Harry Peterson

It was extremely perfunctory, wasn’t it. Understandable though, given the work pressures on those guys. I’m sure you’re right about its popularity! The best bit was the psychological test on politeness to see who grabbed the best cakes first. That was illuminating on occasion!

It’s the Prawn Again Christians that have the biggest problems.

Auntie Ethel is asking, for a friend of course, where that really nice, all inclusive, luxurious even, wonderfully relaxing, haute cuisine, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company went. And who’s hiding the deck quoits?

I understand how they operate - indeed I use one occasionally with our Netflix subscription to access films from other territories not showing in the UK. But ultimately, you’re trusting your personal data with an almost invisible company with absolutely no accountability, and no assurance that it’s handling that data properly. I’m not remotely concerned about them knowing which sites I visit, but I am about personal data which could be used for banking, identity or other fraud. I know they all claim to be absolutely secure, but it’s impossible, because of their very nature and locations, to be sure of that. For the same reason I avoid all public wifi systems when using personal data.

Just out of curiosity, are you happy to trust an anonymous VPN with personal information which could in itself compromise your financial or other security? Not sure I would.

P&O (and other companies) will be relying on picking up a very large number of new cruisers with their new ships, many of whom will have no knowledge of the situation as it used to be - so they won't 'miss' anything at all. They'll just see it the new stripped back cruises as perfectly normal. It's probably a perfectly sound commercial policy, and it's worked in most areas of life. I remember the time when an iron would be expected to last 30 years - now it's probably 5, but there's no outcry. It's just expected (and environmentally appalling).

You mention ‘usual suspects’ - that might have been the case some years ago when the odd person or two might have had particular grievances, but surely not now? Far too many issues, and far too many different posters for that.

I think I’m out of date, unfortunately - though worth a try. Just read a post on another thread saying it’s no longer possible - another cost cutting measure.

You’re absolutely right. Far too many people thinking more about themselves than the child - and it’s the poor child that’s stuck with the daft name which it will have to explain, spell out, or perhaps even have its career blighted by. Boring, classic, hopefully long lasting names for us. And the kids are still happy with them around 40 years on - both names still in frequent use too. Not easy choosing names, but they’re for the children - not the parents.

Might be worth their asking, Sarah, if they can provide a prawn cocktail as an option. Things may well have changed, but it always used to be available on request, regardless of the printed menu options.

Surprising that people don't take more care over names. I knew these: Roland Butter (really!) Rosie Plum (also really)

Thanks for that - absolutely fascinating! Everything in a name that we’d have avoided like the plague. Lots of little Borises and Vladimirs then, no doubt. I’d go for antiheroes - Harry (as in Palmer) for example!

@grapau27 How’s your Sarah getting on, Graham? Hope all’s going well for her. Harry

Exactly that. It was essentially a reference to a shortsighted policy (forced on it by external cashflow problems) of maintenance cuts which ended up costing it its number one position in the market.

I remember the time when Travelodge was the go to budget hotel chain. Cheap, clean , decent well maintained rooms. Never any problems with them over many years. Then they decided to stop maintaining their hotels to save money, and the older ones fell into a pretty poor state. Premier Inn came on the scene and really cleaned up. A lesson there for P&O? The Travelodge of the cruise industry.

Presumably prawn cocktail’s no longer available, like steak and one or two other things, as an ‘unwritten’ option on any menu?

Try this one: 0800 0523840 03 numbers aren't free, by the way, but they are included in call packages as ordinary calls.

As you say, it’s a captive market - or perceived to be such, though P4C is a perfectly good alternative which works every bit as well at a much lower price for now, though I imagine they’ll up their prices too. Nobody you can usefully complain to, I’m afraid. Their job is to maximise profits, and that’s what they’re doing. The only effective complaint mechanism is to avoid using them, and tell them why.

@BeckettJane, you’ve given us all support, help and advice in the past, particularly when you had information about the vaccine programme that very few of the rest of us had. I’ve not forgotten that, and neither have others. Really pleased you’re back, really pleased you’re in a better place, and really pleased you’re able to get such useful support here. Can’t offer much help with the smoking, but maybe a few squares of Cadbury’s might help? You know the ones - those 850g squares they sell around Christmas time. I think Amazon still have some……… Harry

Had to laugh at this junk mail received earlier. Firstly, they can’t consistently spell ‘January’. More importantly though they seem to think £2 off a Triple Foam car wash, whatever that is, will cure depression. Our hard pressed NHS is missing a trick here - £2 off car wash vouchers will sort it all out! Did you know that the 3rd Monday in January is renowned to be the most depressing day of the year, also known as Blue Monday? At IMO we want to bring some shine and happiness to this supposedly gloomy Monday, by offering all our customers, for this Monday only, £2 off Triple Foam.* With triple the foam, triple the soap and triple the fun... be sure to check your in-app wallet from 8am tomorrow, Monday 16 Janaury to make the most of this exclusive Blue Monday offer. What are you waiting for? Lights, Foam, Action.. Let's make this Monday a happy one.

Spot on! Denial seems to be the name of the game now. Lost count of the number of people recently, all talking of having had bad coughs and colds, with loss of senses of taste and smell, all stressing carefully ‘but not Covid’! Without testing of course.

You mention repositioning, and that’s been an ongoing process with P&O for around 10 years now, I’d say, accelerating rather faster over the last 5 years, and faster still since COVID. It’s a very different animal indeed from the old pre-Carnival P&O, catering very much more for the mass market. Thomsons/TUI rather than Kuoni. I’m not at all keen on two-class ships, and I can’t see it coming any time soon to P&O. Saga claim to be one class, but all superior class - maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but they’re certainly picking up quite a few defections from P&O, and I suspect that was their plan.

Watched a really good, but distinctly offbeat, film last night. Anyone else seen it? The Banshees of Inisherin https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/23/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-martin-mcdonagh-colin-farrell-brendan-gleeson Same pedigree as Three Billboards and In Bruges.

Most people here, like us, have probably used both CPS and P4C. We switched to P4C and never went back to CPS - so little difference between the two in operation, apart from the price. I’d guess that plenty of others feel the same way about P4C. We did try a cheaper alternative once, involving parking in Marchwood and being transferred by minibus, and it worked well enough. Nothing like as convenient though. Look out for increases by P4C - almost inevitable.

With you entirely. I’d love to move back but it’s just not feasible. What’s the Brudenell like these days? Used to stay there occasionally many years back, when it was run by Trusthouses Forte. Some here might remember an excellent scheme they had called something like Touring Bargain Break Leisure Cheques. You bought a number at a fixed price before going on holiday and they were valid at most THF hotels across the country. Nothing fancy, but good reliable hotels with surprisingly good food - and amazing ‘sweet trolleys’ as they were called then. I remember some really good breaks at the Brudenell.