Not At All Live From Our (Probably) Penultimate P&O Cruise

[TigerB]

So named because, and I’ve mentioned this on another thread, the way in which P&O has clumsily brought in their new mobility device policy, thus forcing us to cancel a cruise on Iona next year, one which we were looking forward to, has really upset our lass; so much so that, save a cruise we have on Aurora next year, where we are in a fully accessible cabin, she is not going to allow P&O to have another penny of my hard earned pension.

 

 

 In other posts I have been hinting about the upcoming publication of the report of our most recent cruise with P&O.  My intention was to publish all daily reports in one go as soon as I could after returning home.  However, I came home to an unfinished kitchen, and really need to get that completed; therefore, finding the time to tidy up the posts and format the photos has been difficult. 

I don’t want to leave you hanging on much longer so, as a compromise, and to prevent being chowed at by @Selbourne, I have decided to publish the reports in instalments, a few days at a time.

 

Here follows the first instalment...

 

 

The Cruise: K419 on Arvia to the western Mediterranean.

 

 

I was considering a 'live from' blog but, because we had a couple of pairs of sea days, and I won't pay P&O for Wi-Fi, it would have become a little disjointed. Also, given a topic a few months ago about advertising being away, I didn't want to suffer the wrath of the Liverpool & Victoria.  For a similar reason, I didn't want any of you poor down-at-heel suvverners coming up to East Yorkshire and burgling us northern folk; our whippets and racing pigeons are precious to us!

 

So, what follows are more the ramblings from a Tiger at sea, with plenty of food porn included.  

To try and keep an 'as live' vibe, I did intend to write the posts at the end of each day, or at least every couple of days, with a view to posting everything after we got home.  What do they say about ‘all good intentions’?

 

So folks, make a brew and (hopefully) enjoy the first instalment...

[TigerB]

We booked at the back end of 2022 when or just after the cruise was released; we selected an outside fully accessible cabin on the saver rate, safe in the knowledge that we would get one of four such cabins, in a location that wasn't expected to be affected from noise above, below, or to the side of us.  At that time we hadn't sailed on Arvia, or indeed Iona, so we were yet to experience a partially accessible inside cabin.  Had we already sailed on either of those ships, and already tried one of those cabins, which we have since found suit our lass's mobility needs, we would have probably chosen that cabin type, and saved a little bit of money in doing so. However, the outside cabin for this cruise was just a couple of hundred pounds more than the inside cabin, so it was a no brainer.

In hindsight, it is really good that we didn't go with the partially accessible inside cabin.  "Why?" you may ask.  Well, unless you've been on holiday to the moon, you will probably know about the recent sudden change in policy by P&O in respect of power chairs, and classing them in the same category as mobility scooters, and then banning them from partially accessible cabins.  So, had we booked a partially accessible inside cabin, then we would have got the call, like some unlucky passengers had, a few days before our cruise to say we weren't allowed to sail, unless we brought on a foldable manual chair!  Having been the user of a power chair for over eleven years, there is no chance that our lass would go back to a manual chair, and in doing so, lose what independence she does have. So, had we received such a call it would have been a devastating double blow, not just because we wouldn’t have been able to cruise, but also because my sister and brother-in-law booked at the end of June to join us and celebrate his 75th birthday. Had we found ourselves in such a situation it would not have been a simple case of our lass letting go of a few f-bombs; no, I wouldn't have been able to stop her; she would have been out the door in her chair, down the M1 and M3, and gone proper 'Falling Down' on P&O Towers.😵

[TigerB]

Day 1 - Sunday 15th September:

 

Arrival & Boarding:

 

We left Newbury South PI at 12:15, expecting to get to the terminal at about 13:20, after a quick stop at Eastleigh Asda to replace forgotten water bottles. Once we hit the city centre though, we couldn't use our usual route as we were scuppered by new bus-gates; so we arrived at the terminal at 13:40. It took me two trips to drop off the luggage; we had dropped by our cruise partners' home the day before to pick up theirs as they were travelling down by coach.

