DropThePuck

We shower in the morning and then in the evening, tidying up the room as we go. I suppose it is my military upbringing that my father instilled on me. Having said that, he would put his shoes outside his cabin door expecting them to be polished.

Isn't that all mostly done in the morning? Apart from chocolates and curtains.

I have never had my bed turned down, so don't understand why this is a "thing". It doesn't take much to pull your own sheet down and get into bed. Unless I am misunderstanding what makes up turn down.

There's nothing there. I have sent a message to the travel agent to ask the cost to change to Birmingham.

I know November is a long way away, but I do like to have everything set out properly. I may try to change flights to Birmingham, but cannot get hold of the cruise company. Probably due to loads of people concerned about flights. Why I didn't pick Birmingham initially, have no idea. Less than an hour away for us, with Gatwick being at least 2 hours.

That's terrible. That makes it so hard to plan ahead. I have been told it could be any one of the London airports. I might ask to change to Birmingham, which is closer to us, but at least I know it is just the one airport.

We will be cruising on Azura from Tenerife on 11th November for my 60th. We are really looking forward to it. I haven't been to the Canaries/Madeira since I was 11, and really enjoyed it then. I do remember it being a bit rocky in the Bay of Biscay, but starting in Tenerife we should avoid the choppy stuff. The basket ride in Madeira was brilliant on the cobbles. Will be interesting to see how it is on Tarmac. I am a bit tense as we haven't received flight info yet, other than London. I like to book parking, etc well in advance. Does anyone have their flight info yet? Hopefully, all the ongoing issues won't be so prevalent then.

Thanks for the tip. If you are on the Marella Explorer, that was originally the Celebrity Galaxy, which we sailed on in 1999. Lovely ship. My memories of the Canaries as an 11 year old boy are Mount Teide in Tenerife and black sand in Las Palmas (Gran Canaria). I also remember the wicker ride in Madeira.

Thanks. Much appreciated. We always tip extra for those that have had a good impact on our cruise. Our staycation on Princess was all Brits. It was only 4 days, but really nice. The cabins look remarkably similar. We are really looking forward to it. I have only ever done 5 cruises, but now it seems they will be becoming part of my impending retirement years holiday routine. It is amazing to wake up in a different country.

As the title says, we will be having our first cruise on a P & O ship in November around the Canary Islands and Madeira. It will be first te back to the Canaries since 1973, when we sailed on the Union Castle Reina del Mar from Southampton. This time we start from Tenerife. My wife and I did a staycation on Regal Princess last year, which was lovely, and prior to that on Celebrity Galaxy around the Southern Caribbean in 1999. It is my 60th birthday in November this year. All I could think about was being on a cruise ship on my 60th. My choices were limited, as I didn't want to fly too far, be away for more than 10 days and didn't want to spend a fortune. So, this cruise fit the bill. So, how will we find the Azura against Princess and the 1990's Galaxy that we sailed on. I'll leave the Reina del Mar out of the comparison 😀 I have booked outside balcony R201. Once again, choices were limited. Any thoughts on this location? Flights have not been confirmed yet - I am doing these through P&O - any idea when they would be released? As far as The Canaries are concerned, will it still be quite warm in mid November? I realise Madeira quite a way north, so will be cooler. Many thanks for any thoughts, tips, etc