terrierjohn

I quite look forward to the extra daylight in the morning after we put clochs back in autumn, and am even more pleased with the extra daylight in the evening when we put them forward in spring. So I am happy to stick with the current system.

It could of course be less than a month, but no one seems to know what system the banks use to decide when to wipe off these holds.

This does happen quite frequently if you pay with a debit card, however although a similar hold is used for a credit card, as long as the hold amount is below the available balance, it does not affect your ability to use the card. This is one of the many benefits of using a credit card, but of course does need you to exercise restraint and not to over spend. PS it will disappear within a month, but of course it can be very inconvenient at the time

Our flu and covid jabs, done 5 days apart in the same arm, were both far less painful than usual. So I guess it might be down to who does the jabbing.

The Celebrity ones were always well attended and always had the Cruise Director and a couple of other senior hotel staff, and quite often the Captain would put in an appearance. But of course the RC group do take customer service far more seriously than do P&O.

Are you as cynical as you sound, or just a big softy really?😉

We did have one on a Caribbean no fly cruise a few years back, but it also included the dark side social media forum as well, but the Captain and a few other senior officers were there along with the Ents manager.

It will more than likely have a different passenger profile to most longer cruises.

Since 99% of small electronic devices are made in China, or other far eastern countries many less sophisticated than China, then if that is the criteria for not allowingthose items on a plane or ship, then we will all be affected.

I do love an optimist.😄

I imagine that if these sort of failures start to happen frequently, then govts will have to consider what steps they should take to resolve the problem, and if demanding more rigorous quality control is unlikely to prevent fires, they may have to ban the use of lithium batteries altogether. Which of course seems highly unlikely considering the billions being spent worldwide on building battery plants for EV cars.

Wi fi was very good on Sky Princess, and if the medallion relies on wi fi to operate, then that also works well all over the ship.

Oh I see, due to customer feedback then.

I would still expect that all imported batteries should be regularly tested and manufactured to a British or EU standard.

I imagine that the majority of the newer mobility scooters and chairs are of Chinese origin, and even more will use Chinese manufactured batteries. It really is up to trading standards, or whichever govt dept handle imports, to ensure that they all meet current standards and there is regulat testing.

Very true Harry, and of course we are being pushed towards EVs, so battery power is going to be a major part of our future. However safety regulations will need to keep up with this higher usage, and battery manufactures will need to be closely monitored to ensure their production control is well up to standard.

@SelbourneProbably best to ensure all the contacts you may want to keep in touch with are also signed up to WhatsApp before you go. You can also set up different WhatsApp groups, so that they all receive your messages. It's really just a more user friendly text messaging system, which is very good for sending photos, you can also use it as a phone or for video calls, although I suspect video calls might not be included in the basic package.

But why are they cut in a hexagon shape, does this enable them to pack more pre frozen ones into the packaging?😮😎

If you want to eat high cost food, why would you waste it on the MDR with its noise and busy waiters without the time to chat and discuss the menu options, surely it's best enjoyed in the Epicurean or eqivalent.

I continue to be impressed by your responses to most posts, which rarely relate to the points being raised, it's quite an achievement, even if somewhat irritating.

Did you ever do economics ICF, if you did you will maybe remember the economies of scale, that is the reason that cruises are now cheaper, the ratio of passengers to crew is now much higher on the big ships than 5 to 10 years ago. It's the same with most consumer goods, when you factor in inflation an early model 14 inch black and white TV was many times more expensive than todays 54 inch high definition smart colour TV.

Let's face it ICF most cruisers do not want to pay extra for something that they feel they have already paid for. For those that do, then in my view there are now enough speciality restaurants that offer a range of price points in a different setting. I would be interested to know how popular these extra charge MDR offers are on the other lines that now offer them, and whether sailings from Southampton have the same level of interest as those in America. But in the main I think most posters want the overal quality and choice improved, but not the price.

There is a ports of call forum on CC where you might find some information, although I suspect it's mainly Americans who use that forum.

Can you elucidate please, are the MDRs quiet so their waiters are being sent up, but to where?

No idea but I guess a quick check with Mr Google or Manchester Arr/Dep on Friday and Saturday will tell you.