Iona - afternoon tea

[Victairinternational]

Currently on Canaries Iona itinerary. We chose P&O due to some of its unique selling points. Now on board it turns out that they have removed a free afternoon tea option. None of the main dining rooms offer afternoon tea (previously was Aqua). There is only a pay for option in one of the specialty dining rooms. I checked the P&O website which states that afternoon tea is included on their cruises. So has it only been removed from Iona?

[BouncingWheel]

Removed from all ships unless you take the paid for option in a speciality restaurant OR the free option in the buffet. We miss the free MDR version too.

[Amelia Noylam]

1 hour ago, Victairinternational said:

Currently on Canaries Iona itinerary. We chose P&O due to some of its unique selling points. Now on board it turns out that they have removed a free afternoon tea option. None of the main dining rooms offer afternoon tea (previously was Aqua). There is only a pay for option in one of the specialty dining rooms. I checked the P&O website which states that afternoon tea is included on their cruises. So has it only been removed from Iona?

Hope you have had a good day yesterday and today; we got off the Iona yesterday after an excellent cruise.

We paid for the afternoon tea £35 for the two of us, and it was the worst Afternoon Tea I have ever experienced, plus before you have your tea, they spray you with African Vielots apparently it will give you a better experience, it made a couple of people sick.

You are much better going to the buffet and having a much better cream tea or put an afternoon tea together yourself.

I agree it such a shame there is no longer the option for a free tea.

Olive Grove and the Beach House are well worth a visit, also the Keel and Cow.

Enjoy your time in the Canaries and been on the Iona.

[cheshire]

I have to say the removal of afternoon tea for us is a real disappointment.   My wife just summed it up.  “If you’re on a British ship and can’t get afternoon tea then what’s the point”.  It’s another “enhancement”.  
 

The fight over the buffet in Horizon does concern us but we will happily use the MDR for breakfast at our leisure hoping the one hour queues aren’t as bad by January. 
 

 

[Windsurfboy]

"Every day a beautifully presented afternoon tea takes place in the main restaurant. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between a light lunch and a late dinner. You’ll find a classic selection of finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and freshly baked scones with jam and cream, all served with your choice of speciality fine tea or coffee." 

 

 

This is what it says on website  under heading of included in price.

 

If it has been removed then get hotel manager to read website. 

[HalifaxYorksCruiser]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

"Every day a beautifully presented afternoon tea takes place in the main restaurant. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between a light lunch and a late dinner. You’ll find a classic selection of finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and freshly baked scones with jam and cream, all served with your choice of speciality fine tea or coffee." 

 

 

This is what it says on website  under heading of included in price.

 

If it has been removed then get hotel manager to read website. 

The Food & Beverage Manager will blame it on staff shortages. When we were on Iona at end of October that was the reason given to us for no food in the Glasshouse.

[cheshire]

14 minutes ago, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

The Food & Beverage Manager will blame it on staff shortages. When we were on Iona at end of October that was the reason given to us for no food in the Glasshouse.

Simply unacceptable.   They should restrict sales until or unless they can provide the service standrads they guaranteed.   Glass House is also on our list of places to eat along with limelight, Keel and cow, Beach house,   Already we are booking into Epicurean for four nights at least.  We think we will only be in MDR for the 2 celebration nights and two other nights.   

 

What's concerning is the simple fact that if they are short of crew now what will it be like when Arvia arrives?  You might have expected high staff numbers on Iona as they settled in new crew ready for transferring to Arvia.

[Britboys]

22 minutes ago, cheshire said:

...What's concerning is the simple fact that if they are short of crew now what will it be like when Arvia arrives?  You might have expected high staff numbers on Iona as they settled in new crew ready for transferring to Arvia.

I suspect that most if the crew destined for Arvia have already left their previous ships. I would imagine they have leave before joining Arvia.

[Windsurfboy]

1 hour ago, cheshire said:

Simply unacceptable.   They should restrict sales until or unless they can provide the service standrads they guaranteed.   Glass House is also on our list of places to eat along with limelight, Keel and cow, Beach house,   Already we are booking into Epicurean for four nights at least.  We think we will only be in MDR for the 2 celebration nights and two other nights.   

 

What's concerning is the simple fact that if they are short of crew now what will it be like when Arvia arrives?  You might have expected high staff numbers on Iona as they settled in new crew ready for transferring to Arvia.

 

When is your cruise, I  thought you said January.  How far ahead can you book Epicurean,  I  thought it was only 2 weeks, but I  must be wrong. I, like you want to eat mainly in speciality restaurants and understand they book up early, so don't want to miss out.

 

Thanks

[Son of Anarchy]

29 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

When is your cruise, I  thought you said January.  How far ahead can you book Epicurean,  I  thought it was only 2 weeks, but I  must be wrong. I, like you want to eat mainly in speciality restaurants and understand they book up early, so don't want to miss out.

