Why Do the Brits Like P&O

[terrierjohn]

38 minutes ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

I disagree

 

From the P&O Website:

 

"Select Dining is our wonderfully flexible alternative dining where for a small charge you can enjoy restaurants by chef Marco Pierre White and TV’s wine expert Olly Smith. We’ve also developed a few of our own speciality experiences to whet your appetite."

 

"Select Dining in a speciality restaurant gives you even more choice, many of which are inspired by Michelin-starred chefs such as Marco Pierre White. A Select Dining Cover charge applies in these restaurants"

 

The website goes on to provide the charges at each Select Dining venue and Glass House is included in that lis:

 

"Aurora, Azura, Britannia, Ventura

The Glass House - View example menus
All day dining – All items are individually priced on the menu"

 

"Iona

The Glass House - View example menus
A La Carte all day dining - All items are individually priced.
Starters from £2.75
Mains from £8.00
Dessert from £4.50"

 

 

The Glass House venues are supposed to be Select Dining Restaurants.   They are being used as common bar/lounges.

 

 

But the Glass house is not a cover charge select dining restaurant.

[AndyMichelle]

12 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

That costa does get rammed though. 
I know one day I was there. Queue was massive but hubby 🙄 obviously wanted a coffee and being nice I went to get one. He went to look for a seat. Couldn’t get one in costa or that bar above (red bar?) 

 

we ended up going to the buffet restaurant with his coffee and it was so quiet. Hardy anyone there at all. We spent an hour sat there having a coffee and doing the crossword watching the ocean before we had to pick the terrors up from kids club. 
 

but that’s what places are like. Doesn’t matter if you on the high street or a cruise. If there’s no tables you find somewhere else. It’s the same at a restaurant they just tell you first or assign you one. 
 

think know the score just likes to moan. And I’m surprised that there’s someone who moans more than me 

It does get rammed, so that's my point. 

How can KTS offer it as an alternative seating venue when he complained about it himself... 

Andy 

[Elaine0138]

1 hour ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

Do try it Elaine, the food itself is delicious and different.   It's just that they've allowed the place to become a common room rather than a Select Dining restaurant venue imho.

 

On the P&O site the Glass House on Aurora  is classed as  Speciality Dining 

[AndyMichelle]

20 minutes ago, Elaine0138 said:

On the P&O site the Glass House on Aurora  is classed as  Speciality Dining 

The Glasshouse on Aurora is lovely, it never seems busy and feels like a speciality restaurant, as opposed to Ventura. 

Andy 

[Vampiress88]

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

The Glasshouse on Aurora is lovely, it never seems busy and feels like a speciality restaurant, as opposed to Ventura. 

Andy 

is the ventura one similar to azura? 

[KnowTheScore]

4 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

The Glasshouse on Aurora is lovely, it never seems busy and feels like a speciality restaurant, as opposed to Ventura. 

Andy 

 

Yep point conceded in prev post. 

 

Mindful of course that the area on Aurora was formerly the fabulous and much missed Café Bordeaux restaurant which did breakfast, lunches and evening meals and it's layout was such that it had bannisters separating it from the external flow of passenger traffic.   When it changed to Glass House that layout mostly remained so people may on that ship perceive it to be what it truly is and should be, a Select Dining venue, not a common room.

Edited February 26, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[AndyMichelle]

5 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

is the ventura one similar to azura? 

Similar, but Ventura is slightly more segregated from memory with a definite walkway outside. 

Andy 

[Vampiress88]

1 minute ago, KnowTheScore said:

Despite the bets efforts of the regular company apologists to try and play it all down the facts remain.

 

Glass Houses ARE Select Dining venues, they are not casual lounge common rooms.

 

Those who have not cruised much may have only ever seen them used as common rooms and thus make the assumption that this is the norm, understandable, but those who have cruised extensively and witnessed the introduction of the Glass House on Ventura and Aurora and other ships from their initial inception know what they are supposed to be and how they were marketed.  They were never common lounging areas. 

