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Dermotsgirl

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Everything posted by Dermotsgirl

  1. I've been enjoying reading your reports. As someone who struggled on Saga due to the closeness of some of the tables in the dining room and buffet, I've appreciated the comments about the distance between tables, and I don't think I'd have had any problems with your Iona tables !
  2. I think Catherine has been thrown under the bus, to be honest. They have people to advise them on PR, and any photo selected would have been carefully chosen to promote the desired image of healthy and happy Catherine. I'm finding it difficult to believe the idea, that that Catherine, who is still supposed to be getting better after her reported operation, just did some ad hoc Photoshopping and put the image out on Twitter, without any input from William and the Royal PR machine. Yet the apology has been worded as if she is the one who has to carry the can for what happened. It doesn't sit right with me. I wasn't expecting to see Catherine until after Easter as was previously advised, but there's been so much speculation, and the Royal machine seems to be making it worse every time they intervene, rather than reassuring people that all is well. They've been so ham-fisted, it does make you wonder what on earth is going on behind closed royal doors.
  3. Thanks you @Selbourne , that's kind of you to say. I can well understand why you feel you might need a break from blogging after 65 nights of it! During my earliest cruises I'd write a daily diary in a notebook, then type it up when I returned home and would then post it online (not on this site). When I got my ipad, I'd type it all on the cruise, then post when I got home. As most of my cruises were standard length, it didn't seem onerous. In 2016 I did a 35 night cruise, and by the end I had had enough of daily reporting. After that, I always did a review when I returned home, and didn't do anymore daily reports. I never regretted doing the reports, as reading them years later, if brings back all sorts of small details that would otherwise have been forgotten. We nearly went on Cunard in 2021 and 2022, but it didn't happen, and we've gone past wanting to sail with Cunard. But I will be interested to read any after cruise report you may post.
  4. Not the most inspiring menus today. seems heavy on the kale, too.
  5. We did the Acapulco to Barbados cruise on good old Oceana in March 2010, for my 50th birthday. Selbourne's account and photos have evoked a lot of happy memories
  6. I've never felt as if I got to the bottom of what P&O (and other cruise lines) did to improve air filtration on their ships. I think there may have been an assumption the hepa filters were fitted, but I can't actually find anything from P&O to confirm this. On their website, the said that air conditioning systems had been 'improved' to 'enhance' air filtration - but no mention is made of actual hepa filters. Perhaps this is something that @molecrochip would be able to clarify. However, air filtration alone isn't enough to stop airborne viruses, but there seems little appetite from the cruise companies and passengers alike to take further steps that may be more effective. I have to say, I would have taken the captain's remarks about 'not finding cleaner air anywhere', with a large pinch of salt! I'm not really involved much with cruising anymore, but I checked back from time to time to read your reports. It brought back happy memories of our 5 week cruise on Oceana in February 2016. In a different world, I would have no doubt done a similar cruise on Ventura by now. Thank you for all your efforts, and hope you feel better soon
  7. This may be of interest to some forum members. Starting from April they are rolling out private jabs for the 'unmentionable illness', on a pay per jab basis, at a cost of £45.00 per shot https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/pharmacies-in-england-and-scotland-to-offer-private-covid-jabs-for-45 Hopefully the likes of Boots and the larger pharmacies will get on board with this. As I wasn't eligible for the NHS jab this winter I will probably avail myself of this service.
  8. That's two of the reasons that I've currently got no cruises booked and no plans to book any. I'm really sorry to hear that so many forum members are ill at the moment. @Selbourne As I mentioned above, I seem to have moved away from cruising, so I'm not really active on the forum very much, but I do look in every few days to keep up with your adventures, so I really appreciate all the efforts you are making with your reporting.
  9. When we were immigrated in at New York and New Orleans, it was done ashore, and everybody had to be 'done' before anyone was allowed back on to the ship. However, we did two legs of the 2017 Aurora World Cruise, and the first US port was Honolulu, Hawaii. I think the border force officers must have been flown out to either Fiji or Samoa, as immigration into the US was done on board on one of the sea days before we got to Honolulu.
