GONE DOWN HILL

I HAVE NOT CRUISED FOR 2 YEARS AFTER TAKING A BREAK, SO I WAS VERY SURPRISED BY HOW THINGS ON BOARD HAD CHANGED, AND NOT FOR THE BETTER. PLEASE READ BELOW MY COMMENTS :-
1) SHUTTLE BUSES WERE ONLY PROVIDED IN 2 OUT OF 4 OF THE PORTS.
2) THE CHOICE OF FOOD IN THE SELF SERVICE RESTAURANT HAD REDUCED GREATLY, AND THE QUALITY OF IT WAS ONLY ADEQUATE INSTEAD OF EXCELLENT.
3) THE AFTERNOON TEA SANDWICHES WERE ALWAYS DRY AND STALE WHERE THEY HAD OBVIOUSLY BEEN PREPARED TOO EARLY IN THE DAY.
4) THE DESSERTS FOR THE AFTERNOON TEA, WHILST THEY LOOKED VERY NICE, EVERYTHING TASTED THE SAME.
5) THE STANDARD OF THE EVENING MEAL IN THE RESTAURANT HAS DROPPED. THERE WERE NO VEGETABLES ON OFFER TO ACCOMPANY ANY MEAL, THEREFORE NO SILVER SERVICE. DUE TO THIS FACT I FELT THAT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE WAITERS WAS LOWER. I FELT THEY ARE ONLY NOW TRAINED TO SMILE RATHER THAN TO SERVE.
6) ON THE CAPTAINS DINNER NIGHT, THERE WAS SORBET ON THE MENU AS A PALETTE CLEANSER, AS THERE ALWAYS HAS BEEN. THIS WAS ALWAYS GIVEN AS A MATTER OF COURSE SO WE DID NOT ORDER IT, BECAUSE WE DIDN’T ORDER IT WE DIDN’T RECEIVE IT.
7) ON THE 2ND FORMAL NIGHT IT WASN’T EVEN AN OPTION ON THE MENU, IT USED TO BE AN OPTION ON ALL FORMAL NIGHTS.
8) AT DINNER ON THE FIRST NIGHT WE WERE NOT OFFERED CHEESE & BISCUITS WE HAD TO REQUEST THEM.
9) THE 3RD BED IN OUR CABIN WAS ATROCIOUS. I SLEPT ON IT THE FIRST NIGHT, WITH NOT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE SLEPT, AND GOT UP IN THE MORNING WITH BRUISES ON MY THIGHS WHERE THERE WAS A BAR STICKING RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE.
10) I HAD A VERY BAD EXPERIENCE IN THE HAIR DRESSERS WHICH STOPPED ME RETURNING OR USING THE SPA AREA IN GENERAL.
11) I WENT TO WATCH A FILM AND IT WAS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, THE POSTERS AND ADVERTS DID NOT IMPLY THIS.
12) THE ROOM SERVICE HAD NOTHING TO EAT ON THERE THAT DIDN’T CARRY AN EXTRA CHARGE. IN PREVIOUS YEARS THERE WAS A SMALL CHARGE FOR MORE LUXURIOUS ITEMS, BUT GENERAL OMELETTES AND SANDWICHES COULD JUST BE ORDERED ON REQUEST.
13) THE AMOUNT OF EVENING ENTERTAINMENT IN THE THEATRE HAD ALSO DECREASED, WITH LESS SHOWS BEING PERFORMED. THESE USED TO BE AVAILABLE EACH NIGHT, NOT JUST ONE OR TWO
14) ON A POSITIVE NOTE THE BEST FOOD AND SERVICE I RECEIVED ON THE WHOLE CRUISE WAS IN THE BEACH HOUSE, THAT WAS EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY.

IF I DID NOT ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER CRUISE BOOKED FOR NEXT YEAR BEFORE I WENT ON BOARD, I WOULD NOT BE BOOKING ANOTHER ONE SO SOON. I SPOKE TO SEVERAL CREW MEMBERS AND THEY SAID THAT MANY PASSENGERS THAT HAD BEEN CRUISING FOR MANY YEARS (OUR FIRST ONE BEING IN 2002) WERE SAYING THE SAME THING, AND IT SEEMS TO BE SINCE CARNIVAL HAVE BOUGHT THE COMPANY. EVEN THE PRISTINE OFFICERS WHITE JACKETS HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO BLACK, P&O ARE NO LONGER STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD.

PERSONALLY, I WOULD RATHER PAY SLIGHTLY MORE FOR THE SERVICE THAT P&O HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FAMOUS FOR, THAN CRUISE IN A LOW 4 STAR WAY INSTEAD OF THE UPPER 5 STAR OF PREVIOUS YEARS.