DamianG

8 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Oh the joy of having breakfast or dinner (ideally both, though not at the same time) on a train as the scenery rushes past!  I used to travel between London and various places as part of my job, and the breakfast out, dinner back was an absolute pleasure. Especially when someone else was paying for it! Really good food on LNER too, and fine service.

Just for you Harry. I’ll be back to cattle class in the new year. 
 

Hi all.

Last London trip of the year for me and SeatFrog sent me a voucher for the seat auction upgrade which I ended up winning so it’s been a lovely stress free journey. 

My thoughts are with everyone having a tough time @P&O SUE @SarahBen @indiana123 @davecttr @Josy1953 & anyone I may have missed.

Good news on your discharge @yorkshirephil & loving the photos @Purdey16

Good luck with the move @Peanut006

Best wishes to all.
 

Damian

8 hours ago, Angel57 said:

I’m actually not there as in Somerset for a few days and it’s not snowing here (near Yeovil). The Robin was grateful for a few crumbs this morning!

Fabulous photo, a contender for Cruise Critic Picture of the Year!

So sorry to hear your latest news @Josy1953 Although it’s no consolation the strength and support you’ve continued to show is admirable and inspirational. 

Blimey, I’ve had a busy few weeks so I’m only just catching up whilst on the train to work in London & there are 30 pages to read!

I’m glad to read that you gave your late dad a good send off @P&O SUE & that Lady K is okay @kalos. Also congratulations to Mr & Mrs @yorkshirephil

I’m not a project manager by any means but having completed one alongside my day job I’ve put my hand up for another as it’s a subject I’m interested in & have experience of (risk management) & have been volunteered for a third one at the same time. There’s been some long days & early morning calls with colleagues in Australia including one at 7am (never again!). However, I’ve also got a promotion so hard work has paid off! I’m now just one position below the grade I was before redundancy in 2018 but who cares about that? I’ve caught up in terms of pay so that’s all I’m bothered about (even if payroll have messed up what they’ve reported to HMRC but hopefully I’m going to get that sorted in the office today).

We’ve also finally got round to stripping out our son’s bedroom & completely refurbishing it. It’s almost done & looks great, far better than any bedroom I’ve ever had as a kid or adult!

It’s been one year since dad left us & this week we attended the funeral of my late cousin who suddenly took ill & passed away within a few hours whilst on holiday In Lanzarote. Such a shock for everyone especially his close family who had to deal with it all. It was a lovely service & we had a smile when they played “On Days Like These” by Matt Munro at the crematorium. I knew it was the music from the film The Italian Job & my uncle turned round & said “He always said he wanted a fancy Italian sports car.” The other thing to stick in my mind was how many distant relatives said “We don’t want to see you anytime soon!” Said in jest of course but it’s a shame that seems to be the only time we all see each other.

It’s still a great comfort to pass some time on here reading everyone’s news (even if it sad sometimes) & just sharing life’s experiences. Anyone got a Christmas tree up yet? Our new neighbour said that his wife loves Christmas & would be the first in the street to decorate. It turns out he wasn’t kidding!

Best regards to all. 
 

Damian

On 11/8/2023 at 8:50 PM, Josy1953 said:

I have just got home from the hospital, I have lost the nearest thing I had to a daughter, my beautiful niece has past away.

I’m late catching up with this but may I offer my sincere condolences to you & your family.

Thanks Selbourne, your thread was well written, informative, entertaining & thoroughly engaging as always. 
 

Don’t put yourself out too much but I hope that you’ll be able to post some updates from your forthcoming epic adventure on Aurora.

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

That’s a good benefit. After our next cruise I think we will move to Baltic loyalty tier with P&O. That gets us 50% discount on laundry. Nice to have, but it won’t encourage me to book more cruises, especially as that seems to be about the only thing that you gain above Caribbean tier 🙄

 
Blimey! No cruises for a few years, then you hit Caribbean level and now it seems that you are just quickly passing through on your way to the heady heights of the Baltic Tier! Go Selbournes!

Tier changes normally take place after the passenger’s most recent cruise is completed but I wonder if your 65 nighter counts in sectors and will make a difference mid-cruise?

On 11/4/2023 at 11:32 AM, Selbourne said:

I don’t doubt that it’s cheaper as that would undoubtedly have been the motivator for the change. Where it falls down (other than food waste) is that I have seen waiters move uncovered pots table to table - presumably if they think the previous occupants didn’t use them. Problem is those occupants may have still coughed etc over them. We’ve also notice a few flies in the dining rooms that must enjoy this approach also 😂 

 

It’s a minor issue though. Come to think of it, I might take some of the leftover conserves to try to lubricate the creaking joints in our cabin. I got the idea from one of the maintenance guys. We couldn’t loosen the shower head adjuster. He couldn’t either - even with grips. His solution? Smear the pole with shower gel 😂 

We had a creaking cabin on Aurora many years ago. It was resolved by an engineer spraying WD40 in multiple places where the furnishings (e.g. wardrobes etc.) met the ceiling. 

