Selbourne ‘Live’ from Aurora’s 2024 Grand Tour

[AchileLauro]

1 hour ago, mercury7289 said:

The food presentation in the MDR, on Aurora, is dia, in MHO, the home delivered farm food advertised enterprises, look more appetising. Aurora canteen quality at best.This is my opinion from our December 2023 cruise

As has already been said food tastes are subjective as we too were on Aurora in December 2023 and enjoyed nearly every meal with the exception of dinner on the first night. That night it was roast pork with apricot stuffing. The pork had obviously been kept warm for far too long as it had dried out. My wife and I were at the point of sending it back but salvaged the meal by asking for additional gravy. That made it just about O.K. but not good. 

All other meals were reasonable but it certainly is noticeable that standards and indeed choice have declined somewhat.

[S1971]

4 hours ago, AchileLauro said:

As has already been said food tastes are subjective as we too were on Aurora in December 2023 and enjoyed nearly every meal with the exception of dinner on the first night. That night it was roast pork with apricot stuffing. The pork had obviously been kept warm for far too long as it had dried out. My wife and I were at the point of sending it back but salvaged the meal by asking for additional gravy. That made it just about O.K. but not good. 

All other meals were reasonable but it certainly is noticeable that standards and indeed choice have declined somewhat.

 

Hi AchileLauro.

 

I think you make the point I was making, some will find the food enjoyable and some won't, as has been said many times it's a very subjective when it comes to food.

 

I agree standards have somewhat declined, but prices have certainly reflected that, all in all for me I'd rather pay a lower fee than to have six course, silver service meals back as it was in the past.

 

Traditional British lines such as P&O and Cunard simply had to change as the market just isn't strong enough to continually support the old style of cruising, hence the reason more families are cruising as it is now more than affordable.

[Mollag]

12 hours ago, white_bear said:

We were on this crise (R401) also, and have enjoyed the daily blogs - agreeing with some, and not others (as you would expect).

A couple of comments:

1. On phoning Nationwide FlexPlus insurance today to make our "missed ports" claim, it became apparent that they have also had a lot of Covid/ gastro claims. Came as news to me!

2. Re MDR food - yes, menus were repetitive, but overall, we thought food OK. My main complaint was that menus too much biased to veg/vegan,  compressing options for meat and fish eaters.

We never heard the C word once on board although like Selbourne we saw the ghostbusters out spraying on a few occasions mostly late at night when most were turned in. 
Out of interest have either of you had the questionnaire yet all we’ve had was the feefo thing which isn’t worth bothering with it seems only a few get the P&O one maybe only the ones they know will answer positively 🤷‍♂️😂

[Fionboard]

4 minutes ago, Mollag said:

We never heard the C word once on board although like Selbourne we saw the ghostbusters out spraying on a few occasions mostly late at night when most were turned in. 
Out of interest have either of you had the questionnaire yet all we’ve had was the feefo thing which isn’t worth bothering with it seems only a few get the P&O one maybe only the ones they know will answer positively 🤷‍♂️😂

Have not received one for any post covid cruise (16 in all). Strange, as I get all their other emails. 

[Megabear2]

9 minutes ago, Mollag said:

We never heard the C word once on board although like Selbourne we saw the ghostbusters out spraying on a few occasions mostly late at night when most were turned in. 
Out of interest have either of you had the questionnaire yet all we’ve had was the feefo thing which isn’t worth bothering with it seems only a few get the P&O one maybe only the ones they know will answer positively 🤷‍♂️😂

In my experience if you complete the Feefo one you get a questionnaire follow up and if there are genuine points with problems a call or reply asking you to pass the things on to customer service.  This has happened with my last five P&O cruises.  Some of my points were pretty mundane but I still got asked to do the follow ups.

[Ranchi]

Our favourite ship is Aurora. Having said that we were underwhelmed by the offerings in the MDR. To be honest since the Covid hiatus we have not been wowed by the MDR (initially putting it down to training, experience and numbers of staff.) We have had better meals on Britannia and (whisper it) Ventura. This got me thinking; how important is the head chef in the quality of food presented? Also, do some ships have hardware that is better suited to certain types of dining arrangements? Certainly head chefs change regularly and we may have been luckier on some ships than others. Some ship’s galleys may by design be better suited to the demands of freedom dining whereas others better suited to club dining. Just some musings. 
PS I still find difficulty navigating the options in the lunch menu (if I had a £ for every time I’ve muttered ‘I didn’t see that on the menu’ as we left the restaurant we’d have booked an extra cruise this year! 

