Live On Board Arvia K316

[Selbourne]

@DamianG As we have no intention of even considering Arvia until we have tried Iona in a few weeks time, I hadn’t bothered to read this thread, but I’ve just noticed that it’s written by you and your reviews are always superbly written and provide very balanced feedback, so I’m now hooked 👍

 

Whilst I’m not at all surprised that upgrades aren’t possible, this must surely be because the ship is full? I might be missing something, but the itinerary will have no bearing whatsoever on whether or not upgrades are possible 🤔

 

I know what you mean about the ‘light’ itinerary. This seems to be a thing with Arvia. These mega ships plod along, and presumably are very expensive to berth, so you get less ports and more sea days when, of course, people spend money on board rather than ashore! Early port departures seem to be a thing as well. Same reason I guess. 

 

it’s very interesting that you are having exactly the same issues with the app as we had on Britannia a few weeks back. I don’t think it’s your party size, as there were only 2 of us! Early diners have no issues (which seems to be most who post on this forum), but those of us who prefer to dine later get stuck with the ‘Queue Full’ message. The fact that you can then do a walk-up or get a pager and be called quickly just goes to prove what I have been saying. When it’s busy, the restaurant staff cannot cope with multiple systems at the same time so the first thing to give is the app - which ironically is the thing that they want us to use 🤔

 

We really enjoyed our cruise in spite of these frustrations, because we learned some work arounds as we went (as you are doing), and I look forward to reading how you get on as the cruise progresses. Enjoy!

 

 

[purplesea]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

The fact that you can then do a walk-up or get a pager and be called quickly just goes to prove what I have been saying. When it’s busy, the restaurant staff cannot cope with multiple systems at the same time so the first thing to give is the app - which ironically is the thing that they want us to use 🤔

When on Arvia in May we had a least three occasions when we (jiust two of us and we were prepared to share tables) walked up to the MDR as we were having problems with the app and were given a pager, with waits of about between half an hour and an hour on the first two occasions. On the other we were told ninety minutes, but after going to Andersons Bar to wait we decided we didn't weren't prepared to wait that long and handed the pager back and ended up in The Olive Grove as a walk in.

 

[TigerB]

Another great read, thanks Damian.👍

 

I remember Love Joy from when we were onboard in January; she was on the Sindhu desk at that time. A really lovely young lady and very customer focused.

[DamianG]

First time this has worked for us. 
 

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, DamianG said:

First time this has worked for us. 
 

Well done!  Breakfast I assume?

[DamianG]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Well done!  Breakfast I assume?

Yes, despite it being yet another sea day breakfast in the MDRs is finishing at 9:30am (instead of the usual 10am) so I made sure I tried extra early.

[Selbourne]

18 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Yes, despite it being yet another sea day breakfast in the MDRs is finishing at 9:30am (instead of the usual 10am) so I made sure I tried extra early.

On our recent Britannia cruise, MDR breakfast finished at 10am on the first sea day and I assumed that it had changed permanently, which we were really pleased about as 9.30am was sometimes a rush for us, especially when on holiday. However, for every sea day afterwards it was back to 9.30am and 9am port days 😡. The only rationale that I could possibly come up with was that the clocks had gone forwards an hour the first night, so the extra half an hour might have been to allow for all the later arrivals, given many may have forgotten or hadn’t adjusted? 

[Red Ray]

Good read Damian but ' To quote P Diddy, it wasn’t me.' - it was Shaggy who sang that. Yes, I know I should get out more....

[DamianG]

Wednesday 9^th August

 

Not the best night’s sleep as a I woke at both 2am and 6am with it taking ages to fall back asleep both times. Whilst laying there wide awake I was surprised at the occasional noises that you wouldn’t usually notice, such as the flushing vacuum loos or the odd slamming door, or just the occasional unidentifiable clang. Unfortunately for Michelle I did fall into a deeper sleep on the second occasion so my snoring woke her up at 7am. I eventually got up quite late for me at 8:50am then we woke Kyle up so that we could go to breakfast in one of the MDRs.

