Food and dining on P&O ships

[mrsgoggins]

2 hours 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.

I’m certain that I would enjoy sharing a table with you and your wife Harry, and I agree with much of what you say, but my husband’s hearing is so very poor these days, that I find it stressful sharing, knowing he will be missing parts of the conversation.  We don’t linger over meals because dining rooms are noisy places and so we save our conversation for our room.

 

As an aside, I’m lucky enough to have really good hearing and so often I find myself overhearing conversations on neighbouring tables and wishing I could join in!  

 

I’m sure there are quite a few reasons why people would prefer not to share.

[Harry Peterson]

8 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

I’m certain that I would enjoy sharing a table with you and your wife Harry, and I agree with much of what you say, but my husband’s hearing is so very poor these days, that I find it stressful sharing, knowing he will be missing parts of the conversation.  We don’t linger over meals because dining rooms are noisy places and so we save our conversation for our room.

 

As an aside, I’m lucky enough to have really good hearing and so often I find myself overhearing conversations on neighbouring tables and wishing I could join in!  

 

I’m sure there are quite a few reasons why people would prefer not to share.

Likewise, mrsgoggins.  I take your point entirely about the hearing issues though - our hearing's OK, but we did find conversation across the very large tables problematic.  Always opted for a 6 or 8, which was fine.  4 was great, but risky if you didn't happen to hit it off with the other two!

[Beckett]

Ah the age-old dilemma. To share or not to share.

 

As a sometime solo cruiser I have done both. I'm quite a friendly person and can usually hold my own in any conversations but there have been times when I've felt very lonely on a table of 6 or 8 when I've had absolutely nothing in common with, and actively disliked, my fellow diners. On the other hand I've been aware of looking like Billy-no-mates sitting alone on a table for 2. On my last two solo cruises I ate in the buffet all the time and swerved the MDR completely.

 

My best times have been meeting people within the smokers' areas. Now that I'm a vaper I'll still do that on my next cruise when I can come and go as I please. I really like to do my own thing without having to be somewhere at any given time.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am generally very sociable and have met some truly lovely people on various cruises but as the famous song says "I did it my way"!!!

 

Jane xx

[Bill Y]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Likewise, mrsgoggins.  I take your point entirely about the hearing issues though - our hearing's OK, but we did find conversation across the very large tables problematic.  Always opted for a 6 or 8, which was fine.  4 was great, but risky if you didn't happen to hit it off with the other two!

Agree, DW has hearing issues so we request a table for 6 as inevitably on a table for 8 or 10 the table splits into two or more conversations which even I sometimes struggle to cope with. We do not go for 4 for the reason you highlighted.

[Dermotsgirl]

We always go for a table for 2 if at all possible, for multiple reasons, not least because we can eat at our own pace, and not have to watch slow eaters chomp their way through courses that we aren’t having. 
 

When I started cruising there seemed to be a prevailing view that, unless you had a table for 8 on second sitting you weren’t a ‘proper cruiser’. I think this view has lingered on, as I’ve seen comments over the years  that tables for 2 are boring, and people on them are sad and are not having fun.

 

Just because we aren’t sitting there loudly and ostentatiously cackling, it doesn’t mean we’re not having fun. We are doing it our way, and are thinking ‘thank God’  we’re not on that adjacent table for 8, dominated by that bore who likes the sound of his own voice ! 

[Jennizor]

19 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

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. 

We did the Pearl one night but the staff were not as efficient or friendly as in the Coral.

[brian1]

16 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

We always go for a table for 2 if at all possible, for multiple reasons, not least because we can eat at our own pace, and not have to watch slow eaters chomp their way through courses that we aren’t having. 
 

When I started cruising there seemed to be a prevailing view that, unless you had a table for 8 on second sitting you weren’t a ‘proper cruiser’. I think this view has lingered on, as I’ve seen comments over the years  that tables for 2 are boring, and people on them are sad and are not having fun.

 

Just because we aren’t sitting there loudly and ostentatiously cackling, it doesn’t mean we’re not having fun. We are doing it our way, and are thinking ‘thank God’  we’re not on that adjacent table for 8, dominated by that bore who likes the sound of his own voice ! 