Edited March 12 by Ranchi
Omission

[Mollag]

22 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

In my experience if you complete the Feefo one you get a questionnaire follow up and if there are genuine points with problems a call or reply asking you to pass the things on to customer service.  This has happened with my last five P&O cruises.  Some of my points were pretty mundane but I still got asked to do the follow ups.

I’ve filled the feefo one in for previous cruises and never heard a thing back so don’t bother anymore 

[Fionboard]

Just now, Mollag said:

I’ve filled the feefo one in for previous cruises and never heard a thing back so don’t bother anymore 

Same here. Always do the FEEFO one and hear nothing more! 

[Megabear2]

16 minutes ago, Mollag said:

I’ve filled the feefo one in for previous cruises and never heard a thing back so don’t bother anymore 

 

15 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Same here. Always do the FEEFO one and hear nothing more! 

Presumably you have very little observation or what could be construed a complaint or in need of major improvement in your replies? Obviously if the answers are all high starring they won't bother.  

 

As a matter of interest do they make any comment or acknowledgement answer of Feefo to you?

 

An example: we took an excursion on a catamaran in Grenada two years ago. Due to weather conditions it should never have run due to sea conditions.  I wrote my views on my otherwise positive Feefo request.  Checked back 24 hours later and online answer in a matter of hours apologising and asking me to detail my experience to customer service by email, which I did.  Acknowledged in 24 hours with details of an investigation with the ship, reply to be 28 days.  Day 27 call received to discuss the matter, apology received and money refunded plus some extra OBC on my next cruise.

 

I always give high praise where due on my forms as it's very easy to be negative by accident. However if something is obviously wrong and needs improvement I do say so.  Nothing is ever perfect in life so I leave petty things out but do not hesitate to suggest where things were okay but could be improved.  

 

My feedback is generally acknowledged, good or bad which I appreciate.

Edited March 12 by Megabear2

[grapau27]

36 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

In my experience if you complete the Feefo one you get a questionnaire follow up and if there are genuine points with problems a call or reply asking you to pass the things on to customer service.  This has happened with my last five P&O cruises.  Some of my points were pretty mundane but I still got asked to do the follow ups.

This has been my experience too.

If we don't fill it in we get a reminder a few days later.

[white_bear]

55 minutes ago, Mollag said:

Out of interest have either of you had the questionnaire yet all we’ve had was the feefo thing which isn’t worth bothering with it seems only a few get the P&O one maybe only the ones they know will answer positively 🤷‍♂️😂

Yes, we have had (and done) the P&O questionnaire. 

[Selbourne]

55 minutes ago, Mollag said:

Out of interest have either of you had the questionnaire yet all we’ve had was the feefo thing which isn’t worth bothering with it seems only a few get the P&O one maybe only the ones they know will answer positively

Well I’m pleased to say that I can assure you that they haven’t only been sent to those who wear rose tinted glasses, as I’ve had one 😂. As with my blog, I’ve given balanced feedback on both the good things and the not so good things. 

[Selbourne]

39 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

Our favourite ship is Aurora. Having said that we were underwhelmed by the offerings in the MDR. To be honest since the Covid hiatus we have not been wowed by the MDR (initially putting it down to training, experience and numbers of staff.) We have had better meals on Britannia and (whisper it) Ventura. This got me thinking; how important is the head chef in the quality of food presented? Also, do some ships have hardware that is better suited to certain types of dining arrangements? Certainly head chefs change regularly and we may have been luckier on some ships than others. Some ship’s galleys may by design be better suited to the demands of freedom dining whereas others better suited to club dining. Just some musings. 
PS I still find difficulty navigating the options in the lunch menu (if I had a £ for every time I’ve muttered ‘I didn’t see that on the menu’ as we left the restaurant we’d have booked an extra cruise this year! 

