Speciality Dining - What is Open Now?

[gsmt47471015]

2 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Don't we all book in good faith

Believe so , as to if that faith is repaid is sometimes questionable 

[arlowood]

38 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

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

Our 1st May cruise on Arcadia was cancelled at 3 weeks notice. The reason given was that crew were needed to be redeployed to the larger ships due to an overall shortage within P&O .

 

From comments here it would seem that Iona etc have benefited from this at the expense of Arcadia and also possibly Aurora. Clearly from the information posted it would seem that Arcadia has been reintroduced with a less than adequate crew complement and the passenger experience is suffering as a result. 

We can only hope that the shortages are being addressed and things will gradually improve.

 

We're on the J216 sailing leaving 30th August and I was eagerly anticipating sampling the delights at Sindhu but I may be disappointed.

 

[Eglesbrech]

49 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

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.

The point is no one should have to worry. They should get what is advertised in all the shiny brochures and what they paid for.
 

John clearly got that on his cruise which is as it should be and good to hear.

 

You are lucky that you can be laid back about it, for others it clearly spoils the anticipation of a cruise.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Eglesbrech

[Bazrat]

1 minute ago, Eglesbrech said:

The point is no one should have to worry. They should get what is advertised in all the shiny brochures and what paid for. John clearly got that on his cruise which is as it should be.

 

You are lucky that you can be laid back about it, for others it clearly spoils the anticipation of a cruise.

Strangely this is one of the only site's that hits the panic button so early

[Eglesbrech]

Just now, Bazrat said:

Strangely this is one of the only site's that hits the panic button so early

Panic is an extremely emotive word.

 

One persons “panic” is someone else’s prudent assessment of the possibilities, which is what Crystaltips was doing at the start of this conversation.

[Bazrat]

17 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Panic is an extremely emotive word.

 

One persons “panic” is someone else’s prudent assessment of the possibilities, which is what Crystaltips was doing at the start of this conversation.

I agree you must always factor in what might go wrong and when that is done enjoy your holiday 

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

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

Not making comparisons you understand but.......🤣

[Megabear2]

54 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Those prices seam a bit steep

You aren't kidding. Take a look at these ... with these sorts of prices is it really difficult to see why people just might be cross about things like closed restaurants?

R214 - USA & Canada Cruise - 18 Sep 2022 _ P&O Cruises.pdf J217 - USA & Canada Cruise - 6 Sep 2022 _ P&O Cruises.pdf

[Host Sharon]

3 hours 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.

So did Saga.

[Bazrat]

7 hours ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Believe so , as to if that faith is repaid is sometimes questionable 

As of yet all my cruises have been good

[Camberley]

Currently on Britannia and now ALL speciality restaurants are open. Had most of our eve meals between them so far. The only one shut for food the first few days was the Glass House but that too is now open.

 

And them being open makes SUCH a difference given the MDR food is still barely more than functional and still as if designed for the most undiscerning of palates. 

[galeforce9]

21 minutes ago, Camberley said:

Currently on Britannia and now ALL speciality restaurants are open. Had most of our eve meals between them so far. The only one shut for food the first few days was the Glass House but that too is now open.

 

And them being open makes SUCH a difference given the MDR food is still barely more than functional and still as if designed for the most undiscerning of palates. 

That’s so good to know. I agree with you totally.  Let’s hope they can replicate this across the ships.  Hope they get lots of positive feedback as a result of this change which encourages them to do that.  

[Gettingwarmer]

53 minutes ago, Camberley said:

Currently on Britannia and now ALL speciality restaurants are open. Had most of our eve meals between them so far. The only one shut for food the first few days was the Glass House but that too is now open.

 

And them being open makes SUCH a difference given the MDR food is still barely more than functional and still as if designed for the most undiscerning of palates. 

 

31 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

That’s so good to know. I agree with you totally.  Let’s hope they can replicate this across the ships.  Hope they get lots of positive feedback as a result of this change which encourages them to do that.  

It is good to know that the speciality restaurants are open. Not so good that the MDR menus are so unappealing so as to push you to pay extra to eat a variation of food. 

[Camberley]

8 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

 

It is good to know that the speciality restaurants are open. Not so good that the MDR menus are so unappealing so as to push you to pay extra to eat a variation of food. 

True. To be fair, they're not actually bad as such. And there have been some nicely cooked dishes in the MDR, but it's often just adequate and is rarely a treat to look forward to..and for us, the anticipation of a good meal on holiday is key. But it is certainly fine enough for many diners: I think we are just fussy 

[Cristaltips]

37 minutes ago, Camberley said:

True. To be fair, they're not actually bad as such. And there have been some nicely cooked dishes in the MDR, but it's often just adequate and is rarely a treat to look forward to..and for us, the anticipation of a good meal on holiday is key. But it is certainly fine enough for many diners: I think we are just fussy 

I don’t think you’re fussy at all. The anticipation of a good meal  ( and something you maybe have never tried before) is paramount. If we don’t get that shortly, we’ll be voting with our feet. Pax have paid an amount of money for a certain standard that they are entitled to expect within reason 

[Megabear2]

40 minutes ago, Cristaltips said:

I don’t think you’re fussy at all. The anticipation of a good meal  ( and something you maybe have never tried before) is paramount. If we don’t get that shortly, we’ll be voting with our feet. Pax have paid an amount of money for a certain standard that they are entitled to expect within reason 

Food on Princess was very much regular, certainly nothing out of the ordinary.  I wouldn't say there was any more choice than on P&O to be truthful.  Mind you the roast beef served with Yorkshire Pudding and chips was certainly different.

