Super organised - all speciality dining and shows booked for Iona at the stroke of midnight!

[grapau27]

30 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

I hope you are. I am a solo traveller and disliked her. Find smaller ships more sociable and always meet people I know.

Last November on Azura we spoke to a few couples and they said they had actually met up on singles meetings on board.

[Angel57]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

I hope you are. I am a solo traveller and disliked her. Find smaller ships more sociable and always meet people I know.

Thank you. I’m travelling solo too - but am going with an open mind and will not be comparing to Aurora as it will be a completely different experience. I refuse to start off with negative thoughts.

[bee-ess]

3 hours ago, bronzevernis said:

 

 

 

We will try and book the 7/10 club on board though.

Best tip I had from here was to book 710 from the terminal before you board. You don't need to wait to get your cruise card on board for the 6 character code, it is the same as the last 6 characters of your boarding pass. We did this when we were on Arvia.

The sessions do get filled very quickly as the venue is quite small. If you cannot get a booking they do have a queue outside the venue 30 mins before show times where you can get tickets that are available from the no-shows.

[Fionboard]

24 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

Thank you. I’m travelling solo too - but am going with an open mind and will not be comparing to Aurora as it will be a completely different experience. I refuse to start off with negative thoughts.

Hope you enjoy her. I think she is a bit if a "marmite" ship. 

[TigerB]

10 hours ago, bronzevernis said:

Just a thanks for the heads here to get in asap and advance book speciality dining and entertainment. We sail on Iona on 2nd Sept so bookings opened at the stroke of midnight tonight (well, this morning really). I drew up a dining timetable earlier this evening of where we wanted to eat and on what day. I then went in with military precision dead on midnight and had everything booked within 15 minutes!

 

Dining:

 

Epicurean x 2

Chef's Table

Afternoon Tea in Epicurean 

Sindhu x 2

Beach House

Norway Taster Menu

 

£227 later!

 

Hoping we can use our OBC to pay for the balance at Sindhu and The Beach House. And also hoping to book Keel & Cow, Glass House and Olive Grove for lunches when we get onboard. It's going to be a foodie cruise for us! 

 

Entertainment booked:

 

The Take That musical thingy

Sky's the Limit

Ben Moss 2

Festival in the Headliners Theatre

 

I did 11 separate transactions to avoid loading the cart up, getting to checkout and finding that some of the bookings had already sold out. 

 

Feeling pretty pleased all the bookings are sorted now. We can now relax and not worry about the speciality dining already being sold out on embarkation day. 

 

 

Good for you, staying up an getting what you wanted.👍  As others have said, it shouldn't be necessary, but it absolutely is, to get just what you want and to relieve the ever present 'dining stress' once onboard.

The bonus of course being the discounted rates you paid for the 'paid in full' cover charges, and the additional menu discounts when eating in Sindhu and Beach House.

I do hope you like the Norwegian Tasting Menu, I did; remember, you can mix and match from both menus on that one.

 

Have a fantastic cruise; I look forward to reading about it.🙂

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, Fionboard said:

Last thing I want on holiday is being organized or ruled by a timetable. Had all that when working.

 

Whatever happened to spontaneity?!  Will stick to Aurora and Arcadia and do whatever I fancy at the time.  

 

57 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

I agree with what you say and I also love Aurora, but I am trying Iona next year for 7 days and will pre-book what I can in advance - and you never know, I may well be pleasantly surprised!

 

I agree with you both, and after retiring from a job where structure and organisation was a necessity, I was looking forward to holidays with a lot more spontaneity.

It is a given that there will always be an element of pre-planning for us, with my wife's poor mobility and medical needs, but I had hoped things like entertainment and dining could be more ad-hoc, like the old days. Unfortunately, that is not possible these days, certainly on the two behemoths.  The IT that P&O are using, together with staff at the different MDRs not singing from the same hymn sheet, certainly don't help; and the problems have been exacerbated even more by the hysteria created on social media, including these forums.

