Your questions answered
If you are new to P&O Cruises or new to cruising altogether, we understand that you will have some questions about how cruising works and life on board. To help, I have penned responses to our most frequently asked questions.
Carol Marlow, Managing Director, P&O Cruises
Q A
Are the ships different from one another?
All our ships deliver P&O Cruises style and service, but as they are different sizes, the rooms and
facilities do vary. Turn to our ship comparison guide – a great tool if you need help deciding which ship to choose.
Q A
What’s the difference between Club, Freedom and Select Dining?
On all of our ships you’ll find our silver-service restaurants (the majority of our ships have
more than one) and each night they present a wonderful six course menu, which is included in the price of your holiday. Club and Freedom Dining are simply terms we use to describe the different dining time options for these restaurants.
Club Dining restaurants have fixed dining times; either 6.30pm or 8.30pm and there you are seated with the same people each night, which is a really lovely way to meet new friends and share your holiday adventures. You can choose which time you prefer when you book your cruise. When you arrive on board you’ll find a note in your stateroom to confirm the restaurant, dining time and table number for your cruise.
Freedom Dining restaurants have flexible dining times so you can dine at a time that suits you. Freedom Dining is available on Azura, Oceana and Ventura, so if you prefer this style to the fixed dining times and are happy booking on one of these ships, then you just need to let us know at the time of booking your holiday.
Whether you opt for Club or Freedom Dining you are free to dine in any of the other smaller restaurants on board (we use the term ‘Select Dining’ to describe these and they include our celebrity chef restaurants) you just need to reserve a table like you would do at any restaurant ashore. A small cover charge applies which is usually between £5 and £30 per person depending upon the restaurant.
In addition to all of this, there’s a buffet restaurant open throughout the day and long into the night where you can enjoy world cuisine (this is also included in the price of your holiday). The Club, Freedom and Select restaurants all adhere to the ship’s dress code for the evening, but you are free to wear casual clothing in the buffet restaurant.
24 WWW.POCRUISES.CO.UK
Q A
What’s the tipping etiquette?
I am proud to say that exceptional service is one of the things for which P&O Cruises is renowned,
so when you step on board you will always receive a warm welcome and a high standard of service from every member of crew you meet along the way. And, just like tipping in a restaurant after an evening out, tipping on board is absolutely at your discretion. Envelopes are provided at Reception towards the end of your cruise if you do wish to tip crew members.
As it’s your silver-service waiters and cabin steward who will look after you personally every day of your holiday, the following suggestions are for these crew members specifically. However you may, of course, wish to tip others too.
As a guide, we suggest £1.50 per passenger (aged 12 and over) per day for your cabin steward, and £1.60 per passenger (aged 12 and over) per day for the silver-service waiters. If you choose Club Dining you may wish to leave your tip in the envelopes provided and hand it to your waiters on the last night of your cruise. However, if you opt for Freedom Dining we will add £1.60 per passenger (aged 12 and over) per day to your on board account. We do this because, unlike Club Dining, you will be served by different waiters who we trust will warrant your appreciation, so knowing who to tip and how much could become a little tricky. Adding it to your account is intended to make your life a little easier and to ensure that the Freedom Dining waiters have the same opportunities as their Club Dining colleagues. You can always visit Reception at any point during your cruise to change the amount.
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