SarahHben

27 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

Thank you Sarah, just a week to Northern Spain and Cherbourg. Two ports are new to us and La Coruna we have been to before but went to Santiago so that’s like a new port too!

Sounds lovely, I think that’s one I looked at before booking our Norway one. You might be getting on Britannia as we’re getting off? We disembark on Friday 7th June. 

On 4/3/2024 at 10:57 PM, Beckett said:

Well, what a day I've had! Just got back from the hozzie (thanks Kalos - love that word) where I've been since midday.

 

Very long story short, I was out for a walk with Ted. It started to rain and I took a tumble down some steps which were very slippery. I landed firstly on my back then my head hit another step - out cold. Fortunately, a lady I know was also out walking and saw it happen. She called for an ambulance and when I came round I was very sick and dizzy. Ambo came quickly and they decided I should go in because I'd lost consciousness. The ambo drivers were so sweet and kind. They drove me home to drop Ted off with my neighbour then took me off to A&E.

 

OMG the A&E was rammed. I've had CT scans of back and head- nothing fractured thank goodness. Five stitches in my head and thumping headache later I was discharged at 10pm. A&E still rammed.

 

I've come home with a massive bandage around my head and my granddaughters, very unkindly I thought, said I looked like a Smurf! 

 

I've had better days!!!

 

Sleep well everyone.

 

Jane xx

 

 

Oh my goodness! Good news that you had no fractures but I expect you’re going to be very sore. I hope you feel better very soon

I’m glad you had a good time 😊 Where are you off to next? 

43 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

 

Yes it’s really expensive now.

We are indeed going on a cruise 😁

How exciting 🥰 

10 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

Many congratulations on your lovely news @SarahHben ! 
 

Re the hotels, I’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn by the terminals once and it’s so close to everything in town. I was shocked at the price this year so we’re staying at the one near the cricket ground in June! At Easter we’re staying at the Hilton overlooking the cricket ground itself, looking forward to that!

Thank you 😊

We decided last. Night that Holiday Inn in town was too expensive, over £200, so have booked Holiday Inn Fareham instead. We’ve stayed there before and it’s close to Port Solent shops and restaurants. Our first choice would have been HI Express near the cricket ground if it wasn’t for cricket being on that day and likely to be busy, they do a good breakfast 😊 Are you staying there pre-cruise?

Thank you all 🥰 baby was 12 days late and our daughter was worried he'd be a whopper but he was a perfectly respectable 7lb. His older brother hasn't plucked up the courage to get too close yet, he's appreciating him from a safe distance 😂

Thanks for info on Holiday Inn. If we were to have a late embarkation time on Britannia, we had 3:30pm on Ventura last year, do you know if they allow people to stay in the hotel lounge area?

We're torn between Holiday Inn Express - much cheaper and great breakfast but will need to arrive mid afternoon to get a parking space and then there's not much to do locally, or Holiday Inn ...paying quite a bit more but have places to walk to.

Hi everyone

We've had an exciting weekend, baby grandson was born Friday morning, he missed being a 29th Feb baby by 1 hour, he's totally gorgeous 🥰

We've also started thinking about our end of May cruise, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express M27 Jct.7 the night before our first 2 cruises. We have a room booked there again for this year but wondered if it's worth spending extra to stay in the main Holiday Inn in Southampton? The cost is twice as much but there is cricket on at the Ageas Bowl on the night of our stay again  and last time that made parking at the hotel very difficult. Any opinions welcome.

11 hours ago, Purdey16 said:

Nice to hear from you Sarah and that you’ll be grandparents again very soon and fingers crossed it’s not 29th , hope your mum’s operation comes soon for her and you so she can be fit and well when you go on your cruise end of may . Don’t worry about the railway in flam there’s no way you can get lost , sometimes you stay on and it returns straight back down after a couple of minutes stop , hope your husband enjoys his cycling down it’s a lovely thing to do and so much scenery you don’t get to see on the train, just remember the first bit is stony and steep and not to repeat what I done 🥴 we are not cyclists at all .

Thanks, I'll tell Mr B to cycle carefully, too energetic for me, I'll just enjoy taking photos from the train ☺️

Morning all.

I haven't been on here much lately other than reading the occasional 'live from' post. I hope everyone is well.

