Why Do the Brits Like P&O

[Son of Anarchy]

19 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Interestingly enough just to pick up on the  MDR food. We were on Aurora's Canary cruise the end of November last year on Freedom dining. We always have to wait because we want a table for two, and we had a couple of interesting conversations with the Maitre d'. Apparently he had been transferred from Britainnia for a few months to "help transform the MDR". We thought that the previous year on Aurora was fine although honestly we have had better. I have to say that the service and food were much improved from the previous year. He also wanted to know why most wanted two tops and unwilling to share. He said he'd worked for years on various lines and he only found this on P&O. I'd be interested to know if anyone else was on the same cruise and their opinion. 

 

We cut our cruising teeth on Club dining.  Second sitting, usually a table for eight unless cruising with friends.  Met some lovely people, some of whom we still keep in contact with.  

 

These days though, when it's just us the two of us it's always Freedom, and most times we prefer to dine as a two.  We accept that we may have to take a pager.  If we want to do more than one show or timings don't fit in, then we'll join a table rather than risk missing the show.

 

Why just the two?  When we first started using Freedom we usually joined a table, but over time OH finds chatting with different people about the same/similar stuff every evening to be bit a groundhog day so we prefer to keep to ourselves, even at breakfast and lunch in the MDR.  A tad anti-social?  Maybe, but it's our holiday we prefer it that way.

[Adawn47]

The couple of problems I've had and tried to deal with via phone  were frustrating to say the least. It took time and patience but I finally managed it. The manner in which they speak to you leaves a lot to be desired too. 

 

[Britboys]

55 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Am I looking in the wrong place for price comparisons, because whenever I see CMV, Fred or Marella prices in the newspapers they are always significantly higher than equivalent P&O prices. Then of course their ships are much older and, for wheelchair users especially, have significantly inferior facilities, so why would anyone opt to change to them rather than staying with P&O?

I think a big draw for CMV and Fred Olsen is that they offer frequent ex-UK departures from a number of different ports around the country, which is much more convenient for many than getting to Southampton.

I'm not sure how effective it is checking prices in Newspapers.  Are these adverts from the cruise lines or agents?  Agents sometimes buy cabins themselves and then sell them off cheaply later on.  Also, some agents are not averse to advertising a price which when you call is not available any more.

Another factor is that increasingly P&O's Aurora and Arcadia are only offering longer (and so more expensive) cruises of around 18/19 nights or more so pax preferring smaller, more traditional ships who want maybe 10 - 14 nights have no choice but to look elsewhere for an ex-UK cruise.

Interesting that you mention Marella as over on the Marella CC boards, there have been a number of people recently saying that they are getting too expensive - some of who have defected to P&O.

[lujaha]

30 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Interestingly enough just to pick up on the  MDR food. We were on Aurora's Canary cruise the end of November last year on Freedom dining. We always have to wait because we want a table for two, and we had a couple of interesting conversations with the Maitre d'. Apparently he had been transferred from Britainnia for a few months to "help transform the MDR". We thought that the previous year on Aurora was fine although honestly we have had better. I have to say that the service and food were much improved from the previous year. He also wanted to know why most wanted two tops and unwilling to share. He said he'd worked for years on various lines and he only found this on P&O. I'd be interested to know if anyone else was on the same cruise and their opinion. 

I think we are sociable people and will chat on board with anyone, but prefer to eat on our own.  You wouldn't go to a restaurant and expect to have to share a table with strangers.  We have shared twice in many cruises, once at a dining room breakfast, and sat with the rudest man imaginable, and recently because we didn't want to wait as we wanted to see a show.  The people were nice enough but we felt a little awkward, there were 8 of us.  

[Adawn47]

2 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

 

We cut our cruising teeth on Club dining.  Second sitting, usually a table for eight unless cruising with friends.  Met some lovely people, some of whom we still keep in contact with.  

 

These days though, when it's just us the two of us it's always Freedom, and most times we prefer to dine as a two.  We accept that we may have to take a pager.  If we want to do more than one show or timings don't fit in, then we'll join a table rather than risk missing the show.

 

Why just the two?  When we first started using Freedom we usually joined a table, but over time OH finds chatting with different people about the same/similar stuff every evening to be bit a groundhog day so we prefer to keep to ourselves, even at breakfast and lunch in the MDR.  A tad anti-social?  Maybe, but it's our holiday we prefer it that way.

