Rare Selbourne Posted January 21, 2023 #426 Share Posted January 21, 2023 I think that those of us who have used Freedom dining before are fully aware that whilst you have the ‘freedom’ to dine when you want, you may still have a wait (with a pager or an app) until your table is available. That’s fine. What isn’t fine is booking a cruise expecting Freedom dining and when you get on board your choice is effectively the freedom to choose between first or second sitting, but still with a queue! Fair enough on Christmas Day and New Years Eve, but not the whole cruise. Hopefully this was a one off for the maiden cruise and normality has now returned? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermotsgirl Posted January 21, 2023 #427 Share Posted January 21, 2023 1 hour ago, cruising.mark.uk said: I think this is spot on and can very much see P&O adopting this approach in due course. It's easy to implement and has marked benefits for those willing to pay the premium. We've not done Britannia Club on Cunard but have done Club Class on Princess, which is broadly the same concept (centre of the ship mini suites and a private / reserved dining area with dedicated seats). It was great and they appear to be developing the idea further with 'reserve class' on their forthcoming ship. I'm not sure what the demand is for Britannia Club, but Princess Club Class always seems to sell out pretty early. I'm sure this would work on P&O, even if they are going more mass market, so long as the cost premium was not excessive. My wife and I used the MDR twice on our cruise on Iona last year and I don't think we'll use a MDR at all on our Apr cruise on Arvia. But, we'd happily pay perhaps £200pp more for a two week cruise with a dedicated table in a separate dining room. Going by reports that are coming in, I’d also expect better quality food and a more extensive menu that currently seems to be the case in the MDRs. I’d hate to pay extra for a dedicated dining room, and then feel stuck with inferior food and little choice. We booked Britannia Club in Cunard for a special occasion cruise, and it cost an extra £1000 per person on that particular cruise. (Although the cruise never happened because of ‘events’). It was a big premium to pay, but we were willing to do it for the special occasion and there’s not so much in the way of alternative dining on Cunard, but wouldn’t pay that much extra normally. Your suggested price of £200 would be fine, but I think they’d pitch the price a lot higher! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Selbourne Posted January 21, 2023 #428 Share Posted January 21, 2023 16 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said: Going by reports that are coming in, I’d also expect better quality food and a more extensive menu that currently seems to be the case in the MDRs. I’d hate to pay extra for a dedicated dining room, and then feel stuck with inferior food and little choice. We booked Britannia Club in Cunard for a special occasion cruise, and it cost an extra £1000 per person on that particular cruise. (Although the cruise never happened because of ‘events’). It was a big premium to pay, but we were willing to do it for the special occasion and there’s not so much in the way of alternative dining on Cunard, but wouldn’t pay that much extra normally. Your suggested price of £200 would be fine, but I think they’d pitch the price a lot higher! Because Cunard have just introduced Freedom dining as an alternative to Fixed dining, they have enhanced the dining options with Club. As well as the full MDR menu, at dinner there are now additional a’la carte options. I don’t know much detail about it as it’s a new addition, but I believe it includes things like dishes being flambé’d at the table. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy v Posted January 21, 2023 #429 Share Posted January 21, 2023 35 minutes ago, Selbourne said: Because Cunard have just introduced Freedom dining as an alternative to Fixed dining, they have enhanced the dining options with Club. As well as the full MDR menu, at dinner there are now additional a’la carte options. I don’t know much detail about it as it’s a new addition, but I believe it includes things like dishes being flambé’d at the table. Your dining option sounds perfect. It seems to be what everyone posting wants. They just won't pay extra for it!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Interestedcruisefan Posted January 21, 2023 #430 Share Posted January 21, 2023 26 minutes ago, happy v said: Your dining option sounds perfect. It seems to be what everyone posting wants. They just won't pay extra for it!! I think it depends on the agegroup We are mid 50s now. When we started cruising in our early 40s the one thing that put us off/worried us was having to share a table with people we didn't know (we went Royal Caribbean) But we bit the bullet and enjoyed it Now on a cruise I wouldn't mind sharing but not every night I hazard a guess most new cruisers are going to be aged 30s or 40s and almost certainly won't want to share tables And the cruise lines need to attract new cruisers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonuk Posted January 21, 2023 #431 Share Posted January 21, 2023 Leaving Arvia later today and I can certainly say that ‘freedom dining’ is a very loose term. I’d use ‘take it or leave it’ dining 😂 As a footnote the Sky dome is knackered and won’t retract 🤦♂️ So much for the advertising blurb 🙄 All in all a great trip but I’d I have been mightily hacked off if I’d paid what some of my ship mates had paid 😬 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionboard Posted January 21, 2023 #432 Share Posted January 21, 2023 Yes, Freedom dining is an oxymoron! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Interestedcruisefan Posted January 21, 2023 #433 Share Posted January 21, 2023 1 hour ago, devonuk said: Leaving Arvia later today and I can certainly say that ‘freedom dining’ is a very loose term. I’d use ‘take it or leave it’ dining 😂 As a footnote the Sky dome is knackered and won’t retract 🤦♂️ So much for the advertising blurb 🙄 All in all a great trip but I’d I have been mightily hacked off if I’d paid what some of my ship mates had paid 😬 What were the limelight club entertainer choices for this cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonuk Posted January 21, 2023 #434 Share Posted January 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said: What were the limelight club entertainer choices for this cruise? Ray Quinn and a drag artist 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow Hill Posted January 21, 2023 #435 Share Posted January 21, 2023 9 minutes ago, devonuk said: Ray Quinn and a drag artist 😬 Had to look up Ray Quinn as never heard of him after looking him up still none the wiser. 🤷♂️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Interestedcruisefan Posted January 21, 2023 #436 Share Posted January 21, 2023 1 hour ago, devonuk said: Ray Quinn and a drag artist 😬 Well if it's the same next month thats going to save me some money then!! Lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Interestedcruisefan Posted January 21, 2023 #437 Share Posted January 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Snow Hill said: Had to look up Ray Quinn as never heard of him after looking him up still none the wiser. 🤷♂️ Without looking him up he did pop idol or x Factor I reckon? And musicals Doesn't appeal The drag act probably more entertaining but doesn't appeal either tbh 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionboard Posted January 22, 2023 #438 Share Posted January 22, 2023 11 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said: Without looking him up he did pop idol or x Factor I reckon? And musicals Doesn't appeal The drag act probably more entertaining but doesn't appeal either tbh He won Dancing on Ice too. Most of the Limelight acts are ex TV talent shows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Interestedcruisefan Posted January 22, 2023 #439 Share Posted January 22, 2023 25 minutes ago, Fionboard said: He won Dancing on Ice too. Most of the Limelight acts are ex TV talent shows! Eric and Ernie were the ones I've seen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted January 22, 2023 #440 Share Posted January 22, 2023 5 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said: Eric and Ernie were the ones I've seen They mainly work Britannia to fill in between their stage and tv commitments. We saw what they described as their last ship appearance for some time at Christmas. Speaking to them later they mentioned quite a lot of tv and theatre work coming up. We also had Chesney Hawkes who was okay but very keen to sell DVDs and CDs particularly while we were eating. He also carried a £10 premium for being a "star". John Partride was a third offering on our cruise this year as well. In 2021 we had Eric & Ern, Cheryl Baker and John Partridge. They have also had Three Poofs and a Piano on Britannia before. I understand the acts are on a rotation and mainly contracted to one ship. The acts at Christmas on Britannia included the Military Magician who apparently won Britains Got Talent. He was the main big act for the festive period. Incidentally Queen Victoria's big Christmas act was Midge Ure, perhaps P&O could upgrade their acts to people like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zap99 Posted January 22, 2023 #441 Share Posted January 22, 2023 6 minutes ago, Megabear2 said: In 2021 we had Eric & Ern, Cheryl Baker and John Partridge. They have also had Three Poofs and a Piano on Britannia before. I suppose due to you know what they were a poof short. We saw 4 poof and a piano and wish we hadn't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted January 22, 2023 #442 Share Posted January 22, 2023 4 minutes ago, zap99 said: I suppose due to you know what they were a poof short. We saw 4 poof and a piano and wish we hadn't. That is indeed what happened. We assumed they had a cabin each as we were only one short ... the show must go on etc etc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zap99 Posted January 22, 2023 #443 Share Posted January 22, 2023 2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said: That is indeed what happened. We assumed they had a cabin each as we were only one short ... the show must go on etc etc Did they have a panto at Christmas ?. I guess they could cut down on the number of dwarfs. One of them wouldn't be happy. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Interestedcruisefan Posted January 22, 2023 #444 Share Posted January 22, 2023 34 minutes ago, zap99 said: Did they have a panto at Christmas ?. I guess they could cut down on the number of dwarfs. One of them wouldn't be happy. Lol Zap do you have these jokes ready in your head? Or do you have a book of them like Bob Monkhouse? You've got something for everyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted January 22, 2023 #445 Share Posted January 22, 2023 43 minutes ago, zap99 said: Did they have a panto at Christmas ?. I guess they could cut down on the number of dwarfs. One of them wouldn't be happy. Oh no he wasn't... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zap99 Posted January 22, 2023 #446 Share Posted January 22, 2023 17 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said: Lol Zap do you have these jokes ready in your head? Or do you have a book of them like Bob Monkhouse? You've got something for everyone? Most times I pinch them from Kalos. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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