Woo Hoo... Britannia day today...

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

That's what we were told.

There are 2 menu's during the week and ours changed to menu 2 on Tuesday.

At 6pm we were usually first in as that's when they opened and you could sit anywhere.

We had originally booked when we boarded 4 nights Sindhu and 3 nights Epicurean on the app but the Epicurean restaurant manager swapped our last night ( Thursday) from Sindhu to Epicurean on Tuesday night after dinner.

I sent a glowing email to Paul Ludlow about our servers and food in Epicurean and Sindhu and he emailed back a few hours later thanking me and said my email would be forwarded to the ship.

We personally loved our dining experience in both restaurants.

Thanks Graham. Much appreciated. As always, we will go with an open mind, but it’s good to know that we have options should things not go to plan. Always best to be prepared! We eat later than you on cruises, so realise that we won’t get a window table, but as long as the food and service are both good we will be fine.  

[Denarius]

On 7/2/2023 at 11:57 AM, Bazrat said:

I hope your going around Andy and telling all the new cruisers how’s cruising has gone down hill since you was on Lusitania’s maiden cruise.

Lusitania? Some of us sailed on the Ark. Noah was a wonderful captain but the itinerary included lots of sea days. Weather a bit iffy, rained most of the time. And the other passengers! Most of them behaved like animals, and they did not obey the dress code on formal nights!

[TigerB]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Waking up in Flam today, weather looks better. 

The Epicurean last night was  disappointing, but not going to dwell on the negatives. 

On a positive note, this version of Pulse are by far the best we have ever seen on a P&O ship. 

Great musicians and 2 excellent singers, absolutely fantastic. 

Second shows tonight for the Privateers and comedian Herbie Adams. We enjoyed both first shows, so will be returning. 

Have a good day everyone. 

Andy 

 

 

I agree that the version of Pulse on Britannia is the best of the lot. The MD is the guitarist Mark; a big Toto fan and of seventies and early eighties rock, so expect some of that. The last time we were on, they did a whole Pink Floyd set, which was excellent.

 

The Privateers were excellent too.

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

That's what we were told.

There are 2 menu's during the week and ours changed to menu 2 on Tuesday.

At 6pm we were usually first in as that's when they opened and you could sit anywhere.

We had originally booked when we boarded 4 nights Sindhu and 3 nights Epicurean on the app but the Epicurean restaurant manager swapped our last night ( Thursday) from Sindhu to Epicurean on Tuesday night after dinner.

I sent a glowing email to Paul Ludlow about our servers and food in Epicurean and Sindhu and he emailed back a few hours later thanking me and said my email would be forwarded to the ship.

We personally loved our dining experience in both restaurants.

 

We've never had a bad experience in either of those restaurants. My only gripe is that, on Arvia and Iona, Sindhu has a different menu, with dishes taken from the two menus that rotate on Britannia; that is even for two week cruises. We prefer the two menu option.

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Graham. Much appreciated. As always, we will go with an open mind, but it’s good to know that we have options should things not go to plan. Always best to be prepared! We eat later than you on cruises, so realise that we won’t get a window table, but as long as the food and service are both good we will be fine.  

 

When you are on Iona in August, if you are dining about 20:30, you may get a window table; on our most recent trips on Arvia and Iona, they had started to clear such tables at about 20:15.

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Delighted to hear that the weather has improved Andy. Iona wasn’t able to dock in Stavanger yesterday due to it and an Arctic rowing team had to postpone the start of their expedition (from Norway) also because of the weather. 
 

I’m so sorry to hear that Epicurean was a disappointment, especially having told you that it was our favourite restaurant at sea! I respect the fact that you don’t want to explain why (just as you didn’t expand on why the MDR was problematic at the start of your cruise), but can I ask a specific question to help us with our cruise (as you know, we embark Britannia when you disembark)?

 

Am I correct in thinking that because you can only book the speciality restaurants when on board, there is no pre-payment (or commitment) when you book? We were planning on using Epicurean 4 times over the fortnight, but if we find that it’s gone downhill and our first experience (on Friday, hopefully) is below par, would we be able to cancel the other 3 bookings without it costing us anything? I guess if we are going to have an underwhelming experience it’s better to have that in the MDR, where there’s no extra charge for the privilege 😂 

I wasn't being evasive, just conscious that our experience will differ to others. 

The Epicurean food and service was just not what we expected or had previously... 

