Live On-Board Iona G208

[DamianG]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Another fascinating and balanced review. Many thanks. I’m delighted to hear that Eggs Benedict is now available daily as it’s my favourite breakfast item and Mondays always seemed to take a long time to arrive!
 

You mentioned Money Spider wine yesterday. It’s actually Australian from a producer called d’Arenberg and whilst we aren’t wine snobs (£5 bottles of wine from Waitrose etc usually do us fine) we have a selection of their wines for special occasions. Although easy to identify (most have a diagonal red bar across the label) they are very difficult to get hold of at home. I’ve never seen them in any shops, but I tracked them down from an online merchant in Bath. As well as being superb wines, they have entertaining names such as ‘Dead Arm Shiraz’. Here’s a few of the ones we have in stock at present (Money Spider second from right)! If Money Spider wasn’t to your liking, try Olive Grove. I think that they usually stock it in the Glass House. Cheers!

Cheers Selbourne, good to hear from you.

[DamianG]

43 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I am thoroughly enjoying your interesting blog Damian. Expertly written and well described, I feel as though I am there with you. 

Avril

Thanks Avril, hope you, Frank & family are feeling better.

[Selbourne]

6 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Excellent blog Damian.Essex wines are underestimated.The Tilbury grape with the overtones of the old Thurrock power station and the bouquet of Canvey gasworks is to die for.One question which could be a dealbreaker for sis and I.Is the blue nun in the package or understandably on the top shelf,Brian.

😂 We were on the Isle of Wight once and visited a vineyard. The chap there asked if we’d like to taste some. I was reluctant as I told him that I’d yet to try a British wine that I liked. Very proudly he said “Ah, but you’ve not tried these before”. I duly obliged. With great anticipation he asked me what I thought. Never one to lie convincingly, I replied “I’ve still not tried a British wine that I liked” 😂 

[brian1]

On 4/3/2022 at 9:09 AM, DamianG said:

Sunset on the Solent last night with the IOW ferry bringing up the rear.

Sadly Damian,that's gonna be our only cruise this year.IOW ferry May bank holiday.

[DamianG]

11 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Excellent blog Damian.Essex wines are underestimated.The Tilbury grape with the overtones of the old Thurrock power station and the bouquet of Canvey gasworks is to die for.One question which could be a dealbreaker for sis and I.Is the blue nun in the package or understandably on the top shelf,Brian.

Captain Dunlop is keeping the Blue Nun in reserve in case they run out of LNG for the engines.

[brian1]

1 minute ago, DamianG said:

Captain Dunlop is keeping the Blue Nun in reserve in case they run out of LNG for the engines.

I guessed it'd be laid down somewhere below decks.

[DamianG]

PB yesterday, floor count smashed 

 

[DamianG]

Coffee in Vistas, with a vista of Rotterdam city port

[DamianG]

Welcome to Rotterdam

Edited April 5, 2022 by DamianG

[Harry Peterson]

6 minutes ago, brian1 said:

I guessed it'd be laid down somewhere below decks.

Deleted.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Harry Peterson
Duplicate

[Angel57]

Thoroughly enjoying your balanced posts about your cruise and especially your wine choices…..🍷🥂🍾

Thank you.

 

[purplesea]

Really interesting to read about your cruise. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

[Adawn47]

23 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Thanks Avril, hope you, Frank & family are feeling better.

We are thank you Damian. I'm sure it must be the sea air on our cruise😉

Glad you're enjoying your cruise, and I'm eagerly awaiting Kyle's new food choices😋

Avril

[Britboys]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Another fascinating and balanced review. Many thanks. I’m delighted to hear that Eggs Benedict is now available daily as it’s my favourite breakfast item and Mondays always seemed to take a long time to arrive!
 

