Stopping complimentary afternoon tea in mdr?

I have read on the Britannia face book page that they are now ONLY offering complimentary afternoon tea in the Horizon buffet and discontinuing the service in the MDR.

Can someone on board please confirm that this is either the case, or not, and whether it will be cascaded to all the rest of the fleet, if its true.:eek:

I have read on the Britannia face book page that they are now ONLY offering complimentary afternoon tea in the Horizon buffet and discontinuing the service in the MDR.

Can someone on board please confirm that this is either the case, or not, and whether it will be cascaded to all the rest of the fleet, if its true.:eek:

Hi Davenew. We were on Britannia 7th - 19th May this year and were told mid cruise by people at our table during evening meal that the afternoon tea in the MDR had ceased. Little disappointed as we hadn't had chance to try it by the time it was discontinued. So perhaps this is being cascaded to the entire fleet.

Hi Davenew. We were on Britannia 7th - 19th May this year and were told mid cruise by people at our table during evening meal that the afternoon tea in the MDR had ceased. Little disappointed as we hadn't had chance to try it by the time it was discontinued. So perhaps this is being cascaded to the entire fleet.

Thanks, it may be that they are trying to push Erin Lanlards version (which we both hate btw.))

"Take traditional tea every day. Recreate the quintessentially British tradition of high tea as you sail the high seas. Every day, the beautifully presented occasion takes place in the main restaurants across the fleet at four o’clock and is included in the price of your holiday. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between a light lunch and a late dinner. You’ll find a classic selection of finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream, all served with your choice of Twinings speciality fine tea or coffee."

This is still advertised on their web site so if they have withdrawn it that is not reflected in their marketing information?

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This is still advertised on their web site so if they have withdrawn it that is not reflected in their marketing information?

Still being on there means nothing, P&O are notoriously slow at updating info on the website. :D;p:D

oh no, i really hope this isn't true (although it does sound like it is). My wife and I really enjoy afternoon tea in the MDR - it would be a real disappointment to lose this. Eric Lanlard afternoon tea is nice but too many sweet items and not enough savoury for us, plus one of the great things about MDR afternoon tea is you can just pop-in if you fancy a sandwich and a cuppa without having to prebook.

Sad, we often have this. What's next to go ?

"Take traditional tea every day. Recreate the quintessentially British tradition of high tea as you sail the high seas. Every day, the beautifully presented occasion takes place in the main restaurants across the fleet at four o’clock and is included in the price of your holiday. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between a light lunch and a late dinner. You’ll find a classic selection of finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream, all served with your choice of Twinings speciality fine tea or coffee."

Or Not !!

Still being on there means nothing, P&O are notoriously slow at updating info on the website. :D;p:D

If (and I say if) they have removed the afternoon tea I will not be happy as this is something we really enjoy and they are potentially in breach of advertising standards if they are still selling something as inclusive that has actually been withdrawn. I will be taking a date stamped PDF of the page just in case.

That's the second thing in as many weeks, they started charging for all room service as well and again withdrew this with no prior notice. Great way to treat your customers.

As Bee Es says, what's next?

I have a big appetite, but even I cannot manage afternoon tea after breakfast and lunch! And if I do, I struggle with dinner. It was still being served on Aurora a week ago. We went just the once and it was the only poor experience we had in the MDR over 16 days. Dry, tasteless sandwiches, unappealing cheap looking cakes and tiny blobs of clotted cream for the scones. The staff seemed to want to get it over with quickly. By contrast, every breakfast, lunch or dinner we had in the MDR was excellent, from both a food and service perspective. Interesting to see that scones, cream and jam are on the new room service menu (chargeable), so I wouldn't be surprised if the MDR version goes. If we got back to the ship too late for MDR lunch we had something in the Glass House. Yes you had to pay, but it was ten times better.

We usually have it instead of lunch if we are late back and I have to say that it has always been pleasant in the past. Nice hot scones and toasted tea cakes, never have the cakes as they don't appeal to me.

Glad to hear that is was still on Aurora last week.

