TigerB

It was just with him saying that there would be a price increase 'across the board', I took that to mean maybe food as well as booze will be going up. I know you don't MB, but I hope others don't think that my opinion is gospel. I hope speciality dining doesn't go up, but I also think you may be on to something with your other statement. As I wrote in my blog/report, I think some of the speciality menus are due a refresh, and they may try and hide any price increases well under the banner headline of 'look at our sooper dooper new menus'.

Yes, we were in the shed all that time!😂 My notes were half written up as we went along and, for the days I hadn't posted before we got home I've added to them, proof read them, proof read them again, and formatted the photos, before posting. Thanks for spotting the error; I really should have proof read it not once, not twice, but thrice.🤔 As for weight gain... I can't recall the last time I was on a set of scales. In my head, if you don't weigh yourself then you don't stress about weight gain. Mind you, it's been a while since I last saw little Tiger!🤭

Day 14 - Friday 1st April - at sea (Part 2 - late afternoon and evening) Our final dinner was to be in Beach House. We've often found that meals in the MDR on the last night of a cruise can be a bit naff, so we booked this before boarding. We asked the kids to join us, so a few days before I added them to our reservation. The kids joined us in Tiger's Bar to finish off the dregs of the booze and the few cans we had left. We then made our way up to deck 16; the lifts were okay this evening and all were working, and we ended up being fifteen minutes early for our 19:30 reservation. Upon arrival, the host, Cathy, didn't have us down for four but said it was no problem at all; I asked if we could be seated in Maria's section. We were shown to a four-seater near to the window and about 80cm from a two-seater. Maria came to greet us, and she remembered the two of us from earlier in the cruise. She started to take our drinks order and I asked her where her runner was. She called over Christian. "A pint of Punk IPA from the Laguna bar please, young man". He took my card and off he went. What a good lad.👍 When Maria returned to take our food order, she told me that my special request was waiting to be prepared. What a great lass; the epitome of how a cruise waiter should be. She even took the time to cut up the food of a nearby disabled guest's food, even cooking pieces of his steak on the lava stone for him. So, the food... Starters: Our lad... Our daughter-in-law... Our lass... Me... Mains: Our lad... This was the first time they had eaten in Beach House on this cruise, so he was looking forward to having this. He absolutely loved it. Our daughter-in-law... Our lass... She's had that before, but this time she said it wasn't so good. Of course, me and the lad were the beneficiaries of the leftovers. Me... As the description states, I had none of the listed add-ons. I do not eat meat and I am really not that fussed with halloumi; I just don't get the attraction. When we were dining in here the other night I was thinking about the old days back home; when we had a Chiquito's in Hull; I really liked the salmon and king prawn fajitas in there. So, on that night I asked Maria if she could ask the chef if I could have prawns with my fajita sizzlers on our next visit; of course, I would expect to pay a supplement like you do with the flat iron steak. She didn't receive an answer before we left, but told me to come back and see her the next day; I did so, and she gave me the thumbs up. I would have to pre-order it though; I did that immediately at the podium. Tonight, Maria left the delivery of my meal until last, and put this in front of me... I felt like all my Christmases had come at once. And the best thing; no supplement! Of course, two tortillas and a single portion of sour cream and guacamole is not enough to sustain a growing lad like me; the wonderful Maria brought me two more tortillas and three each of the sour cream and guacamole. I did (reluctantly) share the dips with the table. Desserts: Our lad... When he ordered it I did warn him that the banana was chopped up, and wasn't like what he would class as a traditional banana split. Do any of you remember the banana splits you would get in the 70s, in a Wimpy Bar? Of course, our lad is too young to know about such things. Our daughter-in-law... Our lass... Me... I've never ordered the apple pie before as I always thought it was served cold; cold apple pie can sometimes be a bit claggy. But I thought, what the hell. It arrived warm, and was absolutely delicious. I would order it again, but next time I will ask for two scoops of ice-cream. We were all suitably stuffed after that. For me, that was the best meal I had ever had in Beach House; not just because of the prawn fajita sizzler, but also due to the excellent service. Afterwards, we bid the kids goodnight and went back to the cabin. We showered off the day and I packed the last small suitcase with our day clothes, and put that outside with the vanity case. We settled down to watch a film before falling asleep.