I don't think you're antisocial at all. We feel the same. We get into interesting conversation regularly in the bars or on deck? We just prefer to dine alone. I always feel as if you have to enter into conversations or you're thought of as rude.

[Vampiress88]

25 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I don't think you're antisocial at all. We feel the same. We get into interesting conversation regularly in the bars or on deck? We just prefer to dine alone. I always feel as if you have to enter into conversations or you're thought of as rude.

we’re just antisocial all together. 
me and hubby are like that but the kids enjoy talking to people. 
I could not share a table. Tried it once when we went on p&o first time just as a couple and wouldn’t do it again. 
Now there are 4 of us it’s loads easier to not sit with others and not annoy others with the toilet frequency, telling the kids multiple times to eat nicely etc. 
Plus my youngest doesn’t always make sense with what she talks about. In her own world. 
 

I looked at Marella cruises too and again they look expensive to me compared to p&o. 

[Harry Peterson]

And yet for me one of the positive pleasures of cruising has been the shared dining experiences in the MDR.  Some great conversations, long term friendships, and sometimes apologising to the waiting staff for staying too long on a table chatting to like-minded people over coffee.
 

Just the two of us in Epicurean for breakfast and the occasional dinner, but I'd miss the company in the MDR, and the tables for two are closer together than you'd find in any restaurant - so close you might as well be sharing. 
 

I don't really see it as sharing a table though - more like an old fashioned dinner party.

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, Harry Peterson said:

And yet for me one of the positive pleasures of cruising has been the shared dining experiences in the MDR.  Some great conversations, long term friendships, and sometimes apologising to the waiting staff for staying too long on a table chatting to like-minded people over coffee.
 

Just the two of us in Epicurean for breakfast and the occasional dinner, but I'd miss the company in the MDR, and the tables for two are closer together than you'd find in any restaurant - so close you might as well be sharing. 
 

I don't really see it as sharing a table though - more like an old fashioned dinner party.

There's something we do agree on Harry, but we slum it in the buffet for breakfast, although to be fair we don't find it too bad at all.

[jake 26]

9 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I don't think you're antisocial at all. We feel the same. We get into interesting conversation regularly in the bars or on deck? We just prefer to dine alone. I always feel as if you have to enter into conversations or you're thought of as rude.

I agree with that.

We used to enjoy club dining, but now prefer Freedom because of the flexibility, and we would rather have a table for two, but will share if needs must.

I think Son of Anarchy's  'ground day' is an apt description.

We aren't antisocial but prefer our own company when dining. We go on land holidays to nice hotels and we are never expected to share a dining table then. We use the ship's speciality restaurants, and the Limelight Club on Britannia and are always given a table for two as a matter of course, so find it a bit off when we seem to be a tad awkward when we ask for a table for two in the MDR.

We meet people whose company we enjoy in other social areas on the ship, and, like others, keep in touch with some we've met over the years.

Maybe it's the change in social standards to a degree, and perhaps us getting older, but we've noticed, when we have shared a table, the increasing lack of manners and a subtle lack of social grace on occasions. Sometimes,however, the table is an absolute joy.

[SargassoPirate]

46 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

 

We cut our cruising teeth on Club dining.  Second sitting, usually a table for eight unless cruising with friends.  Met some lovely people, some of whom we still keep in contact with.  

 

These days though, when it's just us the two of us it's always Freedom, and most times we prefer to dine as a two.  We accept that we may have to take a pager.  If we want to do more than one show or timings don't fit in, then we'll join a table rather than risk missing the show.

 

Why just the two?  When we first started using Freedom we usually joined a table, but over time OH finds chatting with different people about the same/similar stuff every evening to be bit a groundhog day so we prefer to keep to ourselves, even at breakfast and lunch in the MDR.  A tad anti-social?  Maybe, but it's our holiday we prefer it that way.

 

I'm one of the Sons Of Arthritis here.😉

 

Unless She Who Must Be Obeyed and I are cruising with friends or family, we always request a table for two.  I have a hearing loss and that coupled with a loud MDR and a low talker at a table for four more and all I get is someone's lips moving.  Friends and family understand and will speak up.  I do wear hearing aids, but while they amplify sound, they also amplify the ambient noise.  

[Harry Peterson]

2 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

There's something we do agree on Harry, but we slum it in the buffet for breakfast, although to be fair we don't find it too bad at all.