 

At 9:24am I tried to book for breakfast in either MDR and was yet again surprised that online bookings were closed despite Meridian and Zenith being open until 10am. We went down to Zenith and passengers who had been paged were getting prioritised but eventually we were served, again by Love Joy. She correctly pronounced my surname and said that she remembered us. Initially she said that we may need to take a pager then changed her mind and pointed us towards the table for 4 just to the side of the reception area. A few minutes later she brought us the menus herself.

 

Michelle chose some cooked breakfast items and I had Eggs Benedict with bacon, presented with the items arranged as a smiley face. We both had 1 out of 2 poached eggs cooked correctly. Whilst eating there was a commotion at the reception when one gentleman got upset about those who had been paged getting prioritised. He accused Love Joy of shouting at him (she didn’t) and started to get very angry so she called over a senior manager to deal with him. Eventually he stormed off. I felt sorry for Love Joy so after breakfast I picked up a recognition form from reception to put forward some positive feedback for her. If nothing else it may help offset any complaint coming her way.

 

As we were finishing breakfast we noticed several passengers already making bookings for Celebration Night dinner. We asked Love Joy for her advice and she said that they could only make advance bookings for large tables timed at 6pm or 8:30pm. We therefore asked her to book the latter for us and she printed a ticket for us to take. I still don’t think that this is the only reason we have been having issues booking our dinner slots (especially with the online booking system always seemingly being closed when I try) but for this evening at least we were all sorted.

 

After breakfast we went to Vistas for a takeaway latte and tea. We were waiting in the takeaway queue for ages and soon realised something had gone wrong when passengers behind us started getting called for their complicated orders ahead of us. Eventually I interrupted the poor guy trying to do all the takeaway orders on his own and he could not find a ticket for ours anywhere. He quickly got us the latte and tea and apologised.

 

We returned to the cabin but it hadn’t been made up yet. However, we knew our steward was going to do ours next as he called over to us in the corridor and also let us know that Michelle’s parents had been looking for us. We decided to get out of his way (and theirs, no, I’m kidding, honestly) and went and sat in the Atrium deck 8 opposite the Keel and Cow. Once I’d finished my latte I went exploring the decks and took in the mini golf and Altitude Skywalk, and was not in the least bit surprised to see that the latter was closed due to high winds. On one vlog we watched it was suggested that P&O’s attempt at activities for younger passengers and families was a bit half-hearted and I’d tend to agree. The mini golf looks extremely small and crammed in, and the sports court has been halved in size to accommodate it. Certainly Kyle has gone from being keen to try the mini golf to not being interested at all as each hole seems to be very short. The one thing I was impressed with was the paddling pool and waterfall features for tiny tots (like a better version of the one they used to have on Aurora) which Kyle would have loved when he was little.

 

As usual we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon alternating between the cabin and balcony. I played around with the TV a bit and was particularly impressed with the interactive map. I’m also checking our onboard account constantly (and am pleased to say everything has been in order so far).

 

At 2:50pm we dragged Kyle out of the cabin for a late lunch. We had to pass through Horizon restaurant on our way to Taste 360 in the Sky Dome on deck 16, and Kyle decided that he would like to collect a couple of bread rolls whilst walking through. I felt like a spare part who was in everyone’s way so I just stood to one side until he’d got what he wanted. Michelle and I had burger and fries from Taste 360 which were okay, probably slightly better than those they used to turn out when there were open deck barbecues back in the day. Kyle got an iced latte from Sundaes which wasn’t half as good as Vistas, and Michelle and I both got brain freeze from a couple of Pina Coladas. At least the lid was off the Sky Dome (i.e., the roof was open) so it didn’t have the usual stuffiness like a local authority swimming pool.

 

We actually had a fair bit of time away from the cabin in the afternoon as from there we went to Ripples where Kyle (who eats very little by the way) managed 2 portions of ice cream. We passed the time whilst he was eating with a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio. Win win.

 

On returning to the cabin Michelle and I decamped to the balcony with our books. Although it was shaded the sun had fully broken the clouds and it was roasting. So it was a shaded sun trap which you are probably thinking makes no sense at all (or maybe I’d be better saying it was sheltered from any breeze). I briefly broke off to go down the Keel and Cow to cash in our Celebration Night drinks vouchers and as happened with the Welcome On Board Sail Away vouchers the bar man just gave us a glass of champagne for Kyle’s voucher. Keep it to yourself but again we let him have a few mouthfuls then I polished off the rest. By the way, Microsoft’s spell checker is telling me that I should write “go down to the Keel and Cow” but “go down the Keel and Cow” just sounds better. Keeping it real as always.