 

Celebrity Edge on the other hand was innovative and different.  I'm told that is because Edge, Apex and Beyond are concept ships.

[Gettingwarmer]

9 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Food on Princess was very much regular, certainly nothing out of the ordinary.  I wouldn't say there was any more choice than on P&O to be truthful. 

I find the food on Princess much better. You can have a starter, salad (which are great), pasta, then mains and dessert. They also still have the always regulars of prawn cocktail, salmon and chicken every day which will have different sauces. However their cheese and biscuits are not good unless you ask the waiter to bring differently. 

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

I find the food on Princess much better. You can have a starter, salad (which are great), pasta, then mains and dessert. They also still have the always regulars of prawn cocktail, salmon and chicken every day which will have different sauces. However their cheese and biscuits are not good unless you ask the waiter to bring differently. 

I wasn't talking about the quantity of what you can have, more that the food is still fairly standard in its offering such as sea bass, steaks, beef, pork, lamb etc cooked in a very simple way. My only adverse comment on Princess food is that like all American offerings it tends to be warm rather than hot.  

 

On the day the roast beef was served our table asked for extra veg and roast potatoes.  The veg ended up being carrots and beans ... sounds familiar  ... and apologies there were no roast or mashed potatoes available.

[Ranchi]

Anyone currently walking the decks of Aurora able to inform about speciality restaurant availability?

Thanks! 

Edited July 31, 2022 by Ranchi

[galeforce9]

On 7/31/2022 at 3:55 PM, Ranchi said:

Anyone currently walking the decks of Aurora able to inform about speciality restaurant availability?

Thanks! 

Is anyone currently on Aurora?!

[ChristopherTracy]

On 7/29/2022 at 4:35 PM, Camberley said:

True. To be fair, they're not actually bad as such. And there have been some nicely cooked dishes in the MDR, but it's often just adequate and is rarely a treat to look forward to..and for us, the anticipation of a good meal on holiday is key. But it is certainly fine enough for many diners: I think we are just fussy 

What was interesting to us in the MDR on Iona was how old fashioned the food was. We ate in there twice for dinner and enjoyed it because it was so retro - totally different to the sort of food we eat at home which is very global and often quite strongly spiced. The puddings were the best course.

 

I did feel that an opportunity is missed when you have clearly got very good non-British chefs in the kitchen to see some of that reflected in the menu.

 

Sindhu was open btw Glass House and Epicurean not. Nor was there any proper afternoon tea.

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, ChristopherTracy said:

What was interesting to us in the MDR on Iona was how old fashioned the food was. We ate in there twice for dinner and enjoyed it because it was so retro - totally different to the sort of food we eat at home which is very global and often quite strongly spiced. The puddings were the best course.

 

I did feel that an opportunity is missed when you have clearly got very good non-British chefs in the kitchen to see some of that reflected in the menu.

 

Sindhu was open btw Glass House and Epicurean not. Nor was there any proper afternoon tea.

But that's where we are all different and P&O have to balance things. I don't like strongly spiced foods and especially hot spices. The UK obsession with chilli these days exasperates me.

I saw a menu posted for the mdr on Iona and immediately hoped that it wasn't a new fleet-wide menu as I would have found it quite difficult to find things I liked.

At least on Iona there are normally several alternative options for those with more adventurous palates like yourself.

[ChristopherTracy]

37 minutes ago, Britboys said:

But that's where we are all different and P&O have to balance things. I don't like strongly spiced foods and especially hot spices. The UK obsession with chilli these days exasperates me.

I saw a menu posted for the mdr on Iona and immediately hoped that it wasn't a new fleet-wide menu as I would have found it quite difficult to find things I liked.

At least on Iona there are normally several alternative options for those with more adventurous palates like yourself.

Indeed - it does mean though that the clientele is less diverse than the wider population though, when I mean spice I dont mean heat just not uniformly British I suppose. I would just like a bit more variation in the sit down food. I agree that the quick service for want of a better phrase is slightly more varied though I wouldnt include the buffet in that.

[kruzseeka]

On 7/31/2022 at 3:55 PM, Ranchi said:

Anyone currently walking the decks of Aurora able to inform about speciality restaurant availability?

Thanks! 

On board though not walking the decks! 😏  Currently viewing the beautiful fjords from our isolation cabin! 

To answer your question though Sindhu, the Beach House and Glass House were all taking bookings - at least until the weekend after which I can't be sure. 

I've just looked on My Holiday app but it's not showing bookings now for today (it's 10pm). I'll have a look in the morning for you and see if they're all up for booking then. (Unless I'm blocked of course!)

[galeforce9]

10 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

On board though not walking the decks! 😏  Currently viewing the beautiful fjords from our isolation cabin! 

To answer your question though Sindhu, the Beach House and Glass House were all taking bookings - at least until the weekend after which I can't be sure. 

I've just looked on My Holiday app but it's not showing bookings now for today (it's 10pm). I'll have a look in the morning for you and see if they're all up for booking then. (Unless I'm blocked of course!)

Thank you. Much appreciated and I hope you are free to roam soon.