Goosebear Mum

I’ve held off commenting about food, but the menus are now way too heavily skewed to vegetarians now, for those of us who eat meat/fish 😞 5 of 7 starters in that dinner menu are vegetarian/vegan, and one of the only two meat starters is a salad! I personally think they’ve gone too far. We found it so bad last June when we were on Aurora, we ended up in the buffet each night (which was far better). At least the ‘mains’ are decent on there, but offering Guinea fowl and chicken on the same menu? Basically the same! (I do prefer guinea fowl though)

Purple are great, so easy to see on the vines, and pick! They don’t remain purple after cooking though, even steamed. 😂

There is a lot about. I’ve not been on a cruise, but have been ill now for 2 weeks, 1 wk of very high heart rate and not keeping anything in me, and now into the 3rd week of the big D... Strange gastro illness. Still awaiting a result from Dr. (Should be back, so being chased by Dr). More tests later this week. I want to know what it was! I wash my hands all the time, but we were out and about the weekend beforehand, so could have picked it up anywhere. Hubby is fine… We both always use the sinks in the buffet before (and after).

Along with the person on the hillside waving flags 🙂 It’s our favourite port for sailaway 🙂 We take small flags now to wave back 🙂

Aurora is our favourite by far. Better laid out, no horrible balcony sewage aroma (couldn’t use our balcony for hours at a time if the sewage aroma started)… the seating in the buffet is far better laid out, resulting in always being able to find a table for 2, whereas we found the predominantly larger tables in Arcadia were full of non UK passengers hogging the tables to read/have a view/have a long drawn out drink over hours… and would never share a table for 6, even though only 1 or 2 persons were present… maybe we were unlucky on our Fjord cruise on Arcadia, but we came to dread breakfast and lunch time on Arcadia, whereas on Aurora it’s always been ‘enjoyable’. Vowed never to sail on Arcadia again. Husband has since turned down certain itineraries he’d have loved, because it was on Arcadia.

Hi. FYI, Key West is now very very anti cruise ship, they’ve banned all bar the smallest cruise ships, and many cruise companies have stopped going there, even ones with smaller ships than Aurora. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘weather’ was an excuse for Aurora to not dock. Disappointing for you, I really hope ‘it does get better’, but it really is horrible here in the UK, weather wise!

Hi. Thanks for your blog. I’m interested in which excursion you were unable to book, even in a ‘PV’ cabin?

I wonder how many she ‘lost’?! No idea why people do use the balcony, as the line in the shower is always so efficient in cruises we've been on!

I live on the coast of the North Sea, and have done ‘a few’ cruises up from the English Channel to Scandinavia. We’ve had mill ponds and storms. July / August there is more chance of calmer weather but not guaranteed by any chance, summer storms do occur.

It will be too early to know. I know one other cruise line, who have told their passengers that the final decision point will be India, as to whether they go via Africa or not. It’s still a long way away, 3 months. Tensions may have escalated, remained the same or (hopefully) reduced…

You are most welcome. I download all my kindle books ‘via my iPad’, as I find it the easiest for searching. Connecting the kindle to the ship wifi is problematic I understand (I’ve not tried it) but you could try and the tether the kindle to the the iPad’s internet, the kindle may be happier… order on iPad, then it should appear in her kindle automatically (once on wifi) Being on wifi on the kindle does not have to be at the same time as ordering on the iPad, it can be anytime)

Hi Selbourne. Glad to hear the bizarre meal combination was enjoyable! 🙂 re’ the kindle, if you’ve not sorted it by Friday, let me know. I have a long weekend, and will take screenshots of how to access the kindle unlimited library from our kindles (we have Oasis, but I’m sure it’ll be the same with other editions) I normally ’order’ on my iPad and then the kindle receives it, but I’ll look at doing it direct from the kindle. in the meantime, the kindle unlimited library link (for you laptop/tabket/phone/whatever you’re using to post to CC!) is here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Unlimited-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=4764713031. You’ll need to be logged on as your wife’s kindle account (my husband and I share ours, so we both have the books) There are other ways to search for kindle unlimited books, but this is one direct method (screenshot attached) Before Friday, I’m at work, and don’t have the energy/brain power, to look at our kindles, sorry! GBM

Actually, as a couple, it is US who offer, then the person on their own knows they’re welcome. If we see someone look for a table, we’ll say ‘you’re welcome to join us, if you wish’. I feel that is far more welcoming. It's scary as a solo to ‘ask’ especially when there is sadly a reluctance by some couples who feel (bizarrely) scared/threatened by someone in their own… Well, neither of us is like that, and we offer 🙂

