Various questions (not been on a cruise for a while)

[phoenix1975]

I'm going on Britannia at the weekend and haven't cruised with P&O (or any other cruise line) for several years. I'm sure some things will have changed since I last cruised so have some quick questions that I hope someone will be able to answer. For reference I'm single in my 40s and a bit of a foodie, hence several questions about food!

 

1. Do they give you anything to put your cruise card in, or what's best to carry it around in?
2. Can you still have the fish main course as a fish course in the MDR?
3. In the MDR is there a cheeseboard the waiters bring out or is it a plated selection of cheese as on some other cruise lines?
4. Do they still put the dinner menu for the next evening outside the MDR the previous night (helps to decide where to eat)?
5. Does Sindhu (on Britannia) open for lunch every day?
6. This will be the first time I've done Freedom Dining - as a single passenger will they just slot me into empty spaces on larger tables, or how does it work? I will want to have whichever courses I want rather than going with whatever the rest of the table are having.
7. Can you still get frozen margaritas?
8. Is there anything that's useful to pack for my cabin, having not been on Britannia before? Or any tips specifically for Britannia in general?

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

[jeanlyon]

1. Do they give you anything to put your cruise card in, or what's best to carry it around in? No, mine goes in my pocket.
2. Can you still have the fish main course as a fish course in the MDR?  Don't understand the question?
3. In the MDR is there a cheeseboard the waiters bring out or is it a plated selection of cheese as on some other cruise lines?  I think they bring a choice.
4. Do they still put the dinner menu for the next evening outside the MDR the previous night (helps to decide where to eat)?  Not the previous night, but during the day
5. Does Sindhu (on Britannia) open for lunch every day?  Pass
6. This will be the first time I've done Freedom Dining - as a single passenger will they just slot me into empty spaces on larger tables, or how does it work? I will want to have whichever courses I want rather than going with whatever the rest of the table are having.  Never done Freedom but the menu is the same as the other MDRs
7. Can you still get frozen margaritas?  Don't know
8. Is there anything that's useful to pack for my cabin, having not been on Britannia before? Or any tips specifically for Britannia in general? 

 

Edited April 15, 2019 by jeanlyon

[Presto2]

45 minutes ago, phoenix1975 said:

 

1. Does Sindhu (on Britannia) open for lunch every day?  Don't think that it is
2. This will be the first time I've done Freedom Dining - as a single passenger will they just slot me into empty spaces on larger tables, or how does it work? I will want to have whichever courses I want rather than going with whatever the rest of the table are having. You will turn up whenever you want and they will ask what sort of a table you would like - basically do you want to be on your own or share. They will then allocate you to the type of table you request. Am guessing that if you want to share a table you will get one very quickly. Re the meu, it is like any other restaurant, you have what you want.
3. Is there anything that's useful to pack for my cabin, having not been on Britannia before? Or any tips specifically for Britannia in general? We love Britannia, love the Blue Bar near to the atrium for a quiet drink. There are some stairs at the back of the ship that only go to deck 5 for some reason so it is like stairs to nowhere. We often made the mistake of taking them so if you end up at a dead end don't worry, you will not be alone ! Loved the Beach House and the tables that they give you by the sea. A nice menu too.
4. Re Food - loved the Epicurean as the food here is excellent. Didn't like Eric Lanyard's afternoon tea though as it was far too sweet even for hubby who has a sweet tooth

Just seen your address. Are you travelling down this coming weekend to Britannia? If so are you travelling from Keele?

 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2019 by Presto2

[Selbourne]

55 minutes ago, phoenix1975 said:

I'm going on Britannia at the weekend and haven't cruised with P&O (or any other cruise line) for several years. I'm sure some things will have changed since I last cruised so have some quick questions that I hope someone will be able to answer. For reference I'm single in my 40s and a bit of a foodie, hence several questions about food!

 

