Eglesbrech

That’s great in terms of getting a table. Just for general information if you book in advance then you get a healthy discount off the food. Booking onboard makes it more expensive.

I have been reading some negative feedback in other places about the lack of “premium” drinks. The discussion is around many past offerings disappearing from the menus. According to the reports a number of the more expensive cocktails have gone from menus and the wine choices all favour the plus package $€£limits. There are (allegedly) so few above the plus limit people are questioning if premium is worth while now. Anyone who has sailed recently have any thoughts on this? We always have premium and have been able to drink decent champagne by the glass and have the choice of some pretty good wines. Has anything changed?

Actually, just as a point of interest, it can and does happen on the more expensive lines as well. Hebridean Princess was chartered for the late Queens birthday and all the normal passengers kicked off just like any other charter. It’s very wrong but then from the other side passengers can book 2 years out and hold a cabin, then cancel just before the final payment. I’ve been on the receiving end of a charter cancellation so sympathise with the OP.

It’s really unfortunate when it happens to you but as others have said it happens on most cruise lines, so it’s not exclusive to MSC. Its actually worse when they cancel just half the ship and you find yourself on a cruise half full of a single interest group who take over. I hope you find something else suitable for you.

Glad you managed to have a nice day and just sorry the weather was so poor for you today. Enjoy the rest of the cruise, it sounds wonderful. Where did you go shopping?

Best wishes for mother, baby and expectant great Grandmother (love his name). Enjoy lunch.

And then again they could be perfectly healthy and also scrupulously hygienic.

When I was I’ll last year (for clarity on Fred not P&O). I cleaned everything myself in addition to the hard work put in by the cabin steward. I was scrupulous about that and my own personal hygiene. Consequently my husband was fine.

Exactly. I had noro last year but my husband (who has the constitution of an ox) was perfectly well throughout. Add to that the possibility that it would be difficult to legally justify the confinement of a perfectly healthy person? While it is sensible and necessary to confine someone with an active infection and regulations provide for this, I very much doubt they allow the confinement of someone perfectly healthy. I will stand corrected if someone knows otherwise.

It’s much nicer to be able to just walk into the theatre when the notion takes you on Aurora. I have to say that the freedom dining was not well organised and pagers were being issued every evening with sometimes lengthy waits. We moved to fixed dining which was excellent by comparison and improved our holiday as “freedom” was the freedom to hang about with a pager which only works in the areas near the restaurant so only a couple of the bars.

My one is called “a knife”😀 Looks smart though.

Glad to be of service. I hope they enjoy the concert. We saw Take That before they were famous as an unknown opening act.

If you are foodies then you may want to try this if you go to Madeira. https://www.madeirafoodonfoot.com/ we have done several of their events over the years and they are most enjoyable.

Kalos will no doubt have some good ideas, we have also stayed in several times in Madeira. Most of the hotels in Funchal are up on the Avenue Moumental which is up a very steep hill. There are regular local buses into / back from town and you can purchase a giro card from the bus station which takes the price of the journeys right down. We usually walk along the promenade and down the hill via the gardens into town, then get a bus back up it. There are a couple of hotels in the town centre but they are somewhat quirky. There is the CR7 which is right opposite the port and a flat walk to town but it doesn’t have balcony’s. The Vine is in the centre as well but very modern and no proper balcony. Two along by the funicular are the Quinta bela Sao tira and the porta Santa Maria. I have not stayed in them but they are a handy location, perhaps someone else has stayed there (both have nie front facing rooms but also noisy side and back facing so an upgrade would be essential). We have stayed in the Enotel Lido - it’s about a 20 minute walk into Funchal but has a bus stop close to the hotel with regular buses. This is a nice all inclusive hotel with lovely rooms and decent food. The main restaurant is a buffet but they also provide table service at a Portuguese, Italian and Tepenyaki. The standard side sea view rooms look out over the side to the sea over a car park so you would need to get a sea and pool facing room or upgrade to a suite (which is lovely). The hotel is down on the lido so you can go out the back gate for a stool of an evening. Royal Savoy - we enjoyed this hotel as well, beautiful gardens and closer to the town centre. They offer al La carte dining and also some speciality nights, we had dinner and Fado one night for example. If you book a junior / suite the room has a small kitchen for nights when you just want to chill with cheese and wine and admire the lovely view or a light lunch on the balcony Vida Mar - again near a bus stop. The higher floor rooms in this hotel have amazing views and are very well appointed. There is also a nice spa. Food is buffet service and more basic than the accommodation, it you won’t starve. They also offer and Italian and Portuguese option included. There is so much to see in Funchal, great choice for a holiday.

For those who live in Southampton is congestion near to St Mary’s Stadium (Take That concert next weekend) likely to cause congestion further back up the motorway to any extent? I ask because popular shows at the SEEC or Hydro do cause congestion in Glasgow and I wondered if / how bad any traffic issues are likely to be. Thanks

All this talk of food is making me hungry! I’m playing my own personal game of ready, steady, cook this week. We are off on our travels next week so using up what’s left. Its not so much what OH wants to eat but what I can “create” from what’s left in the fridges. I have come up with some good recipes over the years by bunging together what’s left. I discovered roasted cauliflower, fennel and lentil soup as a result of having to use up a whole cauliflower and it’s delicious. Tonight it’s a Mediterranean beef stew as I had olives, red peppers and sun dried tomatoes to use up. Does anyone else do this before they go away? I hate food waste.

I agree with you re the principal (though I must have missed the many who are whining?). I often book saver fares but do so in the full knowledge that I could end up with the very worst cabin in the grade. For that reason I am very careful about the grade I pick (and those in the same cabin type grades above it just in case I am “upgraded” to above the disco). On some ships it’s fairly easy as there is not much between one cabin and another, on others it’s a definite gamble so not worth the risk. In the unlikely scenario that I get a meta grade upgrade, I’ll happily take that….. but it hasn’t happened yet. If you book a saver you need to be aware of the risks that go with it. If you must have a certain area or a certain dining time then it’s not for you. The problem is that it seems this is rarely explained fully to new cruisers, which is a shame.

You get different restaurants depending on the package you purchase with a mix of experiences. So no you can’t choose the same one 4 times. If you look at your cruise personaliser it describes which restaurants or shows each individual package includes.

Thanks but I already have a postal vote and have had for many years. This will also be the first election up here that requires ID (not required for Scottish elections). The issue is that many, many more people will be applying for postal votes given the timing. Not fun or the local councils when coupled with boundary changes.

I’m the same. Only showing for one of us.

I’m envious, fabulous voice. Cry away, music has the power to move the soul. I cry every time I hear Dougie McLean sing the scythe song as it reminds me of my dad.

I shall avoid any further comments on a subject which is close to my heart but not one for this particular forum. Onto safer ground, I should not bake because I then eat it? That’s why I am, shall I say, cuddly. Three feta bites and a large chunk of rocky road!

4 July won’t be popular up here. Start of the school holidays and trades holidays.

Folks you might watch to turn on your televisions for 5pm. Announcement being made from Downing Street.

Well it was beautiful here this morning and now the rain is Storting down, bouncing odd the windows and there is thunder and lightening. I have had to put on a lamp as it is dark. I think I’ll do some baking - comfort food for sitting out the storm.