 

Parking was with Parking4Cruises, booked as Southampton Port Stress Free Meet & Greet through Sky Park Secure, at a cost of £95.  I knew when I booked it last year that it was the same company.

After dropping off the car and returning to our lass, we made our way past the long and snaking queue to the Special Assistance greeter; we were directed into the terminal and told to go straight to check-in. That took all of about fifteen minutes at the most and, after passing through security, boarding the ship, and checking in at our muster station, we were sat in Glass House at 14:28, two minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time; a Punk IPA (now £5.95) for me, and a large lime and soda for the lady.

Those of you who have read my previous cruise reports/blogs may recall we have encountered problems with the inconsistent pricing of a lime and soda. Expecting the same again, I was relieved that it appeared to have been sorted, and at £2.25, has only increased in price by 5% since our last cruise, in February.

 

We received a message from my sister to say that they would be late boarding. They were still over an hour away. They should have been picked up from Woodhall Services (M1 near Sheffield) at 09:45. The coach turned up at 11:15. The reason for the delay? The driver was parked up on the northbound side, and when nobody turned up she contacted her company, and found out why. Hello? You're a professional driver and you're collecting folk from a service station in the north to take them to Southampton. There's a clue in the name!

 

While we were sat, a crew member came past trying to promote the La Croix show in the Limelight Club the following week. I hasten to add he was not a member of the entertainment team. His sales patter:

"Sir, madam, would you like to book for the drag queen in the Limelight Club next week?"

I thought his use of language was very refreshing; in today's woke climate, shouldn't it be, 'female impersonator'?

 

I then went to check on the cabins. All the cases had arrived and the welcome envelopes were in the mail slots for both cabins.

 

 

I don't know how long they had been ready for; we didn't hear a tannoy announcement. I took ours into our cabin (4522) just as our cabin steward, Naga, turned up. We chatted for a few minutes, and I made a couple of requests, then I took my sister and brother-in-law's cases into their cabin (4524), bang opposite ours. "You're joking", I said aloud as I entered. Naga came to see what the problem was. The birthday package I had ordered on behalf of my sister, and expressly asked to be delivered on my BiL’s birthday, was sat on the counter top.

 

As a belt and braces step, my sister, who had cause to speak to P&O after the order had been placed, also stipulated it had to be delivered on his birthday. How annoying! I contacted Room Service from their cabin and informed them of the error. No problem; they would pick it up and deliver it again when we call on his actual birthday.

 

Incidentally, if anyone is thinking about ordering a gift, and wants to keep it a secret, you will undoubtedly encounter the same problems we did. Obviously, my sister chose not to order it because she didn't want it to show up as an order on their cruise planner. I called to order and pay for it; however, they wouldn't apply my Peninsular discount. "Why not?” I asked. I was told that they only give the discount for online orders, not those placed over the phone. I established that I couldn't order it on our cruise planner to be delivered to their cabin; it could only be ordered on their cruise planner. I said we wanted to avoid it showing up as an order on their cruise planner, thus spoiling the surprise. "Don't worry", the CSA said; "Gifts don't appear as an order on there". So, I logged on to their cruise planner and ordered it, paying for it with my credit card. Guess what? Yes, you're absolutely right; the order details did appear on their cruises planner, and it remained on there while it was live. It's a good job my BiL isn't that computer literate, but my sister still had to police his time on the cruise planner to make sure the surprise wasn't spoiled.

 

 

I returned to the Glass House, and joined our lass just as the captain came over the tannoy. It was none other than 'Ull lad, Paul Brown, who took us around the Caribbean on Britannia about six years ago.

 

 

Our cruise buddies turned up at 16:05. After their first drink, and our second, we made our way to our cabins. My sister and I went ahead, on a recce to make sure the birthday package had been removed. It had!

