P and o standards slipping?

Another good reason to keep tea/coffee making facilities in cabin. Stewards have better things to do than knock on peoples cabin doors at 0700 with a cuppa tea.:halo: They should make their own.:evilsmile:

Any food or drink brought to your cabin is delivered by room service.

I always top my tea bags up from the buffet.

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

Hi all, I keep reading about this champagne card for a sailaway drink, is this a new thing as we have had 3 cruises with P&O and not come across this?

Rick

Hi all, I keep reading about this champagne card for a sailaway drink, is this a new thing as we have had 3 cruises with P&O and not come across this?

 

 

Rick

It is a Peninsular Club benefit and depends what level you are if you get it and if you do its not an actual card but a paper voucher usually left with other documents in your cabin on your desk and can be used at any sailaway from any port during your cruise not just Southampton and can be use din any bar on the ship.

We have just returned from The Canaries (on Britannia for the first time ) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I do not like the new biscuits either and found £28 per head for the Epicurian a little excessive but it was a good experience. We found the entertainment to be excellent but could have done with a bit more choice on sea days - there are only so many times you can do a quiz!

We were lucky with our table for 8 at first sitting and overall found the food ok. If my husband needed a bit extra, he finished up with the Stilton. We always found a table in Horizon, which,

in our opinion, is a great improvement on other ships' buffets.

Falling standards? Maybe in small ways but I think cruising is still good value for money We are on Aurora next year but would certainly sail on Britannia again.

It is a Peninsular Club benefit and depends what level you are if you get it and if you do its not an actual card but a paper voucher usually left with other documents in your cabin on your desk and can be used at any sailaway from any port during your cruise not just Southampton and can be use din any bar on the ship.

Interesting,i thought it was just for the Southampton sail away.

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

Interesting,i thought it was just for the Southampton sail away.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

We never use it for a sailaway, we usually use it for a pre-dinner glass of champagne on one of the formal evenings.

Im sure it said that the champagne paper voucher or card for Penninsular members was for the sail away party or a sail away party. We were hoping to use it at dinner but ended up using it as a pre dinner drink putting it in the fridge. We were rather pushed for time as we only boarded at 3.30pm and the drill was at 5pm and by the time the voucher appeared they had put the champagne away. It was our wedding anniversary the day we boarded and I have to say the changes were somewhat disappointing . However, things definitely improved! We had a lovely free bottle of rose in Sindhu and a glass of something sparkly.

Initially it was only valid for the sail away however after the change in embarcation times they have given more latitude as those with the late times sometimes struggle to use it.

Also on the last couple of cruises we have been on the vouchers were not delivered on time for the sail away so we used them the next day.

The voucher does specifically mention the sailaway but we have never had any problem using the voucher in any bar on any night regardless of whether or not it was an evening after a sailaway. We have definitely only used it on formal evenings for the last 5 years and we do 3 or 4 cruises each year so between 15 and 20 cruises. We were first told by the Peninsula Club person on Oceana that we could do this when we mentioned at a Peninsular cocktail party that we never went to the sailaways so didn't use the vouchers.

The voucher does specifically mention the sailaway but we have never had any problem using the voucher in any bar on any night regardless of whether or not it was an evening after a sailaway. We have definitely only used it on formal evenings for the last 5 years and we do 3 or 4 cruises each year so between 15 and 20 cruises. We were first told by the Peninsula Club person on Oceana that we could do this when we mentioned at a Peninsular cocktail party that we never went to the sailaways so didn't use the vouchers.

Thats good to know thank you because on 1 cruise we couldn't make sailaway and i binned the vouchers.

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

Our experience is the same as Josy1953. We never go to Sailway parties and exchange our champagne vouchers at a bar at some other time, usually at the Glass House when we are having lunch. You don't have to use them on a day with a sailaway party either - you can use them at any time during the cruise. Best of all, it's the proper stuff, not that cheap paint stripper that they palm you off with at the Captains Welcome Party or Peninsular Club Welcome on Board lunch or Cocktail parties.

Thank you that's good to know. Not keen on the sail aways either.

Just to confirm that you can use your free champagne voucher other than at the first 'sailaway'. ... but a word of warning before you complain you haven't received one. Our novice-but-lovely cabin steward put ours in the stationery folder which of course, I never looked in. After a long queue at reception to chase it up ( I know, how pathetic is that ) before being referred to the Loyalty Desk also with a long queue, I gave up and went back to the cabin. A few days later, I 'found' the voucher in the folder and was able to use it without any trouble ;)

Just to confirm that you can use your free champagne voucher other than at the first 'sailaway'. ... but a word of warning before you complain you haven't received one. Our novice-but-lovely cabin steward put ours in the stationery folder which of course, I never looked in. After a long queue at reception to chase it up ( I know, how pathetic is that ) before being referred to the Loyalty Desk also with a long queue, I gave up and went back to the cabin. A few days later, I 'found' the voucher in the folder and was able to use it without any trouble ;)

Ours were definately not delivered which was confirmed by both the steward and the loyalty desk. They were all late and delivered the next day.

The loyalty scheme provides little enough compared to other cruise companies so you would think they would at least get it delivers on time!

Ours were definately not delivered which was confirmed by both the steward and the loyalty desk. They were all late and delivered the next day.

 

 

The loyalty scheme provides little enough compared to other cruise companies so you would think they would at least get it delivers on time!

