Returning to P&O

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 minute ago, CarlaMarie said:

It is amazing what you can put your hand to quickly! The main menu from the Captain's Welcome On Board Dinner in 2013, on Oceana. I believe this was before they introduced the 'always available' choices. 

That's definitely wider choice and better quality

 

Was the Captain's welcome aboard dinner a special menu ?

[Peanut006]

I still have our dinner menus from 2011 on our first cruise on Oceana to the Fjords. It is definitely different. Would it stop me cruising? Absolutely not, love cruising so much

 

Michelle

 

 

[Eddie99]

The cost of P&O cruises has dropped enormously though.  We started with an inside cabin for a week in the fiords in 2010.  £899pp, plus gratuities.  That’s over £1300 if you factor inflation

It’s much cheaper now.  £499 for some weeks this summer.  Current tv ads offering *from £699*

Pretty obvious there will be cutbacks from 2010 levels of service

Good luck to people who can only afford to cruise (and enjoy!) at today’s price levels.  Good luck to those who could afford more but chose to enjoy the value for money and accept the limitations

Everyone will make their choices,  I think ours will be Cunard, which offers a similar level of service as P&O 2010, at a similar real price.  Plus, Cunard is a little less *stuffy* now, having removed the requirement for gentlemen to wear a jacket every night, and having introduced the equivalent of freedom dining.

[yorkshirephil]

19 minutes ago, Peanut006 said:

I still have our dinner menus from 2011 on our first cruise on Oceana to the Fjords. It is definitely different. Would it stop me cruising? Absolutely not, love cruising so much

 

Michelle

 

 

Same here Michelle, it is a way of life for some of us, we feel more at home on a ship than we do at home. We have tried alternatives and enjoyed them but always come back to cruising. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

The cost of P&O cruises has dropped enormously though.  We started with an inside cabin for a week in the fiords in 2010.  £899pp, plus gratuities.  That’s over £1300 if you factor inflation

It’s much cheaper now.  £499 for some weeks this summer.  Current tv ads offering *from £699*

Pretty obvious there will be cutbacks from 2010 levels of service

Good luck to people who can only afford to cruise (and enjoy!) at today’s price levels.  Good luck to those who could afford more but chose to enjoy the value for money and accept the limitations

Everyone will make their choices,  I think ours will be Cunard, which offers a similar level of service as P&O 2010, at a similar real price.  Plus, Cunard is a little less *stuffy* now, having removed the requirement for gentlemen to wear a jacket every night, and having introduced the equivalent of freedom dining.

I can confirm we paid 499 per person each on Iona in May for 7 nights Fjords. No gratuities. Inside saver

[JeanieC,Aston]

40 minutes ago, CarlaMarie said:

It is amazing what you can put your hand to quickly! The main menu from the Captain's Welcome On Board Dinner in 2013, on Oceana. I believe this was before they introduced the 'always available' choices. 

Wow!! I think that is the best cruise ship MDR menu I have ever seen,and that’s after nearly 80 cruises after 28 years cruising.

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 minute ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Wow!! I think that is the best cruise ship MDR menu I have ever seen,and that’s after nearly 80 cruises after 28 years cruising.

Hope they all got dressed up for that one!!!

[Peanut006]

24 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

The cost of P&O cruises has dropped enormously though.  We started with an inside cabin for a week in the fiords in 2010.  £899pp, plus gratuities.  That’s over £1300 if you factor inflation

It’s much cheaper now.  £499 for some weeks this summer.  Current tv ads offering *from £699*

Pretty obvious there will be cutbacks from 2010 levels of service

Good luck to people who can only afford to cruise (and enjoy!) at today’s price levels.  Good luck to those who could afford more but chose to enjoy the value for money and accept the limitations

Everyone will make their choices,  I think ours will be Cunard, which offers a similar level of service as P&O 2010, at a similar real price.  Plus, Cunard is a little less *stuffy* now, having removed the requirement for gentlemen to wear a jacket every night, and having introduced the equivalent of freedom dining.

It would be much cheaper now, I paid just short of £2200 for a standard balcony cabin near the front of the ship, that would be much cheaper now.

It is what it is, we all have choices to suit us. What is acceptable for one is not acceptable for another, that’s life and different expectation levels. 

 

Michelle

[Pencil62]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I just say what I see

 

Nobody has to agree with me at all

 

But similarly if I read something I don't see on the cruises I point it out

 

And always back it up with examples?

 

And/or ask questions. And often the answers help me plan better for my next cruise.

 

Knowing potential problems in advance helps me avoid those problems and find solutions

 

I watched a Forest game very early on in Brodies on my Iona cruise on May. It was barely half full. And service for drinks was slow DESPITE being barely half full. So if people say service is always slow in there and not enough staff then I won't disagree. 

 

But it's on my list of places to avoid.

