TigerB

@happy v and @purplesea are spot on. As it was explained to us, the menus on Arvia and Iona are the same, and feature the most popular dishes from the two menus that appear on the other ships. I prefer the two menu system.

Not always the case. On our last cruise I noticed that most of the wines work out cheaper if you buy the 250ml measures, but not always if you buy the 175ml measures. Champagne worked out cheaper pro rata by the bottle than by a standard 125ml measure. As for wine waiters, in the MDR the orders are taken by the waiter; that said, we have always found drinks to be delivered promptly by the bar staff, sometimes within five minutes. Not so when we did the Chef's Table, where they had a dedicated drinks waiter who, for our section anyway, just could not cope; the consequence of which was the very late arrival of drinks.

That's a shame. Even when on freedom dining, as we always prefer, you can't beat having the same waiting team throughout the cruise. You can soon build up a good rapport with them and, for me anyway, a look or a head gesture is all that is required for seconds; no announcing it to the rest of the MDR that the fat knacker on table 735 is having two puddings ....again!😉

We prefer taking a lunch in the MDR, and avoid the buffet. It's so much more relaxing, and more hygienic. Happy Birthday to Michelle 🎉🎈

Don't get me started on irresponsible parenting! 🤬 On our last trip on Iona, when the comedian did his adult only set at midnight in the Club House, there were three children under six years in the area near to the stage. There may well have been others elsewhere. The comedian referenced them a few times in his act, once saying it was the first time he had performed in a crèche. Of course, he did not tone down his language, and why should he? On another night, we were in the casino late at night, and a young child was sat on the knee of an adult, playing a slot machine. They soon got moved on, though.

Same with our lass; I get the daggers stare, reinforced with a "calm down" or "wind your neck in". 😉

Like you, we bought solely for the OBC, which we would have recouped by our next-but-one cruise. The fact that they have doubled since we bought in February, is just the cherry on top.🙂

On the other live thread, Moley reckons that is at least three years away.

Perhaps he's on his off rotation; I think they do six months on at a time. He was on the two times we have sailed on Britannia, February 2018 and September 2022.

That's a shame! We've always had excellent food and service in Epicurean, but if we had the same experience as you have just described, that would certainly affect our viewpoint. I agree about the dress code; I believe they should enforce the smart/casual code in Epicurean on such nights. If you had read my review of our Norwegian tasting menu experience on Iona last month, you may recall that I wrote that the Epicurean is not place for band or motif t-shirts.

When you are on Iona in August, if you are dining about 20:30, you may get a window table; on our most recent trips on Arvia and Iona, they had started to clear such tables at about 20:15.

We've never had a bad experience in either of those restaurants. My only gripe is that, on Arvia and Iona, Sindhu has a different menu, with dishes taken from the two menus that rotate on Britannia; that is even for two week cruises. We prefer the two menu option.

I agree that the version of Pulse on Britannia is the best of the lot. The MD is the guitarist Mark; a big Toto fan and of seventies and early eighties rock, so expect some of that. The last time we were on, they did a whole Pink Floyd set, which was excellent. The Privateers were excellent too.

These are the actual and accurate timings as per the Horizon, for three cruises we have done this year, two on Arvia and one last month on Iona: Limelight Club Seating starts at 19:00. The show is finished by 22:30 at the very latest. It used to be that the date you booked determined your table; the earlier you booked the closer you were to the stage. Now, it's according to your place in the actual queue. The Limelights This is the resident band for the Limelight Club; their sets start at 22:30. Headliners Theatre The fixed times are 20:30 and 22:30. On some nights there is a show on at 18:45. The show lasts about 50 minutes. 710 Club The fixed times are 19:00, 20:45, 22:30, and 00:15; that is regardless of it being a performance by the house band or a guest. The set, for the house band at least, lasts about 40 minutes. If you were unsuccessful in securing a booking, get to the venue when the doors open, which is thirty minutes before the scheduled performance time, and ask to be put on the standby list. About five to ten minutes before the performance starts they will call in those on the standby list, in strict arrival order. If you are in the first ten of that group, you are very likely to be admitted, more so for the later performances. Club House The fixed timings for Pulse, the resident party band, are 20:00, 21:30, and 23:00. They are usually the same for other acts, when Pulse aren't playing. Pulse's sets last 45 minutes, and each one has different songs. On the night when the comedian does an adult only set, it generally starts at 23:45 or midnight.

Hopefully not in your dirty raincoat, Lieutenant! 😯

Does that mean you'll be walking about the ship in a dirty raincoat and with a well chewed cigar in your hand?😉 Have a fantastic cruise.😀

Neither do we; not the pricey ones, anyway. Our kids go to those mixologist type cocktail bars, and say they are a great deal more expensive than what we paid on Iona.

