Freedom/Club Dining

[david63]

There is an interesting discussion on FB at the moment where the question was raised as to whether you can swap between the two as and when you please.

The understanding by most P&O passengers is that you cannot and you are stuck with what you have been allocated - irrespective of the type of fare (Select/Saver). So far so good but the question has been put to Christopher Edgington who has responded that you can swap at will between the two!!

[Mervyn and Trish]

How is that possible? If you are on Freedom you won't have a Club Dining table allocation. I think he's confused. The only swapping I've been aware of is that you can request it on board, if there is availability. Not swap at will.

[qbman1]

I wouldn't have minded swapping with the bloke a couple of cabins down last time - but that's another story !

[Manoverboard]

You book Club and then go to Freedom as and when ... no problem, good idea and time P&O approved of it.

At the moment one can go to the Buffet or to a Select Dining Venue so why not to Freedom at a time that suits one better ?

[qbman1]

All very well in theory but with one MDR allocated to Freedom and one to Club - how can you book all the passengers into Club and give them the option to go Freedom? You could end up with twice as many passengers as covers in Club or Freedom for any one sitting

[BrianI]

When you enter the Freedom restaurant, they check your cabin number and if you are not on the Freedom list you don't get in.

You could of course request a change at the start of your cruise which may be granted subject to availability.

Brian

[Mervyn and Trish]

All very well in theory but with one MDR allocated to Freedom and one to Club - how can you book all the passengers into Club and give them the option to go Freedom? You could end up with twice as many passengers as covers in Club or Freedom for any one sitting

I'm with you Cubie. There simply isn't the capacity. They didn't add restaurants when they introduced Freedom so there are no extra seats.

How can I put it? How about having a table reserved in Club and then taking up another space in Freedom is a bit like....... say....... reserving a sunbed while you go to the theatre.

Now wait for it!

[qbman1]

Who's going to tell Edgington he doesn't know what he's talking about then ?!

[Meg 50]

someone has, and he's admitted it.

Once a club/freedom, always a club/freedom - and vice versa - or the buffet/specialist options

[qbman1]

The senior management doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence if he can't get a basic thing like that right. Do you think he has ever taken a P&O cruise ?!

[david63]

Do you think he has ever taken a P&O cruise ?!

Probably does not dine with the "riff raff" when he does - Captains table only!!

[Stephen]

You could also end up as Billy no mates on your club dining table.

[Stephen]

Who's going to tell Edgington he doesn't know what he's talking about then ?!

I nominate Merv. Who will second it

[Dancing Queen]

The senior management doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence if he can't get a basic thing like that right. Do you think he has ever taken a P&O cruise ?!

No idea but I know Carol Marlow used to sail Cunard in Queens Grill

[Manoverboard]

All very well in theory but with one MDR allocated to Freedom and one to Club - how can you book all the passengers into Club and give them the option to go Freedom? You could end up with twice as many passengers as covers in Club or Freedom for any one sitting

You seem to be concerned that the Club passengers will go to Freedom en masse, that being the case P&O may only need a half size Club restaurant rather than a whole one .... just saying.

ps ... I still think that it would be a good idea

[oldbluefox]

If they did away with Club dining I think I would go to the buffet instead. I wasn't keen on all the hustle and bustle of Freedom and much prefer a more relaxed dining experience. I could not believe how long some people were prepared to queue waiting for the dining room doors to open. It's not as if you will starve on a cruise. At least in the buffet you go at your own pace. It's Club for me any day but each to their own.

[david63]

No idea but I know Carol Marlow used to sail Cunard in Queens Grill

If I'm not mistaken CM used (and may still do for all I know) go on Cunard , with her mother, for a "holiday" but she also used to go on P&O ships and meet the passengers as part of her job.

[david63]

If they did away with Club dining I think I would go to the buffet instead.

Or have a suite then you can have a MDR meal served by your butler in your suite - just suggesting as another option!

[oldbluefox]

Nah!!! I'm not having anybody unpacking my shreddies!!!

[towny44]

If they did away with Club dining I think I would go to the buffet instead. I wasn't keen on all the hustle and bustle of Freedom and much prefer a more relaxed dining experience. I could not believe how long some people were prepared to queue waiting for the dining room doors to open. It's not as if you will starve on a cruise. At least in the buffet you go at your own pace. It's Club for me any day but each to their own.

Having just returned from RCI's Navigator where only one tier of their 3 tier dining room is used for freedom dining, I have to advise you Foxy that freedom dining was definitely the more relaxed option, so I am unsure why P&O manage to make it all hustle and bustle for you?

[allatc]

Tried the buffet for dinner one night on Britannnia. Awful ! Like being in a works canteen.
Folk with plates piled as high as they could get them (and waist lines that showed it was habitual) , jostling around the service area

[CaroleF]

Christopher Edginton was on one of our cruises, I think it was on Aurora last December for the Christmas Markets cruise, and he was introduced by the Captain at the Welcome Evening. He didn't say anything and we never saw him again. We were recently on Fred Olsen's Braemar and their two restaurants (not the buffet) have a different system at breakfast and lunch. There is a menu, fairly short, and their is a buffet, all in the same restaurant. So passengers choose which they want. This meant that if you were on a large table, as we were in the larger of the two restaurants for lunch one day, probably about 7 people out of 10 chose to use the buffet and only three of us chose from the menu. This meant that as the waiters were trying to serve the three of us the others on the table were up and down going to and from the buffet. It seemed the worst of both worlds to me. It wasn't quite so bad in the smaller of the two restaurants as there were a lot of tables for 2 and 4 but even so there were people walking around all the time. I hated it. If I wanted a buffet restaurant I would go to the buffet but if I wanted a waiter service only then there was nowhere to go. Obviously some passengers liked this arrangement but I didn't. In the evening both restaurants were waiter service, two sittings. The buffet restaurant was also available. Incidentally the coffee in all the restaurants was as awful as on P&O! Sorry, my pet moan. There was also a place called the Bookmark Cafe, very like Costa Coffee on P&O where you could buy a decent cup of coffee.

Carole

[MicheleW]

I'm with you OBF.

We have done both freedom and club dining and also found the freedom dining to be slightly more rushed so we now always opt for club dining which is far more relaxed.

Michele

[Jan Rosser]

On Aurora in July/August we were on freedom dining but ate at the same table every night - the waiters suggested us returning to their table and I think they preferred the continuity. It helped that we ate at the same time before the evening rush and we were never under any pressure to hurry our meal so we did have the best of both worlds really.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We've tried both and much prefer Club. But great there is a choice.