Trying P&O for the first time ....

if anyone is familiar with RCCI can you please tell me how the food on board P&O cruises compares. The food in the MDR on board our last RCCI cruise (from Southampton to Canaries about 18 months ago) put my husband off cruising altogether.

if anyone is familiar with RCCI can you please tell me how the food on board P&O cruises compares. The food in the MDR on board our last RCCI cruise (from Southampton to Canaries about 18 months ago) put my husband off cruising altogether.

Hello,

P&O does a 'full-English' cooked breakfast to perfection. It's always English back bacon and English (either 'ordinary' or Cumberland) sausages. Both of these items are actually 'cooked' and not just pointed in the general direction of a grill unlike on RCI. However the eggs are generally small.

P&O MDR lunch is usually quite good in terms of quality and usually hot too unlike dinner. I don't think P&O have quite mastered mass catering - fewer people take MDR lunch on P&O than they do dinner so they can give it more attention.

P&O MDR lunch and dinner however will never make you fat. If RCI quantities are your normal intake when not on a cruise then you will always be on the look-out for a 'calorie top-up' on P&O. RCI evening meals have a greater variety and could be considered 'adventurous' though taste is a personal preference. What certainly is the case is that P&O evening meals are 'staid' English conservative staple fayre - I have sampled nothing that neither I or my mother would not have cooked. Along with the chef's creations, there is always 'Something from the Grill' and a 'Daily Roast' on P&O. Desserts include chilled to the point of tastelessness fancy things and hot puddings with very pale custard. Portions of cheese on the cheese plate are very stingy and Stilton is frequently not available - I've only ever seen that on RCI in the Windjammer anyway.

Regards,

Cublet

Sailed quite a bit on RC and P&O.

This is what I like on the bigger P&O ships :

Focus on British tastes. Tea, English breakfast, good range of wine at reasonable prices, excellent quality and choice in the speciality restaurants (Glass House, Sindhu, Epicurean, Beach House).

The food in MDR varies in my experience. Sometimes it is really good, sometimes horrible but it is all a matter of opinion. I have found the choice of fish served and quality of cooking to be excellent. Not every meal will be excellent so expect a few disappointments.

The buffet has themes for each evening. I find the lunch offering really good with a lot of salad, cold items as well as a range of hot items. In the evening, the choice is based around the theme with one or two generic offerings. I find that RC has a wider choice.

I sail on P&O mainly because of the food and wine. However, the food I am really looking forward to is that on offer in the speciality dinning restaurants.

If you like curries then they have these quite often in the buffet. If not then avoid the Indian theme nights.

I like P&O deserts more than RC's. Good choice, showcasing British deserts but custard is horrible. I really don't understand why they go to great lengths to make such a horrible custard. Same with vanilla sauce. Avoid both, ask for ice cream instead.

Is the food better than RC? I believe it is a matter of taste. One thing for certain, it is more British. For me that is a positive.

If you want to experience the best of P&O food then I would recommend dinning in MDR on black tie nights, a few evenings spread across Glass House, Epicurean and Beach House and then one or two nights in the buffet (choose according to theme).

Thanks both. It sounds like most affordable cruise lines are going the same way - downhill in my opinion!

Hello,

 

P&O does a 'full-English' cooked breakfast to perfection. It's always English back bacon and English (either 'ordinary' or Cumberland) sausages. Both of these items are actually 'cooked' and not just pointed in the general direction of a grill unlike on RCI. However the eggs are generally small.

 

I must say that as a fan of breakfast buffets on our recent cruise on Britannia I found it much poorer than 3 years ago on her,whereas 3 years ago we could find various cuts of bacon separate(back or streaky) either crispy or not,this time the whole lot seemed to be lumped in together,often rashers were stuck together in clumps,presumably as they had been cooked,the sausages often had a brown stripe down them but were otherwise pink,some days the 'breakfast special' would be black pudding(usually overcooked) or white pudding(actually really nice),much as I love black & white pudding it isn't my idea of a 'special of the day'!

Apparately Stilton is available with the cheese board you just have to ask for it.

We find the food on P & O just as good as RCI and breakfast better. Plus you get a decent cup of tea and not just a cup of warm water and a teabag.

Apparately Stilton is available with the cheese board you just have to ask for it.

.

Stilton is usually available but is not on the cheese board because it is served straight from the cheese, scooped out at the table. P&O regulars know this and specifically ask for it, then enjoy a bit of one upmanship when the cheese roundel arrives!

Stilton is usually available but is not on the cheese board because it is served straight from the cheese, scooped out at the table. P&O regulars know this and specifically ask for it, then enjoy a bit of one upmanship when the cheese roundel arrives!

Hello,

Yes, it Stilton is usually available, if you ask for it, but presuming I have been told the truth by the waiters, it is not always available. Recent cruises on Ventura and Aurora allegedly had none on board.

Regards,

Cublet

Stilton was available at times on our last cruise, but only occasionally. I imagine that as it is the most expensive cheese on the cheese board, they do not want it to disappear too fast.

