Question from First Time P&O Cruiser

[Tripmode33]

I have always cruised Princess so know the ropes with them. However just booked our first P&O Australia cruise. I have just logged onto online site with booking number and entered personal details etc but I have two questions from those that have sailed P&O.

Firstly when and how do you select departure times for embarkation?

Secondly, I have read that it's important to book times at the included restaurants (Dragon Lady, Angelo's and Waterfront). How do I do this? Can I do it beforehand or have to wait until I'm on the ship?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[arxcards]

Similar to how Princess used to be, you can choose your boarding times. Start looking at around 60 days till departure, but they have been recently been available to choose at around 50 days. I don't have an active booking to check, but it comes up with a link to print your luggage tags, and the first time you click that link you will get to choose your boarding time.

 

First thing once aboard, take care of your dinner bookings if you want to get the times that suit you. You can do this outside Dragon Lady or on the P&O app, but I found it dead easy to go straight to the cabin, collect your cruise cards, then ring the restaurant bookings number from your cabin phone.

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, Tripmode33 said:

I have always cruised Princess so know the ropes with them. However just booked our first P&O Australia cruise. I have just logged onto online site with booking number and entered personal details etc but I have two questions from those that have sailed P&O.

Firstly when and how do you select departure times for embarkation?

Secondly, I have read that it's important to book times at the included restaurants (Dragon Lady, Angelo's and Waterfront). How do I do this? Can I do it beforehand or have to wait until I'm on the ship?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Have you installed their app VeriFLY?

They use it similar to Princess app, but only for registration.

 

Me to a first time P&O cruiser, we are booked for 5th Nov from Bris.

 

[MicCanberra]

Book your restaurant  reservations as soon as possible once on board.

[Ozwoody]

A couple of differences to Princess I've noticed, is P&O don't allow you to bring bottle of wine each, no drinks except 6 cans of soft drink, not even water, evidently they make you empty water bottles before boarding.

Also their soft drink packages are not flash, and expensive, I'm told.

 

[Tripmode33]

Thanks everyone for your advice.  Much appreciated. I'll watch for that opportunity to book boarding times from 60 days out, and book restaurants as soon as I board.

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, Tripmode33 said:

Thanks everyone for your advice.  Much appreciated. I'll watch for that opportunity to book boarding times from 60 days out, and book restaurants as soon as I board.

Which cruise are you doing?

[Tripmode33]

9 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Which cruise are you doing?

Pacific encounter Qld coast - not until 27 May 2023. Have 5 Princess ones before then.  But keen to try other cruise lines that homeport from Australia during the coming year.

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, Tripmode33 said:

Pacific encounter Qld coast - not until 27 May 2023. Have 5 Princess ones before then.  But keen to try other cruise lines that homeport from Australia during the coming year.

Yes I'm curious to see how they compare to Princess. We have sailed with Cunard on the Queen Elizabeth, to us it was not much difference in quality than Princess, but a definite first & second class atmosphere, compared to a more laid back one on Princess.

I agree too, that its good to try them when their home porting here, on shorter cruises.

Regards

 

[MicCanberra]

IMHO pre covid, Princess has an overall higher standard across the board but especially with consistent food quality and temperature. That said P&O still have a good cruise experience 

[SinbadThePorter]

2 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Yes I'm curious to see how they compare to Princess.

 

As said, it's food that is the main problem on P&O. The MDR and the buffet just don't quite cut it for me. Dragon Lady is better and Angelos better still.

 

Apart from that, I think they are OK.

[Ozwoody]

18 hours ago, arxcards said:

First thing once aboard, take care of your dinner bookings if you want to get the times that suit you. You can do this outside Dragon Lady or on the P&O app, but I found it dead easy to go straight to the cabin, collect your cruise cards, then ring the restaurant bookings number from your cabin phone.

Hi Geoff

Do you have to book the Dragon Lady, Angelo's and Waterfront dinning rooms?

I thought they were free dinning areas! 

Like Princess anytime dinning?

regards

John

[arxcards]

2 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Hi Geoff

Do you have to book the Dragon Lady, Angelo's and Waterfront dinning rooms?

I thought they were free dinning areas! 

Like Princess anytime dinning?

regards

John

Very advisable, especially for Angelo's.

 

Yes, it is anytime dining, but Angelo's will fill up early for most nights, as well as anything before 7:30 in the other included restaurants. If you like to eat late, it isn't as important.

 

We like Shell & Bones and think it is a bit underrated- you can just about walk-up there and get a table most nights.

[Ozwoody]

4 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Very advisable, especially for Angelo's.

 

Yes, it is anytime dining, but Angelo's will fill up early for most nights, as well as anything before 7:30 in the other included restaurants. If you like to eat late, it isn't as important.

 

We like Shell & Bones and think it is a bit underrated- you can just about walk-up there and get a table most nights.

Do you pre book for all the nights you wish to eat there all at once, or is it a continual thing each day?

