pete14

Starlink is not on Aurora yet. The email with the discount offer I responded to implied quite strongly that it was much improved but didn’t mention Starlink. It depends what you want to do. We were not looking to do anything really complicated, just browsing and email etc and it was OK for that. We had a couple of outages of several hours for which we have been refunded (only on request I believe). Despite her age, I think Aurora is a lovely ship. We found issues with the offerings in the MDR which I may expand upon further to end my blog. Sindhu and the Beach House are quite small and booked up quickly so if you want to use them, book them as soon as online bookings are available. I hope you have a great cruise.

Thanks for letting us know about this unfortunate incident. I was not aware of this although I have mentioned black ice on the pavement so it is not surprising it was also on the roads as well. I hope everybody came out of it unscathed. I am sure there will be questions asked and answers sought from P&O but I presume, mainly the local tour provider. Quite clearly, it should not have happened

It was raining practically all the way back from Southampton to Stoke but we managed to get back in good time.

Not tomorrow please. There is a lot of clothes washing to do.

I am currently on Aurora and have booked the internet for the whole cruise for one device. Access can only be from one device at a time (obviously) but if you try to log on from a different device, it asks whether you want to disconnect the device logged on. If so, it disconnects the other device so you can log on.

As we are currently on our last night of a similar cruise on Aurora, I wish everybody on board well. We have been lucky with the weather, I hope it abates soon for Arcadia. If they see as much of the Northern Lights as we did, they are likely to forget about the bad weather at the moment fairly quickly. I hope so.

I’m sorry, I can’t really help with disabled access to the shuttle bus. I don’t recall seeing one waiting as we left but there was one there when we got back. It appeared to be an ordinary coach. There were a couple of people on mobility scooters and one being pushed in a wheelchair that we passed on out walk back. Whether the one pushing the wheelchair actually reached the higher part of the bridge, I don’t know, I certainly would not have been happy to have swapped with him because it was quite a pull up to the top. I always find the final day a little depressing. Gervase Phinn lifted the mood with an excellent 45 minute presentation over wide ranging topics, not just school. Sadly for some on this forum, he is not booked onto any more P&O cruises, just a couple on Saga. Whilst mentally he is still very sharp, physically he struggles a little, especially in heavier seas. There was a moment this morning when he was interrupted by an announcement in the theatre through the tannoy, for exercise a first aid team was needed………in the recycling area. Of course, nobody laughed…not. Wine tasting in the glass house followed lunch in the buffet and a few hours later, we returned there for our evening meal. We seem to have missed the bad weather that Arcadia is experiencing on her way North. I wish her, and all those sailing on her, well as they continue their Arctic adventure. We have been very lucky with the weather, I hope it clears up for them as well. We are now approaching the Straits of Dover so I guess my final update will be from home in sunny Stoke on Trent.

So sorry to hear your sad news Josy and thanks for feeling you can share with our community on here.

Although we had a bit of a swell for a couple of days, it is currently calm with what I would call a stiff breeze, contrary to what I saw on the shipping forecast yesterday before the internet stopped. Hopefully, it will continue like this.

Sorry for no update yesterday, the internet was down again. As it was sold to us as new improved internet, I feel somewhat underwhelmed by it although most of the time it has been just about OK. For days when it isn’t working, and this was the second, so 20%, it seems as though you have to report it to reception in order to get the day refunded. Not a great deal to report from yesterday. Haugesund was quite nice although the shopping streets seemed a bit run down. Made me a bit homesick really. About 3/4 of a mile walk into town. It transpired as though there were shuttle buses but not advertised in Horizon, and judging by the number walking into town, including those with mobility issues, not widely known about. Although the temperature was about 5 degrees, there were icy patches on the pavement so we didn’t see all the town has to offer for fear of breaking an ankle or something. We ate in the Glasshouse again in preference to the MDR which we have lost some faith in. Menu choices are very limited, the ability to tweak dishes to meet dietary requirements known about in advance is still lacking (why the need for a low fat diet means Christmas dinner came without stuffing and cranberry sauce defeats me) and only partially cooking potato products of various types is not really acceptable. Pheasant breast was on the menu again last night. I only hope it was more easily edible than a few nights ago. To end on some good and surprising news, even though we sailing between the South of Norwayish and the North of Scotladish, we were able to see patches of the Northern Lights, accentuated with the camera on my phone. Not as impressive as further North but a bit of a surprise. Anyway, next stop is Southampton tomorrow morning and the ship has that sort of feel about it. At least Pete junior’s watch is keeping good time.

