Looks like P&O are changing the way dining bookings are done on Arvia

[CarlaMarie]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I didnt mention people shaking heads at the price of Arvia and Iona

 

I mentioned people finding fault with mass catering MDRs on these ships  when week in week out I see them outperforming far more expensive and prestigious venues

 

Or at least matching them 

 

One thing Arvia and Iona guests get without doubt is quality returns for what you pay

 

Far more than you would get elsewhere in mass catering. With far far better customer service. From staff who actually truly care and value their jobs. Rather than just paying bills whilst they study to do something else etc

 

 

 

 

You actually said this;

"So when I see people complaining about Arvia and Iona at the prices they charge  I just  shake my head and wonder what they are actually comparing it to in this day and age?"

 

Cruises and cruise ships, their service and food can only be compared to other cruises, cruise ships and cruise lines. 

 

I would not go to a cricket match and expect the same service or food I would get on a cruise ship. It is a totally different event, environment, target audience, and production.

 

I know you have mentioned the cleaning staff that you see around a ship and that you would be lucky to see this so much elsewhere, but cruise ships have to do this. They have to be seen to be keeping areas clean because of the higher risk of germs and sickness that can spread due to the high number of passengers in close proximity to one another in at times a confined space. They have to protect both the passengers but also the crew who just want to do their jobs and allow cruises to happen. I wouldn't expect to see this in other venues on land, because the same risks do not apply. I would expect to see this across the fleet, and as a family we have and do. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by CarlaMarie

[Interestedcruisefan]

42 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

So according to this post where you include cleaning staff, the cook and the head bottle washer you're talking about the whole overall product not just the dining? If so surely that applies across the whole fleet where most staff are absolutely charming and extremely hard working, and I'm confident it's not just an Iona/Arvia situation.

 

Once again you're referring to Iona for your MDR experience and have yet to experience Arvia's.  

 

Whilst it is nice you told the Long Room team etc how nice it was, it's a bit pointless pushing the point here on CC. If you think that P&Os product is that good you should be telling them not us, hopefully did whilst onboard or on your returning asked by P&O to comment. 

 

The problem I see is that you can appear to be quite disparaging about the other vessels to the point you have become obsessed with trying to convince those who sail on them that they really, really should be doing it on the ships you favour and are totally wrong for wanting to ignore the advice.  For overall P&O offerings on service, cleaning, dining, entertainment there should be little discernible difference no matter which ship. Everything else is a personal choice.

 

Although I rarely eat out nowadays I've also been privileged to eat in some of the world's great restaurants and venues. Much as I love a good cruise on any line, I wouldn't be able to honestly say the service on any of them is comparable never mind superior.

What have I said disparaging about the other vessels? All ive said is I wouldn't enjoy them as much as the bigger ships but would still have a great holiday on them 

 

The bigger ships have more things I love

 

Including 710 club, Headliners Theatres with the big screen, the quays 

Ice cocktails in the swim up bar on Arvia. The most upto date gym equipment

 

The smaller ships I would still enjoy just I know I would miss the above

 

They were a big feature of our cruise

 

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

What have I said disparaging about the other vessels? All ive said is I wouldn't enjoy them as much as the bigger ships but would still have a great holiday on them 

 

The bigger ships have more things I love

 

Including 710 club, Headliners Theatres with the big screen, the quays 

 

The smaller ships I would still enjoy just I know I would miss the above

 

 

Not disparaging of the ships, the wrong word for that.  What I read is that if someone gives a reason why they like a ship better than Iona/Arvia you jump in with both feet listing what is so much better on the two new ones. Disparaging is the wrong word, I apologise. Disparate is what I was thinking, ie not able to be compared.

[zap99]

10 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

What have I said disparaging about the other vessels? All ive said is I wouldn't enjoy them as much as the bigger ships but would still have a great holiday on them 

 

The bigger ships have more things I love

 

Including 710 club, Headliners Theatres with the big screen, the quays 

Ice cocktails in the swim up bar on Arvia. The most upto date gym equipment

 

The smaller ships I would still enjoy just I know I would miss the above

 

They were a big feature of our cruise

 

 

The smallest P&O ship we have sailed on is Azura, but not the smallest cruise ship. That would be Island Escape. The biggest is Iona. On balance we prefer  Britannia,  but enjoy them all. The tennis can go on forever, but I think 40:15 to you. 🤣

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Good evening, well almost morning.

