Food and dining on P&O ships

[Selbourne]

18 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Over the years Cunard has traditionally had less take up on their November Med/Canaries cruises with many undertaking the long Caribbean cruises which come up sooner after in preference.  It used to be they were the first cruises where singles were offered reasonable fares on Cunard commenced on 1 November- cue the shouts of why can't we travel reasonably at other times of the year!  Also of course a much smaller UK level of Cunard travellers and less overseas people flying in to cruise during the winter months reducing demand.

 

Apa

That’s good to know. I had assumed that it might have been a one-off and we just struck lucky, especially as we were able to get one of the two accessible Club cabins. We like doing off season cruises, as neither of us like very hot weather or crowded resorts plus, of course, you leave behind the poor weather at home. If we can get a Cunard cruise every year for the sort of price we paid we shall be very happy, especially as Club offers the ultimate version of Freedom dining 👍

[Megabear2]

42 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

That’s good to know. I had assumed that it might have been a one-off and we just struck lucky, especially as we were able to get one of the two accessible Club cabins. We like doing off season cruises, as neither of us like very hot weather or crowded resorts plus, of course, you leave behind the poor weather at home. If we can get a Cunard cruise every year for the sort of price we paid we shall be very happy, especially as Club offers the ultimate version of Freedom dining 👍

I forgot, you've actually only cruised the QM2 Coronation cruise.  That's a whole different ballgame to a "real" Cunard voyage where there's hundreds of people flying in from all over the world so very multi national.   I cannot think of any other line I've sailed on where things are so diverse.

 

I heard two days ago from my friends down in Florida who I met many years ago on QM2 that they are sailing 18/8/23 from NY, arriving Southampton staying overnight before flying to Valencia to meet up with another friend we met onboard, flying back to London 30/8/2023 to spend 4 days with myself and other cruising friends before travelling back to Southampton to board QN2 on 4/9/2023 to head home.  Cunard has very many people who do this sort of thing on a regular basis until late December and January in the run up to the World Cruise and Grand Voyage season.

 

Compared to P&O their "cruises" are often links for overseas guests.

[Fionboard]

On 8/9/2023 at 3:38 PM, posford said:

Hi Selborne and SeaJane,

 

I was the one who posted about the awful food on Ventura last month.

I contacted Paul Ludlow’s office and got an apology and £200 obs on my next cruise.

It was a real shame as everything bar the dining experience was excellent. So much so that we are doing the same itinerary on Aurora in 2 weeks time.

 

Going back to the complaint, it seemed to me that that P&O knew about the Ventura dining problems. Hopefully they are now sorted.

 

In my opinion, P&O have no clue how to organise freedom dining.

I have a few ideas, the first being that they treble the number of tables for 2.

 

Anyway, roll on 2 weeks to Aurora, hoping that they still have the loyalty buffet and not a sit down 3 course lunch.

If we are the only couple who enjoy the buffet, so be it, but we do enjoy it.

Off Aurora today. Buffet welcome lunch. Great cruise apart from poor weather and the hurricane!  Good food and excellent service. Crew are wonderful - so friendly and professional, and happy!  Quickest disembarkation ever today - left cabin at 8.00 , off ship at 8.05 and on the road at 8.30.  Aurora still my favourite ( and no queues or need for app! ) 

[True Devonian]

34 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Off Aurora today. Buffet welcome lunch. Great cruise apart from poor weather and the hurricane!  Good food and excellent service. Crew are wonderful - so friendly and professional, and happy!  Quickest disembarkation ever today - left cabin at 8.00 , off ship at 8.05 and on the road at 8.30.  Aurora still my favourite ( and no queues or need for app! ) 

I was hoping that the loyalty lunch would be a proper meal served in the MDR as not a fan of the buffet concept. Can I ask where the embarkation buffet was served?

[Selbourne]

53 minutes ago, True Devonian said:

I was hoping that the loyalty lunch would be a proper meal served in the MDR as not a fan of the buffet concept. Can I ask where the embarkation buffet was served?

We were pleasantly surprised to find when we boarded Britannia recently that the loyalty lunch was a proper sit down meal in the MDR - and very nice it was too. Far superior to the pretty naff buffet lunches that we’ve had in the past and a much more relaxing start to the cruise. I’m told that the Chicken Tikka Masala is very nice at the loyalty buffet lunches, but as I have to collect food for my wife I hope that I can do it in one trip rather than queueing twice, especially as P&O seem to have a dislike for trays these days 😂 

[Fionboard]

1 hour ago, True Devonian said:

I was hoping that the loyalty lunch would be a proper meal served in the MDR as not a fan of the buffet concept. Can I ask where the embarkation buffet was served?

Welcome onboard lunch was buffet in Medina. Peninsular lunch was the usual sit down in Alexandria. Same old menu! 

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

Welcome onboard lunch was buffet in Medina. Peninsular lunch was the usual sit down in Alexandria. Same old menu! 

Sorry of I am sounding stupid but what exactly is a loyalty lunch or welcome onboard one?

[Selbourne]

7 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Sorry of I am sounding stupid but what exactly is a loyalty lunch or welcome onboard one?

Those who are staying in Suites and all passengers who are Caribbean loyalty tier or above are invited to attend a lunch when they board. It’s held in one of the MDRs. It always used to be a pretty naff buffet but on some ships it’s now a proper waiter served sit down meal. There are also complimentary drinks - fizz (not champagne), house wine etc. As well as the free plonk, it’s a nice way to start the cruise rather than the embarkation bun fight in the buffet.

