I recently got the new 2006 P&O brochure, and my wife & I (new cruising converts) been studying both it and their website very carefully. We've found out some interesting things about the new dining option, 'Freedom Dining'. Basically, although the same term is used for both Arcadia and Oceana it seems that something rather different is meant for each ship:

a) on Arcadia the Freedom conept will be implemented via a complete self-service approach. The Belvedere Food Court 'will be serving a selection of self-service Grill, Italian and Oriental dishes throughout the the evening. Passengers can simply go along any time they like.' (website quote.) No reservations (no need for them), no table bookings.

b) on Oceana, Freedom dining will be delivered via a Plated Service in the Ligurian restaurant. Diners can call an on-board number (each day, I think) to make a reservation. If they haven't made a reservation then they can just turn up and efforts will be made to seat them asap, though the website points out that 'there is a bar nearby where they can enjoy a drink while they wait...'. It won't be possible to make any booking for Freedom Dining until after embarkation. The menus in the Ligurian restaurant will the same as in the Adriatic restaurant which will be operating in the traditional way ('Club Dining').

I can see some attractions in the Oceana concept - thinking back to our cruise on Sinfonia, there were a couple of times when we hurried back to the ship to be there for our dinner sitting. Being able to let that slip by 30 minutes or an hour might have been welcome on a couple of evenings. But I can't see the attraction of the self-service approach on Arcadia - that's just going to be a repeat of the lunchtme scrum at dinner time.

And here's another interesting point: the expected dress code. I know that Arcadia and Oceana are (going to be?) a little less formal than the other P&O ships, but I would guess that there will still be at least one formal night in a two-week cruise. Yet on their website P&O firmly state ' .. whether passengers have opted for Club, Select or Freedom dining, all dining venues and bars on board will adhere to the dress code for the ship for that evening'. I really, really can't see that using a self-service restaurant - queueing up with your tray, finding a table, clearing away the previous occupants' rubish - is going to provide any kind of satisfying experience on a formal night.

Like most British cruise line P&O’s customer base is the grey-pound and rather traditional in nature. However, P&O are well aware that in a decade many of those passengers will have embarked on their final journeys. Therefore there is a need to attract a younger crowd, even if it is the 40 and 50 somethings, rather than 60 and 70’s. Of course this is difficult to achieve without upsetting the regulars and traditionalists.

The need to attract younger people probably explains the addition of glitzy ships to the P&O fleet.

I’ve not tried any form of ‘Freestyle’ dining myself, but I always pick the late sitting in order to not have to rush and shower after the port of call.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Interesting.

Like most British cruise line P&O’s customer base is the grey-pound and rather traditional in nature. However, P&O are well aware that in a decade many of those passengers will have embarked on their final journeys. Therefore there is a need to attract a younger crowd, even if it is the 40 and 50 somethings, rather than 60 and 70’s. Of course
this is difficult to achieve without upsetting the regulars and traditionalists.

The need to attract younger people probably explains the addition of glitzy ships to the P&O fleet.

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Interesting point, and well-put! This is exactly the situation that Holland America Line has found itself in over the past few years!

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

The only people that generally do not seem to like the ‘Freestyle’ variants offered by NCL etc. are those that have never tried it.

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Sorry Malcolm but I must disagree. I have cruised with Princess several times: the first two cruises were "personal choice" dining and the food and service was poor.

Third Princess cruise we booked second sitting dining: the food and service was just as bad. Seated by 8.30 we never got our starters before 9.15.

The kitchen cannot cope with the massive influx of diners at peak times so standards drop. We, at 8.30 were served AFTER the personal choice dining room because there is a rush to get the PC passengers seated, fed and out, in order to seat more at the same table.

Traditional fixed dining on Royal Caribbean we have found to be far superior...... and even on Carnival ("Butlins with a propellor") the food and service was way superior to Princess on every occasion.

I've just returned from Arcadia and whilst most dinners were ok, breakfasts and lunches were very poor and the gal dinner was the worst I have ever had! The Belvedere food court on Arcadia is massive and characterless and you can walk half a mile to get a meal.

By the way, we are 30-something and 40-and a bit, and no grey hairs yet.

If P&O aren't careful they will only differ from EasyCruise by the colour of the ships.

Things are changing in the cruise industry and many want to choose when and where to dine. While I am a fan ( and only 39 thank you ) of traditional dining, Princess now that the bugs have been worked out has done a fine job of offering both options on her ships.

As for Princess going down hill since Carnival took over, I completely disagree. We left princess after our experience on the Grand prior to Carnival. They seemed to be trying to service everyone's tastes and doing a bad job of it. Food was so so, service cold, entertainment bland. We have been back 3 times after a 2 year absense and since Carnvial, Princess has found themselves again. Service is again among the best, dinner has 5 courses again and the food even in the buffet areas has improved. Entertainment, especially Paino Man is actually worth seeing.

You can survey everyone at any particular table on a given cruise, and get wildly varying reports. Some people are relatively easy to please and will report excellent; other passengers may have impossibly high expectations and will criticize everything in the dining room.

Personally, I feel that, with the abundance of choices for every course on any modern cruise ship, it's hard to believe that someone will find fault with everything. Granted, this is a highly personal topic, given everyone's individual taste, but for the past few years, the majority of my clients (and myself, too) have reported that the quality of Carnival has risen to be comparable or even superior to that of Royal Caribbean's. There seems to be a levelling-out of the food product.

If he thinks my screen name is appropriate, perhaps his is too: it means absolutely nothing.

Linerrich: your points are valid. However, I comment upon Princess "personal choice" after three cruises on different Princess ships and comparing the common experience on these to several more cruises with other operators.

I could also talk about the several things that Princess do better than other lines, but the subject of this thread is the food, not the entertainment, bars, pre & post cruise arrangements, or in particular the wonderful views from the stern bar & jacuzzis on the Princess "Grand" and "Sun" class ships compared to the feeling of being enclosed on Royal Caribbean and the lack of quiet deck bars on Carnival.

I feel that my expectations are similar on every cruise I go on: I find some lines do some things better and some things worse. Good thing too, otherwise all ships would be the same (as I suspect Carnival would like) and cruising would be duller for it.

For what it's worth, my top 3 list currently:

Entertainment
1: P&O, especially Aurora (but not Arcadia)
2: Princess
3: Carnival
4: Royal Caribbean

Pools
1: Princess
2: Royal Caribbean
3: P&O
4: Carnival

Pre & Post Cruise Arrangements
1: Carnival
2: Princess
3: Royal Caribbean

Cabins
1: Royal Caribbean
2: Princess
3: Carnival
4: P&O

Crew
1: Royal Caribbean
2: P&O Aurora but definitely not Oriana
3: Carnival
4: Princess

Service beyond the call of duty
1: Carnival

8: Royal Caribbean
9: Princess
10: P&O