Without wanting to be precious, but speaking as an ex dairy man, scooping out Stilton from the wheel is not only the wrong way to serve it, but a very wasteful exercise as well.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

Thanks both. It sounds like most affordable cruise lines are going the same way - downhill in my opinion!

Eight cruises with P&O and I did feel like that with most recent cruise only a few weeks ago. Some aspects of service seemed to drop to 2*. I take the view that it still offers great VFM and if you pay extra as with speciality dinning then expectations will be met.

On a positive, P&O are offering 12 night cruises advertised on TV from £700. So if you go cheap (inside room, lowest price deals), there is plenty of spare cash to spend as you like on board. Because of the decline in standards in some areas, it is paying too much that I would be cautious about. I would book a suite on an RC ship but not P&O.

On a positive, P&O are offering 12 night cruises advertised on TV from £700.

It is even a cheaper price than that....£679pp....that is a select fare price....then I can get extra discount off that through my TA....works out at £54 pppn approx....where else can you get something comparable for that price?

On a positive, P&O are offering 12 night cruises advertised on TV from £700.

It is even a cheaper price than that....£679pp....that is a select fare price....then I can get extra discount off that through my TA....works out at £54 pppn approx....where else can you get something comparable for that price?

Depends on what you mean by comparable,difficult to compare really as with the cruise you are moving around & if that is what you want that is unbeatable with pretty much any other type of holiday.

We will soon be off to Portugal,comparable price wise to what you quote,big difference being the accomodation,hotel on the beach, huge sea front room with balcony,ok only B&B but the local dining is cheap,bathroom even has a bidet so I don't have to worry about my wellies being muddy,very different to your average cruise ship box.

Depends on what you mean by comparable,difficult to compare really as with the cruise you are moving around & if that is what you want that is unbeatable with pretty much any other type of holiday.

We will soon be off to Portugal,comparable price wise to what you quote,big difference being the accomodation,hotel on the beach, huge sea front room with balcony,ok only B&B but the local dining is cheap,bathroom even has a bidet so I don't have to worry about my wellies being muddy,very different to your average cruise ship box.

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

If you want cheap then stay with P&O, RCI etc. and put up with the sometimes indifferent food choices. If you are prepared to spend a bit more and want the good catering that goes with that then go on Cunard and if you can really afford it go on the grills.

We have done RCI, Azamara, P&O, Cunard and Silver Sea. The food on P&O was better than Silver Sea but nowhere as good as Cunard. RCI was very American so it's difficult to compare and Azamara was quite ordinary but well cooked.

At the end of the day, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Peter and Jenny

The stilton is a highlight of P&O cruises for me. I always ask for it and only rarely is it not available. Scooping from the middle is supposed to be traditional but is actually a throwback to when the rind of the cheese used to be infested with mites. No matter - the stilton is generally delicious and more than makes up for the poor quality of the other cheeses on offer.

Really agree with the last 3 or 4 posts. VFM is great with P and O if you get a good deal on the cabin you want the extra benefits are there, free laundrettes ( don't think any other line offers that ), in cabin tea and coffee, good theatre shows IMO, good day time seaday activities, good drinks prices if you like alcohol. The food is a bit hit and miss sometimes but MDR breakfast is always really consistently great, MDR lunch is nice and relaxed and nice food, buffet fab for grabbing a snack if you get peckish. I think the MDR gala nights are a bit rubbish so we go to a pay a bit extra venue like glasshouse on those nights. I love P and O :)

Hi....when I quoted the price of £54pppn I was comparing it with a like for like hotel holiday....I think once you start comparing it with B/B in Portugal or a villa for £50pp....which if that includes flight is a good price....especially if there are only two sharing....then you can't compare the two. When we have hotel based holidays....especially in this country we can pay £80pp for B/B...£100 plus for a decent standard hotel half board and still be given mediocre food.

On a positive, P&O are offering 12 night cruises advertised on TV from £700.

It is even a cheaper price than that....£679pp....that is a select fare price....then I can get extra discount off that through my TA....works out at £54 pppn approx....where else can you get something comparable for that price?

I haven't checked out that particular one, but usually the headline fare is for an "off-season" cruise, i.e. not school holidays or peak summer season and therefore inaccessible to those of us who are restricted by school holidays or work dictates (no more than 2 people off at any time, no holiday over Christmas, etc.etc.). :loudcry:

I haven't checked out that particular one, but usually the headline fare is for an "off-season" cruise, i.e. not school holidays or peak summer season and therefore inaccessible to those of us who are restricted by school holidays or work dictates (no more than 2 people off at any time, no holiday over Christmas, etc.etc.). :loudcry:

As people stuck to school holidays it drives me nuts that they quote silly low prices. I am also fed up of the same old same old cruises in the school holidays as most of the places we would now like to see are only available out of the school holiday season.

Having said all of that (feel better to have had a chunter) I do feel that P&O is good value for money. We have been pricing up land holidays for our 25th next year and wanted something special. Ironically all of the really nice hotels / rooms we wanted were way more expensive than even an expensive Celebrity Cruise on their new ship the Edge. As for the 2 weeks on Oceana at the same time ---- way cheaper for an equally amazing experience.

if anyone is familiar with RCCI can you please tell me how the food on board P&O cruises compares. The food in the MDR on board our last RCCI cruise (from Southampton to Canaries about 18 months ago) put my husband off cruising altogether.

