I was on the Arcadia last month and the meals in the main dining room reminded me of school meals too. The only saving grace was that the portions were so small the ordeal was soon over.
That's not good news - that's the ship that will probably be doing the world cruise we were looking at - well, you can see the portion size on the video - it looked more like that's what was left after I had finished eating. I did complain about the runny gravy but then realised after it was 'lobster jus'. Never had lobster but the jus didn't smell or taste of seafood, so not sure what I was supposed to be expecting. But it wasn't good. I forgot to mention the beans in the video - so yes, there was a spoonful of beans too. Not at all exciting to look at and even worse to eat.
Thats' a drastic change from our days on Oceania when it was excellent quality and the portions were sizeable. I wanted to visit the buffet after this meal as I was left feeling very undernourished.
We cruised on the venture last year, sorry to say the ship and the food, has not gone down hill, its gone down the pan. Its the 1st cruise that we had not put on any weight because the food was very poor. I think its time now P&O to get your act together your standards have drop well below my middle of the road standards. we have cruised 10 times with P&O in the last 5 years but no more
I've cruised with MSC three times from Southampton and have two more booked. Ive considered doing P&O but on the older ships especially no-one has a good word to say about the food or service. When they're more expensive, its a hard sell. MSC is just a better value proposition. The portions are small, but I've never had bad service, can always find something to eat, they are accommodating if you want extra, to do a main as a starter. The upselling is what it is, but you get a turn down in the evening you don't get with P&O either and i've always had extremely smooth embarkations and disembarkation and you see some nightmare TH-cam vids for P&O. If you set your expectations right, MSC has much to commend it but i couldn't see cruising with P&O. Maybe Iona is better but idk.
Hi. We did our first MSC cruise on here, we had seen some horror story videos on TH-cam so to be honest my expectations weren't high but we were pleasantly surprised. We considered the meals to be more basic than we had been used to on P & O and the presentation was a bit more "just throw it on the plate" but after this trip on Ventura I can say there was nothing to choose between them and their buffet variety was much better although I dislike the layout, similar to on IONA, but then I'm not a buffet fan. In typical European style, personal space is reduced and we found the tables in the MDR to be a bit tight together. But the waiters were very friendly and helpful and we are still not sure if you got free wine with dinner, we certainly never paid for any but got Rose with our meal every night. Which ships have you been on? Do you have a favourite?
That is probably a very accurate summation of the situation. We used to work on an average £100 / day and if a cruise was a lot more than that, we passed. So it was welcome at first to see cruise deals more in the £80-£90 / day region, and you will always find occasional good deals for certain cruises throughout the season, but initially it was exactly that - the same cruise at a cheaper price. My own personal view is that industry suffered under covid, and is now desperately trying to retrieve their former footfall and profit levels by means of these extremely attractive prices along with not so subtle cost cutting. The ship doesn't/ can't physically change, but the level of service, the number of ports visited, and the quality and quantity of food / drinks / entertainment are obvious areas to implement savings. Last year we went on our first MSC cruise because it was cheaper to cruise with them than go self catering in a log cabin in the UK or go on an all inclusive holiday in a 3 star hotel in Spain. And in my mind, while standards have slipped since our original cruise days, the cruise still offered a better experience than some of the package deals that we've paid similar prices for. Someone commented recently that cruises were now "Butlins on sea". I'm not sure that is accurate (no offence Butlins), and I have also had comments on this video that some of the more expensive lines are equally poor -now THAT would REALLY wind me up if I had paid double for the cruise and wasn't seeing a serious uplift in quality. Maybe that's what we have to do next - try a more expensive but cruise (there's plenty of them around) and see if there's a tangible improvement. I'd better get saving! Thanks for your input.
@@robandsue what a comprehensive response … I agree wholeheartedly with your thoughts on the penny pinching that’s happening now . There are so many ways that the INDUSTRY try to remove the money from your pocket into their bottom line . That is to be expected I think . Being aware of the value you are getting with the initial price of your cruise against the service once on board your chosen ship is key to how you feel about your cruise experience. We found Azamara to be a great experience initially in 2019 …then again last year …however we have read of dissatisfaction amongst their frequent cruisers relating to service / food standards …we still thought it was a superb cruising experience…I would recommend them .. Happy cruising 🛳️ L
I know my sister said never again , had awful meal on Iona 2 slices boiled ham and one spoon off mash our faces said it all the poor waiter ran and got us more it's not their fault its the top bosses who need to sort it ,on Virtuosa they said don't have steak it's too tough my sister went mad 🙈
We said the meals on Virtuosa were sub-standard compared with our recent trip on Iona, but now we realise they were on par. And the buffet variety was certainly better. We have booked Iona again later in the year and I will definitely be keeping a close eye on quality, portion size and temperature. Might even have to take a thermometer with me!