 

Today’s Horizon newsletter showed an announcement that for “one night only” it was Tandoori Night at the Quays. I thought that this sounded good but not enough to miss Celebration Night in one of the MDR’s. Then I walked through the Quays on my way to the Keel and Cow and was hit with a whole host of wonderful aromas and a fine display of curries and accompaniments. It triggered memories of the early 2000’s when P&O would dress up an area of the buffet with table cloths and Indian decorations to have a curry night which you needed to make a reservation for. The staff used to wear traditional Indian dress and were more than happy to chat about the different curries and other delicacies, and if memory serves me rightly there used to be a discount on Tiger Beer. The Quays offering, though clearly a dumbed down version of that, still smelt and looked fantastic and on any other night I’d have been happy to dine there. I said “Why tonight of all nights?” but as Michelle quickly pointed out the timing won’t be coincidence and they are just using it as a tactic to divert some diners away from the MDRs in an effort to reduce the number of covers in those. Damn you P&O.

 

We arranged to meet at the Glass House at 8pm and the Atrium in general was very crowded. There were large queues for formal photographs and everyone in our vicinity looked very smart. We almost all got a seat but I didn’t mind standing for a while and Michelle and I both had a glass of our favourite wine Albariño (which is only available in the Glass House).

 

We strolled round to Zenith and joined the side of the queue for those who had pre-booked. Our queue moved steadily until there was a delay with the family in front of us, and we ended up being escorted to our table just before 9pm. As we were working out who was going to sit where it became apparent that we had been allocated a table for 6 with an extra chair added. It was shaped like an oversized surf board and father-in-law was seated quite close to a neighbouring table which meant that he kept getting nudged as waiters passed through the gap. We all tried to shuffle up a bit and though we weren’t completely squashed in it was by no means spacious either.

 

Whilst choosing from the menu I asked if we needed to request the Amuse Bouche or if it would be served automatically (with the answer being the latter). Several of us (including me) chose the Crab and Scallop Ceviche with Gribiche sauce as our starter. This was a major disappointment for everyone with a crab mix dominated by onion, tasteless scallops and a sauce that resembled egg mayonnaise. There was no sign of the Amuse Bouche so I asked our head waiter and he had to place an order for it to be delivered to his serving station. To me it tasted like blended tinned tomatoes with a bit of black pepper, pleasant enough but nothing special. There were mixed opinions around the table but no one thought that it was particularly great. On a happier note I really enjoyed the chicken and sweetcorn chowder.

 

I ordered 2 glasses of Gavi di Gavi and there was a mix up with only 1 being delivered. Once I finally got a glass we both agreed that it was the best white wine for our taste so far, even topping the Albariño (which is really saying something for us).

 

For main I chose lobster and prawn with a pastry crust (I can’t remember the fancy name) and was annoyed with myself for not choosing the beef medallion which looked fantastic and would have suited me far better. The prawns were very good but I didn’t enjoy the lobster at all (though surprisingly Kyle did) and I had to pick out a couple of bits of shell (tiny but still enough to put me off even more). Kyle had his usual pasta and tomato sauce and was really happy to finally have his favourite penne, so much so that he asked for another portion. The waiter was happy to accommodate him but it took an age to be delivered, though it didn’t really matter too much as we were in the usual delay period between mains and dessert anyway.

 

Michelle and I both really fancied cheese and biscuits for dessert until we realised that it would be the frankly strange stilton balls mix for Celebration Night. Instead we chose orange and pistachio gateau which was made with a very rich dark chocolate ganache mix that suited me but not her. I was about to say that I couldn’t taste the pistachio when I realised that it was just a sprinkle on top of the gateau and the small splodge of cream on the side. Overall quite a disappointing dinner experience but at least it finished on a winner for me.

