Jennizor

Whenever we have the option to share, we always do. We have probably 90% good experiences over 15+ cruises. We were on Iona in Feb/Mar and when asked outside the MDR, we opted to share. Again, we had some lovely table companions. We are all different and for us, meeting new people is part of a lovely cruise. We did have a table for two at some of the speciality restaurants, and enjoyed those too. Everyone is different and it’s your holiday so your choice is right for you. I would never chose the buffet though

We have had a few really nice days here in Bolton. I have managed to get most of my bedding plants in the borders or pots and the forecast for tomorrow is good again so should get finished (well, unless I am tempted again at the local nursery. I find it difficult to drive past it).

Our experience with the Chefs Table on Iona in March was very good. The tables were nicely laid and in an area sectioned off from the Buffet. The menu was very good, more like a good restaurant than the MDRs. The service was excellent too. Will definitely be booking it again for Iona cruise to the Fjords in July.

Michelle,sorry to hear about your dog, you love them so much and it breaks your heart when they start to suffer through old age. Sorry for you too. You seem to be getting very good treatment from your hospital. Have a good weekend, the weather forecast looks good for us. Jennizor X

I am not sure why you are so obsessed with decisions other people have made regarding their cruises. We are all entitled to make our own decisions (as you are). We have been on lots of cruises (Princess and P & O). Some have been brilliant, some slightly less so but never had a bad one. At the end of the day you pay your money and take your choice. We have three more booked, two this year and one next. The next one is in 8 weeks and we are really looking forward to it. My glass is half full, not half empty.

I have always had a cat in my life, sometimes more than one. I lost Cassie in December 21 while on a Caribbean cruise. I said I wouldn’t have any more as it was heartbreaking to lose her. My daughter in a Veterinary nurse and we always had rescue cats. Despite me saying I couldn’t cope with the heartbreak of losing another cat, she persuaded me to have this one. She was brought into the surgery to be put down after she had been hit by a motorcycle. They never put down a healthy cat, so they repaired her fractured pelvis and she came to me. She is called Evie and is a delight.

Those tulips look like some new ones I plant this year. Gorgeous aren’t they.

Looking forward to meeting you both already. We are on Iona in July, going to the Fjords, Azura for Christmas and New Year, never been away for Christmas before, lots of times for New Year. Not sure yet how Christmas away from our two families will be but we are going to see how it goes.

So pleased that we are on the same cruise. We have done the Caribbean several times but flown both ways, the last time in December 21. We have always said we should do the transatlantic return, so very excited about it. We must try and meet up at some point.

I don’t know if you have mentioned Arvia next March before, when are you going? We are also on her in March. We fly out on the 15th and sail back to Southampton arriving on the 31st. Jennizor

Hi Michelle, sorry to hear about the spot on your arm, hopefully they will be able to give you some good news quickly. Have a great weekend in London with your grandsons. It will be a lot less busier than last weekend! You will probably need a cruise when you get back though.

My lovely boss once asked me if I wanted to be nominated but I declined. I have no problem with the Royal Family but as a quite shy person, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. My colleague who got the invite, a more confident lady, really enjoyed it. She even had a joke with then Prince Charles.

Not good is it Snow Hill when you hear something like this so close to home? We live on a lovely small estate, only 5 rows of houses. We were absolutely devastated when we heard about an overnight Police raid just across the road from my daughter’s house. The bedrooms were being used as a cannabis farm. The house owner had been left the house by her parents and was renting it. She sold it, once it had been completely cleaned out.

Michelle, so sorry for all you are experiencing at the moment. I haven’t been around a lot this week so I am just catching up. I hope you recover quickly, enjoy your weekend, whatever you are doing. Jennizor.

I know everyone’s taste in entertainment is different but, as I said in my previous post, we thought Ray Quinn was amazing. His singing was excellent, he was very chatty and funny and the audience gave him a standing ovation at the end of the show. If he is on any of future cruises we will go and see him again.

We have become addicted to Wordscapes. We were second in this week’s competition but it’s becoming a bit boring so we need to look for something different.

I tend to agree with you Wowzz. In our early cruising years we did go to some of the entertainment but we stopped as we prefer to have a leisurely meal with no pressure to be somewhere else. On our Feb/March Iona cruise we found ourselves on the same ship as the sister of our friends. She is a solo cruiser and goes to the entertainment every night, she raved about some of it but she thought some of it was poor. The only entertainment we went to was in the Limelight Club. Both weeks were great and the meals were excellent. We prefer to find a nice bar and chat to other passengers but we are also quite happy just the to of us.

We have never used the Epicurean, only because we have looked at the menu (and seen photos on here) and there is far too much for me. My appetite is not great anymore so it would be wasteful for us. The photos look great however. We will therefore use the Limelight Club,Glasshouse, Sindhu, Chefs Table and the Olive Grove and MDR for the rest of our evenings.

We were on Iona Feb/March and could book speciality dining two weeks before. I hope that’s not changed and will be the same for our Iona cruise in July.

Don’t worry about it, you are entitled to make your own choices. We always do the formal nights but it’s a personal choice as is yours. Enjoy your cruise.

I would have complained very early on in the cruise if I experienced these issues. In all the years we have cruised there has only been the odd thing not done, like cups not washed or the occasional towel missing. I wouldn’t have put up with carpets not being vacuumed or shower not cleaned. The cabin crew have always been very hard working and done a very good job in the very short time allotted to each cabin.

I have an M&S credit card and pay it off every month. I use it for the majority of all purchases and accumulate M&S points which I spend on either M & S food or clothes. I get vouchers quarterly and my last lot were worth £57. My recent bill was £5200 which included paying the balance for our Iona cruise in July.

You are just as important as the top tier people Vamps. They have just done more cruises than you. You are a breath of air on this site, that makes you important to me.

I also agree with you Sue. We have done quite a few repeat port visits and mostly still enjoy them. We have a lazy breakfast then go ashore when we want (we don’t do many excursions as we have been on most before). We have a leisurely stroll around the port, look at the shops and occasionally buy something. We then try to find a bar with a view and people watch having a couple of drinks. Only occasionally do we have lunch in port. We are not big eaters these days and are quite happy with a salad in one of the MDRs. It wouldn’t do if we were all the same would it?

We should go on the same cruise Andy you just seem to enjoy exactly the same evening as we do. We have recently tried other alternatives on Iona but whilst we enjoyed them we also had a lot of shared tables in the MDR which were generally brilliant. You can always tell a good table when the waiters are clearing up around you at the end of the evening and you are all still chatting.