 

Thanks

We're lees than 2 weeks away from boarding Iona.  Only Limelight Club is currently available to book for our cruise.

[Somerset Cruiser]

5 hours ago, cheshire said:

I have to say the removal of afternoon tea for us is a real disappointment.   My wife just summed it up.  “If you’re on a British ship and can’t get afternoon tea then what’s the point”.  It’s another “enhancement”.  
 

The fight over the buffet in Horizon does concern us but we will happily use the MDR for breakfast at our leisure hoping the one hour queues aren’t as bad by January. 
 

 

You shouldn't be concerned, we're just back from Iona and didn't eat in there once, there are plenty of options. 

[Ardennais]

6 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

"Every day a beautifully presented afternoon tea takes place in the main restaurant. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between a light lunch and a late dinner. You’ll find a classic selection of finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and freshly baked scones with jam and cream, all served with your choice of speciality fine tea or coffee." 

 

 

This is what it says on website  under heading of included in price.

 

If it has been removed then get hotel manager to read website. 

It’s really bad if people have booked based on the website and find that things aren’t available. P&O don’t care about that. They blame us passengers for not adjusting our expectations as our P&O insider posted here months ago! I’ve said before, we expect some minor changes, but not for eateries to remain closed for the whole cruise, withdrawal of afternoon tea, etc. 

[Valfan]

I've just been looking at things in P&O's My Account, as I'll be back on Iona in 10 days' time. I see it claims that Aqua restaurant does afternoon tea: "In need of an afternoon pick-me-up? Visit us for the ultimate treat of afternoon tea, a tasty selection of sandwiches, scones and fancies."  But there was certainly no afternoon tea in Aqua or any other MDR when I was on her in early Sept, just afternoon cakes etc. in Horizon buffet. And I expect that will still be the case on this next cruise. Maybe they'd planned to have it in Aqua before Iona actually launched. But in the cold light of the Covid pause, then staff shortages etc. the plan never came to fruition.

[AndyMichelle]

On 11/13/2022 at 9:51 PM, BouncingWheel said:

Removed from all ships unless you take the paid for option in a speciality restaurant OR the free option in the buffet. We miss the free MDR version too.

Aaaargh.... 

This really bothers me. 

We have just booked our first cruise since Covid and specifically booked late sitting for dinner so we could enjoy the afternoon tea in the mdr. 

We have tried the posh one, hated it. Couldn't get my head around duck in a chocolate meringue... 

I understand things change, but to still advertise it as a perk is just unfair. 

Andy 

 

 

 

[purplesea]

We did have an afternoon tea in the MDR when on Iona in January, but I must say there were not many people in there and it left a lot to be desired. It was very disappointing!!

[Victairinternational]

How should I handle this. I have asked 3 times for F&B manager to contact me but they haven’t. I would strongly dissuade anyone who has been on a cruise before to not book Iona. Everything special about a cruise has been stripped back. Having a lovely holiday but the cruise element itself is just a bit average. Making me look forward to returning to Royal Caribbean in May though. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Victairinternational

[Denarius]

19 hours ago, Britboys said:

I suspect that most if the crew destined for Arvia have already left their previous ships. I would imagine they have leave before joining Arvia.

I sailed on Azura in early October. Whilst I had no complaint about the quality if not the choice of food in the MDR, the service was extremely poor. Quite often the person designated to take you to your table had obviously no idea of where it was situated and had to ask other waiters  One one occasion I was seated at the wrong table. And when you finally got there, it was often 15 minutes or more before your order was taken. Waiters regularly seemed to have no idea of who had ordered what, with dishes hawked around the table searching for an owner; a practice not helped by the fact that some passengers seemed unable to remember what they had ordered themselves! Long waits between courses were normal, and it sometimes took over 2 hours between arriving at the table and leaving it.

We were told officially that the reason for the poor service was shortage and inexperiece of staff. Unofficially, we were told that experienced staff had been transferred to Iona leaving the smaller and older ships with the less experienced. Sadly, the latter appears to be a more convincing explanation and can only get worse with Arvia around the corner.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Denarius

[zap99]

3 hours ago, Victairinternational said:

How should I handle this. I have asked 3 times for F&B manager to contact me but they haven’t. I would strongly dissuade anyone who has been on a cruise before to not book Iona. Everything special about a cruise has been stripped back. Having a lovely holiday but the cruise element itself is just a bit average. Making me look forward to returning to Royal Caribbean in May though. 

Iona is Brilliant. We have booked again for next year. Royal caribbean and Celebrity were OK as well.

