DamianG

Last day in Wales, poured down again early but we got some nice sunshine for our trip to the beach at Fairbourne. Teddy loved it.

Lots of great advice on this tread so far. One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that the sea view cabins on Aurora are a very good size and worthy of consideration. I appreciate that your preference would be a balcony cabin, however with the fantastic tiered stern being just a short walk away from the mid to aft cabins (since Aurora is a smaller ship) we never ever missed having a balcony on her or Oriana (which will always be our favourite P&O ship with Aurora a close second). The only thing that has been mentioned that I would strongly echo is that since Aurora is significantly smaller than Britannia that should hopefully mean less chance of being banned from Oslo. Best of luck with the decision making and planning.

I now have an image in my head of you kissing the tarmac quayside like the late Pope John Paul II then being whisked away in a popemobile.

Every upper tier and suite welcome onboard lunch we've ever been to has been buffet style so I was absolutely blown away by the above menu. It's better than the current MDR offerings and unusually I'd be happy to eat any of the options for starters, mains or dessert. I hope we get similar on Ventura in 2025. Thanks for posting, your comments are enjoyable as always and I'm looking forward to following your adventures closely. Have a great cruise.

We’re back in Gwynedd for a few days, got drenched a few times walking the dogs but still enjoying being away from city life for a change. Today I managed to see the RAF fighter jets flying over twice, really spectacular seeing them fly low over the Snowdonia National Park area. This afternoon we went to King Arthur’s Labyrinth aka the Corriss Caverns. I wasn’t a big fan of the tunnels even though I didn’t think I was that claustrophobic, but it was worth it to see the fantastic caverns and I thought the story telling was pretty good too.

We really need a “dislike” option on here alongside the standard “like”, “laugh” and “thanks” options! 😉 Congratulations on a deserved win.

@P&O SUE belated condolences on your loss, it all sounds similar to when my dad passed away almost a year ago also with pneumonia. Thoughts and prayers for you and all your family. Damian

That beats a McDonalds Happy Meal hands down. P&O now offer this as a fine dining staple but upgraded with green beans instead of peas.

By the way, how much is that per person per night? £77? You’d struggle to find a room at a Premier Inn or Travelodge for that these days.

Wow! Just wow! Forget what I said then! Well done you, an even better deal and peace of mind! Fancy a commission as a travel agent? 😉

I've just caught up with this and echo other's thoughts on being decisive, "going for it", "taking your opportunities" etc. Rather than be bugged by the potential further saving I think you should just focus on the fact that there was one suitable cabin left at a bargain price which you grabbed with both hands. It could quite easily have been a case of holding fire, missing out then spending a lot of time early next year thinking about what might have been. I'm absolutely thrilled for you both and look forward to hearing about your adventure next year. Best regards. Damian

You simply logout of P&O WiFi on that device and login on the different one. My son, wife and myself were all taking turns on our last cruise.

When I try to add internet for our next cruise it automatically asks whether I want to book an individual package for each member of our party:

We were unable to share a single WiFi package across multiple devices on our last two cruises on Iona and Arvia. Previously (2018 & 2019) we were able to do this via a travel router but could not do that on either cruise. We couldn't use the Hot Spot function on a mobile phone either. Without knowing the technical details of how P&O have managed this it appears to me that they have somehow blocked sharing WiFi and instead have introduced different pricing for the number of devices requiring use of it when booking the WiFi package.

I love a ploughman's lunch and that looks a particularly fine example, all the right components and not bulked out with too much salad or an apple (often added in an attempt to make it look bigger than it is).

I paid a rare visit to Greggs yesterday. The coffee machines both ran out and there was just one lady trying to serve the big queue and refill the machines at the same time. When I finally got to the front of the queue the cavalry arrived and a 2nd staff member finally came out to serve customers. I was stood right in front of him with armfuls of goodies but he looked straight past me and said “Can I help anyone?” I honestly think I’m invisible sometimes.

We had no problem at all as a family when boarding at the same (earliest) time together on Arvia in August despite different embarkation time slots.

Quick update on Teddy and the rear left occasional limp that is now into a second month. He went for X-rays last week & nothing showed up so it’s a case of waiting another month before visiting the vet again for a further check. He was anaesthetised for the X-rays so has the usual shaved patch on his leg which is irritating him enormously (hence the sock to stop him licking it). He is full of energy so it’s just a case of trying to make him do the right exercise (e.g., walking & running is okay but no jumping around chasing squirrels in the woods) but that’s easier said than done. His groom was cancelled by the groomers last week so he is very shaggy but hopefully he’ll have his haircut next week. The third photo shows him in his usual position in my spare bedroom office while I’m working!

Farewell @Dermotsgirl @Eddie99 I may not post very often on here but I do read everything and have enjoyed your contributions over the years. Best wishes to you both.

I'm belatedly reading this and so sorry to hear your sad news. Take care.

It's been a wet morning so far, I don't have much hope of them starting on time.

Loved Clarence, his nephew Jake is brilliant too.

I’m neutral on whether there should be a dress code or not but if there is one then I think it should be observed (which it clearly wasn’t on our cruise).

Maybe this explains the “fully booked” but empty tables scenario that’s often been reported (at least until the 15 minute period after being paged lapses)?

I also got a similar call this week and we now consider the matter of all our issues that we had on our Arvia cruise closed. The lady I spoke to was lovely and a credit to the company. My thanks as well for the contact information provided.