Dining options in Saver Rate

Hi,

We're looking at booking the Ventura on the early saver rate (usually always book the standard rate). In regards to dining options, we've been told that we can only request our preferred dining option (freedom dining) and we're then pretty much at the mercy of whether p&o can accomodate our wishes. Has anyone had this experience and have you found that you usually get what you want?

Thanks

Carl

Hi,

 

We're looking at booking the Ventura on the early saver rate (usually always book the standard rate). In regards to dining options, we've been told that we can only request our preferred dining option (freedom dining) and we're then pretty much at the mercy of whether p&o can accomodate our wishes. Has anyone had this experience and have you found that you usually get what you want?

 

Thanks

Carl

Hi Carl,

I've done the saver fare a couple of times and did on Ventura this year, we prefer freedom dining and this is what we have always been given on the saver fares, I'm not sure if this is their usual system, I think it might be and select fare passengers are given preference over first and second dining times so in my experience, if you prefer freedom dining you'll be ok.

Good luck,

Bikermouse

I’ve booked 2 saver fares in past. 1st one was on Oceana and we were given 2nd sitting table of 8. 2nd one was on Ventura and giving 1st sitting table of 8.

We were told to go speak to the restaurant manger on embarkation day to ask for a change, you can’t miss it the que is massive haha loads of people wanting to swap.

Oceana we weren’t allowed to change but Ventura they swapped us.

I think it’s just pure pot luck as spoke to other passengers on waver rates and some got freedom when others didn’t.

Azura has 2 out of 3 dining rooms given over to Freedom dining which I believe is the same on Ventura. This increases your chances of getting your choice.

It depends on the ratio of the freedom vs club restaurants and the age demographic.

On Ventura with 2:1 you will probably get freedom but given the age profile that is the likely choice anyway. The problem that then throws up is the late afternoon (6pm) dinner sitting only tends to be chosen by elderly customers, so if you were allocated club it could be for that sitting.

On ships with a 1:1 ratio (Oceana) and a younger demographic such as on the med fly cruises you have no chance of being allocated freedom.

Also where you are in the queue to change is irrelevant as they prioritise requests based on date of booking not that you are first in the queue.

We have booked a few early savers and always got 2nd sitting large table. We have been able to swop to early sitting but impossible to get table for 2.

On the larger ships you have a good chance of Freedom as there are more tables (" restaurants Freedom and one club dining). On the mid sized ships you tend to get 2nd sitting on a large table. I've just got off Aurora where that was what I got though I requested Freedom. A change was refused as there was no room.

The problem with the 2nd sitting was that it seemed very unpopular on this cruise with lots of tables being more than half empty including mine. I did not therefore enjoy the MDR dining and dined in Speciality Restaurants about half the time, which I would not otherwise have done although i do like Speciality dining.

Therefore I won't be buying any more Saver Fares on the mid sized ships with only one Freedom Dining restaurant.

 

On ships with a 1:1 ratio (Oceana) and a younger demographic such as on the med fly cruises you have no chance of being allocated freedom.

 

Also where you are in the queue to change is irrelevant as they prioritise requests based on date of booking not that you are first in the queue.

We were given Freedom dining on Oceana to Malta in August and managed to change to a table for 8 second sitting. We also managed to get another family moved to the same table and sitting from Freedom. Our requests were processed in the queue.

Second sitting is not popular with the Brits. Finish eating at 10 pm to late for us.

Second sitting is not popular with the Brits. Finish eating at 10 pm to late for us.

Well this has changed over time. For the first half of our cruising second sitting was very much the favourite on P&O. The complaints you feed were always we have bee stuck with first sitting.

Our standard request is second sitting table for 8.

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Does your status in the Penninsular club have any bearing on your dining request or is it totally random?

Does your status in the Penninsular club have any bearing on your dining request or is it totally random?

None at all.

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We have saver fare next year on Ventura and have requested freedom dining. If we are allocated club which restaurant manager do we see to try and change, club or freedom?

I agree that you might be more likely to be allocated fixed Dining on an Early Saver fare on a ship like Oceana with only a single Freedom Dining Room.

We requested Freedom on Oceana at the end of September but were allocated late fixed Dining on boarding. Two years before we got Freedom as requested on Oceana on an Early Saver.

Second sitting is not popular with the Brits. Finish eating at 10 pm to late for us.

"for us" - rather a generalisation that applies only to a particular group.

Second sitting is certainly unpopular with the OAPs you see queuing up at 5.30 to get into the Freedom dining room.

However there is always a big queue to go into the dining room around 8pm, so to say later dining is unpopular is simply incorrect.

We were given Freedom dining on Oceana to Malta in August and managed to change to a table for 8 second sitting. We also managed to get another family moved to the same table and sitting from Freedom. Our requests were processed in the queue.

The reason your request was processed in the queue was you wanted to give up the desirable Freedom seats and move to the unpopular Club.

The person who received your Freedom seats which were in demand would have been the person who booked earliest and not the first in the queue requesting them.

Actually this raises an interesting point, if some sittings or tables are more popular than others, perhaps there is a market for them. Who will bid me £50 for a pair of Freedom seats.

We have booked two early saver on Britannia and Ventura and prefer second sitting table of 6 , you can request your preference in your cp under dinning options but is not guaranteed but on both occasions we have been lucky but you can only do this if you booked early saver and not saver fare , we are going on Aurora tomorrow and requested the same so hopefully we will get what we want because it is just as popular as first sitting

We always ask for table of 8, second sitting. We like to get to know our table companions and have met some lovely people, some we still correspond with. Second sitting is not as popular now as it used to be. We usually book early so have always had what we requested. I think it's right to say if you are on a ship with only 1 Club and 1 Freedom Restaurant then if you book late, and request Freedom Dining you will be lucky to get it. However, if you request Club and are for some reason, given Freedom you are more likely to be able to change.

I've chosen Freedom because we want to do self service. Is that the same thing? The website isn't very clear on that?

I've chosen Freedom because we want to do self service. Is that the same thing? The website isn't very clear on that?

Freedom or fixed dining refer to eatingg in one of the main restaurants and being served.Freedom dining means you can choose what time to eat but you still eat in a particular restaurant and food is served to you. If you want self service you have to eat in the buffet.It is more informal and you can choose to eat when you want .

Hi,

 

We're looking at booking the Ventura on the early saver rate (usually always book the standard rate). In regards to dining options, we've been told that we can only request our preferred dining option (freedom dining) and we're then pretty much at the mercy of whether p&o can accomodate our wishes. Has anyone had this experience and have you found that you usually get what you want?

 

Thanks

Carl

hi carl

in our experience in November we also booked an early saver, and were told we could request our dining option (we were actually told there would be no problem with this and you usually get what you request!).

we requested a table for 4, (there was 3 of us), first sitting..

we got a table for 8 second sitting...

there was a good reason why this was not a good deal for us, and after explaining to the head waiter he managed to move us to a 4 table, still second sitting, which was fine, and we were happy and grateful. but I would never again book a early saver fare as we need know where we are going to be.

so if this is important to you maybe bear in mind that you cannot always get what you want when on board.

On our Azura Cruise in November there were tables near us on early sitting that were never used. They were not even set up. I was surprised to see this as usually early sitting is more popular.