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Hi Tom & Dom we are really enjoying this latest cruise series you two give so much information about the ports as well as the ships it is really useful helping us decide if that is a cruise route we might like. As due to emergency surgery we had to cancel our January cruise with just days to go it helps us realise what we missed and cannot wait to re-book as soon as we get the all clear. Clearly you were missing the international cafe on princess for your late night snack.
Thank you for commenting 😀 We are really pleased we can help! We are big fans of the international buffet on Princess, they do some great food 😂 We hope you are on the mend and can get onto a cruise soon! 😀
Great videos, thank you. We're on Arvia in January, can't wait! We had a very similar experience in Epicurean on Iona, the fine dining experience didn't extend to the service.
O nooo. You guys are very brave😢 I would have been so disgusted. If i had to be so long in a resturant, 3 hours🤔 I would have lost it, and you guys have paid so much just for a Xmast cruise... I hope you gave all the glorry detail Tom, on your feedback report😮
We love the Epicurean…never had a problem with the service or food…as you say it’s very tasty. I wouldn’t say you get the biggest portions. You definitely need a late night snacks before bed! Oh my word you certainly didn’t have a good experience…I would try again on another ship. It’s seems the service is getting poor in all the table service restaurants especially MDR’s . We try and walk to town if it’s not too far and allowed….some ports are shuttle only. 👍🇬🇧
The food was fantastic! And we would definitely go and give it another try! We think it was just teething issues with the new ship and new staff that impacted our experience! 😀 We do enjoy walking into town when allowed as well, as we can get some fantastic views of all the ships that are in port 😀
Oh no!! Epicurean is usually my highlight on P&O. Hope this hadn’t put you off and you will do it on Azura this week. I loved my meal on Azura but looks like it could be a different menu.
Thanks for your comment! The food was outstanding but we were left a bit disappointed! 🥲 Unfortunately all the specialities are fully booked for the week on Azura 🤔 maybe next time!
@@TomandDomTravel oh that’s disappointing. Hope you are having a fun cruise though. Tbh I thought the Azura food in the MDR was pretty good. Hope it’s still ok.
Just got off from the Caribbean cruise and we tried the epicurean and I can say it seems to have improved vastly, we got 4 chips!, the worst meal we had was in the limelight club, awful, I left half of it. Waiters were briliant
4 chips! We obviously weren’t their favourites 😂 I think we were just very unlucky with our experience! We also ate in the limelight and thought the food and service was good! That’s disappointing to hear! 😐
Guys, the epi is a 2.30hr experience. Going at 7pm and hoping to catch an 8.30 show was never going to happen, even going to the buffet would have been a tight schedule.
Thanks for your comment! It was wishful thinking and as this was our first cruise with P&O we didn’t know what to expect when we pre-booked our theatre time. Fortunately we made it to the 10:30 show. Our main issue was the 40 minute wait between courses, the couple who came in and sat on the opposite table managed to caught up with us and left just after we did.
Interesting comments on epicurean. We don’t eat in there any more on other ships as food has always been fantastic, but the service has always been the worst we have ever received. We were once left for 45 minutes with no food or drink and no waiter. (And that was probably our best experience in there!)
Thanks for your comment 😀 oh wow that’s really interesting and not a very good experience at all! From the comments others have also had bad experiences! 😐
Before I even watched the vblog, I thought you might mention the Epicurean service. I will never ever again visit a P and O speciality restaurant. Never. Nothing wrong with the food I hasten to add but it is the time spent waiting between each course. My problem is that I travel alone and consequently eat alone. This means I have to occupy myself while waiting between courses. I have had to wait as long as you between courses and I have no one to speak to and I am just staring at usually an empty restaurant. These long waits have happened on every P and O ship I have travelled on over the years .. Azura, Britannia, Arcadia. I travelled on Iona in October 22 and that was the first time I never went to the speciality restaurant. Food is great but I have to ration myself to only one drink of one glass of wine 250ml at a meal otherwise I get drunk. If I ever have to go a P and O speciality restaurant ever again including the Keel and Cow on Iona ... take a book! Anyway, end of rant. Fantastic vblog ..Tom and Dom ... really like the way you are showing your cruise experience content! Well done. Looking forward to your next one.