I could have written that myself! Aurora  has always been our favourite ship as well, mostly due to the passenger profile and far better itineraries, but having experienced four different P&O ships post Covid I think she’s slipped down our batting order. MDR food was the weakest of the four (like you, we thought that Britannia and Ventura MDRs were much better - as was Iona), the air con issues were tiresome and the accessibility features are way behind the newer ships (which is more of an issue for us now that my wife’s condition has worsened).
 

We still like Aurora even with these shortcomings, but I don’t feel that she can justify her premium prices any more. We were able to cope with the negatives by reminding ourselves how little we had paid for the cruise by getting a late saver. Had we paid the Select price I think we would have been less sympathetic to some of the shortcomings. 

[Mollag]

22 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

 

Presumably you have very little observation or what could be construed a complaint or in need of major improvement in your replies? Obviously if the answers are all high starring they won't bother.  

 

As a matter of interest do they make any comment or acknowledgement answer of Feefo to you?

 

An example: we took an excursion on a catamaran in Grenada two years ago. Due to weather conditions it should never have run due to sea conditions.  I wrote my views on my otherwise positive Feefo request.  Checked back 24 hours later and online answer in a matter of hours apologising and asking me to detail my experience to customer service by email, which I did.  Acknowledged in 24 hours with details of an investigation with the ship, reply to be 28 days.  Day 27 call received to discuss the matter, apology received and money refunded plus some extra OBC on my next cruise.

 

I always give high praise where due on my forms as it's very easy to be negative by accident. However if something is obviously wrong and needs improvement I do say so.  Nothing is ever perfect in life so I leave petty things out but do not hesitate to suggest where things were okay but could be improved.  

 

My feedback is generally acknowledged, good or bad which I appreciate.

I think I must be on a blacklist after the issues we had on Auroras first cruise back after covid and last years debacle on Azura maybe they don’t like being pursued through ABTA. Like you we always give praise where praise is due but can’t do it without the survey

[Megabear2]

21 minutes ago, Mollag said:

I think I must be on a blacklist after the issues we had on Auroras first cruise back after covid and last years debacle on Azura maybe they don’t like being pursued through ABTA. Like you we always give praise where praise is due but can’t do it without the survey

I can't say about ABTA affecting you, but as you know I'm extremely vociferous about not only issues I've had personally or things I feel are unfair to all cruisers and what I consider unfair terms.  I'd have thought if there were a blacklist I'm probably very high on it! 

 

Joking apart I use the Feefo questionnaire very much as the survey in the first place in case I do not receive a separatelne.  I have to say I do however always get both and I find P&O extremely helpful and fair on my individual problems.  

 

Generally I have never commented on food quality or availability as it is simply a matter of personal choice and opinion.  However rude or bad service certainly would be mentioned, failure to undertake something they promised to do or inferior products would get a mention.

 

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

In my experience if you complete the Feefo one you get a questionnaire follow up and if there are genuine points with problems a call or reply asking you to pass the things on to customer service.  This has happened with my last five P&O cruises.  Some of my points were pretty mundane but I still got asked to do the follow ups.

We had to ask customer services re the questionnaire as we didn't have one in June. We did the feefo one but not been asked for a PO one other than that. I think we had to double check our settings on PO re the questionnaire. 

[Cathygh]

3 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

In my experience if you complete the Feefo one you get a questionnaire follow up and if there are genuine points with problems a call or reply asking you to pass the things on to customer service.  This has happened with my last five P&O cruises.  Some of my points were pretty mundane but I still got asked to do the follow ups.

We always fill in the feefo review, and always make comments and have never had a call back. I would love to be part of their focius groups so I can actively try to find solutions to gripes rather than whinging on the forums. Not all of my comments are negative BTW.

 

On the subject of food, the Exec Chef on Arcadia said they did a tasting of the evening's menu every afternoon at 4pm and then made adjustments. I can only think that he had lost his sense of taste (covid maybe?) and thought cold food that was meant to be hot was hot when it was tepid. 

[Fionboard]

Remember when you got a quite comprehensive paper questionnaire at the end of your cruise. This was replaced with a reasonably comprehensive one online, after your cruise. Now I just get a FEEFO one regarding the ( rare ) excursions I do. Not bothered as I don't believe they take any notice anyway. Just  a PR stunt to keep the masses happy. 