 

Being a couple who recently cancelled our first cruise with P&O after reading various reviews, vlogs etc. The negativity towards the 2 larger ships in the fleet is out of control.

 

We have sailed with NCL & RC numerous times. To the outsider does anyone who sails with P&O actually have a good time??

 

Most appear to revel in the most trivial of any issues. If this is the norm for the P&O cruiser on Arvia and Iona, anyone visiting these forums for advice etc, will run a country mile.

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

Cheers 

[carlanthony24]

Well reviews will always be mixed where ever you look. Never had a bad cruise on Ventura or Azura, odd complaint but that is it. They are the only ships my family have done being a passenger with P&O.  We have also done Independence Of The Seas and found that to be a lot worst and never went back. 

 

We have seen cut backs and suggested some of the things they got rid of E.G Themed buffet nights to return it seems they have with a few reviews that have been on here.

 

Just take reviews with a pinch of salt. You see on other sites people have been on Iona & Arvia and not a single bad thing said. Someone else posts they also had a good time but a few complaints, then another person says nothing was good at all....

 

Some people expect the service like it was pre Covid in reality most cruise companies have adapted to save money. Companies are finding it hard to get staff. RCL I believe recently implemented no nightly turn down service. 

 

Till you give it a go you don't know what it will be like for yourself.

Edited June 17, 2023 by carlanthony24

[AndyMichelle]

6 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

 

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

Probably not, but there is no doubt there are some changes some passengers are experiencing that are a concern. 

The truth is, P&O have never been perfect but offered enough to enable many of us to keep coming back. 

Reading between the lines, they still do. 

Check out some of the very recent posts from regular posters who's opinions we trust, the Presto2, TigerB, Deelitefull, BillY and many others and although there are some negatives in there, there is enough to make me know we will still have a fantastic time. 

People understand change, as long as it works. If its not working for us, we will have to adapt our expectations and act accordingly.

It's a tough world and P&O are no different to any business that needs to adapt and so do we... 

The main issue is elements of the changes are taking time to work for some people and I feel/hope P&O are working to correct these accordingly. 

I have no doubt we will experience a different offering, but hopefully have gleaned enough knowledge from others who have been good enough to share their experiences/opinions both good and bad, to enable us to adapt accordingly. 

Andy 

 

 

[zap99]

8 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Good evening, well almost morning.

 

Being a couple who recently cancelled our first cruise with P&O after reading various reviews, vlogs etc. The negativity towards the 2 larger ships in the fleet is out of control.

 

We have sailed with NCL & RC numerous times. To the outsider does anyone who sails with P&O actually have a good time??

 

Most appear to revel in the most trivial of any issues. If this is the norm for the P&O cruiser on Arvia and Iona, anyone visiting these forums for advice etc, will run a country mile.

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

Cheers 

We enjoy all of our cruises on all lines and other holidays as well. Some more than others. You are right about the repeated negativity . Same issue raised umpteen times. I stubbed my toe on the stupid coffee table on Iona. It took a year for the black bruise to grow out. I only mentioned it once....oh!..twice now. I didn't report it to P&O, or do a feefo, or a fofum review, although it didn't arf urt. Did I mention that?.

[AndyMichelle]

16 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We enjoy all of our cruises on all lines and other holidays as well. Some more than others. You are right about the repeated negativity . Same issue raised umpteen times. I stubbed my toe on the stupid coffee table on Iona. It took a year for the black bruise to grow out. I only mentioned it once....oh!..twice now. I didn't report it to P&O, or do a feefo, or a fofum review, although it didn't arf urt. Did I mention that?.

That's it, I'm cancelling!!! 

My friend Zap stubbed his toe and didn't even get on board credit or an apology from Paul Ludlow... Disgusting behaviour 😂😂😂

 

But, being serious, I'm very grateful for all the feedback, good and bad, it really helps us returning cruisers. 

Andy 

[Gettingwarmer]

14 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

That's it, I'm cancelling!!! 