LOL,we had a table like that behind us on Cunard.Some bloke yabbing on about driving his mates brand new Ferrari,blah blah.Because it was Cunard Club (dedicated anytime table) his table mates turned up at different times,probably to avoid him.We love earwigging on our 2 top.

[sandancer]

A table for 2 for us also whenever possible. After being told by one group that they would prefer us to move as they were on a b2b and wanted to have the same people on the table as the previous week. It was not our choice to sit at their table.  They didn’t have to ask us twice. 

[Fionboard]

I usually get put on a singles table for eight. We tend to change places each night which works well. Been lucky on the whole and only on a  handful of times have I found it necessary to move. Have made some friends too. 

[zap99]

1 hour ago, brian1 said:

LOL,we had a table like that behind us on Cunard.Some bloke yabbing on about driving his mates brand new Ferrari,blah blah.Because it was Cunard Club (dedicated anytime table) his table mates turned up at different times,probably to avoid him.We love earwigging on our 2 top.

We had a bloke from Barking banging on about how nice Barking was before the new road. Those blasted Orange truckmixers starting at 7.00am. What do you do ?.....I flog insurance...oh!. .......I was actually a Manager who's company had hundreds of orange truckmixers.  Once a week I had to go to a progress meeting at Barking.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Dermotsgirl said:

dominated by that bore who likes the sound of his own voice ! 

I'll try and talk more quietly in future !

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, brian1 said:

LOL,we had a table like that behind us on Cunard.Some bloke yabbing on about driving his mates brand new Ferrari,blah blah.Because it was Cunard Club (dedicated anytime table) his table mates turned up at different times,probably to avoid him.We love earwigging on our 2 top.

I love a bit of eavesdropping, it’s highly entertaining, and we have a good old laugh about what we overhear ! 

[snaefell]

In 2018 on Britannia we had tables for 2 but after 2 nights in the MDR with one guy very much the worse for drink,accompanied by his teenage daughter who split her time between trying to shut him up & apologising to people,everybody felt sorry for her,we tried the Glass House,guess who was in there😵!

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Jennizor said:

We did the Pearl one night but the staff were not as efficient or friendly as in the Coral.

We only used the Coral when using an MDR, and found the staff more efficient than they were in November. The main reason though was that the theatre was also on deck 7, as are the main shops.

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Fionboard said:

I usually get put on a singles table for eight. We tend to change places each night which works well. Been lucky on the whole and only on a  handful of times have I found it necessary to move. Have made some friends too. 

This last cruise on Iona from 18th Feb, probably because of the no single supplement offer, there were noticeably more singles on board and most of them were women. As a result out of the 7 sharing tables we had in the MDR, there 4 where the men were well outnumbered, and one where I was on my own with 9 women!!!

[Selbourne]

When we started cruising there was only fixed dining and we always shared on a table of 8. When you think about it, it’s a very odd thing to do. My wife and I eat out two or three times a week. If any pub or restaurant showed us to a table where we would be expected to share with strangers, we would leave immediately! On a cruise it can work and like others we have made friends from it. 
 

However, we had a run of 3 cruises where we just didn’t enjoy our table companions. One time we had 6 friends (3 couples) who had travelled together and had obviously asked (unsuccessfully) for a table for 6. They seemed to want to talk to each other, rather than us, and it was awkward for us, as it was possibly for them. Another time we had a family where conversation was strained and I dreaded going to dinner as I felt like I was having to work hard to maintain conversation and not relaxing. Finally we had a lady with two very young children who announced on the first night that her two previous husbands had died and she had received insurance payouts from both. She befriended a single chap who was on the cruise. I felt like I needed to warn him! As soon as Freedom dining started we jumped at it!

 

For breakfast we always ask for a table for two. I can’t be bothered to hold polite conversation when I’ve not long woken up! If we lunch in the MDR we sometimes share if we have time to kill. At dinner we tend to revert to a table for 2, unless it’s a long cruise. Then we do a mix. On a number of cruises we have got on so well with table companions that we have formed a group and met for drinks before dinner and dined with them regularly. Some we are still in contact with. Other times we have had bad experiences, but we tend to hold back outside the MDR if they have just gone in so as not to repeat the experience!

