Peppers mum

Hi yes I'm with HL too and found the most difficult part of the whole Stockperks registration etc being the finding dated proof of my shareholding! After that it was all very plain sailing and much easier than I anticipated. I've applied and had Shareholder Benefit obs applied for our 5 future cruises this year (4 P & O, 1 Cunard). It really was all very straightforward and if I can do it anyone can! Good luck Julie

That's such sad news, loved sailing with the legend that will always be Captain Charlie Carr. I remember queueing for the Beach House on Ventura and being given a buzzer. Captain Carr walked up with some guests and my husband jokingly said to the maitre d "I hope you're going to give him a buzzer too"!!! They did!!! 🤣 We all sat outside and had a good laugh about it!!! RIP Captain Carr and thank you for many happy memories of sailing with you.

Apologies for not replying to everyone individually but a massive THANK YOU to each and every one of you for welcoming me so warmly, it really is appreciated. Yesterday saw our recycling bins emptied as normal (green-garden & food, brown- glass, plastic, paper, cardboard etc) however the lid off our green bin completely disappeared too! I duly reported it to our local council and the lady I spoke to said they must be collecting them as she'd had lots of phone calls! She took all the relevant details including my date of birth!! This morning I received an email from Alliance (the Waste team) asking for a photo of the damage and also the age of the bin. The date of manufacture can be found . . . wait for it . . . . In or under the bin lid!!!!! 🤔 Have a good day everyone, how many of you will now be checking your bin lids for dates,! Ha ha!!

Thanks Avril, sometimes the 1st step is the hardest! I'm really glad I took it though and yes I now wonder why I waited so long!! My heartfelt thanks to you all for making me feel so welcome. Julie xx

That made me laugh Graham, I've tried to go to Amsterdam 3 times so far but the itineraries have always changed and I feel I'm destined never to go there! To date we've sailed on all the current fleet with the exception of Aurora so June will see that box ticked! After Aurora we are on Ventura 31st August with 4 friends we met on Arcadia back in 2016 on her Worldie last leg San Francisco to Southampton. Then it's Azura 26th September for my husbands 70th birthday (he has no idea about this cruise and that's the way I intend it to stay until the last minute!!) November is the QM2 TA and then Azura for Christmas and New Year!

Pepper was my soul mate, I was lucky enough to share his life for 16 years 2 months and 10 days after finding him abandoned on Winter Hill near Bolton back in 2004. We now live in Whaley Bridge in the High Peak, Derbyshire with the lovely lunatic Poppy Patterdale (who we adopted in 2020 aged 7 months). Next cruise is Aurora 22nd June xx

Thank you so much Graham, I can't tell you how much your words mean xx

Thank you all for the very warm welcome, it really is appreciated. My 2 favourite topics are cruises and dogs! I've never known life without a dog and currently am the devoted servant to Poppy Patterdale!! We have only ever cruised P & O so far (20 plus cruises to date, it never concerns me how many weve done only how many more we have booked!!) Alongside numerous P & O cruises we also have a Cunard TA booked in November and a Princess round Britain next year.

I hope its ok to post on here as you all seem so close, I have followed you all for months and longed to join in. I fully empathise with your Sarah Graham as I had a similar relationship with my own parents. I was never good enough. 96% in exams, why didn't I get 100%.? After my mum passed in 2007 only my dad had lost someone . . . I could write a book but I refuse to let it destroy or define me!! I'm a young at heart 62 year old dog crazy, cruise lover and I really hope it's OK to join this thread? Julie Xx

Thanks for an interesting, informative and honest review, I really enjoyed the read. We are on Aurora in June and this will be our 1st time aboard her and will also complete sailings on all the current fleet for us!

Have a fantastic cruise! Love Iona 💕 Andersons is a favourite of ours!

We certainly do remember it and reading your post was spooky as we have just come off Azura and we taught our lovely waitress to say it when we asked how she was each day!! She added flapping arms (like an impression of a chicken) which made it all the more hilarious! So if anyone is dining in Oriental over the next few weeks look out for Rachel around tables 111, 113 and ask her how she is!

We've just come off Azura, asked our cabin steward for body lotion which he instantly provided along with face cloths.