 

Possibly the situation is worse on Ventura than on other ships as it has a tendency to be far more lax than other ships imho.

 

if it was not a lounge then the furniture would be more similar to sindu and the tables would already be set or dinner. That’s usually how up market restaurants work. It’s not even got the same type of cover charge. The beach house is a restaurant for example. The glass house May once have been something else but I am sure it is Seen as a lounge. People usually go there to try the wine. It’s kinda the glass houses niche not food. 
you can buy food there but you can get snacks in the pub-Brodie’s. 
 

theres also the pool place to eat. I’m not moaning about the people half naked sunbathing while I’m trying to eat. 
 

it is what it is. People can see for themselves from the photos on google and make their own assumptions but it is unfair to suggest that people should be eating in this lounge and not just sitting there with their one glass of wine and knitting. 

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

The Glasshouse on Aurora is lovely, it never seems busy and feels like a speciality restaurant, as opposed to Ventura. 

Andy 

On our only cruise on Aurora the Glass House was only infrequently used, one or two tables only more often than not. It's location and layout does not lend itself to being a casual reading or lounging area, so would  certainly suit KTS better than Ventura, if of course once the Covid19 crisis is past, he decides to once again cruise with P&O.

[AndyMichelle]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

On our only cruise on Aurora the Glass House was only infrequently used, one or two tables only more often than not. It's location and layout does not lend itself to being a casual reading or lounging area, so would  certainly suit KTS better than Ventura, if of course once the Covid19 crisis is past, he decides to once again cruise with P&O.

Yes, I would say it is definitely under used on Aurora, never seen it busy, which makes it ideal for a civilised lunch. 

Andy 

[KnowTheScore]

1 minute ago, Vampiress88 said:

if it was not a lounge then the furniture would be more similar to sindu and the tables would already be set or dinner. That’s usually how up market restaurants work. It’s not even got the same type of cover charge. The beach house is a restaurant for example. The glass house May once have been something else but I am sure it is Seen as a lounge. People usually go there to try the wine. It’s kinda the glass houses niche not food. 
you can buy food there but you can get snacks in the pub-Brodie’s. 
 

theres also the pool place to eat. I’m not moaning about the people half naked sunbathing while I’m trying to eat. 
 

it is what it is. People can see for themselves from the photos on google and make their own assumptions but it is unfair to suggest that people should be eating in this lounge and not just sitting there with their one glass of wine and knitting. 

 

I've never stated that people MUST eat at the Glass House venue.  Glass House is most definitely a wine bar/restaurant select venue.  It is perfectly acceptable to go there and order wine or cocktails or any other drinks.  That's what it is for.

The problem is that, at least on Ventura, people just hog the seats for somewhere to sit and read, knit, sleep or play games without any intention of eating or drinking.   Its that problem that subsequently turns the venue from a select venue to just a common room.

 

 

 

 

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

The problem is that, at least on Ventura, people just hog the seats for somewhere to sit and read, knit, sleep or play games without any intention of eating or drinking.   Its that problem that subsequently turns the venue from a select venue to just a common room.

I see no difference with the Glass House to any other bar or entertainment venue on board. They should all be available for passengers to do what they want whilst on holiday. The buffet and MDRs are the only places that, in busy periods, passengers should be encouraged to vacate their tables once their meal is complete.

If you want to argue differently then please take it up with P&O and if they agree with you I will readily avoid using the GH for lounging about.

[KnowTheScore]

17 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Similar, but Ventura is slightly more segregated from memory with a definite walkway outside. 

Andy 

 

Ventura's Glass House area actually is set out in 4 sections and has essentially 2 walkways through it.   On one side (starboard) there is a common walkway with foot traffic from the theatre to the atrium.  In that area there are lounge seats and low tables and it's perfectly natural for people to camp there, read, knit, do crosswords etc.  Got no problem with that.

