Any news on the MDR upgrades?

[Interestedcruisefan]

Not long ago I remember seeing P and O were trialling more specials on their MDR menus. Which sounded interesting. 

 

A chance to elevate MDR meals for those who want to. 

 

How's that progressing?

 

Any more feedback?

 

Moleochip - do you think that's here to stay?

 

I hope so ?

[molecrochip]

It will depend on what uptake was like. Need people to buy the upgrades otherwise good gets wasted.

 

I’ve not heard anything more.

[Bin man]

Which ships are they trailing these on 

[Interestedcruisefan]

32 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

It will depend on what uptake was like. Need people to buy the upgrades otherwise good gets wasted.

 

I’ve not heard anything more.

I've got to think people will be buying

[Gettingwarmer]

23 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I've got to think people will be buying

Not necessarily. Some people are happy just being fed and not paying for extras just like you like inside cabins and don’t pay for light. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Not necessarily. Some people are happy just being fed and not paying for extras just like you like inside cabins and don’t pay for light. 

I didn't say everybody. But enough to make it last I hope

 

Cruises are great value right now. The savings people can make compared to the old days of cruising must leave people with more money to spend nowadays on extras (if they want to). No problem if they don't want to.  

 

So people who think MDR is not what it was can have the chance to have more exciting courses again now if this stays?

 

Hence I hope it stays. More choice available for those who want it. 

 

Ps - you do get  lights included in inside savers you know?

 

Lol it's not that bad!! 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

15 hours ago, Bin man said:

Which ships are they trailing these on 

Does anybody know which ships are currently trialling this?

[Megabear2]

15 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I've got to think people will be buying

Why? It looks pricey and other options like Beach House offer more choice for same money.

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Why? It looks pricey and other options like Beach House offer more choice for same money.

 

MB I would say by far one of the biggest talking points/complaints we see on here from experienced cruisers is that the choice and quality of MDR is not what it's used to be.

 

You must agree this point is often raised on here?

 

Personally I really enjoyed the MDR food last time I used P and O on Iona. But clearly others think it has declined. And I respect their thoughts on this. 

 

The fact that there are far more speciality dining options on most ships now compared to the past doesn't take away the focus on MDR for some people. Fair enough again

 

Clearly some passengers also like to stick to dining in MDR most of their cruise. Some on shared tables at set times still. And it makes sense - especially for single travellers who  like the social aspect of shared dining in MDR. I've learnt that from others on here myself. They aren't persuaded by me to try speciality dining elsewhere for more choice and quality. They won't be persuaded by you either I doubt. 

 

I personally do like choice and I do like quality. I'm also prepared to pay extra for that on occasions. Like others clearly do with the popularity of the speciality restaurants on ships.

 

If we are being fair back to P and O I think there's no doubt we all accept the cost of cruising with them has decreased QUITE significantly in real terms since the times people are comparing MDR menus too. 

 

P and O rarely seem to get any credit  for the  wider choice of dining in other restaurants on the ships when MDR gets discussed. Again fair enough especially for those who only want to use MDR

 

But if some (not all) people are complaining about MDR choice and quality declining (which comes up regularly on here) then adding special signature dishes to the MDR menus for those who want to take advantage can surely help alleviate those complaints.

Why wouldn't P and O trial this at least?

 

More choice and more quality available?

 

In a world of significant rising costs in fuel, food and labour to have our P and O cruise prices coming down in real term prices  from ten to even twenty plus years ago is pretty incredible IMO.

 

If that means cutbacks - i.e. no turndown and chocolates on bed, no brass bands when the cruise leaves, less MDR choice and quality then you can say fair enough just for the fact we pay far less now. But some still don't say fair enough. 

 

But if we are paying far less and no longer paying tips like before then  for those of us who want to spend some of those savings on upgrades on MDR I  think it's good to have this potential extra choice. 

 

And should go some way to removing ongoing complaints about lack of choice and quality in MDR? Surely. 

 

The speciality courses I saw looked like Celebration Night type courses yet available on standard nights. 

 

To me it's a good thing for all concerned to have more choice and quality available on MDR.  And should take away one large complaint about any potential decline in MDR menus.