We feel very ready for a holiday, with various health issues in the wider family, brother has just got out of hospital after an operation, mum is waiting for an operation date for her back but in the meantime is still not very mobile. Our daughter is heavily pregnant, 9 days overdue at the moment so we're at a constant state of readiness to drive her to the hospital and look after the almost 4 year old. We're hoping baby doesn't make an appearance on 29th Feb 😏

It's balance due time for our Britannia cruise at the end of May so I can start getting excited about it now ☺️ Mum and dad have had to cancel due to mum's current mobility issues and pending operation so although it's a shame, it will be nice just being me and hubby. It does mean I'll be doing the Flam railway trip on my own as Mr B is cycling down, I hope it's impossible to get lost and board the wrong train coming back down again 😂

9 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Summary of Likes & Dislikes after the first 16 days

 

LIKES

 

Passenger Profile - I don’t know the actual age profile, but suspect that the average age is mid 70s. All seem to be seasoned cruisers who want the same sort of thing from their cruises as we do. Most are very personable and lift etiquette and consideration for the needs of fellow passengers with disabilities is excellent. 

 

Bar service - We are served almost immediately in all bars. No waits or having to catch the attention of waiters. 

 

Guest lecturers - The ones that we’ve had so far have been excellent and the topics have been very interesting. 

 

Theatre Performers - The Privateers & Neil Lockwood were probably the two best evening performances that we have seen on a P&O cruise. It’s not been so good since they left, but at least we were lucky to have them. 

 

Classical recitals - So far we’ve had a flautist and absolutely first rate classical pianist. I’d pay to see the latter. Superb. 

 

Port Presentations - I thought that these had bitten the dust, having had none on our last 3 cruises, but these have been great. There’s a good 15 mins or so of useful info before the promotion of excursions. 

 

Itinerary - Aurora (and Arcadia) still have very interesting itineraries on their longer cruises. We cruise for the ports, not the ship, so this cruise delivers 25 new ports for us whereas ex-UK cruises on the bigger ships are same old, same old. 

 

 

DISLIKES

 

Loyalty, what loyalty? - This is the first cruise that we’ve been on since reaching Caribbean loyalty tier where we have felt that this has counted for nothing. Priority boarding was a shambles (not enough CPS or Intercruises staff for 1,000 higher tier passengers - had P&O warned them?), poor quality priority boarders buffet rather than served meal, no officer interaction or address at the Caribbean lunch, no complimentary champagne in cabin (I’ve asked and it still hasn’t turned up).

 

Officer engagement - I have covered my concerns about this in depth so won’t repeat them here, but suffice to say that I have been unimpressed. Problem resolution has been poor and has required chasing multiple times. Low profile Captain and none of the usual interesting announcements to enhance passenger enjoyment. 

 

Temperature extremes - The air conditioning seems to be malfunctioning regularly. Very few areas are a comfortable temperature. Several areas are uncomfortably hot and one is like a fridge. 

 

Accessible provision - Having been on the newer ships, it really brings home how comparatively poor Aurora is for those with disabilities. No automatic doors to any of the outside decks and 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). Ramp out on to balcony too steep for wheelchair user to use unaided. The bed is too low and my wife is struggling massively with it. Reported but apparently nothing can be done. 

 

MDR food - Those who read my blogs on Britannia, Iona and Ventura last year will recall that I was full of praise for the MDR food, in spite of all the negative reviews I’d read before we went on them. MDR food on Aurora has been the weakest of the four ships. All perfectly edible and some meals have been very good, but someone have been very poor and most have been underwhelming. 

 

Breakfast times in MDR - Last entry 9am on port days and 9.30am on sea days. This is a bit too early for us when on holiday. Other ships in the P&O fleet are now 9.30am port days and 10am sea days. That extra 30 minutes makes a lot of difference and would be particularly beneficial on our return transatlantic when we loose an hour a day. 

 

Weather - Not a P&O issue obviously, but just an observation that we have been incredibly unlucky with the weather in the first 17 days. I keep telling my wife that it can only get better, but it never seems to 😂 

 

In summary, we are still enjoying the cruise and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, but our frustration is that most of the negatives could be easily resolved. They have also come as a particular disappointment when we know that other ships in the fleet have done better recently and indeed our previous Aurora cruises haven’t generally fallen short in these areas.  

 

Sorry to read that you’re still having issues, I hope those situations improve for the rest of your cruise

My husband and I booked the Retreat on our 2 weeks Canaries cruise in Ventura last August and both agreed that it ‘made’ our trip. The outside decks were very busy but there were only a dozen or so people in the Retreat. There’s both sheltered and unsheltered areas. Blankets are available for if it’s chilly. 

Food wise we didn’t have breakfast there but often had lunch there, if I remember rightly it was a salad every day. Then they offer a light afternoon tea later.

