Dining options

[labellover]

I'm new to cruising and I am so confused about dining etiquette! We have booked a saver option to sail on Britannia in Sept. It says our dining arrangements will be confirmed on board, but the travel agent says we will be very unlikely to get the freedom dining. If we get a fixed dining time I was planning onjust going if we felt like it and eating somewhere else if we didn't, but I have been told that is very bad form as people will be waiting for us. Is it ok to just go on the first night and tell our fellow diners that we might eat in the buffet most nights as hubby doesn't want to change out of his shorts, so if we are not there, please start without us. Or is that still bad etiquette as people might end up at an empty table? Do we need to notify the maitre d every night that we won't be going?

[dgs1956]

I'm new to cruising and I am so confused about dining etiquette! We have booked a saver option to sail on Britannia in Sept. It says our dining arrangements will be confirmed on board, but the travel agent says we will be very unlikely to get the freedom dining. If we get a fixed dining time I was planning onjust going if we felt like it and eating somewhere else if we didn't, but I have been told that is very bad form as people will be waiting for us. Is it ok to just go on the first night and tell our fellow diners that we might eat in the buffet most nights as hubby doesn't want to change out of his shorts, so if we are not there, please start without us. Or is that still bad etiquette as people might end up at an empty table? Do we need to notify the maitre d every night that we won't be going?

 

You will be allocated dining on board but there are two Freedom and one Club restaurant so you will have a good chance of Freedom and if you don't get it you can request a change. IF you were on Club I would suggest you do just tell your diners you may use the Buffet regularly. It is your choice after all.

However, regardless of whether its Freedom or Club, you cannot wear shorts.

[daiB]

I'm new to cruising and I am so confused about dining etiquette! We have booked a saver option to sail on Britannia in Sept. It says our dining arrangements will be confirmed on board, but the travel agent says we will be very unlikely to get the freedom dining. If we get a fixed dining time I was planning onjust going if we felt like it and eating somewhere else if we didn't, but I have been told that is very bad form as people will be waiting for us. Is it ok to just go on the first night and tell our fellow diners that we might eat in the buffet most nights as hubby doesn't want to change out of his shorts, so if we are not there, please start without us. Or is that still bad etiquette as people might end up at an empty table? Do we need to notify the maitre d every night that we won't be going?

 

 

That is fine only you cannot wear shorts in the buffet at night. So you gain nothing by not going to the dining room.

[labellover]

Thanks for the replies. SO if we don't fancy eating at our allocated time, but have warned our fellow diners on the first night, then it is fine to not turn up? Our travel agent assured us that the dress code didn't apply to the buffet or pool restaurants on Brittania. Hubby will not be best pleased at that one! Hopefully I can persuade him to keep his moaning down to a minimum when others are in earshot.

Thanks

[dgs1956]

Thanks for the replies. SO if we don't fancy eating at our allocated time, but have warned our fellow diners on the first night, then it is fine to not turn up? Our travel agent assured us that the dress code didn't apply to the buffet or pool restaurants on Brittania. Hubby will not be best pleased at that one! Hopefully I can persuade him to keep his moaning down to a minimum when others are in earshot.

Thanks

 

The Travel Agent probably means the Formal Dress code doesn't apply in the Buffet.

Sorry, but if he is moaning then it'll be to people not wearing shorts or even in Dinner Suits. P&O isn't over the top with dress codes and I personally wouldn't want to dine or go to the bars or theatre in shorts I had worn all day. Maybe you'll have to talk him round before you go.

[moqui_girl]

It is polite to let people know that you won't be dining with them every night. However, on all but one of our past cruises we've had people not turn up on the first night (or at all) or they've just decided to eat somewhere else on one of the other nights. None of them felt the need to let us know unless they had made specific arrangements, say for speciality dinning, which they knew ahead of time. If people don't turn up within 10 or so minutes we just carry on without them and don't think anything of it.

[Scriv]

I think it would be courteous to inform your dining companions if you are on Fixed Dining and also your waiters so that they know not to hold the others up if you do not appear on time.

[balf]

It is polite to let people know that you won't be dining with them every night. However, on all but one of our past cruises we've had people not turn up on the first night (or at all) or they've just decided to eat somewhere else on one of the other nights. None of them felt the need to let us know unless they had made specific arrangements, say for speciality dinning, which they knew ahead of time. If people don't turn up within 10 or so minutes we just carry on without them and don't think anything of it.

 

 

Yes, sometimes you might make a very last minute decision to dine elsewhere so you can't let the table know you won't be there. We just tell table companions to order as normal, assuming we won't be dining MD rm. that evening.