Day 14 - Friday 1st April - at sea (Part 1 - morning and early afternoon) Our last day onboard; tomorrow we will be back to the good old British weather, and we will be reunited with our kitty, so that was something to look forward to. It had been a bit of a rocky night but it didn't affect our sleeping much; I forgot to take my Stugeron before I went to sleep and I didn't feel any the worse for it. We were supposed to be heading for slightly calmer waters so I decided not to bother taking them any more. This is what the water outside looked like as we made our way to breakfast... VID_20240301_074212673.mp4 It was just the two of us for breakfast as the kids wanted a lie in. We ate again in Coral, this time at table number 733, a two-seater next to a post and near to the entrance and the waiters' station. @Dermotsgirl, I can't provide you with the measurements from the nearest table, we would have had to catch a bus to it, or, as we say around these parts, it was a bus ride out. Bliss! Our waiting team were as the previous day, Alex D'sa and Raymund. I received a knowing look from our lass when I said I was going to order boiled eggs. "You'll regret it". Yes, I had two lots that were inedible on this cruise, but that follows more than a dozen or so on different cruises that were perfect. Sod it, I'll chance it! Of course, I ordered them soft boiled. If I have boiled eggs I like to have a bowl of Frosties after my fruit and yogurt; our lass went straight to her cooked breakfast after her fruit, so my eggs were delivered to the waiters' station at the same time. I rushed my Frosties as the anticipation was almost unbearable. As soon as the last mouthful went in I gave Alex the thumbs up. I already had my platoon of soldiers on the side plate, laying at ease but ready to stand to attention when ordered so. As soon as Alex put the plate in front of me I got to work, bashing and slicing. They were perfect! I did pop a soldier in and took a photo for you lovely folk, but somehow I deleted it! It was a right sexy picture too!😉 Alex caught me and said, "Ooh, soldiers". I told him that it is a law in England that you have to have soldiers with boiled eggs; he chuckled. After that very satisfying breakfast we went to the photo section to check on last night's session. There were a couple of good ones but, after a bit of back and forth, our lass chose the more informal one from two night's before. We had to wait a few minutes for them to open as we couldn't apply the voucher. We showed the lass the one we wanted and she showed the size it would come out at - 6" x 4½"; it looked tiny within the border, and that would have cost £25 if we were to pay for it. Our voucher was for a 8" x 6" print, so I asked what she could do with the photo; she said it wouldn't look right when cropped. I told her our voucher was for a 8" x 6" print, and was about to say that we wouldn't accept anything less. I didn't need to though as, without any hesitation, she ordered the next size up, 10½" x 6", and applied the voucher to it. On our way back to the cabin we popped up to deck 8 to fill our water bottles; while we were on that deck I popped outside to see what the weather was like. It wasn't raining but, by 'ell, it was bitter. I only had a shirt on and they were like chapel hat pegs!🫢 Back at the cabin I finished packing the large suitcase from yesterday, and started on the other one. Our lass was looking at the Horizon; there was a comedian/mind reader on in Headliners that evening. I knew it wouldn't have been her cup of tea, nor mine, but I asked her if she fancied going for a laugh. Her response: "Well, if he's any good at the mind reading then he'll already know that we aren't bloody well going". We did both fancy the guest speaker who was on at Headliners at 11:30; a fella called Dave Wright talking about Lawrence of Arabia. Anticipating that we would have problems with the lifts, we set out at 11:00; it was only two decks down and at our end of the ship, so under normal circumstances it would have only taken five minutes or less. Twenty minutes later I had lost count of how many lifts, both going down and up, opened to reveal folk who really needed them and folk who perhaps could have managed the stairs, some of the latter looking down to the floor or up to the ceiling, anywhere but in the direction of the lady in the wheelchair. And just to rub it in, every one of the lifts going down stopped at decks 8 and 7. I was now well and truly losing it. The next lift coming down opened and I put my hand across the doors to stop them closing. Very calmly and politely, I asked if any of the occupants heading to the theatre felt fit enough to use the stairs for the last couple of decks so a lady in a wheelchair could get on. Three alighted and, with a bit of a squeeze, me and our lass got in. To be fair, most of the occupants bar two looked infirm and, even though two of them (the infirm ones) offered to get out, I told them they were fine and to stay put. One of them said about how some people could use the stairs but choose not to; that prompted our lass to say that she and others in wheelchairs or on scooters had no choice, and relied on people to do the right thing and not be selfish. I made a point of saying that we didn't mean them, addressing the obviously infirm group. The other two just stared at their feet. And what do you know; when we got to deck 7 the two feet watchers practically hopped and skipped towards the theatre.😲 @Selbourne, knowing the problems you had onboard Aurora with some folk apparently abusing the accessible seating, and there not being sufficient signage, I made a point of checking the signage at the wheelchair area at the back of the theatre. I had previously thought that there was signage to indicate that the seats next to the wheelchair spaces were for companions of wheelchair users. Not so! The area on our side of the theatre could probably accommodate up to five wheelchairs. There were also five moveable chairs. The only signage I could see were three spaced out plaques on the back of the seats in front to indicate the spaces were for wheelchairs. There was nothing on the companion seats. I sat on such a seat and there was a lady next to me, with no wheelchair next to her. She looked at our lass then asked if the seats were for disabled people. I confirmed the seats were supposed to be kept free for companions of wheelchair users, with the wheelchair user occupying the space next to the seat. She apologised and moved elsewhere. A fella, who walked well enough, then replaced her. So, although our lass was only one of two wheelchair users in that section, all the companion seats were taken. I was so hoping for another wheelchair user to come in and position themselves next to my neighbour, so I could ask him to shift. So Selbourne, even though there was some signage, it wasn't much better than you experienced on Aurora. P&O need to do better! Don't you just hate it when you're at the cinema and the doors are left open, and you can hear the film in the next auditorium? The same goes for Headliners. Why do they not close the doors when a performance starts. The speaker was really interesting but, for us at the back anyway, he was drowned out by the cacophony of whatever quiz was going on in Brodie's. Folk around us were tutting but I was the only one that could be bothered to get up and close the doors. We both very much enjoyed the talk; it was really interesting and the speaker was passionate about the subject. Afterwards, we went and had lunch in Coral; I think the kids were going to grab something in the Quays. We were shown to table number 612, a two-seater about 60 cm from the next one, in a row of four. Our waiting team were Reynaldo and Christine. Today's menu... Our lass started with... She said they were lovely and polished them both off; I only got a corner. I had... I asked for roast potatoes and roast vegetables as a side, but they didn't turn up. Fearing that I would waste away, my generous missus gave me her taties and veg. As I tucked in, my veg arrived. For afters our lass had... I had... Sorry, I forgot to take a photo! And of course, the ice-cream chaser; Belgian chocolate and vanilla... Back to the cabin to complete the packing, and have five minutes 😴😴

