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

[9265359]

Just now, davecttr said:

Not so much at 6.30 am when i have my cereal and not so much if you go at quiet times plus of course using some kitchen towel to grasp the utensils and even then as i am now so clumsy with my hands I can ask a staff member to put the food on my plate. If i get club dining on my next cruise I will start by using the MDR. This was OK on my last Britannia cruise but I missed several meals due to Norovirus

Used the buffet (with precautions) and still got norovirus…

 

When I have ventured into the buffet to take something packaged like a yogurt that can’t be poked and prodded, then irrespective of the time I have seen people fingering the bread, touching the sliced fruit, licking their fingers and then handling the tongs, ignoring the ‘do not fill water bottle’ signs on the fruit juice machines with the machine spout touching the bottle neck.

 

If P&O shifted to the operation that other cruise companies did with their buffet, with glass screens and staff serving, then I would use it. But now - well as Clint said - “do you feel lucky” and personally I don’t see the advantages in gambling.

[davecttr]

4 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

Used the buffet (with precautions) and still got norovirus…

 

When I have ventured into the buffet to take something packaged like a yogurt that can’t be poked and prodded, then irrespective of the time I have seen people fingering the bread, touching the sliced fruit, licking their fingers and then handling the tongs, ignoring the ‘do not fill water bottle’ signs on the fruit juice machines with the machine spout touching the bottle neck.

 

If P&O shifted to the operation that other cruise companies did with their buffet, with glass screens and staff serving, then I would use it. But now - well as Clint said - “do you feel lucky” and personally I don’t see the advantages in gambling.

NO, I did not use the buffet on Britannia except for breakfast and often being the first in at 6.30 I had my choice of utensils. I cruised on Arvia for 14 nights in April and never used the MDR's I found the buffet had excellent choices especially if you like salads and also ate in The Quays, Keel and Cow, The Glass House, the Beach House and Green & Co and guess what, no sign of a stomach upset.

[daiB]

2 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Hi, in answer to the question does anybody who sails with P&O actually have a good time - absolutely they do. I sailed many times with P&O during the period 2001 to 2019, and had the best of times and visited places I had only dreamed of before.

 

Having been round the block a few times with P&O, what’s happening now is nothing new. On my first cruise on the shiny new Aurora, there was constant grumbling around the ship that ‘it wasn’t like this on Canberra’. For a newbie who thought everything was wonderful, it was quite disconcerting. But for all the grumbling about Aurora, 20+ years later, she’s the much loved grand old lady of the fleet. 
 

I soon learned that the pattern repeated itself with each new ship. There was loads of moaning when Arcadia came out, and when Ventura came out with the introduction of freedom dining you could have been forgiven for thinking that it was the End Times.

 

But people slowly adapt, and the new ships become ‘the way things are done’, and the ships find their niche in the fleet.

 

With Iona and Arvia all the above factors are in play, but I think there is more to it. They have been introduced at a time of great change, and they’ve also changed the way that people access dining arrangements. There is a lot to get used to, and there have also been problems and glitches with the dining arrangements, and long queues at the restaurants. 
 

I can understand why you cancelled your cruise. I had a cruise booked on Iona for March 2023, and cancelled it last summer, as I thought that the on board app was flakey and unreliable, and it seemed like it was a faff and a struggle to get onboard bookings. I think things are probably improving on Iona, but not enough to make me want to book yet.

 

But my takeaway from everything that I’ve read is that both Iona and Arvia are lovely (big) ships and a lot of people are having enjoyable cruises on them,  notwithstanding the issues around dining.

 

My suggestion is that you stick around this forum and get to know everyone. You’ll soon get a feel of who can be relied on to give a balanced report of their experiences, and hopefully, like me, you’ll find what they say really informative.

 

Incidentally, in 20 years time, you can be sure that people will still be grumbling about the latest ship, and be saying ‘I wish it was more like Iona’! 

As it happens as a scooter user I now say I wsish Aurora/Arcadia/Ventura could be more like Iona. Light years ahead of the others.

 

I agree about each new ship being castidated by cruisers. I remember some clown on the old P&O forum on their site who said that evryone agreed that Arcadia would be sold within the year. that was  in 2006. 

[daiB]

1 hour ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Come on…..Fish &Chips in the Quays is no different than Fish &Chips in my local chippie.

I recently returned from a Spanish holiday and the hotel buffet was better than any buffet I have been in on P&O ships

I sail P&O and Celebrity,,,,,now Celebrity is what you call a buffet.
 

Admittedly I pay more for my Celebrity cruises and expect better.

At the same time I pay less for P&O and get less,,,,I expect that,P&O never got the nickname Spuds r Us for nothing.

 

I actually think P&O MDR menus to be the most boring at sea.

I can put up with that as long as the live acts are OK.

I eat to live not live to eat. 

Thats because it never got that nickname perhaps only in you household. Not on any forum I have read and I do read a lot

[zap99]

1 hour ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Come on…..Fish &Chips in the Quays is no different than Fish &Chips in my local chippie.

