Camberley

Well at least he has that guy, and a chunk of that ilk, have probably not got many cruises left to spread their bigotry! So pleased Scottish Ed and his partner had a great first cruise. Fab photo.

Ah the weekly punishment of their attempts at canapés.

Well, it’s all rather subjective isn’t it. While Sindhu is arguably not as impressive as it was under the excellent Indian chef, Atul Kochhar, it is still very good - and having lived in India years ago briefly, it is authentic enough with expected tweaks: certainly more so than you might get in your typical high street Indian restaurant that is typically swimming in oil and overly sweetened sauce and often lacks real flavour balance. But doubts over authenticity etc aside it is really good food if you want a touch of refinement. Likewise in terms of being subjective, we have always found Chef’s Table style over substance. Great sounding menus but the reality is adequate pub fayre served just a touch more elegantly. The last time we braved it again (just in case it had improved) was in April - to us it hadn’t and several tables left part way through to eat elsewhere. But it might tick the box food-wise as some love it. The mini suite is divisive: many love it, many do not. We had 4 friends on our last one in two mini suites. Two of them hated it but the other two loved it: the two who hated it/loved it were in different mini suites, so not the same couple. Either way I hope you have a lovely cruise. I am sure you will

We asked about this when we had our normal suite breakfast in there last month (Iona) as it had popped up on these forums about folk paying extra for breakfast there - and in our next non-suite cruise we’d probably pay for a few Epicurean breakfasts. We were told that it was not a thing. Maybe they trialled this on a cruise.

Oh now that is really lovely to read. While they can be so appalling at times - it’s such a gamble with them - it is nice when they demonstrate good customer services and the like such as this.

On our last 2 cruises to the Fjords there was a dropped port and most folk I know who have sailed to the Fjords on Iona have had similar. We were told after we embarked (the ubiquitous. “Operational reasons”. Not the end of the world, albeit disappointing, but I just wonder why P&O can’t get its act together and either ditch those ports permanently if so hit and miss and find another…or something,

Yes, those midship suites are really pitiful in terms of their balcony, whereas the aft ones are truly fabulous. We found the soot issue last summer to be slight and was certainly not much of a problem for us. The very occasional spots were eclipsed by the many other joys of that balcony.

This could be the start of a potential marketing slogan for P&O: always keep your expectations low and we might occasionally please you

I really would hope not, but they have the uncanny knack of giving a pre-made vibe about their food,

It’s actually quite the skill to be able to replicate the banality of airline food. But P&O cruises have nailed it there. Mind you we found it was adequate the last few times recently: but I imagine nobody would choose P&O for the limited quality of their food.

It’s a very personal thing but I just do not find it an issue to carry around a small phone and remove it only occasionally. Like I might do for taking photos and videos of the cruise when in the moment. I certainly don’t feel I live on it and it certainly does not affect my holiday enjoyment whatsoever - and after being a huge critic of their “app” initially, and clutching my pearls with the best of them, I now actually prefer that route. Well, for the most part at least! But there are plenty of other key issues I have with P&O cruises that eclipse the very minor issues I do have with their “app”. Right, am off to check that Emmerdale Farm has recorded on my new Betamax before I send a telegram to Head Office enquiring about the fleet-wide removal of quoits.

I think I prefer the excitement over pineapples on adult ships rather than ducks. But I can never work out whether tinned or fresh is best.

Oh he has branched out

Ludlow has been getting a lot of exposure recently so on this occasion it’s good to give him a bit of a break.

Who knows what that particular family have secreted inside the ducks for transporting off the ship. They spent all cruise either hogging deckchairs or moaning at reception just to get a freebie, and then letting their spawn run around the Crows Nest most eves despite being told they are not allowed in there. And now this. 🤣 We have noted something of an obsession with this duck thing on P&O as well as on Princess. And there are some very precious adults on various cruise sites/pages who clutch their pearls in horror when others do not get into the spirit. Husband binned two on our last cruise: we feel we should start another trend of posting photos of the most creative way people have disposed of them.