@Dermotsgirl, I recall from your comparison blog how the gaps between the tables on your Saga cruise were of particular annoyance; they would be to us. I know someone had a giggle about me giving the approximate distances between tables, and that is fine, but that is the information I would want from a report. As I had written, the likelihood of not getting a table right on top of another one was one of the main reasons we preferred to dine in Opal of an evening.

@Megabear2, I'm glad they gave you back the OBC you couldn't use; after all, it's no skin off their nose and you had a genuine reason for not using it. I just hope they didn't make you jump through hoops for it. For us, we could never justify any alcoholic drinks package; our lass hardly drinks and even I don't drink enough to cover the daily cost.

MB, I wish they were still as above, but those appear to be pre-September prices. I didn't download or scan any menus on this last cruise, so can't list all of the above. However, I do know that draught pints were £5.55, with Birra Moretti priced at £5.65. 500ml bottles/cans of ales and beers were £5.30. 500ml bottles of basic ciders were £5.30, and the 'premium' flavoured ones were £5.55. Mocktails were £3.95. The Assistant F&B Manager did say that the next price increase would be 'across the board'. He didn't go on to explain that but, as I wrote in my report, I took that to mean paid-for food items in speciality restaurants; also perhaps other concessions such as the ice-cream bars.

All being well, I will be posting my final thoughts on our cruise in a day or two and, like you experienced on your Iona cruise last year, the MDR food was better than you have experienced on Aurora. I would go as far as to say it was even better than our last cruise on Iona.

