Food and dining on P&O ships

[Eglesbrech]

2 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

An excellent meal in the Olive Grove last night, small supplement for some items but most are included. The resident group in the Club House are very good, different era each night. The times are 2000, 2130 and 2300, with each set lasting about 50 minutes.

 

Did you manage to get the Olive Grove booked once onboard?

 

I have been trying for days to make an advance booking and the system is not working.

[Jubileelady]

I have had no luck booking the Olive Grove or  Beach House even though they show as being available to book? Not sure what is going on?…

[Eglesbrech]

12 minutes ago, Jubileelady said:

I have had no luck booking the Olive Grove or  Beach House even though they show as being available to book? Not sure what is going on?…

My iPad tells me they are doing essential maintenance when I try to book dining so I don’t even see the restaurants, it was fine earlier in the week.
 

Meantime my OHs phone shows the restaurants, let’s you select and then says oops and cancels.

 

We have managed to book the Limelight, Epicurian and Sindu bot nothing else. Like you we can’t get the Beach House or Olive Grove.

[Jubileelady]

My IPad was telling me the same as you essential maintenance for 2 days! I cleared all cache and cookies on the web browser, shut down and started  again and was able to log in as before. Hope this helps

[crompton21]

On Iona in November, prawn cocktail as a starter and salmon as a main were available every day.  Others have posted that on different ships around the same period Caesar salad and chicken breast were available every day, but prawn cocktail and salmon were nowhere to be seen.

Tomato soup and steak appear to have made it to all menus.

I think that leads me to conclude that the menu varies by ship and is quite likely to be driven by availability at time of stocking rather than a specific ship being designated a prawn free zone.  If that is the case, until you are on board the prawn cocktail conundrum will probably need to remain unsolved.

[Cathygh]

15 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Looking at the Planner for my upcoming cruise on Iona the sample menu for MDR still shows Atlantic Prawn cocktail as an always available starter.

 

Thank you. I am have trouble reading this, but I am coreect in thinking that there are 3 choices of main course, plus 1 vegetarian? And the always available salmon, beef & chicken are no longer always available? This was the situation on Azura in October, and limited our choices. One night 2 of the main courses were salmon dishes. On Iona do do have the Quays and Olive Grove (if you can get in) but on the other ships you are limited to MDR or the buffet (which we avoid). I am getting really worried about our Iona family cruise in May, there are 11 of us and I can't see anything on those menus that woud please all of us.

[Megabear2]

13 minutes ago, crompton21 said:

On Iona in November, prawn cocktail as a starter and salmon as a main were available every day.  Others have posted that on different ships around the same period Caesar salad and chicken breast were available every day, but prawn cocktail and salmon were nowhere to be seen.

Tomato soup and steak appear to have made it to all menus.

I think that leads me to conclude that the menu varies by ship and is quite likely to be driven by availability at time of stocking rather than a specific ship being designated a prawn free zone.  If that is the case, until you are on board the prawn cocktail conundrum will probably need to remain unsolved.

I think you are right. The Britannia menus posted for the cruise before mine were completely different.

[Denarius]

24 minutes ago, crompton21 said:

On Iona in November, prawn cocktail as a starter and salmon as a main were available every day.  Others have posted that on different ships around the same period Caesar salad and chicken breast were available every day, but prawn cocktail and salmon were nowhere to be seen.

Tomato soup and steak appear to have made it to all menus.

I think that leads me to conclude that the menu varies by ship and is quite likely to be driven by availability at time of stocking rather than a specific ship being designated a prawn free zone.  If that is the case, until you are on board the prawn cocktail conundrum will probably need to remain unsolved.

Or maybe P&O are moving away from the "one size fits all" philosophy of recent years back towards the days when individual ships had their own character. Recognising that what is popular on the large family ships may not be so on the smaller adult only ships and vice versa, and adjusting the product (including the MDR menu) accordingly. Or is that just wishful thinking?

[Britboys]

27 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Or maybe P&O are moving away from the "one size fits all" philosophy of recent years back towards the days when individual ships had their own character. Recognising that what is popular on the large family ships may not be so on the smaller adult only ships and vice versa, and adjusting the product (including the MDR menu) accordingly. Or is that just wishful thinking?

Sadly, it is probably wishful thinking. Standardisation is cheaper...

[bobstheboy]

2 hours ago, Eglesbrech said:

Did you manage to get the Olive Grove booked once onboard?

 

I have been trying for days to make an advance booking and the system is not working.

