Iona specialty restaurants closed?

[paulatsea]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

It was and I'm now spoilt!  

 

I'm never going to recover from the tenders ...

Wow !!! Never seen anything like this - I’m used to the cramped, wet and full of fumes ones.

 

Edited June 30, 2022 by paulatsea

[brian1]

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

Wow !!! Never seen anything like this - I’m used to the cramped, wet and full of fumes ones.

 

Yeah,I'm looking for the drinks trolley.

[middlehaitch]

Sorry, I realise we (I) have veered a bit off topic but here is a bit of info on wheelchair use for @terrierjohn and other users.

The roll on/off tendering video is about half way down the page. I thought I'd include the whole page as it is all about wheelchair use on the Edge (and probably the whole of that class of ship).

 

Cheers, h.

Bloomin' 'ek almost forgot the link.

https://spintheglobe.net/dir/2019/01/24/wheelchair-accessible-celebrity-edge/

[Trevor Fountain]

Latest on my personaliser for October Britannia cruise states the following.

 

As your safety and well-being is our top priority, we have enhanced measures in place, including reduced capacity online dining reservations.  You will be able to make reservations from 18th September 2022. 

Shore experiences, Spa treatments and  Drinks packages are now available to book.

[gsmt47471015]

On 6/29/2022 at 11:00 PM, BouncingWheel said:

I think the majority hope, rather than expect, that things are getting back to normal. However, we do expect up to date comms to help inform our decisions. To me the P&O comms, on the whole, have been decent: The website with Before you sail info on Kids club situation; mask situation; updates on what is needed to disembark in ports; vaccination & testing requirements etc.... 

OK, the comms have not been perfect and 100% up to date but I felt enough to gauge what is going on and therefore enough to make a decision on what the cruise would be like and what could happen. In these times I personally accept the decent level of comms provided.

 

However, the closing of all speciality restaurants is a complete curveball to me as there was no mention anywhere (from what I can see) that it could happen, or will be happening during x period, and no offer of compensation/swapping cruises. So can all pools be permanently closed? All entertainment removed;? Spa completely closed etc...? These items are all part of the package we have signed on for and we understand if bits (e.g. 1 restaurant, 1 pool etc..) are out of action temporarily but not the whole thing for the whole cruise.

I think the majority of passengers are  reasonable people - Just inform us and give us options based on the new decisions being made.

 

The decision to bring Arcadia back and reduce service levels and experiences onboard all ships, with no comms, will just annoy passengers; cause more work/stress for reduced onboard crew; lead to more passengers leaving P&O for other cruise lines.

Just received another dreaded e mail from P and O informing that our upcoming Norway cruise MAY I repeat MAY have issues with supply chains which COULD affect some of the onboard experiences. I suppose at least we now have some warning about what's happening ,  or not happening on board , we will find out over the next few weeks

[gsmt47471015]

21 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

We did have wheelchair users on board the tender but I'm unsure how they boarded.  The whole scenario is brilliant.  Second deck is the loading area, great wide open space built just for access to board or depart ship.  When it's tender the magic carpet descends from deck fourteen to make a platform.  It was a one step job on foot.  I'm afraid I never thought to ask how the wheelchair users we met boarded.

 

The tenders are set out in rows of 4 with deep padded pull down seating, incredibly comfortable as everyone has their own dedicated "armchair". Tendering was exceptionally quick at both ports - open tender with no tickets was 45 minutes after call at Portofino and 50 minutes in Cannes.  We had one slight queue returning at Cannes as we just missed the boat.  Very easy to social distance if one wished, tall light and airy as the photos show.

Wow , they look totally amazing, they have obviously pushed the boat out with them🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Megabear2]

46 minutes ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Wow , they look totally amazing, they have obviously pushed the boat out with them🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hopefully this is the future!  Has anyone tendered on Iona?

 

We saw the new Virgin ship in Cannes and it was same old same old.  

 

[thornegirl]

52 minutes ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Just received another dreaded e mail from P and O informing that our upcoming Norway cruise MAY I repeat MAY have issues with supply chains which COULD affect some of the onboard experiences. I suppose at least we now have some warning about what's happening ,  or not happening on board , we will find out over the next few weeks

Can I ask what date you are going on Iona.  We are going on the 6th August but never receive any letters/emails (only marketing ones come through). we didn't receive the email regarding the Geiranger port being dropped.

[glf2710]

On 6/29/2022 at 9:38 PM, newbie cruissy said:

So when listed as "Available to book on board" can one assume that they will be open? This is the new message on my online booking. 

Not at all!!! They open for online booking 2 weeks before you sail - we booked 7 nights at Epicurean as you couldn’t actually book for every night - then about a week before we sailed it changed to “enquire on board” - when we got on board we were told it’s closed for the entire cruise - so they were happy to take money up front!!

[glf2710]

On 6/25/2022 at 1:37 PM, newbie cruissy said:

I'm hearing some noise that some of the speciality dining options (Epicurean / Sindu / The Quays) mat be closed on coming sailings, including ours. Can anyone confirm? Maybe report from the last week? Concerning, the change of itinerary aside, this is becoming a touch disappointing if true... 

P&O confirmed on Twitter yesterday that Epicurean on Iona is closed until further notice.  No afternoon tea either -“enhanced” afternoon tea in Horizon instead.

[Windsurfboy]

Do they deem lack of speciality restaurants grounds to cancel or postpone cruise , without penalty,  even after full payment .  I certainly would feel they have not provided facilities as advertised. 

 

Luckily out Arvia cruise isn't for a long time ,more than a year, but without speciality restaurants would consider abandoning my 5% deposit. 

 

I will certainly ask for reassurance before full payment 

[molecrochip]

On 6/30/2022 at 12:35 PM, Ardennais said:

I’m currently on Enchanted Princess and I certainly didn’t expect everything to be the same as pre-covid. But in all honesty, we’ve been delighted to find that little has changed. I appreciate that capacity is only 69% but service is quick and plentiful. All speciality restaurants are open - not that we use them! Full photography service. Evening turndown service as standard. Hot drinks available as part of cabin breakfast. Fantastic entertainment - Rory Bremner, Lucy Porter, Ardal O’hanlon etc. Princess Plus fare provides  excellent value for money. 
As someone else mentioned earlier, it’s possible that they’re trying to impress with this new ship. Whatever - they’ve really impressed us! 

I've spoken to someone who disembarked and their view was very different. No afternoon tea, rubber collapsible kettles, crew and passengers coughing everywhere (high level of covid?), bar service a bit poor and surprisingly very little by way of hand sanitising stations.

 

I'm not writing this to disagree with you view - I'm glad you were impressed. But it shows how two people travelling on the same ship at the same time can have very different views.

 

I think the afternoon tea point is interesting as this is happening both on Princess and P&O and, for me, is a clear indicator of staff shortages. It seems key staff issues are either galley or waiting staff.

[Bazrat]

51 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I've spoken to someone who disembarked and their view was very different. No afternoon tea, rubber collapsible kettles, crew and passengers coughing everywhere (high level of covid?), bar service a bit poor and surprisingly very little by way of hand sanitising stations.

 

I'm not writing this to disagree with you view - I'm glad you were impressed. But it shows how two people travelling on the same ship at the same time can have very different views.

 

I think the afternoon tea point is interesting as this is happening both on Princess and P&O and, for me, is a clear indicator of staff shortages. It seems key staff issues are either galley or waiting staff.

What I find interesting every cruise line is better than P&O according to some of the posters on here, so why do they continue to book with them knowing they are going to be disappointed 

[Ardennais]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

I've spoken to someone who disembarked and their view was very different. No afternoon tea, rubber collapsible kettles, crew and passengers coughing everywhere (high level of covid?), bar service a bit poor and surprisingly very little by way of hand sanitising stations.

 

I'm not writing this to disagree with you view - I'm glad you were impressed. But it shows how two people travelling on the same ship at the same time can have very different views.

 

I think the afternoon tea point is interesting as this is happening both on Princess and P&O and, for me, is a clear indicator of staff shortages. It seems key staff issues are either galley or waiting staff.

There was no afternoon tea, correct. Having only been twice before with Princess, I wasn’t sure whether that was usual or not. As there were only 2 sea days, we didn’t investigate further.
Not sure what you mean by rubber kettles! They were functioning kettles, which we actually only used once as hot beverages were delivered to the cabin as part of the breakfast service. I will miss that on our Iona cruise in September - do you know when P&O intend to offer that again? 
There were hand sanitising stations everywhere. My eyesight isn’t the best, but you couldn’t miss them. Also proper washing facilities at entry to buffet.

Service was brilliant everywhere. My husband has his breakfast in the buffet and he didn’t even have to make his own tea once. Orange juice was promptly offered. The longest wait was usually for coffee in the International Cafe but the bars were really on the ball. I even used the app to order drinks sitting on our balcony. Excellent service. 
I’m really surprised at the coughing comment. Everyone we spoke to said how nice it was to get away from the coughing which seems to have increased again at home! I have no idea whether or not there were cases of covid. Given the situation at home, I guess that some would have succumbed, having tested negative in the 48 hrs before boarding. The fine weather meant that folks could enjoy the open decks which probably helped. 

[Ardennais]

Forgot to add. The crew wore masks. I didn’t hear any of them coughing. 

[Ardennais]

1 hour ago, Bazrat said:

What I find interesting every cruise line is better than P&O according to some of the posters on here, so why do they continue to book with them knowing they are going to be disappointed 

If that’s aimed at me …… I booked this Princess cruise only a few weeks ago as the price was great (Princess plus fare) and it also went to Oslo which I was keen to revisit. Apart from afternoon tea (see my comment above), it delivered what was advertised. One niggle was the fact that we docked outside Copenhagen and the shuttle would have cost $19 each. However the HoHo bus was there and a lot of people used that. 

I have 2 cruises booked with P&O and I sincerely hope that I won’t be disappointed, having enjoyed over 150 nights with them over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, the first cruise has already been affected as it won’t be stopping at Geiranger and as you might know, P&O now expect us to pay In the region of £59 each to get to this port which was originally advertised but which was pulled after we paid the final balance. 

As it happens, we never use the speciality restaurants, apart from the Glass House, so the fact that they’re closed isn’t a problem for us. It is, however, a real disappointment for many and I don’t blame them for being upset. 
 

We have cruised with Cunard, Fred Olsen, NCL, RCI, Princess, Carnival, CMV and P&O and will continue to do so. We enjoy each and every cruise. They all have their merits. As paying customers, however, we are all entitled to reflect on our experiences. I have already received the post-cruise questionnaire from Princess and will be providing feedback in the next few days. 

[Ardennais]

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

I've spoken to someone who disembarked and their view was very different. No afternoon tea, rubber collapsible kettles, crew and passengers coughing everywhere (high level of covid?), bar service a bit poor and surprisingly very little by way of hand sanitising stations.

 

I'm not writing this to disagree with you view - I'm glad you were impressed. But it shows how two people travelling on the same ship at the same time can have very different views.

 

I think the afternoon tea point is interesting as this is happening both on Princess and P&O and, for me, is a clear indicator of staff shortages. It seems key staff issues are either galley or waiting staff.

Apart from the kettles (!!) and lack of afternoon tea, what did your contact think of the entertainment? Photography? Speciality restaurants? Cabin breakfast? 

[Yorkypete]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

Apart from the kettles (!!) and lack of afternoon tea, what did your contact think of the entertainment? Photography? Speciality restaurants? Cabin breakfast? 

Just remember that some of the opinions on here are second hand...ie I had a pal who did x,y and z. They are based on other peoples experiences. I have now decided to try a few other cruise lines, other than P&O because they are really lacking in customer service. We have been with RCI on two ships and enjoyed them both and on the Magellan(Cruise Maritime) which was the worst possible cruise to go on. We have the Britannia in September to look forward to and myself and my wife make the best of most things that happen and enjoy our cruising.We are cancelling Iona for next year and looking elsewhere.

 

 

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

If that’s aimed at me …… I booked this Princess cruise only a few weeks ago as the price was great (Princess plus fare) and it also went to Oslo which I was keen to revisit. Apart from afternoon tea (see my comment above), it delivered what was advertised. One niggle was the fact that we docked outside Copenhagen and the shuttle would have cost $19 each. However the HoHo bus was there and a lot of people used that. 

I have 2 cruises booked with P&O and I sincerely hope that I won’t be disappointed, having enjoyed over 150 nights with them over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, the first cruise has already been affected as it won’t be stopping at Geiranger and as you might know, P&O now expect us to pay In the region of £59 each to get to this port which was originally advertised but which was pulled after we paid the final balance. 

As it happens, we never use the speciality restaurants, apart from the Glass House, so the fact that they’re closed isn’t a problem for us. It is, however, a real disappointment for many and I don’t blame them for being upset. 
 

We have cruised with Cunard, Fred Olsen, NCL, RCI, Princess, Carnival, CMV and P&O and will continue to do so. We enjoy each and every cruise. They all have their merits. As paying customers, however, we are all entitled to reflect on our experiences. I have already received the post-cruise questionnaire from Princess and will be providing feedback in the next few days. 

All I can say we enjoyed our cruises with P&O and tried other cruise lines enjoyed them as well, did we look for negatives no was we disappointed no.

 I understand it is your view of your cruise experience and you can compare various cruise lines and the things you miss from them, but you also must understand they are different cruise lines so no direct comparison really can be made, unless you on identical ships sailing on the same itinerary than it would be an accurate comparison.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Bazrat

[Ardennais]

1 minute ago, Bazrat said:

All I can say we enjoyed our cruises with P&O and tried other cruise lines enjoyed them as well, did we look for negatives no was we disappointed no.

 I understand it is your view of your cruise experience and you can compare various cruise lines and the things you miss from them, but you also must understand they are different cruise lines so no direct comparison really can be made, unless you on identical ships sailing on the same itinerary than it would be an accurate comparison.

I can assure you that I understand perfectly well that they are different cruise lines, and I actually don’t make direct comparisons. You seem to think that people actively look for negatives - I don’t and I’ve yet to complain about anything major in over 10 years of cruising. 
 

You seem to miss the point, made by many posters, which I’ll attempt to reiterate, as simply as possible. I/we/they book a particular cruise based on what is advertised and promoted. The price/itinerary/ship pleases us. Then some time down the line, often just after paying the final balance, they find that what was advertised won’t actually be delivered. It could be itinerary changes, speciality restaurants being closed, children’s clubs not operational etc etc. These are the issues that cause disappointment, and to rub our noses in it, we are told that we need to ‘reset’ our expectations. 
 

As most of us are reasonable folk, we understand that things will have changed. For example, I understand that evening turndown might not materialise on P&O, or hot beverages be offered as part of cabin breakfast (even though others seems to manage!).  Other components, however, are important aspects of the cruise experience for various passengers and that’s why you have posters expressing their genuine and justified disappointment - parents who want a few hours adult only time, people who want to celebrate in the speciality restaurants etc. 

[Megabear2]

5 hours ago, Bazrat said:

All I can say we enjoyed our cruises with P&O and tried other cruise lines enjoyed them as well, did we look for negatives no was we disappointed no.

 I understand it is your view of your cruise experience and you can compare various cruise lines and the things you miss from them, but you also must understand they are different cruise lines so no direct comparison really can be made, unless you on identical ships sailing on the same itinerary than it would be an accurate comparison.

Hello. Hope your wife is on the mend allowing you to cruise again.  As I understand it your last cruise was the transatlantic to Barbados in 2021 and unfortunately you have not been able to cruise since.  As most of these changes/issues/problems or whatever you wish to call them have been occurring since around March 2022 you haven't had experience of them yet so probably aren't in a position to understand what's causing the problems.

[Bazrat]

8 hours ago, Ardennais said:

I can assure you that I understand perfectly well that they are different cruise lines, and I actually don’t make direct comparisons. You seem to think that people actively look for negatives - I don’t and I’ve yet to complain about anything major in over 10 years of cruising. 
 

You seem to miss the point, made by many posters, which I’ll attempt to reiterate, as simply as possible. I/we/they book a particular cruise based on what is advertised and promoted. The price/itinerary/ship pleases us. Then some time down the line, often just after paying the final balance, they find that what was advertised won’t actually be delivered. It could be itinerary changes, speciality restaurants being closed, children’s clubs not operational etc etc. These are the issues that cause disappointment, and to rub our noses in it, we are told that we need to ‘reset’ our expectations. 
 

As most of us are reasonable folk, we understand that things will have changed. For example, I understand that evening turndown might not materialise on P&O, or hot beverages be offered as part of cabin breakfast (even though others seems to manage!).  Other components, however, are important aspects of the cruise experience for various passengers and that’s why you have posters expressing their genuine and justified disappointment - parents who want a few hours adult only time, people who want to celebrate in the speciality restaurants etc. 

I understand perfectly well but you made a comparison I replied to that

[Bazrat]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Hello. Hope your wife is on the mend allowing you to cruise again.  As I understand it your last cruise was the transatlantic to Barbados in 2021 and unfortunately you have not been able to cruise since.  As most of these changes/issues/problems or whatever you wish to call them have been occurring since around March 2022 you haven't had experience of them yet so probably aren't in a position to understand what's causing the problems.

Thank you she as had the first opp waiting now for the second, unfortunately insurance would be prohibited at the moment but we live in hope that the second one is soon so we can go in October.

[Ardennais]

1 hour ago, Bazrat said:

I understand perfectly well but you made a comparison I replied to that

No, I didn’t make a comparison. I just stated what was available on Enchanted Princess last week, which was also sailing from Southampton, and is part of the same Carnival company. 

[Bazrat]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

No, I didn’t make a comparison. I just stated what was available on Enchanted Princess last week, which was also sailing from Southampton, and is part of the same Carnival company. 

That is a comparison