Day 13 - Thursday 29th February - at sea So here we are... homeward bound; the first of two full sea days before we reach Southampton. We had been warned after leaving Lisbon that we would meet some stormy weather, with large swells. Time to take the Stugeron back out of the first-aid box. It was just the two of us for breakfast this morning, and that would be in Coral. We were shown to table number 736, a two-seater about 80cm from another one, and not far from the podium. Just as well, as neither of us would have fancied sitting near a window this morning, watching the swell.🤢 Our waiting team were Alex D'sa and Raymund. Afterwards, we collected our duty-free booze and had a bimble through the shops. We visited the photo section and reviewed the photos from the previous evening; we were pleased with them, more natural than from the other night, and our lass favoured one in particular. We then touched base with the kids before heading back to the cabin; I wanted to do one last wash, iron a few things, and try to pack at least one case. Our lass wasn't that bothered about spending time in public areas; anyway, most decks were closed due to the weather. On our way back we passed through the casino, where we decided to cash in our winnings; after all, any financial contribution towards the next cruise would be welcome. 41p for our lass, and a couple of pennies less for me. Better in our pockets than Carnival's! #Yorkshire! When I later visited the launderette on deck 9 it was out of service, so I went up to the one on deck 10, expecting it to be busy. There was a middle aged guy outside, just minding his own business, and when I opened the door I could see the reason why; there were about ten women in there, all watching their respective machines, and talking amongst themselves; there was hardly any room for anyone else. I thought I had happened upon a WI meeting, and wondered if I should have brought a Victoria sponge for judging. I looked back at the guy outside and asked him if he was scared to go in; "What do you think?" he replied. I took a deep breath and entered.😬 I made reference to the fella outside being scared to enter, and that I wasn't scared. Silence, apart from a single voice that said, "You should be". I was just about to put my bag down infront of an empty machine when a basket was dropped in the same location. I guess that means she was having that machine. I chose the next one along instead. As I loaded the machine and put in the detergent and conditioner I heard the oft-used phrase, "Someone's well trained". I responded with, "I know my place in our marriage." I bid farewell to the ladies and as the door closed behind me, I said quietly to the chap outside, "You do right staying out here, fella". As I walked back to the cabin I set the timer on my phone; I wasn't going to be even a few seconds late, anticipating that, if I was I would either be lynched or would find our undies in the sink. When I returned half an hour later, there were two different fellas outside; I gave them a knowing look. The WI membership appeared to have swelled in number. Luckily, my machine had just that second stopped spinning. A couple of others still had two or three minutes to go. I loaded my washing into the empty drier above it, and as I did so I heard a quiet disembodied mumble, "I was going to use that one". I turned it on and beat a hasty retreat. I said to the two guys outside, "Stay safe, fellas". When I returned for my drying a little later, I took some ironing with me on the off chance that it may be safe to press them. It was now an oasis of tranquility, with just one lady in it. I said to her that I had come earlier and there were guys outside, too scared to come in. She said that she was here too, in a corner, and was herself scared of the other women.😂 Lunch today was a visit to Taste 360° where I got a veggie burger for our lass, and a couple of pizza slices and fries for me, and walked back to the cabin with them. In the afternoon I did get a small case packed and sealed, and wasn't far off finishing one of the large ones. It was the last formal night tonight and we would again be in Opal. The kids were due to join us for drinks in Tiger's bar before setting out. Our reservation was for 18:00, so we left ten minutes before that; it's only three decks down and usually takes us five minutes. Not today! It turns out that, due to the weather no doubt, the four outer lifts in our bank of eight were out of action. Lifts opened on their way down, lifts opened on their way up; all either full or with folk in wheelchairs, or on scooters already in them. Some lifts even bypassed our deck, which is really annoying! This is the first time on this cruise that we have had serious problems with the lifts. Fifteen minutes went by and we were still unable to board any of the lifts, either going down or up. Now, I get that it was rough and many folk were hesitant to use the stairs because of that (although I had no problem walking down six decks with a plate full of food earlier), and for that reason I was reluctant to ask if anyone felt fit enough to use the stairs. However, nearly everyone was dressed for dinner, so wouldn't have been going down more than three decks. Is it too much to expect any of those folk who were able to do so, to look at the woman in the wheelchair and think, "You know what, it's only a couple of decks down, I'll get out and use the stairs the rest of the way". We despatched the kids to go to the restaurant and make sure they didn't give our table away at quarter-past. Incidentally, these appeared near the lifts today... Finally, after waiting twenty minutes, a lift going up had space in it. We travelled all the way up to deck 18, stopping at every deck, with smokers joining us on deck 16 and, I kid you not, even one getting in on deck 17. Of course, it would have been extremely dangerous for them to walk up one or two decks while holding their fags and lighters!🙄 Then, the slow journey down, with the obligatory smokers boarding to go down two decks to deck 16. We finally arrived at Opal at 18:25, where I apologised to the restaurant host for our tardiness, blaming the lifts. The kids were already seated, but not at the table in Nixon and Valentino's, section, which was still showing on my reservation, and was still empty. We were on table number 151, a four-seater round one with no immediate neighbours. Our waiting team were Alphen and Karl. It were proper mafting* in Opal tonight and, with the stress of the lifts, and the rushing, I was sweating like a....(fill in the blank with a word of your choosing, mine is too vulgar for this forum). So, the jacket came off! I still had my waistcoat on, but that didn't stop one or two sideways glances from some!👀 Tonight's menu was curated by Marco Pierre White... Amuse bouche... Starters: Our lad... Our daughter-in-law... Me and I lass both had this... I recall this being really tasty, and it being a 'two mouthfuls and it's gone' affair; had I thought about it beforehand, I should have ordered two, or maybe three!🐷🐯 Soup course... Sorry, I didn't take a photo. To help you visualise it, it was wet, oniony, and soupy, and served in a bowl. Mains: Our lad... Our daughter-in-law... Me and I lass both had this... Hers... Mine... Well, what else would you expect? Desserts: The kids both had this... The lad had the obligatory ice-cream chaser; white chocolate... ...and in a very rare excursion for her, our daughter-in-law also had an ice-cream chaser; raspberry ripple... The matriarch and I had... That was absolutely delicious. Not to be outdone by the kids, I was obliged to also have a couple of scoops of the white chocolate ice-cream. That was a really nice meal, and one of the better formal night meals we've had for a long time. Afterwards, the kids went for a bimble before retiring back to the cabin to pack a case or two; we went to have our third lot of photos taken, by the same guy as the night before, before going back to the cabin to watch a film. *Hull speak, that. I've used it before, and I know at least one of you (northern folk) knows what it means.

