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Report on Aurora Northern lights cruise Nov 2023

pete14

By pete14,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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Malcolm142

Malcolm142

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Pete. Thanks for the informative posts on your Norway cruise.

We are doing something similar on R403N next year so look with interest to your blog.

I noticed on Marinetracker that Aurora went between the islands of Vanna  and Arnoya and promptly

did a U turn, do you know why the ship went this way? 

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pete14

pete14

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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

IMG_1356.jpeg

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mercury7289

mercury7289

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Pete

How was the muster briefing done? In May, we went to our muster station presented our cruise card and then went to our cabin to listen to the briefing on the TV is this still the case please?

Seems like you have had quite an experience, does look cold though!

 

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pete14

pete14

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1 hour ago, mercury7289 said:

Pete

How was the muster briefing done? In May, we went to our muster station presented our cruise card and then went to our cabin to listen to the briefing on the TV is this still the case please?

Seems like you have had quite an experience, does look cold though!

 

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. 

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pete14

pete14

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1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

You had a Christmas meal with crackers in your Christmas jumpers in November?  Give me a break.

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. 

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kalos

kalos

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1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

You had a Christmas meal with crackers in your Christmas jumpers in November?  Give me a break.

 Coach companies up and down the country do Turkey and Tinsel, why not cruise ships 🤣

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zap99

zap99

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1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

You had a Christmas meal with crackers in your Christmas jumpers in November?  Give me a break.

1 month to Christmas eve. Just think, South Devon full of townies down for the holidays. I bet you enjoy it really.🤣

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zap99

zap99

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57 minutes ago, pete14 said:

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. 

Practice makes perfect. Would Sir and modum like stuffing.......oh no we wouldn't. 🧑‍🎄

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happy v

happy v

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2 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

You had a Christmas meal with crackers in your Christmas jumpers in November?  Give me a break.

Jean, you will have to get some magic!  I think it's a great thing, and I'm sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

There will possibly also be some onboard who are spending Christmas alone so it can't be a bad thing.

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zap99

zap99

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5 minutes ago, happy v said:

Jean, you will have to get some magic!  I think it's a great thing, and I'm sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

There will possibly also be some onboard who are spending Christmas alone so it can't be a bad thing.

Jean needs to watch out....Santa may not go to the South Hams.

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Educator69

Educator69

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1 hour ago, Stokiegolfer said:

Just looking forward to Christmas Dinner on Aurora as we sail out of Alta on Dec 25th. 

Me too as it’s also a formal night so I am hoping it will be different from anything we have done before. Plus there is snow! What else do you want? A glass of something fizzy perhaps.

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Megabear2 "Live from...." Rare

Megabear2

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19 minutes ago, Goosebear Mum said:

Santa arrives at the funnel on Aurora! (Well, he has done on our previous Christmas Eve cruises!) All harmless fun which everyone got into the spirit for 🙂 

He does on all the ships.  Mind you he has a busy night nipping from one continent to the other so let's hope the skies are clear.

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twotravellersLondon Excellent Advice! Rare

twotravellersLondon

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2 hours ago, zap99 said:

1 month to Christmas eve. Just think, South Devon full of townies down for the holidays. I bet you enjoy it really.🤣

 

We were in London last night to see a show...   no need to worry about overcrowding in South Devon, the West Country, or the rest of the UK... these places must be empty... everyone seems to be here along with most of the population of China, South Korea and many, many more places! 😅

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pete14

pete14

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17 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

He does on all the ships.  Mind you he has a busy night nipping from one continent to the other so let's hope the skies are clear.


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. 

 

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