This is the second part of my review for our P&O cruise. In this part of the review I focus on the food, facilities and any niggles that we had. You can read the first part of our review >>>>>>> HERE
Freedom dining
We had freedom dining which means that you can eat in your allocated restaurant at any time. Our restaurant was the Peninsular. The restaurant manager was very accommodating, he had to be really because my mum fell in love with a particular table in the restaurant and every night she demanded requested that table. Mum claims it was for the children but really it was for her. It got to the point where they just reserved table 185, they were very wise, anything for an easy life 😉 . At the table we had the most amazing waiters - Michael and Kissi. They were really kind towards the children and attentive to us without being intrusive.
On the whole the food was really good. The only slight complaint was that the scrambled eggs for breakfast were really salty.
We also tried the Market Cafe where they served scrumptious Eric Lanlard cakes. The cakes were delicious and made even better by the glass of bubbles that I had on the side 😉
You can also go for a decadent afternoon tea.
Tips for food - I would say that if you are using freedom dining then get there early to avoid queuing. I would also save the Market Cafe for sea days as it would always be a lovely and quiet place to go and sit.
Bars
An impressive array of bars. The Glass House is lovely. However, the deck outside this bar is for smokers which can be a bit off-putting.
The Blue bar at the bottom of the atrium has some lovely corners and can be quieter. Perfect for enjoying a an after-dinner drink.
The Crows Nest was our favourite. Right at the top of the ship its windows offers 180 degree views of the horizon. It also has the most comprehensive gin menu I have ever seen! Cue a very happy me 🙂
There is also the sunset bar which we didn’t try this time.
Entertainment
There is plenty of entertainment on board. My mum and dad attended a film in the Headliner’s theatre and they said it was brilliant. Their only complaint was that some people felt it was ok to talk during the film. Not ok! Quite rude actually. My mum and I also made it to one show in the Headliners show. It was the rather wonderful Jonny Wilkes. For a while we were stood up as we had arrived a bit late. My mum then spotted that there were some seats available on the front row and she only went and dragged me down there whilst Jonny paused between songs. I was very embarrassed when he boomed
“Lovely of you to join us ladies, we have been waiting for you. You are both looking lovely by the way”
Immediately I reverted to teenage me and prayed that I wasn’t going to pass out from sheer excitement, my mum on the other hand is made of much sterner self, or not, she started giggling away. I know we are both very embarrassing and should know better. I then became convinced that Jonny was actually singing to just me and that every bum wriggle was just for me. I know, I was clearly deluded, let’s blame the gin cocktails from the Crows Nest. However, when I was younger I was convinced that Damon Albarn and I would get married one day. It still might happen though! On a serious note (an attempt to explain my clearly crazy behaviour), the reason I probably felt like Jonny was singing to just me is that he had a knack of making everyone in the audience feel like he was singing to just them. He has an impressive voice and was masterfully aided by the talented band. All the ladies were swooning at his voice whilst all the men liked his banter. He ended the show by singing a personal favourite of mine Angels by Robbie Williams. Angels was the song they always used to play at the end of our student nights in the nightclub. I would drive my then boyfriend insane as he would see it as opportunity for a romantic slow dance where as I saw it as an opportunity to stand in the middle of the dance floor with friends, arms flung wide, singing badly and very loudly to Angels. All the lovey dovey couples must have loved our accompaniment of caterwauling.
Tip for seeing the shows - go to an early show and get there in plenty of time.
Kid’s club
For us kid’s club is a massive plus. It is brilliant. Really well organised and the kids just love it. They have fantastic facilities and everyday has a different theme. You can leave your children there with absolute peace of mind knowing that they will be happy and well cared for.
The gym
A fantastic gym that I would like to say I used everyday whilst on board but that would be a lie! I didn’t quite make everyday but I did use it a lot. It has an impressive range of equipment. The running machines all face out to sea which can be brilliant or disorienting depending on what your sea legs are like. You can also find golf nets, swimming pools and an outdoor court. The gym also runs classes and talks.
Tip for the gym - if you want to use the gym in the morning then get there as soon as it opens. That way you avoid the rush and you also get to see the boat arrive in port.
The library
For a small library it has an impressive array of books and is a nice little sanctuary. Many of the books appeared brand new!
Disembarkation - was extremely smooth and efficient.
Niggles on board
The ship seemed busier than our Caribbean cruise but this is probably because we were not able to spread out as much. Last time a lot of people were out on deck sunbathing so it seemed quieter indoors. This wasn’t a problem really as it created a nice buzz on the ship.
The main gripe is that in the central part of the ship there are no stairs. This means that you are forced to use a lift unless you are prepared to try to find some stairs at the very end of the ship which believe me can be a challenge with a thrashing threenager. The lifts are also small and this means that at peak times you can find yourself waiting a while for a lift. This didn’t really bother us as we would make the walk to the stairs but it was more problematic for the older members of our party. It can be a ten minute walk to find some stairs. Or if you are me double that - I kept getting lost and wandering around! Don’t ask me how I managed to get lost and no I had not consumed any wine.
However, these are very small niggles and don’t detract from what was a really lovely cruise on an amazing ship. Proof of how good it is can be found in the fact that my mum and dad booked a round the world cruise when they were on board. Yep, I think it is fair to say that they have fallen for cruising - hook, line and sinker! See what I did there? Did you? Sorry….Don’t leave me floating out at sea, tell me that you enjoy the terrible puns 😉
Have you even been on a cruise? How did you find it?
