P&O trialling once a day room service.

[grapau27]

13 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

We will be on a 4 night in February on Ventura, so will see if anything is different there.  Other than that won't be doing a 2 night cruise till late November.

Thank you for posting.

I hope you have a fantastic Cruise in February on Ventura and please let us know if they try the 1 day cabin service on that cruise.

Regards Graham.

[Harry Peterson]

On 12/17/2018 at 8:56 AM, Eglesbrech said:

 

Does anyone have an older brochure to check what it said about steward service? It would be interesting to know if the statement is something different or just the same as above.

The brochures seem not to mention any details, but the P&O Moments magazine (issue 8, published a few weeks ago I think) says at page 7:

 

”Your cabin steward is always on hand to help - keeping your room in ship shape, your tea tray topped up with your favourite biscuits and, of course, turning down your bed each evening. Bliss.”

 

Things can always change, of course, and Moments doesn’t form part of any contract between P&O and customers, but it does look like a false alarm.

 

Central to saving any money would be how to utilise the saved time, unless they cut the appallingly low wages they already pay, but I do hope for the sake of the staff it doesn’t come to that.

[john watson]

On 12/24/2018 at 10:59 AM, docco said:

 

 

Central to saving any money would be how to utilise the saved time, unless they cut the appallingly low wages they already pay, but I do hope for the sake of the staff it doesn’t come to that.

 

Theoretically, if the cabin servicing was reduced to once instead of twice a day the replacement single visit to service each cabin could be any time of day.   You could therefore employ half as many cabin stewards each doing twice as many cabins.  This would save money especially on the basis that the cruise line is paying the gratuities to each steward which the passengers are no longer paying direct and fares are promised not to rise subsequent to the gratuities liability transfer.  

 

It does not seem good for passengers.  

 

Regards John

Edited December 28, 2018 by john watson

[Harry Peterson]

22 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

Theoretically, if the cabin servicing was reduced to once instead of twice a day the replacement single visit to service each cabin could be any time of day.   You could therefore employ half as many cabin stewards each doing twice as many cabins.  This would save money especially on the basis that the cruise line is paying the gratuities to each steward which the passengers are no longer paying direct and fares are promised not to rise subsequent to the gratuities liability transfer.  

 

It does not seem good for passengers.  

 

Regards John

Not good indeed, if it happens. As with a hotel room, the sooner our room’s dealt with the better. The ideal is to return from breakfast and find it done.

 

I’d have no problem with once a day but if that were in the afternoon I would see that as a very retrograde step.

[john watson]

Implementing a single cabin service daily will fundamentally change things.  It would presumably just be another cost saving measure.  I think all this type of thing has little to do with P&O but the massive corporations which rule the cruise lines.  They keep ordering more and more bigger ships (some new builds are thankfully smaller) which need to be filled week after week with passengers.  There are only two ways I can see of doing this; get passengers to sail more often and to get newcomers to start cruising.  To get newcomers involved the price has to drop below their start point for holiday budgets.  If the product changes even radically it wont be noticed by newcomers.  Conversely the new people can also have a major change in the cruise experience.  People filming the muster drill and using the phones at this time too etc.  

 

Selling off your old ships is a huge dilemma scrap yields less revenue but eliminates a new budget operator coming in with even cheaper no frills operations.  People these days are so focused on the price of everything

 

Regards John

[terrierjohn]

11 minutes ago, john watson said:

Implementing a single cabin service daily will fundamentally change things.  It would presumably just be another cost saving measure.  I think all this type of thing has little to do with P&O but the massive corporations which rule the cruise lines.  They keep ordering more and more bigger ships (some new builds are thankfully smaller) which need to be filled week after week with passengers.  There are only two ways I can see of doing this; get passengers to sail more often and to get newcomers to start cruising.  To get newcomers involved the price has to drop below their start point for holiday budgets.  If the product changes even radically it wont be noticed by newcomers.  Conversely the new people can also have a major change in the cruise experience.  People filming the muster drill and using the phones at this time too etc.  

 

Selling off your old ships is a huge dilemma scrap yields less revenue but eliminates a new budget operator coming in with even cheaper no frills operations.  People these days are so focused on the price of everything

 

Regards John

I can't imagine that the bosses of all the cruise lines have got things so wrong John, they are all frantically building new ships to meet their expected future demand projections.  Your hypothesis would need to be based on superior data to their's, is it?