SHUTTLE BUSES Before I get back into the swing, and post the last couple of days, here's a shuttle bus detour (pun absolutely intended!) On this cruise there were just two ports where shuttle buses were provided, and for the majority of passengers they weren't really necessary. Those two ports were Funchal in Madeira, and Lisbon in Portugal. In Funchal the tannoy announcement described the walking route as taking about ten minutes, thus discouraging passengers from using the very limited shuttle service. When we disembarked we could see that the initial route away from the terminal meant our lass would have to travel over cobbles and a footpath made up of broken tiles; the latter being a better surface than the former, but still not wholly suitable for her. The regular buses were the type you find in municipal areas, what I refer to as 'service buses', with centre doors and a space for as least one wheelchair. We decided to take the accessible shuttle; this was a long wheelbase Mercedes van, which could accommodate at least two large wheelchairs or scooters, and a third smaller one at a push. There were five fixed seats at the front, and three fold down ones in the back, the wheelchair space. We had the sole use of it and, as we have found many times previously , our cruise cards weren't scanned. The journey took about eight minutes and it dropped off here... *** @Red Leicester, feel free to use the above photos and description on your map *** In Lisbon the shuttle buses are right outside the terminal and drop you off in the centre of town at the Praça dos Restauradores; well, they did in November 2023. At that time there were roadworks and you have to negotiate a one-way system; the journey took about 35 minutes. The walking route, for someone who is not infirm, would take about 25 minutes I have previously posted about the accessible shuttle in Lisbon here...

There is a thread from 2020 on this subject here ...and one from 2022 here I've looked on the map provide by @Red Leicester and there no information on there. I did have a PDF from P&O listing all shuttle services for every port they used, but I can't find it. If I come across it I'll post it

As do we now, well Opal more than Aqua, only for dinner. Aqua has more rows of two-seaters that are really easy to get to for a wheelchair so, for us that's a no-no. We're not as fussy at breakfast.

Day 12 - Wednesday 28th February - Lisbon, Portugal (Part 2 - evening ) Tonight's dining venue was Sindhu, for just the two of us; the kids had been once and weren't bothered about going again, so they went to an MDR. We were about fifteen minutes early so sat and had a drink in the bar area. I ordered a pint of Punk IPA, and our lass wanted a large lime and soda; this is going to be fun, I thought.🤔 Sure enough, I explained the situation to the waiter, and that the price for us was £1.35. He said that wasn't the price and went to great lengths to show me the single button on his tablet, which he pressed, and then he pointed to the price on the screen that showed £2.15. I said to him that it was good that the prices charged are now correct, but the price for us, as approved by the F&B Manager was £1.35, and it was my understanding that, when our card was scanned and our cabin number came up, the price would come up as £1.35. Again, he pointed to the screen and showed me our cabin number and the price of £2.15. Our lass then said to him, "Mladen has supposed to have sorted this, and it was supposed to be passed to all the bar staff". The waiter ignored her, which I thought was a bit rude, and turned back to me; he cleared the transaction and started it again, showing me what He was doing. "If I press the key for a large lime and soda it charges £2.15; that is your cabin number and that is the price". I have never lost my temper with any crew member before, and didn't want to this time, but I was really close; our lass could tell I was too, telling me to leave it. I looked at the waiter and just said to him, "Go and see your bar team leader and tell them to override it". When we entered the restaurant we were seated at table 951 in Evalene's section; it was the same table and waiter we had last October/November. This time she was assisted by Pravin. We had... Mini poppadoms and dips... Starters: Our lass... She almost always has this Me... Mains: Our lass... This dish was recommended by our daughter-in-law; they ate in here the week before. Me... I've had this several times before, and the pieces of monkfish seemed to be larger than when I previously had them. I still don't get crushed peas! Desserts: Our lass was full. I was too but, as our future son-in-law always says: you have two bellies, a savoury belly and a sweet belly, so no matter if your savoury belly is full, there's always room for dessert. Too true, lad. There's only two desserts I have not had in Sindhu on Iona and Arvia; one of them is Boondi Ladoo. I chose the other one... That was another good meal, which cost us £8 on the night, after our 20% discount and, with the pre-payment, a total of £26.50 for five dishes. We both agreed though that the menu needs refreshing and expanding; we miss the two menus of the older ships. Afterwards we sought out a photographer. We never have our photos taken by the onboard photographers but, seeing that we were getting a print as part of our lass's birthday package, we decided to have sessions over three or four nights. If I had thought about it, with the knowledge of the impending birthday package, I should have suggested having photos done earlier in the cruise, then we wouldn't have felt so rushed; but that may have raised suspicion with my inquisitive spouse. I forgot to mention in the post for the 27th that we had our photos taken that evening; our chosen location was closed though, so we had them done infront of the spiral staircase on deck 6. Our lass didn't enjoy the experience as she felt all eyes were upon her. The photographer wasn't that good either; it felt like she was going through the motions in telling us how to pose, and when she told us to make the shape of a gun with our hands, we both looked directly at her, and in unison said, "Err, no"! Session over. When we viewed the photos the next morning they were just awful. This evening we were able to access the location we wanted, infront of a screen near to the Harbour shop on deck 6. It was a much more relaxing experience, and the photographer was great with us. He had me sitting on a stool so I was at the same level as our lass, not like the night before, where I was crouched or stood leaning over her. When asked by the photographer what we were doing next, our lass simply said to him, "I'm off to bed, I'm knackered"! We headed back to the cabin to watch a film.