 

Why not have higher end food available in MDRs every night? Other cruise lines do it at higher prices where we still pay tips as well?

 

Don't you like and welcome the extra choice it will give?

 

Those who want to use it can use it. Those that don't want to don't have to?

 

I like choice myself.

 

I really hope the  trial works and it stays. Hence my questions for any updates online this

Edited October 23, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[happy v]

I didn't know about this trial until you mentioned it. I would be interested in paying extra for some things. Like set menus always have something which is extra. This would be especially welcome on Arcadia and Aurora where there aren't so many speciality restaurants 

.

[Interestedcruisefan]

Most restaurants you go in nowadays actually have surcharges for extra sides let alone special starters or main course or desserts etc

 

(Which itself might be something for cruises to potentially consider should they want to re-introduce more extravagant veg accompaniments)

 

For the first time ever the other  week I had to pay extra for stuffing with a Sunday lunch!!

 

Having said that it was really nice stuffing and it was enough for 4 people. Whereas it seemed really exploitative when I first saw it for 4.95 extra! To add to a roast main course costing 18.95. 

 

Many set menus In restaurants away from cruising have more expensive items (fillet steak, normally a more expensive fish dish etc) available for a surcharge on top of advertised price

 

It's just the norm now for restaurants. And has been for some time. 

 

From a business point of view it's been well proven with marketing research now that consumers prefer cheaper costs with add ons they can choose to have rather than higher price with the extras they could choose all included from the outset.

 

We've recently discussed on here one place it's frowned upon is flight costs where the extras you have to add on are considered far more a necessity than a personal choice

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

Basically cutbacks for me are fair enough to allow prices to be so low in real times.

 

Providing what we still get is acceptable. That's important of course. (Some call MDR average or ok now, some call it mediocre, some call it good. Few call it great)

 

But then having the choice to elevate it should you wish seems a good compromise to me for all of us. And like I say even a quality turndown service could return to P and O for those who value it.

 

Which has reminded me of something else. High end cocktail bars have snack menus now where you pay to add nibble to your cocktails. It allows you to add some high end nibble should you choose. 

 

Everything has a cost but people could have the choice to stil pay that cost and recover any quality they feel may have been taken away with the reduction in costs and what they consider cutbacks?

 

 

[davecttr]

36 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Basically cutbacks for me are fair enough to allow prices to be so low in real times.

 

Providing what we still get is acceptable. That's important of course. (Some call MDR average or ok now, some call it mediocre, some call it good. Few call it great)

 

But then having the choice to elevate it should you wish seems a good compromise to me for all of us. And like I say even a quality turndown service could return to P and O for those who value it.

 

Which has reminded me of something else. High end cocktail bars have snack menus now where you pay to add nibble to your cocktails. It allows you to add some high end nibble should you choose. 

 

Everything has a cost but people could have the choice to stil pay that cost and recover any quality they feel may have been taken away with the reduction in costs and what they consider cutbacks?

 

 

Only if the nibbles are served individually. When bar snacks were common testing revealed the presence of human urine and excrement, good riddance IMO.

 

Or just buy a packet of crisps or nuts.

Edited October 23, 2023 by davecttr

[kalos]

The "upsell"  has been around quite a while, if I wanted to nip over to Ireland then

I choose Ryan Air as I only want a seat for the 30-40 minutes flight.

Going any further then it's someone like Jet2 with the baggage included.

Gone are the days when Britannia would let you choose your seat give you meals,

hot towels etc, but at a cost. Some would argue they were a victim of the upsell.

 

Upsell/upgrades are ok providing they do not interfere with the "as standard"

offerings ,like we have just seen with Princess cruises and their pizza's that 

now come at a cost .

 

The thing is we all have the option to shop around and do what is value to us .

We can all take it or leave it ,the choice is always ours .

[Interestedcruisefan]

36 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Only if the nibbles are served individually. When bar snacks were common testing revealed the presence of human urine and excrement, good riddance IMO.

 

Of course

 

Served to order at a price

[Interestedcruisefan]

34 minutes ago, kalos said:

The thing is we all have the option to shop around and do what is value to us .

We can all take it or leave it ,the choice is always ours .