[john watson]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I can't imagine that the bosses of all the cruise lines have got things so wrong John, they are all frantically building new ships to meet their expected future demand projections.  Your hypothesis would need to be based on superior data to their's, is it?

 

There are a lot of cruise lines but they are owned by a very small number of extremely powerful corporations where important decisions are taken. These corporations tend to have ships built  then allocate them to the various lines. Not sure how welcome this is as it gives the lines problems.    At some point, if new cruise ship building continues at the same rate there will be a situation where sufficient cruise passengers passengers cannot be found to fill the ships. In terms of future demand projections, people tend to draw a graph with the line continuing forever upwards in a positive manner, as in anticipated house price inflation or investments for pensions payments.  Can you imagine a situation where everybody in the UK only went on cruise holidays on hundreds of cruise ships?  There has got to be a feasible limit somewhere.   The dilemma with old ships being withdrawn is that you get more money to sell them on as working cruise ships.  This is preferred to get the most money but it will create a competitor unless you sell them within you corporations domain.  Selling for scrap yields less cash but gives an advantage to competitors who are selling off older ships as working cruise ships.

 

Obviously the current situation is that the corporations feel that more capacity is viable, but this cannot be correct forever.

 

Regards John

Edited December 28, 2018 by john watson

[grapau27]

37 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

There are a lot of cruise lines but they are owned by a very small number of extremely powerful corporations where important decisions are taken. These corporations tend to have ships built  then allocate them to the various lines. Not sure how welcome this is as it gives the lines problems.    At some point, if new cruise ship building continues at the same rate there will be a situation where sufficient cruise passengers passengers cannot be found to fill the ships. In terms of future demand projections, people tend to draw a graph with the line continuing forever upwards in a positive manner, as in anticipated house price inflation or investments for pensions payments.  Can you imagine a situation where everybody in the UK only went on cruise holidays on hundreds of cruise ships?  There has got to be a feasible limit somewhere.   The dilemma with old ships being withdrawn is that you get more money to sell them on as working cruise ships.  This is preferred to get the most money but it will create a competitor unless you sell them within you corporations domain.  Selling for scrap yields less cash but gives an advantage to competitors who are selling off older ships as working cruise ships.

 

Obviously the current situation is that the corporations feel that more capacity is viable, but this cannot be correct forever.

 

Regards John

Royal Caribbean didn't think selling a couple of their smaller Vision class ship's to Marella would affect them.

P&O sold Adonia and soon Oriana.

The bigger ships are the future with all the facilities on board for families.

Hopefully P&O don't carry on with the 1 day room service trial to cut costs as there are other ways to cover the loss of auto gratuities with less obc being the most obvious plus the new alcohol restrictions on boarding should create more bar revenue.

Edited December 28, 2018 by grapau27

[sandancer]

Just off Azura and the cabin was serviced twice a day. 

[grapau27]

12 minutes ago, sandancer said:

Just off Azura and the cabin was serviced twice a day. 

That's great news thanks for posting.

[emam]

All this talk of changing towels twice a day has me baffled. Is this a perk for the higher grade cabins. In the cabins we have stayed in, there is a note asking you to reduce your footprint (or something similar) re-use your towels which will be folded and hung up. Then to put your towels in the shower when you want them changing. Does the higher grade cabins not get this note in their bathroom.

Someone said there isn't any perks to suites etc, but I have heard a couple mentioned on here. Possibly another one now.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, emam said:

All this talk of changing towels twice a day has me baffled. Is this a perk for the higher grade cabins. In the cabins we have stayed in, there is a note asking you to reduce your footprint (or something similar) re-use your towels which will be folded and hung up. Then to put your towels in the shower when you want them changing. Does the higher grade cabins not get this note in their bathroom.

Someone said there isn't any perks to suites etc, but I have heard a couple mentioned on here. Possibly another one now.

There are certainly perks to suites. But this is not one of them. The same notice is found in suite bathrooms.

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, emam said:

All this talk of changing towels twice a day has me baffled. Is this a perk for the higher grade cabins. In the cabins we have stayed in, there is a note asking you to reduce your footprint (or something similar) re-use your towels which will be folded and hung up. Then to put your towels in the shower when you want them changing. Does the higher grade cabins not get this note in their bathroom.

Someone said there isn't any perks to suites etc, but I have heard a couple mentioned on here. Possibly another one now.