Seems as though Whitebridge wine tasting was even better than we thought it might have been.

As some / many on here know, we have caravan near Abergele. Have played there, in the shade of the ‘I’m a Celebrity’ castle a couple of times with mixed success.

If you don’t mind me asking (shame there is not a pm facility on here), can you give me a clue where you play? Doesn’t matter if you don’t want to but just curious.

Enjoy the wine tasting, just a pity we are in the glorious sunshine of Haugesund and not Stoke. We will undoubtedly be with you in spirit.

The tiffin lunch is not every day, in fact I think yesterday was the only day it was scheduled. On Aurora, Sindhu is quite small so does get booked up quickly. Quality of the experience is excellent. We get back on Monday. Between then and your cruise, it is doing a short Amsterdam cruise. I think the glasshouse opens on boarding day but not at lunchtime. We had a very enjoyable meal in there last night. I am getting a bit disillusioned with the MDR evening meal which I may say more about later. Quality is fine but choice is poor.

I did enjoy it thanks. I don’t think a small travel sized can of WD 40 will be sufficient, lovely ship though she is.

I am not sure everybody is being serious in their remarks. Of course Santa will arrive in good time, dispensing good cheer, turkey and a fine stuffing to go with it. If the skies are clear for Stokiegolfer in Alta, Rudolph’s nose may be clearly visible alongside the green in the sky, that would make a good photo which I expect to see on here. By the way, Stokiegolfer may appreciate the fact that the crockery on P&O is made by Dudson and that in Sindhu by a subsidiary of Churchill. You can always tell if somebody is from the fine city of Stoke on Trent, because whenever they have a plate put in front of them, they always look underneath it to see whether it is of sufficient quality to be made in the Potteries, or at least for a company based there. I always find that sea days towards the end of a cruise lack the anticipation and excitement of those at the beginning. Once you have drunk your way through the wine list, sampled everything off the breakfast menu, had your fill of singers and comedians etc, some of the magic dissipates. There has been a sense of that today, which we have tried to dispel. We had the Tiffin Box lunch in Sindhu which was excellent, highly recommended. I was actually allowed to sit where the Captain sits for breakfast which for sad minded people like me was quite a thrill. For the first time in living memory, we chose not to observe formal night (to give it it’s old name) and ate in the Glasshouse. What a good decision! As with all speciality restaurants we have tried, it was excellent in every respect. Service was brilliant, the food was superbly presented and tasted great, the extra cost, even bearing in mind we had already paid to eat in the MDR, was a bargain and, to the delight of some on here, I had a glass of Peller Ice as an aperitif. This drinks package is very handy. Pete junior has a bit of a penchant for nice watches. I committed a great error in allowing him to look at what the jeweller was selling (not that I could stop him as he is taller, more well built and of course younger than me). They actually had one he really likes which, even before Peninsular Club discount, was considerably cheaper than reputable dealers online were charging so he took the plunge and treated himself. I am sure they will be very happy together and I am pleased he seemed to get a bargain. There is currently a singer in the theatre who I don’t really have any great desire to listen to, so am writing this whilst she is thrilling the audience with her obvious vocal dexterity (or something similar). Then another chunk of the book I am reading about a Norwegian private investigator before an early night to catch up on my sleep. If Selbourne has any of his giant can of WD40 left, perhaps he can airlift it to us because, nice as though Aurora is, she doesn’t half creak with every breath of wind, especially if the sea is rougher than the average millpond, which it has been since last night. Motion Discomfort Receptacles are hanging from the banisters.

