Does the need to be quick off the mark to book dining and entertainment put you off

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, MellyMoo1989 said:

I'm not a fan of all this pre-booking and joining virtual queues malarkey... I'm old fashioned in the way that I wanna go and eat when I feel ready to, not when an app tells me to. I've got no qualms about queueing up and waiting. I'm afraid I don't like sharing either. In one of the bars, no problem, take that spare seat and I'll talk your ear off after a few shandies but I prefer to have my "own" table when it comes to dinner. 🙂

I have serious qualms about queuing up and waiting for anything 

 

Hate even 2 minutes queue in Co-op nowadays and will head for the self serve

 

Only tend to have to do it in airports and boarding cruises still

 

And I hate that  to

 

I start timing how quick people are moving and estimating how long my life will be put on hold

 

I do question anyone who really does enjoy queuing for anything

 

Especially on a cruise where theres so many better places to be than in a corridor?

[Interestedcruisefan]

Definitely more queues for everything on older ships with less people booking on apps than bigger ships where it's more widely embraced

 

But those queues are tolerated

 

Also on smaller ships where you can't pre-book theatre you will face having to leave meals or drinks over 30 mins before a popular show starts to be able to get a seat 

 

The same shows will open doors 30 minutes before the show starts and people will be queuing from 15 mins before that

 

It is what it is

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

14 minutes ago, MellyMoo1989 said:

I'm not a fan of all this pre-booking and joining virtual queues malarkey... I'm old fashioned in the way that I wanna go and eat when I feel ready to, not when an app tells me to. I've got no qualms about queueing up and waiting. I'm afraid I don't like sharing either. In one of the bars, no problem, take that spare seat and I'll talk your ear off after a few shandies but I prefer to have my "own" table when it comes to dinner. 🙂

So how do you choose to dine on cruise ships Melly?

Edited May 26 by Interestedcruisefan

[MellyMoo1989]

12 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I have serious qualms about queuing up and waiting for anything 

 

Hate even 2 minutes queue in Co-op nowadays and will head for the self serve

 

Only tend to have to do it in airports and boarding cruises still

 

And I hate that  to

 

I start timing how quick people are moving and estimating how long my life will be put on hold

 

I do question anyone who really does enjoy queuing for anything

 

Especially on a cruise where theres so many better places to be than in a corridor?

 

It's really not that deep for me. Queueing for,  for example, 15 minutes to get seated in a restaurant is nothing IMO. I could be queueing at the bar for that long for a drink waiting for the app to tell me my table's ready. I didn't say I enjoy it either, I'd just rather do that than rely on technology where theres always a chance of the system going down or glitching resulting in massive queues at the restaurant doors anyway and hoards of hungry passengers potentially getting agressive with the staff (who I know have no control over how the system works)

[MellyMoo1989]

19 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

So how do you choose to dine on cruise ships Melly?

 

I book a speciality restaurant but that will probably only be on one occasion on the entire cruise. Any other time when it comes to dining in MDRs I like to head up there at a time when I start feeling peckish (usually around 6.30-7pm) and if I have to wait to be seated, that's the way it is. I sailed with Marella last year and had no problems with having to wait for tables etc. but often found I was queueing for about 10 minutes. And if a problem was ever to arise that there was no way I could get a table, or the wait would be more than an hour I'd head to the buffet instead. 🙂

 

I very rarely go to the theatre shows either, unless there's something that I really want to see.. I enjoy taking part in the quizzes and gameshows elsewhere on the ship, so having to leave half of my meal just to go an get a seat in the theatre is never really a worry for me. 🙂

Edited May 26 by MellyMoo1989

[Interestedcruisefan]

13 minutes ago, MellyMoo1989 said:

I'd just rather do that than rely on technology where theres always a chance of the system going down or glitching resulting in massive queues at the restaurant doors anyway and hoards of hungry passengers potentially getting agressive with the staff (who I know have no control over how the system works)

Never seen that happen on 5 weeks of cruising on Arvia and Iona

 

Honestly. Never had a single problem like that. Never had a glitch. I think those glitches are super rare. And scare stories go back a while now. 