 

[TigerB]

Our cabin...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TigerB]

This was our first time in an outside cabin on Arvia or Iona and, I have to say, it was very spacious, about the same size as the balcony cabins we have been in, albeit laid out a little differently. Our lass thought it was actually a fraction bigger than the balcony cabin we stayed in on our first cruise on Arvia, in January 2023.  Later measuring revealed she was correct; although the same width, it was actually one metre longer than the GA balcony cabin we had on that first cruise.  The large window afforded decent views, and our lass could easily transfer to and from the window seat. Neither of us really pined for a balcony during the cruise.

Sorry to disappoint many of you ladies, and some of you guys, but the absence of a pillar (I'm sure one of these four cabins has one) means I won't be able to treat you to a video of me pole dancing in my (warm) leatherette shorts.

 

@Peanut006, I know you changed to a balcony for your return Transatlantic cruise in March, but I have no doubt that this cabin type would be suitable for you for any future cruise.

 

Apart from the cabin size and amenities, its midship location was ideal for us. 

 

 

We were right on top of the port side gangway, which meant that whenever we returned to the ship, we didn't have a fight to get on a lift. In retrospect, it didn’t quite work out that way.  Just forty feet or so from us was the launderette, usually a frequent stop for me. And, apart from Epicurean, the Crow's Nest, and Beach House, it was only two to four flights up for all the eateries and bar areas we would want to visit.

 

Being so low down, looking at the water as we cut through it really does provide a very different perspective. Firstly, it appears that we are going faster than we actually are. Secondly, when the moonlight reflects in the water, it really looks beautiful, sometimes reflecting into the cabin.  Thirdly, I could walk around the cabin as nature intended, with the curtains open, and without fear of upsetting anyone apart from the occasional pod of dolphins.

“B, put some clothes on, there’s a ship over there”

“Babe, if anyone on that ship wants a treat, they’re going to need some really strong binoculars, and even then, they’ll be very disappointed”.

 

 

[TigerB]

Dining...

 

I booked tables at fifteen days out, as soon as the reservations opened. For those evenings, not that many on this cruise, when we would dine in the MDR, Zenith was our venue of choice. I was able to secure 18:30 reservations for that; previously, it has only allowed bookings up to 18:00. 

Unlike other cruises on Arvia and Iona, where some of the free alternative dining options could only be booked once onboard, by visiting or calling them, or joining the virtual queue, I was able to book Olive Grove and the 6th Street Diner from home. We chose two nights each for those.

We chose two nights each for Epicurean and Beach House, and one night for Sindhu.

[TigerB]

Monday 16th September: at sea 

 

 

We were all up and at the Zenith podium for 08:15.

We were seated at table 735, the same one we had almost the entire cruise back in January 2023. It was much more accessible for our lass. Our waiter was Clive, assisted by Annisa Sylfia.

Service was a bit hit and miss. If we have the same table for breakfast throughout the cruise I felt sure we would start to gel, and they would get used to our idiosyncrasies.

 

Afterwards, we went to deck 8 for a slow circuit of the ship, before retiring to our cabins. Our lass was still wiped out, so wanted some shut-eye. I satisfied my OCD by making sure all the hanging items in the wardrobe were hung on the correct hangers and arranged in colour order.

My sister and BiL went to see Steven Simone in the Headliners theatre, talking about Motown. We saw him on his virgin P&O appearance in January 2023, and his talk was so bad, appeared to be unrehearsed, and was full of technical faults, we didn't bother again. They said he was better this time around, but it still wasn't the polished article.

 

Our lass didn't want to venture out for lunch, so I popped up to the Quays for a couple of things to take back to the cabin...

 

I had a Yorkshire pudding with veg in...

 

Our lass had the mock lamb wrap and a bit of veg...

 She loved the kimchee slaw

 

After lunch I made my way to the Headliners theatre and met up with my sister and BiL to watch the guest speaker, Garry Richardson, talk about his fifty years with the BBC. It was an engaging and polished talk but I did find my mind wandering slightly; not through lack of interest but, harking back to my former career, I found myself forensically examining the information given about dates and his age during periods of his career, and saying to myself that they didn't add up.

