Food and dining on P&O ships

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

There really is no major problem with dining in the MDR or the App, if our experience over the last 2 weeks on Iona are typical.

However like most things IT on P&O, they dont always function correctly, and there are times when they dont function at all, thankfully these are few. Then there are those people who cant use the app, those who dont want to, and those who prevaricate. But despite all these issues dining in the MDRs, on Iona at least, is no longer an issue.

My comments mostly relate to Arvia, which is still experiencing problems with the MDR due to the lack of space (the two additional small MDRs that are on Iona being used for speciality restaurants). Good to hear that Iona is working OK though, albeit out of season. Hopefully it will still work OK in August!

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, molecrochip said:

On Iona, they had two queues, people who wanted a buzzer as 'walk-ups' and those who were returning having been called.

 

I have seen a fight because someone thought someone else was queue jumping - but that was largely poor queue management rather than IT failing.

Yes it’s the queue management I was referring to. I’ve read reviews where the two queues weren’t clearly defined, or customers were getting in the wrong queue, so those responding to their alert that their table was ready weren’t just walking in as intended. Maybe that’s fixed now?

[crompton21]

After much research and acting on customer feedback, P&O have made a small adjustment to the concept of onboard entertainment.  Fine dining has been replaced with the all new “Find dining”. 
 

Coming later in the rollout will be a set time where the app will suddenly play a tune on your smartphone, when the music stops if you haven’t found a seat unfortunately you won’t be eating that evening.

 

For those guests lucky enough to find a seat there will be mystery prizes randomly allocated to specific table numbers.  It is currently planned to offer the lucky winners a host of additional luxurious options chosen by Ant and Dec.  Early indications are that these extras will include prawn cocktail, grilled chicken and a third slice of cheese.

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Personally I found this cruise far more relaxing knowing I had something pre-booked with a  place waiting for us at a set time than I would having to arrive  30 minutes plus early to make sure we got a  space when you have no idea how many others will be there

 

We  pre- booked our entertainment for 8.30pm each night

 

We dined and/or drank til 8.15pm approx each night and then calmly made our way to the show

 

Way way better than what a normal night used to be like on a cruise for us

 

Definitely took stress away from us and stopped us having  to rush to be places in case we didnt get a space

 

 

But to make an 8:30 show you need to dine no later than 6:00, to guarantee you would have finished your meal to make the 8:30 show. That is too early for us, and if the service is slow, it just adds to the stress. As wheelchair users we need to be very early into the theatre because of the lack of seating for wheelchair carers,  many of the 7 seats on each side are occupied by those with only partial mobility problems, who, whilst able to negotiate some stairs, prefer to sit at the back so they can make a speedy exit to get to their next venue.

Edited March 6, 2023 by terrierjohn

[Stu UK]

14 hours ago, ElmaLee said:

Just off Arvia yesterday.  No problems getting a table for 6 of us in MDR any night. We liked the table we got first night in Zenith and asked for it next few nights when using “app”.  Never more than 10 minute wait around 1845 - 1900.  After that we didn’t book.  The waiter kept it for us as long as we arrived around 7pm.  Restaurant duty manager just waived us in.

 

There is no Captain’s Night, nor can you book a table for 8:30pm.  After 6:30 you need to join a virtual queue.  When you join a virtual queue it tells you how many ahead of you.  You can join multiple virtual queues, so can hedge your bets.

 

MDR is busier on formal nights.

Joining multiple queues amplifies the issue. Talking to restaurant manger passengers do not cancel the queues they are in when they go into their successful restaurant, meaning multiple tables are held for people who won’t turn up. 

[sandancer]

Surely this could be resolved if you were only allowed to queue for one venue at a time. A message saying you are already in a queue if you tried to join another one. Personally I have no axe to grind as we don’t eat in the MDR all the time but it just seems the most practical solution. 

[terrierjohn]

9 minutes ago, Stu UK said:

Joining multiple queues amplifies the issue. Talking to restaurant manger passengers do not cancel the queues they are in when they go into their successful restaurant, meaning multiple tables are held for people who won’t turn up. 

The app does not allow you to make multiple overlapping reservations.

[sandancer]

 My mistake. I thought I read a post where someone said they joined more than one queue and went to the first available. It may be that they were in a large group and different people joined different queues. 

