DamianG

11th August Friyay We were up early again but Kyle didn’t come round quickly enough for us to book breakfast via the My Holiday webpage. We went down to Meridian and though we felt a bit cheeky arriving at 9:24am (close to 9:30am last admissions) there were plenty who arrived after us. We’d already seen the hordes heading ashore and our plan was to go a little later when we hoped that the shuttle bus services would be less stretched. As we were finishing the waiting staff seemed to be rushing round even more than usual then there was an announcement of a full crew exercise drill so no wonder. Our cabin hadn’t been made up so we went for a walk around the ship. We saw the ginormous queue for shuttle buses and there was an announcement asking passengers to remain on board for the time being if possible so that there were less crowds quayside. We enjoyed walking round the ship when it was a little quieter and went all the way up to deck 17 forward to look in the Crow’s Nest and Epicurean. It also occurred to us that our cabin wouldn’t be made up until later anyway so we returned and spent some time there before getting ready for our day ashore. We’d already planned to visit Oceanografic despite having been there a couple of times before. Previously we’d made our own way there so the fact that shuttle buses now drop passengers off nearby was a bonus for us. It was clearly stated in the Horizon newsletter and announced by the Captain but my sister reported back that on their shuttle bus some passengers still thought that they might get dropped off nearer to the old town. P&O claim that it is “just” a 30 minute walk to the old town from the City of Arts and Sciences drop off point but I guess it depends how fast you walk and the majority of vlogs we’ve watched suggest that it’s nearer 40 minutes for the average walker. We got off the ship at 11:40am, were straight on a shuttle bus and were joined mostly by crew. There were 13 buses parked up so our driver didn’t bother filling up and we set off within 5 minutes. It was only a 15 minute drive and we were dropped off at 12:05pm. I’d prebooked tickets for admission at 12:30pm and one thing we didn’t consider was that we would be going out in the midday sun. I looked at one of those advertising boards with a temperature display and it stated 33 degrees! It was only a 10 minute walk to Oceanografic and we were sweating in no time with Kyle in particular grumbling a lot. I wasn’t sure if we would have to wait until 12:30pm to get in so we hesitated a bit but saw that one ticket checker was free so we approached her and she just scanned our tickets without question. We made our way to some of the subterranean exhibits which we thought would be cooler (thankfully they were) but after 30 minutes or so Kyle looked completely fed up and just wanted to sit down for a rest (which is not like him). Although it’s quite expensive (€115.50 for 3 of us) it is a really good aquarium but I was starting to think that the day might be a write-off. We got him moving again and found a very good canteen where a large ice cream and 3 bottles of water cost just over €7. Imagine that in a UK zoo or aquarium, the water alone would circa £3 a bottle. Kyle perked up a bit and the timing was just right as the next dolphin display was due. Big crowds were heading into a mini arena and we got in just in time before they stopped any further admissions. We stood at the back but had a great view and really enjoyed the display. For me, it rescued the day. We had the obligatory stop in the onsite shop and left the complex around 2:20pm. I had wanted to go to the shopping mall over the road but Kyle was adamant that we were going back to the ship. We easily got a shuttle bus back very quickly, but were unlucky with the security checks as we were directed to the slow moving line (instead of the quicker one where passengers who were a long way behind us in the queue breezed past us). The security checks took longer than the journey back. Once we were back in the cabin Kyle locked himself in the bathroom and had a shower for about 40 minutes. By now we were getting annoyed with him as we still hadn’t eaten and we eventually made it to the Quays at 4:30pm. Kyle wanted Katsu curry again and some bread rolls but they didn’t have the latter so I made the trek up to the buffet on deck 16. It was incredibly busy and I didn’t enjoy the experience one bit. From what I could see one half of Horizon was closed to get it ready for later so everyone was crowded on the other side. There was a curry option, roast beef dinner and afternoon tea items so a real mixed bag of choices with passengers all over the place. I managed to grab some bread rolls (with a grabber I might add – unlike anyone else I saw) and some butter then got myself out of there tout suite. When I returned to the Quays Kyle had his curry and Michelle had got fish and chips. I was conscious of the time and didn’t want to eat too much so I ended up with 6 bowls of salad, one of each variety available. That was a real mixed bag too, from German potato salad to some kind of Norwegian salad (can’t remember the name) and some Asian noodles with tofu (never again). After that lot I was still hungry so ended up having 2 desserts, apple pie (Michelle’s suggestion) and chocolate fudge cake. They were both small portions, honestly. We had some glasses of Pinot Grigio from Sindhu and as ever before we’d finished Kyle wanted to return to the cabin. This time we sent him ahead on his own and said that we were going to stay around the Atrium a little longer, which he was okay with. We both felt like we’d earned a little time doing what we wanted so we ordered more drinks from Sindhu, a Vanilla and Salted Caramel Espresso Martini for Michelle and a Californian Merlot for me. I usually don’t like Merlot but don’t recall trying a Californian one before so thought I’d take a chance. Michelle said that her cocktail just tasted of really strong coffee (I tasted it and agreed) and I still don’t like Merlot. Whilst we were sat in the Atrium Michelle went and took a photo of the evening dinner menu. Nothing appealed to us and it had just turned 5:30pm so I took a look at the virtual queue for the 6th Street Diner. Needless to say it stated “no availability” and still smarting about yesterday I suggested that we go there and try again, but with Michelle going in rather than me this time. Once we got there we noticed that there were hardly any early diners in there at all and I changed my mind about Michelle going in on her own. The same receptionist as yesterday said that it wasn’t possible to book for later but that if we checked the My Holiday webpage we would be able to join a virtual queue later. I said that she had told us the same yesterday but the virtual queue never opened all evening (and yes, I did keep checking right up to 9:30pm). She said that maybe she could book us in for later but we’d have to take a pager. I replied that yesterday she’d told us no pagers but if that was now an option it would be great. She then said that we would have to have a table with high chairs but we said that would not be appropriate for at least two members of our party. She said maybe they could push 2 tables together and we responded that this would be most appreciated. Finally she said that she couldn’t give us a time and that we must wait in Andersons and be ready from 6:20pm onwards. We graciously accepted and off we went with our pager. (I know that’s a lot of “he said, she said” but I couldn’t think of another way to tell the tale). It was by now 