 

Afterwards, I made my first visit to the launderette, literally forty feet or so from our cabin. Gone are the days when I would iron everything before a holiday and try to carefully pack them to minimise creases; you always have to give everything another quick press when you unpack. These days, the whole lot gets packed, whether it has been previously ironed or not; at the other end I do as I would at home, iron things as we choose to wear them.

 

The launderette on deck 4 has six washing machines and the same number of dryers, and two ironing boards; for the amount of cabins, it really needs three of the latter.

 

 

 

 

There was nobody in to gossip with, so in went the ear buds, and I listened to my toons as I ironed clothes for the evening and next day.

 

When I had finished and turned to leave, I saw a lady who was busy ironing behind me. I told her I didn't hear her come in, and apologised if I was singing out of tune. "No, you weren't singing, but you did have all the moves".

 

Back to the cabin for five minutes and the obligatory ‘triple S’ ahead of dinner.

 

 

[TigerB]

Tonight's dinner venue was Olive Grove.

 

We were seated at table number 146, which was easily accessible for our lass.

Our waiter was Juan, who was working alone and didn't look altogether happy with his lot (Our lass: "Another one with a face like someone’s gone in his house on Christmas Day and pi##ed on his kids’ presents"!)

 

We noticed that the menu didn't have any supplements for certain dishes, as we had previously found on Arvia last year, or as recently as February on Iona; eg. £2 for the backlava.

To the best of my recollection, Arvia had two menus, changing in week 2, whereas Iona just has one for the two weeks.

 

Tonight it was Menu 1.

 

On it was a favourite of mine, the yellowfin tuna steak, and I usually always double up on it. Right, that's me sorted!

Horror of horrors though!  No Crema Catalana, an absolute favourite for me and our lass.

 

 

Drinks tonight were on my BiL. I told Juan to keep hold of his cruise card as I was ordering off menu. After ordering, the response was, "Punk IPA, is that on the menu, sir"?

"No, Juan, but they sell it at Anderson's; that's why you still have the cruise card".

"But it's not on the menu, sir".

"No, but they sell it across the corridor at Anderson's".

"I'll send someone for it, sir".

"I am very grateful, Juan, thank you".

Surely that's not the first time he's had someone ask for a drink from a nearby bar.

 

 

So, on to the food order...

I knew what I was having as a main course:

"I'll have the tuna please, Juan; do you think it would be possible to have two pieces of tuna"?

"You greedy fat knacker! How dare you come into my restaurant and ask to double up. I've read about you on Cruise Critic, you know".

That's what I heard! What he actually said was, "Sorry sir, it is only one item per course, one starter, one main, and one dessert; I can bring a salad for the table".

"No, it's fine, Juan".

Bear in mind that this is an included restaurant.

It looks like I'll be minesweeping later for unfinished desserts!

 

 

So, tonight we mostly ate...

 

Starters:

 

Me...

That was really nice; if Juan had let me, I would have had two!

 

The other three...

One each, of course. On Iona they serve it as a sharer on one of those wooden board affairs.

 

 

Main course:

 

Me and my sister...

 

The other two

Our lass said the recipe was different to the ones she had previously tried on Iona; she preferred this one.

 

 

 Dessert:

 

BiL...

 

Our lass...

 

Me and my sister...

 

Now, I know that the executive chefs are able to interpret dishes as they see fit, but in what way, shape, or form can that be called a Tiramisu?  

Me and my sister are both pescatarians, so I had to check that it did not contain pork or beef gelatine; it looked like it would, but it actually did not.

For comparison, this is the Tiramisu served on Iona in February...

 

and the one served on Iona last November...

 

The verdict: Totally naff!

I was hoping that the Crema Catalana, if it features on the second menu, hasn't been messed around with.

 

 

Afterwards, we retired to the Amber Lounge for drinks, and a view of the sunset...

 

Our lass retired to bed early, and I joined the other two for the 21:30 comedy slot in the Clubhouse; the comedian, Nathan Caton, was passable but not brilliant. He did have a couple of jokes that got many 'ooohs' as they were a bit near the knuckle, but I found them to be really funny.