 

We are looking forward to a future cruise on Aurora, which we hope will be a totally different and much less stressful experience🤞

[Angel57]

32 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

 

I agree with you both, and after retiring from a job where structure and organisation was a necessity, I was looking forward to holidays with a lot more spontaneity.

It is a given that there will always be an element of pre-planning for us, with my wife's poor mobility and medical needs, but I had hoped things like entertainment and dining could be more ad-hoc, like the old days. Unfortunately, that is not possible these days, certainly on the two behemoths.  The IT that P&O are using, together with staff at the different MDRs not singing from the same hymn sheet, certainly don't help; and the problems have been exacerbated even more by the hysteria created on social media, including these forums.

 

We are looking forward to a future cruise on Aurora, which we hope will be a totally different and much less stressful experience🤞

I’m sure you will enjoy Aurora. She is very much more “traditional” and i have loved every cruise on her without exception.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Freedom dining on Princess and P&O and My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean was a brilliant idea at the beginning where you just turned up when you wanted and got seated quickly but it just got too popular and now it just doesn't work as you have long waits in a queue or with a pager.

If it worked on ships up to 3600 capacity, and yet is not working on the Excel class at 5200+, then presumably that must be because the MDRs do not have enough seating.

It would be very interesting to know the MDR  capacity on the super Grand class, Royal class and on Iona and Arvia.

Only then could we know if the problem is with relative dining capacity, the My holiday app, the way the app is being operated, eg pre booking, walk ups being allowed, lack of staff or poor management of staff.

[david63]

3 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Last thing I want on holiday is being organized or ruled by a timetable.

This is another trait being brought across the pond by our US cousins.

 

I have read elsewhere of passengers having a spreadsheet on which every minute of every day is mapped out weeks in advance

[TigerB]

12 minutes ago, david63 said:

I have read elsewhere of passengers having a spreadsheet on which every minute of every day is mapped out weeks in advance

 

Well...........🤔

 

I'm embarrassed to admit that, in 2004, when the kids were 9 and 11, and we went to Orlando for the first time, that was me.🤭

Our lass and the kids still won't let me forget it!

[bronzevernis]

1 hour ago, TigerB said:

 

Good for you, staying up an getting what you wanted.👍  As others have said, it shouldn't be necessary, but it absolutely is, to get just what you want and to relieve the ever present 'dining stress' once onboard.

The bonus of course being the discounted rates you paid for the 'paid in full' cover charges, and the additional menu discounts when eating in Sindhu and Beach House.

I do hope you like the Norwegian Tasting Menu, I did; remember, you can mix and match from both menus on that one.

 

Have a fantastic cruise; I look forward to reading about it.🙂

Thank you! Yes, I noticed the 20% discount when booking. I thought Epicurean was £30pp if you booked in advance, but its £24pp. Where we live, you can't get a mains in a gastropub for £24 so on the face if it, this is excellent value for money. 

 

Good to know it about being able to mix 'n match with  the Norwegian Tasting Menu and normal menu, thanks for sharing that.

 

Some may lament the lack of spontaneity by having to book everything in advance and to an extent I agree given that spontaneity has been at the heart of our  independently booked land-based holidays. The first and last time we did a package holiday was 23 years ago. Clearly that approach is not going to work on ships like Iona and Arvia, or any mega ship for that matter, so a plan of action executed with military precision was needed to ensure we could have dinner in the speciality dining venues.  For us, it removes all the "dining stress" as you put it, which in turn makes for a relaxing holiday. Which, of course, is what it is all about.

 

 

[TigerB]

29 minutes ago, bronzevernis said:

Thank you! Yes, I noticed the 20% discount when booking. I thought Epicurean was £30pp if you booked in advance, but its £24pp. Where we live, you can't get a mains in a gastropub for £24 so on the face if it, this is excellent value for money. 

