Looks like P&O are changing the way dining bookings are done on Arvia

[Fionboard]

1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

Or neither and eat elsewhere or, in my case, a good lunch ashore or in the MDR leaving the evening free. 

Exhausting, yes. Let's all agree that we have different likes, dislikes, budgets, and needs. Thank goodness there are plenty of ships and cruising styles to choose from - at present!

[Happy afloat]

16 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Freedom dining agreed you could turn up at any MDR on the night at any time and hope to walk in or get asked to wait. I've done that in the past.

 

That's exactly what I can still do on Arvia or Iona though? It's not been taken away from me?

 

But with the choice of walking to do it or joining a virtual queue?

 

I choose to use the virtual queue and make my choices whilst sat in a bar or theatre or the cabin? 

 

I don't have to though. I could walk to the restaurants if I wanted to.

Yes, but the key phrase in your argument is "queue". You seem to be missing the point that there was no queueing for freedom dining, physical or electronic. 

"Are you ready to eat ,dear?"

"Yes dear".

Carry your g&t down to the restaurant and get seated.

Also, you seemed to make the point that freedom dining meant being seated at either 6.30 or 8.30, which was club dining. Still used on Aurora in April alongside freedom dining, no app, and no queueing anywhere for anything. 

[CarlaMarie]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

Britannia uses the app as well. Ventura, etc. do not. I have walked into the Glass House on Ventura, Arcadia, and Aurora for lunch in the past year, no booking required. 

 

That's great. Yes I knew Britannia uses the app as well, but on the main screen of the app it did say it wasn't necessary. That's why my parents tried to book in person to start with, and then turned up in the evening. It could have just been an issue on their cruise (the app had many a glitch), but in principle on Britannia like the ships below her you shouldn't have to book. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

They were full every night when we were on Iona.  This was in order to get a meal at a decent time. It was the first cruise where we booked speciality restaurants, we had always used the MDR before. 

So now if you can pre book more restaurants at more times then this is a positive move like I said isn't it?

 

You can now just pre-book MDR at the times you want instead?

 

Where is the  problem here?

 

I assume you pre-booked your speciality restaurants above? Now just pre-book MDR if timings are important to you. Which clearly they are?

 

All good?

Edited June 17, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[CarlaMarie]

1 minute ago, Happy afloat said:

Yes, but the key phrase in your argument is "queue". You seem to be missing the point that there was no queueing for freedom dining, physical or electronic. 

"Are you ready to eat ,dear?"

"Yes dear".

Carry your g&t down to the restaurant and get seated.

Also, you seemed to make the point that freedom dining meant being seated at either 6.30 or 8.30, which was club dining. Still used on Aurora in April alongside freedom dining, no app, and no queueing anywhere for anything. 

 

Perfectly written.

[Happy afloat]

33 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

But the other places you would want to eat you would need to pre-book? To get a table? 

 

Wouldn't you?

 

Same as on the big ships?

 

Unless you mean buffet. Which again is the same on the big ships?

 

Speciality on the small ships is not something you can just choose to do at the time?

 

I don't see any difference between the big and small ships in respect of speciality dining? You have to pre-book on both? Or not get a table.  You can't spontaneously decide to do that? 

Hi,

 

Glass House on Aurora is not available for pre booking, just turn up and get seated.

Sindhu does have to be pre booked.

[zap99]

18 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Freedom dining agreed you could turn up at any MDR on the night at any time and hope to walk in or get asked to wait. I've done that in the past.

 

That's exactly what I can still do on Arvia or Iona though? It's not been taken away from me?

 

But with the choice of walking to do it or joining a virtual queue?

 

I choose to use the virtual queue and make my choices whilst sat in a bar or theatre or the cabin? 

 

I don't have to though. I could walk to the restaurants if I wanted to.

Many years ago our friends tried to convince us that cruising was a good holiday option. Dressing for dinner, same table, same dinner conpanions with interesting topical conversation, predinner gin and IT, before, if you were lucky, meeting the captain, or a lessor officer if your status didn't warrant meeting his nibs. We started in 2000 when Island cruises started. Now on P&O and other lines, we decide when and where we eat, what entertainment to see and if we want a quick dinner, we can. Sometimes we need to wait a bit, but with a bit of give and take it can all work out fine. Spontaneously being told I will be eating at 6.30, or 8.30 every night. No thanks.

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 minutes ago, Happy afloat said:

Yes, but the key phrase in your argument is "queue". You seem to be missing the point that there was no queueing for freedom dining, physical or electronic. 

"Are you ready to eat ,dear?"

"Yes dear".

Carry your g&t down to the restaurant and get seated.

Also, you seemed to make the point that freedom dining meant being seated at either 6.30 or 8.30, which was club dining. Still used on Aurora in April alongside freedom dining, no app, and no queueing anywhere for anything. 

 

 

But that can only be the case if the other two thirds of the ship have already had to commit to either  6.30pm and 8.30pm sittings?