 

 

[TigerB]

Tuesday 17th September 

 

The first port day of the cruise:  La Coruña (A Coruña)

 

We turned up at the Zenith podium at 07:50, and I asked for the same table as the day before. After we had sat down I checked my diary to see that we had been allocated the same table for breakfast each day. Service was a bit slicker, giving me confidence that, by day thirteen, they'll be a well oiled machine.

 

Afterwards, we returned to our cabins for the necessary comfort breaks, ones and twos, before heading out. Sorry! TMI?

 

At least, when we left our cabin to disembark, we didn't have to mess about with waiting for lifts, given that the gangway was just a few feet away from us.

 

Our lass couldn't remember La Coruna, we were last here in April 2023; neither could the other two oldies. I have a bit of a reputation in our household as visiting somewhere just once, and then remembering my way around it.  So, I was reminding them...

"You know, we got off and there was a little marina on the left, and a shopping centre on the right. We crossed over the road and went right, and to the end of the building line, then turned around and went up that hill towards the centre; don't you remember"?

"Not at all".

"And when we went back to the ship it started raining, and we crossed over the main road on the elevated walkway, into the shopping centre, and then to the dock. And I said we should have come that way in the first place. Don't you remember"?

"NO".

 

So, down the ramp we go. I stop to get my bearings. Hang on! There's the marina, it's bigger than I remember, but it’s on the right.  I checked that we were parked in the same place as last time.  That looks like a casino, but where's the shopping centre? I was proper turned around. The other three then look towards me, "So, which way"?

"Oh, boll...., wrong port! Sorry guys, I think I was describing Vigo. I really don't remember this one at all". Well, nobody's perfect!

 

So, off we went on our merry way, the blind leading the blind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back to the ship just after 14:00, where we freshened up a bit and regrouped near the pool on deck 16 for pizza and burgers.  Afterwards it was back to our cabins to get ready for the evening.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11 by TigerB

[TigerB]

 

 

Tonight's dining venue was Epicurean; our table was booked for 19:15. We popped into the Crow's Nest first to have our free bubbly.

 

We were seated at a table next to the window; our main waiter was Rina, who was assisted by Agnes and Daisy Luna.

 

Tonight it was Menu 1

 

 

We had...

 

 Amuse Bouche: Watermelon mojito...

 

 

Starters:

 

BiL...

 

 

Me, our lass, and our sis...

Surprisingly, for my 65yr old sister, this was the first time she had tried scallops.  She was hooked.

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

 

 

Our lass...

Yes, there is some meat hidden beneath that blanket of frou-frou lettuce.

They shared veg

 

 

Me and my sister had this...

 

We shared veg...

 

 

Palette Cleanser: Orange Sorbet...

 

 

Desserts...

 

Our lass...

 

 

My sister & BiL shared this...

 

 

The Crêpes Suzette was on, so that was a given for me...

Me and my Sis went up to watch mine being prepared...

 

She said she had to go to the kitchen for something. It must have been too much pressure for her, being watched by us, as she didn't return.

Part 2 (our new crêpes artiste)...

 

 

The result...

 

 

Our lass wasn't keen on her Jaffa cake dessert, so I had to force myself to finish it

 

The other two were also struggling, so I took another one for the team!

 

 

That was a really nice meal. I know some folk have found Epicurean on the two larger ships to be a bit hit and miss, but, although our lass has had a couple of things before that she wasn't too keen on, I have never had a bad meal in there.

As always, the staff were great; we received excellent service from our trio of fantastic ladies.

 

 

Afterwards, we popped next door to the Crow's Nest; it was now after 21:00, and tables were scarce.  We got one after a couple of minutes. It was quite noisy in there tonight.

 

About an hour later, our lass called it a night; I took her back to the cabin and got her settled, then joined the other two in the Limelight Club for the adult only show from the comedian, Nathan Caton.