 

After dinner we easily found seats in the Amber Lounge. There was the trapeze act on in the Atrium again and being on deck 6 the accompanying music was overbearingly loud for me (and doubtless for mum too). Michelle had a Passion Fruit Martini and I ordered a Malbec, then I went over to Vistas to get a tea for Kyle and coffee for mum. Thankfully nobody else wanted me to get a takeaway drink for them. After the trapeze act the two Spanish ladies performed the Flamenco with accompanying guitar act again and this time I had a much better view. I found it to be very impressive.

 

At 11:30pm the trapeze act was preparing to start again and I really didn’t fancy sticking around for the booming music. Kyle also wanted to go back to the cabin but Michelle wanted to have one more drink, and though I suggested that she could stay out with my sister she declined. Back in the cabin Kyle watched the last 20 minutes of his movie and the TV finally went off at 12:23am.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Wednesday 9^th August

 

Not the best night’s sleep as a I woke at both 2am and 6am with it taking ages to fall back asleep both times. Whilst laying there wide awake I was surprised at the occasional noises that you wouldn’t usually notice, such as the flushing vacuum loos or the odd slamming door, or just the occasional unidentifiable clang. Unfortunately for Michelle I did fall into a deeper sleep on the second occasion so my snoring woke her up at 7am. I eventually got up quite late for me at 8:50am then we woke Kyle up so that we could go to breakfast in one of the MDRs.

 

At 9:24am I tried to book for breakfast in either MDR and was yet again surprised that online bookings were closed despite Meridian and Zenith being open until 10am. We went down to Zenith and passengers who had been paged were getting prioritised but eventually we were served, again by Love Joy. She correctly pronounced my surname and said that she remembered us. Initially she said that we may need to take a pager then changed her mind and pointed us towards the table for 4 just to the side of the reception area. A few minutes later she brought us the menus herself.

 

Michelle chose some cooked breakfast items and I had Eggs Benedict with bacon, presented with the items arranged as a smiley face. We both had 1 out of 2 poached eggs cooked correctly. Whilst eating there was a commotion at the reception when one gentleman got upset about those who had been paged getting prioritised. He accused Love Joy of shouting at him (she didn’t) and started to get very angry so she called over a senior manager to deal with him. Eventually he stormed off. I felt sorry for Love Joy so after breakfast I picked up a recognition form from reception to put forward some positive feedback for her. If nothing else it may help offset any complaint coming her way.

 

As we were finishing breakfast we noticed several passengers already making bookings for Celebration Night dinner. We asked Love Joy for her advice and she said that they could only make advance bookings for large tables timed at 6pm or 8:30pm. We therefore asked her to book the latter for us and she printed a ticket for us to take. I still don’t think that this is the only reason we have been having issues booking our dinner slots (especially with the online booking system always seemingly being closed when I try) but for this evening at least we were all sorted.

 

After breakfast we went to Vistas for a takeaway latte and tea. We were waiting in the takeaway queue for ages and soon realised something had gone wrong when passengers behind us started getting called for their complicated orders ahead of us. Eventually I interrupted the poor guy trying to do all the takeaway orders on his own and he could not find a ticket for ours anywhere. He quickly got us the latte and tea and apologised.

 

We returned to the cabin but it hadn’t been made up yet. However, we knew our steward was going to do ours next as he called over to us in the corridor and also let us know that Michelle’s parents had been looking for us. We decided to get out of his way (and theirs, no, I’m kidding, honestly) and went and sat in the Atrium deck 8 opposite the Keel and Cow. Once I’d finished my latte I went exploring the decks and took in the mini golf and Altitude Skywalk, and was not in the least bit surprised to see that the latter was closed due to high winds. On one vlog we watched it was suggested that P&O’s attempt at activities for younger passengers and families was a bit half-hearted and I’d tend to agree. The mini golf looks extremely small and crammed in, and the sports court has been halved in size to accommodate it. Certainly Kyle has gone from being keen to try the mini golf to not being interested at all as each hole seems to be very short. The one thing I was impressed with was the paddling pool and waterfall features for tiny tots (like a better version of the one they used to have on Aurora) which Kyle would have loved when he was little.

 

As usual we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon alternating between the cabin and balcony. I played around with the TV a bit and was particularly impressed with the interactive map. I’m also checking our onboard account constantly (and am pleased to say everything has been in order so far).

