Christmas and New Year Cruises

[WestonOne]

(I did a search for "Christmas" and nothing like this came up)

 

We have cruised a fair bit on P+O (Caribbean loyalty level) but for the first time have booked one over Christmas and New Year. It is on Aurora, and so adults only.

I assume there will be some decorative differences, but what else should we expect to be different to any other cruise?  I would guess at a Christmas meal, for example, but will it be very similar to the others dinners, or, for example, will it be more elaborate, with more courses, perhaps a drink included, and so forth?

What else will there be?
 

Edited January 27 by WestonOne

[PurpleMoonlight]

I'm recently back from Ventura's new year cruise. New years eve dinner included an extra couple of courses, and a free glass of wine.

 

I was on Oriana many years ago for Christmas & New Year. Christmas dinner was poor, and have never forgiven them for only one roast potato on the plate. 😡

[WestonOne]

One potato?  My wife will be thinking we should cancel!!

What other differences were there?  Entertainment or activities, for example.

Edited January 27 by WestonOne

[david63]

1 minute ago, WestonOne said:

One potato?

That would go with the three spouts that we had on our Christmas cruise a few years back.

 

2 minutes ago, WestonOne said:

What other differences were there?  Entertainment or activities, for example

On our Christmas cruise on Arcadia we had a feeling that Christmas was an interruption to "normal" business. Yes there were some Christmas themed activities but basically it would be something like the usual quiz but with Christmas questions.

 

There was a service in the theatre on Christmas Day and many passengers were wearing Christmas jumper - some also decorating their cabin door. We had the pleasure of standing on deck in the cold watching Sant climb down the ship's funnel.

 

I don't remember any "free" drinks but we did get a Christmas present.

[PurpleMoonlight]

16 minutes ago, WestonOne said:

One potato?  My wife will be thinking we should cancel!!

What other differences were there?  Entertainment or activities, for example.

 

Nothing specific that I can recall.

[Camberley]

We did a Christmas and New Year cruise the other year on Iona and sadly Christmas dinner itself in the MDR was far from being a celebratory affair. The starters and dessert were pleasant in a standard pub/Toby carvery way, but the main was a disappointment: meagre portions, indifferent waterlogged vegetables (not far off tinned in terms of flavour!), dry and uncrunchy roast potatoes………just poor! I thought I saw Aunt Bessie at another table: I’d have dragged her into the kitchen to cook!

 

There was a special meal on New Year’s eve but we opted for Epicurean instead and had a fabulous meal that was in keeping with the celebratory nature of it all.
 

But the atmosphere on ship was glorious: there were some lovely carol concerts and the like and P&O captured the magic of Christmas really well.

Edited January 27 by Camberley

[sddsddean]

We have been on ships for the last two Christmases.

Xmas '22 we were on Ventura for a 5 week cruise to the Caribbean. Food had not been good from the off and lots of people were complaining. I was dying to meet the Exec Chef so I could tell him how to cook a roast potato!! Anyway, Xmas dinner was OK, except for main course (2 slices turkey, 1 'roast' potato that was more like a big boiled potato, 2 (count them!) 2 brussels sprouts, half a carrot, one pile of brown stuff that I think was stuffing, another pile of brown stuff(?) and something that looked like half a fish finger that I couldn't identify!!) and then we had dessert. I had a trio of chocolate desserts (fine), someone had Xmas pud (which they said was fine) and someone opted for sherry trifle as "I haven't had that in years". What turned up was 2 digestive biscuits with 3 strawberries and some whipped cream. We said to the waiter "whats this" and he said it was the chefs deconstructed sherry trifle (with no jelly, custard, sherry or trifle!!)

So this Xmas '23 we went on Iona...lightning couldn't strike twice, could it? All meals were fine...except Xmas! First,  you were asked 2 months before what sitting you would like (5.30 or 8.30). Despite asking for 5.30, we got 8.30, but as some people would have booked speciality restaurants, we asked to be changed, which we did. So 5.30 in Horizon buffet, which was set up as a MDR...tablecloths, waiter service etc and 4 bottles of wine on a table for 4(2 red, 2 white) which was a surprise!...a bottle each (and boy, did we need it!). The meal was much the same as the year before and service was desperately slow (table next to us had finished their main course before we even got ours!)