You mentioned Money Spider wine yesterday. It’s actually Australian from a producer called d’Arenberg and whilst we aren’t wine snobs (£5 bottles of wine from Waitrose etc usually do us fine) we have a selection of their wines for special occasions. Although easy to identify (most have a diagonal red bar across the label) they are very difficult to get hold of at home. I’ve never seen them in any shops, but I tracked them down from an online merchant in Bath. As well as being superb wines, they have entertaining names such as ‘Dead Arm Shiraz’. Here’s a few of the ones we have in stock at present (Money Spider second from right)! If Money Spider wasn’t to your liking, try Olive Grove. I think that they usually stock it in the Glass House. Cheers!

Can you really get a bottle of wine for £5 in Waitrose these days 🤔😀

[Dermotsgirl]

I’m enjoying your reports, Damian,  it’s just like we are travelling with you.

 

I was just wondering about the tables for two in the MDRs. Are they spread out, or are they the sort which are so close together that you are almost sitting on your neighbours lap? 

[Selbourne]

22 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Can you really get a bottle of wine for £5 in Waitrose these days 🤔😀

I’m a very canny shopper Andrew and shop for wine once a year. Every year Waitrose send me a load of 20% off vouchers. I head to our nearest store and look for the wines that have big price reductions (usually quite a large selection to choose from at around 20% or more discount). Of the ones that I know I will like I get a case of each, which gives you a case discount on top of the sale prices. Then, at the till, I put them through in 2 or 3 transactions to use as many vouchers as possible. So with sale prices, less case discount, less a further 20% discount I buy bottles that are around £10 a bottle full price for around a fiver. In my last shop (December) I came away with around 6 or 8 cases of 6 bottles and that will last us for 12 months until I repeat the above 😂 

[lincslady]

Wow. you are a clever shopper.  Fairly often W have an offer of 25%  off any 6 bottles, (includes sherry), which I usually use. They do have a few bottles at £4.99 - and some of them pretty drinkable if you are not  a wine buff.

[DamianG]

41 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I’m enjoying your reports, Damian, it’s just like we are travelling with you.

 

I was just wondering about the tables for two in the MDRs. Are they spread out, or are they the sort which are so close together that you are almost sitting on your neighbours lap? 

 

Thanks for the kind words.

 

When you reserve a table via the app you have the choice to share a table (or not). The distance between the two seaters seems to vary for each restaurant. When we went into Aqua for breakfast on Sunday I honestly thought the first pair of couples we saw were together as the tables were so close. In the larger restaurants there seems to be more space so it doesn't look like that at all.

[Dermotsgirl]

3 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

Thanks for the kind words.

 

When you reserve a table via the app you have the choice to share a table (or not). The distance between the two seaters seems to vary for each restaurant. When we went into Aqua for breakfast on Sunday I honestly thought the first pair of couples we saw were together as the tables were so close. In the larger restaurants there seems to be more space so it doesn't look like that at all.

Thank you, that's very helpful.

 

We are booked on Iona next March, so I would probably go for the larger MDRs, although we are keen to try Keel & Cow, The Olive Grove and good old Glass House. 

[gsgbrumuk]

14 hours ago, DamianG said:

PB yesterday, floor count smashed 

 

52 floors it is a mighty tall ship!

[P&O SUE]

5 hours ago, gsgbrumuk said:

52 floors it is a mighty tall ship!

I was going to say 52 floors -😱😱

[the wandering two]

A few menus that folks were looking for. From last Oct but was on again in Jan so should still be current. 

[the wandering two]

Previous was glass house. 
MDR wine. 

[bobstheboy]

On 4/5/2022 at 9:26 AM, DamianG said:

Sorry to hear that, all I can say is that we had a decent chunk of OBC with the booking and our carnival shares. We spent some of that on the first day then the remainder came off the up front charge for the drinks package then they deducted 10% Peninsular Club discount.

I am enjoying you cruise blog and photos, thank you.

 

I contacted PandO about Pennisular Club discounts and OBC.  I was told that if you purchased anything before your cruise the discount would be applied and paid for, but OBC is for onboard only, which I knew. Any purchases onboard, including the Drinks Package , is charged without discount and deducted from your OBC.   I am surprised their systems  allowed the discount and OBC, but good luck if it did.

[davecttr]

The Peninsular Club discount starts to apply once you have exhausted your onboard credit.