 

So 2 thirds of the ship have no freedom allowing one third of the ship to have freedom?

 

Now the aim is for 100 per cent to have freedom?

 

Some can be ultra organised and pre-book every single thing they do before they cruise

 

Some can pre-book on the day

 

Some can pre-book on the night

 

Some can play it by ear every night and just try their luck

 

Something for everyone?

 

Proper freedom wouldn't you say?

 

And if you dont want the freedom ships with set dining still available?

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Happy afloat said:

Hi,

 

Glass House on Aurora is not available for pre booking, just turn up and get seated.

Sindhu does have to be pre booked.

A perfect ship for some

 

I assume the majority don't have freedom dining on her 

[No pager thank you]

24 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

When exactly did this happen?

 

 

To answer your question, my personal experience of this was on the Maiden (and no, I didn't book it as a Maiden voyage), and not linked to the Christmas Day debacle (where it was 11pm).  I cancelled two further Arvia cruises as a result of that terrible experience overall.

 

Some folks said teething issues, new ships always get a rough ride 1st season, it will settle down.  I said, at the time, looks to be a systemic physical capacity issue to me, objective to get people in the buffet, Quays, and in to paid for dining options.

 

With the setup of how to book keep changing, I'm sticking with that theory for now.  I don't have another cruise planned on Arvia, but if I do, and the situation improves, then I will be happy to point this out.

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, CarlaMarie said:

 

Before you very rarely had to reserve a table at Sindhu, the Glass House etc... 

 

Currently, the advice on ships other than Iona and Arvia does state that you do not need to book and they will accept walk ins. 

 

My Dad went to the Glass House during the day on Britannia to try and book a table for an evening, he was told he wasn't able to do that. That evening they went to the Glass House to get a table and were then asked to join the virtual queue using the app if they wanted a table.

 

So it is misleading. 

On Britannia for my cruise in January 2020 just before the pandemic they had introduced evening reservations in the Glass House.  You walked to the podium and asked to be seated.  Lunch and other times you did not have to book.  On my seacation and three subsequent sailings on Britannia that arrangement has continued with the addition of the app for evening bookings.

 

On Arvia a booking was required via the app for any time for food.  I joined the queue several times and never actually reached the top or ate there. On all occasions I gave up after over an hour and removed myself from the queue.

[Dermotsgirl]

22 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Yet the traditional choices were either 6.30pm or 8.30pm? Not much different and with zero choice at all in between. 

 

But we had no choice. One or the other

 

Why are you again referring back to the way things were at the turn of the century? People are discussing the freedom dining era - from 2008 onwards. 

[Gettingwarmer]

1 minute ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

 

But that can only be the case if the other two thirds of the ship have already had to commit to either  6.30pm and 8.30pm sittings?

 

So 2 thirds of the ship have no freedom allowing one third of the ship to have freedom?

 

Now the aim is for 100 per cent to have freedom?

 

Some can be ultra organised and pre-book every single thing they do before they cruise

 

Some can pre-book on the day

 

Some can pre-book on the night

 

Some can play it by ear every night and just try their luck

 

Something for everyone?

 

Proper freedom wouldn't you say?

 

And if you dont want the freedom ships with set dining still available?

 

 

But there are not enough reports that this is actually what’s happening. Until there are less reports of queues and angst people will have trepidation on sailing these ships. 

[CarlaMarie]

8 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

But I think you suggested the cruisers weren't affording to use these restaurants and putting pressure on other restaurants as a result Carla

 

They clearly are affording them as they are booked up?

 

So it's a red herring to think they aren't being  used? 

 

If you go back to my post, I agreed with Megabear that families are choosing more traditional dining than casual dining on Arvia. So of her MDRs (and her buffet), the Quays and Olive Grove are less popular than the traditional MDRs. Of the 4, 2 are hence in higher demand than expected. 

 

She is designed for the family market, and many will be on a budget and will be less likely to pay extra for speciality and shouldn't have to either to be able to have a meal at a suitable time for them. That's what I wrote and I stand by that. 

 

Arvia's second season will be very telling and I expect that is why P&O know they have a problem on her and are trying to think of a way to solve it. 

[Fionboard]

Just now, Interestedcruisefan said:

A perfect ship for some

 

I assume the majority don't have freedom dining on her 

Larger MDR for Freedom, smaller one for Fixed. Only queues are those couples who want tables for two in Freedom and want to dine at 6.00. They start queueing at 5.30. That's tea time for me! 

[Interestedcruisefan]

5 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Many years ago our friends tried to convince us that cruising was a good holiday option. Dressing for dinner, same table, same dinner conpanions with interesting topical conversation, predinner gin and IT, before, if you were lucky, meeting the captain, or a lessor officer if your status didn't warrant meeting his nibs. We started in 2000 when Island cruises started. Now on P&O and other lines, we decide when and where we eat, what entertainment to see and if we want a quick dinner, we can. Sometimes we need to wait a bit, but with a bit of give and take it can all work out fine. Spontaneously being told I will be eating at 6.30, or 8.30 every night. No thanks.

