Things that once were at P & O but are now… GONE!

[Bloated While Floating]

While currently enjoying our first cruise in two years with P & O on Aurora my wife and I can’t help but notice that a few things have disappeared without trace! 

 

Here are a few we’ve noticed but please feel free to add more…

 

A small bowl of nibbles when you buy pre dinner drinks… gone!

The always available prawn cocktail starter, likewise the ice cream sundae for dessert… gone!

Proper cheesecake… gone! (various sorts on lunch and dinner menus nearly everyday but so far only for vegans so it can’t be cheesecake!)

Daily afternoon tea in the main restaurant… gone!

Butter dishes… gone! (for some reason the waiters approach with a butter dish and then use a knife to transfer a cube of butter to your side plate!)

Night time turn down service with a chocolate left on the pillow… gone!

Overnight storage for your opened bottles of wine… gone!

A second pack of biscuits left in your cabin… gone!

[Cathygh]

13 minutes ago, Bloated While Floating said:

 

 

Overnight storage for your opened bottles of wine… gone!

A second pack of biscuits left in your cabin… gone!

Available on Arcadia on for fixed dining though.

[Fionboard]

Just now, Cathygh said:

Available on Arcadia on for fixed dining though.

Yes and Aurora. Also get butter dish in MDR at dinner and plenty of biscuits. Been on her three times this year. Changes all the time though. 

[Harry Peterson]

Many, many more things have gone over the years, but to be fair it’s reflected in the real terms price drops.

 

What used to be quite luxurious, though, in many ways, is now pretty utilitarian. That will suit a lot of people very nicely, and those who don’t like the ‘new’ P&O will either go elsewhere or stop cruising altogether. So long as P&O fill the ships at profitable prices, it doesn’t much matter. It’s a change of market positioning, taking P&O down a level or two, but if the money rolls in, who really cares? What P&O won’t know though, is how many previous customers they’ve lost.

[Cathygh]

Just remembered there is another thread on this ssubject too.

[Interestedcruisefan]

Tipping  - gone

 

Even if the prices for P and O cruising had increased in real times (rather than significantly decreased)

 

Just losing having to tip daily per person as was expected - that alone more than makes up for nibbles with a drink, chocolate on a pillow, a turndown on a bed and the other things you mentioned IMO

 

Prawn cocktail starters are actually the butt of jokes on James Martin's recent theatre tour where he sarcastically shows on stage the amount of effort (or actual lack of effort) that used to go in by chefs to make a prawn cocktail starter. He basically demonstrates one being made on stage by literally throwing things around - my wife was telling me it got the biggest laughs of the night when he did this!

 

I'm old enough to remember grapefruit segments with a cherry in the middle for starters or even a glass of orange juice !

Both the same era as prawn cocktail. It's such a basic starter. It shouldn't really be something we stIll aspire to be served in a restaurant IMO

 

I say that  knowing some people still like them traditionally though. So fair enough.

 

The world of cuisine has changed though overall far for the better IMO

 

I do actually agree with you on cheesecakes being replaced with lesser desserts though purporting to be like cheesecake on P and O

 

That's the only thing in your list that's something I would actually miss

 

I don't eat shellfish!!

 

Which helps in that respect!

Edited December 9, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Trevor Fountain]

There are many things that have now gone from P&O, however I am not at liberty to name them, for "operational reasons".

[Winifred 22]

The higher prices. Much more affordable now I am all for it. Prefer the new offerings especially at the prices I am paying. 

 

[Eddie99]

£999pp for an inside cabin on a one week fiords cruise

(inflation takes that to £1580 equivalent)

 

There is really no comparison between prices when we had a band and ticker tape send off, *savouries* after dessert, crumble biscuits and a Stilton wheel

Pays your money, takes your choice

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

3 hours ago, Eddie99 said:

£999pp for an inside cabin on a one week fiords cruise

(inflation takes that to £1580 equivalent)

 

There is really no comparison between prices when we had a band and ticker tape send off, *savouries* after dessert, crumble biscuits and a Stilton wheel

Pays your money, takes your choice

 

Yes in May my wife and I paid 499 per person For 7 nights fjords on Iona with tips included

 

So in real terms that's a third of the cost for the same cruise with nibbles and chocolate on the pillow AND without the tips

 

Chalk and cheese in terms of what value for money P and O deliver now compared to the turndown service days

 

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Bloated While Floating]

Very fair points on the cost of cruising in real terms, never been cheaper on P & O and its ships are still a lovely place to be. 
 

One question, does anyone know why only skimmed milk (i.e. white water) is used in the MDR and Horizon now? Very unpleasant on cereal and from the taste I fear they are making the custard out of it!

[Presto2]

6 hours ago, Bloated While Floating said:

Very fair points on the cost of cruising in real terms, never been cheaper on P & O and its ships are still a lovely place to be. 
 

