pete14

Oatcake production line, and lunch today

No yeast Eddie, at least not in ours. Just 4 ingredients: flour, oats, water and a pinch of salt.

I agree with you but I guess they are working on the basis of the fact that meat eaters can eat vegetarian and vegan dishes, which they have to provide, but vegetarians and vegans can’t eat meat dishes. In a galley with restricted space and thousands of mouths to feed, where different preparation ares are needed to prevent ‘contamination’, choice is inevitably going to be restricted. Add to that the area for special diets….

Oatcakes are made from water, wheat flour, oats and a pinch of salt, mixed together and cooked on a griddle like a pancake. More healthy than bread and no need for butter.

As things stand at the moment, owning up to supporting Stoke City is almost as bad as supporting the Vale. Staffordshire football isn’t great at the moment. Must be all the oatcakes slowing the players down.

I guess by now, most people are totally confused by this. Never mind. I am quite partial to oatcakes from the oatcake shop in Goldenhill. Like others, they are freshly made in the shop so always fresh. Their pikelets are good too. More confusion reigns in all parts of the country apart from ours.🥴

Seems very sensible to me although I am saddened that there are obviously people out there who need to be told to keep their pets in a different room from the boiler. I don’t suppose it applies to rabbits, hamsters and goldfish though.

As any delays are likely to be approximate, giving such an estimate commits them to it. If it turns out that the delay is less severe, if every passenger is at the airport they can leave at the earlier time.

Although correct about Arvia, your comment about select and saver is incorrect. On ships apart from Arvia and Iona, booking Select fare gives you the choice between fixed dining on first or second sitting or freedom dining. On Saver fare, P&O allocate which you get and there is no choice.

As Arvia is freedom dining only, I don’t suppose it makes any difference at all.

With global warming, you may regret that final remark.

We have a couple of sturdy blue reusable coffee cups that some may recognise. Take them into the purveyor of coffee that gives a bean with every cup and you get two, not one.

Thanks for a great review. I am delighted you had such a great time and the positivity in your review is good to read. Perhaps you could try swimming in the sea in Wales to check the contrast in temperature.

Is Anne Boleyn the author or is that her head on the floor?

I tried it on Aurora and enjoyed it one night when I really didn’t fancy anything else on the menu.

I disagree. This extra ‘pay’ menu increases choice for those who want an occasional upgrade from the normal menu. It is not compulsory. I agree that the menus have been slimmed down, and would prefer for it not to have happened, but that is possibly down to the need to provide both vegetarian and vegan dishes (suitable for everybody) requiring dedicated meat and fish free spaces to prepare in a galley which has limited space to provide the larger range of previous ‘meat’ option choices as well.

Disappointing on many fronts. I hope you feel better soon.

Megabear - I seem to recall that you have been in the Caribbean on Britannia, a cruise that coincided with a few others from these boards. I just wondered whether any of you were able to identify each other.

Another good reason to book directly with P&O and cut out the middleman who needs to impose charges to increase turnover. It also means that if an issue like this arises, you can speak directly to P&O, rather than allowing somebody else to negotiate on your behalf.

Reduced salt and sugar has it’s benefits but what irritates me is the predominant green colour which implies it is the healthy pure food option when it is likely to be highly processed and full of additives.

Regarding your request to move table in the evening, is Cleopatra still onboard in the Head Waiter team? We found her to be excellent in November and I am sure she would try to help you out quickly.

Again on Aurora two months ago, we had the small box of chocolates, box of White Company lotions which we brought home and drinkable champagne in the fridge. I agree that the canapés are no loss, probably more as a wastage issue than anything else.

This was November 2023. I have no idea whether any extra training was done on the ship immediately but I am confident that Head Office will have set something in motion by now.

My wife contacted the executive team at P&O about the failure to address her dietary needs properly on Aurora and she received a reply that was apologetic, and at least suggested that they took it seriously and would be dealing with it with the head chef onboard. My guess is, and it is only a guess, that the chef responsible for dietary needs has been retrained or moved to another part of the galley. At least, that is action that I think should have been taken.

Not mine I’m afraid. I don’t tend to need to wear one of any size.