1. Do they give you anything to put your cruise card in, or what's best to carry it around in? Yes. A small credit card size folder that also has a fold out deck plan of the ship
2. Can you still have the fish main course as a fish course in the MDR? Yes. You can have whatever you want from the menu in whatever order you like.
3. In the MDR is there a cheeseboard the waiters bring out or is it a plated selection of cheese as on some other cruise lines? There are cheeseboards but you usually only get offered 3 or 4 different cheese from around 8 that are doing the rounds on any evening, so if you happen to see one that you like the look of don't be afraid to ask for it. We find that if you want stilton you usually have to ask for it. 
4. Do they still put the dinner menu for the next evening outside the MDR the previous night (helps to decide where to eat)? No. Only on the day.
5. Does Sindhu (on Britannia) open for lunch every day? No. The Glasshouse is the only Select Dining restaurant that opens for lunch each day. Sindhu may be open on the odd sea day for what they call 'Tiffin Lunch'
6. This will be the first time I've done Freedom Dining - as a single passenger will they just slot me into empty spaces on larger tables, or how does it work? I will want to have whichever courses I want rather than going with whatever the rest of the table are having. With Freedom dining the choice is entirely yours. If you want to dine alone say so and they will accommodate it. At peak times you will have to take a pager and they will contact you when your table is available. If you want to share a table then you are almost always seated immediately. You often find that people order different courses (e.g. some have soup between starter and main, others don't). The waiters are pretty good at timing the service so that you don't feel out of step.
7. Can you still get frozen margaritas? Sorry. That one I don't know the answer to!
8. Is there anything that's useful to pack for my cabin, having not been on Britannia before? Or any tips specifically for Britannia in general? We take a four point extension lead to charge iPads, iPhones etc

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[groovechick]

1 hour ago, phoenix1975 said:

I'm going on Britannia at the weekend and haven't cruised with P&O (or any other cruise line) for several years. I'm sure some things will have changed since I last cruised so have some quick questions that I hope someone will be able to answer. For reference I'm single in my 40s and a bit of a foodie, hence several questions about food!

 

1. Do they give you anything to put your cruise card in, or what's best to carry it around in?
   You can buy a lanyard with a plastic wallet on the end, they don't give you anything to carry your card.
2. Can you still have the fish main course as a fish course in the MDR?
   P&O now does 3-course dinners, so fish will be one of main couse options. I love when they have barramundi on the menu.
3. In the MDR is there a cheeseboard the waiters bring out or is it a plated selection of cheese as on some other cruise lines?
   The cheeseboard used to be offered as standard but now you have to ask for it and some waiters are reluctant to bring it out. You definitely have to ask for the stilton/stilton with port.  They also tend to be quite measly with the portions if you're a real cheese lover, as hubby and daughter are. Once they realise you're going to ask for the cheeseboard most nights, they're better.
4. Do they still put the dinner menu for the next evening outside the MDR the previous night (helps to decide where to eat)? 
5. Does Sindhu (on Britannia) open for lunch every day?
6. This will be the first time I've done Freedom Dining - as a single passenger will they just slot me into empty spaces on larger tables, or how does it work? I will want to have whichever courses I want rather than going with whatever the rest of the table are having.
   We saw several solo travellers on their own on tables for 2. If this is what you'd like it might be harder to obtain if you want to dine at peak times.
7. Can you still get frozen margaritas?
   Think so. 
8. Is there anything that's useful to pack for my cabin, having not been on Britannia before? Or any tips specifically for Britannia in general?
   Whereas before the stateroom fridge was empty, it is now stocked as a mini bar, but if you don't want the items in it you can ask your steward to remove them. The Beach House on Britannia is lovely and the service was outstanding. We did the tasting menu in the Glasshouse on Aurora, pairing food and wine, and this was amazing, so if that's your kind of thing it might be worth doing on Britannia, although I don't like the Glasshouse there. The Serenity pool area is very nice. 
   I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[phoenix1975]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Presto2 - I am on board Britannia from Saturday but travelling down by car on the Friday  - presume you are on the coach from Keele.

 

Looks like I'll be trying The Beach House then as several people have commented how nice it is. I'm only a 7 night cruise so I won't be in the MDR much once I've done the various speciality restaurants!

 

Question on the mini-bar in the fridge - what does it consist of and is it worth it, compared with what you can get in one of the bars, or is it just the same price?

[ann141]

There is also The Limelight Club on Britannia.You pay extra(usually £25) to see a performer and have a different menu from the MDR.The menus are normally posted outside the venue a day or two before.We have seen Cheryl Baker(ex Bucks Fizz) and also Gareth Gates.Worth doing if there is a particular performer you want to see but I think you have to book in advance.The artistes should be listed on your cruise personaliser.We love Britannia- hope you have a great cruise 🙂 

[Ranchi]

Groove chick stated ‘P&O now does 3-course dinners, so fish will be one of main couse options. I love when they have barramundi on the menu.‘

I must admit it’s about 18 months since I was in P&O but the menus given as exemplars on the P&O web page all seem to be Starter/Soup or Salad/Main course/Dessert/Cheese. That’s 4 not counting cheese. The fish course certainly has been displaced from modern P&O menus which I think is a shame. In my youth I would have taken all the courses but now I certainly take fewer. I do however like a fish course occasionally and in the recent past it has always been brought for me usually in place of a starter but following the soup (if that makes sense,) Only once did a waiter seem a little reluctant to bring me fish. Unfortunately they do seem to be wanting to get rid of the idea of a fish course as when you do get a fish course these days it’s a main course size. The idea was that a small fish course was a suitable prelude to the main event. 