Not through choice but it was quite a nice atmosphere and the decorations have been up for more than a week. The roast Turkey joint was very tasty, the sausage was fine, the roast potato and vegetables were as you would expect and the stuffing us was…………….P and O stuffing. They have to practice cooking and serving Christmas dinner sometime in order for it to be perfect when it needs to be so why not last night with such discerning clientele? Just a pity Eric and Ern were in the theatre the night before (Christmas Eve) rather than the big day itself which is customary and traditional.

That is exactly how it was done. On boarding we were directed to our muster station and then to lunch. We didn’t even have to prove that we know how to put a life jacket on.

First of all Malcolm, I had no idea we had done a U turn this afternoon and so have no answer to your question. From the timing of your post, it seems that it might have been during the Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime performance but I don’t suppose they are connected, unless someone shouted ‘it’s behind you’ so we went to have a look before saying ‘Oh no it isn’t’. Some did have some excitement a bit later as there was a fire alert outside the Curzon Theatre which was quickly and successfully dealt with, so very many thanks to the safety team involved. Not a lot else happened this morning. Gervase gave a talk about poetry, reading some of his own along excerpts from other more classical works. The photography expert gave a talk and the classical guitarist a recital. Mention should go to what seems a dedicated group of people who are learning and producing all sorts of crafts, led by a company called ‘Creative Waves. As I walk past them they really seems to be enjoying developing their creative skills. This evening was Christmas Dinner. For a mass catered meal it was fine. We also had crackers and some of us wore Christmas jumpers, with the waiting staff wearing Santa hats. Anyway, a quick brandy in the Crows Nest to settle my stomach because the sea is a bit lively with the promise of greater liveliness to come, some more chapters that need reading and then to bed for an early night. To finish, from my cracker: Why do elevators tell good jokes? Because they work on many levels

I am not saying the weather is bad but the fog horn is being used. Visibility made worse by fast falling snow.

I am sure you are correct. Investment has clearly been made just for around a dozen planes in and out in a day, mainly small ones. A couple of larger ones to and from Oslo but mainly linking Alta and Tromso. I suppose a country such as Norway with the larger settlements mainly on the long coastline, air and ferry (Hurtigruten ferries) transport is more important than in UK.

A quiet day recovering from the excitement of yesterday. We have been in Alta all day and leave about 01:00 tomorrow morning when those chasing the Northern Lights return. I hope they see them but they may not be as spectacular as last night because it is a bit cloudy. We went into Alta this morning just to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. There is little there although somehow we missed the Cathedral which I have been told is worth a visit. Maybe the very cold weather affected my thinking and vision, certainly nothing to do with the drinks package that early in the morning, We had lunch in the buffet which is quite civilised and with a wide choice of food (but no trays). The afternoon was mainly spent in our cabin reading. We are currently in the Crows Nest. If the lights appear, we will go down to our cabin as last night. It is cloudy but not quite so cold as earlier. Tomorrow is Christmas. ‘Love Actually’ in the cinema, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ in the theatre (Oh no it isn’t) and Christmas Dinner in the evening. Christmas jumpers are encouraged (we were told prior to the cruise that we may need them). Hopefully everybody will feel like eating despite the increased wind strength and sea state. As I sign off, there is another aeroplane coming in to land. Oh the excitement!

Although I had noticed the airport, I was a little surprised to see a plane flying past, just outside the Crows Nest windows, just seconds before it landed. It was probably a bit further away than it looked, but a bit disconcerting.

The flight from Oslo landed at around 12:30. Taken from the ship to show how close we are to the airport and the deterioration in the weather.