I wondered if it was a recent change to have that type of show in there; with just one entrance, and staff at the podium, it is easier to police. We've been in the Clubhouse previously for the adult only comedy slot, and there have been some young children in there. So, if this is a new policy to keep children out, it is a good thing. It forces parents to take responsibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11 by TigerB

[TigerB]

Wednesday 18th September...

 

A sea day today, so we were able to have half an hour extra in bed before heading down to breakfast for 08:15.

 

It was just getting light outside, but it was really misty; I couldn't see anything in the distance through our window. As we left the cabin and walked towards the lifts, our lass asked me if I could smell burning. I said I couldn't, but her sense of smell is keener than mine anyway; probably because, when we are out shopping, she can smell a bargain a mile off.

 

We had the same table for breakfast, and I think Clive and Annisa Sylvia were by now getting a measure of us.

 

While we were seated at breakfast, the captain made an announcement over the tannoy. Our current position was sixty miles off the Portuguese coast, and the smell of burning was from forest fires near to Porto, and the smoke was drifting out to sea. Despite us being in a huge expanse of water, more than sixty miles away, he felt the need to reassure us that we were not in any danger. Cue some passengers taking off their life jackets!

 

This photo was taken at 10:00 on the port side...

 

 

The rest of the day was a relaxed affair, spent mostly in our cabin, although I did meet my sister and BiL in Headliner's Theatre for Garry Richardson's second talk.

 

 

 

Tonight was our first formal night; we dined in Zenith, and were seated at the same table we have had for breakfast, with the same waiting team.

 

The celebration menu was the same old MPW curated affair of the last cruise, and the one before that, and the one....

 

 

 

The premium supplementary menu was as it was on the first night, and will remain so for the remainder of the cruise

 

 

We had...

 

All..

Amuse Bouche 

 

 

Starters:

 

Sister & BiL...

 

 

 

Our lass...

 

 

Me...

That was really good; if I was a greedy knacker, which I’m not (), I could have easily polished off two or three of those!

 

 

All except our lass..

Vegan version for me and my sister

Just in case you don't know what green soup looks like...

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

 

 

Our lass...

She said it was the smallest beef fillet she's had on a P&O ship

 

Me...

Ooh! How did that extra fillet get on there?🤫

 

Sister...

She has a similar tolerance as me for spicy food, that is to say, not much at all; this was too spicy for her. Clive swapped it for the halibut dish

 

 

Desserts:

 

My sister...

 

 

Our lass...

For a celebration night, or any other night for that matter, that is a rather poor affair!

 

 

Me and my BiL had this...

 

...but mine came with Belgian chocolate ice cream 

 

 

 

After the meal, my sister and BiL were intending to go to the Clubhouse to watch the comedian. Our lass said we were going back to our cabin to watch Barbie, looking at me and saying, "Aren't we, B?" Now, I took that to mean that 'going to watch Barbie' was code for, 'Hey lad, you're on a promise tonight'. So, when my BiL asked again, "Can't I tempt you to one drink; my treat as you got the wine", my answer was a firm, "No, we're watching Barbie; it's been out quite a while and I haven't seen it yet. Isn't that right, love?" Our lass replied with, "Yes love, we really want to see it".

We said goodnight, and made our way back to our cabin, me with a skip in my step.

 

Inside, I opened the pistachio Lindor chocolates to help set the mood. Then we......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....yes, you've guessed it, watched Barbie!🤨

 

Night folks!😴

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11 by TigerB

[janny444]

What an enjoyable review....love your style...its like reading a good  book. I have only read a couple of chapters up to yet but will be picking it up again later on

[TigerB]

Thanks @janny444😊 Take your time though, the next installment is a couple of days away.

[zap99]

7 hours ago, TigerB said:

Wednesday 18th September...

 

A sea day today, so we were able to have half an hour extra in bed before heading down to breakfast for 08:15.

 

It was just getting light outside, but it was really misty; I couldn't see anything in the distance through our window. As we left the cabin and walked towards the lifts, our lass asked me if I could smell burning. I said I couldn't, but her sense of smell is keener than mine anyway; probably because, when we are out shopping, she can smell a bargain a mile off.

