..."they have set a standard which their paying passengers have come to expect,"
and "Perhaps if they were more upfront and honest about the issues they are currently having and the resulting impact on customer satisfaction, people would be more understanding."
I think that Happy Afloat has nailed the situation very well. Personally, I'd be willing to pay maybe 10% extra to return to pre Covid levels. And why on earth can't P&O come clean and explain why the food quality and choice has fallen and shows no signs of returning to the standards of a few years ago?