One question, does anyone know why only skimmed milk (i.e. white water) is used in the MDR and Horizon now? Very unpleasant on cereal and from the taste I fear they are making the custard out of it!

Is it April Fools Day? You are joking?

Awful stuff. 

[mklions]

Suite guests previously had a nice box of White Company lotions to take home should they wish, these have now gone.

Also daily canopies from the butler, these have now gone to canopies only on formal nights.

Even suite guests are being squeezed!

Little things but noticeable.

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 minutes ago, mklions said:

Suite guests previously had a nice box of White Company lotions to take home should they wish, these have now gone.

Also daily canopies from the butler, these have now gone to canopies only on formal nights.

Even suite guests are being squeezed!

Little things but noticeable.

Not being someone who looks at the  prices of suites

 

In real terms are suite prices on P and O lower now than in the past as well or have they increased with inflation as normal

 

I just know based on above inside savers I appear to be paying ONE THIRD the cost I would have had to pay  in real terms for the same thing

 

How does it compare with  suites and higher grade cabins in  real money terms?

[Bloated While Floating]

1 hour ago, Presto2 said:

Is it April Fools Day? You are joking?

Awful stuff. 

Sadly not! On the plus side the ice cream is still excellent and always available as a substitute for puddings in the MDR!

[Harry Peterson]

Just now, Bloated While Floating said:

Sadly not! On the plus side the ice cream is still excellent and always available as a substitute for puddings in the MDR!

That is horrendous. If they’re really switching over to fully skimmed milk on a permanent basis that’s a step too far for me. No problem in coffee etc, but with cereals - no way.  Just horrible frothy stuff. And I’m not a picky eater!

[mklions]

7 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Not being someone who looks at the  prices of suites

 

In real terms are suite prices on P and O lower now than in the past as well or have they increased with inflation as normal

 

I just know based on above inside savers I appear to be paying ONE THIRD the cost I would have had to pay  in real terms for the same thing

 

How does it compare with  suites and higher grade cabins in  real money terms?

We normally book a suite with P&O and an aft cabin is our preference.

The secret we found is book early if you want a suite as they tend to get snapped up quite quickly ( especially the aft ones)

Prices were around the £2k price PP pre covid, you would do well to get one under £3k PP now.

[jeanlyon]

Butter was in little yellow dishes on Aurora.  Biscuits were replenished every day in the cabin.  Wine kept for the following evening if on Club dining.

[Interestedcruisefan]

8 minutes ago, mklions said:

We normally book a suite with P&O and an aft cabin is our preference.

The secret we found is book early if you want a suite as they tend to get snapped up quite quickly ( especially the aft ones)

Prices were around the £2k price PP pre covid, you would do well to get one under £3k PP now.

So you have a right to complain about  cutbacks for sure

[Megabear2]

14 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

So you have a right to complain about  cutbacks for sure

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cruise-devaluations-higher-fees-less-service/

 

It's everywhere.  This is the American point of view, but same observations.  

[majortom10]

52 minutes ago, mklions said:

Suite guests previously had a nice box of White Company lotions to take home should they wish, these have now gone.

Also daily canopies from the butler, these have now gone to canopies only on formal nights.

Even suite guests are being squeezed!

Little things but noticeable.

Would be a bonus if all suite guests didn't get any canapes and those in balcony, review and inside were forced to have them every evening.

Edited December 10, 2023 by majortom10

[jeanlyon]

4 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Would be a bonus if all suite guests didn't get any canopies and those in balcony, review and inside were forced to have them every evening.

a Canopy over the balcony or are you talking about canapes?

[majortom10]

Or a can of peas 😂

[Camberley]

1 hour ago, mklions said:

We normally book a suite with P&O and an aft cabin is our preference.

The secret we found is book early if you want a suite as they tend to get snapped up quite quickly ( especially the aft ones)

Prices were around the £2k price PP pre covid, you would do well to get one under £3k PP now.

Yes we just go for suites now on P&O: and the wraparound aft ones. And a good suite/wrap-around balcony on P&0 at their cost is far more enticing to us than spending a similar amount on a few other cruise company’s ships in a standard cabin with a standard balcony. Even with P&O’s pitiful attempts at making canapés!
 

We have also found booking asap is always best for us. And while P&O suite benefits have never been the best compared to similar company’s suites, there have indeed been a few little cuts with P&O suites as well in recent times. But for us nothing too drastic enough to put us off. There are instead other things with how P&O is becoming that are more likely to put us off….

Edited December 10, 2023 by Camberley

[lincslady]

I understand it  is bad form to correct people's spelling, but I do have to bite my tongue sometimes, and appreciate others being prepared to take any flak.  I suppose the only kind way really is to repeat the word but correctly spelt in a reply. (Yes, it can be spelled or spelt).