 

Equally, my wife and I are happy in our own company and a table for 2 is often the default now. I was surprised to read that several posters find tables for 2 dull or even tedious. All I can say is that they must have the wrong partners! Finally, like others, there are two types of diners who can manage to irritate me from a considerable distance. The loud ‘know it all’ types (usually men) who drone on in a loud voice that I find it difficult to zone out. Secondly the ‘look at me’ types (usually women) who have to laugh so loudly that half the dining room can hear them. As these people can spoil a meal for me from 5 tables away, I can’t imagine what it must be like being landed with them on a table 😂 

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

one where I was on my own with 9 women!!!

In the words of the late great Leslie Phillips "Ding Dong !"

[zap99]

47 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

 I was surprised to read that several posters find tables for 2 dull or even tedious. All I can say is that they must have the wrong partners! Finally, 

I normally ask for a table for 2.  DW asks for 2 tables for 1. Do you think she is trying to tell me something?.🤔

[bobstheboy]

After many tables of 6 or 8 on multiple cruise lines, we now have a table for two. 

 

Too many boring evenings, mind you our table companions could have thought the same !

[amajaa]

On 3/6/2023 at 10:21 PM, mrsgoggins said:

I’m certain that I would enjoy sharing a table with you and your wife Harry, and I agree with much of what you say, but my husband’s hearing is so very poor these days, that I find it stressful sharing, knowing he will be missing parts of the conversation.  We don’t linger over meals because dining rooms are noisy places and so we save our conversation for our room.

 

As an aside, I’m lucky enough to have really good hearing and so often I find myself overhearing conversations on neighbouring tables and wishing I could join in!  

 

I’m sure there are quite a few reasons why people would prefer not to share.

We have exactly the same problem with my Husband’s hearing so ask for a table for two, one with his back to a wall is also preferable 

[davecttr]

I have just received an email from P&O about my Arvia cruise in April. In the food section it states that you can now make advanced dinner bookings in the MDR with reservation slots available ALL evening first come first served. Apparently virtual queueing is also available.

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I have just received an email from P&O about my Arvia cruise in April. In the food section it states that you can now make advanced dinner bookings in the MDR with reservation slots available ALL evening first come first served. Apparently virtual queueing is also available.

Clearly P&O are still struggling to make the intended arrangement of 100% Freedom dining work on Arvia. I guess it’s good for those who like fixed dining, but I can’t help but feel that it comes at the cost of slowing down the Freedom dining provision. As we like proper Freedom dining, where we will dine at different times depending on port departure times etc, this hybrid setup, which seems to be driven by a lack of MDR capacity, puts me off booking Arvia. 

[terrierjohn]

Just now, davecttr said:

I have just received an email from P&O about my Arvia cruise in April. In the food section it states that you can now make advanced dinner bookings in the MDR with reservation slots available ALL evening first come first served. Apparently virtual queueing is also available.

That sounds to be an easy way for the MDR staff to reduce pressure on themselves, but not particularly beneficial for passengers who prefer maximum flexibility from Freedom dining.  Royal Caribbean and Princess have gone down this route, but the outcome is lots of empty tables in the MDR waiting for pre booked passengers, and they have much longer queues for walk ups/ virtual queue passengers than most P&O ship.

[Selbourne]

28 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

That sounds to be an easy way for the MDR staff to reduce pressure on themselves, but not particularly beneficial for passengers who prefer maximum flexibility from Freedom dining.  Royal Caribbean and Princess have gone down this route, but the outcome is lots of empty tables in the MDR waiting for pre booked passengers, and they have much longer queues for walk ups/ virtual queue passengers than most P&O ship.

Yes, that is the inevitable outcome. 

[wowzz]

6 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Royal Caribbean and Princess have gone down this route, but the outcome is lots of empty tables in the MDR waiting for pre booked passengers, and they have much longer queues for walk ups/ virtual queue passengers than most P&O ship.

Are you sure ? Never had a problem walking up in Princess.