5:50pm and we knew that we would have to move quickly to rally the troops. We knocked on the in-laws cabin door to let them know and then I called sister and mum’s cabin to do the same. Kyle and Michelle were ready in no time so I had about 20 minutes to get a full shave then a shower (which is plenty short enough for me). I was rushing through shaving when there was a knock on the bathroom door). I asked what’s wrong and Kyle said “The buzzers gone off!” Now I was in a bit of a panic, not only for myself half shaved but for everyone else aside from Kyle and Michelle. “What? No way!!!!” I exclaimed. Kyle managed to keep a straight face for about 20 seconds then giggled, he’d completely fooled me and all the fall outs from earlier were forgotten. Good lad. We left the cabin at 6:18pm and made it to Andersons a few minutes later. Michelle’s parents quickly arrived and mum and sister were about 10 minutes after that. We all got seated and hadn’t yet been offered drinks when the buzzer went off at 6:40pm. Once in the 6th Street Diner we were seated in a good position on 2 seat and 4 seat tables which were pushed together. Although there was 7 of us we had more room than on the oversized surfboard table in the MDR and few days back. We were quickly served and I chose Ironstone Pinot Noir from the drinks menu only to be told that it wasn’t available, so we switched to Californian Zindfandel (red, not to be confused with blush) instead. It was very good and suited our taste really well. We shared our stories of the days’ activities and everyone else had just got off the shuttle bus and gone straight over to the mall. My sister detailed the various shops and restaurants in the complex, and Michelle’s mum told us all about the huge Carrefour supermercado with it’s 24 open checkouts all staffed. Not that exciting I guess but when you think of our supermarkets at home when they only call staff onto the checkouts when a big queue builds then it sounds good to me. I definitely want to go to the mall next time we are here, then maybe drag Kyle on the hike to the old town. Then again, he'd need the route to be lined with those watering stations with cold towels etc. that you get on city marathons, so maybe not. We were quickly served starters, Corn Tortilla Trio for me (extremely tiny but tasty) and 6th Street Churros with chilli sauce dip for Michelle and Kyle. He didn’t really enjoy them but that’s not too surprising as he’s been spoilt with the real (sweet) version in Spain and also from M&S. I tried them but they were slightly greasy and a little hard in my opinion. I thought that the dip was good though. Others in our party had the New England Clam Chowder and enjoyed it. The main courses quickly followed the starters and I finally got what I’d wanted all along, New York Strip Steak. Michelle had the same and it really lived up to our super high expectations (as always based on multiple vlogs we’d watched on YouTube). They were presented very well cooked and just as importantly well rested with no sign of blood on the plate. It really was melt in the mouth stuff. They were served with excellent fries in a separate tin cup (not sure how else to describe it though doubtless there is a proper term for it). Michelle’s parents had the Baby Back Ribs which they enjoyed, and mum chose the Louisiana BBQ Chicken which completely disappeared off the plate in no time (no need to ask if she’d enjoyed it there then). Michelle’s parents emptied one of their fries cups and used it for their discarded rib bones. Inevitably her dad got his left and right mixed up and chucked a discarded bone in his wife’s cup of fries. For dessert Michelle and I both chose the Coconut and Rum pudding. Putting the lack of rum and coconut flavour aside, and the fact that the supposedly rum soaked sponge was as dry as a bone, it was delicious. Michelle was a bit more disappointed than me and changed her rating from “best meal of the week” to “almost the best meal of the week”. I’ll ask her what her favourite was and get back to you. Father in law had Fried Apple Hushpuppies which looked the next best dessert, and mother in law had Gooey St Louis Cake which was a bit of a thick slab and needed more cream or better still some custard. We left at 8:15pm and because this was the earliest we’d finished dining so far we decided that we were early enough to make the trans-ship pilgrimage from deck 6 aft to deck 17 forward to visit the Crow’s Nest. Kyle in particular was keen (so that early morning recce paid off nicely) and everyone readily agreed. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t busy at all inside and we were quickly seated in a nice spot next to the starboard side windows. Getting served took a while as a lackadaisical waitress served a table next to us then ignored us completely until I called her back. Even then she took an order for me then immediately wheeled away back to the bar before anyone else in our party had a chance to speak. Very unusual but soon rectified by another waiter who approached and was engaging, friendly, chatty, and very quick witted. Our group played cards and once Uno was out of the way even I joined in. Whilst they were playing Uno I browsed through the Horizon newsletter and only then did I notice that it was 80’s music night in the Club House lounge with Pulse playing 3 separate sets. It was 10:15pm and I said that I was gutted to miss it when Michelle’s mum suggested that we go and leave Kyle with them. My sister said “Ooh, you can have a date night!” which in our case usually constitutes going to watch rugby league (which Kyle is not interested in) so that made us laugh. Kyle was all for it and as we have the advantage of Michelle’s parents only being a few cabins up from us they agreed to see him back to our cabin and stay with him until we got in (just in case we were “dirty stop outs” and stayed later than our suggestion that we’d be back by midnight (or I’d turn into a pumpkin)). We easily got some good seats (not at the front and not too far back either) and were quickly served. The music was good for our taste straight away then Pulse came on for their final set at 11pm. As per our last few cruises the band was made up of young people, most likely music college graduates as advised to us on previous cruises. They were super talented, especially the drummer (always my favourite), the bass player who took the lead on a few songs, and the guitarist. Sorry keyboard player, you were good too but most of the songs played to the strengths of the others. There was a male and female vocalist, both fantastic, but I’d just give the lady the edge in terms of vocal range and being able to adapt to the requirements of each song. Just. After the first song the male vocalist announced that this was their final set but it had the best songs. Obviously we couldn’t compare but we enjoyed every single one of them, even Karma Chameleon which I usually can’t stand. They finished really strongly with “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey (great song that I’ve not heard performed live very often if ever) and Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’Roses, where the guitarist was really able to cut loose with his axe and show off his talents. It wasn’t the biggest crowd ever but they’d certainly engaged everyone where we were sat and got a rousing reception at the end. We got back to the cabin at 11:50pm and were surprised to find that Kyle and his grandparents had only just got there a few minutes before us so it was a good ending to a trying at times but overall great day.