We have spent almost every Christmas and New Year for the last 10 years, aboard a P & O ship, Britannia, Iona, Azura and this year Arvia. We have no complaints whatsoever and indeed this year there was even a bottle of wine per couple on every table in the MDR on both Christmas day and NYE which we've never seen previously! I personally don't like the commercialism of Christmas in the UK these days and the pressure on people to have the "perfect day", it's actually a very sad and lonely time for many people and the media has a lot to answer for imo. Anyway we have always found the ships to be beautifully decorated, the gingerbread villages that the chefs create are a work of art, there is a religious service if that is for you, a Carol service and even a pantomime - oh no there isn't, oh yes there is!! You can participate in as much or as little as is for you. For me it's lying on my sunbed with a glass of fizz and a good book!! Oh and Santa will arrive on Christmas eve if you've been good! Julie

We were on Arvia for Christmas and New Year in the Caribbean. Temperatures on the ship were absolutely fine APART from in Brodies where it was like walking into a fridge! This was consistent throughout our 14 day cruise. 1st World problems and all that and nothing an extra layer won't fix! We still had a brilliant time. Julie

We were booked on this cruise too and received the cancellation email earlier. I only booked it 3 weeks ago while we were on Arvia! No reasons given and the replacement itinerary will be available 18th March 2024 yet the £100 pp additional obs that they've offered us is only available for bookings made before the 4th March 2024. We have several other cruises booked but I was particularly looking forward to this one and seeing parts of the UK that we wouldn't normally visit. Take care everyone. Julie

We came off Azura on Saturday after a fantastic 2 week cruise in the Canaries. Left 25 degrees in Tenerife to land in Manchester and be greeted with the Pilot announcing it was 1 degree!!! Azura is looking very festive, aside from 2020 we have cruised Christmas and New Year for many years as I personally don't like the commercialism that seems to have engulfed it here. I hope you have a wonderful time, we'll be on Arvia this year. Azura booked for Xmas 2024 & 2025. We usually take a card for our cabin steward and a little gift (chocolates or biscuits). Enjoy Julie

Totally agree re sailing again with NT and WD On my list would also be Charlie Carr, our 1st Captain on Ventura back in 2012, a real character and always speaking to guests around the ship with his worry beads close to hand! Robert Cambys thoughts for the day always make me smile and the memory of me trying to explain his 3 types of Captain line to 1 of the crew never fails to make me laugh!! Paul Brown leading the dancing on the open decks at midnight in the Caribbean on New Year's Eve . . . Happy memories!!

We came off Iona yesterday after a wonderful week in the Fjords, our itinerary was identical to yours. Wesley Dunlop is a great Captain, very popular with the crew and his 6pm announcements are always most enjoyable. He also makes himself available on the quayside several times per cruise usually early morning for an hour or so for anyone to chat to him or take photos etc. I hope you all enjoy your cruise as much as we did. Julie Ps the sailaway from Olden is brilliant.

Iona didn't dock in Alicante yesterday for the same reason.

Yes apparently it was too windy in port.

Alicante is a fabulous city, we had a house in Gran Alacant (20 minutes drive away) for 18 years and frequently visited. We have met friends off ships when they have been in port and we are due to call in September also on Iona which I am beyond excited about!. A visit to our favourite Thai restaurant is definitely on the cards! A visit to the castle as mentioned in other posts is a must or you can just stroll around this vibrant city and enjoy the numerous bars, cafes and restaurants. Have a wonderful cruise. Julie

Hi ScrumpApple I really hope you enjoy your 1st cruise, it's such an exciting time with all the anticipation! I well remember how I felt before our 1st cruise on Ventura back in 2012 !! We were on Azura for 14 nights for Xmas and New Year and had a wonderful time. Formal nights as other posters have mentioned are usually on the sea days which were the Sundays and Tuesdays (on the way up to Madeira and on the downhill return!), so 4 in total for a 14 night cruise. With New Year's Eve not falling on a sea day it wasn't an "official" black tie night but we, along with many other passengers, chose to wear our finery so had 5 black tie nights but this was our choice, living in the High Peak and spending the majority of my time in jeans and wellies, I love the opportunity to dress up (but totally understand not everyone wants to). Our itinerary was exactly as scheduled so possibly its just a 1 off swapping Gran Canaria and Lanzarote on your cruise? We were fortunate to have our departure from Tenerife delayed on NYE from 9.30pm to 2am due to some late flight arrivals so were in port for the fireworks which was a bonus. Apart from a return to Lanzarote 45 mins after we left port with a medical emergency everything else was exactly as stated on the itinerary. Have a wonderful cruise, go with an open mind and make sure you come back and let us know how it went! Julie

Manchester 06.30 24th December

Hi I have been trying to find out the check in situation for our Xmas eve Jet 2 flight to Tenerife and I found this on the flight info on our booking! Phew! Hope it helps others who are wondering and worried too. Happy Christmas everyone and happy cruising! Julie