My friend Zap stubbed his toe and didn't even get on board credit or an apology from Paul Ludlow... Disgusting behaviour 😂😂😂

 

But, being serious, I'm very grateful for all the feedback, good and bad, it really helps us returning cruisers. 

Andy 

It is because the cabins are so narrow that they use a table that the bottom  slides under the sofa. We moved ours as we had a longer deluxe. But every time you walked past someone sitting they had to move their legs to let you pass. 

[Fionboard]

15 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

So actually it appears I am correct to say you have to pay extra to secure freedom dining when you book on the smaller ships?

 

You have to pay select fares to be able to choose it. Something you don't have to pay on Iona and Arvia and get automatically

 

I personally wouldn't be comfortable hoping to be able to swap to achieve what I want once on board

 

So that's a big advantage to the bigger ships for me

 

 

 

 

Exactly -  for you!

[No pager thank you]

9 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

There has always been nitpicking, even many years ago.  Examples which come under this category include (for me) how is the salt and pepper decanted - who cares - and the change of coaster type in the bars, similar...to me.

 

What does feel fair though, and the company now promotes this in their statements, is that passenger sentiment is largely driven by price. I don't think that this is true but its the company strategy certainly.

 

This isn't saying that cruise holidays need to be for the super rich only, but only that not everyone wants a mainstream, budgeted brand, coming in cheaper than a 3* hotel. 

 

Some want to have a British cruise experience and be made to feel special.  They want, and some expect, customer service to be responsive, personalised, and high quality. 

 

Some of these special touches and what you would associate with a four star cruise line have been taken away.  Yes, price is the same, or less, but these special touches are omitted even if you choose a bargain inside cabin, on a saver fare, or more expensive accommodation, like a deluxe balcony or suite.  That's particularly the case with dining arrangements, hence the rub for some.

 

The retort to this is pay more and go with another cruise line, however, for some, they like the ambience of a P&O cruise and want to be given the choice to pay for quality on board, without planning their holidays to the nth degree in advance.  They want the company to adapt and diversify its offer, instead of just building even bigger ships.  Hence, people moan, because they can't have the best of both worlds.  Most of what they say is fair, as its a true, lived experience for that person, but you will always get diversity of perspective when good enough is set at a different level for all.

 

 

[9265359]

15 hours ago, davecttr said:

Not my experience of the buffet but if you go at bunfight time that is what you will get

 

You don't get people prodding and poking the food at non-busy times?

 

I rather doubt that the 'prodders and pokers' restrict their activities to a particular time.

[Dermotsgirl]

10 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Good evening, well almost morning.

 

Being a couple who recently cancelled our first cruise with P&O after reading various reviews, vlogs etc. The negativity towards the 2 larger ships in the fleet is out of control.

 

We have sailed with NCL & RC numerous times. To the outsider does anyone who sails with P&O actually have a good time??

 

Most appear to revel in the most trivial of any issues. If this is the norm for the P&O cruiser on Arvia and Iona, anyone visiting these forums for advice etc, will run a country mile.

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

Cheers 

Hi, in answer to the question does anybody who sails with P&O actually have a good time - absolutely they do. I sailed many times with P&O during the period 2001 to 2019, and had the best of times and visited places I had only dreamed of before.

 

Having been round the block a few times with P&O, what’s happening now is nothing new. On my first cruise on the shiny new Aurora, there was constant grumbling around the ship that ‘it wasn’t like this on Canberra’. For a newbie who thought everything was wonderful, it was quite disconcerting. But for all the grumbling about Aurora, 20+ years later, she’s the much loved grand old lady of the fleet. 
 

I soon learned that the pattern repeated itself with each new ship. There was loads of moaning when Arcadia came out, and when Ventura came out with the introduction of freedom dining you could have been forgiven for thinking that it was the End Times.

 

But people slowly adapt, and the new ships become ‘the way things are done’, and the ships find their niche in the fleet.

 

With Iona and Arvia all the above factors are in play, but I think there is more to it. They have been introduced at a time of great change, and they’ve also changed the way that people access dining arrangements. There is a lot to get used to, and there have also been problems and glitches with the dining arrangements, and long queues at the restaurants. 
 