Thoroughly enjoying reading this Sarah and as ever your photos are fantastic. I’m just wondering if you have the cabin air con set at the coldest level and if that has contributed to your sore throats? It used to be an old trick turning it up a little higher to prevent coughs and sore throats. We’ve tried that on Arvia (after feeling sore throats coming on earlier in the week) and it seems to have worked. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and fingers crossed that cough goes away soon.

Well we are in the queue for 6th Street Diner but only after a lot of persuasion with the venue receptionist. More tomorrow.

I don't think so, every evening when we look after 7pm the online booking system for each MDR is not available (i.e., they shut it down to guests as @Selbourne suggested). We never even get as far as being able to choose how many guests we are trying to book it for. Once you have been to book at any MDR reception and are given a pager you can see the virtual queue countdown and booking on the My Holiday webpage. I don't understand the message on the screenshot I posted as it is quoting no booking available for a party of my size even though I hadn't got to a stage where you enter any details.

I kept checking for availability in the 6th Street Diner all evening but unsurprisingly there was nothing.

10th August 2023 I woke just after 8am and was thinking about doing some washing (sad but true) then thought I’d be better leaving it until after breakfast. Annoyingly although it was a sea day the MDR breakfast sittings were closing at 9:30am (compared to 10am every other sea day so far) so we got Kyle up in good time and I tried to make a booking on the My Holiday webpage at 8:45am. To my amazement I was able to make a booking and we were called 3 minutes later. I had the usual cooked breakfast and Michelle had scrambled eggs and salmon which she said was nice. After breakfast we returned to the cabin then I collected our washing and headed for the launderette. 2 out of 6 machines were available and I found the selection process and programme settings fairly intuitive. The launderette is too small for passengers to hang around in and gossip like the old days but that was never my thing anyway. 40 minutes later I was on my way back to put it all in the drier and it was all straightforward. Anyone reading this still awake? Michelle insisted that we were going to get out of the cabin for the day so we went to the shaded side of the promenade deck and easily found some available sun loungers. It was comfortably warm on the shaded side and far too hot for us on the sunny side. We passed the time reading and around 2pm I decided to go get some lunch. I was hoping Grab n’Go items were available but there was nothing so I picked up a hot dog and fries from Taste 360 on deck 16 in the hope that Kyle would share some of it. From there I went to the Laguna Bar and the waiter took one look at me then pointed and said “Pint of lager?” Talk about having preconceptions about people but in that moment I just thought “Yeah, why not” even though I’m not much of a beer drinker these days. Needless to say Michelle was surprised when I returned. I put the food on a table between my sunbed and Kyle’s and that was pretty much the last I saw of the fries so at least that plan worked. We were near the Quays so Michelle went inside to get some Katsu Curry and Kyle (having a good eating day) tried that and decided he wanted some as well so off I went again. Kyle spilt some curry on his t-shirt and wanted to change so we gave him his cruise card to go off on his own. He was absolutely ages and we thought that maybe he couldn’t find his clothes so Michelle went back to cabin to try help him. It turned out that he’d been chatting to his aunty and grandma in the buffet then knocked on the door of his other grandparents to have a chat with them. He’d arranged to go in a jacuzzi with his aunty which was frustrating for Michelle as she had offered multiple times and been rejected. Everyone then met up where we were on the promenade deck and sure enough Kyle and his aunty went off to find a jacuzzi where they spent the next hour. At home he always seems to be organising things for his friends and pulling them together which makes me think he does have a knack or maybe even a talent for it with this being another example. I went along to check up on them then completed a lap of the promenade deck including a pit stop in the Sunset Bar for some Pimms for Michelle and I. Michelle’s mum wanted a cocktail but her dad couldn’t understand the instructions he was given and came back from Sindhu with a pint for himself and nothing for her. Michelle and I offered to get her something but the Sunset Bar didn’t have what she wanted so we came back with a choice of a Mojito (Michelle’s idea) and a Mai Tai (my choice) for her to choose from. She picked the