Firstly, no dress code. It was evening casual, we were smart, as we're many others. Others had tatty t shirts, jeans and trainers, not smart casual in my book. 1 party of scruffy guys were so loud, it spoilt the atmosphere. 

The amuse buche was missed completely for us and the pallette cleanser served after we had finished all courses as they forgot us... 

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

Michelle had the pork t bone, it was also overcooked and very dry. The chips, ironically, were undercooked. 

The scallop starter just tasted of pepper. 

The desserts were good. 

No choice of petit fors, just 2 served in a dish. 

We spoke to the manager who said sorry, but that was it. 

We have cancelled our bookings for the other nights without penalty. 

Unfortunately, everything else is fully booked, we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

Andy 

[AndyMichelle]

18 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

I agree that the version of Pulse on Britannia is the best of the lot. The MD is the guitarist Mark; a big Toto fan and of seventies and early eighties rock, so expect some of that. The last time we were on, they did a whole Pink Floyd set, which was excellent.

 

The Privateers were excellent too.

Must be a different version, this guitarist, also excellent, is a young lad called Will. 

Andy 

[TigerB]

3 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I wasn't being evasive, just conscious that our experience will differ to others. 

The Epicurean food and service was just not what we expected or had previously... 

Firstly, no dress code. It was evening casual, we were smart, as we're many others. Others had tatty t shirts, jeans and trainers, not smart casual in my book. 1 party of scruffy guys were so loud, it spoilt the atmosphere. 

The amuse buche was missed completely for us and the pallette cleanser served after we had finished all courses as they forgot us... 

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

Michelle had the pork t bone, it was also overcooked and very dry. The chips, ironically, were undercooked. 

The scallop starter just tasted of pepper. 

The desserts were good. 

No choice of petit fors, just 2 served in a dish. 

We spoke to the manager who said sorry, but that was it. 

We have cancelled our bookings for the other nights without penalty. 

Unfortunately, everything else is fully booked, we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

Andy 

 

That's a shame!  We've always had excellent food and service in Epicurean, but if we had the same experience as you have just described, that would certainly affect our viewpoint.

 

I agree about the dress code; I believe they should enforce the smart/casual code in Epicurean on such nights. If you had read my review of our Norwegian tasting menu experience on Iona last month, you may recall that I wrote that the Epicurean is not place for band or motif t-shirts.

[Britboys]

4 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I wasn't being evasive, just conscious that our experience will differ to others. 

The Epicurean food and service was just not what we expected or had previously... 

Firstly, no dress code. It was evening casual, we were smart, as we're many others. Others had tatty t shirts, jeans and trainers, not smart casual in my book. 1 party of scruffy guys were so loud, it spoilt the atmosphere. 

The amuse buche was missed completely for us and the pallette cleanser served after we had finished all courses as they forgot us... 

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

Michelle had the pork t bone, it was also overcooked and very dry. The chips, ironically, were undercooked. 

The scallop starter just tasted of pepper. 

The desserts were good. 

No choice of petit fors, just 2 served in a dish. 

We spoke to the manager who said sorry, but that was it. 

We have cancelled our bookings for the other nights without penalty. 

Unfortunately, everything else is fully booked, we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

Andy 

What a terrible disappointment for you both ☹️

Might be worthwhile dropping a line to the F&B Manager as feedback.

[TigerB]

7 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Must be a different version, this guitarist, also excellent, is a young lad called Will. 

Andy 

 

Perhaps he's on his off rotation; I think they do six months on at a time. He was on the two times we have sailed on Britannia, February 2018 and September 2022.

[Selbourne]

8 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

I wasn't being evasive, just conscious that our experience will differ to others. 

The Epicurean food and service was just not what we expected or had previously... 

Firstly, no dress code. It was evening casual, we were smart, as we're many others. Others had tatty t shirts, jeans and trainers, not smart casual in my book. 1 party of scruffy guys were so loud, it spoilt the atmosphere. 

The amuse buche was missed completely for us and the pallette cleanser served after we had finished all courses as they forgot us... 

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

Michelle had the pork t bone, it was also overcooked and very dry. The chips, ironically, were undercooked. 

The scallop starter just tasted of pepper. 

The desserts were good. 

No choice of petit fors, just 2 served in a dish. 

We spoke to the manager who said sorry, but that was it. 

We have cancelled our bookings for the other nights without penalty. 