 

For me - I don't count queuing as sitting at a bar waiting for an app to tell me a table is ready

 

I count that as sitting at a bar. Normally it's the 710 club where I'm drinking Gary Baylor's favourite Negroni cocktail and listening to some of the best musicians on the seas playing jazzy covers of great songs live

 

Its an absolute pleasure for me. Not a queue. 

 

Ps talking about Gary Barlow my wife is at Take That tonight in Nottingham with her friend. Tickets booked online. Hotel booked online. Restaurant booked online. She even sent me a link with her table number on it in the bar they were in so I could buy them both a drink online!!

 

Lol

 

 

Edited May 26 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

4 minutes ago, MellyMoo1989 said:

 

I book a speciality restaurant but that will probably only be on one occasion on the entire cruise. Any other time when it comes to dining in MDRs I like to head up there at a time when I start feeling peckish (usually around 6.30-7pm) and if I have to wait to be seated, that's the way it is. I sailed with Marella last year and had no problems with having to wait for tables etc. but often found I was queueing for about 10 minutes. And if a problem was ever to arise that there was no way I could get a table, or the wait would be more than an hour I'd head to the buffet instead. 🙂

 

I very rarely go to the theatre shows either, unless there's something that I really want to see.. I enjoy taking part in the quizzes and gameshows elsewhere on the ship, so having to leave half of my meal just to go an get a seat in the theatre is never really a worry for me. 🙂

Fair enough. Nothing wrong with any of that

[terrierjohn]

10 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I believe it's the size of the ships and number of venues that are making things difficult.  I'm here on Queen Anne, the only thing I'm compelled to book by app is the Bright Lights Society - the equivalent of I'd say 710 Club.  The 9.15 shows book up of the morning but the availability for the other days is still there.  

 

I experimented with an app bookings this morning, it was instant. How when I arrived at breakfast the desk said, no ignore that just come along! The only breakfast queue was day one, about 5 minutes.

 

I did use the app on QM2 last year, it was equally a mess.  Cunard staff however adapted to the circumstances and overrode it. P&O's staff do not seem to have enough tables to overcome build up and people do seem to miss out as a result. 

 

I still believe volume and capacity is most of the problem and on the two big ships the 90 minute table turn should be strictly adhered to.

 

 

We certainly did not adhere to Princesses 2 hour table turnround recently. Our sharing tables were so enjoyable that we often were well into the 3rd hour before we were finished, and I would hope for a similar situation on our next P&O cruise.

[FangedRose]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

We certainly did not adhere to Princesses 2 hour table turnround recently. Our sharing tables were so enjoyable that we often were well into the 3rd hour before we were finished, and I would hope for a similar situation on our next P&O cruise.

Why not move to a bar to continue your enjoyment instead of blocking a table and preventing others from having their evening meal?

[Gettingwarmer]

16 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

We certainly did not adhere to Princesses 2 hour table turnround recently. Our sharing tables were so enjoyable that we often were well into the 3rd hour before we were finished, and I would hope for a similar situation on our next P&O cruise.

 

10 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

Why not move to a bar to continue your enjoyment instead of blocking a table and preventing others from having their evening meal?

I believe there would be other sharing tables available on Princess. 

[zap99]

6 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

This was a thread about booking before boarding but has drifted as things do to include the  "app"  and booking in general. 

 

I'm  a great fan of freedom dining. Don't mind doing it online. Freedom is not as efficient in use of tables as fixed sharing.

 

However for freedom to work you need enough tables relative to guests and the staff to serve. Saga which is a true freedom ship has 492 in MDR , 250 in speciality,  300 in Grill (buffet) and 170 outside in good weather.  All for 985 passengers.  So waiter served is 75% of passenger numbers,   total seating 110% of passenger numbers (exc outside) .  So I have never known a single queue.

 

P&O doesn't publish its dining capacity,  but clearly doesn't have 4500 waiter served places, expect near 2000. Plus at most another 1000 in other restaurants. Perhaps in total 50% of peak passenger numbers. That is the problem, one that can't be solved by technology,  only on a personal level by booking ahead, which of course removes capacity

Only seats you can book ahead after 6.30 are speciality extra cost dining, hence the rush

We have heard many, many times how superior Saga are. We have also heard that they are 2 ,or 3 times more expensive. As you point out the thread is about prebooking on P&O.

