This was our 4th cruise and having had 3 other cruises which provided us with much better basics, we were very disappointed in this P&O cruise. The crew and staff were all friendly and attentive, no fault could be found with them, but that can't make up for mediocre food and humdrum entertainment. We took this cruise expecting to relax in a semi-pampered atmosphere, thus we booked the balcony cabin. We were VERY impressed with: the embarkation procedure (organized, quick, painless) the way in which staff encouraged all diners to use the hand-cleaning dispensers (politely insistent) and were observed frequently throughout the day to be cleaning handrails and "touchable" surfaces in their admirable efforts to maintain healthy levels of cleanliness in that regard. However, the food selection at the Plantation restaurant for dinners and lunch were abysmal. Having 3 "different" leaf salads to choose from, the differences being the addition of one or two ingredients, seemed to stretch the term "selection". Just offer lettuce and allow guests to choose from a large variety of add-ons please instead of P&O picking the add ons. All too frequently the meats offered (lamb, beef, pork) were tough. Even in casseroles like the sweet & sour dish the pork was unpleasantly chewy. And who would enjoy a daily choice of three different flavors of gelatin for "dessert" options? Granted there were a few cakes and once I saw fruit tarts of some sort offered. But in an effort to impress the "pretty" cakes that were available often sat around as they were not necessarily tasty. Choices of simple flavors of chocolate, vanilla etc. would have probably gone over much better. And what about biscuits (cookies)? Nary a one the whole time. I am sure that there would have been plenty of folks wishing a small portable sweet to savor later. No puddings. No ice cream. Even a simple soft serve yourself machine would have been nice. But that brings me to another sticking point, the fact that P&O believes that a "nominal price" for a single scoop of ice cream is $5.00! My last criticism of Plantation was the substandard breakfast buffet which included slightly warmed bacon with fat mostly uncooked, VERY dry scrambled eggs, fried eggs that were too gelatinous from sitting under hot lights, and pancakes of inconsistent quality. The only day they were edible beyond a first bite was the day we left the cruise (Wednesday). The lowest point was being asked what kind of toast I wanted (wheat) and being given 2 pieces, both of which had 25x50cm of MOLD on them.

We expected more from the Waterfront restaurant because it was going to be a proper sit-down dinner. However, the service was sub-standard which resulted in: not getting our orders correct, not being brought bread or butter until the meal was served or we asked for it, not getting drinks in a timely fashion, and finally food arriving only slightly warm. The best meal I had was one where I asked to have the salmon/ dilled potato entree (one slice of fish over a half cup of potatoes). Not being very hungry, and not wishing to waste food, I asked this to be served to me as my main an chose the chicken broth with vegetable wonton as my entree. When the salmon did arrive (at twice the size!) it was more cold than hot. I knew this was not correct as another diner at my table had this item as their entree and it arrived hot for them. Breakfast seemed to be a repeat of the selections at Plantation with the difference being that it was served individually. We did not dine at La Luna though we had a look at the menu and that evening there were only two non hot/ spicy options. As for Salt Grill, that WAS worth spending extra money on! Maria and Danny took care of our table and are to be commended for their professionalism and attention to detail. Both of them helped make our dining experience stellar that evening.

I have NO issues with bar bills for various soft drinks or alcohol, but I found it annoying to be forced to pay for something to eat if I was feeling peckish or, in future, to know that I would have to bring my own snacks along on the cruise unless I was not going to be bothered by paying $6.95 for a small tube of Pringles. Read more