 

We had the same table for breakfast, and I think Clive and Annisa Sylvia were by now getting a measure of us.

 

While we were seated at breakfast, the captain made an announcement over the tannoy. Our current position was sixty miles off the Portuguese coast, and the smell of burning was from forest fires near to Porto, and the smoke was drifting out to sea. Despite us being in a huge expanse of water, more than sixty miles away, he felt the need to reassure us that we were not in any danger. Cue some passengers taking off their life jackets!

 

This photo was taken at 10:00 on the port side...

 

 

The rest of the day was a relaxed affair, spent mostly in our cabin, although I did meet my sister and BiL in Headliner's Theatre for Garry Richardson's second talk.

 

 

 

Tonight was our first formal night; we dined in Zenith, and were seated at the same table we have had for breakfast, with the same waiting team.

 

The celebration menu was the same old MPW curated affair of the last cruise, and the one before that, and the one....

 

 

 

The premium supplementary menu was as it was on the first night, and will remain so for the remainder of the cruise

 

 

We had...

 

All..

Amuse Bouche 

 

 

Starters:

 

Sister & BiL...

 

 

 

Our lass...

 

 

Me...

That was really good; if I was a greedy knacker, which I’m not (), I could have easily polished off two or three of those!

 

 

All except our lass..

Vegan version for me and my sister

Just in case you don't know what green soup looks like...

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

 

 

Our lass...

She said it was the smallest beef fillet she's had on a P&O ship

 

Me...

Ooh! How did that extra fillet get on there?🤫

 

Sister...

She has a similar tolerance as me for spicy food, that is to say, not much at all; this was too spicy for her. Clive swapped it for the halibut dish

 

 

Desserts:

 

My sister...

 

 

Our lass...

For a celebration night, or any other night for that matter, that is a rather poor affair!

 

 

Me and my BiL had this...

 

...but mine came with Belgian chocolate ice cream 

 

 

 

After the meal, my sister and BiL were intending to go to the Clubhouse to watch the comedian. Our lass said we were going back to our cabin to watch Barbie, looking at me and saying, "Aren't we, B?" Now, I took that to mean that 'going to watch Barbie' was code for, 'Hey lad, you're on a promise tonight'. So, when my BiL asked again, "Can't I tempt you to one drink; my treat as you got the wine", my answer was a firm, "No, we're watching Barbie; it's been out quite a while and I haven't seen it yet. Isn't that right, love?" Our lass replied with, "Yes love, we really want to see it".

We said goodnight, and made our way back to our cabin, me with a skip in my step.

 

Inside, I opened the pistachio Lindor chocolates to help set the mood. Then we......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....yes, you've guessed it, watched Barbie!🤨

 

Night folks!😴

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am loving your review. I hope P&O get their act together on the mobility issue soon so you can enjoy more of these. I bet Graham is looking at your food porn and booking another cruise right now.🤣

[TigerB]

@zap99, I fear they won't.

You never know, our lass may have a change of heart next year, but for now, she is (so rightly) angry with them. But, just like Seen Canary...Never Say Never Again!

[grapau27]

7 hours ago, TigerB said:

Wednesday 18th September...

 

A sea day today, so we were able to have half an hour extra in bed before heading down to breakfast for 08:15.

 

It was just getting light outside, but it was really misty; I couldn't see anything in the distance through our window. As we left the cabin and walked towards the lifts, our lass asked me if I could smell burning. I said I couldn't, but her sense of smell is keener than mine anyway; probably because, when we are out shopping, she can smell a bargain a mile off.

 

We had the same table for breakfast, and I think Clive and Annisa Sylvia were by now getting a measure of us.

 

While we were seated at breakfast, the captain made an announcement over the tannoy. Our current position was sixty miles off the Portuguese coast, and the smell of burning was from forest fires near to Porto, and the smoke was drifting out to sea. Despite us being in a huge expanse of water, more than sixty miles away, he felt the need to reassure us that we were not in any danger. Cue some passengers taking off their life jackets!