Tea, coffee & chilled water are always available and if you want any other drinks the waiters take your cruise card and go to the bars to get what you want .

Bear in mind though we went in August and had warm/hot weather. We didn’t use the retreat on our 1 wet day. 
 

Morning.

It’s been an interesting week here. Mum’s not been good, it took both my sister and I to get her out of bed, bathed and dressed on Tuesday morning. She then had a call from her physio, told her how everything was getting worse and the physio told her to go straight to A&E. 

We spent several hours there with her going through various assessments and she was eventually sent home with a change of pain relief and an order to return if she gets either numbness down below or loss of ‘control’.

Shes got an MRI in two weeks, but doc thinks it’s Spinal Stenosis and at least one slipped disc. My sister and I persuaded her to let us make a temporary bedroom for her in their dining room so we’ve been rearranging furniture and my husband moved the bed downstairs and she’s been relieved to not have to manage the stairs twice a day.

They are going to cancel coming on Britannia with us in May, fortunately not a big deposit to loose.

Five weeks until our Grandson number two is due so we really need mum settled and improving by then or I may end up in a frazzled heap. 🥴 

Sorry to ramble on, that was quite therapeutic getting all that off my chest 😂

11 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

A very good evening😊

A very good result from today's procedure and Frank is back home where he belongs. After 15 days of worry he has had his bp tablets and his statin removed, and 1 added. Believe it or not, an iron tablet. He had another echo scan and they have decided against the need for a heart tablet, however regular gentle exercise which is no problem as he's always active,  a  low salt diet, moderate fluids, an echo scan in 6 months and yearly after that. We cannot believe how close we came to losing him and to come home with only an iron tablet.

Avril xx

 

I want to thank all the wonderful people who have sent me best wishes and prayers via Av. She has read me every one and I am overwhelmed by the kindness, help and advice from people we have never met. I am grateful for all the support you gave Av because I know it kept her going when things got a bit 'hairy' 

You're a great bunch.

Frank

Fantastic news! 🎉 How lovely to hear from Frank too 😊

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Sarah. My wife has Kindle Unlimited on a free 3 month trial, so we will give this a go later. If we are able to connect the Kindle directly to the ships WiFi and if we are then able to download books (possibly two big ‘ifs’) then we might be OK. My wife said that she thought that she tried to do something similar but wasn’t able to download direct to the Kindle, only her iPad and then the issue was that she couldn’t then zap it over to the Kindle as both devices couldn’t be on WiFi at the same time. I’ll have a look as my wife is even less IT savvy than me 😂 

Different models may have the settings in a different place but if you can get to the settings you should be able to connect to your WiFi package on the kindle then once connected you can definitely download books straight to the kindle. No iPad necessary.

Good luck 

Morning.

Does your wife have kindle unlimited?

I was whiling away a few hours in A&E yesterday evening and had my kindle with me so took a few pics of what I do.

First go to kindle settings and connect to WiFi. Then I click on the 3 bars, top right, click on Shop in Kindle Store and then Kindle Unlimited is an option to choose. 
I don’t have Kindle Unlimited but type  ‘Free’ in the search bar and a long list appears. You can then click on the 3 bars again, click on Refine and chose the genre you want.

I hope that helps?

2 hours ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

3c and was sunny here but since sunrise the fog has developed.

 

Nothing much planned for today apart from watching some fa cup matches and following the scores on tv this afternoon as they develop.

My husband and son are going to watch the Gillingham vs Sheffield United match this afternoon so I’m looking forward to a quiet afternoon until they come back to watch the highlights to see if they can see themselves on tv 🥴😂

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

We are regular cruisers looking to do our first P and O cruise on Iona - 35 nights Jan 2025. We have some specific questions

Cabins : are all balconies bed by the bath? My wife uses a Rollator and we prefer bed by the balcony. Mini suites are out as we need a shower not a shower over the bath.

MDR. If we choose Any Time can we pre book a time for every night? We like 6.30 sharing a table of 6 - with different people.

MDR: Dress Code : is a jacket compulsory on Black Tie nights?

Coffee shop. We don't drink alcohol and a great coffee shop is  essential - Cafe Al Bacio on Celebrity or International Cafe on Princess. Approx prices for Latte would be helpful.

Main Theatre: times of the main shows:

Any other tips advice welcome.

Thanks Geoff and the boss  (Anita).

 

We stayed in a conservatory cabin on Iona in 2022. Here’s a link to our cabin video. We had a shower, no bath.