Having returned to booking cruises on P&O after a few Celebrity/Princess cruises I must say I feel a bit disappointed in the way the base product is being eroded. I have no problem paying for the extras for Spec. Restaurants/Retreat etc, that is a personal choice, pay it or don't, but these things are eroding the base product and it means that we are not getting the product we booked. We are disappointed about the loss of free Room Service, afternoon tea and also the loss of the 10:30 shows and I intend to write to P&O to ask for an explanation.

Oh goodness, I couldn't possibly eat afternoon tea after breakfast and lunch and before dinner. I'm sure a big percentage are like us, so they probably throw at lot away.

We don't have afternoon tea often as we tend to have lunch in the MDR and early sitting for dinner, so just can't fit it in normally....When we have gone along to the MDR though, there haven't been many people in there and like jean, I have also often wondered about how many sandwiches etc were thrown away.

I will be very upset if this is true, for more reasons than I have the energy to list. The price of the 'keeping prices down' strategy.

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Having returned to booking cruises on P&O after a few Celebrity/Princess cruises I must say I feel a bit disappointed in the way the base product is being eroded. I have no problem paying for the extras for Spec. Restaurants/Retreat etc, that is a personal choice, pay it or don't, but these things are eroding the base product and it means that we are not getting the product we booked. We are disappointed about the loss of free Room Service, afternoon tea and also the loss of the 10:30 shows and I intend to write to P&O to ask for an explanation.

There were still 10.30pm shows on Aurora 2 weeks ago.

Ironically we were discussing the way that cruising on P&O seems to be eroding last week with fellow cruisers on P&O. We haven't been sailing that long with them really and we have already lost some of the things that made our first cruise in 2010 soooo special:

The band on the quay side to play you off

The Champagne Fountain on a formal night on Oceana

The procession of the waiters and chefs done well ---- napkin waving and all

The afternoon tea in the MDR

A prom. deck!

The ship as a ship not an amusement arcade -- the ship for 2020 really is too big

Just seem sad ... we love tradition and history and think that P&O may be in danger of losing its identity - and the reason why many of them love to sail with them. To become yet another ordinary cruise line with no personality of its own after 180 yrs seems sad.

I can see that they need to cut back, but sad that some of the traditional stuff is being lost. Personally, I wouldn't mind being able to book the afternoon tea for a small cost. We too didn't like the Eric Lanyard one (too sweet) so please keep the traditional version.

The band on the quayside stopped a few years ago with the exception of maiden cruises and was very overrated. Band was a bit over the top as it was usually about 6-8 musicians and unless you were midships on the right side you either couldn't hear them or see them. Visions of a full marching band marching and playing up and down the quay is a throwback to the very old days of cruising. We have been cruising for 20yrs and have never seen anything you could call spectacular even after doing 5 maiden cruises with P&O. P&O regulars like nothing more when they go on a cruise to sit and moan about the good old days and how good Canberra was and have never seen a champagne waterfall on P&O.

Ironically we were discussing the way that cruising on P&O seems to be eroding last week with fellow cruisers on P&O. We haven't been sailing that long with them really and we have already lost some of the things that made our first cruise in 2010 soooo special:

 

 

 

The band on the quay side to play you off

 

The Champagne Fountain on a formal night on Oceana

 

The procession of the waiters and chefs done well ---- napkin waving and all

 

The afternoon tea in the MDR

 

A prom. deck!

 

The ship as a ship not an amusement arcade -- the ship for 2020 really is too big

 

 

 

Just seem sad ... we love tradition and history and think that P&O may be in danger of losing its identity - and the reason why many of them love to sail with them. To become yet another ordinary cruise line with no personality of its own after 180 yrs seems sad.

 

 

 

I can see that they need to cut back, but sad that some of the traditional stuff is being lost. Personally, I wouldn't mind being able to book the afternoon tea for a small cost. We too didn't like the Eric Lanyard one (too sweet) so please keep the traditional version.

What a strange post. They still have the chefs parade with the silly waving of napkins and only one ship does not have a prom deck, the new one will have one. There is still afternoon tea in most ships. Never seen a Champagne fountain in all our cruises.

Seems to me that myths are being put put out there.