I feel sorry for your husband, don't build up your expectations as the food on P&O is of poor quality, worse than RCL I can assure you. Even Celebrity being a cut above both is also disappointing these days. Unfortunately times have changed, to get a decent meal you need to pay extra and visit their specialty restaurants which ever cruise line you choose.

Hi....food quality is very subjective and every individual will have their own thoughts and ideas of what level it should be. Is the food of a level of a restaurant where it may cost you £80 plus pp....no it is not....is it Wetherspoons quality....no it is not.....would I like to eat in either of them for 14 nights....no I would not. We have found food on most of the cruise lines including P&O of an acceptable level for what we pay for the cruise.....plenty of choice....no soggy veg....served hot and if you want a better standard then choose a speciality restaurant. If one was paying over £150pppn for an inside cabin.....outside peak periods... then you can expect better than what cruise lines offer.

As everyone says food is very subjective but we have sailed mostly with Celebrity and RCCL we are Elite/Diamond. We now find the food on RCCL to be equal to or better than Celebrity. But judging by our one experience on P&O on the Arcadia the food on P&O is vastly superior to either RCCL or Celebrity. Quality and presentation are superb and service was beyond excellent. They remind me of how cruising used to be 20+ years ago. We never went to the extra pay restaurants on P&O. We have been to them on X and P&O’s food and service in the main dining room was equal to the best extra pay restaurant on X. We can’t wait to sail again on P&O.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

..............We have been to them on X and P&O’s food and service in the main dining room was equal to the best extra pay restaurant on X. We can’t wait to sail again on P&O.

Begging the question as to when you sailed P&O ?

We cruised on Britannia in December 2017 and the food was a disgrace, inedible in most cases so we had no alternative but to eat in the Beach House, Epicurean, Sindhu and the Limelight. Cost us a lot more than we planned but at least we were able to enjoy the food.

Least to say we will never cruise with P&O again.

Begging the question as to when you sailed P&O ?

 

We cruised on Britannia in December 2017 and the food was a disgrace, inedible in most cases so we had no alternative but to eat in the Beach House, Epicurean, Sindhu and the Limelight. Cost us a lot more than we planned but at least we were able to enjoy the food.

 

Least to say we will never cruise with P&O again.

We sailed last year on Arcadia one segment of the world cruise. Perhaps they make an effort to go all out for the world cruise.

We too have had horrible experiences on cruises with abysmal food. On a Trans Pacific cruise on Celebrity Solstice with 8 friends from other Celebrity cruises the food was just simply god awful. After 5 or 6 nights of at least 3 to 4 of us having more then one dish inedible in the main dining room we went to Tuscan Grill which was even worse and our meal cost was refunded. Needless to say all of us stopped sailing on X for some time. We went back on them this past September only to find little has improved and service is very bad. For us some the worst issues are simple freshness of ingredients like tomatoes for caprese, please do not offer this dish unless you have truly ripe tomatoes. The simple things like fresh melons and pineapples in the buffet at breakfast are never ever fresh on X. How many times can they sell me a fish dish only to find out that what they call Sole is really just Talapia again.

They amazing thing on the Arcadia was that every day of the 21 days when I went for fresh fruit in the morning it was ripe to perfection. Absolutely the most amazing peaches and pears. Cut melons and pineapple to die for. Fresh fish at dinner was cooked to perfection as well.

As I said maybe it was a one off on the world cruise but other so called Premium lines can be abysmal too.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We sailed last year on Arcadia one segment of the world cruise. Perhaps they make an effort to go all out for the world cruise.

 

We too have had horrible experiences on cruises with abysmal food. On a Trans Pacific cruise on Celebrity Solstice with 8 friends from other Celebrity cruises the food was just simply god awful. After 5 or 6 nights of at least 3 to 4 of us having more then one dish inedible in the main dining room we went to Tuscan Grill which was even worse and our meal cost was refunded. Needless to say all of us stopped sailing on X for some time. We went back on them this past September only to find little has improved and service is very bad. For us some the worst issues are simple freshness of ingredients like tomatoes for caprese, please do not offer this dish unless you have truly ripe tomatoes. The simple things like fresh melons and pineapples in the buffet at breakfast are never ever fresh on X. How many times can they sell me a fish dish only to find out that what they call Sole is really just Talapia again.

 

They amazing thing on the Arcadia was that every day of the 21 days when I went for fresh fruit in the morning it was ripe to perfection. Absolutely the most amazing peaches and pears. Cut melons and pineapple to die for. Fresh fish at dinner was cooked to perfection as well.

 

As I said maybe it was a one off on the world cruise but other so called Premium lines can be abysmal too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

This is the first time I have found anyone who has the same opinion as me about Celebrity food. I constantly see Celebrity being raved about but found their food buffet and MDR on Infinity the worst selection we have had at sea. Princess, P&O and Carnival were much better.