latter so we gave the Mojito to my sister instead. Whilst Michelle was waiting to be served at the Sunset Bar I quickly went to the corridor leading up to Zenith and took photos of tonight’s dinner menu on the digital display board to try see what everyone wanted to do for our evening meal. The menu was okay but Michelle and I fancied a change from the MDRs so we suggested going to the 6th Street Diner. It’s difficult trying to see what everyone wants to do all the time so yet again we pretty much made the decision for them all. Before we left the cabin just before 7pm I checked the virtual queues for dining and as usual nothing was available other than the venues where you pay a supplement. On our way to Andersons we called into the 6th Street Diner to see if we could book and were advised that it wasn’t possible to book, go on a waiting list or even take a pager. When I asked what we should do the lady said that we should just keep checking online and something should come up later. We met everyone in Andersons and agreed to give it 30 minutes to see if the online queue opened up. At 7:30pm I walked down to the Meridian to book us in there instead and collect a pager. It then occurred to me to see if there was any availability for the 6th Street Diner for any other day and the My Holiday webpage showed that it was fully booked all the way through the week forward up to Thursday 17th August. Even if I clicked on that date to book it said for a party of my size I could not book (even though it never gave me the option to choose my party size). We were called for dinner at just after 8pm and were seated in a corner of the Meridian. There were 2 favourite starters for me, Gravadlax of Salmon and Chicken Noodle Soup, so I ordered both. The Gravadlax had a very heavy Dill crust to it which I’d never seen before and wasn’t stated on the menu. It didn’t spoil it completely but it definitely wasn’t as nice. The soup was very good. For my main I asked for Prime Roast Beef Sirloin (with roast potatoes said the menu) but I was delivered the (always available) Grilled Prime 5oz Beef Sirloin (with chips) instead. When ordering I wasn’t asked how I would like my beef which to me was a definite indication that I hadn’t ordered the steak. The waiter took away the steak then a little later returned with a plate consisting of 2 small quite rare slices of beef, one potato, a small carrot, turnips and swede. I suppose that I could have sent it back but by then everyone else was well into their mains and frankly I couldn’t be bothered. At least the Silk and Spice wine went down well with it. My sister and father-in-law both chose Slow-Cooked Pork Collar Steak which looked good but came with an odd looking potato and sage strudel which neither finished. (It looked like a wrap of some kind). Michelle had Vegetable and Bean Chilli Taco Shells which were spicy but not too much and she enjoyed them. For dessert we both chose cheese and biscuits and Michelle suggested that we both had a Graham’s Port to go with it which was a great idea. After dinner we returned to Anderson’s and everyone played cards except me (just not my thing). After a while I escorted mum back to her cabin and when I returned was told of how Kyle had found a plastic duck with a label stuck to it. I’m not sure what to make of that, harmless fund or adding to the non-recyclable rubbish on board? I guess that I can see both sides. Shortly after the usual booming music started in the nearby Atrium. I went to see what was on and it was the 2 ladies who’d performed trapeze previously. This time they were dressed in baseball jackets and jeans and performed some kind of street pole dancing routine on some fake lampposts. Needless to say I didn’t stay long to watch. Back in Andersons there was a group of young girls (or so I thought) sat behind us who were gradually getting noisier and noisier. I thought to myself that they were just kids getting excitable having a bit of fun and I shouldn’t be such a grump until I eventually turned round and realised that they had a mum sat in the middle of them making as much noise as any with no regard for anyone else sat in the room. I’m not pretending that we were quiet by any means but I have no doubt that everyone on the library side of Andersons would be able to hear them over us. We eventually called it a night not long after 11pm.

Another evening of dining trials & tribulations but hey, Kyle found a duck. Lord help us.

Wonderful news, so pleased for you.

I always knew those old rail ticket wallets would come in handy one day!

Arvia is a very tall ship!

Our dinner table for 7 & the disappointing main course.

The evening menu is displayed on a digital board in the corridor leading up to the MDRs so you’ll be able to check once lunch service has finished. This was the only time we hadn’t done this as we had committed to the booking earlier.