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The band on the quayside stopped a few years ago with the exception of maiden cruises and was very overrated. Band was a bit over the top as it was usually about 6-8 musicians and unless you were midships on the right side you either couldn't hear them or see them. Visions of a full marching band marching and playing up and down the quay is a throwback to the very old days of cruising. We have been cruising for 20yrs and have never seen anything you could call spectacular even after doing 5 maiden cruises with P&O. P&O regulars like nothing more when they go on a cruise to sit and moan about the good old days and how good Canberra was and have never seen a champagne waterfall on P&O.

Sorry, but we loved it and the band was about 30 and played for an hour before we left.

They were very good. I remember the tunes now and it made me tearful as it was at a very difficult time for us as a family. It was very special for me and we remember being so excited.

The Champagne Fountain happened - honest - and was an 'Oceana special'. And it really was special. Sorry that you never experienced it.

Just because you didn't / don't value the things above it doesn't mean that others did not.

I hope that you are not referring to us when you mention 'P&O regulars who like nothing more when they go on a cruise to sit and moan about the good old days' as I find that really offensive! I would say that we far from that and generally just get on with it on a cruise and make the most, whatever.

If you read our history below you will see that we haven't done that many cruises on P&O and have also used other lines. Infact, for 2018 we are back to Celebrity. Re the Canberra - if she was the ship that came back from the Falklands I was at school and could only dream of a cruise at that time. Thinking about it, 2010 was like a dream come true.

Please check out the people you are criticising before you reply and judge them.

There is no need :(

Never seen a Champagne fountain in all our cruises.

 

 

Seems to me that myths are being put put out there.

 

 

 

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I questioned the champagne fountain and there are pictures of it on this forum Dai, I was surprised.

Oh goodness, I couldn't possibly eat afternoon tea after breakfast and lunch and before dinner. I'm sure a big percentage are like us, so they probably throw at lot away.

Throw food away? Why on earth would you think that.

They are a professional organisation, doing this 365 days a year. They will be pretty damn good at estimating the number of people turning up, so they won't have made sandwiches for the whole ship.

What a strange post. They still have the chefs parade with the silly waving of napkins and only one ship does not have a prom deck, the new one will have one. There is still afternoon tea in most ships. Never seen a Champagne fountain in all our cruises.

 

 

Seems to me that myths are being put put out there.

 

 

 

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Strange me? Never! ;p

The chefs parade is nowhere near as important and they don't wave the napkins unless my eyes are playing up. No prom deck on Britannia (we like her) but it is sad. Afternoon tea will disappear me thinks and re Champagne Fountain ------- well, all of those P&O cruises Dai compared to us, and we have seen something you haven't :p

Sorry, but we loved it and the band was about 30 and played for an hour before we left.

They were very good. I remember the tunes now and it made me tearful as it was at a very difficult time for us as a family. It was very special for me and we remember being so excited.

 

The Champagne Fountain happened - honest - and was an 'Oceana special'. And it really was special. Sorry that you never experienced it.

 

Just because you didn't / don't value the things above it doesn't mean that others did not.

 

I hope that you are not referring to us when you mention 'P&O regulars who like nothing more when they go on a cruise to sit and moan about the good old days' as I find that really offensive! I would say that we far from that and generally just get on with it on a cruise and make the most, whatever.

 

If you read our history below you will see that we haven't done that many cruises on P&O and have also used other lines. Infact, for 2018 we are back to Celebrity. Re the Canberra - if she was the ship that came back from the Falklands I was at school and could only dream of a cruise at that time. Thinking about it, 2010 was like a dream come true.

 

Please check out the people you are criticising before you reply and judge them.

 

There is no need :(

No I was not referring to you when by your own admissions you haven't cruised many times with P&O. I was referring to P&O regulars who are old enough to have cruised on Canberra in the 1990s and still to this day continually talk about "the good old days" and how good Canberra was. If you have seen a band at Southampton containing 30 members and played for an hour then you are very lucky because I have done nearly 30 cruises with P&O since 2000 and have never been so lucky to have seen that not even on 5 maiden cruises and have cruised on Oceana but have never seen one on P&O only Princess. Think you should read my post again because I never criticised or judged anyone and only stated facts that we have seen and our own opinion. Not once did I quote you or refer to you by name or gave the impression I was talking about you.

I questioned the champagne fountain and there are pictures of it on this forum Dai, I was surprised.

Yes, I posted them from Oceana 2003

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