terrierjohn

I must admit I swore I would never use a kindle or tablet to read a book, but lockdown and libraries closing, made me try downloading to my tablet from the library, and I still do.

We have the £50 plus package for our May Sky cruise, which is equivalent to the $60 one, although we booked on a 50% off offer. However on checking our package on the medallion app, it does state that we need to pay extra to receive all the new benefits of the plus package.

It's more likely that they will charge lower prices on the newer bigger ships, that's certainly the case in the UK with P&Os big 3, where the break even point is much lower because of the extra numbers, giving them much more flexibility with pricing.

Only in your opinion Dai, as a Yorkshireman I must have different ideas of food quality, because ,IMO it has declined in both choice and quality, since the pre C era.

Oh, so that is the reason the MDR food and service quality has reduced in P&O. So why is it OK in Princess,and presumably HAL, Carnival, AIDA and possibly Costa.

They weren't when I had the wild boar loin in Epicurean!!!!!

I guess the charter numbers are based on all passengers taking the flights, and they therefore factor that into the cruise fare. As a result they would be flying with empty seats and losing money if they reduce the price for anyone not using the chartered flight..

Maybe they were making far too much profit in the old days? However since by far the biggest cost factor for any firm today is labour, then I would argue that the staffing to passenger ratio is far lower today, primarily due to cruise ships now having far more passengers, and it's only right than customers should enjoy some of this benefit, and I imagine ICF would agree that food costs make up a very small part of the restaurant sales price, so there is no excuse for cruise lines to scrimp on the quality.

It's alright to stress the price difference between P&O and other lines, and equate that with a comparison of a Ford vs a BMW, however in todays market you do expect the Ford to provide you with an engine and brakes that work, and a car that performs better than the one you just traded in, even if it's not as luxurious as a BMW. What you dont expect or in fact get, is a car that's not fit for purpose, whereas I maintain that the current worst examples of P&Os MDR meals and menus, are way below an acceptable standard, as compared with years gone by.

We sailed on Sky Princess in July, and had no problems in the buffet without trays. So my initial concerns proved unfounded, it did necessitate 2 journeys, as I have to collect my wifes as well, however hot drinks and juices were brought round by waiters, so that helped.

One of my Mums favourite expressions was "a little bit of dirt never hurt anyone", which I always thought a bit odd when she was so house pround, and even pumiced the front step.

But you should get both cruises with a 10% discount on a B2B, so that's a saving.

The standard airports will be London based, probably Gatwick.possibly Stansted, or even less likely Heathrow. The regional airports are always at an extra cost, so it's unlikely you would be booked on one of these. Most of the flights are chartered to P&O, but some could be on scheduled flights, in either case they would hold the ship until all passengers are on board, or in extreme circumstances they would arrange for you to fly to the first port, and also arrange overnight accommodation.

Presumanly that will be time dependant as it was before covid, so at peak times you will still be given a pager.

I am sure that dessert, are one very similar, used to be on the MDR menus.

Ah but did it tickle your taste buds, or just fill a hole in your hunger pans.😯

Celebrity used to have filet mignon in the MDR as a standard offering on formal nights, and it was delicious.

TBH that has always been the case, the quality of food preparation varies with the ships head chef. The very best chefs will oversee all aspects of the preparation, and ensure its presentation is consistently high.

Third quarter Caibbean cruises are always a bit cheaper, but first quarter generally are at a premium. So it will be interesting to see if this winter season follows suit.

Quite likely many will be new cruisers taking advantage of some low priced offers, it remains to be seen how many of these are turned into regular repeat cruisers, which is what Arvia and Iona need.

I have already given you a response on this claim, but as @JeanieC,Aston pointed out, the OP wanted to know if the complaints about the MDR having declined since covid were true. My answer would be yes it has, even though it won't put me off booking with P&O in the future.

Celebrity Eclipse pre 2017 came very close to fine dining in their MDR, their rack of lamb was delicious. But that was probably because the lamb chops were huge and not the minuscule ones that P&O offer. Furthermore at that time the cruise prices were very similar, and I have the spread sheet that confirms that.

I doubt Carnival would let TUI off the hook, if they had a water tight contract for TUI to provide the charter aircraft. So presumably any default by TUI has pushed the onus back on P&O to find alternatives.

I personally think that's a bit OTT, we wash towels at home once a week, and I have never thought we were a mucky family.

Many hotels now offer free wi fi to all their guests, so perhaps we should be pressuring Paul Ludlow to follow suit. 😊