Wednesday 9th August Not the best night’s sleep as a I woke at both 2am and 6am with it taking ages to fall back asleep both times. Whilst laying there wide awake I was surprised at the occasional noises that you wouldn’t usually notice, such as the flushing vacuum loos or the odd slamming door, or just the occasional unidentifiable clang. Unfortunately for Michelle I did fall into a deeper sleep on the second occasion so my snoring woke her up at 7am. I eventually got up quite late for me at 8:50am then we woke Kyle up so that we could go to breakfast in one of the MDRs. At 9:24am I tried to book for breakfast in either MDR and was yet again surprised that online bookings were closed despite Meridian and Zenith being open until 10am. We went down to Zenith and passengers who had been paged were getting prioritised but eventually we were served, again by Love Joy. She correctly pronounced my surname and said that she remembered us. Initially she said that we may need to take a pager then changed her mind and pointed us towards the table for 4 just to the side of the reception area. A few minutes later she brought us the menus herself. Michelle chose some cooked breakfast items and I had Eggs Benedict with bacon, presented with the items arranged as a smiley face. We both had 1 out of 2 poached eggs cooked correctly. Whilst eating there was a commotion at the reception when one gentleman got upset about those who had been paged getting prioritised. He accused Love Joy of shouting at him (she didn’t) and started to get very angry so she called over a senior manager to deal with him. Eventually he stormed off. I felt sorry for Love Joy so after breakfast I picked up a recognition form from reception to put forward some positive feedback for her. If nothing else it may help offset any complaint coming her way. As we were finishing breakfast we noticed several passengers already making bookings for Celebration Night dinner. We asked Love Joy for her advice and she said that they could only make advance bookings for large tables timed at 6pm or 8:30pm. We therefore asked her to book the latter for us and she printed a ticket for us to take. I still don’t think that this is the only reason we have been having issues booking our dinner slots (especially with the online booking system always seemingly being closed when I try) but for this evening at least we were all sorted. After breakfast we went to Vistas for a takeaway latte and tea. We were waiting in the takeaway queue for ages and soon realised something had gone wrong when passengers behind us started getting called for their complicated orders ahead of us. Eventually I interrupted the poor guy trying to do all the takeaway orders on his own and he could not find a ticket for ours anywhere. He quickly got us the latte and tea and apologised. We returned to the cabin but it hadn’t been made up yet. However, we knew our steward was going to do ours next as he called over to us in the corridor and also let us know that Michelle’s parents had been looking for us. We decided to get out of his way (and theirs, no, I’m kidding, honestly) and went and sat in the Atrium deck 8 opposite the Keel and Cow. Once I’d finished my latte I went exploring the decks and took in the mini golf and Altitude Skywalk, and was not in the least bit surprised to see that the latter was closed due to high winds. On one vlog we watched it was suggested that P&O’s attempt at activities for younger passengers and families was a bit half-hearted and I’d tend to agree. The mini golf looks extremely small and crammed in, and the sports court has been halved in size to accommodate it. Certainly Kyle has gone from being keen to try the mini golf to not being interested at all as each hole seems to be very short. The one thing I was impressed with was the paddling pool and waterfall features for tiny tots (like a better version of the one they used to have on Aurora) which Kyle would have loved when he was little. As usual we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon alternating between the cabin and balcony. I played around with the TV a bit and was particularly impressed with the interactive map. I’m also checking our onboard account constantly (and am pleased to say everything has been in order so far). At 2:50pm we dragged Kyle out of the cabin for a late lunch. We had to pass through Horizon restaurant on our way to Taste 360 in the Sky Dome on deck 16, and Kyle decided that he would like to collect a couple of bread rolls whilst walking through. I felt like a spare part who was in everyone’s way so I just stood to one side until he’d got what he wanted. Michelle and I had burger and fries from Taste 360 which were okay, probably slightly better than those they used to turn out when there were open deck barbecues back in the day. Kyle got an iced latte from Sundaes which wasn’t half as good as Vistas, and Michelle and I both got brain freeze from a couple of Pina Coladas. At least the lid was off the Sky Dome (i.e., the roof was open) so it didn’t have the usual stuffiness like a local authority swimming pool. We actually had a fair bit of time away from the cabin in the afternoon as from there we went to Ripples where Kyle (who eats very little by the way) managed 2 portions of ice cream. We passed the time whilst he was eating with a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio. Win win. On returning to the cabin Michelle and I decamped to the balcony with our books. Although it was shaded the sun had fully broken the clouds and it was roasting. So it was a shaded sun trap which you are probably thinking makes no sense at all (or maybe I’d be better saying it was sheltered from any breeze). I briefly broke off to go down the Keel and Cow to cash in our Celebration Night drinks vouchers and as happened with the Welcome On Board Sail