I love lobster - well, if cooked properly - but in all our P&O cruises the only decent ones have been in Epicurean and Sindhu. The times lobster has been served in the MDRs and other venues it has been a pitiful amount and woefully over-cooked: chewing on elastic bands while reading Paul Ludlow’s never-to-be best seller “How to reduce the customer experience by 99.9%” is a more pleasurable experience.

If the meals were pleasurably memorable then I’d do what I could to collect the menus each day. But most deserve to be swiftly forgotten.

Never been charged for room service in a suite - and we book directly through to the kitchen as it is much quicker than the butler - but as has been said it is always worth checking just in case P&O make one of their infamous errors. Mercifully those god-awful canapés are no longer a daily threat (I fear P&O might prefer to drop the h in their advertising), yet ironically they gate-crashed the suite on celebration nights on our recent cruises on Iona and again on Britannia. We’d have thrown them overboard but we didn’t want to concuss a whale. But despite the “extras” not amounting to much (I mean, they are pitiful!), the space and those aft balconies are, for us, what makes the suite life so much better. I know some bang on about barely using their room or their balcony - but in some of those aft suites it is proper spacious, peaceful bliss and we love using that space ourselves and with many friend on board for drinks gatherings and the like. Bliss……until the soot falls…

My sister mentioned Cruise Critic on Regal when she was trying to book us into the Chef’s Table, thinking it would carry some weight (bless her in all her sweet naivety!) only to be met with a disdainful: “oh dear”. Those words do not express the tone and look that were present! I was a little taken aback but it was quite amusing in a strange way.

Ah apart from one time (and very briefly), we’ve not had that experience: all have been very well behaved, with parents being competent in ensuring their kids toe the line or rather don’t make a loud fuss. And no baby issues. Rather than those sorts of parents who think it is fine for their kids to be loud, scream etc in venues they should be be, and then get offended if you tell their kids off for them. But that one time a kid was a bit tantrummy and the mum at least had the sense to take it away with her rather than expect us all to suffer.

Iona and Britannia.

We do suites on P&O and you definitely don’t pay for room service on a suite. BUT I recommend if you order it on the phone (rather that through the butler which can take a lot longer) you make it clear you’re in a suite - and then check your onboard balance: there have been a few occasions we’d been charged on error - but that was then swiftly erased. The room service menu is ok - but not at all special. Just free and decent fuel. However, for a proper food/drink treat on the balcony etc, our previous butlers - including last month - have delivered food from some of the speciality restaurants such as Sindhu and Epicurean (there is their normal restaurant cost for the food in those cases). And the wonderful Epicurean breakfast on the balcony occasionally. To be honest, it’s the only service we use the butler for. The few times we have had those meals in our room/balcony we had let the butler know a day or so beforehand. Mind you, breakfast in Epicurean itself each morning is wonderful: it is always very quiet, peaceful, none of the bun-fights/screaming families/harsh noise etc…you might get in the buffet. For us, the best way to start the day. Personally the tap water is just dreadful flavour-wise. But it’s fine used for the lovely coffee pod machine you get. Just not lovely to drink as it is. But take your water bottles and fill up from the water station on Iona

I rather like those little biscuits. Surprisingly delicious when dunked. The last few cruises this past year, including our cruises so far this year, Epicurean remained terrific each time, and we tend to eat there around half of the evenings. Personally I have no issue whatsoever about the food being plated before it comes to the table - and unless I fall down a timehole into late 1970s Britain, I can do without the theatrics of plating at the table.

That is really lovely to hear such a positive response from a company that I have found to be incompetent in terms of dealing with issues that have been raised. But I’m so pleased they have been so good on this occasion. Good on them

Was initially disappointed we missed out on this particular tasting menu the previous week on Iona. Before boarding I booked three Epicurean evening slots including this one that was advertised. Sadly they did not do this tasting menu that week in the end. Still, got a superb meal though - but I’ve learned to take P&O’s online info with a hefty pinch of salt. Although perhaps I should save some of that salt to perk up the MDR food.