[MicCanberra]

Book for the nights you want, availability  can be an issue, especially  on the shorter cruises.

[Ozwoody]

15 minutes ago, arxcards said:

We like Shell & Bones and think it is a bit underrated- you can just about walk-up there and get a table most nights.

Do you have any idea of the rough costs in Shell & Bones?

Thanks

John

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

Do you pre book for all the nights you wish to eat there all at once, or is it a continual thing each day?

I would say to book what you can straight-up. I booked our first 3 nights straight-up, but two were for specialty restaurants. For the inclusive ones, I don't know how many nights ahead they will take bookings for, as we only had 4 nights.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

Do you have any idea of the rough costs in Shell & Bones?

Thanks

John

I will find a menu. 

[Ozwoody]

23 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I would say to book what you can straight-up. I booked our first 3 nights straight-up, but two were for specialty restaurants. For the inclusive ones, I don't know how many nights ahead they will take bookings for, as we only had 4 nights.

Thanks

We have 7 nights, and was planning one special night dinner.

 

[Ozwoody]

Sorry to be a pest, but😬

On P&O site these places are listed as Specialty Dining, Luke’s Bar & Grill, Luke's Burger Bar, Gradi Pronto, but do not indicate there "Charges Apply".

Are they gratis or cost extra?🤨

On Princess they would be but?

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by Ozwoody

[Aus Traveller]

2 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Hi Geoff

Do you have to book the Dragon Lady, Angelo's and Waterfront dinning rooms?

I thought they were free dinning areas! 

Like Princess anytime dinning?

regards

John

The three restaurants are free, but if you want to go fairly early, you will have to queue up for ages, and probably be told to come back after 8pm.

 

The message is to book, even for the Waterfront, as soon as you board. They might only want to take a booking for one night. I used to smile nicely and usually got a booking for the whole cruise. If you don't book for the whole cruise when you first board, you should do it after dinner on the first night. There will be a table to book. It used to be set up between the entrance to the Waterfront Restaurant and the lifts but because this is a new ship, it might not be the same. However, booking when you leave the restaurant after the first night's dinner might be too late to get your preferred time. If they won't take the booking when you first board the ship, it is worth having one of you go out during dinner on the first night to book for the rest of the cruise. At that time of the evening, there shouldn't be a queue. When the early diners have finished their meals, there will be a queue.

 

Hope this helps. BTW, it helps me. It reminds me what we have to do on our cruise at the end of the month. 😁 After all, we haven't cruise on P&O for two and a half years.

[MicCanberra]

28 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Sorry to be a pest, but😬

On P&O site these places are listed as Specialty Dining, Luke’s Bar & Grill, Luke's Burger Bar, Gradi Pronto, but do not indicate there "Charges Apply".

Are they gratis or cost extra?🤨

On Princess they would be but?

 

They have charges depending on what you order 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

Sorry to be a pest, but😬

On P&O site these places are listed as Specialty Dining, Luke’s Bar & Grill, Luke's Burger Bar, Gradi Pronto, but do not indicate there "Charges Apply".

Are they gratis or cost extra?🤨

On Princess they would be but?

 

The P&O page I just looked at lists that charges apply. Yes, Shell & Bones, 400 Gradi, Gradi Pronto, Luke's Burgers are a la carte, and priced per menu item.

 

Luke's Bar and Grill also reads that way, but it also has a set price 2 or 3 course option. In the past it was only a set price cover, but you still pretty much have it that way and you just pay extra per item if you want extra plates plates of food.

 

Here is the Shell & Bones menu on an earlier thread.

 

[Ozwoody]

5 hours ago, arxcards said:

The P&O page I just looked at lists that charges apply. Yes, Shell & Bones, 400 Gradi, Gradi Pronto, Luke's Burgers are a la carte, and priced per menu item.

 

Luke's Bar and Grill also reads that way, but it also has a set price 2 or 3 course option. In the past it was only a set price cover, but you still pretty much have it that way and you just pay extra per item if you want extra plates plates of food.

 

Here is the Shell & Bones menu on an earlier thread.

 

Thanks Geoff

Down loaded them, very helpful.

John

[sweetp12]

Keep and eye on the P&O board - when I get a chance I will load the daily menus from the waterfront from our recent 11 night cruise + pictures.  Will also post the Dragon Lady and Angelo's menu / pictures as well.

 

We love P&O but have always struggled with the food, but this time was pleasantly surprised - there was always something we could eat and it was hot and fresh.  The waterfront had great service - just as good as Angelos / Dragon Lady. They have also moved to ordering via tablet so the wait times for food has decreased - one meal we got done with the 3 courses in 40 min! (we don't like to linger so happy with a fast pace)

 

We had no issue booking in the app - we booked as soon as we got on (actually while on the wharf, we managed to get onto the ship wifi by standing close to the gate!  Just make sure if you do this that it is after 11am as the wipe the bookings and reset).