Away vouchers the bar man just gave us a glass of champagne for Kyle’s voucher. Keep it to yourself but again we let him have a few mouthfuls then I polished off the rest. By the way, Microsoft’s spell checker is telling me that I should write “go down to the Keel and Cow” but “go down the Keel and Cow” just sounds better. Keeping it real as always. Today’s Horizon newsletter showed an announcement that for “one night only” it was Tandoori Night at the Quays. I thought that this sounded good but not enough to miss Celebration Night in one of the MDR’s. Then I walked through the Quays on my way to the Keel and Cow and was hit with a whole host of wonderful aromas and a fine display of curries and accompaniments. It triggered memories of the early 2000’s when P&O would dress up an area of the buffet with table cloths and Indian decorations to have a curry night which you needed to make a reservation for. The staff used to wear traditional Indian dress and were more than happy to chat about the different curries and other delicacies, and if memory serves me rightly there used to be a discount on Tiger Beer. The Quays offering, though clearly a dumbed down version of that, still smelt and looked fantastic and on any other night I’d have been happy to dine there. I said “Why tonight of all nights?” but as Michelle quickly pointed out the timing won’t be coincidence and they are just using it as a tactic to divert some diners away from the MDRs in an effort to reduce the number of covers in those. Damn you P&O. We arranged to meet at the Glass House at 8pm and the Atrium in general was very crowded. There were large queues for formal photographs and everyone in our vicinity looked very smart. We almost all got a seat but I didn’t mind standing for a while and Michelle and I both had a glass of our favourite wine Albariño (which is only available in the Glass House). We strolled round to Zenith and joined the side of the queue for those who had pre-booked. Our queue moved steadily until there was a delay with the family in front of us, and we ended up being escorted to our table just before 9pm. As we were working out who was going to sit where it became apparent that we had been allocated a table for 6 with an extra chair added. It was shaped like an oversized surf board and father-in-law was seated quite close to a neighbouring table which meant that he kept getting nudged as waiters passed through the gap. We all tried to shuffle up a bit and though we weren’t completely squashed in it was by no means spacious either. Whilst choosing from the menu I asked if we needed to request the Amuse Bouche or if it would be served automatically (with the answer being the latter). Several of us (including me) chose the Crab and Scallop Ceviche with Gribiche sauce as our starter. This was a major disappointment for everyone with a crab mix dominated by onion, tasteless scallops and a sauce that resembled egg mayonnaise. There was no sign of the Amuse Bouche so I asked our head waiter and he had to place an order for it to be delivered to his serving station. To me it tasted like blended tinned tomatoes with a bit of black pepper, pleasant enough but nothing special. There were mixed opinions around the table but no one thought that it was particularly great. On a happier note I really enjoyed the chicken and sweetcorn chowder. I ordered 2 glasses of Gavi di Gavi and there was a mix up with only 1 being delivered. Once I finally got a glass we both agreed that it was the best white wine for our taste so far, even topping the Albariño (which is really saying something for us). For main I chose lobster and prawn with a pastry crust (I can’t remember the fancy name) and was annoyed with myself for not choosing the beef medallion which looked fantastic and would have suited me far better. The prawns were very good but I didn’t enjoy the lobster at all (though surprisingly Kyle did) and I had to pick out a couple of bits of shell (tiny but still enough to put me off even more). Kyle had his usual pasta and tomato sauce and was really happy to finally have his favourite penne, so much so that he asked for another portion. The waiter was happy to accommodate him but it took an age to be delivered, though it didn’t really matter too much as we were in the usual delay period between mains and dessert anyway. Michelle and I both really fancied cheese and biscuits for dessert until we realised that it would be the frankly strange stilton balls mix for Celebration Night. Instead we chose orange and pistachio gateau which was made with a very rich dark chocolate ganache mix that suited me but not her. I was about to say that I couldn’t taste the pistachio when I realised that it was just a sprinkle on top of the gateau and the small splodge of cream on the side. Overall quite a disappointing dinner experience but at least it finished on a winner for me. After dinner we easily found seats in the Amber Lounge. There was the trapeze act on in the Atrium again and being on deck 6 the accompanying music was overbearingly loud for me (and doubtless for mum too). Michelle had a Passion Fruit Martini and I ordered a Malbec, then I went over to Vistas to get a tea for Kyle and coffee for mum. Thankfully nobody else wanted me to get a takeaway drink for them. After the trapeze act the two Spanish ladies performed the Flamenco with accompanying guitar act again and this time I had a much better view. I found it to be very impressive. At 11:30pm the trapeze act was preparing to start again and I really didn’t fancy sticking around for the booming music. Kyle also wanted to go back to the cabin but Michelle wanted to have one more drink, and though I suggested that she could stay out with my sister she declined. Back in the cabin Kyle watched the last 20 minutes of his movie and the TV finally went off at 12:23am.