Now you say!😮 And I went up a belt size too! All in the interests of important culinary research.🫢

Epicurean Anniversary Meal – Friday 16th Our last proper meal of the cruise was in the Epicurean, to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary. Our reservation was for 18:45, and when we arrived we were shown to the same window table we had two days previous. Our waiting team was as before, the excellent Jerlyn and Aljen. The menu on this cruise was menu 1: Epicurean - Menu 1.pdf Our lass chose a bottle of English spakrling wine, which was really nice. Amuse Bouche... Virgin Bloody Mary If scallops are on a menu, you can bet your bottom dollar that our lass will be having that, often me too. So, for our starter we both had... They never disappoint. Mains... The missus... Now, I do like my fish, and one of my favourites is halibut. I’ve had the following several times now in Epicurean, and it never disappoints. The last time was in January, where I shared it with my sister, as it is meant for two. Back in September, on Britannia, I had a single portion. This time, although it is still shown on the menu as being for two, and prepared at the table, I knew they weren’t doing that; Jerlyn confirmed that to be so. I asked her then if chef would although it to be served as a single portion. She went to ask, and returned with a positive response. A double portion of chips, of course! Palate cleanser... Blackcurrant sorbet, but more of an ice cream really Desserts... @Selbourne & @daiB You may recall that in April on Arvia I did a test run of Operation Double Dessert, which was just a partial success; I bottled it due to spousal pressure and, like you daiB, just had a sweet dessert and the cheese plate. This time, it was time for affirmative action, no more pussyfooting about; yes, our lass may give me daggers again, but I would let my eyes glaze over; I was not going to be defeated again. I could see that the trolley was out in the middle of the restaurant, and I had seen one guy at it, so knew they were flambéing the Crêpes Suzette near, if not at, the tables. I wanted that! However, I did feel guilty that Jerlyn or Aljen could potentially be slaving over that for the two of us; so, I had a little bit of a rethink about Operation Double Dessert. Should I leave it for another time?🤔 I asked Jerlyn if she would be the one preparing the crêpes; no, it turns out the lad I had seen doing it had just one job all night – flambéing crêpes and carving ham. I didn’t feel so guilty now. So, crunch time! Our lass plumped for something she had eaten before, and knew was delicious; the baked Valrhona chocolate cheesecake. I knew I was having the crêpes; that was in the bag. But, what else? I really did fancy the Valrhona cheesecake but, at the end of the meal, I didn’t want there to be a Mr Creosote incident.🤭 “Jerlyn, I really do want the crêpes, but there are so many other things on here that I would also like. I really don’t know what to have” SILENCE !! I daren’t look at our lass. Well, if she wasn’t going to take the bait, I would have to go for the full-on assault. “Do you think it would be greedy of me if I had the crêpes and the jaffa cake?” Still not looking at our lass! Jerlyn probably thought, “You fat knacker”, but politely said, “I don’t know sir, I’ll ask chef”. You can imagine the scenario in the galley; “Chef, we’ve got another greedy Brit in”. Just like the waiter on our last cruise, she didn’t come back with an answer; she was making me have it! Even when Aljen came with the coffee cups, nothing was said. Then, about ten minutes later, the two lovely ladies came to our table with these... The missus... Me... So, I am pleased to announce that Operation Double Dessert, at the second attempt, was a resounding success. Selbourne, now that I’ve done the ground work, I hope that I will be reading about another successful mission in August. No pressure! Finally, coffee and petit fours... They were all mine; our lass just had one of those cone doodahs. Another fantastic meal in the Epicurean!👍😊 Next stop: The casino to collect our slots' winnings (£22.20 for our lass, and 22p for me), then to the Emerald bar to get cocktails with the last of our OBC.

To be fair, I didn't specify which ice cream; I just asked for ice cream. It was a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of mint choc chip, my least favourite.😒 Our lass told the waiter that all she wanted was the mezze, so I'm not sure it that was the two-person portion or a single; given the meagre portion sizes these days in the MDRs, it was probably the former.

Final Lunch – Friday 16th We returned to Pearl for another lunch, this being our final day on board. We had a dinner reservation for Epicurean, and I was on a mission for that one, so we didn’t want anything heavy. There wasn’t a convoluted tour of the restaurant this time; we were shown directly to our table, with the same waiting team as the day before. We had... The missus... That was supposed to be a sharer for two. Yeah, for two size 6 models maybe! She then had a dessert... Me... This was on the 'large plate' section, but it was only small; like a large ramekin. Just right though. With the obligatory ice cream, of course On our last cruise, a fourteen day one in April, we didn’t have lunch; I can’t recall why as it is, and always has been a relaxing affair.

I would have thought the deck 5 cabins would provide a barrier, at least for the dinner act, which may not be that loud anyway, and the moving of chairs during the afternoon seminars. There have been reports from others of hearing the loud music from the Club House when two decks away, so you may get the same late at night, when the Limelights or Pulse play.

Now, that's a soap!😉

On our Fjords cruise the drinks menus have letters next to most items, denoting which drinks package they are included in. I don't recall seeing that on earlier menus, but I could be wrong. I think it is just the basic cocktails that are included in the standard package, the ones that were about £6.95, but have since gone up. The premium cocktails, like the ones I have posted about on the G318 thread, certainly aren't.

Hopefully, they will but I'm not sure if the 'around the world' cocktail menu is exclusive to Arvia and Iona. You know what? I bet there is someone on here that will know the answer.🙂