  10. I don’t know if anybody remembers Jo B on the P&O Ents team? She’s now working at Potters in Hopton
  11. I sailed for the first time with Saga last August. We enjoyed the food, and the transfers were fine. We had another Saga cruise already booked for next May, but we have cancelled it, and probably won't sail with Saga again. The reasons for this are many, some linked to Saga and some linked to cruising in general, and some of the reasons I'm not permitted to mention on Cruise Critic. However, the main deal breaker with Saga was the way the dining is set up. I just couldn't put up with those tables for 2 which are just a couple of inches away from its neighbour. As a pair of introverts, my husband and myself didn't enjoy this one bit. I've spoken about this at length on a thread that I did on the P&O board. We did think up strategies for making this better on the next cruise, but in the end decided to cancel, as it was too much effort, and there were other compelling reasons why we no longer wanted to cruise.
  12. So far, we have only been to Warner's with the one restaurant, although quite a few have the Brasserie 32, which is a full waiter service restaurant. We have booked Thoresby and Nidd for next year, both of which have a B32. We've booked our meals for a mix between B32 and the main restaurant.. We've also booked Heythrop, and have spread our dining over the 3 venues
  13. Thanks for doing that, much appreciated, and it confirms other reports that I've seen. We have booked the Turkey and Tinsel for next year at Gunton. We've booked a room in Willow Cottage, which is close to the main entrance of the hotel, in order to avoid too much walking outside. Most of the Warner's sites have a hybrid buffet/waiter service in their main dining rooms, but, for some reason, Gunton has gone full buffet, which hasn't been a popular decision in some quarters. I agree about the drinks prices. We mostly stick to soft drinks to keep the expenditure down !
  14. We’re going to Nidd in May, so will be interested to hear what you think of it
  15. We went to Cricket back in May, and really enjoyed it. Crewkerne is about 6 miles away so it should be an easy taxi ride. The accommodation is quite spread out - we were in the walled garden area, and it was a fair hike to the dining, bars and entertainment, but mostly under cover. If walking is any problem I’d suggest looking at the site plan, and selecting a specific room closer to the amenities - this costs an extra ( I think) £30. Breakfast, dinner and entertainment is all included. There’s usually a Warner’s Production Show one night and other nights are visiting entertainers, many names I recognise from the cruise ships. There’s also day time entertainment, if required The grounds are extensive, both gardens and woodlands. Our room was a bit ‘tired’ but perfectly serviceable and clean. We did the Lyme Regis coach trip, which also visited West Bay. The coach went from outside reception at 10am and we got back at about 5pm. Mid-week breaks are very much the 60+ retired crowd, with the weekend breaks being a bit more lively, with guests aged 40+ Lunch can be bought at the hotel, but it’s very much hotel pricing, and same goes for drinks. A small glass of wine cost about £10 We’d go to Cricket again, and I’d recommend it to others
  16. Exactly - it’s nice to have entertainment that interests you. When I started going on cruises back in 2001, there was still a ‘Good Old Days’ vibe going on, as I said, more for my nan’s generation!
  17. I’m used to being one of the younger passengers. i started cruising when I was 41, at a time when most passengers on cruise ships were 60+. I retired from work when I was 54, so I did the longer cruises that attract retired people when I was in my mid to late 50s. I’m now 63, and was one of the younger passengers when we sailed with Saga this summer. As my husband and myself keep ourselves to ourselves and do our own thing, it doesn’t matter to us what age our fellow passengers are. The only age related problem I can think of was back in our early cruises, when much of the entertainment seemed to be aimed at my grandmother’s generation. This improved in later years, when most entertainment includes songs from thre 80s and even 90s !
