with your parents each night, I would have thought that you’d be better off if you were all first sitting on the same table. 
 

We tend to dine fairly late and have frequently noticed parents with young children dining late, because it suits them, whilst the little ones are over tired and irritable. When our kids were young we dined early in order to avoid this and most parents of young kids do the same, so you wouldn’t feel out of place. 

I'd say the complete opposite of Selbourne (sorry it's becoming a habit today).  When you say flexibility you presumably mean if you aren't ready by 6.30 you can go a little later or earlier.  With the flexible dining you can actually book a table for the same time in the same restaurant on your first night if its timed up to 6.30pm.  Therefore if your parents wanted to dine early every day at a regular time they could and you could join them as and when.  Obviously you don't all have to eat at the same time every day if you don't wish. By doing this everyone can be flexible - assuming you're all happy to be a unit.

 

Of Britannia's three dining rooms only one is club dining nowadays so the flexibility option would in my experience offer you the easiest opportunity to drop in and out time wise.  Of course your parents may prefer the club dining as they wish to dine with others, but they could also have the option to share in the freedom dining rooms when you do not wish to dine together.

 

The staff on Britannia are in my experience very welcoming to young children in all the restaurants and will bend over backwards to help where they can.

[Fionboard]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

At a very high supplement 

Depends on what sort of cabin you want. As I said, you get what you pay for. Worth it to me. 

[majortom10]

47 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Depends on what sort of cabin you want. As I said, you get what you pay for. Worth it to me. 

Balcony cabins are very expensive and personally for virtually the same price would prefer Queen Victoria. Far better food and experience than on P&O IMO.