Thank you for sharing your experiences onboard! I think this is defined something that P&O should work on especially with solo travellers! We knew the Epicurean can take up to 2 hours but we found the 40 minute wait between courses too long! 🧐 Thank you for your kind words it’s really appreciated 😊
We had 4 courses, including the Amuse Bouche. We had to wait 40 minutes between the starter and the main course and then waited again for the dessert! Unfortunately there was no wine pairing included, that may have made the evening go a little smoother 😐
Whilst I agree you had an excessive waiting time between courses, I’ve always thought of the epicurean as being a ‘whole evening’ experience & wouldn’t have an eye on doing other shows etc. I think last time we were told it was a 2.5 experience and that was pretty much what it was. My disappointment in the epicurean now is the lack of at table cooking,, the crepes being prepared for you in sight was always I was thrilled with. Also the menu needs updating,, trends in fine dining change and the menu feels a bit old hat. We’ve found ourselves eating more at the keel and cow and the glass house in more recent trips to Arvia and Iona.
Thanks for your question! We never saw any children in the Crow’s Nest and we didn’t see any information onboard to say that children weren’t allowed in! 😁 Hope that helps!
Wow that shuttle queue is not acceptable. I've been to that port several times and there's normally a fleet of buses waiting either side, have never had a problem on other lines. P&O know how many passengers they have onboard and they need to work with the port to ensure they have enough equipment to deal with their passengers... Otherwise they shouldn't stop there.
Thanks for your comment 😀 it could have be organised a bit better, we weren’t too impressed with the queues but we did enjoy the walk into Santa Cruz. 😊
Both of you are getting so good with your craft. If I had any plans of blazing through the video, the 25 second intro laid that to rest. It appears those pesky global supply chain issues have now crept into the chips market (as rationing is now the norm) 🤨. I'm starting to see a common thread (in my mind at least) in terms of staffing on the ships and it is showing up in the restaurant service. The staff seem to be quite inexperienced and their professionalism is lacking. 1). Cruise Buoys being asked to leave their table after being seated, 2) Dan & Jay's recent experience on P&O Arcadia where many dining venues were closed. @16:53. 🙄😮💨😪 - It appears the staff could not ask the front desk to have you sign at some later time on the cruise. If Sheridan had been there he would have been appalled (credit to Hyacinth Bucket).
Thank you Chris it’s much appreciated! 😀 most cruise lines seem to be cutting back to save money which is unfortunate 😐 They could have quite easily asked us to sign the receipt at the desk as we were leaving! Hyacinth would not have been happy! 😃
I wish I had seen you both before I went on board Arvia I found the service dreadful at times waiters some very nice some very rude the ship is amazing 😎 shame little things waste it for me at times
Thank you for watching our video. If there’s anything you would like to know then please add a comment and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please feel free to share this content to others that might find it useful. If you haven’t done so already please like this video and subscribe to our channel we have lots more content being released and it really does help our channel grow! Thank you 😀
The epicurean has nicked my microwave plate to put your starters on!!! 😂
🤣🤣🤣
Lads brilliant video, we appreciate the insight into life on the Arvia. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, we really appreciate it 😊
Hi Tom & Dom we are really enjoying this latest cruise series you two give so much information about the ports as well as the ships it is really useful helping us decide if that is a cruise route we might like. As due to emergency surgery we had to cancel our January cruise with just days to go it helps us realise what we missed and cannot wait to re-book as soon as we get the all clear. Clearly you were missing the international cafe on princess for your late night snack.
Thank you for commenting 😀 We are really pleased we can help! We are big fans of the international buffet on Princess, they do some great food 😂 We hope you are on the mend and can get onto a cruise soon! 😀
Great videos, thank you. We're on Arvia in January, can't wait! We had a very similar experience in Epicurean on Iona, the fine dining experience didn't extend to the service.