That's why I welcome the choice for us should we all get it post the current trial in MDRs

 

Another choice that could elevate existing cruise experience for those who want it

 

When looking what other cruiselines do I've seen complaints about the adding of tips on Celebrity (currently 18 US dollars per person per night)

 

People stating that the prices should be transparent and these need adding  in to upfront prices rather than adding after the event

 

Are tips optional on other lines and can be removed?

 

Are the other cruise lines not being transparent by keeping tips as add ons rather than part of the price? 

 

A cruiser on Celebrity complained a cruise they paid 1700 Us dollars for added 500 Us dollars in tips

 

(Nearly 30 per cent to the cost)

Edited October 23, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Pine Man]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Personally I really enjoyed the MDR food last time I used P and O on Iona.

Just come back from a cruise on Britannia and the food in the MDR was exceptional. The best we've had for years and the service was brilliant.

[jeanlyon]

7 minutes ago, Pine Man said:

Just come back from a cruise on Britannia and the food in the MDR was exceptional. The best we've had for years and the service was brilliant.

What did you find so exceptional?  Just off Aurora and although some nights, the food was good, the choice on other nights was dismal.  Roast beef, roast pork collar (whatever that is), and bream.  Tell me what dishes you liked?  On the last night I had sweet & sour chicken with stir fried veg and rice.  It was lovely, but good different dishes were few and far between.

Edited October 23, 2023 by jeanlyon

[Bill Y]

A lot of ordinary people were first attracted to cruising in the past by the fact that your room (cabin) moved with you so only unpacking once despite visiting multiple places and the fact that whether you booked a inside cabin or an owners suite you had a sitting in a MDR eating the same food and enjoying the same entertainment. We now have upselling to speciality restaurants and on some ships paying to see performances that are only available in chargeable venues. I do not have a problem with people wishing to pay for these extra "upgrades" or indeed spending money in the spa. Where I am concerned are reports of the MDR offerings being dumbed down to encourage upselling. I can’t but help feeling these "upgrades" in the MDRs or indeed if they are introduced in the theatre will be the thin end of the wedge, as other options will be removed from menu to accommodate them if I am feeling generous or more likely force the upsell due to lack of choice. People have stated that they feel that the meat choices have declined to accommodate vegetarian and vegan options. There are plenty of speciality restaurants/bars that could accommodate these offerings. I feel that I am not the profile that P&O wishes to attract now and they probably think that my cruising days are numbered.

[LifeonMars]

Off Ventura and believe it or not half a sausage was served  (Cut longways  and placed on the plate) so it looked like a whole one on the plate at breakfast time in MDR. 

Also the kitchen were unable to deliver soft poached eggs to the table.

[Eglesbrech]

4 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Why? It looks pricey and other options like Beach House offer more choice for same money.

While I agree entirely about the Beach House it’s not always possible to get booked.

[jeanlyon]

15 minutes ago, Bill Y said:

A lot of ordinary people were first attracted to cruising in the past by the fact that your room (cabin) moved with you so only unpacking once despite visiting multiple places and the fact that whether you booked a inside cabin or an owners suite you had a sitting in a MDR eating the same food and enjoying the same entertainment. We now have upselling to speciality restaurants and on some ships paying to see performances that are only available in chargeable venues. I do not have a problem with people wishing to pay for these extra "upgrades" or indeed spending money in the spa. Where I am concerned are reports of the MDR offerings being dumbed down to encourage upselling. I can’t but help feeling these "upgrades" in the MDRs or indeed if they are introduced in the theatre will be the thin end of the wedge, as other options will be removed from menu to accommodate them if I am feeling generous or more likely force the upsell due to lack of choice. People have stated that they feel that the meat choices have declined to accommodate vegetarian and vegan options. There are plenty of speciality restaurants/bars that could accommodate these offerings. I feel that I am not the profile that P&O wishes to attract now and they probably think that my cruising days are numbered.

have to agree with you.   I don't feel cruises are any cheaper than they were 6 years ago, but the food has definitely gone down and I think it is deliberate to get you to go to the charged for venues.  For me, the Beach House menu doesn't appeal at all.  We used to love Sorrento which did Italian dishes for a small cover charge.  One night on this cruise when the rest of our table went to the Beach House, we went to the buffet and actually had a very good meal which loads of choice.  If we hadn't had such a good, fun table, we might have eaten in there more often.  They had Italian night, Asian night, Tex-Mex.