  18. I'll be interested to know how you get on. We have been wondering about Gunton for a break next December
  19. We really enjoyed the production shows by the theatre company, easily the equal of anything we've seen at sea, and a lot better in some cases. The theatre was great as well, with excellent views where ever you sat. The entertainment staff were talented and hardworking too. They did a variety show when the theatre company had a night off, and they were always popping up during the day in the bars with singing and quizzes etc. The only drawback that I can see is that, as all entertainment is in house with no visiting artists, it could get a bit repetitive for people who visit often. This is why I'll probably give it 18 months before going again. We are going to Nidd in May. As it's a long drive for us, we are going for a week, and will do 4 nights at Thoresby on the way back
  20. I'd like to try Hopton at some point. From what I've heard, Hopton is a bit bigger than Five Lakes, but both places have loyal followings. If visiting Fives Lakes another time, I think we'd go to Colchester Zoo, as it looks to be only a 15 minute drive away
  21. for @emam and @Peanut006 and anyone else who may be interested. We returned from Potters Five Lakes this morning, so, as previously mentioned, here's my thoughts. Generally, a big thumbs up from me. We were pleased with our room. We booked a room in the village area, which is a short walk from the main hotel. We were in the furthest block from the hotel, and it took us about 3 - 4 minutes to walk to the hotel, but we are brisk walkers. I'd suggest booking a room in the hotel if walking is a problem. Our room was the 'entry level' grade, but it was spacious and had a large bathroom with both a bath and a walk in shower. Would be happy to stay in this room again. Potters is all inclusive, and breakfast, lunch and dinner was included, plus a midnight snack if you had room. Service is on a hybrid buffet/ waiter service similar to Warners. We enjoyed all our meals. I think I'd describe it as high grade mass catering, and although and although the menu wasn't extensive, I liked the sound of nearly everything on the menu, so I felt there was plenty of choice. Waiter service was occasionally slow, but by the last night it looked as if they had some extra staff on duty. Drinks were all inclusive, from 3pm on the first day including soft drinks and coffee and hot chocolate, We found a seat, then went to the ordering point, gave our table number and our drinks order, then they'd bring it to the table. This applied to the bars and the theatre - the longest wait we had was 10 minutes, so it was very efficient. On the subject of the theatre, it was modern and state of the art, with all seats having a good view. All entertainment is in house, and the theatre company was fab. The entertainment staff were very visible, and do a lot of day time and evening entertainment in the bars, and doing the pre show entertainment in the theatre. As this was a winter holiday, we also appreciated a sports hall area, where there were lots of different sports and games to play. As everything is all inclusive, the general expectation as that people stay 'on resort'. This is just as well as the resort is in a relatively isolated situation, with not much of interest within walking distance. I would like to go to Five Lakes again, probably in summer, and make an effort to drive to either Maldon or Colchester for a while, as a normal part of my holidays usually involves some sort of sight seeing. The prices seem expensive at first glance, but as everything is included, I think it is fair value. It was only a 90 minute drive from home, so it was a good location for a short break and we had a lovely time. For people who like Warners, I think they would also like Potters, and it felt like a nice change.
  22. I always what was the cultural norm at the time. When they suggested an amount and provided an envelope for handing to the steward/waiter, I did that. When gratuities were added to the onboard account, I paid by that method. When P&O said that tips were no longer required, I took them at their word and didn’t give it a second thought.
  23. Ah, yes, I’ve heard of them, and they have a convenient pick up for us. We’ve used Jewels of Gravesend and Chalkwell of Sittingbourne for day trips, but haven’t done a day trip for 18 months. Our last one was with Chalkwell to the Weald and Downland Museum. The Museum was great, but on the way home, the driver managed to make a wrong turning, and added an hour to the journey with a roundabout route to get back on track, including squeezing through the narrow streets of Petworth. Not sure how it happened in these days of Sat Navs, but we fell out of love with coach day trips at that point. But would like to try NK, to see if we can rekindle the flame. Will keep an eye their website. Thanks for the feedback
  24. Countries like Canada are geared up for it, as they get snow all winter, every year. We get a few days snow a year, and in some years might not get any snow at all in some areas
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