Thanks for your comment! 😀 I think we must have both been very unlucky! It’s unfortunate because the food was outstanding! 😀
O nooo. You guys are very brave😢 I would have been so disgusted. If i had to be so long in a resturant, 3 hours🤔 I would have lost it, and you guys have paid so much just for a Xmast cruise... I hope you gave all the glorry detail Tom, on your feedback report😮
Thank you. Absolutely me and many passengers fed back to them
We love the Epicurean…never had a problem with the service or food…as you say it’s very tasty.
I wouldn’t say you get the biggest portions. You definitely need a late night snacks before bed!
Oh my word you certainly didn’t have a good experience…I would try again on another ship. It’s seems the service is getting poor in all the table service restaurants especially MDR’s .
We try and walk to town if it’s not too far and allowed….some ports are shuttle only. 👍🇬🇧
The food was fantastic! And we would definitely go and give it another try! We think it was just teething issues with the new ship and new staff that impacted our experience! 😀 We do enjoy walking into town when allowed as well, as we can get some fantastic views of all the ships that are in port 😀
Can’t believe you skipped the late night buffet!
I know! It does happen occasionally 😂
Oh no!! Epicurean is usually my highlight on P&O. Hope this hadn’t put you off and you will do it on Azura this week. I loved my meal on Azura but looks like it could be a different menu.
Thanks for your comment! The food was outstanding but we were left a bit disappointed! 🥲 Unfortunately all the specialities are fully booked for the week on Azura 🤔 maybe next time!
@@TomandDomTravel oh that’s disappointing. Hope you are having a fun cruise though. Tbh I thought the Azura food in the MDR was pretty good. Hope it’s still ok.
We are having a really good time and the food has been not too bad 😀
Tom Ball was late, he was sitting in the Epicurean waiting for his dinner. 😉
🤣🤣🤣
Just got off from the Caribbean cruise and we tried the epicurean and I can say it seems to have improved vastly, we got 4 chips!, the worst meal we had was in the limelight club, awful, I left half of it. Waiters were briliant
4 chips! We obviously weren’t their favourites 😂 I think we were just very unlucky with our experience! We also ate in the limelight and thought the food and service was good! That’s disappointing to hear! 😐
Guys, the epi is a 2.30hr experience. Going at 7pm and hoping to catch an 8.30 show was never going to happen, even going to the buffet would have been a tight schedule.
Thanks for your comment! It was wishful thinking and as this was our first cruise with P&O we didn’t know what to expect when we pre-booked our theatre time. Fortunately we made it to the 10:30 show. Our main issue was the 40 minute wait between courses, the couple who came in and sat on the opposite table managed to caught up with us and left just after we did.
Interesting comments on epicurean. We don’t eat in there any more on other ships as food has always been fantastic, but the service has always been the worst we have ever received. We were once left for 45 minutes with no food or drink and no waiter. (And that was probably our best experience in there!)
Thanks for your comment 😀 oh wow that’s really interesting and not a very good experience at all! From the comments others have also had bad experiences! 😐
Our wedding meal is here in June x
Congratulations 🥳 I’m sure you will have an amazing time onboard and any issues will be sorted by then 😃
All that i know is P&O won t see me, and we are only on Day 6 of watching🥺
This certainly wasn’t what we hoped for
Before I even watched the vblog, I thought you might mention the Epicurean service. I will never ever again visit a P and O speciality restaurant. Never. Nothing wrong with the food I hasten to add but it is the time spent waiting between each course. My problem is that I travel alone and consequently eat alone. This means I have to occupy myself while waiting between courses. I have had to wait as long as you between courses and I have no one to speak to and I am just staring at usually an empty restaurant. These long waits have happened on every P and O ship I have travelled on over the years .. Azura, Britannia, Arcadia. I travelled on Iona in October 22 and that was the first time I never went to the speciality restaurant. Food is great but I have to ration myself to only one drink of one glass of wine 250ml at a meal otherwise I get drunk. If I ever have to go a P and O speciality restaurant ever again including the Keel and Cow on Iona ... take a book!
