Dorset cruise fan

Sundaes 7 days a week for me. And if I choose a different desert I often ask for a scoop of ice cream, then they bring out a bowl ful and I pretend it's too much and then scoff the lot.

I'm with Michelle, I love the Raspberry Creme brulee.  Haven't tried re-creating it at home as it would make me cry.  I try to drink them instead of having a desert as they are so rich and creamy but those good intentions never last long and I'm soon knocking them back after one of the sundaes.  I like pretty much all of the cocktails onboard but those Raspberry things are just really tasty.

17 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Norway right up to the North Cape - probably with Fred Olsen as they are Norwegian.

The Amazon River.

South America.

Greenland.

All these plus something based out of Singapore heading around Malaysia, Thailand etc. Would love to do Greenland though, I was so envious of those who were on Oriana a couple of years ago and all the beautiful pictures they posted.

59 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

Its my dream to travel to UK. I want to live in the country, feel its vibes, its people, its culture. I want to take a car and drive all the way to Edingborugh (hope I spelled it right). United Kingdom is a cradle of western civilization. Last time I was visitng Germany I had a wish to go to London but unfortunatly my wife wanted beaches and sun so we went to Italy. It was a nice trip also but England must be a totally different experience

I hope this thread is giving you some good ideas of places to visit.  London is a great city but there is so much more to the UK.

Well I'm going to be the cheerleader for Dorset: areas of outstanding natural beauty in the Purbecks, Jurassic coast, beautiful beaches, Abbotsbury, Monkey World, tanks, I could go on.

Also put in a word for Northern Ireland. Since our daughter has been at University in Belfast we have been managing to explore Northern Ireland a little and the countryside is so beautiful, we have spent some time in Fermanagh and Antrim so far and hoping to explore the Mourne mountains when we take her back in September.

I agree that certain cruises attract younger age groups. We met some Australians doing our Christmas Market cruise back to back with a Canary Island cruise and they said the age range was about halved for the Christmas Market cruise.

There is definitely more than 1 laundrette  on Arcadia.

Arcadia is a beautiful, stylish, elegant ship. We haven't stayed in a suite but we did like the balcony cabins for space and facilities. The ship has beautiful glass sculptures, a gin tasting every night and a great promenade deck. We did find problems with the sight lines in the theatre and she doesn't have the equivalent of the aft show lounge which means that concerts and talks are often in the night club which isn't great. I agree that the layout of the main dining room is a bit odd but didn't cause any problems for us. So to conclude, her layout isn't perfect but the pros outweigh any cons and she's a lovely ship.

I've wasted a fair few hours today binge reading cruise reviews so am in cruise mode. We too did a Christmas market cruise on Aurora and loved all the ports at that time of year, equally special was Iceland last summer on one of Oriana's final cruises, all ports were stunning in their natural beauty. I washed my hair this morning using White Company products brought back from last cruise. They have a really distinctive smell (in a good way) and always remind me of our lovely holidays.

Our flights have just come through for our cruise in October so I'm trying to  be hopeful that it's going to happen.

We only demand price parity if the price goes down. We're not going to generously offer to match a higher price. I have visions of trying this (being re-fared down) with Ryanair and seeing what the reaction would be. I don't know why a cruise company which equally reacts to supply and demand would behave any differently.

This is not the first time this question has been asked and I know it is done by the American cruise lines but I do find it a strange concept. Where else would you demand a refund if the price changes, you certainly won't get a refund from a rail or airfare which both have fluctuating prices. If you've agreed a price and were happy with it then leave well alone.

Just to be clear, the  buffet is up on the top of the ship so you usually get nice sea views. Also up on the top will be some sort of poolside grill. Then the other restaurant are down on the main public decks along with the quays eateries which are a new concept and are around the atrium. Will be interesting to see how these work and what general opinion of them is.

I have been avoiding trying to log on to the new cruise personaliser as our next cruise is not til next October and I thought I had plenty of time for them to iron out the problems. But I tried it this morning and wasn't impressed at all as nothing seemed to work and there were warnings all over about not being able to submit information at the moment. I hope it improves. I've also noticed as have so many others that when I log on to my account it doesn't have my future cruises showing. I'm sure they will fix it eventually but it's certainly frustrating at the moment.

If you are on a cruise from Southampton and not worried about weight then I take clothes pegs and sometimes one of those sort of chandelier type peg thing. Also ask your room steward for a few coat hangers. All the bathrooms have a short clothes line and I drape as much as I can on it. With the fan going constantly in the bathroom then things dry pretty fast.

If this is likely to be your only visit to the area then the Giants Causeway is certainly the more iconic sight and you will get to see lots of beautiful scenery along the way. Our daughter is currently studying at Queens university in Belfast so we have been trying to make the most of dropping off and picking up trips to explore the area a bit. This summer went to Fermanagh which is equally beautiful and next year hope to visit the Mourne mountains. But for a first visit with limited time the Giants Causeway and Antrim coast is probably your best bet.