[Harry Peterson]

4 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I sailed on Azura in early October. Whilst I had no complaint about the quality if not the choice of food in the MDR, the service was extremely poor. Quite often the person designated to take you to your table had obviously no idea of where it was situated and had to ask other waiters  One one occasion I was seated at the wrong table. And when you finally got there, it was often 15 minutes or more before your order was taken. Waiters regularly seemed to have no idea of who had ordered what, with dishes hawked around the table searching for an owner; a practice not helped by the fact that some passengers seemed unable to remember what they had ordered themselves! Long waits between courses were normal, and it sometimes took over 2 hours between arriving at the table and leaving it.

We were told officially that the reason for the poor service was shortage and inexperiece of staff. Unofficially, we were told that experienced staff had been transferred to Iona leaving the smaller and older ships with the less experienced. Sadly, the latter appears to be a more convincing explanation and can only get worse with Arvia around the corner.

Very sad and sorry to hear that. The only real concerns we ever had about P&O were the poor customer service in the UK and the tiredness of some of the ships.

 

The customer service onboard though, apart from one Customer Service Manager who didn’t like talking to customers, was exceptional. Absolutely faultless, and all meals ran like clockwork, on both Ventura and Azura.

[sagaris]

27 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I sailed on Azura in early October. Whilst I had no complaint about the quality if not the choice of food in the MDR, the service was extremely poor. Quite often the person designated to take you to your table had obviously no idea of where it was situated and had to ask other waiters  One one occasion I was seated at the wrong table. And when you finally got there, it was often 15 minutes or more before your order was taken. Waiters regularly seemed to have no idea of who had ordered what, with dishes hawked around the table searching for an owner; a practice not helped by the fact that some passengers seemed unable to remember what they had ordered themselves! Long waits between courses were normal, and it sometimes took over 2 hours between arriving at the table and leaving it.

We were told officially that the reason for the poor service was shortage and inexperiece of staff. Unofficially, we were told that experienced staff had been transferred to Iona leaving the smaller and older ships with the less experienced. Sadly, the latter appears to be a more convincing explanation and can only get worse with Arvia around the corner.

We were on the Azura in October and found the same. One evening I ordered apple and rhubarb crumble with custard and a scoop of ice cream, when it came the crumble and custard were cold and the ice cream had melted🥶, the wait staff were lovely but really understaffed and many were inexperienced.

[9265359]

1 hour ago, sagaris said:

One evening I ordered apple and rhubarb crumble with custard and a scoop of ice cream, when it came the crumble and custard were cold and the ice cream had melted

But did you send it back to be replaced and then afterwards say anything to the restaurant head waiter?

 

On my recent cruise on Iona I had similar and did send it back and then mention it to the head waiter - and for the remainder of the fortnight we didn’t encounter any further issues.

[Son of Anarchy]

8 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

I understand things change, but to still advertise it as a perk is just unfair. 

Andy 

 

 

 

For me that is one of the big problems regarding this issue.

 

Surely it can't be that difficult to update the website removing any mention of the included MDR afternoon.  Oh silly me, we're talking P&O IT 🤣 

[cheshire]

10 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Aaaargh.... 

This really bothers me. 

We have just booked our first cruise since Covid and specifically booked late sitting for dinner so we could enjoy the afternoon tea in the mdr. 

We have tried the posh one, hated it. Couldn't get my head around duck in a chocolate meringue... 

I understand things change, but to still advertise it as a perk is just unfair. 

Andy 

 

 

 

You see it isn't a perk its an integral part of the holiday experience for us.  Its included in the price we paid and therefore will cause a problem going forwards if it is withdrawn.  

 

My timeline is full of examples of us having afternoon tea.  It's our thing.  We have a number of excursions planned that will see us returning to the ship after lunch and so we intend to have afternoon tea through to Dinner.  

 

Some may like dance classes, fitness classes, children club etc but if you say and even highlight afternoon tea then provide it.   I can accept that due to certain weather related issues some services have to be withdrawn temporarily but really.......

 

What other services will be withdrawn I wonder.......

Edited November 16, 2022 by cheshire
text update

[bobstheboy]

We never both with afternoon tea, but to advertise it and knowingly not provide it is false advertising.

[Britboys]

4 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

For me that is one of the big problems regarding this issue.

 

Surely it can't be that difficult to update the website removing any mention of the included MDR afternoon.  Oh silly me, we're talking P&O IT 🤣 

Many, many years ago (😂) they introduced new toiletries in the cabins from a company called Temple Spa. It was a really nice pack including things like lip balm, tired eye cream, tired feet cream, a room fragrance spray etc. At that time, P&O introduced the term "Pamper Pack". Temple Spa was succeeded by The White Company many years ago (shampoo, conditioner & body lotion) but  they continued to call it a "pamper pack" until about 2017.

On that basis, they'll take afternoon tea off the website in about 2026....😂