[Ardennais]

3 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Great post

 

I agree

 

Let's not forget as well set dining times and sharing tables with fixed set menus was how cruises started when they couldn't possibly create systems to offer choices or alternatives

 

What we are seeing now on new cruise ships (big and even on smaller ships) is just progress

 

Just like we get on screen cinemas, automatic doors you don't need to touch (which are huge improvements hygiene wise) but something the older ships don't have but could do with asap.

 

Water dispensers, better designed cabins, better toilets and showers. Wide screen tv's with multiple channels. Being able to see where the ship is going on your TV even in inside cabins. Theatres with state of the art sound and HUGE video screens 

 

Safer ships with the best technology, muster systems that aren't HUGE pain in the necks requiring those boring long winded drills

 

All we are seeing is progress

 

Very little of which is for the worse

 

And progress whilst costs have dropped significantly in real terms

 

And we no longer are expected to pay gratuities either

 

We should all be celebrating. Not trying to find fault or scare newbies off

 

 

I would agree with a lot of what you say, but I don’t think Iona’s cabins are ‘better designed’. Very narrow cabins, useless bedside units, no drawers! 

[JessicaB97]

Being only able to book dinner for 5:30 was not good for us at all! We have a baby and we tried the 5:30 dinner time as a family a couple of times which was very stressful as little one was very hungry by the time dinner was served. We then thought we would go for dinner once baby was asleep around 7pm but couldn’t book a table for that time instead had to join a virtual queue and didn’t end up eating until around 7:45pm. Ideally would have just wanted to go to the restaurant when baby was asleep without having to book. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

19 minutes ago, JessicaB97 said:

Being only able to book dinner for 5:30 was not good for us at all! We have a baby and we tried the 5:30 dinner time as a family a couple of times which was very stressful as little one was very hungry by the time dinner was served. We then thought we would go for dinner once baby was asleep around 7pm but couldn’t book a table for that time instead had to join a virtual queue and didn’t end up eating until around 7:45pm. Ideally would have just wanted to go to the restaurant when baby was asleep without having to book. 

Couldn't you join the virtual queue whilst waiting for the baby to fall asleep?

 

You can always exit and join another queue if the queue goes to quickly and the baby is still awake when your table is ready or you are getting close to front of queue too quickly?

 

 

Edited May 27 by Interestedcruisefan

[terrierjohn]

10 hours ago, FangedRose said:

Why not move to a bar to continue your enjoyment instead of blocking a table and preventing others from having their evening meal?

Do you ever do that? Most people have plans for their evening, so once dinner has finished they go their separate ways.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, JessicaB97 said:

Being only able to book dinner for 5:30 was not good for us at all! We have a baby and we tried the 5:30 dinner time as a family a couple of times which was very stressful as little one was very hungry by the time dinner was served. We then thought we would go for dinner once baby was asleep around 7pm but couldn’t book a table for that time instead had to join a virtual queue and didn’t end up eating until around 7:45pm. Ideally would have just wanted to go to the restaurant when baby was asleep without having to book. 

On P&O the night nursery is a great facility, when we cruised with my son and family, they used this every night, and were only called twice over 12 nights when our grandson woke up.

[zap99]

9 hours ago, Ardennais said:

I would agree with a lot of what you say, but I don’t think Iona’s cabins are ‘better designed’. Very narrow cabins, useless bedside units, no drawers! 

Some may think that drawers and doors on cupboards are evil things. I don't have time to open drawers and cupboards.......tooo busy ,busy,busy.🤣. I would say I am partial to a nice cupboard..but I am retired and have lots of time.

[FangedRose]

24 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Do you ever do that? Most people have plans for their evening, so once dinner has finished they go their separate ways.

If the company is that engaging that I can't tear myself away of course I do! I wouldn't dream of hogging a dinner table once I'd finished my meal. I would be too aware of other people waiting to eat, or the staff waiting for you to leave so they can go to bed!

[Windsurfboy]

I'm a  bit  like ICF and hate queuing.  