Unfortunately, everything else is fully booked, we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

Andy 

Thanks for expanding Andy. I can now understand why that was such a poor experience. I can’t stand it when we get a noisy table nearby. Unfortunately some people can be so inconsiderate in restaurants and don’t give a damn that they are ruining it for others. My wife gets on edge as well, as she see’s me getting irritated and is anxious that I might say something!

 

I think we might save our steaks for the Beach House. They are usually excellent in there. I hope that you get in to the Glasshouse and have as good an experience as last time. 

[TigerB]

4 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks for expanding Andy. I can now understand why that was such a poor experience. I can’t stand it when we get a noisy table nearby. Unfortunately some people can be so inconsiderate in restaurants and don’t give a damn that they are ruining it for others. My wife gets on edge as well, as she see’s me getting irritated and is anxious that I might say something!

 

I think we might save our steaks for the Beach House. They are usually excellent in there. I hope that you get in to the Glasshouse and have as good an experience as last time. 

 

Same with our lass; I get the daggers stare, reinforced with a "calm down" or "wind your neck in". 😉

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

I wasn't being evasive, just conscious that our experience will differ to others. 

The Epicurean food and service was just not what we expected or had previously... 

Firstly, no dress code. It was evening casual, we were smart, as we're many others. Others had tatty t shirts, jeans and trainers, not smart casual in my book. 1 party of scruffy guys were so loud, it spoilt the atmosphere. 

The amuse buche was missed completely for us and the pallette cleanser served after we had finished all courses as they forgot us... 

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

Michelle had the pork t bone, it was also overcooked and very dry. The chips, ironically, were undercooked. 

The scallop starter just tasted of pepper. 

The desserts were good. 

No choice of petit fors, just 2 served in a dish. 

We spoke to the manager who said sorry, but that was it. 

We have cancelled our bookings for the other nights without penalty. 

Unfortunately, everything else is fully booked, we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

Andy 

Wow. Not what you want for £60 charge Andy.

It might be worth speaking to the helpful lady hotel manager who we chatted with.

I think you deserve a complimentary speciality meal especially if you tell her everything you have told us.

Graham.

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks for expanding Andy. I can now understand why that was such a poor experience. I can’t stand it when we get a noisy table nearby. Unfortunately some people can be so inconsiderate in restaurants and don’t give a damn that they are ruining it for others. My wife gets on edge as well, as she see’s me getting irritated and is anxious that I might say something!

 

I think we might save our steaks for the Beach House. They are usually excellent in there. I hope that you get in to the Glasshouse and have as good an experience as last time. 

With us it's the other way round, Michelle gets angry and I don't like to make a fuss... 

The behaviour of the other guests definitely affected our service. All the attention was on them and we were forgotten. 

I hope it was a one off and your experience is better than ours. 

Make sure you get all your bookings in early, everything was fully booked after the first day, although being a longer cruise, the instant demand might not be as high. 

Andy 

[Selbourne]

17 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

With us it's the other way round, Michelle gets angry and I don't like to make a fuss... 

The behaviour of the other guests definitely affected our service. All the attention was on them and we were forgotten. 

I hope it was a one off and your experience is better than ours. 

Make sure you get all your bookings in early, everything was fully booked after the first day, although being a longer cruise, the instant demand might not be as high. 

Andy 

Thanks Andy. That’s our plan. Thinking about that disruptive group, it’s unusual for groups of guys to go on a cruise. I wonder if they might have been crew, or even some of the entertainment people? We often see groups of crew in the speciality restaurants. Thankfully none has ever caused us any problems, other than it grates a bit when the restaurants are showing as full 🤔

[Winifred 22]

37 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Andy. That’s our plan. Thinking about that disruptive group, it’s unusual for groups of guys to go on a cruise. I wonder if they might have been crew, or even some of the entertainment people? We often see groups of crew in the speciality restaurants. Thankfully none has ever caused us any problems, other than it grates a bit when the restaurants are showing as full 🤔

Only officers are allowed in guest areas and must be in full uniform. It may be other teams such as entertainment but won’t be crew. 

[AndyMichelle]

42 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Andy. That’s our plan. Thinking about that disruptive group, it’s unusual for groups of guys to go on a cruise. I wonder if they might have been crew, or even some of the entertainment people? We often see groups of crew in the speciality restaurants. Thankfully none has ever caused us any problems, other than it grates a bit when the restaurants are showing as full 🤔

Oh how things have changed... 

There are a few groups of men only on here. Various ages and you tend to notice them as they take over venues. 

As prices have dropped, I think the encouragement for a group of mates from the pub/golf club, workmates etc has risen.