We did a couple of cruises with P & O last year and found the food quite bland and underwhelming - based on this we decided to splash out earlier this year and cruise with Silversea as they sell themselves as 'ultra luxury' - unfortunately the food was shockingly bad - limited choice and mainly served tepid to cold, the lunchtime buffet was just embarrassing - probably better choice and quality in prison Like you I am not a fussy eater but it was so disappointing, particularly as it was about four times the cost of the P & O cruises. It did make us realise that P & O weren.t as bad as we thought at the price you pay. Maybe this is the way the cruise industry is going i.e. just serve any old rubbish. We are going to try Cunard next month - if that's no better we either have to set the bar very low or we are done with cruising.
Hi hear you. I've definitely had to reconsider whether I want to hand over 10k and get 99 days of this for dinner. And at the moment, I don't see it happening. I think the days of quality cruising are gone, it's all about filling the cabins and if that means cutbacks to keep the price low, then so be it.
Even Cunard now pre plate the cheeseboard 😕 instead of you choosing your cheeses and them being cut to size according to your preference - and you selecting your preferred crackers .... a small thing maybe - but it's chipping away at the cruise experience. Having said that- Cunard are fab - and you will feel spoilt ❤
You see, that's the little things that I'm talking about. We always use to wait for the waiter to come round with the crackers in a beautiful silver box, and served with silver tongs. Now it's all pre-plated as you say - more efficient, but it's those little touches that made the experience special. Now, it's just like any other all-inclusive. but then again, it has prices to match...
I always feel Cunard still live in the upper class / middle class era, but having said that their ships look beautifully ornate inside and I'm definitely going to try one.
Actually I went on the Virtuosa adamant that I wouldn't like it and prepared to make all of these bad videos, based on what others had said - and then found actually it wasn't as bad as I had expected. So coming on a familiar P & O cruise with a long standing history of high quality service, you might understand how thoroughly disappointing this excuse for a meal was, and worse still, how upset I was that my friend didn't get anything like the experience we had promised her - I'm fairly sure she won't be cruising again.
You don't need to wonder - the prices are freely available on the internet. But we paid enough that we could reasonably expect better meals than the one presented on this occasion.
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I was on the Arcadia last month and the meals in the main dining room reminded me of school meals too. The only saving grace was that the portions were so small the ordeal was soon over.
That's not good news - that's the ship that will probably be doing the world cruise we were looking at - well, you can see the portion size on the video - it looked more like that's what was left after I had finished eating. I did complain about the runny gravy but then realised after it was 'lobster jus'. Never had lobster but the jus didn't smell or taste of seafood, so not sure what I was supposed to be expecting. But it wasn't good. I forgot to mention the beans in the video - so yes, there was a spoonful of beans too. Not at all exciting to look at and even worse to eat.
Thats' a drastic change from our days on Oceania when it was excellent quality and the portions were sizeable. I wanted to visit the buffet after this meal as I was left feeling very undernourished.
We cruised on the venture last year, sorry to say the ship and the food, has not gone down hill, its gone down the pan.
Its the 1st cruise that we had not put on any weight because the food was very poor.
I think its time now P&O to get your act together your standards have drop well below my middle of the road standards.
we have cruised 10 times with P&O in the last 5 years but no more
Yes, i was definitely disappointed. We are going back on Iona later this year, we will see if it improves on there.
I've cruised with MSC three times from Southampton and have two more booked. Ive considered doing P&O but on the older ships especially no-one has a good word to say about the food or service. When they're more expensive, its a hard sell. MSC is just a better value proposition. The portions are small, but I've never had bad service, can always find something to eat, they are accommodating if you want extra, to do a main as a starter. The upselling is what it is, but you get a turn down in the evening you don't get with P&O either and i've always had extremely smooth embarkations and disembarkation and you see some nightmare TH-cam vids for P&O. If you set your expectations right, MSC has much to commend it but i couldn't see cruising with P&O. Maybe Iona is better but idk.
Hi. We did our first MSC cruise on here, we had seen some horror story videos on TH-cam so to be honest my expectations weren't high but we were pleasantly surprised. We considered the meals to be more basic than we had been used to on P & O and the presentation was a bit more "just throw it on the plate" but after this trip on Ventura I can say there was nothing to choose between them and their buffet variety was much better although I dislike the layout, similar to on IONA, but then I'm not a buffet fan. In typical European style, personal space is reduced and we found the tables in the MDR to be a bit tight together. But the waiters were very friendly and helpful and we are still not sure if you got free wine with dinner, we certainly never paid for any but got Rose with our meal every night. Which ships have you been on? Do you have a favourite?
