How do I book and queue for restaurants?

Booking & queuing

Last updated: 19/09/2024

Why book in advance?

There are a few benefits to booking your dining in advance:

• Guaranteed table at your desired time: Secure your preferred dining time and avoid disappointment in our speciality restaurants.
• Special occasions: Make your celebrations even more memorable with a reserved table in one of our speciality restaurants.
• Relax and unwind: Enjoy your holiday without worrying about availability.

Prefer more flexibility? No problem! We offer a range of dining options that don’t require advance booking, allowing you to dine spontaneously and explore the ship at your leisure. For more information on our dining options, please visit our dining page.

Booking your table (speciality restaurants)

To book your table, simply log in to My P&O Cruises before you sail or My Holiday once on board. You can select your desired restaurant, date, and time. For a step-by-step guide on how to complete this process, please see our article; How to pre-book dining?’

Please note: booking dining via My P&O Cruises is only available from 14 days before departure.

To book tables for more than six, please see our article on ‘How to make a group dining booking?’

Club Dining 

For our Club restaurants there’s no need to book in advance. If you’ve selected Club Dining, you’ll choose your preferred dining time and table size at the time of booking, so you only need to arrive at the restaurant at your designated time, and you’ll be shown to your table.

Please note: Club Dining is not available on Iona or Arvia. 

Joining the queue (Freedom Dining)

For Freedom restaurants, you can arrive at a time that suits you. During peak times you may be given a pager to alert you when your table is ready. Alternatively, you can join the virtual queue via My Holiday which will notify you when your table is available. This gives you the freedom to explore the ship or enjoy a drink in one of our bars while you wait.

Please note: Virtual queueing is not available on board Arcadia or Aurora. 

Beating the queues

To maximise your dining options, consider the following:

• Peak times: Avoid the busiest times by dining earlier or later.
• Alternative dining: Explore our buffet and casual dining options for a more relaxed atmosphere.
• Speciality dining: Why not treat yourself and book a table at one of our speciality restaurants? See our dining page to browse our options. 

Dining with another party or large group

If you’re travelling with a group and wish to sit together, you’ll need to link your bookings.

Please call our Customer Contact Centre on 0344 338 8003 who will be happy to assist you.

For more information on how to link your bookings with another party, see our article here. Or to find out how to pre-book for larger groups via My P&O Cruises, click here.

Late arrivals from shore experience (Club Dining)

If you have chosen Club Dining and you’re not back on board the ship from your shore experience by your allocated dining time, you’ll be able to dine in the buffet restaurant or you can make a reservation in advance for one of the speciality restaurants. If many guests are due back late because of shore experience timings, the restaurant manager may change the early dining time to start later. If this is the case, we’ll let you know via your daily Horizon.

We’re committed to ensuring your dining experience is as enjoyable as possible. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, our friendly on board staff are always happy to help.

Still need help?

Still have questions? Our friendly Customer Contact Centre is always happy to help! Contact us today on 0344 338 8003. 

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