 

On the complete opposite side (port) there are also lounge seats and low tables in similar fashion and since there are doors at the end towards the theatre that too becomes a walkway of foot traffic from theatre to atrium.

 

In the middle is the real Glass House which is clearly sectioned off by partitions on the starboard side separating it from the common lounge area.  The seating and tables there are entirely different to the lounge areas as is the décor of lights and a floor to ceiling olive tree.  These are proper height tables and chairs for dining and they are attended to by 2-3 waiters.

 

The forth area is a small corner that is totally enclosed by stonework and which is also full of proper height tables and chairs for dining.

 

The general issue on the ship, is that many people quite like the dining areas as a place to simply camp, knit, read, play games and so on with no intent at all to dine and sometimes no intent to drink.  The staff do nothing about it and so what should be a Select Dining venue simply becomes more of a common room and for me personally that makes it far less attractive as a place to spend extra surcharges for food, which is a shame because the food is good. I just don't want to sit eating my lunch with people knitting or sleeping in chairs beside me.   Not really that unreasonable imho.

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[KnowTheScore]

16 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

there won’t be people in there doing anything other than eating as they are for food. It’s not somewhere you’d go for

just a glass of wine etc. You have to pay a cover charge therefore you’ll be definitely eating. 
 

the other places aren’t like that.

 

 

Simply not true.

 

You can wander into Sindhu restaurant and have just a drink or you can have a light lunch. 

 

Indeed if you ever cruise on Aurora you will regularly find that during the mornings, the Sindhu restaurant becomes an overpsill area for the Costa Café outside (formerly Raffles) so people just sit in there, drink tea/coffee eat cake, do crosswords and so on.  However . . . .  . .

 

Once you get to lunch time, it is again treated as a proper Select Dining venue and you can turn up any time with or without a booking and if they can seat you they will.  But you most certainly won't be permitted to walk in, not eat or drink and do your knitting !   Same in the evening, it acts as and is crucially policed as, a proper Select Dining venue.

 

So again this comes down to individual ships and how well they are (or are not) properly managed and policed.  Ventura staff should properly manage Glass House during lunch hours to preserve its place as a Select Dining venue.  Sadly they do not.

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[Britboys]

2 hours ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

Yes that's Azura Glass House

 

I have had to sit in those very low chairs to eat a main meal I'm afraid.  In fact they used to do special Food and Wine Tasting evenings for a significant supplement either once or twice on a given cruise.  At least 3 course and special wines chosen to match each course including the lovely sparkling Ice Wein.   We did that tasting evening on 2 occasions and on one of them we were forced to sit in those ridiculous low seats.  They have always been a problem.  And I'm going back a few years.

 

You could walk into that Glass House (cough) restaurant and want a proper table to eat at and find that you just can't get seated because other passengers are treating the entire place as an airport lounge and hogging all the better seats and tables.  It's simply ridiculous and the staff ought to do something about it but I guess they can't.   Like coffee shops back home you get people who buy an obligatory coffee (or in Glass House a glass of wine etc) and then they deem they have paid for their seat and stay their 3-4 hours sat reading a book or knitting.

 

This is all I object to.  The food is great and the wines are mostly great but the ambience and former identity as a sparking and special Select Dining venue has somehow been lost and degraded.

 

It must be so draining to be so negative about almost everything P&O....  Just as well you have decided not to cruise with them again really.

Considering that the Glass House is curated by Olly Smith, I have always thought of it as a wine bar with odds & ends of food on the side.  I do agree that the layout of the one on Azura is not great as both sides of it are a route to/from the theatre.  The only other ship I have been on with a Glass House is Aurora, where most of the seats are not on a 'thoroughfare'.

Most of the large mass-market cruise ships have very few 'lounge-only' spaces as they are full of 'revenue centres' inviting pax to spend money.  I'm sure you would find the same on NCL and RCI - and quite possibly on Costa & MSC too?