Anyway, end of rant. Fantastic vblog ..Tom and Dom ... really like the way you are showing your cruise experience content! Well done. Looking forward to your next one.
Thank you for sharing your experiences onboard! I think this is defined something that P&O should work on especially with solo travellers! We knew the Epicurean can take up to 2 hours but we found the 40 minute wait between courses too long! 🧐 Thank you for your kind words it’s really appreciated 😊
How many more vlogs will there be in this Arvia series?
Thanks for your comment! We have 8 more to go! Tomorrow will be Day 7!
I’m sure when we have dined in The Epicurean in the past we were told it was as a 3 hour dining experience?
Thanks for your comment! 😀 Dining does take longer in the Epicurean, they advise that it can take up to 2 hours! 😀
Three hours? How many courses were served and were there numerous wine pairings for each course? That seems quite long otherwise.
We had 4 courses, including the Amuse Bouche. We had to wait 40 minutes between the starter and the main course and then waited again for the dessert! Unfortunately there was no wine pairing included, that may have made the evening go a little smoother 😐
Whilst I agree you had an excessive waiting time between courses, I’ve always thought of the epicurean as being a ‘whole evening’ experience & wouldn’t have an eye on doing other shows etc. I think last time we were told it was a 2.5 experience and that was pretty much what it was. My disappointment in the epicurean now is the lack of at table cooking,, the crepes being prepared for you in sight was always I was thrilled with. Also the menu needs updating,, trends in fine dining change and the menu feels a bit old hat. We’ve found ourselves eating more at the keel and cow and the glass house in more recent trips to Arvia and Iona.
Hi do you know it children were allowed in the crows nest please?
Thanks for your question! We never saw any children in the Crow’s Nest and we didn’t see any information onboard to say that children weren’t allowed in! 😁 Hope that helps!
@@TomandDomTravel thank you so much for replying . Really enjoying watching your vlogs
No problem! Thanks for watching 😀
We loved epicurean on britannia ,such a shame you had slow service.
Thanks for your comment! The food was superb, some of the best we have ever had! The service was the only thing that let us down 😐
Wow that shuttle queue is not acceptable. I've been to that port several times and there's normally a fleet of buses waiting either side, have never had a problem on other lines. P&O know how many passengers they have onboard and they need to work with the port to ensure they have enough equipment to deal with their passengers... Otherwise they shouldn't stop there.
Thanks for your comment 😀 it could have be organised a bit better, we weren’t too impressed with the queues but we did enjoy the walk into Santa Cruz. 😊
Both of you are getting so good with your craft. If I had any plans of blazing through the video, the 25 second intro laid that to rest. It appears those pesky global supply chain issues have now crept into the chips market (as rationing is now the norm) 🤨. I'm starting to see a common thread (in my mind at least) in terms of staffing on the ships and it is showing up in the restaurant service. The staff seem to be quite inexperienced and their professionalism is lacking. 1). Cruise Buoys being asked to leave their table after being seated, 2) Dan & Jay's recent experience on P&O Arcadia where many dining venues were closed. @16:53. 🙄😮💨😪 - It appears the staff could not ask the front desk to have you sign at some later time on the cruise. If Sheridan had been there he would have been appalled (credit to Hyacinth Bucket).
Thank you Chris it’s much appreciated! 😀 most cruise lines seem to be cutting back to save money which is unfortunate 😐 They could have quite easily asked us to sign the receipt at the desk as we were leaving! Hyacinth would not have been happy! 😃
I wish I had seen you both before I went on board Arvia I found the service dreadful at times waiters some very nice some very rude the ship is amazing 😎 shame little things waste it for me at times
It was a very mixed bag of experiences onboard for us as well! Hopefully it will improve over time 🤔