Pacific Explorer Dining options on Embarkation

[Jean C]

43 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Don't forget Stewart who cleans your room

Hahaha, for ease, we refer to them as Manuel or Maria, but not to their face 🙂

[ceeceeDee]

22 hours ago, Sparky74 said:

Sorry, that’s an intentional malapropism. 🤷‍♂️

I start the cruise with barking day and finish with disembowelling day. I make sure we complete our mustard drill and if I have any problems I go and talk to them at guess-who services. 
DW reckons I’m not right in the head. 🤪

Well put!

[ceeceeDee]

On 6/15/2024 at 9:11 AM, Sparky74 said:

I don’t remember chocolates but we started cruising in 2010 and stayed loyal to Royal for a number of years. I remember towel animals every night, spectacular carved fruit displays in the buffet, and ice carving demonstrations every cruise. 
Times change and I must admit that I join in with the moaning about cutbacks but in reality it’s either that or prices will increase even more. We are fortunate that (at the moment) we have a variety of cruise lines to choose from which offer different inclusions and different price points. 
DW & I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in November and have a week's leave up our sleeve. I’ve suggested a couple of different cruises as options but she wants to do something different for this special occasion. I’ve priced a few alternatives and I’m still convinced that cruising offers great value for money in spite of rising fares and diminishing inclusions. 
At the risk of going back "on topic" 🤣 we board the Pacific Encounter In three weeks. I wonder if the Waterfront will be open for lunch on barking day. 🤔

THAT'S what I meant to ask you, Sparky? Was the Waterfront open for lunch on 'barking day' on your recent PNG cruise? Please and thank you.🙏

[Aus Traveller]

4 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

THAT'S what I meant to ask you, Sparky? Was the Waterfront open for lunch on 'barking day' on your recent PNG cruise? Please and thank you.🙏

I will answer if you don't mind - the Waterfront has been open on embarkation day on every cruise we have been on on the Pacific Encounter so I am sure it will be for you also. Entry is prior to 1.30pm.

[ceeceeDee]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

I will answer if you don't mind - the Waterfront has been open on embarkation day on every cruise we have been on on the Pacific Encounter so I am sure it will be for you also. Entry is prior to 1.30pm.

Thanks AT (I don't mind at all 🙂). Good to hear. Haven't been on Encounter since June last year and we didn't bother with lunch then as we had pre-ordered prawns and wine package (special occasion) to be delivered to the cabin on embarkation day so we were oblivious to what was/wasn't going on at the Waterfront.😂

This time around we will definitely be looking for lunch (and definitely NOT in the Pantry) as we will be having a very early start that morning with delivering the resident chocolate princess to her holiday abode over the border and then trekking to Pinkemba and probably standing in a queue for a considerable time (I'm a glass half full sort of person, but embarkation day is embarkation day and usually there's nothing quick about it!) so I posit the worms will be biting by the time we get on board.

[Sparky74]

2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

I will answer if you don't mind - the Waterfront has been open on embarkation day on every cruise we have been on on the Pacific Encounter so I am sure it will be for you also. Entry is prior to 1.30pm.

 

2 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

THAT'S what I meant to ask you, Sparky? Was the Waterfront open for lunch on 'barking day' on your recent PNG cruise? Please and thank you.🙏

Thanks for chipping in with the answer. DW was keen to go to the Pantry on Barking Day. I do know that the Waterfront was open for breakfast on Disemboweling Day but again, we took the Pantry option. 

[arxcards]

We usually head straight to Waterfront for barking lunch too.

 

There was some recent chatter that P&O had done away with barking day lunch in the Waterfront. I can neither confirm nor deny whether this is fake news, a one off, or if they are getting everyone ready for the Carnival days.

[Aus Traveller]

10 hours ago, arxcards said:

We usually head straight to Waterfront for barking lunch too.

 

There was some recent chatter that P&O had done away with barking day lunch in the Waterfront. I can neither confirm nor deny whether this is fake news, a one off, or if they are getting everyone ready for the Carnival days.

They had the embarkation lunch in May, but of course, it could have changed since then. I will check it out in early November but someone else on this forum might be going on the Encounter before that.

[ceeceeDee]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

They had the embarkation lunch in May, but of course, it could have changed since then. I will check it out in early November but someone else on this forum might be going on the Encounter before that.

Thanks, AT. I'd appreciate it. I want to avoid the scrum in the Pantry at all costs. 🙂 So if there is no Waterfront, I'll put a Plan B in place.

[Over from NZ]

On 6/13/2024 at 7:27 PM, anjo said:

Good afternoon, 

Anyone able to confirm if on Embarkation day one of the Traditional Dining Rooms is available for lunch?

Thanks,

Anjo.