 

It's not the diners who don't turn up that are the problem it's the 15 minute late to table ones. The waiters simply delay serving mains until all can be served together, so everyone finishes up waiting anyway.

 

David.

[lebreos]

Yes, sometimes you might make a very last minute decision to dine elsewhere so you can't let the table know you won't be there. We just tell table companions to order as normal, assuming we won't be dining MD rm. that evening.

 

It's not the diners who don't turn up that are the problem it's the 15 minute late to table ones. The waiters simply delay serving mains until all can be served together, so everyone finishes up waiting anyway.

 

David.

 

Having been on the receiving end of this and you are on fixed dining please request a change to freedom dining ( at least you will have the option of going when you want or not at all) or tell the table or maitre'd as the service for the table suffers and the remaining diners would not be happy.

[jeanlyon]

He is going to feel very out of place anywhere on the ship in shorts in the evening? An ordinary pair of long trousers is fine. Surely that is possible?

 

We turned up at 8.25 for the first 4 evenings on Adonia, only to find all our companions already there and tapping their watches, although they were laughing. It was only then we discovered that evening Club dining on Adonia is 8.15. It has always been 8.30 on every other ship. We just didn't check! LOL

[Presto2]

Hi we've just come back from Britannia and never saw anyone eating the evening meal in shorts. If hubby is worried tell him to think more in line with a Beefeater Pub so smart jeans and a t shirt in the buffet area in the evening will be fine. Britannia is a lovely ship....have a great time.

[john watson]

I see no problem in saying on first night if we are not here on time just start; to the waiters and your dining companions. They will know where they are and can just bash on. Shorts in the evening is a bit no no in my opinion.

 

Regards John

[labellover]

Thanks for the advice. I will make sure we let people know if we won't be there. I had no idea that shorts would be such an issue in the buffet. We actually went to our local Beefeater with some friends last night and half the men there were wearing shorts. Is there anywhere he can wear his shorts to eat other than room service? Most nights he will wear trousers, but he definitely won't want to do it every night, particularly after specifically asking the travel agent if it would be ok.

[Florry]

Hi we never eat in the MDR on the first night as I have a food allergy. I have always gone to let them know I won't be going but it's hit and miss whether the table receive the message and on Ventura the staff just said "no need to let us know" but I did try! We split our arrangements between speciality, buffet and MDR, on our Britannia cruise we only ate in the MDR on the three formals but we told the table that was our preference so they didn't wait.

[Presto2]

Thanks for the advice. I will make sure we let people know if we won't be there. I had no idea that shorts would be such an issue in the buffet. We actually went to our local Beefeater with some friends last night and half the men there were wearing shorts. Is there anywhere he can wear his shorts to eat other than room service? Most nights he will wear trousers, but he definitely won't want to do it every night, particularly after specifically asking the travel agent if it would be ok.

 

Ok, think Beefeater in Spring .... I don't think there is any where to eat in shorts in the evening sorry but i could be wrong. I've never seen anyone eating out for an evening meal in shorts locally in a Beefeater or Brewers Fayre type pub to be honest let alone on P&O so am probably not the best one to ask. The best ones to ask for advice are P&O :-)

[daiB]

Thanks for the advice. I will make sure we let people know if we won't be there. I had no idea that shorts would be such an issue in the buffet. We actually went to our local Beefeater with some friends last night and half the men there were wearing shorts. Is there anywhere he can wear his shorts to eat other than room service? Most nights he will wear trousers, but he definitely won't want to do it every night, particularly after specifically asking the travel agent if it would be ok.

 

 

You clearly have been given some very bad information by your TA who clearly has no clue about P&O cruising. There is nowhere on the ship you can dine wearing shorts apart from your cabin.

[davecttr]

On Ventura the covered pool area beside the buffet has tables etc and is used as an al fresco dining area. You can dine there in your shorts in the evening as you are not in the buffet. Of course you can't actually go into the buffet to collect your food ;)

 

Thinks, the same applies to Oriana, you can sit outside at the terrace bar area and get your food brought out to you. As it is 'open deck' and not part of the buffet you can wear shorts :)

 

Eeek, what have i started :eek::eek::eek:

[Scriv]

labellover,I am really very surprised that you have chosen a cruising holiday if your husband has such strong feelings about not even changing into long trousers in the evening. It's a pity that the TA did not pick up on this and advise you accordingly.