[mrsgoggins]

I'm due on Iona in two weeks and I'm still trying to work things out.  I've made the bookings I think I want, but hesitated about Sindhu.  The reason being we tried it on Ventura last year and were not that impressed.  Does the £10 pp booking fee come off the total spend or is it just that, a booking fee?

 

Good to hear of so many positive accounts because previously I had read the lengthy cruise reports on here and they are generally less than flattering.

[Leomins]

2 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

I'm due on Iona in two weeks and I'm still trying to work things out.  I've made the bookings I think I want, but hesitated about Sindhu.  The reason being we tried it on Ventura last year and were not that impressed.  Does the £10 pp booking fee come off the total spend or is it just that, a booking fee?

 

Good to hear of so many positive accounts because previously I had read the lengthy cruise reports on here and they are generally less than flattering.

The £10 fee comes off your total bill. Also, by prebooking the bill is reduced by 20%

[Leomins]

Molecrochip stated this about the Olive Grove:

 

On Iona its open for lunch and dinner as a paid restaurant. On Arvia its dinner only as its included.

 

Has this changed? When I was on Iona it was a free restaurant with a couple of dishes which came with a surcharge.

 

[amajaa]

17 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Although we weren't impacted I thought I should warn others that Arvia still has issues in MDRs on celebration/formal nights

 

(Both nights we went smart casual to The Quays and Buffet so never saw the problems but a Scottish lady told us about the issues)

 

On Captain's night her and her husband had booked MDR for 8.30pm. 

 

They had to queue for 45 mins. At 9.15pm when they got to the front of the queue. They were told they would need to wait another 45 mins or else there are tables available for celebration meal to be served in the buffet for them

 

(This now explains the large number of tables we saw that had dining cloths and table settings ready in the buffet that night. We couldn't understand why anyone would go in there)

 

So it seems they are the overflow. We were in there early so nobody was using them when we were there. But there were many tables set so they must have known they would need them later

 

The lady we spoke to was angry they were left to queue for 45 mins to start with knowing tables wouldn't be available for them. And was not accepting captains night in the buffet nor dining at 10pm.

 

So she went to guest relations to complain and they found her a table in Olive Grove at 9.30pm

 

So just passing it on that on Arvia on the formal nights you may need to book early MDR timeslots to avoid big queues and disappointment later on or maybe book a speciality restaurant that night?

 

MDRs still having problems coping clearly. And the ship clearly know the MDRs can't cope

 

Like I say we were happily oblivious to all of this or I would have told you guys sooner

The tablecloths were in the buffet area for The Chef’s Table which is all part of the formal/celebration night and can be booked online before you go. 
 

This is the same as on Iona and worked perfectly well

Edited March 6, 2023 by amajaa

[JeanieC,Aston]

25 minutes ago, Leomins said:

Molecrochip stated this about the Olive Grove:

 

On Iona its open for lunch and dinner as a paid restaurant. On Arvia its dinner only as its included.

 

Has this changed? When I was on Iona it was a free restaurant with a couple of dishes which came with a surcharge.

 

No..I was on Iona 3 weeks ago and it was as you described it.

[davecttr]

34 minutes ago, Leomins said:

Molecrochip stated this about the Olive Grove:

 

On Iona its open for lunch and dinner as a paid restaurant. On Arvia its dinner only as its included.

 

Has this changed? When I was on Iona it was a free restaurant with a couple of dishes which came with a surcharge.

 

I agree, on iona 3 weeks ago the Olive Grove was a free restaurant with SOME of the dishes attracting a surcharge.  I managed to book a slot 3 weeks before embarkation then booking 'closed' You could join the virtual queue on board.

 

Maybe the problem with Arvia is the customers want a 'proper' restaurant experience with some 'british' food and there are just not enough covers in the MDR's. I presume Arvias Olive Grove on celebration night serves Olive Grove food and not MDR stuff. Serving MDR food would be a BAD move IMO. Why does it close at Lunchtime? I am happy taking some main meals at lunchtime especially on Celebration nights. I hope they are not thinking of having the Olive Grove as a formal venue on celebration nights

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, sandancer said:

 My mistake. I thought I read a post where someone said they joined more than one queue and went to the first available. It may be that they were in a large group and different people joined different queues. 

 

You're correct, you can't as a single user. The poster may have been in a group where they were each in a queue.  That said, it may be possible for a single user to be in a queue for one MDR and then also join a queue for a differently named MDR.

