jh1809

Thanks. Unfortunately my cruise departs on 18th May.

"...only two seats in the theatre where a companion can sit next to a wheelchair user - and these are not designated for wheelchair companions only (as they are on the newer ships)." That is especially poor, as it would be so quick and easy for the ship to add signs saying "Wheelchair Companions Only" to the appropriate seats. It sounds as though the current captain isn't much good, and I suspect that has a big impact on how helpful or otherwise the rest of the senior crew members are. Hopefully by the time I next go on Aurora in May it will be the alternative captain's tour of duty.

I'm sorry that the cruise has been a disappointment in so many respects. It sounds as if both the ship and the crew have gone downhill since I was last on her just over a year ago.

I thought of Lord Haw Haw too. I suppose if his parents weren't born till after the war, or were only small children at the time, then if they weren't too well up on their history they might not have heard of him.

That you for such a comprehensive and amusing report. I'm sorry that there were so many serious medical incidents on your cruise; I can assure you that there aren't normally that many.

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm doing the same cruise but in 2024, which AFAIK is still on. I see from other posts here that they are replacing the 2025 cruise with one to the Med, though why anyone would want to go to the Med at the hottest time of the year I can't imagine.

One on each knee?

Perhaps the excursions desk would be more helpful.

I noticed that on the menu there was one chicken breast starter and two chicken breast mains, which seems a bit excessive. I wonder what happens to all the chicken legs (which some think are the best bit). Presumably the crew gets to eat those.

I'm with you on this. It's just over a year since I was last on Aurora, but I certainly found Sindhu very good, particularly enjoyed the tiffin lunches, and didn't find the location to be a problem. Fortunately the adjacent coffee shop wasn't that noisy; had Sindhu been next to the pub instead then it might have been different. I'm sorry that Selbourne's moussaka in the MDR was so disappointing, as when done well it's one of my favourite dishes.

It should work fine if one device is online after the other and not simultaneously. When I buy (or get a free) Kindle book I normally do it when logged into Amazon via the browser on my PC, as I find it easier to use a proper keyboard. After that the book is accessible the next time I load up the Kindle application that I have on my PC, and also on my Kindle hardware device and on the Kindle app on my Android tablet, so I can read it in any one of the three places. If you find that a book that you've acquired doesn't pop up automatically on one of your devices/apps, then there's a "Synchronise" setting that you can use to force it to do so.

Even if you can't get the free trial working, there are a lot of e-books available of fiction that is now out of copyright for only 99 pence. An anthology of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, to take just one example, but there are literally dozens more.

Thanks for the interesting reports. Regarding the coughing at the recital, I think a lot of people tend to get an "air-conditioning cough" after a few days, because the air is so dry. If they are like me, they may have hardly coughed all day, but going to something where they want to keep quiet seems to set it off! Regarding the good books having already gone from the library, it's too late for you now but on a long cruise with lots of sea days I find my Kindle is a godsend. It's far lighter than packing lots of books in your luggage!

Thanks.

Thanks. I've now booked a 12 night cruise with them in March 2025 to test the water, as I'm already booked up for 2024. I see that, though their ships have self-service laundrettes, they don't seem to have a laundry, which I find useful for longer cruises, as I like to travel as light as possible but don't fancy doing my own laundry while on holiday.

I can only echo what everyone else has said, and wish you a most enjoyable cruise.

I've never cruised with Ambassador, but have just been looking at their website, and their prices seem amazingly cheap, especially for someone like me who wants a single cabin. I've generally cruised with P&O, who I've been very happy with, but Ambassador's prices for a single cabin seem to be about half theirs. I like small ships, and the age of their ships wouldn't be a concern. So I'm left wondering what the catch is, if any.

I suppose there's always the risk of Carnival doing what they initially did with Adonia, and transferring her to another part of the company.

I loved Adonia. I only was able to cruise on her once. Two more cruises I had booked on her got cancelled because P&O loaned her to another part of Carnival before then selling her. I liked her so much that I was tempted to book a cruise on her when she became the Azamara Pursuit. But it seemed very expensive, so I didn't. Now, having read about how good Amazara are, I'm regretting that decision.

I suspect that P&O would be reluctant to give up on an annual round-the-world cruise, and I believe that Aurora and Arcadia are their only ships small enough to go through the Panama Canal. Yes, a RTW could go via Cape Horn instead, but it would add substantially to the length of the cruise, and also I imagine that some potential passengers would be reluctant to brave the Cape, with its reputation for storms.

If you don't know, then shouldn't you have put a question mark at the end of your thread title? I initially read it as saying that P&O would be charging it. But if it's only 2 euros then I'm not too bothered whether P&O explicitly make a charge for it or not.

I reached Caribbean this year. I received my first-ever calendar with my most recent Moments magazine, but sadly no diary. From what others have reported, it all seems rather random as to what one will get.

Perhaps I should have done that when mine arrived, in the same envelope as Moments, a few days ago, but I'm afraid I just bunged it in the bin. I think you need to be Caribbean or higher to get the calendar, as I think it's the first one I've had, but I thought that all Peninsular Club tiers got the magazine. Anyone who isn'rt getting them might want to check which categories they've ticked regarding info that they want to recive from P&O by post.

I'd expect the Tab key and/or the right arrow key to take the pointer from one option to the next, and the Return key to select the option that the pointer is currently on. The mouse, as suggested by another poster, would probably work too.

Of course there are never any guarantees, but I believe the chances of clear skies are greater in February/March than in November/December. The hours of daylight are also longer, which would be an advantage for day-time activities though of course means that the hours during which the aurora might be visible are reduced - though there will still be at least 12 hours of darkness.