It's not quite 'stag do' level but not far off. 

Andy 

[AndyMichelle]

11 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

Only officers are allowed in guest areas and must be in full uniform. It may be other teams such as entertainment but won’t be crew. 

We were just commenting on this today, they seem to have relaxed this rule a bit. 

The rowdy lot were not crew though. 

Andy 

[Angel57]

12 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Oh how things have changed... 

There are a few groups of men only on here. Various ages and you tend to notice them as they take over venues. 

As prices have dropped, I think the encouragement for a group of mates from the pub/golf club, workmates etc has risen.

It's not quite 'stag do' level but not far off. 

Andy 

Oh dear. That is not really the ambiance you want anywhere, let alone in one of the pay for dining areas like Epicurean. I do think it is worth having a quiet word with someone in authority - just so you have indicated your disappointment in the quality of food and service. Sadly there is not a lot they can do about the other passengers…..

However, I do hope you and Michelle are enjoying your cruise, despite the niggles.

Gill

[Gettingwarmer]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

This would be bad enough in the MDR let alone a paid for restaurant

 

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

It is good that are places you are very happy with.

 

4 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

Sadly there is not a lot they can do about the other passengers…..

But they should be doing something, but now money rules the roost and they don't care.

[DamianG]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

I wasn't being evasive, just conscious that our experience will differ to others. 

The Epicurean food and service was just not what we expected or had previously... 

Firstly, no dress code. It was evening casual, we were smart, as we're many others. Others had tatty t shirts, jeans and trainers, not smart casual in my book. 1 party of scruffy guys were so loud, it spoilt the atmosphere. 

The amuse buche was missed completely for us and the pallette cleanser served after we had finished all courses as they forgot us... 

The steak I had was very poor quality and drastically overcooked. I ordered medium rare, it was very well done. 

When I queried it, the answer was that passengers don't usually like to see pink!!! 

Michelle had the pork t bone, it was also overcooked and very dry. The chips, ironically, were undercooked. 

The scallop starter just tasted of pepper. 

The desserts were good. 

No choice of petit fors, just 2 served in a dish. 

We spoke to the manager who said sorry, but that was it. 

We have cancelled our bookings for the other nights without penalty. 

Unfortunately, everything else is fully booked, we will take our chances joining the queue for the Glass House where we received outstanding service and great food. 

Andy 

 

Andy

 

You've always been a champion of saying people should enjoy their cruise their way so it must have been pretty bad for it to spoil your dining experience (especially in a venue where you paid a supplementary charge).

 

It sounds miles off the description on P&O's website:

 

Dining experiences don’t come any finer than Epicurean. Marvel as each exquisite dish, inspired by classic British ingredients and given a modern twist by expert chefs, is presented at your table. The experience is complete with fine wines, flawless service, elegant surroundings and stunning ocean views.

 

I wouldn't let it drop and would make a formal complaint. I've not had cause to do that on many cruises and can let things slide a lot of the time but I wouldn't on this one, particularly because of the supplementary cost.

 

Glad that you are not letting this or the weather spoil things for you, I hope that the rest of the cruise meets or exceeds expectations in every way.

 

Best regards to you both.

 

Damian

[happy v]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Graham. So, just to confirm, if we make all our speciality restaurant bookings when we board, as long as we give at least 24 hours notice we can cancel and it won’t incur any charge whatsoever? 

I can definitely confirm this. I cancelled 5 Epicurean and 1 Sindhu while onboard 

[Selbourne]

36 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

Only officers are allowed in guest areas and must be in full uniform. It may be other teams such as entertainment but won’t be crew. 

Andy has confirmed that it wasn’t crew, but my (albeit technically incorrect) definition of crew is anyone who is being paid for by the cruise line, not all of whom wear a uniform. The reason I asked is that we have seen crew (my term) in most speciality restaurants we have been in (usually, but not always, wearing name badges). Whilst none has caused us issues, we have noticed that they often get the priority attention of the serving staff and Andy’s comments had made me wonder. 

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, happy v said:

I can definitely confirm this. I cancelled 5 Epicurean and 1 Sindhu while onboard 

Thanks. I won’t ask why, as I don’t think I want to know 🫣

[happy v]

6 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. I won’t ask why, as I don’t think I want to know 🫣

It was purely personal choice. I am definitely in the minority regarding Epicurean. I did keep one booking to try the other menu. Sindhu was great but we were on Iona and they only do one menu. So twice was enough

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by happy v