3 hours ago, Angel57 said:

Depending on what is causing the limp, it might be worth trying Teddy with Yumove joint supplement tablets (one a day taken as treat). Freddie was diagnosed with a mild form of a luxating patella 4 years ago and it has helped immensely with the condition not worsening. 

Thank you, I'll suggest that when we go to see the physio. He's had X-rays but nothing showed up so fingers crossed this will pass with the right treatment.

35 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

What is Teddy, a labradoodle or cockapoo?  He looks very much like my Son and DIL's labradoodle Theo, altho Theo is darker, but totally adorable.

He is a cockapoo. For the last 2 months he’s had an occasional limp (which we’re going to try physio for) and has been sick a few times this week as well but he was on top form today, eating well and enjoying running round on the beach with my sister-in-law’s dog.

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.

38 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Strangely, although every announcement so far has referred to the rough seas, no mention has been made of what ‘force’ we are experiencing. I’ve certainly seen far worse seas than this, but this ship seems to move around more than most. I shall be kissing the tarmac when we disembark in Funchal tomorrow 😂 

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.

On 10/28/2023 at 5:29 PM, Selbourne said:

Day 1 (Embarkation to departure)

 

We had a good run down to Southampton in glorious sunshine, until we got to Hampshire when the heavens opened! We arrived at Mayflower Cruise Terminal at midday and wondered where everyone was! There were dozens of CPS staff waiting and we were checked in immediately. As before, they kindly offered to call a porter for us and one appeared quickly. There was a short queue of early arrivers being held outside, but as priority boarders we were waived straight through. We checked in at the assisted boarding desk and were through security and on the ship bang on our 1215 slot. Very impressive. They didn’t offer us assistance, which was a bit naughty, but we coped fine.  

 

First impressions as we embarked were ten times better than when we boarded Iona. Rather than look like an airport, this looks and feels like a proper ship. Also, as we walked around it looks like a quality environment and not like a conference hotel, as Iona does (to us anyway). Doubtless we shall miss the excellent dining options on Iona, but I have to say that we feel instantly at home. 

 

After checking in at our muster station we went to the MDR for the loyalty lunch. We asked for a table for 2 but this was impossible apparently 🤔 Anyhow we ended up on a table for four and actually got on really well with the other couple. Wine service was painfully slow compared to Iona and Britannia but both myself and Ray (the other chap) were equally assertive in ensuring that our glasses were kept topped up 😂 Lunch was very pleasant and was a waiter served meal (menu below). 

 

After lunch we went to our cabin (accessible Superior Deluxe balcony cabin and our cases were already there. The cabin is huge, almost like a mini suite, with separate lounge and bedroom areas. Being wheelchair accessible there is plenty of floor space in all areas. The wardrobe and cupboard space is vast. We had two very large cases and have not even used half of the wardrobes, cupboards and drawers. Never had that luxury before. 

 

I was all unpacked after an hour or so and after looking through all the literature (sail away vouchers, dining confirmation, Horizon etc) we decided to go and check out our dinner table. We are second sitting club (as confirmed) but the table for 2 is always ‘requested but not confirmed’. There was nobody at the Bay Tree restaurant so we just wandered in and found our allocated table. We are very happy. It’s a nice stand alone table for 2 (not the banquette type) very near the window. The menu for tonight suits us both, which is good as the first night menu can be weak. Any menu with lamb suits me just fine 😂 

 

We then headed to Tazine for a coffee. Again, unlike Iona (where it’s just part of the atrium) it’s a nice dedicated space - like a proper coffee shop. Service was immediate as well, even though it was almost full (Iona was a struggle as there was one poor chap on his own half the time and people ended up queuing up at the counter rather than waiting). Also, on Iona you got a free wafer thin slice of banana loaf, but on here it was a big choice of pastries and cakes. We both had full size apple and cinnamon muffins - complimentary. 👍

 

We are back in the cabin now and the horn has sounded and the thrusters are on. We shall wave to @TigerB as we pass Iona on our way out. The captain has just said that we are expecting 5 to 6 metre waves tomorrow as we head to the Bay of Biscay 🤮 That should be fun 😂 

 

So far so good and the most noticeable difference so far is that the ship feels so quiet compared to Iona (which felt rammed). Next stop Madeira on Wednesday. Wish us luck 😂 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

7 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Not as good a game as Stoke City’s excellent victory over Leeds Utd I don’t suppose. 

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

On 10/18/2023 at 2:20 PM, zap99 said:

Happy meal in the pub. Proper chips.🤣

 

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.

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

There has been an absolutely staggering development that I must share, as full marks are due to both our TA and P&O for this.