 

Same with Beach Club. Last time I went in there could only get seats at the bar. It really did remind me of Butlins cabaret bars. So again rather than argue with people that it's too busy and not enough staff (we actually got served straight away by a waiter stood by the bar) I just avoid the place.

 

Im one of the first on here to say I find the Arvia and Iona atriums like a busy airport terminal. And also avoid them. It's put me off ever trying the steak at Keel and Cow so far. Despite the great reports on here. 

 

But I guess people who keep using those places every night do have a point. About too busy and not enough staff?

 

And MB is correct - I need people to use those places.

 

But I can at least tell the people on here about other places on the ship they can go for great fast personal service and calm, serene surroundings

 

When I'm cruising on the big ships that's where I head for. The atrium is just for passing through for me to go somewhere nicer

 

But Arvia and Iona 100 per cent have smaller places offering great service, great drinks, great food options and great entertainment. Knowing where to find them certainly helps

 

Maybe just keep it to between us all on here! Lol

 

It's all opinions of course

Not surprised Brodies was half empty if Forest were on.

[Interestedcruisefan]

13 minutes ago, Pencil62 said:

Not surprised Brodies was half empty if Forest were on.

We beat Arsenal that day!!

Edited September 24, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, CarlaMarie said:

It is amazing what you can put your hand to quickly! The main menu from the Captain's Welcome On Board Dinner in 2013, on Oceana. I believe this was before they introduced the 'always available' choices. 

Thanks. Certainly a step up from todays offer. The menu mentions that there is also a selection of ‘lighter choices’ for both starters and mains, which are in addition. The only difficulty I’d have with that menu is deciding between the four mains that I really like the sound of. Can’t say that I’ve had that dilemma for some time 😂 

[Clodia]

1 hour ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Wow!! I think that is the best cruise ship MDR menu I have ever seen,and that’s after nearly 80 cruises after 28 years cruising.

I was on that cruise. It was a really good menu. Loved Oceana.

[FangedRose]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

One of the major declines in food on P&O since COVID was the removal of the special of the day on the breakfast menu in MDR sadly no more.

But, it does mean that Eggs Benedict is available every morning, not just on Monday

[majortom10]

10 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

But, it does mean that Eggs Benedict is available every morning, not just on Monday

That's no good if you don't like Eggs Benedict but you like the ones that are sadly no more.

 

[daiB]

6 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Only in your opinion Dai, as a Yorkshireman I must have different ideas of food quality, because ,IMO it has declined in both choice and quality, since the pre C era.

Your opinion v mine. I reported on my last cruises on Iona the excellence of service and food. It’s there in black and white.

[Ardennais]

I’ve found some menus from August 2012 - 8 or 9 nights to the Fjords on Oceana. 
 

I think the Welcome Dinner is the same as the one posted above. The menu also had a stylish cover!

 

 

 

 

[Ardennais]

These are the dinner menus from some of the other evenings on that cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scirocco Breeze]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thankfully my favourite special which, from memory, was only available on Monday’s, has now made it on the the daily menu - Eggs Benedict 👍

I only had one MDR breakfast, and I did that for Eggs Benedict. Regretfully there was no Eggs Benedict 😕

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, FangedRose said:

But, it does mean that Eggs Benedict is available every morning, not just on Monday

Very good point

[Dermotsgirl]

An interesting walk down memory lane to a time when there used to be several things on the dinner menu that I fancied.

 

When I see the menus of today, most times it’s a push to find anything that looks interesting. I’ve no doubt I’d find something that I’d eat, but without any great excitement 

[CarlaMarie]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

I’ve found some menus from August 2012 - 8 or 9 nights to the Fjords on Oceana. 
 

I think the Welcome Dinner is the same as the one posted above. The menu also had a stylish cover!

 

 

 

 

Yes that's the nice cover on mine too. Your 2012 menus are nearly identical to mine from May 2013 with just a few changes on each, which just shows that the menus were often reviewed and altered.

[terrierjohn]

5 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Certainly isn't OK on Princess as there has been a similar fall in service and quality. You must be very lucky to have cruised on all those lines since COVID or are you just guessing. My last cruise on Emerald Princess the service and quality was very poor, in fact that bad we enquired about disembarking the ship in Greenock half way through the cruise. If it wasn't for the extortionate cost of a train from Greenock- Glasgow-Southampton to pick up the car by we would have disembarked.

I did say presumably for the ones I had not cruised on!

I understand that Emerald did go downhill badly before its last dry dock, however Sky Princess in July was quite a few notches up on our Iona MDR experience in February.

[Presto2]

Looking back to our first cruise on Oceana in 2010 the menus were amazing and we had silver service so meals were not just plated. Your cheese course was from a trolley alongside an after drink aperitif.  It was more like courses every evening. 

[Fionboard]

We all speak the truth. But it is still just personal opinion and based on our differing expectation and experience. 

[Host Sharon]

15 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

That's definitely wider choice and better quality

 

Was the Captain's welcome aboard dinner a special menu ?

First formal night