[KnowTheScore]

29 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Considering that the Glass House is curated by Olly Smith, I have always thought of it as a wine bar with odds & ends of food on the side. 

 

We're past this assertion which is false.  The menu's have been posted as source references.  The Glass House serves large main meals as well as lighter bites, and starters and desserts.   It is a combination wine/bar restaurant and part of the Select Dining range.   In all cases the Glass House venues have seating for drinking (bar stools, seating with low tables etc) and seating for dining (proper tables, chairs in a defined area). 

 

 

 

[KnowTheScore]

2 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Someone else has already pointed out that Epicurean and Sindhu are separate restaurant style venues, and Beach House only operates after 6:00pm when knitters are not readily apparent.

 

And I have already pointed out that outside of lunch hours venues like Sindhu are occasionally used as common areas for example to facilitate overspill from Costa coffee bar areas.   However at lunch time the venues return to being proper Select Dining venues and people are expected to eat/drink there not lounge.

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

And I have already pointed out that outside of lunch hours venues like Sindhu are occasionally used as common areas for example to facilitate overspill from Costa coffee bar areas.   However at lunch time the venues return to being proper Select Dining venues and people are expected to eat/drink there not lounge.

TBH KTS, on Ventura  I have never seen anyone lounging in Epicurean or Sindhu restaurant during the day. There is a relaxed bar area in front of Sindhu where sometimes people sit and relax, I have to plead guilty to doing just that once myself on Britannia.  Similarly I dont think I have seen anyone playing cards or games in dining areas of Glass House either, although it wouldn't surprise me.

But please do take it up with P&O management, I dont believe they read CC.

[KnowTheScore]

Hi emam

 

5 minutes ago, emam said:

 

They are sitting quietly and not bothering anyone.

 

Well that's not true.  They are sitting in a dining area and thus affecting the ambience of what a Select Dining area should be.

As are the card players, knitters, sleepers and so on

 

5 minutes ago, emam said:

As to the Atrium, to my mind the Costa is the same. That has seating with different coloured carpets and screens to differentiate it from the rest of the Atrium. People however use all of the Atrium for coffees and it is always full. So there is another venue from your list that is probably no choice at all.

 

The wider aspects of the Atrium ARE part of the Costa bar.  The tables are decked out with the Costa Coffee and cold drinks menus to make that very clear.   Again an area that comes down to how well it is managed.  It's hard to get a seat because people treat it like a common room instead of a coffee shop.  They may buy a drink and then settle in there for 2-3 hours reading a book thereby depriving genuine customers from being able to get a seat.  Waiters do what they can by clearing up empty pots and cups so it's obvious that they have had their drinks and made their custom.  But people linger for hours anyway.

 

 

5 minutes ago, emam said:

 

You have said that you are finished with P&O, so I can't understand why you are complaining so much.

 

 

I've said that I am resolved to switch to another cruise line to fine a better offering.  Doesn't mean I don't have lots of experience of P&O to share on a forum like this.

 

 

[daiB]

15 minutes ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

Hi Dai old bean

 

Your comments always appreciated.  Some thoughts . . .

 

Las Ramblas was only ever a tapas bar serving drinks and tiny tapas nibbles by day and evening meals in the small sectioned off part.   It was later turned into a Glass House, presumably to stay in keeping with the rest of the fleet and/or because Ramblas wasn't making enough money.   It's wrong to compare Ramblas with Glass House, they are completely different entities.

 

I cruised on Ventura in the last 2 months and didn't see a single sign on tables asking people to reserve them for eating and drinking.  I saw people sitting at the dining tables in the dedicated olive tree area playing cards, sat reading, sitting their working on laptops, knitting and so on. 

 

Perhaps they have received enough complaints about the laxity of management that on your cruise they attempted to resolve it with table signs ?