[jeanlyon]

By the way what is an MDR upgrade?  Extra dishes in the MDR which you pay for?  How on earth would that work>

[Britboys]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Basically cutbacks for me are fair enough to allow prices to be so low in real times.

 

Providing what we still get is acceptable. That's important of course. (Some call MDR average or ok now, some call it mediocre, some call it good. Few call it great)

 

But then having the choice to elevate it should you wish seems a good compromise to me for all of us. And like I say even a quality turndown service could return to P and O for those who value it.

 

Which has reminded me of something else. High end cocktail bars have snack menus now where you pay to add nibble to your cocktails. It allows you to add some high end nibble should you choose. 

 

Everything has a cost but people could have the choice to stil pay that cost and recover any quality they feel may have been taken away with the reduction in costs and what they consider cutbacks?

 

 

I understand what you say and agree with much of it but feel it is more complicated than that due to the nature of P&O's fleet and the diversity of their passenger demographic.

Cruising with P&O can be a pretty cheap holiday if, for instance two of you are travelling and you are happy sailing on the larger ships, especially in an inside cabin. On the other hand, if you wish to cruise on one of the two smaller ships and in a balcony cabin, it's certainly not so cheap. Even more so if you are sailing solo.

Other issues are the age/attitude of their more long-term pax and the fact that some of us who have a long-term history with P&O find the plethora of changes over recent years hard to like.

I personally don't have any real (significant) complaints about the current quality of food on P&O but very much notice the reduced choice for my particular tastes. This is in itself a result of cutbacks in that vegan/vegetarian and low sugar dishes were previously on a separate menu and obviously incorporating them into the main menu will be a cost saving.

I certainly would not welcome additional cost dishes being placed on the mdr menus but appreciate that it may well be attractive to cruisers new to P&O or to those picking up 'cheap' fares on the likes of Arvia & Iona. I also fully appreciate we all have a choice and that's probably why I don't have any cruises booked with P&O at present.

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, kalos said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Bill Y said:

A lot of ordinary people were first attracted to cruising in the past by the fact that your room (cabin) moved with you so only unpacking once despite visiting multiple places and the fact that whether you booked a inside cabin or an owners suite you had a sitting in a MDR eating the same food and enjoying the same entertainment. We now have upselling to speciality restaurants and on some ships paying to see performances that are only available in chargeable venues. I do not have a problem with people wishing to pay for these extra "upgrades" or indeed spending money in the spa. Where I am concerned are reports of the MDR offerings being dumbed down to encourage upselling. I can’t but help feeling these "upgrades" in the MDRs or indeed if they are introduced in the theatre will be the thin end of the wedge, as other options will be removed from menu to accommodate them if I am feeling generous or more likely force the upsell due to lack of choice. People have stated that they feel that the meat choices have declined to accommodate vegetarian and vegan options. There are plenty of speciality restaurants/bars that could accommodate these offerings. I feel that I am not the profile that P&O wishes to attract now and they probably think that my cruising days are numbered.

Where in the above though Bill do you account for the fact the cost of cruising is way more affordable now compared to the past. Especially on P and O?

 

Which has to be a HUGE part of this discussion.

 

Could normal people even afford to cruise anywhere near as many nights as they can now in the past?

 

How much more money would you be  prepared to pay upfront to cruise with P and O so that speciality meals come as standard food in MDR?

 

And would you like the tips re-instated on P and O at the same time?

 

For any things that are no longer included surely we've all been given far more back and far more choices as fares have fallen so low and tips been removed?

 

If prices had increase with inflation alongside tips we once paid can you imagine what we would be paying now?

 

If that had happened then I think I would have to totally agree with your points. But the opposite has happened. Prices have just got lower and lower? Unheard of anywhere else in the tourist industry. 

 

Also I can still go on a P and O Ship and eat food in any restaurant and enjoy any entertainment  even if I book inside saver

 

Not being able to do that on Cunard has put me off their ships. Do other cruise lines have places inside savers can't go? 

 

(I realise I can't use Epicurean for breakfast on an inside saver)

 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan