Speciality Dining - What is Open Now?

[Orianababes]

Calling anyone who is on Azura at the present time!

 

Are Sindhi and the Epicurean open?

 

Any other comments about current life on board welcome

[galeforce9]

Let’s have a topic so we can log what speciality dining is open by ship now and try and keep it up to date.  Thanks for your help.  Many will find it useful.  
 

I posted about this subject on the Arcadia topic just now but it struck me that many people are wanting to know this, particularly freedom diners, and it is a rapidly changing situation.  
 

I have to add that this is really important to me and one of my main reasons to book on Aurora in October (having sailed with P&O over 30 times).  I was planning to dine in the Glass House every night, as we have previously.  
 

Let’s hope this visibility keeps the pressure up on P&O to keep these dining places open and sacrifice other service areas (eg a number of tables in select dining) if they do suffer unexpected staff shortages.  Freedom diners shouldn’t be the ones constantly penalised by these misguided operational decisions.   It can’t be acceptable to run at below usual staff levels now we are in the recovery phase and have dining options permanently shut or shut for months when charging full service prices.  

[terrierjohn]

Moley and P&O have both said that things should be more normal by the end of August, so I think your concerns about an October cruise are unfounded.

[KarenandPaul]

Might be resolved by October.  Think they will be back to square one come December when Arvia and it’s 5000+ Passengers comes into service 😬

[galeforce9]

50 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Moley and P&O have both said that things should be more normal by the end of August, so I think your concerns about an October cruise are unfounded.

Probably not unfounded to have concerns now given current evidence. Let’s hope they prove not to be of concern in October. 

[Cristaltips]

Bearing in mind that Arcadia at the best of times does not have the dining options of other ships, I am really not looking forward to my upcoming Baltic cruise. The MDR menus are even further reduced from our previous three post covid cruises.  This cruise is not a “cheapie” and has been booked since day one. No way are we going to get the experience we envisaged when booked and to say I feel cheated is an understatement. 

[Bazrat]

11 hours ago, Cristaltips said:

Bearing in mind that Arcadia at the best of times does not have the dining options of other ships, I am really not looking forward to my upcoming Baltic cruise. The MDR menus are even further reduced from our previous three post covid cruises.  This cruise is not a “cheapie” and has been booked since day one. No way are we going to get the experience we envisaged when booked and to say I feel cheated is an understatement. 

So you will be going thinking you will be disappointed before you get on board, we have a tendency to be more positive until proved wrong.

[Fionboard]

1 minute ago, Bazrat said:

So you will be going thinking you will be disappointed before you get on board, we have a tendency to be more positive until proved wrong.

Me too. Think positive!

[Cristaltips]

29 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

So you will be going thinking you will be disappointed before you get on board, we have a tendency to be more positive until proved wrong.

Having been on three cruises since covid on different ships and on Arcadia on many previous occasions, and seeing the now reduced menu, I know it will not be the experience I am entitled to expect. My opinion, which I am entitled to. I hope upon hope to be proved wrong. 
However, to take both speciality restaurants out of service on a smaller, adult only ship that pax pay a premium to sail on, in my opinion is short sighted. 

[Eglesbrech]

43 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

So you will be going thinking you will be disappointed before you get on board, we have a tendency to be more positive until proved wrong.

I would say they are going on board aware of facts in advance that may well impact on their enjoyment, having paid for more / better.

 

Positive thinking does not open closed restaurants, get you to missed ports or miraculously conjur up extra choices on menus that have apparently been cutback.

 

I’m a great believer in positive thinking but cruise lines are not really being fair to their customers and covid is no longer an excuse as there has been adequate time to resolve any issues.

 

 

[Megabear2]

23 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I would say they are going on board aware of facts in advance that may well impact on their enjoyment, having paid for more / better.

 

Positive thinking does not open closed restaurants, get you to missed ports or miraculously conjur up extra choices on menus that have apparently been cutback.

 

I’m a great believer in positive thinking but cruise lines are not really being fair to their customers and covid is no longer an excuse as there has been adequate time to resolve any issues.

 

 

Much as I hate to say it, both Celebrity and Princess served up a near normal experience with everything open, full menus and even turn down at night.  Perhaps it is a P&O problem at present rather than a cruise line one but I'm intrigued as to why.

[zap99]

35 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I would say they are going on board aware of facts in advance that may well impact on their enjoyment, having paid for more / better.

 

Positive thinking does not open closed restaurants, get you to missed ports or miraculously conjur up extra choices on menus that have apparently been cutback.

 

I’m a great believer in positive thinking but cruise lines are not really being fair to their customers and covid is no longer an excuse as there has been adequate time to resolve any issues.

 

 

It's not all cruise lines. We didn't notice any issues on Celebrity last week.

[zap99]

14 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Much as I hate to say it, both Celebrity and Princess served up a near normal experience with everything open, full menus and even turn down at night.  Perhaps it is a P&O problem at present rather than a cruise line one but I'm intrigued as to why.

Yes, forgot. Off to dinner and a show. Came back to the bed turned down and chocolate on the pillow. Perhaps P&O's operational chocolate issue will be solved by October.🤔

[davecttr]

18 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Much as I hate to say it, both Celebrity and Princess served up a near normal experience with everything open, full menus and even turn down at night.  Perhaps it is a P&O problem at present rather than a cruise line one but I'm intrigued as to why.

1 - P&O may be considered a cash cow at Carnival HQ

2 - P&O passengers may moan a lot but don't vote with their feet

3 - P&O is now concentrating on the family market but what sort of families, wealthy ones or disfunctional ones!, see 2 above

4 - family market means ships with lots of stuff for kids to do and short cruises to hot weather areas. Lots of competitors in this area, Arvias 14 nighters to the med won't appeal to families, they want a fly cruise

Edited July 28, 2022 by davecttr

[galeforce9]

1 hour ago, Cristaltips said:

Having been on three cruises since covid on different ships and on Arcadia on many previous occasions, and seeing the now reduced menu, I know it will not be the experience I am entitled to expect. My opinion, which I am entitled to. I hope upon hope to be proved wrong. 
However, to take both speciality restaurants out of service on a smaller, adult only ship that pax pay a premium to sail on, in my opinion is short sighted. 

I totally agree. 

[galeforce9]

50 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I would say they are going on board aware of facts in advance that may well impact on their enjoyment, having paid for more / better.

 

Positive thinking does not open closed restaurants, get you to missed ports or miraculously conjur up extra choices on menus that have apparently been cutback.

 

I’m a great believer in positive thinking but cruise lines are not really being fair to their customers and covid is no longer an excuse as there has been adequate time to resolve any issues.

 

 

This is my issue.  Thank you for explaining to the other posters. 

[Billish]

13 minutes ago, davecttr said:

P&O may be considered a cash cow at Carnival HQ

Not so much these days with the current fx rate. 

Any profit P&O is currently earning is 15% less than it was this time last year.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Billish

[Eglesbrech]

16 minutes ago, zap99 said:

It's not all cruise lines. We didn't notice any issues on Celebrity last week.

I would agree re Celebrity, we noticed no changes and great service.

[terrierjohn]

30 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Much as I hate to say it, both Celebrity and Princess served up a near normal experience with everything open, full menus and even turn down at night.  Perhaps it is a P&O problem at present rather than a cruise line one but I'm intrigued as to why.

That was also our experience on Britannia in June, everything was open and we had no problems with waiter service in the bars.

[Bazrat]

58 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I would say they are going on board aware of facts in advance that may well impact on their enjoyment, having paid for more / better.

 

Positive thinking does not open closed restaurants, get you to missed ports or miraculously conjur up extra choices on menus that have apparently been cutback.

 

I’m a great believer in positive thinking but cruise lines are not really being fair to their customers and covid is no longer an excuse as there has been adequate time to resolve any issues.

 

 

The point is nobody on this thread me included knows what the situation will be like in a few weeks time, so I will be looking forward to our cruise without the worry what might be open or available till we get there.

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, Cristaltips said:

Having been on three cruises since covid on different ships and on Arcadia on many previous occasions, and seeing the now reduced menu, I know it will not be the experience I am entitled to expect. My opinion, which I am entitled to. I hope upon hope to be proved wrong. 
However, to take both speciality restaurants out of service on a smaller, adult only ship that pax pay a premium to sail on, in my opinion is short sighted. 

All I ment to say until I get on our cruise I go with eager anticipation, any negative thoughts I will leave to others, I too have been on post COVID cruises should have been more but for my wife's I'll health and enjoyed them.

[Megabear2]

As I said earlier Iona seems pretty much booked up from September.  I also looked at the "reduced" Arcadia and Aurora September cruises, quoted £6,000 for an inside for single use on the former and £4900 for the latter.  Clearly someone is booking these cruises.

[Bazrat]

16 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

As I said earlier Iona seems pretty much booked up from September.  I also looked at the "reduced" Arcadia and Aurora September cruises, quoted £6,000 for an inside for single use on the former and £4900 for the latter.  Clearly someone is booking these cruises.

Those prices seam a bit steep

[gsmt47471015]

15 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

As I said earlier Iona seems pretty much booked up from September.  I also looked at the "reduced" Arcadia and Aurora September cruises, quoted £6,000 for an inside for single use on the former and £4900 for the latter.  Clearly someone is booking these cruises.

Hopefully in good faith🤨

[Bazrat]

1 minute ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Hopefully in good faith🤨

Don't we all book in good faith