They're not open for lunch. Just the Pantry which is pretty average and a bit of a trough.. 🤣

[Aus Traveller]

25 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

They're not open for lunch. Just the Pantry which is pretty average and a bit of a trough.. 🤣

Is this a new development? Can I ask when you found that the MDR wasn't open? 🙂 

[Aus Traveller]

On 8/26/2024 at 5:55 PM, Sparky74 said:

Thanks for chipping in with the answer. DW was keen to go to the Pantry on Barking Day. I do know that the Waterfront was open for breakfast on Disemboweling Day but again, we took the Pantry option. 

Do you happen to have the sheet detailing the daily events from your embarkation day? This would show if the MDR is open or not.

[Sparky74]

OK!

According to the Good Times of Wednesday 14th August, 2024, Embarkation Day of my recent cruise on the Pacific Encounter, the Waterfront was indeed open for lunch, 11:30am-1:30pm. 

[ceeceeDee]

4 minutes ago, Sparky74 said:

OK!

According to the Good Times of Wednesday 14th August, 2024, Embarkation Day of my recent cruise on the Pacific Encounter, the Waterfront was indeed open for lunch, 11:30am-1:30pm. 

Yay! Thanks Sparky and AT!! I won't have to settle for a packet of crisps and a glass of water!!🤣

[Aus Traveller]

11 minutes ago, Sparky74 said:

OK!

According to the Good Times of Wednesday 14th August, 2024, Embarkation Day of my recent cruise on the Pacific Encounter, the Waterfront was indeed open for lunch, 11:30am-1:30pm. 

Thank you SO MUCH. I think that ends the debate unless someone can show evidence that the situation has changed in the last week or two.

[arxcards]

The first I had heard of this was in relation to Pacific Explorer, and this is initially a Pacific Explorer topic. It is still possible that Pacific Explorer has done away with a barking MDR lunch, even if only on NZ departures.

[ceeceeDee]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

The first I had heard of this was in relation to Pacific Explorer, and this is initially a Pacific Explorer topic. It is still possible that Pacific Explorer has done away with a barking MDR lunch, even if only on NZ departures.

Well, you know CC posts - we wander all over the place. 🤭

[Over from NZ]

3 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Is this a new development? Can I ask when you found that the MDR wasn't open? 🙂 

Monday last week. Was the first thing we asked about when we got onboard.. 🙂 

[Over from NZ]

3 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Is this a new development? Can I ask when you found that the MDR wasn't open? 🙂 

However, that's the Explorer, not the Encounter. The original post was to do with the Explorer. 

[Aus Traveller]

4 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

However, that's the Explorer, not the Encounter. The original post was to do with the Explorer. 

Sorry - the rest of the posts from when the thread restarted after a two-month delay, were about the Pacific Encounter.

[arxcards]

There are no issues with a multi-point thread, as you would think P&O could be consistent across the three ship fleet. They used to be. Debate over? It most likely is, as long as we are debating the same topic and not ending up in a mass debate.

 

Definitively,

Explorer - there are 3 strikes on over the top, Cairns & Auckland departures. No barking MDR soup for you.

Encounter - there are glowing responses that you can still have a barking MDR lunch. Likely, at least until March, when a barking MDR lunch isn't a Carnival feature. Wait & see.

Adventure - nobody has specifically asked, but could be either of the above.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Over from NZ said:

Monday last week. Was the first thing we asked about when we got onboard.. 🙂 

How was your itinerary?

It looks attractive from over here, and I am disappointed they have pulled the pin on Auckland departures.

[Over from NZ]

2 minutes ago, arxcards said:

How was your itinerary?

It looks attractive from over here, and I am disappointed they have pulled the pin on Auckland departures.

Yeah nah. I wouldn't bother with P&O again. Maybe wouldn't bother with any cruise again to be honest.. but def not P&O. They're average at best. Tonga wasn't exciting at all. Very poor and dirty place. Fiji was ok.. but nothing majorly exciting. Be better to fly into say Raro for a week and stay at one of the resorts. First cruise out of Auckland was noticeably different.. felt like we were in the Islands before we even got to the Islands. Have never seen so many Tatt's Jandals and Obesity on a cruise! 🤣 Oh, and feral children haha. 

[rkmw]

2 hours ago, arxcards said:

There are no issues with a multi-point thread, as you would think P&O could be consistent across the three ship fleet. They used to be. Debate over? It most likely is, as long as we are debating the same topic and not ending up in a mass debate.

 

Definitively,

Explorer - there are 3 strikes on over the top, Cairns & Auckland departures. No barking MDR soup for you.

Encounter - there are glowing responses that you can still have a barking MDR lunch. Likely, at least until March, when a barking MDR lunch isn't a Carnival feature. Wait & see.

Adventure - nobody has specifically asked, but could be either of the above.

The Encounter had the waterfront open for lunch barking day in March but  Carnival doesn’t have MDR open on barking day so when the other 2 ships merge it could be the same , buffet only on day 1

[CDaze71]

On the ENCOUNTER on this past weekends 80s cruise, the MDR was listed as being open from 12.30pm - 2pm on boarding day.