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Yes it’s the queue management I was referring to. I’ve read reviews where the two queues weren’t clearly defined, or customers were getting in the wrong queue, so those responding to their alert that their table was ready weren’t just walking in as intended. Maybe that’s fixed now?

Probably not fixed, on each occasion we joined a queue and then advised we were on the way, we still had to book in at the hosts desk and it certainly appeared that they had to book us on a new table rather than have one waiting for us to join. But the wait was not lengthy, although the other queue for those just turning up was often shorter and moving quicker, and not many pagers were being handed out.

[Selbourne]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

The app does not allow you to make multiple overlapping reservations.

It seems as though different members in groups are each making a reservation in different MDRs and going to whichever comes good first. As Molecrochip has confirmed, this causes issues. 

[smokey01]

17 hours ago, molecrochip said:

It was never meant to be like this. It was mean to be buzzers like Britannia's freedom dining restaurants. The pandemic caused P&O to create the 'app' to avoid people queuing in close confines to get a buzzer.

The one time we went on Britannia (2015) we tried freedom dining for the first time and never again. We hated the buzzer, neither of us liked to have a drink at a bar so we just had to sit there waiting for it to go off. It felt like such a waste of our time. However the Iona / Arvia app based method means we can stay in the comfort of our cabin, weather permitting on the balcony, and wait until our table is ready.

 

I would hate to go back to the buzzer method.

[Jennizor]

42 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

The one time we went on Britannia (2015) we tried freedom dining for the first time and never again. We hated the buzzer, neither of us liked to have a drink at a bar so we just had to sit there waiting for it to go off. It felt like such a waste of our time. However the Iona / Arvia app based method means we can stay in the comfort of our cabin, weather permitting on the balcony, and wait until our table is ready.

 

I would hate to go back to the buzzer method.

Just back from Iona. I booked the Limelight Club twice and Sindhu and Chefs Table before we sailed. We ate in the Glasshouse and Olive Grove without any booking and the remainder in the Coral restaurant, always went straight in with the option of a shared table or one for two. We never saw any queues for restaurants.

[mrsgoggins]

9 minutes ago, Jennizor said:

Just back from Iona. I booked the Limelight Club twice and Sindhu and Chefs Table before we sailed. We ate in the Glasshouse and Olive Grove without any booking and the remainder in the Coral restaurant, always went straight in with the option of a shared table or one for two. We never saw any queues for restaurants.

 

Did you try the other restaurants before settling on the Coral restaurant? Thanks for the info about not needing to book for the Glasshouse or Olive Grove. 

[Gettingwarmer]

15 minutes ago, Jennizor said:

Just back from Iona. I booked the Limelight Club twice and Sindhu and Chefs Table before we sailed. We ate in the Glasshouse and Olive Grove without any booking and the remainder in the Coral restaurant, always went straight in with the option of a shared table or one for two. We never saw any queues for restaurants.

Were you eating 7.00 to 7.30?

[Harry Peterson]

19 hours ago, swanseaboy said:

Were they waiting all that time for a table for 2? Just share! Tables for 2 are like hens teeth but inexorably dull. Always share. Much more fun and you can get into the MDR much quicker 🙂

Absolutely! Agree with every word.  It's a holiday - live a little!  My dear wife and I eat together twice a day, most days of the year.  It's great - but even better to meet new people on a cruise, and we're still in touch with some of them many years later.

[snaefell]

20 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Absolutely! Agree with every word.  It's a holiday - live a little!  My dear wife and I eat together twice a day, most days of the year.  It's great - but even better to meet new people on a cruise, and we're still in touch with some of them many years later.

We have met so many we really wished we hadn't on shared tables,trouble is so many of the tables for 2 are so close together you might as well be sharing!😒

[Ardennais]

I’m on holiday, and want quality time with my family rather than share with others. Lunch time and buffet, no problem sharing, but not dinner. 

[Bill Y]

21 hours ago, molecrochip said:

On Iona, they had two queues, people who wanted a buzzer as 'walk-ups' and those who were returning having been called.

 

I have seen a fight because someone thought someone else was queue jumping - but that was largely poor queue management rather than IT failing.

Its totally unacceptable that P&O puts their customers in a position where they are exposed to confrontation and even violence! if the sun lounger situation is not bad enough!

Edited March 6, 2023 by Bill Y