 

At 2:50pm we dragged Kyle out of the cabin for a late lunch. We had to pass through Horizon restaurant on our way to Taste 360 in the Sky Dome on deck 16, and Kyle decided that he would like to collect a couple of bread rolls whilst walking through. I felt like a spare part who was in everyone’s way so I just stood to one side until he’d got what he wanted. Michelle and I had burger and fries from Taste 360 which were okay, probably slightly better than those they used to turn out when there were open deck barbecues back in the day. Kyle got an iced latte from Sundaes which wasn’t half as good as Vistas, and Michelle and I both got brain freeze from a couple of Pina Coladas. At least the lid was off the Sky Dome (i.e., the roof was open) so it didn’t have the usual stuffiness like a local authority swimming pool.

 

We actually had a fair bit of time away from the cabin in the afternoon as from there we went to Ripples where Kyle (who eats very little by the way) managed 2 portions of ice cream. We passed the time whilst he was eating with a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio. Win win.

 

On returning to the cabin Michelle and I decamped to the balcony with our books. Although it was shaded the sun had fully broken the clouds and it was roasting. So it was a shaded sun trap which you are probably thinking makes no sense at all (or maybe I’d be better saying it was sheltered from any breeze). I briefly broke off to go down the Keel and Cow to cash in our Celebration Night drinks vouchers and as happened with the Welcome On Board Sail Away vouchers the bar man just gave us a glass of champagne for Kyle’s voucher. Keep it to yourself but again we let him have a few mouthfuls then I polished off the rest. By the way, Microsoft’s spell checker is telling me that I should write “go down to the Keel and Cow” but “go down the Keel and Cow” just sounds better. Keeping it real as always.

 

Today’s Horizon newsletter showed an announcement that for “one night only” it was Tandoori Night at the Quays. I thought that this sounded good but not enough to miss Celebration Night in one of the MDR’s. Then I walked through the Quays on my way to the Keel and Cow and was hit with a whole host of wonderful aromas and a fine display of curries and accompaniments. It triggered memories of the early 2000’s when P&O would dress up an area of the buffet with table cloths and Indian decorations to have a curry night which you needed to make a reservation for. The staff used to wear traditional Indian dress and were more than happy to chat about the different curries and other delicacies, and if memory serves me rightly there used to be a discount on Tiger Beer. The Quays offering, though clearly a dumbed down version of that, still smelt and looked fantastic and on any other night I’d have been happy to dine there. I said “Why tonight of all nights?” but as Michelle quickly pointed out the timing won’t be coincidence and they are just using it as a tactic to divert some diners away from the MDRs in an effort to reduce the number of covers in those. Damn you P&O.

 

We arranged to meet at the Glass House at 8pm and the Atrium in general was very crowded. There were large queues for formal photographs and everyone in our vicinity looked very smart. We almost all got a seat but I didn’t mind standing for a while and Michelle and I both had a glass of our favourite wine Albariño (which is only available in the Glass House).

 

We strolled round to Zenith and joined the side of the queue for those who had pre-booked. Our queue moved steadily until there was a delay with the family in front of us, and we ended up being escorted to our table just before 9pm. As we were working out who was going to sit where it became apparent that we had been allocated a table for 6 with an extra chair added. It was shaped like an oversized surf board and father-in-law was seated quite close to a neighbouring table which meant that he kept getting nudged as waiters passed through the gap. We all tried to shuffle up a bit and though we weren’t completely squashed in it was by no means spacious either.

 

Whilst choosing from the menu I asked if we needed to request the Amuse Bouche or if it would be served automatically (with the answer being the latter). Several of us (including me) chose the Crab and Scallop Ceviche with Gribiche sauce as our starter. This was a major disappointment for everyone with a crab mix dominated by onion, tasteless scallops and a sauce that resembled egg mayonnaise. There was no sign of the Amuse Bouche so I asked our head waiter and he had to place an order for it to be delivered to his serving station. To me it tasted like blended tinned tomatoes with a bit of black pepper, pleasant enough but nothing special. There were mixed opinions around the table but no one thought that it was particularly great. On a happier note I really enjoyed the chicken and sweetcorn chowder.

