dining room standards on P&O cruises

Can anyone who has cruised since Christmas tell me if all ships serve ready plated meals in their formal dining rooms in the evening or do any serve you 'properly'. We were very disappointed with the lack of service on our cruise at Christmas - all the waiters wanted to do was to plonk your plate in front of you as quickly as possible so they could carry on their conversations with each other!!

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

the far better place for your research is that portion of Cruise Critic devoted to P&O, located here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=38

Every meal I've ever had on ANY ship is "plated"...this isn't dinner with the Queen, you know!!

Every meal I've ever had on ANY ship is "plated"...this isn't dinner with the Queen, you know!!

Somehow I think they want white gloves and each course served by each's own servant. Only time I've had this was at a Chef's Table ( never sailed on P&O)

If you're after details such as whether they wear white gloves and which side they pour the water from, you need to be a bit more specific, because your unspecified "properly" may be different from mine. But I can promise you the food is not thrown at you, it's on the plate not the tablecloth (and there is a tablecloth), and there are cloth serviettes, not paper ones. Hope that sets your mind at rest. :)

I don't often respond to questions that have already received responses but I have to say that I was shocked by the sarcastic remarks made in the last three replies to a perfectly valid question.

It appears that some cruisers are not aware that different cruise lines have different traditions.

For many years dinner service on P&O has been what is called 'silver service' in the UK. This entailed the protein portion of the main meal being pre-plated and then the vegetables and other accompaniments being served to each individual diner by the server using silver serving spoons to transfer what is requested onto the diner's plate. It appears that this traditional method has now been replaced by the totally pre-plated version used by 'some' other cruise lines

For many years dinner service on P&O has been what is called 'silver service' in the UK. This entailed the protein portion of the main meal being pre-plated and then the vegetables and other accompaniments being served to each individual diner by the server using silver serving spoons to transfer what is requested onto the diner's plate. It appears that this traditional method has now been replaced by the totally pre-plated version used by 'some' other cruise lines

When I first started cruising (on Princess) this is how all the dinners were served unfortunately now that cruise ships have become more like mass market hotels on water - elegance and class have disappeared.

I

 

For many years dinner service on P&O has been what is called 'silver service' in the UK. This entailed the protein portion of the main meal being pre-plated and then the vegetables and other accompaniments being served to each individual diner by the server using silver serving spoons to transfer what is requested onto the diner's plate. It appears that this traditional method has now been replaced by the totally pre-plated version used by 'some' other cruise lines

Wow, that sounds irritating and time consuming. Is that a "proper" way of dining in the UK?

Not sailing this cruise, but curious what the answer is to the OP's question.

The pre-plated is what is used on every cruise line and restaurant I've ever been to including Chef's Table. Both in the US and abroad-though I've not traveled to the UK. Rather than "improper" I'd call it normal.

Wow, that sounds irritating and time consuming. Is that a "proper" way of dining in the UK?

Not sailing this cruise, but curious what the answer is to the OP's question.

The pre-plated is what is used on every cruise line and restaurant I've ever been to including Chef's Table. Both in the US and abroad-though I've not traveled to the UK. Rather than "improper" I'd call it normal.

P&O gave up 'silver service' some time ago, a few years I think. I don't know of any cruise line that has it nowadays, though some of the very expensive ones may do. Anyway, 'silver service' doesn't necessarily equate with attentive waiters and plated meals don't mean poor service. If you find the waiters on P&O are more interested in their own conversations than in looking after you, that's more to do with the waiters than how the meal is served. Did you complain about their behaviour?

Sounds like Downton Abbey ! Where is Carson when you need him! LOL:D;)