Well, have to say that I really don't know when ours was delivered - ie when it was slipped into the stationery folder, as I only found it a few days in.

We never use ours until the end of the cruise when we usually raise a glass to good old PO for a wonderful holiday.

Interesting,i thought it was just for the Southampton sail away.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

I always use mine at The Great British Sailaway

Having returned from our cruise I do think that there have been some cost cutting/changes on the Britannia. Its not merely a matter of moaning as its not a "cheap" holiday and after several cruises on her I feel that I am able to make comparisons. We spend a reasonable amount of money on a mid range balcony cabin, pay our gratuities, tip when staff go the extra mile and have come to expect certain standards.

 

Firstly the tea and biscuits in the cabin were not as expected and in my opinion a less expensive alternative, the price of the room service wines had increased and our "usual" only available in the restaurant.

 

The tea pigs menu was available but at an extra £1.95.

 

Its a nice little extra to have your champagne card waiting in your cabin as a tiny perk for choosing P and O and mildly irritating to have to ring the reception, the loyalty area and trail down to the loyalty desk to actually. Yes people will see that as a moan and there are more important things happening in the world but quite its the start of my holiday and for a couple of weeks I want to recharge and get spoilt

 

I did find the food in the freedom MDR was not of the same standard or presentation as we have previously experienced. Some of them were reminiscent of school dinners. Fish with lurid saffron squiggles on top, awful tinned potatoes, profiteroles presented as miniscule blobs on top of a mouse, deconstructed deserts such as sticky toffee pudding and lemon meringue in a sundae type arrangement.

 

The prices of the speciality restaurants had increased to £20 a head for Sindhu, £7.50 for the Beach House and an extra 5.95 for a seafood hanging kebab. The food was amazing in these restaurants but nevertheless increased.

Interesting to read these comments. Firstly what do you have t do now with your champagne vouchers. I assume from the post you have to go to loyalty to have them verified? Always just go to The Glass House for ours so we get a decent glass f wine.

Also it seems no time at all since the biscuits were downgraded. Has this happened again?

Sorry to hear about the price increase in the select restaurants. I assume it wasn't just because of the length of the cruise, as can sometimes be the case? We didn't eat much in the MDR because we think it is an area where P&O has cut back but it's never bothered us as we enjoy the select restaurants so much.

Shame you missed the shows though as we found them all new and different on Britannia and thoroughly enjoyed them, as in fact we did all the entertainment on Britannia.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Our voucher has always been with the other welcome bits on the desk. We have usually used the vouchers on an evening when we've been leaving a port, certainly not Southampton, and especially if it's a sunny evening and we can drink the fizz sat on the balcony. My husband usually goes to whichever bar is the nearest to our cabin.

Of interest, do all passengers get these 'vouchers' as part of their Welcome Aboard information? We are Atlantic Tier and I don't recall having had one in the past.........however, it would be a nice touch!!

After a lot of messing about the cabin steward brought the to the cabin. We are Atlantic tier presently.

Of interest, do all passengers get these 'vouchers' as part of their Welcome Aboard information? We are Atlantic Tier and I don't recall having had one in the past.........however, it would be a nice touch!!

On Atlantic tier you should get one and in theory the voucher should be in your cabin when you arrive. In practice more recently people are having to chase up to get them. Just ask your cabin attendant or call the loyalty desk if you don't get one.

Having also just returned from a Britannia cruise, I echo the cost cutting feel. We ate in the mdr 4 times, was happy with the food.however what I wasn't happy with was the menu on the black tie nights. We had 4 on a 12 night cruise and only 2 of them were worthy of being a formal night menu (the first and last) the other menus were just run of the mill normal menus with 1 formal (black and white) even having a special of chicken tikka curry! Chose to eat in the glass house that night!

The entertainment has been cut back, with only 2 guest acts performing in the live lounge over the whole cruise.the rest of the time it was pulse (gone downhill since last year) and music from "dj dom".

Yes there were other guest acts but only in the theatre on non theatre production nights.

The new biscuits in the cabin were ok but 90% of the time we had butter flavour only.

Didn't mind paying £7.50 for beach house but there's a lot more dishes with extra charges now than previously.

Totally agree with Pidgoefcdf. There was definitely a noticeable cost cutting exercise on Britannia. Having travelled on her several times before the entertainment was mostly the same except for Tucker who was brilliant. Thought Ollie Smith and Rob Bryson may have given a lecture/ comedy sketch but no such luck.Only caught a glimpse of Bryson when they totally closed off the atrium one day.There does seem to be a drive to get people to spend more money we thought. Better food quality /presentation in the speciality restaurants, better tea pigs , better cakes and quality coffees to be purchased, the fridge in the cabin practically bursting with stuff to buy, pushing the cookery club etc... I would have been happier with buttery biscuits rather than the coconut ones. Mind you it was a bit choppy and perhaps ginger biscuits would have been better? Yes I would agree that the black tie nights menus did nothing to encourage people to dress up and use the MDR. We went up to the Horizon for the Indian and Tandoori nights and although the food was excellent there was a definite lack of choice. On passing the reception one day a couple were getting their statement and theyd nearly spent the equivalent of one of our balcony fares. Even I nearly collapsed!

I'm afraid I couldn't care less about the brand of tea....as I don't drink tea at all!

No, but to be fair, your clients must do as you would be unable to do the readings if they didn't.

Regards John