 

Caribbean and above loyalty guests are also invited to a very nice MDR served lunch, with free booze (inc proper champagne) on one day during the cruise, but only on cruises longer than a week. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Selbourne

[Presto2]

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

Those who are staying in Suites and all passengers who are Caribbean loyalty tier or above are invited to attend a lunch when they board. It’s held in one of the MDRs. It always used to be a pretty naff buffet but on some ships it’s now a proper waiter served sit down meal. There are also complimentary drinks - fizz (not champagne), house wine etc. As well as the free plonk, it’s a nice way to start the cruise rather than the embarkation bun fight in the buffet.

Not us then ... the bun fight it is for us 😉

[snaefell]

Really depends on what time you board I guess,for us that has always been between 1400-1500hrs,for us that is too late for lunch &/or too close to Dinner.

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Really depends on what time you board I guess,for us that has always been between 1400-1500hrs,for us that is too late for lunch &/or too close to Dinner.

If you are eligible for the welcome on board lunch you will usually have a boarding time that is between 1200 and 1230, so that’s never an issue. 

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

Sorry of I am sounding stupid but what exactly is a loyalty lunch or welcome onboard one?

Loyalty lunch is a reward for top tier (Caribbean and above) Peninsular passengers, welcome aboard lunch also for these passengers as well as suite guests.

[Presto2]

10 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Loyalty lunch is a reward for top tier (Caribbean and above) Peninsular passengers, welcome aboard lunch also for these passengers as well as suite guests.

Confused.  We think we are Mediterranean now... what lunch is this? Then again, when we go to Barbados it'll be way past lunch when we get there. 😀

[Mike Senior]

Mediterranean is a lower tier than Caribbean. View the benefits available to each tier here https://www.pocruises.com/peninsular-club

[Travelmadoldie]

Do these lunches take place when a flight is involved? Or only on sailings from Southampton?

 

 

[snaefell]

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

If you are eligible for the welcome on board lunch you will usually have a boarding time that is between 1200 and 1230, so that’s never an issue. 

Not much use to anyone travelling down on Intercruises coach service sadly!

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Travelmadoldie said:

Do these lunches take place when a flight is involved? Or only on sailings from Southampton?

 

 

Only on Southampton sailings for the welcome onboard lunch, but I think the loyalty lunches take place for Caribbean lunches, they certainly do for roundtrip Sputhampton Caribbean cruises.

As for coach passengers, the welcome on board lunch continue until 3:00 pm.

[brian1]

1 hour ago, Travelmadoldie said:

Do these lunches take place when a flight is involved? Or only on sailings from Southampton?

 

 

LOL,I thought that read fight.I was going to say,only in the buffet.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, snaefell said:

Not much use to anyone travelling down on Intercruises coach service sadly!

Oh yes, of course! Mind you, if it’s the buffet version you aren’t missing much! We tend to have a free drink, book our speciality dining and then head to the Glasshouse for something edible 😂 That being said, when we board Iona next weekend I’m keen to try the Chicken Tikka Masala that a few people have recommended now 😋😂

[Selbourne]

2 hours ago, Mike Senior said:

Mediterranean is a lower tier than Caribbean. View the benefits available to each tier here https://www.pocruises.com/peninsular-club

In typical P&O fashion, I think there’s an error on the Peninsular Club part of their website. Under Mediterranean tier, it shows one of the on board benefits as “Officer-hosted fine dining event (on cruises of 8 nights or more)”, yet I am sure this benefit only kicks in when you reach Caribbean tier. Certainly we have only attended one of these lunches, and that was since becoming Caribbean tier, and we never received invites during the years that we were Mediterranean 🤔

[Fionboard]

27 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

In typical P&O fashion, I think there’s an error on the Peninsular Club part of their website. Under Mediterranean tier, it shows one of the on board benefits as “Officer-hosted fine dining event (on cruises of 8 nights or more)”, yet I am sure this benefit only kicks in when you reach Caribbean tier. Certainly we have only attended one of these lunches, and that was since becoming Caribbean tier, and we never received invites during the years that we were Mediterranean 🤔

Only lunches I have seen have been for Caribbean and above. The welcome buffet was very good, especially the prawns, and the wine flowed plentifully! Galley and  waiter parade on last night is also back. Must say the waiters on this ship are excellent, probably as they have more time to interact with diners. 

[snaefell]

3 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Only on Southampton sailings for the welcome onboard lunch, but I think the loyalty lunches take place for Caribbean lunches, they certainly do for roundtrip Sputhampton Caribbean cruises.

As for coach passengers, the welcome on board lunch continue until 3:00 pm.

We were on board Arcadia just after 1400hrs back in May & were told about the buffet but we were booked for the Ocean Grill at 1900hrs so it was too late for us,too much unpacking to do anyway!

Assuming we do cruise again we will probably have to reconsider our dining options,we have always gone with Freedom Dining because the 'fixed dining' times were either too early or too late but given that we ended up queuing outside the MDR at 1730hrs on Arcadia we might as well go with the earlier 'fixed dining' option!

There is some doubt that we will cruise again as the last two trips back from Southampton by coach have been bad enough to all but make you forget you have been away!

The options from Liverpool all seem way too dear.

[Camberley]

For us the loyalty lunch always a lovely way to start a cruise.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Camberley

[Ardennais]

I’ve never seen a bun fight, whatever that is, in the buffet and I use the buffet a lot. Almost reached Caribbean level, but the free alcohol wouldn’t entice me at all. 

[Ginb56]

Hi all. We’re on Britannia soon and would like to book Sindhu or Epicurian for a birthday night, but I’m vegetarian and on the sample select menus, it looks like a token veggie dish is offered and very little choice. If you ask beforehand, is there a separate veggie mini menu to choose from, or do they just offer what’s veggie on the MDR menu that day? The daily MDR veggie choices aren’t bad and I don’t feel I need to ask for the veggie menu to pre-order. Just disappointed with the select venues, including the Beach House - all still meat and seafood focussed…