I recently returned from a Spanish holiday and the hotel buffet was better than any buffet I have been in on P&O ships

I sail P&O and Celebrity,,,,,now Celebrity is what you call a buffet.
 

Admittedly I pay more for my Celebrity cruises and expect better.

At the same time I pay less for P&O and get less,,,,I expect that,P&O never got the nickname Spuds r Us for nothing.

 

I actually think P&O MDR menus to be the most boring at sea.

I can put up with that as long as the live acts are OK.

I eat to live not live to eat. 

I agree about the buffet, it's better on Celebrity, but as we paid £1,300 each for a balcony cabin to the Fjords on Silhouette I would expect it to be. We have just got back from Majorca. A week AI for £500 each. The food in the buffet was quite good,  but full of screeching kids...oh well the weather was good. Food is only one aspect of any holiday.

[zap99]

10 minutes ago, daiB said:

Thats because it never got that nickname perhaps only in you household. Not on any forum I have read and I do read a lot

When I worked in London In the late 60's we had a Billies baked potato and a chips with everything. Never heard of Spuds R us. Sounds like a good idea.🤣

[smokey01]

On 6/16/2023 at 5:09 PM, Fionboard said:

Oh dear, still the same  problems I experienced on Iona two years ago! Whatever they do to try and improve things on the two leviathans, I will stick to the "tiddlers" and have a stress free holiday. 

We have just cancelled our Iona cruise for October as the deposit was less than £100 and I intend to cancel our Arvia for next April. Had so much hassle getting an MDR booking last April on Arvia I am going back to other cruise lines that still do traditional dining. The experience almost put me off cruising altogether.

Edited June 18, 2023 by smokey01

[Megabear2]

21 minutes ago, zap99 said:

When I worked in London In the late 60's we had a Billies baked potato and a chips with everything. Never heard of Spuds R us. Sounds like a good idea.🤣

Wasn't it Spud u' Like, went bust in 2019 but now reborn under James Martin and Bartlett's potatoes? One in Plymouth now, bit upmarket to the old days. 

[zap99]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Wasn't it Spud u' Like, went bust in 2019 but now reborn under James Martin and Bartlett's potatoes? One in Plymouth now, bit upmarket to the old days. 

Billies baked potato was set up by Billy Walkers brother ( Jack ?) Billy was a heavyweight boxer. You can tell him his food was rubbish. Definitely chips with everything. My reference to Spuds R us is apparently a nickname given to P&O, as mentioned in a previous post. An attempt at humour  I believe...oh how I laughed.🤣

[Megabear2]

36 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Billies baked potato was set up by Billy Walkers brother ( Jack ?) Billy was a heavyweight boxer. You can tell him his food was rubbish. Definitely chips with everything. My reference to Spuds R us is apparently a nickname given to P&O, as mentioned in a previous post. An attempt at humour  I believe...oh how I laughed.🤣

I quite like baked potatoes, I'd be very happy to have one whoever baked it.  I don't remember Jack Walker but do recall George because of Brent Walker Group involvement in films. Th

[JeanieC,Aston]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

Thats because it never got that nickname perhaps only in you household. Not on any forum I have read and I do read a lot.

It’s changed now to ‘Green Beans R Us’.

[zap99]

55 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I quite like baked potatoes, I'd be very happy to have one whoever baked it.  I don't remember Jack Walker but do recall George because of Brent Walker Group involvement in films. Th

My mistake. George it was.

[zap99]

37 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

It’s changed now to ‘Green Beans R Us’.

I like green beans. I may email Paul Ludlow and ask, if operational reasons permit, if we can have green beans every night in the MDR.

[JeanieC,Aston]

2 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I like green beans. I may email Paul Ludlow and ask, if operational reasons permit, if we can have green beans every night in the MDR.

You do now,with a small piece of carrot for contrast.

And if they are really generous you might get a spoonful of spuds.

Then the game starts to find a piece of fish underneath.

[daiB]

54 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

It’s changed now to ‘Green Beans R Us’.

Thats 10 years out of date

[Megabear2]

15 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I like green beans. I may email Paul Ludlow and ask, if operational reasons permit, if we can have green beans every night in the MDR.

Green bean supplies didn't get through on Arvia, replaced in May with broad beans which looked suspiciously like runner beans.  Clearly Mr Ludlow needs a reprimand and a lesson in agricultural bean fair rather than bean counting.

[Happy afloat]

23 hours ago, daiB said:

Not sure how you make that out?? Set dining is still very popular especally first sitting which is why there is a problen with freedom, on all P&O ships, as so many want to go early there is a long queue and always has been and of course you can now book the erarly slot for the whole cruise, certainly on Iona. You are way off the mark with you assessment of the situation. Do not forget that on the big 2, the age of passengers is still high out of the school holidays.

Simple. It's a fact; saver fare=club dining, select fare= freedom dining. You pay more for select fare, therfore, being moved to moved to freedom from club could be seen as an upgrade. That was the point you took exception to for some reason.The queues for club dining and the age of the passengers choosing it were not under discussion, nor the demographic during term times, or the popularity of one dining type over another.

