davecttr

..and a captains welcome party😬 You can wear dark jeans on normal evenings though. I have a nice smart black pair.

So on topic. I just noticed that Fred have 3 formal nights on my 14 night Balmoral cruise, times they are a changing.

I remember Captain Charlie from Ventura when he used to join the solo coffee meetings in Ramblas, Sad news.

I bought when they cost £2100 but have had more of that in shareholder benefit. This year i am only taking 1 P&O cruise and the return on that is still over 7% tax free.

Yes but that was money already spent and I tend not to worry about that.

If you find the Premier Inn near the terminal is fully booked there is a Premier Inn about 4 miles away at Whitley Bay, right on the seafront (lots of grass) right next to the Spanish Village. I stayed there a few years ago and had a pleasant walk along the prom after breakfast before travelling to the ship. Look out for the Vera locations as well. I have booked for 11/12 June before boarding Balmoral for a cruise to Svalbard & Norway, my first Fred cruise.I am looking forward to lots of whale watching.

Yes but there is more. I have 4 P&O cruises booked for this year. 14 nights on Britannia to the Canaries on 5 July - £1907 to pay 16 nights on Arcadia to Iceland/Norway on 30 July - £1844 to pay 7 nights on Britannia to Norway on 13 September - £1259 to pay 14 nights on Iona to the Canaries on 9 November - £1553 to pay I will take the Arcadia cruise leaving £4719 saving £1520 after paying for the Fred 14 nights to Svalbard/Norway. That Fred Cruise is more attractive to me than the 3 cancelled P&O cruises combined. I could invest that £1500 in a private Carpal Tunnel Syndrome op on my left wrist, better than waiting 6 months or the appoinment falling in the middle of a cruise IMO.

I followed Dermotsgirl and visited the Mountain Wharehouse at the Chatham Dockyard Outlet Centre, eventually, after a 45 minute wait for a bus that is meant to run at 15 minute intervals. A 'free' flat white at Roos helped calm me and then into MW for a recce and gloves. Gloves sold out so I came out with a pair of socks and a 3 in 1 jacket with removeable liner and hood . Good enough for me at 39% discount. Trespass had gloves but the fingers are all too long. I will try on line. Then into Cotton Traders for a couple of long sleeve 'outdoor' shirts. I already have lots of layers so it is just the long underwear to buy. i will have to shorten the legs though. Luckily my Tesco delivery is not until 4pm.

£160 pppn for a 13 night cruise suggests maybe £161.50 pppn for a 14 night cruise, a total of £3230 for the cruise. My superior inside cabin cost £3199 which is about a 38% single supplement, not bad as I have had 70% SS in the past. I also have £210 OBC. It appears that price comparisons can only apply to the basic inside and ocean view cabins as Fred does not have any balcony cabins, or rather the balcony cabins are classified as suites.

I think I will have a look around there tomorrow, good to know it is still open.

I am visiting Longyearbyen in June by cruise. The average temperature will be 2C to 5C. Any advice please on reliable brands of windproof/waterproof/ insulated clothing would be welcome. There will be a lot of standing around on open decks whale watching.

I have just booked a cruise on Balmoral in June from Newcastle, 14 nights to Norway and Svalbard in an inside single premium cabin. It did not come cheap but I always wanted to visit Svalbard and two new ports for me are Hammerfest and Alta. Lots of midnight sun for whale watching which is why I booked it. The fare was £3199 with £210 on board credit. I have September and November P&O cruises which I will cancel saving £2812 so the difference is only £387 and further savings will come from the lack of a casino. No Blackjack for me. I am pleased that the cabin only has a shower as well as I did not like the bath/shower arrangement on Arcadia. I can have my Blackjack fix on Arcadia in July with 14 nights to Iceland/Norway and two new ports, Belfast and Stornoway. My Arcadia cabin is shower only and only yards from the whale watching deck 🙂 The only problem might be a rail strike.

There used to be a hand sanitiser that worked against Norovirus, or rather it worked against a related non enveloped virus in cats. They had to change the formula because the low volume percentage active ingredient could cause skin cancer if you bathed your hands daily in it for about 20 years. Apparently all the handrails etc should be brass because copper has anti bacterial properties. It kills them, apparently something to do with the molecular structure of the metal. Did you know RNA can form spontaneously on volcanic glass given the conditions on the early earth, amazing.

Oceana did not have a Crows Nest. Actually it did have a forward lounge with dance floor etc but that was converted into the buffet. I think the ship design was pre buffet era. I liked Oceana and she was my favourite ship.

Crew members using the buffet is a problem on Arcadia which has the worst buffet on P&O IMO. In the evenings one of the serveries and a significant part of the seating is cordoned off and reserved for 'officers', apparently Arcadia does not have a officers mess? There are also groups of staff in certain grades that arrive en-masse and demolish the buffet offerings. IMO the buffet is for passengers and staff who are allowed to use it should be mindful that it is a privilage and that the passengers pay their salery.