Harters

Yes, as you've already said. Pedantry rules, eh?

Makes sense, Quay1. I know that Australia, like the UK, is a low/no tip country, so incorporating gratuities into the price is simply reflecting society.

That predates my experience so has no relevance to me.

A similar "time limit" on your table is increasingly common in the UK. So long as it's not a silly limit (and I've never seen one that was) and folk can have a relaxed enjoyable meal, then I'm OK with it. We were in a place a few weeks back and overheard the server tell a nearby table that it was going to be required back in ten minutes. That clearly wasnt going to be a problem as the party were already at the coffee stage. The restaurant had given itself leeway there, as the original party had left and the table had been reset before the new diners turned up.

Not least in that we couldn't log on to complete it. Does seem silly that you can't complete it once you've left the ship and had time to reflect on your answers. But if that's how O wants to play it, then that's a matter for O. I'm sure the responses they get suit their purposes.

Speaking of gelatinous texture, there's a product from the border area between France and Belgium. Called pot jevleesh on the French side and, in Dutch, potje vleesch on the Belgian side - either way, it translates to "pot of meat". You buy it in jars. It's usually rabbit, chicken and pork which have been long cooked in a liquid. To serve, you decant it into a serving dish and chill, so the liquid sets as a jelly around the meat, so you have something like brawn. It's traditionally served with salad and chips (fries) and it's delicious. But I'm sure the appearance would put many off. I had it first in a restaurant in the French town of Arras and now always look out for it when I'm in that part of the world - supermarkets in the area always have jars, so I stock up before coming home.

I agree with others that you need to contact his insurance company. My guess (and it is only a guess) is that his death will be covered. I'm basing that on the presumption that it would have covered him if he was too ill to travel and had to cancel, so would offer cover for the unfortunate circumstances that meant he literally couldnt travel. My only similarish experience here is making a claim on our own policy when my father in law died, literally on the day we were due to travel. The death of a close relative was clearly covered but our company made us jump through hoops, providing evidence that his death was unexpected. It took several months but eventually they settled.

Possibly. But wouldnt that be a matter of the diner asking the server to remove it, rather than the server assuming what the diner might want? Either way, as a European, I find the practice very different to what generally happens here. By contrast, we had lunch at a pub yesterday. We'd obviously finished the starters - nothing left on the plate and knife & fork "correctly" placed to indicate we'd finished - but the server still asked if we'd finished and could she take the plates. Just different dining etiquette that you have to adapt to when you travel.

A significant reason why we like O - and would like similar lines that offer tables for two, so we can eat at our own pace that particular evening, just as we would at a land based restaurant. Dinner is an "event" for us, whether we're eating at home or eating out somewhere (ship included).

It's a common occurrence in some American restaurants, in my experience, so I presume it's just following their cultural norms. I've always thought it odd and wondered, in a restaurant, if it's something about being seen to be doing something , to "earn" the tip. Certainly not a practice I welcome.

I think we'd get on in real life - we seem to have similar food tastes/experiences. I also had a dislike of okra until I went to a "secret supper club" run by a young woman of Punjabi heritage, where all the dishes were homestyle ones from her culture. I never realised okra could be other than slimy. By the by, the supper club was great fun. You signed up online but didnt know where you were going until an hour before (it was actually her parents' home). There was about a dozen of us - so a bit like a dinner party but one where you didnt know anyone. Payment, in cash, was by way of a "suggested" donation. Best Indian meal I've ever eaten.

By the by, for anyone not wanting to go to Brugge, both Zeebrugge and Blankenberge have stops for the Coastal Tram which runs from there all along the coast to De Panne near the border with France. It's a lovely bit of coast with some nice towns - like Oostende, Nieuwpoort and Koksijde. Trams run every 10 - 20 minutes and you can buy a day ticket which allows you to hop on and off. https://www.delijn.be/en/content/kusttram/

At €255, it's pretty much on the money for a Michelin 2* place. Our recent 2* meals in the UK have been £225 and £230.

We like Oceania and it's worth a mention that it's has just changed its offer, so is now more "all inclusive". By which I suppose I mean more similar to the Regent and Viking offer. We intend to make a comparison between all three for a 2024 cruise. The relaxed "smart casual" style of all three suits us much better than the lines which are more traditionally formal in dress code.

I've not taken the risk of staying there again. It'd been a long drive and we had an early ferry. And not much sleep in between. The A20 hotel is only a five minute drive down to the ferry port.

You can also exchange them at certain Post Offices. This link may help https://www.postoffice.co.uk/banknote-exchange

Yep, that's the only reason I visit in Dover. I travel down the day before my ferry - it's a 5+ hour drive. Whenever I'm travelling round the country, I usually stay in Premier Inns. They're decent enough for short stays. reasonably priced and with quite a good buffet breakfast (extra charge). I've stayed at the Dover Central hotel but there can be issues with traffic noise, so I now stay on the outskirts of town at the "A20" hotel.

Yes. I'm always conscious that this is an American ship and rightly caters to American, not European, tastes.

It was available on Nautica a couple of weeks back. Accurately cooked as requested but just not very flavoursome. I doubt I'd order it again.

We were on Nautica a couple of weeks ago. Very few crew or passengers wearing masks (us included). Nothing really by way of coughing and it felt very safe. We both came down with fairly bad colds, starting a couple of days after we got home. Probably caught it on the plane which, of course, was much more crowded than anything cruise related.

Salisbury Cathedral is magnificent (even if, like me, you have no religious faith). My highlight was seeing the world's oldest mechanical clock - dating from the 1300s. I was prompted to visit having read Edward Rutherford's fact based novel "Sarum".

Oh, if he can handle Manchester traffic, he can handle the New Forest with one eye closed. The city is at the centre of my metro region.

Yeah, just take your time. Settle into the car. On the flip side, I've rented cars at Atlanta airport and find the first 30 minutes are stressful. By the time I've reached Chattanooga, it feels like I've never driven anything else.

I stayed in Brockenhurst for a night last year. Traffic around the village was awful. Not "difficult" as such, just very slow moving. Thankfully, I was only a tourist and don't have to put up with it every day.

Pubs tend to fall into one of two categories - drinking pubs and eating pubs. Drinking pubs are often as described by Globaliser. These days eating pubs are really restaurants in buildings that used to be drinking pubs. Obviously, exceptions apply. But it is one of those things about which foreigners tend to have rose-tinted glasses. Another would be wanting to eat fish & chips - generally, please don't, it will probably be awful. And almost guaranteed to be awful if eaten in a pub.