I can understand why you cancelled your cruise. I had a cruise booked on Iona for March 2023, and cancelled it last summer, as I thought that the on board app was flakey and unreliable, and it seemed like it was a faff and a struggle to get onboard bookings. I think things are probably improving on Iona, but not enough to make me want to book yet.

 

But my takeaway from everything that I’ve read is that both Iona and Arvia are lovely (big) ships and a lot of people are having enjoyable cruises on them,  notwithstanding the issues around dining.

 

My suggestion is that you stick around this forum and get to know everyone. You’ll soon get a feel of who can be relied on to give a balanced report of their experiences, and hopefully, like me, you’ll find what they say really informative.

 

Incidentally, in 20 years time, you can be sure that people will still be grumbling about the latest ship, and be saying ‘I wish it was more like Iona’! 

[zap99]

35 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

You don't get people prodding and poking the food at non-busy times?

 

I rather doubt that the 'prodders and pokers' restrict their activities to a particular time.

P&O should have a virtual queue for the prodders and pokers to join. They could then restrict them to a particular time.🤔

[lancashire_cruisers]

11 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Good evening, well almost morning.

 

Being a couple who recently cancelled our first cruise with P&O after reading various reviews, vlogs etc. The negativity towards the 2 larger ships in the fleet is out of control.

 

We have sailed with NCL & RC numerous times. To the outsider does anyone who sails with P&O actually have a good time??

 

Most appear to revel in the most trivial of any issues. If this is the norm for the P&O cruiser on Arvia and Iona, anyone visiting these forums for advice etc, will run a country mile.

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

Cheers 

Some people just love the histrionics and complaining for the sake of it. I’ve cruised mostly on P&O but also on RCI, NCL, and Carnival over the last 21 years and never had a bad cruise. I can’t say everything was perfect but nothing that would make me consider complaining.

 

I’ve said previously that every new ship goes through this baptism of fire and now it’s Arvia’s turn for the pitchfork and flaming torch brigade 😂. Hopefully it’ll settle down but it’s becoming quite tedious hearing the same stuff over multiple threads, even ‘live from’ reports were hijacked.

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, lancashire_cruisers said:

Some people just love the histrionics and complaining for the sake of it. I’ve cruised mostly on P&O but also on RCI, NCL, and Carnival over the last 21 years and never had a bad cruise. I can’t say everything was perfect but nothing that would make me consider complaining.

 

I’ve said previously that every new ship goes through this baptism of fire and now it’s Arvia’s turn for the pitchfork and flaming torch brigade 😂. Hopefully it’ll settle down but it’s becoming quite tedious hearing the same stuff over multiple threads, even ‘live from’ reports were hijacked.

We have done 30+ cruises on several different lines and have enjoyed them all. We have had the odd issue that was sorted out onboard. No noisy cabins, dodgy food, lack of coasters. Nothing serious like that, but I did stub my toe on a silly coffee table on Iona. It took a year for the bruised bit to grow out, but not worth mentioning really ,so I won't.

[Megabear2]

9 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Good evening, well almost morning.

 

Being a couple who recently cancelled our first cruise with P&O after reading various reviews, vlogs etc. The negativity towards the 2 larger ships in the fleet is out of control.

 

We have sailed with NCL & RC numerous times. To the outsider does anyone who sails with P&O actually have a good time??

 

Most appear to revel in the most trivial of any issues. If this is the norm for the P&O cruiser on Arvia and Iona, anyone visiting these forums for advice etc, will run a country mile.

 

Can it really be that bad……

 

Cheers 

I'm sorry to hear you cancelled based on other people's experiences (presumably including mine as you made your first comment about cancellation in my report).  I hope that you looked elsewhere before making that decision as I repeatedly stated my problems were most likely a one off and not everyone would be experiencing them.

 

As someone who had one of those bad experiences I have now learned it is best not to write of it as people unfortunately take everything in it that is bad and fortune tell that their cruise will have the same problem.  So just for clarity and to alleviate your worries no one has a good time on P&O here is the information I would have provided if I had not stopped the live report because people were stating they were cancelling cruises based on my experience.

