Feedback on Britannia restaurant open dining

[IB2]

6 minutes ago, nightfires said:

I did open dining on the QE 7-17 July Cruise.

 

As a frequent solo traveller on P&O I am used to open dining. I also get seated quickly as I am happy to share a table.  The wait is nearly always for couples wanting a table for 2.

 

I was disappointed to find on QE open dining very rarely had sharing tables at night. As other posters have said sometimes the table for 2 I was allocated enabled me to chat to neighbouring tables. 

That’s not good at all.  As a solo traveller you want to be seated with others on a large, convivial table, not stuck in your own table next to a couple in the hope that they don’t mind you playing gooseberry.

[nightfires]

Exactly. Breakfast was slightly better as I nearly always got a sharing table.

 

I am torn about my 19 night Japan cruise next year. I may opt for set dining, even though in my view it is more restrictive. I like being able to eat at other venue’s or have room service depending on how I’m feeling on the night. 

 

 

[rakkor]

22 hours ago, nightfires said:

Exactly. Breakfast was slightly better as I nearly always got a sharing table.

 

I am torn about my 19 night Japan cruise next year. I may opt for set dining, even though in my view it is more restrictive. I like being able to eat at other venue’s or have room service depending on how I’m feeling on the night. 

 

 

 

Fixed Dining doesnt restrict you to only eating in the Britannia Restaurant, you can always opt to eat in any of the other restaurants or indulge in room service as you wish. Obviously, if you're sharing a table then it's nice to let your tablemates if you aren't dining with them, if only to prevent them waiting for you before ordering, but it's not compulsory to do so.

Edited July 27, 2023 by rakkor

[nightfires]

@rakkor I know I can eat elsewhere, but I personally feel impolite if I don’t tell table mates which means it limits my spontaneity. 

[Pushpit]

I had another 2 nights on Open Dining on QV for Southampton to Hamburg. First night I went at 7:15pm and the restaurant looked absolutely packed. I was given a pager straight away, no queuing. It bleeped just as I walked into the Chart Room, so within 5 minutes. When given the pager, with some apologies, they said this was just first night issues, later on it would all be OK. I'm not sure why exactly that is, maybe the boarding process pushes people to eat a bit later?  I was given (as a solo passenger) a lovely table for 2 by the window, next to a charming American couple from Arizona who were on a 6 week European extravaganza. Lots to talk about!

 

Second night, same time, had a 30 second queue, half a dozen in front of me, but the queue moved rapidly. I was given not quite so good a table right by the globe centrepiece. I didn't know it rotates despite having spend dozens of nights eating nearby! An English mother - daughter couple were on the next table, we only had a bit of a chat for that, not least because they were getting their desserts when I was on the salad.

[naturelovergirl]

We are on QE at the moment- coming towards the end of our cruise to Alaska.

We have had a really lovely time. The weather, as happens in Alaska, was quite rainy at times, but that did not stop us. We had plenty of layers, rain gear, and good hiking boots.

 

Regarding the Open Dining- I’m on the fence about it all, honestly.

We loved choosing our time to dine- we made reservations each night for 7:15. This worked well with our itineraries.

We also were allocated some great tables for two, our personal preference. 

What you lose out on is the relationship with the dining room staff. I miss having the same waiters very much.

I have talked to people who are cruisers (but not Cunarders) and they have had a hard time in the open dining on Cunard this trip- feeling like the staff were “not personable”… I even heard people say that the wait staff had a “bad attitude”.

We never experienced those negative things. The staff were working hard and were efficient.

That said, with the traditional cruising experience, I do feel that some of the beautiful experiences in the dining room were lost not having the same staff each evening.

 

[AussieVoyager]

A couple of belated thoughts on open dining from me…

 

We have done 8 Cunard voyages - 6 before the introduction of open dining, and 2 after it was introduced. We chose open dining when it became an option, and on our next cruise coming up we have selected open dining again. 
 

I have to say I always did enjoy the fixed seating, as it was a great opportunity to get to know table mates (even though we usually have a table for 2, the tables are so close that you can chat to others). I do miss that - it’s new people around every night. I also miss having regular waiters that we can get to know, and who learn our preferences. With open seating it’s a new waiter every time. 
 

On the positive side, we do appreciate the flexibility to eat when we choose. We usually selected the late sitting, but sometimes if we’re tired or wanting to do something different in the evening we now have freedom to eat a little earlier without going to the buffet which isn’t my thing. For that reason we do now always select the open seating option. 
 

My personal feeling is that the quality of the food was not as good on my last two voyages. Not bad, in fact still good, but just not as good as it used to be, both in quality and variety. Others I’ve spoken to don’t think so - even my wife disagrees with me on that - so maybe my memory is failing me!  I wouldn’t think, if there has been a drop, that is directly attributable to the change in seating options.