jh1809

I don't think anyone has answered your first two questions yet. 1. There haven't been any radical changes to Aurora's fixtures and fittings in the last couple of years that come to mind. To my eyes she still looks it pretty good nick, though I'm not the most observant person. 2. Probably the biggest change post-Covid is that - in common with the rest of the fleet - there's no longer an evening "turn-down" of the cabins. I think that's so that the cabin stewards can be given other tasks such as waitering or cleaning in the evenings, thus saving money. When I was on her last Nov/Dec, pretty much all of the Covid restrictions had been done away with, the main exception being that there still weren't any cocktail parties - neither the captain's welcoming one for everybody nor the ones for the higher Peninsular Club tiers. I suppose those were viewed as potential "super-spreader" events. 3. Yes, the ship has the app. Its main use now is for booking tables in the speciality restaurants, though you can still do so by phone or by turning up at the restaurant and talking to them. I think it can be used for freedom dining in the Medina restaurant too, but as I always go for Club dining in the Alexandria restaurant I'm not au fait with that.

And by Nov/Dec, when I was o9n board, with the relaxation in Covid protocols on-board, they had stopped taking your cabin number.

Yes, it's sent by email now. It's a relief not to be expected to fill one in at the end of the cruise, when there's so much else going on. The downside is that my memory is so atrocious now that, by the time I get home and get around to filling in the survey, when rating the entertainment I struggle to remember which name goes with which act!

Since from your earlier post it sounds like you enjoy Indian food, you really should try Sindhu. Considering the quality and quantity of the food, it's very cheap - only a fraction of the price that you'd pay for as good a meal in any land-based Indian restaurant in this country.

There weren't any on my Caribbean cruise in Nov/Dec.

I've been to Stockholm and Copenhagen before, though, and the 2024 Aurora cruise includes quite a few ports that will be new to me, as well as the old regulars Helsinki and Tallinn (and Tallinn is so lovely that I'd happily keep on going back there).

I've cruised with both Noble Caledonia and Saga and, while both are very good, you're paying for that. I've decided that on the whole I'd rather have two or three cruises with P&O than one with NC or Saga. One advantage that they do have over P&O, that isn't mentioned in that table, is that they tend to have more interesting itineraries.

If that cruise on Aurora to the Baltic is the one in 2024, then I've just booked on it too. I've been on one |Baltic cruise previously, but this one has quite a few ports that are new to me too. It's not calling at either Copenhagen or Stockholm *unless my memory is going), which slightly surprised me.

I think the trouble with the bow is that if the ship is in motion there's likely to be a strong wind from dead ahead. I suppose they could put up a big wall all round the edge of the deck as a windbreak, but it would spoil the look of the most elegant ship in the fleet.

It doesn't have to be Gib. I've been on a couple of cruises that called at Ceuta instead, which made a pleasant change.

I've just had a leaflet through the post from P&O. Among the cruises being promoted was one to the Baltic in 2024 on Aurora which took my fancy, as it featured quite a few ports that I've not visited before, and which I've now booked. However I noticed that it's said to be to "Northern Europe and Scandinavia". Presumably they are still nervous that potential passengers might have a fit of the vapours if they use the word "Baltic". Just how stupid do they think we are? If the itinerary includes Helsinki and Tallinn etc, then it's no secret where the cruise is going.

Yes, the Alhambra is amazing. Cordoba is also fantastic.

I hope you have a great time.

Though I can't remember when I last saw any customs officers on returning to Southampton. (Not that I've ever been over or even anywhere near the duty-free limit.)

Thanks. I knew there would be a disparity, but I hadn't expected it to be anything like that great. Last year I visited Greenland and the Caribbean, but this year all my holidays are within Europe.

Last year I took out annual travel insurance with the company that P&O recommend. That may have been a big mistake. This year, taking out travel insurance with a different company (I'm not sure if the forum rules allow me to mention their name), I'm paying only just over half as much. It's true that this year I only needed cover for Europe, whereas last year I needed worldwide cover, and I suppose the risk of insurance claims from Covid has greatly reduced. But to set against that, I've just been diagnosed with high blood pressure and of course had to declare that.

Is that the scheme where they are going to take your fingerprints on entry?

When I was on Aurora in Nov/Dec, the Glass House was only open for drinks and cheese, presumably because of a shortage of cooks, though the other speciality restaurants were operating as normal. I also have an idea that it didn't open till 3pm, but I may have imagined that. Of course it could all have changed by now.

There certainly should be a full programme of day-time entertainment, including guest speakers. When I was on Aurora in Nov/Dec, the Glass House was open, but as well as drinks the only food they were doing was cheese. Presumably that was because of a shortage of cooks, though the other speciality restaurants were operating as normal. Of course it could well be different on Ventura.

It did apply on Aurora so it probably would on Arcadia as well.

The comfortable cardigan is a good analogy. The MDR does a pretty decent breakfast eggs Benedict, if it's any consolation. And it's now available there every day, when pre-Covid it was a "special" only on once a week.

It wasn't an email but an old-fashioned letter, which makes sharing it a bit more difficult. But I think what was in it has already been adequately covered in this thread.

I had that letter too. I imagine that the reinstatement of the cocktail parties is probably part of the relaxation of Covid restrictions where they didn't want large groups of people mingling closely together. Nothing was said about a return of the Captain's cocktail party for all the passengers, though.. Regarding the afternoon teas, interestingly they were back on sea days during the second half of my Caribbean trip on Aurora during Nov/Dec. Maybe that was a trial run. It wasn't at all publicised on board, though, which meant that the one I went to was poorly attended. I just happened to be looking at the meal times shown in Horizon for the MDRs and happened to spot it. I wonder if the wider return is a sign that, after the disruption to crew levels and training caused by the Covid shut-down, P&O think that the crew situation regarding cooks and waiters is now good enough to reintroduce it. One other thing they say is that you no longer have to use their My Holiday app to book things if you don't want to, but can do it the old-fashioned way. (I suspect that in practice that was always the case, but now it's official.)

In mid-November, when I embarked on on Aurora, P&O were still recommending that passengers should wear masks, though adding that they were only compulsory in the medical centre. However 5% or less were wearing masks. Among the crew it was about 25%.

I think Mediterranean and up get them.