Far from me being way off the mark in my assessment, you seem to be way off the mark in your interpretation of what's being written.

 

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

My mistake. George it was.

Wasnt Jack Walker the landlord of the Rovers Return?

[daiB]

1 hour ago, Happy afloat said:

Simple. It's a fact; saver fare=club dining, select fare= freedom dining. You pay more for select fare, therfore, being moved to moved to freedom from club could be seen as an upgrade. That was the point you took exception to for some reason.The queues for club dining and the age of the passengers choosing it were not under discussion, nor the demographic during term times, or the popularity of one dining type over another.

Far from me being way off the mark in my assessment, you seem to be way off the mark in your interpretation of what's being written.

 

Wrong The most popular dining is club first sitting. It has been for some time. Freedom is next and then club dining second sitting. When we started cruising 22 years ago second sitting was most difficult to get. There was a change about 10 to 15 years ago, difficult to pin that one down. From my experience freedom is not the most favoured dining option and the proof is that so many people try to turn freedom into first sitting. Whatever you say is not up for discussion. Clearly you don’t like those facts as they do not fit your narrative.

[Bazrat]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Green bean supplies didn't get through on Arvia, replaced in May with broad beans which looked suspiciously like runner beans.  Clearly Mr Ludlow needs a reprimand and a lesson in agricultural bean fair rather than bean counting.

Hope your right about runner beens my favourite 

[Happy afloat]

1 minute ago, daiB said:

Wrong The most popular dining is club first sitting. It has been for some time. Freedom is next and then club dining second sitting. When we started cruising 22 years ago second sitting was most difficult to get. There was a change about 10 to 15 years ago, difficult to pin that one down. From my experience freedom is not the most favoured dining option and the proof is that so many people try to turn freedom into first sitting. Whatever you say is not up for discussion. Clearly you don’t like those facts as they do not fit your narrative.

Where on earth do I mention which is the most favoured sitting? The point is about costing and what you get for your money, and whether switching from club to freedom is an upgrade, not the popularity of one over the other.

Your interpretation of what I've written really confuses me. 

The facts, as you put it, can't be argued with:-club dining is part of saver fare and freedom part of select. That's all I've said and can be proven by going through the booking process for any cruise.

Oh, and whatever I, or anyone else on here says, IS up for discussion. It's a forum. That's the whole point . We all inform, debate, question and opinionate. We don't have to agree with what's said, just respect that we are entitled to say it.

[daiB]

1 minute ago, Happy afloat said:

Where on earth do I mention which is the most favoured sitting? The point is about costing and what you get for your money, and whether switching from club to freedom is an upgrade, not the popularity of one over the other.

Your interpretation of what I've written really confuses me. 

The facts, as you put it, can't be argued with:-club dining is part of saver fare and freedom part of select. That's all I've said and can be proven by going through the booking process for any cruise.

Oh, and whatever I, or anyone else on here says, IS up for discussion. It's a forum. That's the whole point . We all inform, debate, question and opinionate. We don't have to agree with what's said, just respect that we are entitled to say it.

Quite ridiculous, If you book select you can opt for Club 1st or Club 2nd or freedom. If you book saver you can get freedom or club 2nd. asx the saver cuisers will be slotted in and as I have said what is popular on a cruise will determin what you get. 

[Ardennais]

30 minutes ago, Happy afloat said:

Where on earth do I mention which is the most favoured sitting? The point is about costing and what you get for your money, and whether switching from club to freedom is an upgrade, not the popularity of one over the other.

Your interpretation of what I've written really confuses me. 

The facts, as you put it, can't be argued with:-club dining is part of saver fare and freedom part of select. That's all I've said and can be proven by going through the booking process for any cruise.

Oh, and whatever I, or anyone else on here says, IS up for discussion. It's a forum. That's the whole point . We all inform, debate, question and opinionate. We don't have to agree with what's said, just respect that we are entitled to say it.

I don’t think you’ve got it right. With select fare, you can choose any club or freedom and have priority over saver fares. With saver fare, you can again choose but you won’t have priority. 

 

We nearly always book select and opt for freedom. However, in the past we have booked select and opted for club dining when there were 7 of us. 
 

 

[JeanieC,Aston]

3 hours ago, daiB said:

Thats 10 years out of date

They do say the old ones are the best.

[JeanieC,Aston]

7 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

I don’t think you’ve got it right. With select fare, you can choose any club or freedom and have priority over saver fares. With saver fare, you can again choose but you won’t have priority. 

 

We nearly always book select and opt for freedom. However, in the past we have booked select and opted for club dining when there were 7 of us. 
 

 

Hi.

Just done a dummy booking,,here’s a screen shot…..

When has ‘Allocated dining time’ become the ability to choose?

I have started to choose saver’ fares as for a few pounds you can now choose cabin location and deck,,,I pick Aft/Mid and we are never far from lifts,,,then work out the extra on Select for coach transfer against paying for Eavesway,,,,the deal is always on the Saver.

 

But I have never been able to tick a box for dining choices.

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by JeanieC,Aston