@SelbourneIt’s a shame you had some issues yesterday, I hope things improve for you. 
We saw the Privateers on Ventura twice in the summer, they were fantastic! Had a brief chat with them too, very nice people 😊

I have a day off childcare & parent care today, Time to catch up on all the housework…. although I can pretty much guarantee I’ll get distracted and end up browsing cruises online 😂

1 hour ago, Peanut006 said:

Good morning everyone, hope you are all well today.

 

Not a good start to the new year for us unfortunately. Some of you may remember I had DCIS (early breast cancer) last year and I had my first follow up mammogram in Dec, they rang me last week, “chalky” deposits found so had to have a further more magnified mammogram yesterday, just waiting results now.

 

Our dog was diagnosed with an ulcer in her eye over Xmas, she has been having antibiotics six times a day plus her own blood serum into her eye. Saw vet again last night, it has got worse, appt at 9.15 to see eye specialist in Penrith. She either needs surgery to make a new eye flap (if they can)to try save her vision or she will have to have her eye removed. So it’s an early start for me today as it’s over an hour to Penrith even with no hold ups on M6.

 

Hope all goes well for everyone with appointments, treatments etc 

 

Michelle

Sorry to read that 😞 hoping the results will be good for you.

Good luck with vets appointment too.

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Pre-Departure Introduction

 

Well here we go again, although now it’s time for something completely different! Tomorrow we embark Aurora for the longest cruise that we have ever done - 65 nights to America and the Caribbean. It’s a port intensive cruise (which we like) with 28 different destinations, which is as many as some much longer World Cruises achieve. This will be our 9th cruise on Aurora (our most cruised on ship), but our last cruise on her was back in November 2019, just before ‘you know what’ turned the World upside down, so it will be interesting to see what, if anything, has changed. Over the past 6 months we have cruised on Britannia, Iona and Ventura and there were big differences between the ships when it came to things like passenger profile and the usage (or not) of the MyHoliday app, so we shall see what Aurora brings. With a cruise of this length, I suspect that the vast majority of passengers will be retired and, of course, Aurora is an adult only ship. 

 

Whilst excited about the cruise, we are also quite apprehensive. Being away from family and home for 65 days is one hell of a commitment, and with our longest cruise to date being 24 days we might be climbing the walls half way through! Will it be too long and too much for us? Only time (and lots of it) will tell. We aren’t fans of long runs of sea days, but it’s unavoidable when it comes to ex-U.K. round trips to the Caribbean. At least with a cruise of this length the long outward and return runs are almost a couple of months apart. Fingers crossed for a calm crossing (the last few weeks haven’t been!) and some decent guest lecturers (our recent P&O cruises were poor in this regard). We stop at Madeira and Bermuda on the way out and the Azores on the way back. In the intervening period we have an intensive programme visiting the USA, Central America, a tiny bit of South America and many Caribbean islands. 24 ports will be completely new to us, which will be a novelty given that we struggle to find an ex-U.K. cruise now that has more than one new port! In fact, of the handful of places that we have been to before, only one (Madeira) has been on a cruise ship. The others were by air and many years ago, so will hopefully still feel like new experiences.

 

We only booked this cruise in mid October, at a price that was simply too good to miss, because it was a Late Saver priced at less than half the Select fare. We’ve always booked Select in the past, but frankly we wouldn’t have even remotely considered this cruise at the Select fare. We were lucky that somebody had cancelled a booking for their accessible balcony cabin at balance due date, so we snapped it up. We were told which cabin we would have prior to paying (and it’s a cabin we have used before), so by far the biggest risk of a Saver (poor cabin location) was completely negated. Having to pay for shuttles isn’t an issue, as there are only a tiny number of ports on this cruise where shuttles are needed or provided. CPS parking was only £160 for the 65 nights, which was an absolute bargain. The sole risk with the late saver is that we might be allocated a dining arrangement that doesn’t suit us. We will be fine with Freedom Dining or, depending on table size and (potential) dining companions, second sitting Club Dining but, for a multitude of reasons, we really don’t want first sitting. I believe that first sitting is usually the most popular choice for those who book Select , so I am hopeful that we won’t be allocated it, but if we are unlucky I shall be trying to change it on board. Watch this space for an update tomorrow🤞

 

I can’t promise as detailed a blog as I’ve done with our previous cruises, especially as we have a lot of port days, but I’ll do my best. For the first time ever, and primarily due to the length of time that we are away from home, I have bought an internet plan for the whole cruise. Due to various promotions and discounts combining, I’ve got this for just over £6 a day, which seems very reasonable. 