Day 12 - Wednesday 28th February - Lisbon, Portugal (Part 1 - daytime) The kids didn't join us for breakfast, they had a late night with the other two, and didn't get back onboard until about midnight. The lad later told me that loads of crew were getting off as they came back on. We ate in Pearl at table number 344, a two-seater about one metre from a six-seater, and close to the rear windows, with a view of the 25th of April Bridge. We only saw one of our waiting team, John. I ordered boiled eggs and, as I always do, asked for them to be served soft boiled. For the second time during this cruise they were hardly cooked... I asked John to change them. He said that is what a soft boiled egg looks like; sorry John, but me and my soldiers disagree!🤔 He suggested I ask for them as medium; I did so, in the knowledge that they would come hard boiled. Guess what; they did. After breakfast, we sat for a while near the Sunset bar at the aft end of deck 8. It had the makings of a lovely day. We left the ship just before 10:00 and met our daughter and son-in-law at 'Black Horse' Square; the other two joined us about an hour later. We took a steady bimble uphill towards the centre, trying to avoid the blokes offering us the 'best meal in Lisbon', and the all the beggers. Talking of beggers, there was one who had two small dogs with him, and was asking for money and food to feed his 'starving dogs'. I looked at our daughter-in-law, who is a Vet; "Well Veterinary, do those dogs look starving to you"? The expert medical opinion was, "From here, those dogs look well nourished and cared for". During that trek to the centre our son-in-law was offered weed no less than four times. We had lunch at a McDonald's in the centre of the city, as our daughter can guarantee getting a GF meal there. Why is that in most European cities there are good GF options at McDonald's, and you can even get a beer, but back home you can get neither; she can't even have the fries here due to the risk of cross-contamination. Our son and daughter-in-law wanted to visit a particular shop and a museum, so they left us. Our daughter wanted to try another establishment selling ginjinha shots, this time with cherries in the glass. My goodness, they were extremely sour!😝 A great scam I thought too; place three or four practically inedible cherries in the shot glass and that will mean the tourist will get a smaller measure of the liqueur. Kerrching!💰 On our way back downhill towards the water our daughter was lagging behind. We looked back and saw her talking to a 'beggar'; his sign read 'Insulina?' He was thanking her as she walked to join us. She had given him one of her insulin pens and some pen needles. Near to the ship we said our goodbyes and, while we headed back to the ship, our daughter and son-in-law went to the nearby metro station to head back to their hotel then to the airport. It was really great that they flew over to spend time with us. After passing through security and making our way towards the air bridge we heard, "Hello Mr and Mrs ########" We looked up to see Arman, our waiter from Epicurean, who was making the most of the WiFi. He approached us and asked if we had had a good day. We told him the tale of our daughter surprising us, which he said was a 'really beautiful thing'. He was having a video conversation with a young lady, and I asked him it she was his girlfriend; he crossed his fingers and whispered, "I hope so, soon". He introduced us to his lady friend, which prompted my matchmaking missus to say to her, "You're a bonny lass; this is a lovely lad this one, don't let him slip away". I bet she wondered what the hell was going on, poor lass. Once onboard, after visiting our cabin to freshen up, we visited the Beachcomber bar on deck 18 for a drink and to relax before we set sail. I ordered a Doom Bar, and a large lime and soda for the lady. Remembering the advice of the bar team leader the day before, I explained to the waiter about the pricing situation for us. He showed me the button for lime and soda, pressed it twice and it showed a price of £2.15. Well, at least they had rectified the problem with the tablets and were now charging the correct price. I said that was great but we had been told that the price for us for the remainder of the cruise was to be £1.35, and that came from the F&B Manager. He said he would sort it out. A few minutes later, after we had received the drinks, the correct charge was shown on my account. The kids joined us in time for us breaking our moorings and sailing away. Decks 18 and 19 were teaming with folk who wanted to experience the passage under the 25th of April Bridge. The DC, in his address the morning before, did say what the clearance was, but I can't remember other than it was just a few metres; it looked though to be hardly anything at all. Right, back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