You are over-thinking this! It’s nothing to do with cabin grade. Used towels placed in the shower during the day (after the morning cabin service) are changed during the second (evening turn down) service. If the second cabin service were to be cancelled then these guests would not have a full set of clean towels for the following morning. Thankfully, it seems as though this is not going to be the case, as the ‘once a day cabin service’ has turned out to have been a ‘one-off’, experienced on just one short cruise (possibly a rogue cabin steward?), although it will be useful to hear if anyone on a short cruise since Graham’s has noticed a change (I believe that those who have confirmed ‘normal twice daily service remains’ have all been on full cruises)?

[claudiniusmaximus]

We are on a 5 nighter on Oceana. No evening turn down the first night “because the clocks go forward” (pretty sure that hasn’t happened to us before) but it was just the first night and we had the turn down service last night. 

[jaydee6969]

On 12/24/2018 at 10:50 AM, grapau27 said:

Thank you for posting.

I hope you have a fantastic Cruise in February on Ventura and please let us know if they try the 1 day cabin service on that cruise.

Regards Graham.

Hi Graham,

As promised, just off Ventura this morning after a four night mini cruise, and pleased to report that nothing has changed regarding turn down or once a day trial.  Beds were turned down on the first evening, with the clocks going forward, and pillow chocolates as usual.

 

We had a great little break, and can't wait till our next cruise.

[blueboo]

Surely cleaning and turn down are 2 different things.  I would welcome my cabin being thoroughly cleaned once a day in the morning but a quick sweep in the evening to pick up towels and and hand out Horizon would be great to retain. (also the ice bucket in the PM is a MUST LOL ), don't care about the manky chocolates either.

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by blueboo
adding on

[P-L-B]

1 hour ago, jaydee6969 said:

Hi Graham,

As promised, just off Ventura this morning after a four night mini cruise, and pleased to report that nothing has changed regarding turn down or once a day trial.  Beds were turned down on the first evening, with the clocks going forward, and pillow chocolates as usual.

 

We had a great little break, and can't wait till our next cruise.

Thanks for reporting back to us and confirming no procedural changes. 

Pleased to hear you enjoyed your cruise and enjoy your future cruises.

Edited February 5, 2019 by P-L-B

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, jaydee6969 said:

Hi Graham,

As promised, just off Ventura this morning after a four night mini cruise, and pleased to report that nothing has changed regarding turn down or once a day trial.  Beds were turned down on the first evening, with the clocks going forward, and pillow chocolates as usual.

 

We had a great little break, and can't wait till our next cruise.

Thanks for reporting back,I am pleased you had a great cruise and the trial didn't affect you.

It looks like it might have just been on Oceana which affected our short Cruise.

[rumbalizw]

On 12/14/2018 at 7:18 PM, Presto2 said:

 

I think it is so sad. I remember the days when I used to look at a P&O brochure and think that it was such a special cruise line that we would never be able to afford it. The name 'P&O' meant something !

 

 Well we were able to afford it and went on Oceana for our first P&O cruise in 2010. It was magical and it felt like a very good 4 star hotel. Since then we have lost: silver service; the champagne fountain (yes it did happen so let's not go there again); the band at sailaway (loved, loved, loved it) ; free cabin service and now the turn down service seems to be following. Being cynical the dress code is next and P&O will become the 'cheap and cheerful line' that Carnival want it to become.

 

Agree with all the above. Such a shame. 

[daiB]

43 minutes ago, rumbalizw said:

 

Agree with all the above. Such a shame. 

But it’s not all true.

 

never seen a champagne fountain

 

rooms are still serviced twice a day.

 

You can’t say it’s getting worse when half the changes have not happened or the thing you complain about has not happened for 10 or 20 years.

 

[Selbourne]

5 hours ago, daiB said:

But it’s not all true.

 

never seen a champagne fountain

 

rooms are still serviced twice a day.

 

You can’t say it’s getting worse when half the changes have not happened or the thing you complain about has not happened for 10 or 20 years.

 

 

Dai - the only thing in Presto2’s post that isn’t true is the loss of the turn down service. That seems to have been a one off experienced by Graham, probably due to a rogue cabin steward and an ill informed P&O customer services advisor (not the first time). 

 

We have seen Chamapgne fountains on Oceana in 2006 or 2007 or both. I recall it clearly as they made a bit of a hash of it. 

 

Whilst the final comment about dress code is speculation, I am inclined to agree. Just as Iona is going to be all Freedom Dining, I can foresee a day when the large family oriented ships will abolish Black Tie nights. Hopefully the adult only ones may cling on to them. 