Following with interest, as we’ll need to do this soon. I am VERY reluctant (and husband will be more so) to upload info to some random app. We’ll too use the email and see what happens…

main menu on right hand side… chicken with rice, coleslaw and chips… strange to have rice and chips, but then they add GRAVY too??? That just sounds a bizarre combination to me… rice, coleslaw and gravy! I’d love to know what that was actually like 😂

Thanks, and I’ll enjoy following ‘along with you’ 🙂 We were on Aurora in May, and we noticed a lot of post covid changes, frustrations, but the itinerary made up for them. Enjoy Good luck with embarkation tomorrow. I’ll be looking out for your final report on the yellow fever certificate vs GP letter saga!

Thanks all. Sounds like I will have to use ‘old fashioned’ phone… Shame, as I use ‘online’ for almost everything nowadays, I hardly ever need to try and find a convenient time (when I’m not at work, and when Support is open) to sit in a call wait! Also it’s a shame, as I’d have liked to check suitable location availability before progressing further. Maybe they’ll sort this out one day, to save their support (real people) time… 😉 GBM

Thanks, this is what I was finding/suspecting too!

Hi. I‘m in the UK. When I go to look on the Viking website at cabin availability for booking, only 5 numbered cabins ever appear in the drop down list, always only 5 (unless fewer remain.) I know there are more. Has anyone found a way to get around this? (And not by using a travel agent!) I’ve tried PC browsers, Android and IPad. The drop down list never scrolls Thanks GBM

I've just realised you may be on board, not just reporting that Aurora is going into a storm. Honestly you’ll be okay, Aurora is built for oceans and storms. She’s tough and I’d feel safe in anything the Captain and coastguard feel safe she can go out into. Pack everything away in your cabin that’s loose. Start your sea sickness tablets now, if you think you’ll need them. Don’t wait till you start feeling ill. And if you can, enjoy the ride, and you’ll have a story later. (Hug)

Yes, Maud was very unlucky to get hit by a very short wave length (what the news reported as a rogue wave) which broke the Bridge window glass. Not sure it was a true rogue wave, but a short wave length in a severe storm. It was on the BBC and Daily Mail, as I sent the video to my husband, that a passenger happened to record, from the cabin TV. Obv it goes ‘blank’ as the ship lost power. Everyone thankfully was okay.

We were in a force 12 in her, Christmas cruise 2015 and she handled it with ease, never felt scared once (and I could have done having been in a boat explosion 40 years ago) I know the cruise year, as it was my husband’s first time on a ship/cruise, and we were unsure how he’d be. We woke with him yelping ‘what was that’ as he leapt out of bed as the ship ‘hit a pothole’ as the captain likes saying. Husband promptly flew across the cabin hitting the table. Once I’d checked he was okay (husband, not table!) we both burst out laughing. He soon learnt to always have one hand for holding onto something. Husband then spent time by the balcony (inside!) fascinated by the waves coming ABOVE our B deck balcony. We have moved house twice since, so not sure where the captain’s notes are for wave height, but it was reported as storm force 12. I knew, after that, that my husband would never need sea sickness tablets (unlike me!) p.s. edit, I am sure if P&O think it wouldn’t be safe, they’d divert. They have always seemed (rightly) risk averse to me

Yes, we do NOT pack light, and the steward has always brought us loads of hangers (I hang everything I can/can fit on the rails. On our longer cruise I also found useful: magnets for walls, to attach postcards/excursion tickets/horizon/etc/etc All general over the counter meds we may need, to save going to dr. Inc antihistamine and insect bite cream (did need it after a Caribbean beach trip for sand fly bite) We now also take medium laundry bags (the types clothes can go in, in the washing machine) and put all small items into it. Saves looking for stray socks, etc at the bottom/back of washing/dryer machines!) Enjoy the cruise. 🙂 If you enjoy art, you’ll likely find watercolour classes (for complete beginners upwards, high quality art materials are available to buy for a small (actually good value) fee if you don’t have them) and a lot of other activities which are never on shorter cruises 🙂

Viking confuses me over their use of deck 2, the “promenade” deck, as V and some passengers seem to assume now that it’s for jogging, whereas its name means it’s for walking! I’ve read a few live blogs, where passengers (who jog) have grumbled about the people actually using it for, hang on… promenading! I’ll be enjoying reading along with this thread, as I hope to do a WC when we retire.

Interesting, as dictionary definitions would not agree with p&o’s definition!