 

To briefly re-cap, when we booked this 65 night cruise at the end of last week, the price we paid for a ‘late saver’ (for two in a Balcony cabin) was £11,998 (prior to TA discount). This was against a Select price of £19,998 (with £1,190 OBC) and a ‘Saver’ price of £16,400 (as per P&O website), so we thought we had a great deal, especially as we were told that the price was going up the next day. Anyway, within 12 hours of booking, rather than go up, the late saver price appeared on the P&O website and had dropped to ‘from £9,998’. I resigned myself to the fact that we were still getting the cruise at a great price and we had secured an accessible balcony cabin (that hadn’t been available prior to balance due date).

 

However, something had been niggling away at me - where had the £11,998 price come from? On the day we booked, the Saver price was £16,400 which was presumably a normal saver, not a late one. Thanks to excellent advice from @Megabear2 (who had said that late savers for that cruise wouldn’t normally kick in until the day after we booked - being balance due date plus 7 days) I had looked again the next day and, sure enough, whilst not promoted as a ‘late’ saver, the saver price had dropped from £16,400 to £9,998 overnight. That was clearly the ‘late saver’ kicking in. So why had we been charged £11,998? Surely it should have been £16,400 as a standard Saver or £9,998 as a late saver, there being no other prices having been advertised. 
 

My wife had suggested that I just forget about it as we were happy with the price, but this question was niggling away at me, so I decided to call our TA to try to understand it. They could see my point entirely, so said they would call P&O to discuss. Knowing from previous encounters how belligerent P&O can be about things, I fully expected the response to be a lecture on how fluid pricing worked. You can imagine my utter amazement when I got a call an hour or two later to say that P&O could see my point and were going to honour the newly advertised price of £9,998 on our booking and would be issuing me with a £2,000 refund!

 

So, after TA discount, we are now paying £9,500 for 65 nights on Aurora, with our accessible balcony cabin assigned (very happy with it as we’ve used it before). The deposit from our now cancelled Ventura cruise is being further deducted from this £9,500 and we get £150 shareholder OBC as well. I’m still in shock and, credit where credit is due, I have to give both our TA and P&O full marks for this. Good job that I didn’t heed my wife’s advice 😂 

 

As previously mentioned, it is worth @TigerB @terrierjohn and others who need accessible cabins being aware that if you need an accessible cabin and you book a late saver, P&O will only charge you for the lowest grade balcony cabin, but will instantly assign you a specific accessible cabin even if it is a number of grades higher (as ours was). Others may already know this, but it’s the first time we have ever booked a late saver, so it’s all new to us. 

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? 😉

On 10/14/2023 at 9:19 AM, Selbourne said:

Well I guess my bubble had to burst and it has! You were spot on about the prices dropping today and they have. The Saver price for a balcony has dropped this morning from £16,400 to £9,995 😢. That’s obviously for the lowest grade, which we aren’t in, but I am now thinking that had we called today we would have saved well over another £1k from what we paid yesterday! Obviously I am extremely relieved that we didn’t book at the Select price of £20k, or when the Saver price was nearly £18k (as I had called back then to enquire and balconies were sold out) or even at the £16,400 that the website quoted yesterday when I called, as I think I’d be heartbroken, but none the less…… I shall just have to tell myself that there will be plenty of others paying a lot more than we have and, just possibly, had I left it until today the one accessible balcony cabin that had come up as a result of a cancellation would have gone. I’ll never know and mustn’t be greedy as we are extremely happy with the price we paid. 
 

I’m aware of the yellow fever requirement. Is there a minimum time that it’s needed before you travel? Had a quick look and didn’t notice. 
 

Yes, I can see that insurance is going to be very expensive. In the first instance I’m going to see how much it would be to add USA & Caribbean cover, plus extended stay (assuming that we need that) to our existing annual travel insurance policy with Aviva (which already covers my wife’s condition). That policy happens to expire on the last day of the cruise, which may be handy, although we don’t have missed port cover. I can live with that having never had it, but if I have to  get a brand new policy elsewhere I will try to get that included. I will also look at the Nationwide Flex Plus policy that @terrierjohn mentioned, although that will probably need add ons for extended stay as well as my wife’s condition. In the meantime I might just thoroughly depress myself and see how many thousands it would cost to buy a stand alone new policy in the market. From your extensive knowledge in this area, would you recommend anyone in particular?

 

On a brighter note, I had been worrying about how we would get to and from Southampton given that parking would presumably be prohibitive (it wasn’t even included in the Select fare). I’d been assuming taxis and £200-300 each way, given that trains aren’t an option. Miraculously, I have booked with CPS for just £160. I’m sure I’ve seen prices more than that for just a fortnight! 

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

1 hour ago, paulatsea said:

What if I want to connect with a different device? 

You may use multiple devices on one package but can only use a single device at any one time. If you wish to use multiple devices simultaneously, you will need to buy additional packages that are available at a discounted rate. 

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.