 

Whilst I would very much prefer the upmarket P&O of the ‘good old days’ (and would pay more for it), I understand the commercial logic behind much of what P&O has evolved in to. They would not fill the vast capacity that they have these days unless they had become the mid-mass market product that it is today and, as we acknowledge, cruising with them is now far cheaper than it was back then. 

[janny444]

Hi...our first cruise was on the Oceana in 2010....same as an an earlier poster....we really thought it was something special but ...yes....P&O cruising has been " dumbed down"....same as the price has. We can now cruise a couple of times a year because of the price. When I research our future holidays for hotels in this country the price of those can be " eye watering" and I always work out  price per night and think I can go on a cruise for that price and get so much more. It isn't just P&O that are " cutting corners" but all cruise lines that cater for the mass market are going that way.

 

If you want to cruise as it was in the " old days" then you have to choose a more upmarket cruise line and pay the price....you cannot have it both ways....lower prices and same standards....life doesn't work like that.

 

P&O still offer a very good product....for the price....which when booked at the right time offers exceptional value

[Harry Peterson]

42 minutes ago, janny444 said:

If you want to cruise as it was in the " old days" then you have to choose a more upmarket cruise line and pay the price....you cannot have it both ways....lower prices and same standards....life doesn't work like that.

 

P&O still offer a very good product....for the price....which when booked at the right time offers exceptional value

That’s pretty much it. P&O is a lower-mid market product and priced accordingly. It is what it is, and moaning about it achieves nothing.

 

If you want something more upmarket there are plenty of options available, at a suitably enhanced price.

 

You can’t shop at Poundland and expect Fortnum and Mason.

[grapau27]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

 

Dai - the only thing in Presto2’s post that isn’t true is the loss of the turn down service. That seems to have been a one off experienced by Graham, probably due to a rogue cabin steward and an ill informed P&O customer services advisor (not the first time). 

 

We have seen Chamapgne fountains on Oceana in 2006 or 2007 or both. I recall it clearly as they made a bit of a hash of it. 

 

Whilst the final comment about dress code is speculation, I am inclined to agree. Just as Iona is going to be all Freedom Dining, I can foresee a day when the large family oriented ships will abolish Black Tie nights. Hopefully the adult only ones may cling on to them. 

 

Whilst I would very much prefer the upmarket P&O of the ‘good old days’ (and would pay more for it), I understand the commercial logic behind much of what P&O has evolved in to. They would not fill the vast capacity that they have these days unless they had become the mid-mass market product that it is today and, as we acknowledge, cruising with them is now far cheaper than it was back then. 

The champagne  (waterfall) fountain was done on our New year cruise on Ventura 2016 and 2017.

We saw it on Oceana in 2005 on a regular short cruise.

We marvelled at all the glasses stacked up in a pyramid shape and people taking turns pouring the champagne at the top of the glass pyramid.

On our 2 night Oceana cruise which prompted this thread I tipped the CS extra on top of Auto gratuities both nights because she brought us extra towels but we both thought she was miserable and not happy with the extra tip.

We rang customer services about a 1 hour wait in Cafe Jardin without a drink or food on the second night and when the subject of the 1 day room service was mentioned they said it was a trial but as other posters have not experienced this makes me question what we were told by CS and GS.

[daiB]

6 hours ago, Selbourne said:

 

Dai - the only thing in Presto2’s post that isn’t true is the loss of the turn down service. That seems to have been a one off experienced by Graham, probably due to a rogue cabin steward and an ill informed P&O customer services advisor (not the first time). 

 

We have seen Chamapgne fountains on Oceana in 2006 or 2007 or both. I recall it clearly as they made a bit of a hash of it. 

 

Whilst the final comment about dress code is speculation, I am inclined to agree. Just as Iona is going to be all Freedom Dining, I can foresee a day when the large family oriented ships will abolish Black Tie nights. Hopefully the adult only ones may cling on to them. 

 

Whilst I would very much prefer the upmarket P&O of the ‘good old days’ (and would pay more for it), I understand the commercial logic behind much of what P&O has evolved in to. They would not fill the vast capacity that they have these days unless they had become the mid-mass market product that it is today and, as we acknowledge, cruising with them is now far cheaper than it was back then. 

 

It is clear that the fountain only happened on a few occasions over the past 18 years and never on the cruises we were on. Which is why I don't consider it  as being something taken away from me as I never had it in the first place.