[Megabear2]

12 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Remember when you got a quite comprehensive paper questionnaire at the end of your cruise. This was replaced with a reasonably comprehensive one online, after your cruise. Now I just get a FEEFO one regarding the ( rare ) excursions I do. Not bothered as I don't believe they take any notice anyway. Just  a PR stunt to keep the masses happy. 

Are there two Feefo ones?  The ones I fill in do have the excursions but they are a separate box at the end.  The big box at the beginning takes general comments on your experience. It takes quite a bit - 1,000 characters if I recall.  The Feefo website has two sections, one covers general.opinions/comments and the other the excursions. The latter is quite helpful as you can click through on your planner to see the excursions reviews and comments before booking

 

Edited March 12 by Megabear2

[mercury7289]

On 3/12/2024 at 12:48 AM, AchileLauro said:

As has already been said food tastes are subjective as we too were on Aurora in December 2023 and enjoyed nearly every meal with the exception of dinner on the first night. That night it was roast pork with apricot stuffing. The pork had obviously been kept warm for far too long as it had dried out. My wife and I were at the point of sending it back but salvaged the meal by asking for additional gravy. That made it just about O.K. but not good. 

All other meals were reasonable but it certainly is noticeable that standards and indeed choice have declined somewhat.

Note that I referred to presentation.

[mercury7289]

On 3/12/2024 at 5:17 AM, S1971 said:

 

Hi AchileLauro.

 

I think you make the point I was making, some will find the food enjoyable and some won't, as has been said many times it's a very subjective when it comes to food.

 

I agree standards have somewhat declined, but prices have certainly reflected that, all in all for me I'd rather pay a lower fee than to have six course, silver service meals back as it was in the past.

 

Traditional British lines such as P&O and Cunard simply had to change as the market just isn't strong enough to continually support the old style of cruising, hence the reason more families are cruising as it is now more than affordable.

Sorry I do not wholly agree,

I am also only making the point regarding the MDR. The current level of meals including presentation choice and taste,fall a long way short of the so called advertised dining experience in MHO. Linking the poor quality of food choice, presentation and taste to cruise prices is not logical. 16 night cruise at say an extra £10.00 extra per night,at worst = £160.not exactly a deal breaker on the adult only ship Aurora in MHO.

[mercury7289]

33 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

Sorry I do not wholly agree,

I am also only making the point regarding the MDR. The current level of meals including presentation choice and taste,fall a long way short of the so called advertised dining experience in MHO. Linking the poor quality of food choice, presentation and taste to cruise prices is not logical. 16 night cruise at say an extra £10.00 extra per night,at worst = £160.not exactly a deal breaker on the adult only ship Aurora in MHO.

Not that I am suggesting an extra payment,merely illustrating a point. Premier prices are already being paid by guests on the Adult ships

[gadabout60]

47 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

Not that I am suggesting an extra payment,merely illustrating a point. Premier prices are already being paid by guests on the Adult ships

I think that should read some guests. There are cheaper deals to be had as Selbourne has illustrated 

[mercury7289]

51 minutes ago, gadabout60 said:

I think that should read some guests. There are cheaper deals to be had as Selbourne has illustrated 

Right!

However seems to have missed the point.

[S1971]

3 hours ago, mercury7289 said:

Sorry I do not wholly agree,

I am also only making the point regarding the MDR. The current level of meals including presentation choice and taste,fall a long way short of the so called advertised dining experience in MHO. Linking the poor quality of food choice, presentation and taste to cruise prices is not logical. 16 night cruise at say an extra £10.00 extra per night,at worst = £160.not exactly a deal breaker on the adult only ship Aurora in MHO.

 

The current level of meals IMHO reflects the price reductions over the past few years, the MDR now effectively serves an average three course meal, where as it used to be six courses and where steak "always available" it's now fried chicken etc, etc.

 

It's actually cheaper to cruise today than it was in the past, so you have to link the quality against price, P&O simply can't offer high quality produce at lower cost.

 

There is no getting away from it, additional quality come at a cost for example the additional charge restaurants, that's how P&O are evolving along with other similar brands.

 

Just my opinion and appreciate others will see it differently.