 

I ordered 2 glasses of Gavi di Gavi and there was a mix up with only 1 being delivered. Once I finally got a glass we both agreed that it was the best white wine for our taste so far, even topping the Albariño (which is really saying something for us).

 

For main I chose lobster and prawn with a pastry crust (I can’t remember the fancy name) and was annoyed with myself for not choosing the beef medallion which looked fantastic and would have suited me far better. The prawns were very good but I didn’t enjoy the lobster at all (though surprisingly Kyle did) and I had to pick out a couple of bits of shell (tiny but still enough to put me off even more). Kyle had his usual pasta and tomato sauce and was really happy to finally have his favourite penne, so much so that he asked for another portion. The waiter was happy to accommodate him but it took an age to be delivered, though it didn’t really matter too much as we were in the usual delay period between mains and dessert anyway.

 

Michelle and I both really fancied cheese and biscuits for dessert until we realised that it would be the frankly strange stilton balls mix for Celebration Night. Instead we chose orange and pistachio gateau which was made with a very rich dark chocolate ganache mix that suited me but not her. I was about to say that I couldn’t taste the pistachio when I realised that it was just a sprinkle on top of the gateau and the small splodge of cream on the side. Overall quite a disappointing dinner experience but at least it finished on a winner for me.

 

After dinner we easily found seats in the Amber Lounge. There was the trapeze act on in the Atrium again and being on deck 6 the accompanying music was overbearingly loud for me (and doubtless for mum too). Michelle had a Passion Fruit Martini and I ordered a Malbec, then I went over to Vistas to get a tea for Kyle and coffee for mum. Thankfully nobody else wanted me to get a takeaway drink for them. After the trapeze act the two Spanish ladies performed the Flamenco with accompanying guitar act again and this time I had a much better view. I found it to be very impressive.

 

At 11:30pm the trapeze act was preparing to start again and I really didn’t fancy sticking around for the booming music. Kyle also wanted to go back to the cabin but Michelle wanted to have one more drink, and though I suggested that she could stay out with my sister she declined. Back in the cabin Kyle watched the last 20 minutes of his movie and the TV finally went off at 12:23am.

Another excellent review Damian. Yet again, two things that exactly match our experience on Britannia recently. Firstly, the MDRs went ‘Queue Full’ almost like clockwork around 20 minutes before the breakfast service finished each morning. Secondly, our Celebration night dinner wasn’t great and was, in fact, the only disappointing meal that we had in the MDR for the entire cruise. Strange because, pre Covid, it was usually the best meal of the fortnight! We intend to try the MDR for Celebration night on Iona in a couple of weeks time, but I’ve also booked a table for 6 at the 8.30pm Chefs Table as a fall back, should we struggle to get in to the MDR. 

[DamianG]

57 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Another excellent review Damian. Yet again, two things that exactly match our experience on Britannia recently. Firstly, the MDRs went ‘Queue Full’ almost like clockwork around 20 minutes before the breakfast service finished each morning. Secondly, our Celebration night dinner wasn’t great and was, in fact, the only disappointing meal that we had in the MDR for the entire cruise. Strange because, pre Covid, it was usually the best meal of the fortnight! We intend to try the MDR for Celebration night on Iona in a couple of weeks time, but I’ve also booked a table for 6 at the 8.30pm Chefs Table as a fall back, should we struggle to get in to the MDR. 

The evening menu is displayed on a digital board in the corridor leading up to the MDRs so you’ll be able to check once lunch service has finished. This was the only time we hadn’t done this as we had committed to the booking earlier.

Edited August 10, 2023 by DamianG

[DamianG]

Our dinner table for 7 & the disappointing main course.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by DamianG

[DamianG]

Arvia is a very tall ship!

 

[Eglesbrech]

Enjoying following along with your review Damian.

[DamianG]

I always knew those old rail ticket wallets would come in handy one day! 
 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by DamianG

[Camberley]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Our dinner table for 7 & the disappointing main course.

 

 

 

I’m always amazed at how P&O big up Celebration Night, lure you in with poor fizz and then wallop you with the most unspecial food and a lame experience.
 

If there is ever an anticlimax to be created, P&O will nail it 99.9% of the time.