 

 

The fact is that those people who like the freedom dining on the small ships are entirely reliant on enough people prepared to commit to the above every night at either 6.30pm or 8.30pm to be able to do it 

 

As new ships across all the lines introduce more freedom and more choice that's going to become a harder and harder sell

 

I'm sure it will continue. I sense it will become more niche and expensive. 

 

And eventually very rare. 

 

But  that's a long way off yet

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

To answer your question, my personal experience of this was on the Maiden (and no, I didn't book it as a Maiden voyage), and not linked to the Christmas Day debacle (where it was 11pm).  I cancelled two further Arvia cruises as a result of that terrible experience overall.

 

I'm sorry that happened to you

 

But I kind of guessed it had to be something like that or Xmas Day

 

It's a disaster. But thankfully is so far removed from the norm

 

Yet stuff like that tends to gets discussed like it's happening every week on here

[Fionboard]

By the way, on Arcadia last month the fixed dining room was very busy and the freedom one looked pretty empty. 

[terrierjohn]

23 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

We booked MDR twice on Iona whilst in the 710 club which finished at 7.45pm. 

 

Joined the queue about 7.35pm ish and table was ready and waiting for us to walk out to 

 

Not an early or late

 

If the online queue was longer I would have just joined it earlier

 

 

Read your last sentence again, unless your name is H G Wells or Doctor Who, you would not know how long the queue was, until you tried to join it.

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Larger MDR for Freedom, smaller one for Fixed. Only queues are those couples who want tables for two in Freedom and want to dine at 6.00. They start queueing at 5.30. That's tea time for me! 

That's interesting that even on this ships more people want freedom than fixed already?

 

I really think there is an argument for one of the smaller MDRs on Arvia to trial fixed dining

 

But would there be enough demand to fill it?

 

Also worth  pointing out that when my wife wanted us to keep booking MDR each night on Arvia she wanted to try a different MDR each day

 

She liked the meals, the service but she wanted different places each night

 

These are all complicated things the ships planners have to factor in

 

Ie what people really want from a holiday on a cruise ship

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

By the way, on Arcadia last month the fixed dining room was very busy and the freedom one looked pretty empty. 

So they should switch them over then and give the smaller one to freedom dining maybe?

[Interestedcruisefan]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Read your last sentence again, unless your name is H G Wells or Doctor Who, you would not know how long the queue was, until you tried to join it.

You can see how many people are in the queues before you join them John?

 

And only join when it makes sense to join.

 

I assume you know this being an experienced cruiser on here though? 

 

Based on experience join at a time that will work for you

 

In my live thread I said how many were in the queues when I joined 

 

Think it was 30 ish ahead of me when in the theatre. That's a small queue for an MDR

 

Im into the app so I would have checked earlier on in the theatre as well and if the queue looked bad joined earlier

 

I realise others don't want to do that. But I actually enjoy it 

 

My biggest worry to date with joining virtual queues on Arvia and Iona was making sure not to join too early to get  to the front too soon

 

The 15 minute grace period helps a lot once you get called of course

 

Occasionally the queue starts going down too quickly and we exit and join another that happened mainly when we joined queues from the cabin in Britannia tbh

 

Experience helps. 

 

The more people use the apps on cruises the more experienced they get the less the issues they will face

 

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Fionboard]

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

So they should switch them over then and give the smaller one to freedom dining maybe?

No because everything works well the way it is. If it ain't broke don't fix it. If downstairs is quiet, waiters can easily be moved upstairs. 

[terrierjohn]

3 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

You can see how many people are in the queues before you join them John?

 

And based on experience join at a time that will work for you

 

In my live thread I said how many were in the queues when I joined 

 

 Think it was 30 ish ahead of me

 

Im into the app so I would have checked earlier on in the theatre as well and if the queue looked bad joined earlier

 

I realise others don't want to do that. But I actually enjoy it 

So you sit in the 710 club keeping an eye on your phone all the time, if I were one of the musicians I would be asking you to leave for being so rude.

[Interestedcruisefan]

19 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Why are you again referring back to the way things were at the turn of the century? People are discussing the freedom dining era - from 2008 onwards. 

Without those set dining times on those ships freedom dining wouldn't be possible?

 

You do realise not everyone on those ships is freedom dining don't you?

 

Depending when you book the choices for sittings or freedom may have been removed as well

 

So my point is Iona and now Arvia were the first P and O ships where NOBODY has to commit to set dining times (as far as I know)

 

More choice more options more freedom for EVERYBODY on board

 

Surely a positive?

 

And now if you can pre-book more restaurants and times there is something for all available. 

 

Pre-book 6.30pm or 8.30pm every night again if you want. In the same or different places. Maybe shared or not shared?  If you can.

 

Or pre-book nothing at all if you want 

 

Iona was the first true freedom dining ship from P and O