Now what gets me, is why do they have to bugger up Xmas day dinner in this way. Why not just make it a Celebration night with one of the options being turkey dinner? They know how to do this...if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.

So in conclusion, I'd say, the cruise as such will be fine, but don't hold out too much hope on Xmas day dinner.

 

Simon

[Fionboard]

Xmas dinner on Arcadia was excellent. New Year one not so good but fireworks made up for it !  Great cruise. Booked Aurora for this year. 

[Red Ray]

We tend to cruise every other Christmas - best Queen Mary 2 in 2022, worst by far Marella in 2019. That Christmas day lunch took 40 minutes from start to finish & we didn't even get a mince pie. The culmination of the worst cruise we have ever been on in 20 years.

 

Looking at Aurora for this year as we don't do kids.

[AndyMichelle]

On 1/28/2024 at 11:46 AM, sddsddean said:

We have been on ships for the last two Christmases.

Xmas '22 we were on Ventura for a 5 week cruise to the Caribbean. Food had not been good from the off and lots of people were complaining. I was dying to meet the Exec Chef so I could tell him how to cook a roast potato!! Anyway, Xmas dinner was OK, except for main course (2 slices turkey, 1 'roast' potato that was more like a big boiled potato, 2 (count them!) 2 brussels sprouts, half a carrot, one pile of brown stuff that I think was stuffing, another pile of brown stuff(?) and something that looked like half a fish finger that I couldn't identify!!) and then we had dessert. I had a trio of chocolate desserts (fine), someone had Xmas pud (which they said was fine) and someone opted for sherry trifle as "I haven't had that in years". What turned up was 2 digestive biscuits with 3 strawberries and some whipped cream. We said to the waiter "whats this" and he said it was the chefs deconstructed sherry trifle (with no jelly, custard, sherry or trifle!!)

So this Xmas '23 we went on Iona...lightning couldn't strike twice, could it? All meals were fine...except Xmas! First,  you were asked 2 months before what sitting you would like (5.30 or 8.30). Despite asking for 5.30, we got 8.30, but as some people would have booked speciality restaurants, we asked to be changed, which we did. So 5.30 in Horizon buffet, which was set up as a MDR...tablecloths, waiter service etc and 4 bottles of wine on a table for 4(2 red, 2 white) which was a surprise!...a bottle each (and boy, did we need it!). The meal was much the same as the year before and service was desperately slow (table next to us had finished their main course before we even got ours!)

Now what gets me, is why do they have to bugger up Xmas day dinner in this way. Why not just make it a Celebration night with one of the options being turkey dinner? They know how to do this...if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.

So in conclusion, I'd say, the cruise as such will be fine, but don't hold out too much hope on Xmas day dinner.

 

Simon

Thank you, I laughed out loud at the 'deconstructed sherry trifle' with no sherry etc... 😂

[pennib]

Having spent most of the last 10 years or so on P&O Christmas cruises, the one in 2023 is definitely our last with them. We went to the Epicurean for our dinner on 25 December and it was very poor, in fact our drinking friends who went to the MDR did better than us and they got amuse buche and sorbet between courses and said their meal was very good.  Ours, for which we paid extra of course was very poor. Even the main course was uninspiring. In fact the whole ship (Britannia) seemed lacking in Christmas spirit. What a shame.

[Peppers mum]

We have spent almost every Christmas and New Year for the last 10 years, aboard a P & O ship, Britannia, Iona, Azura and this year Arvia.

We have no complaints whatsoever and indeed this year there was even a bottle of wine per couple on every table in the MDR on both Christmas day and NYE which we've never seen previously! 

I personally don't like the commercialism of Christmas in the UK these days and the pressure on people to have the "perfect day", it's actually a very sad and lonely time for many people and the media has a lot to answer for imo.

Anyway we have always found the ships to be beautifully decorated, the gingerbread villages that the chefs create are a work of art, there is a religious service if that is for you, a Carol service and even a pantomime - oh no there isn't, oh yes there is!!

You can participate in as much or as little as is for you. 

For me it's lying on my sunbed with a glass of fizz and a good book!! 

Oh and Santa will arrive on Christmas eve if you've been good!

Julie

 

Edited January 29 by Peppers mum
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