 

But I love your cruise account: that is, the words on here, not your onboard spend! A really great read.

[GSPG]

2 hours ago, DamianG said:

I always knew those old rail ticket wallets would come in handy one day! 
 

 

Haha! I’ve still got mine from the 80’s!

I do it, but shame in a way you have to keep checking your spend, but it’s piece of mind.

[purplesea]

2 hours ago, DamianG said:

I always knew those old rail ticket wallets would come in handy one day! 
 

 

I'vs still got some too!

[TigerB]

2 hours ago, DamianG said:

Our dinner table for 7 & the disappointing main course.

 

 

 

I like this but when I have it again I will be ordering two ....or maybe three!🤭🐽

 

I'm surprised you didn't go for a curry chaser in Horizon after your celebration meal.😉

 

Another good read, thanks!👍

Edited August 10, 2023 by TigerB

[TigerB]

5 hours ago, DamianG said:

Whilst eating there was a commotion at the reception when one gentleman got upset about those who had been paged getting prioritised. He accused Love Joy of shouting at him (she didn’t) and started to get very angry so she called over a senior manager to deal with him. Eventually he stormed off. 

 

novemberoscarbravo !🤬

[DamianG]

Another evening of dining trials & tribulations but hey, Kyle found a duck.

 

Lord help us.

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by DamianG

[Megabear2]

45 minutes ago, DamianG said:

Another evening of dining trials & tribulations but hey, Kyle found a duck.

 

Lord help us.

 

Just be very grateful it wasn't your inlaws finding a pineapple duck ...

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Another evening of dining trials & tribulations but hey, Kyle found a duck.

 

Lord help us.

 

I find this really funny ... know some of you cringe but makes me smile.

[DamianG]

10^th August 2023

 

I woke just after 8am and was thinking about doing some washing (sad but true) then thought I’d be better leaving it until after breakfast. Annoyingly although it was a sea day the MDR breakfast sittings were closing at 9:30am (compared to 10am every other sea day so far) so we got Kyle up in good time and I tried to make a booking on the My Holiday webpage at 8:45am. To my amazement I was able to make a booking and we were called 3 minutes later. I had the usual cooked breakfast and Michelle had scrambled eggs and salmon which she said was nice.

 

After breakfast we returned to the cabin then I collected our washing and headed for the launderette. 2 out of 6 machines were available and I found the selection process and programme settings fairly intuitive. The launderette is too small for passengers to hang around in and gossip like the old days but that was never my thing anyway. 40 minutes later I was on my way back to put it all in the drier and it was all straightforward. Anyone reading this still awake?

 

Michelle insisted that we were going to get out of the cabin for the day so we went to the shaded side of the promenade deck and easily found some available sun loungers. It was comfortably warm on the shaded side and far too hot for us on the sunny side. We passed the time reading and around 2pm I decided to go get some lunch. I was hoping Grab n’Go items were available but there was nothing so I picked up a hot dog and fries from Taste 360 on deck 16 in the hope that Kyle would share some of it. From there I went to the Laguna Bar and the waiter took one look at me then pointed and said “Pint of lager?” Talk about having preconceptions about people but in that moment I just thought “Yeah, why not” even though I’m not much of a beer drinker these days. Needless to say Michelle was surprised when I returned. I put the food on a table between my sunbed and Kyle’s and that was pretty much the last I saw of the fries so at least that plan worked. We were near the Quays so Michelle went inside to get some Katsu Curry and Kyle (having a good eating day) tried that and decided he wanted some as well so off I went again.

 

Kyle spilt some curry on his t-shirt and wanted to change so we gave him his cruise card to go off on his own. He was absolutely ages and we thought that maybe he couldn’t find his clothes so Michelle went back to cabin to try help him. It turned out that he’d been chatting to his aunty and grandma in the buffet then knocked on the door of his other grandparents to have a chat with them. He’d arranged to go in a jacuzzi with his aunty which was frustrating for Michelle as she had offered multiple times and been rejected.