 

The 2 walkways running right through the whole venue are legacy from the original ship design and were always an issue when it was Ramblas.  You used to actually get singers and musicians playing in a small corner their doing their "turns" and then suddenly a theatre show would finish and hoards of people stormed through without any consideration or concern for their fellow passengers or the singers.   It was pretty awful.  No more musicians in that Glass House now.   I suspect that they can't legally shut off the left doors to the Glass House to force people to walk around the proper outside walkway.  It probably has to be their for safety exit reasons so that's never going to change.

 

Ventura has approx. 3000 pax so that tiny little stone wall area in the corner is very often filled up quickly.   The outer lounging areas are equally always full and the times I have managed to ever sit there are few and far between.  I think as a result people spill into the dining area.   It shouldn't imho happen and just shows poor management on that particular ship.  If you had signs on tables on your cruise then that's definitely an improvement in the last 2 months. 

I haven these notices before on Ventura and Azura on one of our previous 14+ cruises on the ships. I have to say I have never had a problem getting a table to eat at in all that time. Can be busier in the evening but the head waiter/bar manager has always helped  to find a seat. During the day I see nothing wrong with people using the facilities for other activities. Always going to be the case on colder cruises. 

[Windsurfboy]

I thought the whole point of a cruise was to sit and relax. Like in the good old days when hotels had lounges. Every inch now must be revvenue generating.

[DamianG]

3 hours ago, KnowTheScore said:

 

Yep point conceded in prev post. 

 

Mindful of course that the area on Aurora was formerly the fabulous and much missed Café Bordeaux restaurant which did breakfast, lunches and evening meals and it's layout was such that it had bannisters separating it from the external flow of passenger traffic.   When it changed to Glass House that layout mostly remained so people may on that ship perceive it to be what it truly is and should be, a Select Dining venue, not a common room.

 

Mentioning Café Bordeaux you've just reminded me how much we used to love Al Fresco on Oriana for breakfast and lunch. 

 

[eddie11]

I loved your nonsense!  I joined in. 😁

Please don’t think I was complaining - I try not to be a moaner, though I expect I am, at times 

[AndyMichelle]

15 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

sorry. I have a strange sense of humour. 
 

obviously we have put all our comments to  KTS. 
 

I suppose there’s not really anything we can do apart from put our opinions out and the chips will fall how they like. 
 

everyone who has paid to be on a cruise deserves the right to be in those public spaces. Otherwise it’s just more money making for the ship. 
 

yes it’s annoying when there are no seats available but unfortunately some people think themselves above others. 
 

anyhow I think I will retire from this thread before I cause more nonsense 

We all need a smile sometimes, especially as we are all doomed... 😊

Andy 

[bodgerday]

I sailed with Oceana three weeks ago.  I am not a seasoned cruiser, I have only been on five cruises in total, all with P&O. I have nothing to compare P&O with.  I too found standards had slipped.  I enjoyed my cruise ( I always do ) but the service and entertainment had gone down hill since my last cruise two years ago.

 

I could not fault the price, so I took this into consideration.

 

Our cabin steward could not do enough for us, all smiles and went out his way to say hello.  The day before we disembarked I gave him an envelope with a tip enclosed.  On the day of disembarkation I saw him, and he totally blanked me. Our table waiters gave us the menus and then asked us not to forget to give them a tip.

 

Every night the Headliners performed ( the best troupe I have seen on P&O ) but you can get too much of a good thing.  They worked their socks off.  I had the impression they were the cheaper option.

 

With an American company it's all about " the dollar " Take Kraft when they took over Cadbury.  The chocolate is not a patch on what it used to be, since they changed the recipe. 

 

We all have our moans, but P&O is what it is.  I shall keep cruising with them because it's my type of cruise with no surprises.  I like the laid back Britishness of it.  It's not too loud or brash.  Oh and the price is right for my pocket.

Edited February 26, 2020 by bodgerday