pete14

It certainly seems to be sunny here in Wales. Breakfast outside overlooking the sea coming up (maybe). They say Easter eggs are suffering from shrinkflation. I can think of no better reason to increase the number you consume. Any contributions welcome. 😇

I very much doubt it and cannot remember ever seeing a dartboard anywhere on board. May be a bit hazardous in rough seas and your throwing action may suffer (as may any fellow passengers who get too close). You may also have some questions to answer when your luggage is scanned prior to boarding.

I am a little envious that not only can you afford cruises but stamps as well 😊

If you have an iPad or iPhone (and probably others), you can record bp readings in the phone’s ‘health app’. This then stores the information and produces graphs of readings that can show trends etc. My GP is happy to accept these readings rather than the one done in the surgery which tends to be higher, due to ‘white coat syndrome’ - the increased stress of being in the presence of a GP. When I bought my machine, my GP advised me to use an upper arm monitor because he said that the wrist monitors are generally less accurate.

Have a safe journey.

Really pleased you have got the all clear to go on your cruise Josie. It is about time you had some good news together with a nice break.

From our experience a few years ago, if the weather is that bad, it is unlikely that there will be gaps through the clouds that may allow the Northern Lights to be seen. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and the skies clearer. At least Alta is a good place to see them from the ship.

And of course it is not your static seaside palace that I am looking at as I type. 👍

To be respectful to P&O, maybe green bean tin cans would be more appropriate. Presumably I am not considered to be new. 😉

If on Arvia and Iona, surplus tables are available to those wishing to pay a supplement, I have no issue. On smaller ships that do not have surplus tables it would be an issue. If they want to reuse my table after I have used it, that would be OK but not before if it meant I would have to wait. I don’t think that would be unreasonable.

You will need a very big whip to extort 79 million dollars from us.

I have no idea but in all honesty, I think it is unlikely to happen.

No hassle involved. If you don’t want to use them, you don’t have to. We have never made great use of them but they are quite handy if you want a room service meal.

There is absolutely no reason why you should not go to Epicurean for breakfast. It is something factored into the price you paid and if you wish to, you should use it. The waiting staff will no doubt welcome your children, and more than likely, spoil them. I can’t think that any other guests will disapprove, if they do, tough. They can choose to eat elsewhere.

One of the things the suite breakfast provides is a quiet, peaceful and unhurried quality breakfast. There are enough tables to cater for every guest without having to reuse them. No waiting and usually the same table and staff every morning. Allowing others to pay to use the restaurant on odd mornings would diminish the experience for those who pay extra for their ‘suite experience’. The message is simple, if you want to have breakfast in a speciality breakfast, book a suite and you will be welcome to do so. It is not as though you cannot get a decent breakfast in the MDR or elsewhere.

If I could help I would. Just eat and drink all things that I don’t.🥴

I agree with your wish for her to be left alone. I am completely indifferent to the whole family. I don’t wish them any harm of course but I have no interest in reading about them or seeing regular pictures of them. Don’t forget, it is they who took, manipulated and released the picture. Nobody forced them to do so.

Thanks Selbourne for your reports. I don’t know how you managed to keep it going for the full cruise. I hope you arrived home safely and that your home is still as you left it.

Not too bad especially as it was £15 just for the winter months last year. Mind you, when you add in the 4.99% increase in council tax that seems to be the standard rise over most of the country, maybe it is not so acceptable.

Out of interest, as someone who lived in the same part of the county as I think you do for many years, what church are you referring to?

I think the possible cause may be that when you booked, it appears you booked for two people and this is what appeared on your booking confirmation. Changing the booking by adding the cot seems to have caused the problem. I can only presume that a cabin with a queen size bed, which is in a fixed position within the cabin, does not allow sufficient space to put a cot. Maybe the fixed twin configuration allows this. Mind you, if this is the case, I am surprised this wasn’t explained to you. This doesn’t explain what appears to be un-necessary intransigence on behalf of P&O. You mention booking with an agent. Is that a P&O agent who took your booking directly over the phone or a travel or cruise agent either on the high street, online or phone? If the latter, maybe they should have a go at sorting it out for you.

I had the same issue with my mum a couple of years ago. She had been in hospital for a few weeks, not helped by catching Covid whilst she was in there (tested positive but no symptoms). They would not discharge her to go home with carers as was the situation before her hospital stay, because, quite correctly, they said it would be unsafe, but found her a place in a nursing home for respite care. She had always been opposed to nursing / care homes but accepted the nursing home place (not that she had any real choice), and stayed there for over a year. I have to say, having power of attorney for both health and finance was a great help and I recommend anyone with vulnerable or elderly family members to apply for it.

Of course, but maybe there are greater demands caused by different requirements either through health, personal ethical choices and convictions than once there were, that means space has had to be reapportioned. I don’t doubt there is some cost cutting though. Portion sizes appear to be smaller which is actually not a bad thing in my opinion.

I agree but more galley space to work with may improve the quality if not necessarily the choice. On our recent Aurora cruise, not all meals were as described, especially in the vegetable department where they seemed to serve the same vegetables regardless of the meal choice and how it was described. On the few occasions when green beans were on the menu, we had a pretty standard chunk of carrot and a sprig of broccoli instead, together with partially cooked potatoes.

The classic drinks package does include a selection of wines with your meals but in measures of 175ml. A wider selection and in glasses of 250 ml is available with the deluxe package. Of the two packages, I would pay the extra for the deluxe but it is all a matter of personal preference. I think the majority manage without any package and pay for what they drink on their final account at the end of the cruise. Just be aware that if you have a package, you may be tempted to drink more than you normally would.