We walked the Gobbins in June 2017. It is not a difficult walk apart from the climb back up at the end, that's not difficult just steep. It is really scenic and something different but I don't know if it's a must see for a first visit. And we didn't see any puffins as their nests were a bit distant. We just turned up and found they were fully booked but we were able to book for a few days later. But you do need to pay in full when you book so be prepared to lose your money if any issues with ship.

If the weather is nice we Brits can be as brightly dressed as any other nationality. Check (plaid) shirts and muted colours are more for autumn/ winter. The big if is of course if the weather is nice. My daughter's Birthday is beginning of June and thinking back over the years the weather has ranged from heatwave to torrential rains to unseasonably cold. So as always the advice is layers but you can make the layers any colour you like.

Is your daughter and her friends happy with lots of nature and scenic views because that's pretty much what the tour will be. We are very proud of our beautiful countryside but don't know if there's much to appeal to early 20s. Monkey World is great for all ages and if they are at all interested in fossils then Lyme Regis is nice. Or if the sun is shining which it occasionally does then just enjoying the beach at Weymouth is nice. I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you do.

Last time we were on Aurora we met Cruiser Bruiser who like you was sailing as a solo American. Hopefully he will see this thread and add his thoughts. I'm sure you've done your research so you know that Aurora is the oldest and smallest ship currently in the fleet and probably the most traditional. She is our favourite with her beautiful tiered stern and we find she has a good flow. She is of course adult only now so no small children to worry about. Being older and smaller you may find there's not much going on if you don't get off on a port day but then if you like a good book you can relax in the crows Nest and just enjoy the view. What time of year are you sailing and is it a warm weather cruise or one going north as these things can affect the vibes on board.

A recent thread on here by modernscarlett gives a link to dorsetdaytrips who provide cruise ship tours. I know nothing about them but they seem to provide a good overview of the area. I think John Bull has listed all the main attractions. Dorset is a rural county with the Purbecks being an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), also part of the Jurassic coast due to the unique geology of the area. So please don't come looking for big cities and culture but enjoy our stunning landscapes and coastline. We're not talking mountains and grandeur but rolling hills and thatched cottages. 

The tank museum is world class and not just for tank enthusiasts, Monkey World is lovely and good on conservation and rescue and the Swannery at Abbotsbury is unique and at its best in the spring when it's full of cygnets but interesting at any time of year and right on Chesil Beach.

I hope not before October next year as we've got 3 weeks on her. She's not our favourite but has much that we like, particularly Cafe Jardin which is a great spot.

You are quite right John Bull, as far as I know the RAF didn't bomb the Navy, well not intentionally.

Chesil Beach is such a beautiful area and geologically interesting as you can see the difference in size of the pebbles along the beach from really big pebbles at one end to almost sand at the other.

The tour that modernscarlett has found will give her a really good overview of our beautiful county with all the main scenic points but sometimes its nice just to focus on one place and for me the swannery is really special. (But then so is Corfe Castle, not specatcular as a castle but beautiful views and such a scenic setting)

Choices, choices

I looked at the link for Dorset day tours and it covers all the main sites of our beautiful country. I don't know how old/mobile you are but Durdle door is quite a steep walk down from the car park, there are no view points unless you do the walk and it can be a trek back up. Nothing a person with normal level of fitness can't manage. I don't know how old your daughter is but as you are visiting in May I would highly recommend visiting the swannery at Abbotsbury as it is absolutely amazing when the cygnets are hatching and you can walk amongst them. For the WW2 geeks amongst us they also have a bouncing bomb there as they were tested on the fleet.

Read Moonfleet or On Chesil Beach for inspiration.

Arcadia is a stylish, elegant ship with beautiful glass artwork throughout and the nicest (balcony) cabin we have had. We didn't like the flow of the public rooms as much as on Aurora and the theatre looks really stylish but has terrible sight lines. Aurora will always be our favourite too but there is much to like about Arcadia and I'm sure you will have a great time on her.

I thought there was a similar discussion recently and found a thread from 6th June from an American but with similar questions. I tried to paste a link but it didn't work so apologies. I know on the P&O website if you started the booking process then put in an overseas address it would give a phone number to call so that you could make your booking direct.  the new website is so tortuous but I assume it does the same.  We have met plenty of Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians (a big party of Australians on our last cruise) and everyone seems to get along fine.  Yes, the ship is predominantly British but that's not to say there aren't others onboard.  In October there is likely to be an older age range but again, it's not like you want to talk to everyone and there will be enough of your own age or similar.  Just keep away from politics.