I  booked whilst waiting to board in Southampton. Top tip the  number under the barcode on your boarding form is your onboard customer ID and  can b.e used to log in and book before you board

 

 

 

 

 

[grapau27]

41 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

I  booked whilst waiting to board in Southampton. Top tip the  number under the barcode on your boarding form is your onboard customer ID and  can b.e used to log in and book before you board

 

 

 

 

 

This only works if you can log onto the ships WiFi with your phone on Airplane mode.

[bobstheboy]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

This only works if you can log onto the ships WiFi with your phone on Airplane mode.

Worked for us Graham

[grapau27]

3 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Worked for us Graham

Delighted for you.

I couldn't get the ships WiFi at Ocean terminal while we were sitting waiting to check in.

[bobstheboy]

I have had a meeting with a member of the Hotel Managers team. I showed him a copy of the menus given as an example on the current P&O site, showing the always on items. He was not amused and agreed it was false advertising and raising people's expectations. He photographed the menus and assured me it would be passed through management to shoreside. The bad news is the current menus are permanent and the only item repeated daily will be sirloin steak. This applies across the P&O fleet.

[Britboys]

If the menus are the same in August, then I will be glad I am only on a 12 night cruise. The amount of repetition on my 19 nights aboard Aurora last year was phenomenal...

[Megabear2]

21 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

I have had a meeting with a member of the Hotel Managers team. I showed him a copy of the menus given as an example on the current P&O site, showing the always on items. He was not amused and agreed it was false advertising and raising people's expectations. He photographed the menus and assured me it would be passed through management to shoreside. The bad news is the current menus are permanent and the only item repeated daily will be sirloin steak. This applies across the P&O fleet.

I assume the sample menu is a long way off what's on offer now then?  If you get a chance without hassle covid you post an example please?

[bobstheboy]

32 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I assume the sample menu is a long way off what's on offer now then?  If you get a chance without hassle covid you post an example please?

You assume correctly I am sorry to say. I will photograph tonight's menu and post tomorrow.

[besberry]

Book onboard.  I have to say that I wasn't impressed with the new menu on the maiden.  I probably won't be making a return anytime soon!

[Angel57]

1 hour ago, besberry said:

Book onboard.  I have to say that I wasn't impressed with the new menu on the maiden.  I probably won't be making a return anytime soon!

Sorry to hear that Mick…..Hope you enjoyed the cruise tho.

[davecttr]

4 hours ago, grapau27 said:

This only works if you can log onto the ships WiFi with your phone on Airplane mode.

You cant access WiFi if you are in airplane mode. I can't on my tablet and phone. If I switch airplane mode off I can get access on both even the phone which does not have a SIM and I only use nowadays for accessing my NHS account. My mobile phone is a 'dumb' one with big pensioner buttons.

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, davecttr said:

You cant access WiFi if you are in airplane mode. I can't on my tablet and phone. If I switch airplane mode off I can get access on both even the phone which does not have a SIM and I only use nowadays for accessing my NHS account. My mobile phone is a 'dumb' one with big pensioner buttons.

You do access it in airplane mode on the ship. You effectively piggy bag on the ship's WiFi with just limited access. That way you can use it without buying WiFi.

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, davecttr said:

You cant access WiFi if you are in airplane mode. I can't on my tablet and phone. If I switch airplane mode off I can get access on both even the phone which does not have a SIM and I only use nowadays for accessing my NHS account. My mobile phone is a 'dumb' one with big pensioner buttons.

You should be able to, setting up airplane mode will disconnect wi fi, but you can restart wi fi without losing airplane mode. Or at least that's how it works on.my phone.

[davecttr]

17 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

You should be able to, setting up airplane mode will disconnect wi fi, but you can restart wi fi without losing airplane mode. Or at least that's how it works on.my phone.

Confusing for me. Is airplane mode designed to stop the device transmitting any signals

[Tablelamp]

I wonder if you can use the TV’s on Ventura to book things.

[grapau27]

58 minutes ago, davecttr said:

You cant access WiFi if you are in airplane mode. I can't on my tablet and phone. If I switch airplane mode off I can get access on both even the phone which does not have a SIM and I only use nowadays for accessing my NHS account. My mobile phone is a 'dumb' one with big pensioner buttons.

Airplane mode disables your phone from normal use.

However My Holiday App is free to use but can only be accessed on board by putting your phone in Airplane mode.

I have done this on 6 P&O cruises now.

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by grapau27