 

Good to know it about being able to mix 'n match with  the Norwegian Tasting Menu and normal menu, thanks for sharing that.

 

Some may lament the lack of spontaneity by having to book everything in advance and to an extent I agree given that spontaneity has been at the heart of our  independently booked land-based holidays. The first and last time we did a package holiday was 23 years ago. Clearly that approach is not going to work on ships like Iona and Arvia, or any mega ship for that matter, so a plan of action executed with military precision was needed to ensure we could have dinner in the speciality dining venues.  For us, it removes all the "dining stress" as you put it, which in turn makes for a relaxing holiday. Which, of course, is what it is all about.

 

 

 

Yes, getting the extra 20% when you dine is a bonus; it's just off the food though. It would be negligible in Beach House, as your £9.50 gets you three courses, but for those 'extra' items you would save a bob or two.

Like you say, getting a good meal for £24, less if you get Peninsular discount, is fantastic value for money. And paying that for a tasting menu is unparalleled, when you think how much you would pay in a restaurant operated by or affiliated to a 'celebrity chef'.

 

Sorry, but I've confused you with my comment about mixing and matching with the tasting menu; the regular menu is not available, it is only the tasting menu. To be clear, they have a meat based one and a vegetarian one; you can mix and match from either. That suited me as I am a pescatarian, so had a fish course from the meat based one, and everything else from the vegetarian menu.

 

These are the two menus:

 

 

[bronzevernis]

4 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

 

Yes, getting the extra 20% when you dine is a bonus; it's just off the food though. It would be negligible in Beach House, as your £9.50 gets you three courses, but for those 'extra' items you would save a bob or two.

Like you say, getting a good meal for £24, less if you get Peninsular discount, is fantastic value for money. And paying that for a tasting menu is unparalleled, when you think how much you would pay in a restaurant operated by or affiliated to a 'celebrity chef'.

 

Sorry, but I've confused you with my comment about mixing and matching with the tasting menu; the regular menu is not available, it is only the tasting menu. To be clear, they have a meat based one and a vegetarian one; you can mix and match from either. That suited me as I am a pescatarian, so had a fish course from the meat based one, and everything else from the vegetarian menu.

 

These are the two menus:

 

 

 

Ah now I understand! Thanks for clarifying. We'll probably stick with the meat/fish taster menu!

[Windsurfboy]

Staying up and booking at midnight is one of the best bits of advice on this board. It's sad and a bit unfair on those that don't know. However I'm not that altruistic to ruin my holiday by not booking what is a vital part of our enjoyment. Firstly we love food, secondly the experience with booking included restaurants on day seems a nightmare. 

 

Like the Norwegian taster menu, Do they do similiar on other cruises, e.g. Spanish taster in Mediterranean cruises. 

Edited August 19, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[Windsurfboy]

3 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

If it worked on ships up to 3600 capacity, and yet is not working on the Excel class at 5200+, then presumably that must be because the MDRs do not have enough seating.

It would be very interesting to know the MDR  capacity on the super Grand class, Royal class and on Iona and Arvia.

Only then could we know if the problem is with relative dining capacity, the My holiday app, the way the app is being operated, eg pre booking, walk ups being allowed, lack of staff or poor management of staff.

 

I asked that question on a specific thread about Arvia  , unfortunately no one , not even @molecrochip had any numbers for how many covers in MDR and other included restaurants (excluding buffet). 

[TigerB]

 

2 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Staying up and booking at midnight is one of the best bits of advice on this board. It's sad and a bit unfair on those that don't know. However I'm not that altruistic to ruin my holiday by not booking what is a vital part of our enjoyment. Firstly we love food, secondly the experience with booking included restaurants on day seems a nightmare. 

 

Like the Norwegian taster menu, Do the do similiar onnonther cruises, e.g. Spanish in Mediterranean cruises. 