Yes, despite it being yet another sea day breakfast in the MDRs is finishing at 9:30am (instead of the usual 10am) so I made sure I tried extra early.

First time this has worked for us.

A recurring theme…

Love the interactive map on the cabin TV showing our “complex” itinerary.

Torre de Hércules

As advised by @thornegirl this is ED grade cabin, in our case 10742. We particularly like that the wardrobes are not squashed in next to the bed or sofa. This is the same grade on sister ship Iona:

🤣

Hi MB, I've no idea but we did get some information this morning which will help us understand booking to suit our needs going forwards. I'll see how it plays out this evening then report back as usual. Just in general, for anyone reading this please don't get too hung up on our dining situation which may be unique to our circumstances. The suggestions are appreciated but not all will work for us (basically we are trying to remain flexible to suit everyone despite the old phrase "you can't please everybody all of the time").

Tuesday 8th August One thing I forgot to mention about the previous night was that as we were making our way back to the cabin we bumped into the 2 ladies from the suite next door and they looked lost. I was a little ahead of Michelle and Kyle and when I saw them in the aft lift lobby on deck 10 I said hello then “You’re in the cabin next to us, come on it’s this way.” They were a little worse for wear and hesitated until Michelle said the same thing then the penny dropped. They clearly recognised Michelle but not me (just another bald bloke or maybe they saw her and thought “Ah yes, the electrician!”). Maybe I shouldn’t have been so forward but it gave us all a laugh and we had a bit of a chat with them before saying our goodnights at our respective cabin doors. I slept well and woke a little later at 5am then did my usual dozing and waking up until 7:40am. Michelle and I both felt like we had a bit of a sore throat developing so we have decided to turn the air conditioning up one notch from arctic level to see if that helps. The down side is that I am now expecting to melt overnight in the traditional 1000 tog P&O duvet. I slightly opened the curtains and was immediately blinded by the sunrise over A Coruña so I quickly closed them with the intention of getting dressed and going out to take some photos. I only took a few minutes to get ready but even that wasn’t quick enough as the ship had already turned 180 degrees and was now reversing steadily into port. I should have just gone out in my pyjamas like several other aft cabin early risers that I saw, and for once I was jealous of those in suites with the included bath robe. Then again I’d have probably been too warm anyway. I checked the time (7:50am) and noticed that there were a handful of passengers in the sunset bar area deck 8 aft including 2 chaps in a jacuzzi. It’s one way to start your day I guess. We didn’t really have much vibration as we moved sideways to dock and it was all completed in just under 20 minutes. Although we were up early we didn’t rush Kyle and let him wake up in his own time. We missed the 9:30am cut off for breakfast in one of the main dining rooms so we went to the Quays instead (thus proving that we are hypocritical buffet snobs after all). It was a little busy but the queue for the self-serve cooked breakfast items moved reasonably quickly. There are multiple seating areas for the Quays including outside and though it always looks busy immediately opposite the serving stations there always seems to be plenty of room slightly further away opposite Sindhu (just don’t tell anyone). The cooked breakfast choice is more or less the same as what is available in the Horizon restaurant. The sausage is far superior to those available in the MDR’s (for our taste anyway) and the coffee seems super strong which doesn’t suit me but doubtless others will love it. I particularly like the easy access to condiments including actual bottles of HP sauce. Kyle was not happy at the lack of Rice Krispies or Frosties but did well with some croissants and a chocolate muffin. After breakfast we got our sun spray on and headed ashore. It was already warm and we were grateful for the shaded alleyways in the shopping area just over the main road opposite the dock. We’ve been here plenty of times before and just had a simple plan to visit a few favourite shops mainly in search of collectables for Kyle. We tried to give him a bit of responsibility for planning the route and to be fair he did identify the relevant shops via Google maps but soon defaulted back to us doing the navigating. It only took around 10 minutes from our cabin to the first shop then we found our way around to all the right places with no wrong turns and also called in a Farmacia to buy him a toothbrush after someone forgot to pack his. (To be fair, he brushed his teeth after I’d already packed the wash bag but though she never actually said it doubtless Michelle was thinking “You had one job…..”). It was pretty hot (circa 30 degrees centigrade) and Kyle wasn’t happy that we made a detour to the beach for the obligatory photo which must include the Riazor football stadium. Typically Kyle just wanted to get back onboard and we caved in as usual (though that’s better than having a grumpy teenager on your hands whilst trying to enjoy a drink or some lunch ashore). We called in the duty free shop as we passed through the cruise terminal (you don’t have much choice really) and unlike last time we were here there was no sign of Stuart Pearce shopping in there. Gutted. Back on board we went straight to Vistas for some drinks. Kyle had his usual tea but was mortified that I hadn’t asked for a takeaway (not deliberate on my part, honestly). Anyway he sat there and polished off the full pot and it was nice just sitting there and people watching for a bit (even if the loud gobby woman sat opposite eventually got too much for Michelle). When we returned to our cabin I decided to put on the TV to check our onboard account but all I kept getting was a black screen. Eventually I rang reception and somehow they were able to remotely reboot it and get it working again. Personally I thought that was incredible. We decided to have fish and chips in the Quays for lunch and sadly so did a lot of other people so we found ourselves queueing again. Michelle’s parents arrived at the same time so we helped them get their lunch though somehow mother in law ended up with mushy peas instead of curry sauce. To quote P Diddy, it wasn’t me. I asked for the pickled onions which turned out to be pickled and sliced red onion. That’s certainly different from the traditional pickled onions I expected but to be fair they were pretty good. The