[mandylennon]

I seem to recall my teenage sons (15 and 17) wearing shorts in the buffet in the evening. If they are smart long shorts worn with a decent shirt I don't think the waiters in the buffet will not let you in. In our experience if you go early there aren't many staff around, just try it and see if he gets asked to change, no problem. We did 2 out of 3 formal nights on our 14 day cruise and went to the buffet on the third formal night, there were only a handful of people eating with not many staff on.

[labellover]

labellover,I am really very surprised that you have chosen a cruising holiday if your husband has such strong feelings about not even changing into long trousers in the evening. It's a pity that the TA did not pick up on this and advise you accordingly.

 

He has no problem with changing into long trousers for the formal nights or when eating in the MDR. It is just occasionally he likes to spend an evening sat in the late sun doing a crossword. He likes to wear smart shorts and a shirt to do this and doesn't want to have to get changed into trousers for the meal and then change back again afterwards. We have never struggled when on land to find a casual restaurant where plenty of people were wearing shorts, especially in the Med. We really didn't think it would be an issue in a buffet restaurant and the travel agent agreed. However, if that is the dress code then he will stick to it and next time we will use a different travel agent and try to find a different cruiseline that doesn't view a man in shorts with the same distaste as a man walking around in just a pair of dirty Y fronts :)

 

Thanks to all for the advise about the set dining times, if we can't switch to freedom dining then we will make sure that we notify staff and fellow diners if we won't be attending.

[majortom10]

It simple really if you read the P&O brochure and look in the A-Z of cruising section under dress codes it tells you for Smart Casual evenings that shorts are not allowed. When Formal in MDR the buffet is Smart Casual and which P&O state that shorts are not allowed.

[ormy]

Part of the cruise experience is to dress up a little for dinner - as previous poster points out no shorts is in the brochure, on posts and generally accepted by everyone, if you don't want to dress for dinner give cruises a miss.

[labellover]

It simple really if you read the P&O brochure and look in the A-Z of cruising section under dress codes it tells you for Smart Casual evenings that shorts are not allowed. When Formal in MDR the buffet is Smart Casual and which P&O state that shorts are not allowed.

 

We didn't have a brochure as the travel agent had run out (we won't be using them again!), but we did look at the FAQ section on the website before we booked and one of the FAQs is "Does the dress code apply to all areas of the ship?" where it clearly lists the areas that it applies,and states that if you wish to dress more casually you can go to the Horizon restaurant. It doesn't state that it is only the formal dress code that doesn't apply. My husband will change into long trousers if everybody is so offended by the sight of his calves, but it definitely could be clearer on the website.

[dgs1956]

We didn't have a brochure as the travel agent had run out (we won't be using them again!), but we did look at the FAQ section on the website before we booked and one of the FAQs is "Does the dress code apply to all areas of the ship?" where it clearly lists the areas that it applies,and states that if you wish to dress more casually you can go to the Horizon restaurant. It doesn't state that it is only the formal dress code that doesn't apply. My husband will change into long trousers if everybody is so offended by the sight of his calves, but it definitely could be clearer on the website.

 

I really hope this doesn't spoil your cruise. You must feel that everyone is having a go at you. Cruising really isn't as formal as it sounds although the majority do observe the Formal Dress Code for Formal Nights the Smart Casual Dress Code is pretty relaxed apart from the shorts. I assume you know these Dress Codes only apply in the evening and shorts are no problem during the day although no swimwear is allowed in the restaurants. I hope you enjoy your cruise and would love to hear what you both thought of it on your return.

[labellover]

I really hope this doesn't spoil your cruise. You must feel that everyone is having a go at you. Cruising really isn't as formal as it sounds although the majority do observe the Formal Dress Code for Formal Nights the Smart Casual Dress Code is pretty relaxed apart from the shorts. I assume you know these Dress Codes only apply in the evening and shorts are no problem during the day although no swimwear is allowed in the restaurants. I hope you enjoy your cruise and would love to hear what you both thought of it on your return.

 

Thank you, It just feels like everyone is saying i'm stupid, but before we booked I asked friends who had been on a cruise with P&O who said they, and plenty of other people wore shorts in the buffet in the evenings. They were on a different ship and were travelling with kids- I don't know if that makes a difference or if they were unwittingly breaking the dress code. I also asked the travel agent and checked the FAQs on the website, so it isn't like I didn't do my research before we booked. And seeing as how they keep saying what a big choice of restaurants there are on board, i fail to see how letting people have the option of wearing shorts in one of them would reduce anybody else's enjoyment in any way! Like I said, we will stick to the dress code and just try to find a more relaxed cruise line if we go again. We won't let it ruin the holiday- i've told hubby to get all of his sulking out of the way now and just deal with it when we are on board.