No problems with the MDR breakfasts, John.  Very civilised, though perhaps a tad rushed.  Only use the Epicurean for breakfast when it's included, and it's a wonderful start to the day.

[Vampiress88]

4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

There's something we do agree on Harry, but we slum it in the buffet for breakfast, although to be fair we don't find it too bad at all.

oh gosh John that’s the worst time I find for the buffet. Love breakfast in the mdr and I’m gutted when everyone else doesn’t move their backsides and I can’t go. 
 

on that’s note- breakfast. Can I have what I want or do I have to have the “p&o breakfast” or “English breakfast”. I like bits and piecrs from both

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, Vampiress88 said:

oh gosh John that’s the worst time I find for the buffet. Love breakfast in the mdr and I’m gutted when everyone else doesn’t move their backsides and I can’t go. 
 

on that’s note- breakfast. Can I have what I want or do I have to have the “p&o breakfast” or “English breakfast”. I like bits and piecrs from both

I'm sure they'd be more than happy to bring you whatever you want, regardless of where it sits on the menu.

[SeaJane]

10 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

And yet for me one of the positive pleasures of cruising has been the shared dining experiences in the MDR.  Some great conversations, long term friendships, and sometimes apologising to the waiting staff for staying too long on a table chatting to like-minded people over coffee.
 

Just the two of us in Epicurean for breakfast and the occasional dinner, but I'd miss the company in the MDR, and the tables for two are closer together than you'd find in any restaurant - so close you might as well be sharing. 
 

I don't really see it as sharing a table though - more like an old fashioned dinner party.

I agree. We always choose a table for 8, second sitting in MDR. We have met some lovely people over the years many of whom we remain in contact with. Like you on our last cruise we were often the last table to leave as we had been enjoying the conversation so much we hadn’t noticed the time! 

[KnowTheScore]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Posted by Harry Petersen

1  It's cheap

2  It's still living on its past reputation

3  It's now aiming at what the CEO recently referred to as the Saturday night ITV  market, which says it all - think Wetherspoons.

 

I've seen it change dramatically in just a few years, but others who've been cruising longer will see even more of a difference.  But, to be fair, it is cheap, and basically it's a question of getting what you pay for.

 

I can only echo the above sentiments.

 

It very much IS living on its past reputation but the long standing customer base which includes myself is well aware of what the past reputation was built on and the drastically different product that is now being offered.

 

Even those awful adverts with Rob Brydon are enough to make me cringe.   "Those glazed scallops won't eat themselves"!!

 

Clever bit of advertising (as it's really taking about alternative dining)  because you won't be getting anything like glazed scallops in your MDR you'll be getting, imho, very plain and uninspiring dishes of meat/fish and next to no veg, presented with little to no panache.  Weatherspoons is certainly a fair comparison for some of it, school dinners is appropriate for other parts of it.

Then there are short moments where one particular dish is really extremely good but they are few and far between.  All in all the entire dining experience is just, as the social media youf would say  . . . . Meh !!

 

It is what it is.  It's not special, it's not like a special night out each evening it's just like going down your local pub.   Mass made food, very average quality, and frequently with problems for at least one table member whether food cold, over salted, missing core components or whatever.  The past attention to detail is gone, the pride and panache of previous grandstanding dishes is gone, the overall experience is just so blandly average.

 

The only thing that saves it is as Harry stated, the fabulous table companions you occasionally run into.

 

It is what it is, and what it is, is a cheap average quality product reflecting the relentless cuts by Carnival and the cheaper ticket price.  You DO very much get what you pay for and nothing beyond.

 

If that's the kind of cheap and cheerful cruise experience you want then P&O is a good choice for you.

 

For myself, if I'm going to spend £000s on a holiday, I want something vastly different to what I get in my local pub and I want to dine in an atmosphere each night that is akin to attending a glamorous wedding reception with like-minded people.

So no longer for me personally.   Each to their own.

[terrierjohn]

13 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

oh gosh John that’s the worst time I find for the buffet. Love breakfast in the mdr and I’m gutted when everyone else doesn’t move their backsides and I can’t go. 
 

on that’s note- breakfast. Can I have what I want or do I have to have the “p&o breakfast” or “English breakfast”. I like bits and piecrs from both

We are rarely ready for the MDR, but even when we are, we actually prefer the buffet, it can be crowded but we can always find a table, however as I collect both our meals then if they do away with trays on all ships, then I might find it a bit of a problem but if I do have to make more trips I will have to convince that the extra exercise will allow me to have a slightly larger full English.