 

However how much it annoys me depends on what is promised and my expectations

 

If I  turn up at airport for longhaul business or first then I expect to sail though.

 

When I'm on a budget airline for a short flight then I know what to expect. 

 

My expectation for cruises is not to queue, my first cruise years ago was P&O with traditional club dining, great set of table companionsno queue. Since then Saga and Cunard grills , walk in no queuing. Having to physically queue would ruin a holiday.  Similarly to keep checking on a virtual queue is just as bad.  Hence the need for the certainty of pre booked speciality dining,  plus of course hopefully really good food

 

 

[Palaceman]

As I see things you have to either pre book or join virtual queues to eat in a restaurant and book to be entertained if you want a guaranteed seat on Iona and Arvia. To do this you need either a smart phone (if you have one) or take a tablet or lap top onboard. I don't have the former and I do not want to be carrying my laptop around with me whilst enjoying a pre dinner drink in a bar waiting for my table to be ready.

I think I'll stick with the smaller ships.

[FannyLiz]

12 hours ago, zap99 said:

We have heard many, many times how superior Saga are. We have also heard that they are 2 ,or 3 times more expensive. As you point out the thread is about prebooking on P&O.

I’ve not priced cruises on any other line than Saga and so have no idea of what the price differential is for a solo balcony cabin on Saga and a comparable one on, say P&O. Given all the inclusions in the Saga price:  insurance, transport to and from port, drinks, wifi, all meals and room service, spa use etc etc, I wonder how big a difference there actually is ? 
 

My apologies for misunderstanding the point of the thread. I took it to mean “ Have tou been put off booking on a line where you have to pre-book various items”. 

Edited May 27 by FannyLiz

[Windsurfboy]

1 minute ago, FannyLiz said:

 

My apologies for misunderstanding the point of the thread. I took it to mean “ Have tou been put off booking on a line where you have to pre-book various items”. 

 

That's exactly the question I was asking 

[zap99]

1 minute ago, FannyLiz said:

I’ve not priced cruises on any other line than Saga and so have no idea of what the price differential is for a solo balcony cabin on Saga and a comparable one on, say P&O. Given all the inclusions in the Saga price:  insurance, transport to and from port, drinks, wifi, all meals and room service, spa use etc etc, I wonder how big a difference there actually is ? 
 

My apologies for misunderstanding the point of the thread. I took it to mean “ Have tou been put off booking on a line where you have to pre-book various items”. 

Don't worry. Many threads end up singing the praises of Saga. They also have examples of the high cost of Saga.

[Interestedcruisefan]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

I'm a  bit  like ICF and hate queuing.  

 

However how much it annoys me depends on what is promised and my expectations

 

If I  turn up at airport for longhaul business or first then I expect to sail though.

 

When I'm on a budget airline for a short flight then I know what to expect. 

 

My expectation for cruises is not to queue, my first cruise years ago was P&O with traditional club dining, great set of table companionsno queue. Since then Saga and Cunard grills , walk in no queuing. Having to physically queue would ruin a holiday.  Similarly to keep checking on a virtual queue is just as bad.  Hence the need for the certainty of pre booked speciality dining,  plus of course hopefully really good food

 

 

Give over windsurfboy

 

Using a virtual queue a tiny fraction as bad as using real queues ?

 

I actually enjoy it tbh

 

Some theme parks charge an absolute fortune to give VIP guests the chance to use virtual queues rather than physical queues

 

And people gladly pay big prices for it

 

I do think some Brits do like to physically queue

 

It's probably an ingrained habit over generations

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

31 minutes ago, FannyLiz said:

I’ve not priced cruises on any other line than Saga and so have no idea of what the price differential is for a solo balcony cabin on Saga and a comparable one on, say P&O. Given all the inclusions in the Saga price:  insurance, transport to and from port, drinks, wifi, all meals and room service, spa use etc etc, I wonder how big a difference there actually is ? 
 

Having closely looked at what my parents paid and got back in return from Saga in November the price difference is HUGE I assure you Fannyliz

 

It's scary what saga have created in terms of perceived value and what they get away with charging IMO

 

But my parents enjoyed the cruise so that's good at least

Edited May 27 by Interestedcruisefan