Yes, you're quite right @devonuk, and it's certainly not my favourite venue. That said, the MDRs on the two larger ships can also be really noisy as times.

Where has three and a bit months gone? Thanks for taking us along on, and sharing the ups and downs of, your grand voyage. Have a safe trip home, where you're going to have to think about what to have for tea on Saturday, Sunday, Monday..... Something tells me it won't be green beans!😂

@terrierjohn, I've just done a map for you, then reread the above and realised you have been as far as the pedestrianised shopping street, Calle del Castillo, before. I'll still include it. As you've been before you will know the easiest route to the start of Calle del Castillo, and also that the Fred Olsen terminal has lifts to the rooftop, which means you don't have to push your good lady up those spiral ramps. You will know also that Calle del Castillo has a good surface on which to push a wheelchair. The incline to the top of it is not much at all. Check out the below, and you will be able to judge it from the bottom of the shop buildings... At the top just cross the road to Plaza Weyler and turn left and then right to get to the level access. The route from there to Parque Garcia Sanabria couldn't be easier. Just walk/bool along Calle Méndez Núñez for about 300 metres; it is fairly level and you will cross at five junctions. This is the typical dropped kerb you will encounter... If you or your good lady need the toilet while you are in Parque Garcia Sanabria, they are next to a terrace cafe, as marked on the first map. The accessible toilet is locked but you get the key from the cafe. It is really clean. From there it is an easy walk/bool downhill back to the terminal.

On our Iona cruise at the back end of October we had an almost identical menu, but it was mid-cruise. Very disappointing it was too, with the only redeeming dish for me being the asparagus starter. On the cruise we have just come off we had our 'last supper' in Beach House; just as well because the lad said the MDR menu looked very naff, and that's from someone who is practically a human dustbin.