 

Finally, a health warning. I know that there are one or two regulars on this forum who consider the mention of things that aren’t right, or that could be improved, as being ‘nit picking’. Those folk would be well advised not to follow this blog. I’m certainly not setting out to find faults or problems, but where I come across them they will be mentioned. Equally, praise will be given where praise is due. I have always held the view that reviews have to be completely balanced to be of any use to others and that’s the approach that I always take. It’s also important to stress that, as always, any views expressed are my own (and my wife’s). Others on the same cruise may enjoy something that we don’t, or hate something that we love. Neither is right or wrong, but both are equally valid opinions. 

 

Our embarkation time is 12.30pm and as Southampton is only a couple of hours from us we shall be leaving home at around 9am, so as to allow time for delays and a loo stop. First update tomorrow from the ship!

Have an amazing time!

@Adawn47 Sorry to read that Frank is unwell, I hope you get some answers and that he's on the mend very soon, look after yourself too!

For the first year in our married life we are having a quiet night in this New Year's Eve with a takeaway and relaxed evening watching TV.

Life has continued to be manic here, Dad is exhausted but improving and waiting for an  appointment with a specialist, Mum is still not good and is waiting for an MRI to check her spine for issues, she can't walk unaided at the moment and she's normally climbing on chairs and all sorts, I've been having to bath her. Then two days ago our Son in law had a cornea transplant, 6 hour operation and a pretty long recovery time, so with our daughter being 33 weeks pregnant we're now helping them as well as my parents. We've had our Grandson here for the last 3 days & nights, gave him back earlier.

Mum & Dad think they may have to cancel going on the Norwegian cruise with us at the end of May because of all their health issues and upcoming referrals etc. They've got until balance due date to make up their minds.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2024!

On 12/10/2023 at 5:47 PM, P&O SUE said:

Hi Sarah, I’m sorry for all your problems and know exactly how you’re feeling. Hope things start to improve soon. At least you have your sister to help. Mine is a good 2 hours away so most of it is falling on us. She said today they had a nice trip to the cinema, lucky her I thought!!

 

My mum has been staying with us since the 11th October when my Dad went into hospital. He sadly passed away a week later so we’re stuck in limbo really. She’s not safe to be left alone but she’s very stubborn and isn’t keen on a home. On top of all that John broke his arm sometime between my dad dying and the funeral! No driving for him! His cast is finally off now so he’s done couple of short trips which is good. It’s really too cold to be at a bus stop! He’s been signed off work til the 30th December!

 

 

 

Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear about your dad Sue! What a difficult time for you, with that to deal with, your mum to look after & John’s broken arm, puts my problems into perspective.

I am lucky that I can share the load with my sister, she lives in Maidstone so not too far away.

Thinking of you x

On 12/8/2023 at 8:01 PM, P&O SUE said:

Thanks all for your thoughts, my mum has got one of those alarms she can wear round her neck, but she hardly wears it!
 

Hope all is well with you all. Haven't heard from @SarahHben for a while?

Hello

Sorry not been on here for a while but just had an email to say that you and @grapau27 had mentioned me 😊

We've been having a rough time with my parents lately. After dad being unwell for quite a while we eventually had to call an ambulance out for him and he ended up having a hospital stay. At the same time mum's had/having a bout of severe sciatica and can barely do anything, so my sister and I are doing shifts to help look after them both, cook their dinners etc. We're both exhausted and I am not feeling prepared for Christmas at all.

We'll be looking after my parents for the next few weeks then my son in law is having a cornea transplant just after Christmas, which with his particular situation will be a long recovery time, (he's been told he could be off work for 12 -16 weeks 😟) and his wife/our daughter is pregnant with baby due mid Feb so will need lots of help..... there's no let up in sight for us at the moment.

My husband and youngest daughter were in a 3 car accident on their way home from work this week too, they weren't hurt fortunately but were shaken up and the car needs some work. The driver in the car sandwich came off worse, a white van hit her from behind and sent her crashing into my husband's car. Fortunately an off duty police officer witnessed it and stopped to help.

Never rains but pours!

Have you been having a bad time with your mum & her health? Sorry I haven't read all my unread posts, there's too many of them. 

Hello everyone else too, I have missed browsing on here.

I've read through the whole thread this afternoon and thoroughly enjoy reading about your cruise @Selbourne sounds like it's the same itinerary as we did in August.

I'm saving off all your menu pics to show my brother in law as he's worried he'll find the food too samey on a 2 week cruise. He wouldn't use speciality dining more than once a week.