Cruises have now in the last couple of years become the embodiment of you get what you pay for….cheaper cruise lines are now delivering a poor service
That is probably a very accurate summation of the situation. We used to work on an average £100 / day and if a cruise was a lot more than that, we passed. So it was welcome at first to see cruise deals more in the £80-£90 / day region, and you will always find occasional good deals for certain cruises throughout the season, but initially it was exactly that - the same cruise at a cheaper price. My own personal view is that industry suffered under covid, and is now desperately trying to retrieve their former footfall and profit levels by means of these extremely attractive prices along with not so subtle cost cutting. The ship doesn't/ can't physically change, but the level of service, the number of ports visited, and the quality and quantity of food / drinks / entertainment are obvious areas to implement savings.
Last year we went on our first MSC cruise because it was cheaper to cruise with them than go self catering in a log cabin in the UK or go on an all inclusive holiday in a 3 star hotel in Spain. And in my mind, while standards have slipped since our original cruise days, the cruise still offered a better experience than some of the package deals that we've paid similar prices for.
Someone commented recently that cruises were now "Butlins on sea". I'm not sure that is accurate (no offence Butlins), and I have also had comments on this video that some of the more expensive lines are equally poor -now THAT would REALLY wind me up if I had paid double for the cruise and wasn't seeing a serious uplift in quality.
Maybe that's what we have to do next - try a more expensive but cruise (there's plenty of them around) and see if there's a tangible improvement.
I'd better get saving!
Thanks for your input.
@@robandsue what a comprehensive response … I agree wholeheartedly with your thoughts on the penny pinching that’s happening now .
There are so many ways that the INDUSTRY try to remove the money from your pocket into their bottom line . That is to be expected I think .
Being aware of the value you are getting with the initial price of your cruise against the service once on board your chosen ship is key to how you feel about your cruise experience.
We found Azamara to be a great experience initially in 2019 …then again last year …however we have read of dissatisfaction amongst their frequent cruisers relating to service / food standards …we still thought it was a superb cruising experience…I would recommend them ..
Happy cruising 🛳️
L
Well, we do like their cruises, but the price is a bit beyond us at the moment - but who knows, thanks for the recommendation.
I know my sister said never again , had awful meal on Iona 2 slices boiled ham and one spoon off mash our faces said it all the poor waiter ran and got us more it's not their fault its the top bosses who need to sort it ,on Virtuosa they said don't have steak it's too tough my sister went mad 🙈
We said the meals on Virtuosa were sub-standard compared with our recent trip on Iona, but now we realise they were on par. And the buffet variety was certainly better. We have booked Iona again later in the year and I will definitely be keeping a close eye on quality, portion size and temperature. Might even have to take a thermometer with me!
We did a couple of cruises with P & O last year and found the food quite bland and underwhelming - based on this we decided to splash out earlier this year and cruise with Silversea as they sell themselves as 'ultra luxury' - unfortunately the food was shockingly bad - limited choice and mainly served tepid to cold, the lunchtime buffet was just embarrassing - probably better choice and quality in prison Like you I am not a fussy eater but it was so disappointing, particularly as it was about four times the cost of the P & O cruises. It did make us realise that P & O weren.t as bad as we thought at the price you pay. Maybe this is the way the cruise industry is going i.e. just serve any old rubbish. We are going to try Cunard next month - if that's no better we either have to set the bar very low or we are done with cruising.
Hi Cunard are my favourite I'm sticking with them ❤ hopefully food is great 👍
Hi hear you. I've definitely had to reconsider whether I want to hand over 10k and get 99 days of this for dinner. And at the moment, I don't see it happening. I think the days of quality cruising are gone, it's all about filling the cabins and if that means cutbacks to keep the price low, then so be it.
Even Cunard now pre plate the cheeseboard 😕 instead of you choosing your cheeses and them being cut to size according to your preference - and you selecting your preferred crackers .... a small thing maybe - but it's chipping away at the cruise experience.
Having said that- Cunard are fab - and you will feel spoilt ❤
You see, that's the little things that I'm talking about. We always use to wait for the waiter to come round with the crackers in a beautiful silver box, and served with silver tongs. Now it's all pre-plated as you say - more efficient, but it's those little touches that made the experience special. Now, it's just like any other all-inclusive. but then again, it has prices to match...
I always feel Cunard still live in the upper class / middle class era, but having said that their ships look beautifully ornate inside and I'm definitely going to try one.
Oh no ,I took my sister on Virtuosa she hated it ,it was chaos 😑 makes us feel awful .
Actually I went on the Virtuosa adamant that I wouldn't like it and prepared to make all of these bad videos, based on what others had said - and then found actually it wasn't as bad as I had expected. So coming on a familiar P & O cruise with a long standing history of high quality service, you might understand how thoroughly disappointing this excuse for a meal was, and worse still, how upset I was that my friend didn't get anything like the experience we had promised her - I'm fairly sure she won't be cruising again.
Oh dear 😢
Understatement. But keep watching, it does improve a little. Not enough , but a little.
wondered how much they paid for all this excitement !
You don't need to wonder - the prices are freely available on the internet. But we paid enough that we could reasonably expect better meals than the one presented on this occasion.