Edited February 24, 2020 by terrierjohn

[daiB]

12 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

oh gosh John that’s the worst time I find for the buffet. Love breakfast in the mdr and I’m gutted when everyone else doesn’t move their backsides and I can’t go. 
 

on that’s note- breakfast. Can I have what I want or do I have to have the “p&o breakfast” or “English breakfast”. I like bits and piecrs from both

You can have both, either or a mix of the two. 

[Adawn47]

5 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

I'm one of the Sons Of Arthritis here.😉

 

Unless She Who Must Be Obeyed and I are cruising with friends or family, we always request a table for two.  I have a hearing loss and that coupled with a loud MDR and a low talker at a table for four more and all I get is someone's lips moving.  Friends and family understand and will speak up.  I do wear hearing aids, but while they amplify sound, they also amplify the ambient noise.  

My husband has the same problem, total hearing loss in one ear and very limited hearing in the other. When we began cruising we shared a table  at dinner. After 3 days of him not being able to hear the waiters,  not properly hearing conversations , being looked at because they thought he was either stuck up or being rude and then me having to explain his hearing disability or repeat what was being said to him he'd had enough. The Maitre d' kindly found us another table. It's not being antisocial it's wanting  my husband to enjoy his cruise.

[Adawn47]

22 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

oh gosh John that’s the worst time I find for the buffet. Love breakfast in the mdr and I’m gutted when everyone else doesn’t move their backsides and I can’t go. 
 

on that’s note- breakfast. Can I have what I want or do I have to have the “p&o breakfast” or “English breakfast”. I like bits and piecrs from both

You can order anything on the menu just tell them how many of each you want. I once asked for bacon , fried egg and plum tomatoes. That's exactly what I got 1 of each. I quickly learned that lesson.😆.

[Vampiress88]

4 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

You can order anything on the menu just tell them how many of each you want. I once asked for bacon , fried egg and plum tomatoes. That's exactly what I got 1 of each. I quickly learned that lesson.😆.

that’s awesome. 
 

oh deary I feel I am probably going to make andy shake his head but I’ve got to say I am already planning at least one breakfast. 
 

John we struggled last year to get a table when we came down about 10ish. Which resulted in grumpy kids and husband which then made me fed up so this time if they do not move their behinds in a morning they are not allowed to grumble at breakfast

[AndyMichelle]

51 minutes ago, SeaJane said:

I agree. We always choose a table for 8, second sitting in MDR. We have met some lovely people over the years many of whom we remain in contact with. Like you on our last cruise we were often the last table to leave as we had been enjoying the conversation so much we hadn’t noticed the time! 

Our sentiments exactly. 

We have never had a bad table, perhaps we are just lucky? 

We also like to know what time we are eating, nothing would be worse for us as turning up for dinner hungry and being given a pager and having to wait. 

Getting to know our waiter is another big plus for us. 

I understand the craving for Freedom dining in principle, but prefer the 'comfort' of club. 

Andy 

[AndyMichelle]

29 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

that’s awesome. 
 

oh deary I feel I am probably going to make andy shake his head but I’ve got to say I am already planning at least one breakfast. 
 

John we struggled last year to get a table when we came down about 10ish. Which resulted in grumpy kids and husband which then made me fed up so this time if they do not move their behinds in a morning they are not allowed to grumble at breakfast

Your holiday, your way.. 

Take no notice of my head shaking. 

I plan my breakfast... 

Ham & cheese omelette with 2 sausage, 3 bacon, fried bread and beans... 

Andy 

[Harry Peterson]

13 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Your holiday, your way.. 

Take no notice of my head shaking. 

I plan my breakfast... 

Ham & cheese omelette with 2 sausage, 3 bacon, fried bread and beans... 

Andy 

Sounds good, Andy - where do you get that?

[Vampiress88]

1 minute ago, Harry Peterson said:

Sounds good, Andy - where do you get that?

was just thinking the same. The omelette last year was really good. Got a breakfast to try one day now. 

[AndyMichelle]

Just now, Harry Peterson said:

Sounds good, Andy - where do you get that?

MDR, they will bring you anything you like, they just sometimes need reminding that you want it on the same plate, or at least at the same time... 

Andy