Day 11 - Tuesday 27th February - Lisbon, Portugal Scheduled arrival: 09:00 All aboard: 16:00 (28th) In today's Horizon was another map, the second one this cruise... The kids joined us for breakfast, which was in Pearl; we were seated in the middle of the restaurant at table number 441, a four-seater that was about 50cm from a two-seater and offset slightly. Our waiting team were James and Joel. The couple at the two-seater next to us had a different waiting team, and they ordered their breakfast. As James was taking our orders he was stood between the tables with his back to the couple. We then heard, "Excuse me, excuse me", from the woman at the two-seater. Rude! Not receiving an immediate response, she then tapped James on his side, determined to get his attention; "Excuse me, can I have some orange juice? I forgot to ask". Even ruder! The lad was much nicer than I would have been as he turned his head towards her, "Ma'am, I am serving these guests, I will tell your waiter". Not even a thank you! I rather hoped he didn't tell her waiter.😉 After my usual fruit salad, I wanted to follow up with a single Eggs Benedict with no ham (they are still a bit hit and miss), and a single poached egg with no muffin or toast, a vegan sausage, two pieces of vegan bacon, and some mushrooms. I got this... The eggs though were as they have been each time I've had them, except for one day only, with cooked whites and beautiful yolky centres. Ordering the vegan bacon is often a lottery; sometimes it is lightly cooked and edible, sometimes it is cooked a little longer and on the verge of inedible, and sometimes it is well cooked, has a dark mahogany colour and is totally inedible, like shoe leather. As you may guess from the photo, today I had two pieces of shoe leather.🤢 The kids were asking what time were were getting off, and what we were doing. We said we didn't know. I did say that if the accessible shuttle bus was in, and there was no queue, we may get it into the centre of town and bimble back towards the ship. They said they would walk around and get a feel for the place. During breakfast the DC had been on the tannoy to say that, although we made a quick exit from Cadiz, once we rounded Cape Saint Vincent, we sailed into strong gusts and five metre swells; therefore, our arrival into Lisbon would be an hour late. After breakfast we went onto deck 8, near the Sunset bar; we had already passed under the 25th of April Bridge, but I did get some photos of the rest of the journey towards the cruise terminal. Those of you that have read this blog from the beginning will know of the surprise guests on our first day on the ship, and will know about what happened after we disembarked in Lisbon. For those of you that haven't read from the beginning, or can't remember, the drama in Lisbon is in post #63. Here's the less dramatic retelling... Me and our lass got off at 11:20 and started walking towards Black Horse Square when we were surprised by our eldest daughter and her husband, pretending to be pickpockets. They weren't able to book the cruise and surprise us, like her brother did, so instead paid just under £500 to fly to Lisbon, stay two nights, and be with us for the two days we were there. We had a great first day, and a wee bit of alcohol was imbibed. Our daughter insisted we try the sour cherry liqueur (ginjinha) shots, so we visited here... Three of us had the shots in the chocolate cups, and the other three had the regular ones. I had the former and, after the refill, was told that the done thing was to put the whole thing in your mouth and bite down. I duly obliged, and nearly choked! When we left the shop, our lass, who couldn't get inside, said she had become the focal point for a passing tour group; as she was necking hers, the guide pointed towards her and said, "...and this lady is trying the sour cherry liqueur, a must when in Lisbon". While we were out, our lass insisted on visiting yet another Ale-Hop, and yet again, discovered they sold the same stuff as the ones in Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Cadiz! She really wanted one of those toys that mimic you but, with a very rare victory for the husband, I dug my heels in and won👍 VID-20240227-WA0027.mp4 Due to the circumstances, we got back to the ship later than we would have done had we not been ambushed. The four of us ate dinner together, again in Opal, and on table number 128 again, and with our usual waiting team of Nixon and Valentino. Tonight's menu: Starters: We all had... Not the best I've had; the rice was too gelatinous Mains: Our lass and the kids had... I had... Desserts: Our lass... Our daughter-in-law... The lad... with a chaser of... @Selbourne, have they served up Dulce de Leche up on Aurora yet?🤔 Me... I also had the crème caramel. And true to form, I had an ice cream chaser, the same one as the lad Apart from the sushi, that was another good meal, served up by a great pair of waiters Afterwards, the kids went to get ready as they were meeting the other two for drinks, and with no curfew! The pair of awld f@rts were left on the ship. Just as well because I would have shown them all up with my moves! We sat in the Keel and Cow bar a while. To test if Mladen's instructions had filtered down to the bar staff, we ordered a pint of Punk IPA and a large lime and soda. Sure enough, we were charged £3.40 for the lime and soda. I went to speak with the Bar Team Leader, Dilap. He confirmed that the instructions had been passed down, and that we should be charged £1.35 for a lime and soda. He adjusted the charges there and then. He said we should tell the waiters each time we order so they can override the price. It was my understanding that, the price was to be automatically altered when the system recognised our cabin number. That was obviously too much of a stretch for the IT system.🙄 It was long before we retired to our cabin to watch a film; it had been an exhausting day, especially for our lass.

That's almost the same menu we had on Iona, on our last formal night on the 29th. We didn't have the beef medallions and lobster claw on it, and we had lamb on instead of the venison. Also, probably being a ship with a lot of passengers who (he chooses his words carefully), if they were sailing with the White Star Line would be in steerage, we didn't have Taittinger Brut; it was substituted with Lambrini!🤭 I tell you what though, those prawn starters are really good, but are gone in two bites; I should have asked for two, or three!🐷🐯 Sometimes, the cheese plate just had a big slice of Brie on

Keel & Cow is one of the restaurants for which you are encouraged to enter the virtual queue through the My Holiday app/non-app, which for the evening service opens at 17:30. However, there are folk that refuse to embrace the technology, and choose other methods to get a table. To the best of my knowledge, they don't take fixed bookings. If you visit the podium during the lunch service on the day itself, and tell the restaurant host of your birthday plans, I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience for them to hold a table for you.

Now, that is taking the proverbial!😯

Well, I haven't read anything on this thread since our lass was just a young lass of 59 years, so I've just had a binge session, and very enjoyable it was too.👍🏻 Thank you again young man for taking the time to post of your experiences, good, not so good, and once or twice downright ludicrous. It can sometimes feel like a chore writing, editing and formatting photos, proof reading, then posting; and to commit to do it for 65 days is and enormous feat, and you should be applauded. But when you read the responses of folk who are genuinely grateful for the posts, and then share their own experiences, it really makes it worth it. I've been back four days and have still to edit and post days 11 to 15, so I really must get my @rse in gear!🤭 Not just yet though, as I am just about to snuggle up with our lass on the sofa, under our electric throws, and watch Napoleon.

You've had Iona's supply too, as I hardly saw any😉