Im going on a P&O cruise fairly soon so I will find out more, then. 

[Cathygh]

Hi

2 Salmon is always available as a main course in the MDR, but other fish can be served too. There are several courses- starter, soup, main, dessert, cheese, coffee and petit fours (the latter are not what they used to be) and you can have as many as you like.

4 - it will be displayed the next day. Never actually checked in the evening

8. There is a tour of the ship on the first sea day, the info will  be in Horizon ( daily paper left outside your cabin every evening). There may be special offers for the speciality restaurants on the first night. The Crow's Nest is a nice place to have a drink in the evening, especially for cocktails. I think Glass House (wine bar with a wide selection of wines) is open for lunch and has a small cover charge. Drinks prices are reasonable in the bars. You can take one bottle on board to drink in your cabin.

Enjoy !

cathy

[groovechick]

15 hours ago, Ranchi said:

Groove chick stated ‘P&O now does 3-course dinners, so fish will be one of main couse options. I love when they have barramundi on the menu.‘

I must admit it’s about 18 months since I was in P&O but the menus given as exemplars on the P&O web page all seem to be Starter/Soup or Salad/Main course/Dessert/Cheese. That’s 4 not counting cheese. The fish course certainly has been displaced from modern P&O menus which I think is a shame. In my youth I would have taken all the courses but now I certainly take fewer. I do however like a fish course occasionally and in the recent past it has always been brought for me usually in place of a starter but following the soup (if that makes sense,) Only once did a waiter seem a little reluctant to bring me fish. Unfortunately they do seem to be wanting to get rid of the idea of a fish course as when you do get a fish course these days it’s a main course size. The idea was that a small fish course was a suitable prelude to the main event. 

Im going on a P&O cruise fairly soon so I will find out more, then. 

 

I should have been clearer - you can have any combination of the courses you want, i.e. if you want two starters and skip the main course you can, but I seem to recall a couple of years ago P&O syaying they were dropping courses/switching to what is effectively a three-course menu as it was more in line with modern dining trends, i.e. people don't want to sit for hours over a multiple course dinner, but prefer to be around the ship doing things. I feel you are "encouraged", however, to think that the Starter/Soup/Salad is your first course, your main course is second and dessert course is third. As mentioned previously, many of the waiters will not automatically offer the cheese course.  The cynic in me says there are two reasons for this - 1) they have cut the number of waiters and wine waiters, they now have to serve a greater number of tables and so have less time. Particularly on Freedom dining, which so many pax opt for now, they like to keep the turnover flowing. We've had waiters starting to clear the table for the next sitting while we were still finishing desserts and coffee. 2) If you're not lingering over dinner, you're more likely to be in the bars, or maybe shops, spending money, therefore increased revenue for P&O.

I struggle to eat more than 3 courses, when we did the tasting menu in the Glasshouse on Aurora it was amazing and highly memorable, but just about finished me off! 

 

[Presto2]

22 hours ago, phoenix1975 said:

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Presto2 - I am on board Britannia from Saturday but travelling down by car on the Friday  - presume you are on the coach from Keele.

 

Looks like I'll be trying The Beach House then as several people have commented how nice it is. I'm only a 7 night cruise so I won't be in the MDR much once I've done the various speciality restaurants!

 

Question on the mini-bar in the fridge - what does it consist of and is it worth it, compared with what you can get in one of the bars, or is it just the same price?

 

Yi, going from Keele. Usually travel down a few days early but this time hubby wanted to enjoy the coach journey and not have to drive. We are on Azura - she sails the same day so we will wave to you :-)

 

Re the mini bar - we never use it as it is expensive.

[happy v]

6 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Yi, going from Keele. Usually travel down a few days early but this time hubby wanted to enjoy the coach journey and not have to drive. We are on Azura - she sails the same day so we will wave to you 🙂

Presto don't forget to get your embarkation letter as you get off the coach. You will then board within 5 mins. Don't go to the check in desk.

[Presto2]

7 minutes ago, happy v said:

Presto don't forget to get your embarkation letter as you get off the coach. You will then board within 5 mins. Don't go to the check in desk.

 

Thanks for that info ---- we booked so long ago (Dec 2107) and we just can't wait for this one --------

 

Pina Colada and a glass of champagne at sailaway is in my dreams …….