fish was excellent and the chips were well cooked but pretty chunky and afterwards I was glad that we had brought some Gaviscon. As ever Kyle wanted to return to the cabin after lunch but with a combination of sun and shade on our balcony we were able to sit outside and avoid getting claustrophobic. Needless to say I made sure that we were “hydrated” throughout the afternoon whilst enjoying our balcony. There was supposed to be a DJ playing in the Sunset Bar 2 decks below but if there was then all we heard was a series of bland numbers which all sounded a bit samey with most not having any lyrics. I like to think that I have a very wide musical taste but I didn’t recognise a single track. Several times during the afternoon there were shouts from balconies above us as there were kids throwing water out of the infinity pool again. One chap on his balcony finally got an adult above to acknowledge him. I don’t know if it was a parent or someone from P&O but eventually it stopped and he gave them a thumbs up. About an hour later it started again. Fortunately we are out of range for the waterfalls but I really feel for those in aft cabins which are. It seemed to get hotter throughout the afternoon and we stayed in the shade of our balcony throughout. I went to get us some drinks just before the sail away and Michelle asked for a prosecco but I fancied a change. As I made my order I remembered having Pims sail away events on the P&O of old and ordered myself one. When I got back to the cabin Michelle was disappointed that I hadn’t got one for her as well. All aboard was scheduled for 4:30pm and at 4:25pm Captain Paul Brown made his pre-departure announcement. Does anyone else think that he sounds like Josh Widdicombe or is that just me? Captain Brown advised that they were almost ready but just waiting for the last 1 or 2 passengers to board. There’s always someone isn’t there? Anyway we soon got going and as ever we really enjoyed taking in the sights as we made our way out to the Atlantic Ocean. Captain Brown made one further announcement to suggest that we look out for the Torre de Hércules which we were reminded is the oldest known lighthouse dating back to the first century. We’ve actually visited the sight of this previously but I’ll admit I’d forgotten that. We’d earlier checked out the main dining room dinner menu and our eyes were immediately drawn to one particular item on the dessert choices which made it a winner regardless of whatever else was available for starters and mains. We therefore arranged to meet everyone else at the Glass House on deck 7 at 7pm so that we could try get in the Zenith restaurant on the same deck. We must have repeated “7 at 7” about a dozen times. Michelle, Kyle and I arrived at the Glass House at 6:45pm and sat in a nice, quiet corner which was partly partitioned off (albeit with see through partitions). The down side is that this made us invisible to the waiters but we eventually flagged one down and Michelle and I tried some glasses of Boom Boom Syrah as recommended by some cruise vloggers that we watch on YouTube. Very nice it was too. I tried to book dinner on the My Holiday webpage at 6:50pm and yet again I got the response that online booking was closed for every MDR. I therefore walked along to Zenith and was immediately attended to by Love Joy (a very nice lady working on the Zenith reception, not Ian McShane, though doubtless he is lovely in person too). Love Joy first of all was keen to learn how to correctly pronounce my surname, then she asked if I’d tried to book via the online booking service. She then checked the system and advised that for a large table there would be a wait of around an hour, or possibly longer, maybe as late as 8:30pm, and would I mind taking a pager. I readily agreed and strolled back to the Glass House. About a minute after I’d sat down the pager buzzed! Great news but you really couldn’t make this up. Michelle and Kyle went off to try intercept her parents as we knew they would be coming down the aft lifts, and I waited in the Atrium for my mum and sister. Once they arrived we strolled on and a different receptionist said that she knew where the rest of our party were sat (“Kyle, right?” she said) and then arranged for a waiter to escort us there. It wouldn’t have been easy to find them on our own but our escort didn’t seem to know exactly where the table was. It didn’t matter as he got us into the right vicinity then we did the rest. We were immediately given menus and I asked our waiter what “Pho Soup” is. He said that he didn’t know but that his senior colleague would be able to help us. From then onwards our senior waiter did most of the order taking and serving, and very good he was too, really friendly and nothing was any trouble for him. A lot of our party chose pate for a starter and it looked like a very thin slice of game pie. They all enjoyed it which is all that matters of course. I had avocado on Spanish bread which was an improvement on last year (on Iona) when the avocado was like a block of ice. I also had the mystery Pho Soup (well described by our senior waiter as an Asian beef broth like a consommé) which was perfectly nice but I could take it or leave it in future. For a main I had veal which to my very average palate was like a couple of slices of pork loin. The dauphinoise potatoes were good but I left most of the root vegetables (and I’m usually a good boy who clears my plate). I didn’t need to revisit the menu for my dessert choice, rum and raisin ice cream, which was always a bit of a treat when I was growing up. It’s my all-time favourite and always will be. No surprise that mum and sister chose the same and we all enjoyed it. There was a long delay for desserts but it really didn’t bother us so again it was a leisurely dinner that took around 2 hours. After dinner we returned to the Glass House, sat in exactly the same place and were served immediately. Eventually another group sat next to us, then a little later another largish group sat next to them. It turned out that they were both from the same part of the country and the 2 matriarchs started shouting across to each other sharing their tales and who they knew etc. It all got extremely loud, especially for mum and I who were sat closest to them, so much so that it set off my occasional tinnitus. Eventually I offered to walk mum back to her cabin whilst my sister finished her drink. Once I got back we didn’t last much longer so we called it a day around 10:30pm. Back in the cabin Kyle put a movie on the TV but I have no idea if he watched it all or what time he turned it off.

Happy Wednesday

I am a light sleeper and have not noticed any noise from the club lounge 2 decks below whatsoever.