 

When it's been available to do so, we've also booked an early sitting in the MDRs when booking our speciality restaurants.  I agree, you shouldn't have to do that, but I always breathe a sigh of relief afterwards and say, "Well, that's one job done".  I then don't have to put up with the 'dining stress' once onboard.

 

No, they don't have taster menus according to local areas on the other cruises. They do have local cuisine in Horizon and at Taste 360; occasionally in the MDRs too, I believe.

[Presto2]

I don't mind the staying up late bit and booking .. what annoys me is that on some ships you can't book before you board. That is I consistent and is annoying to say the least ..

[TigerB]

25 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

I don't mind the staying up late bit and booking .. what annoys me is that on some ships you can't book before you board. That is I consistent and is annoying to say the least ..

 

Yup! No consistency; often not even on the same ship. @bronzevernis was able to book Beach House and afternoon tea, neither of which were available on our cruise planner in June, when we did the same cruise.

[mitooki]

On 8/19/2023 at 10:54 AM, bee-ess said:

Best tip I had from here was to book 710 from the terminal before you board. You don't need to wait to get your cruise card on board for the 6 character code, it is the same as the last 6 characters of your boarding pass. We did this when we were on Arvia.

The sessions do get filled very quickly as the venue is quite small. If you cannot get a booking they do have a queue outside the venue 30 mins before show times where you can get tickets that are available from the no-shows.

Can you reach the ship's WiFi from the bag drop off area? Our boarding time is not until 15:15 but will be dropping bags off early.

[bronzevernis]

I’ve just had an email from P&O this morning about pre booking before boarding. The email says that speciality dining is not pre-bookable on this cruise??!!!:

 

Speciality restaurants, excluding the Limelight Club, are not currently bookable before your holiday. Please speak to the teams on board who will be pleased to advise you about the most up‑to‑date availability.

 

It’s patently not correct and misleads others not to pre-book, only to subsequently find out onboard that’s it’s all sold out. 

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, mitooki said:

Can you reach the ship's WiFi from the bag drop off area? Our boarding time is not until 15:15 but will be dropping bags off early.

 

I've been able to log on previously from both inside and outside the terminal building; the signal strength for each was similar, not super strong but strong enough to make bookings.

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, bronzevernis said:

I’ve just had an email from P&O this morning about pre booking before boarding. The email says that speciality dining is not pre-bookable on this cruise??!!!:

 

Speciality restaurants, excluding the Limelight Club, are not currently bookable before your holiday. Please speak to the teams on board who will be pleased to advise you about the most up‑to‑date availability.

 

It’s patently not correct and misleads others not to pre-book, only to subsequently find out onboard that’s it’s all sold out. 

 

Have you checked to see if there is still availablity? It could be that the email is in response to all available reservations being taken.

At least you got yours!👍

[bronzevernis]

29 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

Have you checked to see if there is still availablity? It could be that the email is in response to all available reservations being taken.

At least you got yours!👍

Plenty of availability - I checked! Just one dining slot left for the Norway Taster Menu but otherwise a surprisingly significant number of dining slots available for Epicurian and Sindhu. A few “peak hour” dining slots sold out on some days but otherwise lots of availability!

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, bronzevernis said:

Plenty of availability - I checked! Just one dining slot left for the Norway Taster Menu but otherwise a surprisingly significant number of dining slots available for Epicurian and Sindhu. A few “peak hour” dining slots sold out on some days but otherwise lots of availability!

 

Another example then of P&O's left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.🤔

As you say, it causes some folk to miss out who otherwise may have had a look.

[bee-ess]

3 hours ago, mitooki said:

Can you reach the ship's WiFi from the bag drop off area? Our boarding time is not until 15:15 but will be dropping bags off early.

Nor sure about outside the terminal, I did ours sat outside of the security bit waiting to get hand luggage checked. They told us there would be a short delay so I did it them then. We were in the first lot through after the suites and Baltics though. Worth trying outside the terminal though.