 

Arvia is a beautifully put together ship, open and airy with a large and varied selection of public areas and rooms.  She was spotlessly clean with many staff visibly cleaning 24/7.  The three rooms I had use of were all well equipped with comfortable beds and linen.  The White Company products provided were high quality, there were sanitary bags provided and regularly replenished, my stewards (I had two) were both lovely kind people who provided extra towels even though not asked and my longest serving one made towel animals and put them in my room - i jokingly called them my zoo as none were ever removed. 

 

I had a good supply of tea, milk, biscuits etc The food at all levels in my opinion was very good to excellent (I cannot speak for the buffet as I do not use it). The onboard facilities are of high quality, with in particular the Headliners Theatre being for me personally a standout and of a much higher standard than I have experienced on other ships (I include Allure of the Seas in this having sailed on her many times).  Overall the entertainment offered was of an extremely high quality with acts such as Rock On and Neil Lockwood being standouts (again a personal opinion). 

 

The Limelight Club is an excellent venue and is particularly enjoyable now that it serves the original plan of turning into a nightclub venue once the supper club section finishes. 

 

The Atrium, although in my own opinion underused as a venue and echoy and possibly on the loud side, is an impressive light and airy place which is particularly nice to sit in for a coffee and cake.   Some thought could perhaps be given to the entertainment in here which had a small stage where a group of Spanish folklore singers and an acoustic singer performed on various nights as although they were again of excellent standard it was a shame they are tucked away and lost in a very large area, not a complaint just an observation that they are being used in the wrong area for their skill set. The pop up entertainment with the acrobatic high acts was very good (as an RC customer perhaps think back to Splendour of the Seas and the nightly entertainment which was in it's day groundbreaking), the silent discos which happened on several nights also taking place there.  It was very popular with the families and so finding a seat at peak time could be challenging, but not more so than on other ships I've sailed on.

 

710 Club is a great idea, an oasis of adult entertainment on a family ship.  I managed to go to three shows by booking on the app while waiting to board. I could have booked for every day but my nature is to say let everyone have a go.  The nights I attended offered completely different music sets of talented musicians clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience.  Perhaps P&O need to look at how the venue is booked to try to allow as many as possible to enjoy this great venue.

 

The outside space was quite large if you were prepared to not be near a swimming pool.  It was always possible to get a seat outside.  My one observation on this is there is a predominance of reclining chairs as opposed to sunbeds in a lot of these outside areas so if a sunbed was your requirement you might have to look a bit longer.  The pool area at the front behind the Sanctuary appears to have recently been designated as adults only which is a good idea.  Personally as a swimmer I found the pools small apart from the one in the Skydome but not everyone would worry about this as not everyone wishes to do an early morning swim of 70 or so lengths so overall no problem for most.  The infinity pool was thought the day filled with children including young babies and these children did unfortunately spill into the swim up bar pool.  However this is a design fault in my opinion as for obvious reasons the pool is a magnate to families.  I can see the reason for making the front pool and area the adult area as it is far larger and the area around the swim up bar would not be able go hold large numbers. So unfortunate, not a deal breaker just something to be aware of.

 

The Skydome is a large area with the biggest swimming pool.  Unfortunately on my cruise we encountered several days of bad weather where the outside decks although open were shall we say inclement with high winds and rain.  Not an Arvia problem.  Only on one day towards the very end of the cruise did the roof open.  This completely transformed the area into an airy oasis in the middle of the ship offering plenty of seating, casual food and a well stocked bar.  I would imagine on one of the Caribbean cruises or a Med cruise with hot sunny weather this entire area would be a delight.  Not a criticism but on seadays when outside was unavailable the area was very busy and the pool full of children having a great time but the noise levels were as a result extremely high.  I liked the sea screen but trying to watch a film on these days was a challenge but completely understandable on a family ship that noise in a closed dome will inevitably by high.