 

This photo was taken at 10:00 on the port side...

 

 

The rest of the day was a relaxed affair, spent mostly in our cabin, although I did meet my sister and BiL in Headliner's Theatre for Garry Richardson's second talk.

 

 

 

Tonight was our first formal night; we dined in Zenith, and were seated at the same table we have had for breakfast, with the same waiting team.

 

The celebration menu was the same old MPW curated affair of the last cruise, and the one before that, and the one....

 

 

 

The premium supplementary menu was as it was on the first night, and will remain so for the remainder of the cruise

 

 

We had...

 

All..

Amuse Bouche 

 

 

Starters:

 

Sister & BiL...

 

 

 

Our lass...

 

 

Me...

That was really good; if I was a greedy knacker, which I’m not (), I could have easily polished off two or three of those!

 

 

All except our lass..

Vegan version for me and my sister

Just in case you don't know what green soup looks like...

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

 

 

Our lass...

She said it was the smallest beef fillet she's had on a P&O ship

 

Me...

Ooh! How did that extra fillet get on there?🤫

 

Sister...

She has a similar tolerance as me for spicy food, that is to say, not much at all; this was too spicy for her. Clive swapped it for the halibut dish

 

 

Desserts:

 

My sister...

 

 

Our lass...

For a celebration night, or any other night for that matter, that is a rather poor affair!

 

 

Me and my BiL had this...

 

...but mine came with Belgian chocolate ice cream 

 

 

 

After the meal, my sister and BiL were intending to go to the Clubhouse to watch the comedian. Our lass said we were going back to our cabin to watch Barbie, looking at me and saying, "Aren't we, B?" Now, I took that to mean that 'going to watch Barbie' was code for, 'Hey lad, you're on a promise tonight'. So, when my BiL asked again, "Can't I tempt you to one drink; my treat as you got the wine", my answer was a firm, "No, we're watching Barbie; it's been out quite a while and I haven't seen it yet. Isn't that right, love?" Our lass replied with, "Yes love, we really want to see it".

We said goodnight, and made our way back to our cabin, me with a skip in my step.

 

Inside, I opened the pistachio Lindor chocolates to help set the mood. Then we......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....yes, you've guessed it, watched Barbie!🤨

 

Night folks!😴

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very interesting.

Nice food and port photos.

[TigerB]

20 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Very interesting.

Nice food and port photos.

Whetting your appetite, Graham?

[zap99]

30 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Very interesting.

Nice food and port photos.

We did the Arvia med cruise in May. The food was probably the best we have had on P&O.

[SarahHben]

Great cruise report, very entertaining 😊 

Looking forward to the next instalment, 

[Sussexboy]

I had to laugh at the comments about the waiters faces. When we did the same cruise as you back in May, I said much the same thing. 

[mrsgoggins]

I'm sitting on Sky Princess, a latte at my side, really happy that you are posting another review and pleased their are more instalments to follow. Thank you!

 

I really hope that P&O get their act together and make more coherent decisions regarding those who need/don't really need fully accessible cabins.  You have certainly tried to make them see the flaws 😇

 

[NewWestwardbound]

26 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

I'm sitting on Sky Princess, a latte at my side, really happy that you are posting another review and pleased their are more instalments to follow. Thank you!

 

I really hope that P&O get their act together and make more coherent decisions regarding those who need/don't really need fully accessible cabins.  You have certainly tried to make them see the flaws 😇

 

Likewise, best wishes from MSC Virtuosa. 
 

 

[Ardennais]

Thank you so much for providing such an enjoyable read. Loving it all!

[purplesea]

Thank you for an interesting read about your time onboard Arvia.

I am looking forward to reading the next instalments.

 

[daveoc]

I too saw Steven Simone on his Jan 23 cruise. I bumped into him on the street one day and asked him 'When and why did Tamla Motown become just Motown'. He looked at me as if I was mad and didn't seem to grasp what I was asking. I also found his talks poor and gave up on them.