 

Everyone then met up where we were on the promenade deck and sure enough Kyle and his aunty went off to find a jacuzzi where they spent the next hour. At home he always seems to be organising things for his friends and pulling them together which makes me think he does have a knack or maybe even a talent for it with this being another example. I went along to check up on them then completed a lap of the promenade deck including a pit stop in the Sunset Bar for some Pimms for Michelle and I. Michelle’s mum wanted a cocktail but her dad couldn’t understand the instructions he was given and came back from Sindhu with a pint for himself and nothing for her. Michelle and I offered to get her something but the Sunset Bar didn’t have what she wanted so we came back with a choice of a Mojito (Michelle’s idea) and a Mai Tai (my choice) for her to choose from. She picked the latter so we gave the Mojito to my sister instead.

 

Whilst Michelle was waiting to be served at the Sunset Bar I quickly went to the corridor leading up to Zenith and took photos of tonight’s dinner menu on the digital display board to try see what everyone wanted to do for our evening meal. The menu was okay but Michelle and I fancied a change from the MDRs so we suggested going to the 6^th Street Diner. It’s difficult trying to see what everyone wants to do all the time so yet again we pretty much made the decision for them all.

 

Before we left the cabin just before 7pm I checked the virtual queues for dining and as usual nothing was available other than the venues where you pay a supplement. On our way to Andersons we called into the 6^th Street Diner to see if we could book and were advised that it wasn’t possible to book, go on a waiting list or even take a pager. When I asked what we should do the lady said that we should just keep checking online and something should come up later.

 

We met everyone in Andersons and agreed to give it 30 minutes to see if the online queue opened up. At 7:30pm I walked down to the Meridian to book us in there instead and collect a pager. It then occurred to me to see if there was any availability for the 6^th Street Diner for any other day and the My Holiday webpage showed that it was fully booked all the way through the week forward up to Thursday 17^th August. Even if I clicked on that date to book it said for a party of my size I could not book (even though it never gave me the option to choose my party size).

 

We were called for dinner at just after 8pm and were seated in a corner of the Meridian. There were 2 favourite starters for me, Gravadlax of Salmon and Chicken Noodle Soup, so I ordered both. The Gravadlax had a very heavy Dill crust to it which I’d never seen before and wasn’t stated on the menu. It didn’t spoil it completely but it definitely wasn’t as nice. The soup was very good.

 

For my main I asked for Prime Roast Beef Sirloin (with roast potatoes said the menu) but I was delivered the (always available) Grilled Prime 5oz Beef Sirloin (with chips) instead. When ordering I wasn’t asked how I would like my beef which to me was a definite indication that I hadn’t ordered the steak. The waiter took away the steak then a little later returned with a plate consisting of 2 small quite rare slices of beef, one potato, a small carrot, turnips and swede. I suppose that I could have sent it back but by then everyone else was well into their mains and frankly I couldn’t be bothered. At least the Silk and Spice wine went down well with it.

 

My sister and father-in-law both chose Slow-Cooked Pork Collar Steak which looked good but came with an odd looking potato and sage strudel which neither finished. (It looked like a wrap of some kind). Michelle had Vegetable and Bean Chilli Taco Shells which were spicy but not too much and she enjoyed them. For dessert we both chose cheese and biscuits and Michelle suggested that we both had a Graham’s Port to go with it which was a great idea.

 

After dinner we returned to Anderson’s and everyone played cards except me (just not my thing). After a while I escorted mum back to her cabin and when I returned was told of how Kyle had found a plastic duck with a label stuck to it. I’m not sure what to make of that, harmless fund or adding to the non-recyclable rubbish on board? I guess that I can see both sides.

 

Shortly after the usual booming music started in the nearby Atrium. I went to see what was on and it was the 2 ladies who’d performed trapeze previously. This time they were dressed in baseball jackets and jeans and performed some kind of street pole dancing routine on some fake lampposts. Needless to say I didn’t stay long to watch. Back in Andersons there was a group of young girls (or so I thought) sat behind us who were gradually getting noisier and noisier. I thought to myself that they were just kids getting excitable having a bit of fun and I shouldn’t be such a grump until I eventually turned round and realised that they had a mum sat in the middle of them making as much noise as any with no regard for anyone else sat in the room. I’m not pretending that we were quiet by any means but I have no doubt that everyone on the library side of Andersons would be able to hear them over us. We eventually called it a night not long after 11pm.

[DamianG]