 

The app.  Well let me start by saying I used it and did not have a problem.  However I did not have to make dinner reservations on it having taken advice garnered from these boards to book before boarding.  This particularly suited me as I dine early and at that point reservations were easily available when I booked - I confess it was just after midnight on the day of release.  Once onboard I used it every morning for breakfast, it was excellent surprisingly fast often catching me out when 20 or so people were in front of me and I wasn't ready.  Entertainment, again I'd booked at 8.30 every night before boarding.  I had occasion to cancel a couple of things it worked well I did note if I'd wanted to rebook another time the app showed no availability.  On this cruise there had been a major outage so often the information was false on the app, an IT glitch.  Not once did I not get to go where I wished to go.  I'd by lying if I said I thought everyone had the same experience. I spoke to a lot of people who were having problems. Overall the app is a good thing on a ship this size, it needs to be made fully inclusive showing all your appointments and bookings - it only shows dining, entertainment and excursions at present.  From a personal perspective a fully functioning proper app with a calendar showing what's on at each hourly juncture ie incorporating the Horizon paper, would be an improvement.  P&O need in my opinion need to consider whether this halfway house arrangement on Arvia should be replaced with you have to use the app and only in dire emergency will manual walk ups or pagers be acceptable.  Controversial, yes, but it would remove a lot of these misunderstandings which lead to all the threads on here and other social media channels.

 

So in conclusion.  Once P&O sorted my personal problems with the room removing the need to keep having meetings with staff I enjoyed my cruise. No it wasn't one of the best but not every holiday can be.  If P&O were a terrible company I wouldn't have booked other cruises with them whilst onboard.  In closing Arvia is not at this time a ship for me, not because of her facilities, the food, service or app but because overall I prefer Britannia and Azura in P&Os fleet.

 

My observations and comments on threads are exactly that, personal views which many can and do disagree with, they certainly aren't intended to be anything other than discussion points.  

 

 

 

 

[terrierjohn]

19 minutes ago, zap99 said:

P&O should have a virtual queue for the prodders and pokers to join. They could then restrict them to a particular time.🤔

Or maybe a virtual prod or poke.

[kalos]

22 minutes ago, zap99 said:

P&O should have a virtual queue for the prodders and pokers to join. They could then restrict them to a particular time.🤔

 

Let them book on the app 🙂

 

It's fair to say the MDR can have it's moments ,I reported a waiter who walked out of the loo without handwashing . Also told one that has he had just coughed in his hands not to bother serving us .

Both were not P&O but it does happen .

[Dermotsgirl]

39 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Or maybe a virtual prod or poke.

The Grab & Go cabinets could be repurposed as Prod & Poke 

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

The Grab & Go cabinets could be repurposed as Prod & Poke 

Would definitely need to be virtual there's been nothing in them for 3 years!

[kalos]

11 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Would definitely need to be virtual there's been nothing in them for 3 years!

 

They are now known as "imagine and go"  Very handy for those who are only 

thinking about eating .  Zero % calories too 🙃

[JeanieC,Aston]

16 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Most of the time I'm not paying to dine In these places.

 

Knowing what people have to pay for their balcony cabins on P and O and some on here take suites they could definitely afford the dining we try more than we can

 

But even if people on here struggle to afford cruises at saver prices I still say they are getting value that is truly unbeatable. Service as good as anywhere. 

 

And I genuinely find the criticism and fault finding hard to understand.

 

You know what even if you just ate at the buffet, quays and self service every meal every day it's probably still better value than most holidays nowadays

 

Come on…..Fish &Chips in the Quays is no different than Fish &Chips in my local chippie.

I recently returned from a Spanish holiday and the hotel buffet was better than any buffet I have been in on P&O ships

I sail P&O and Celebrity,,,,,now Celebrity is what you call a buffet.
 

Admittedly I pay more for my Celebrity cruises and expect better.

At the same time I pay less for P&O and get less,,,,I expect that,P&O never got the nickname Spuds r Us for nothing.

 

I actually think P&O MDR menus to be the most boring at sea.

I can put up with that as long as the live acts are OK.

I eat to live not live to eat. 

[davecttr]

2 hours ago, 9265359 said:

 

You don't get people prodding and poking the food at non-busy times?

 

I rather doubt that the 'prodders and pokers' restrict their activities to a particular time.

Not so much at 6.30 am when i have my cereal and not so much if you go at quiet times plus of course using some kitchen towel to grasp the utensils and even then as i am now so clumsy with my hands I can ask a staff member to put the food on my plate. If i get club dining on my next cruise I will start by using the MDR. This was OK on my last Britannia cruise but I missed several meals due to Norovirus