pete14

I am not trying to defend P&O because food should be better than many have experienced both in quality and choice. However, galley space on Aurora is likely to be small and there can only be a limited amount of different dishes that they can physically produce. This is not helped by the need to cover not just vegetarian / pescatarian / vegan dishes but also special diets such as gluten free, low fat, low sugar etc. These need separate, dedicated preparation areas which cut back on space for the ‘ordinary’ menu choices. Maybe the larger ships with larger galleys can manage this more easily and effectively.

One of my funniest dining moments occurred many years ago in a restaurant in the Lake District. Gravlax of salmon was on the menu as a starter and a more mature in years ‘posh’ lady had ordered it. When the waiter served it to her, she complained quite loudly and bitterly that she couldn’t eat it because it was not cooked. The waiter calmly assured her that Gravlax is cured salmon and shouldn’t be cooked. It was perfectly safe to eat. The lady was having none of this, saying in increasing levels of loudness, that she had eaten in some of the top restaurants in the country and the world and had never been served raw salmon in any of them. The waiter carefully explained again to her that Gravlax is never cooked but that he would happily replace it with another dish from the menu. She demanded the manager should be called and he arrived and explained that the waiter was correct. She failed to accept his assurances as well. Her poor husband seemed to be shrivelling up inside himself in embarrassment whilst this was happening. Of course, we and everybody else, were in awe of this ladies greater knowledge and experience of the culinary world and couldn’t stop ourselves from listening in with increasing amusement. It did bring to mind the Fawlty Towers episode with the lady who was hard of hearing being shown into her room and complaining about the view, (Mrs. Richards?). Of course many people who subsequently ordered the Gravlax (but definitely not me because I wouldn’t dream of it🥴) checked with the waiter whether it was cooked or not before ordering it.

I am sure that we in North Staffordshire won’t have to wait much longer for such traffic infrastructure to reach us. After all, we are all allegedly being levelled up. 🚌

Just give them only the 2 for £10:50 menus, provided it has something on it that you want.

Chocolate mouse cake? I suppose that is one way of getting rid of them. Watch out for the ratatouille.

But what a great and brave performance she gave at the Grammies last week considering what has happened to her life, health wise, over the last few years.

Only if eating at knight

We are also with Staysure. We made a claim for a cruise we had to cancel about 18 months ago caused by serious illness of a family member who was not travelling. It was eventually settled in full but it took about three months and us having to provide an overload of proof, some of which would have been very difficult to obtain without having power of attorney for the person with the illness. My feeling is that delays were caused by the company who Staysure sub contract the claims process to, rather than Staysure themselves. Perhaps they should handle claims as well as selling their insurance.

Oatcake production line, and lunch today

No yeast Eddie, at least not in ours. Just 4 ingredients: flour, oats, water and a pinch of salt.

I agree with you but I guess they are working on the basis of the fact that meat eaters can eat vegetarian and vegan dishes, which they have to provide, but vegetarians and vegans can’t eat meat dishes. In a galley with restricted space and thousands of mouths to feed, where different preparation ares are needed to prevent ‘contamination’, choice is inevitably going to be restricted. Add to that the area for special diets….

Oatcakes are made from water, wheat flour, oats and a pinch of salt, mixed together and cooked on a griddle like a pancake. More healthy than bread and no need for butter.

As things stand at the moment, owning up to supporting Stoke City is almost as bad as supporting the Vale. Staffordshire football isn’t great at the moment. Must be all the oatcakes slowing the players down.

I guess by now, most people are totally confused by this. Never mind. I am quite partial to oatcakes from the oatcake shop in Goldenhill. Like others, they are freshly made in the shop so always fresh. Their pikelets are good too. More confusion reigns in all parts of the country apart from ours.🥴

Seems very sensible to me although I am saddened that there are obviously people out there who need to be told to keep their pets in a different room from the boiler. I don’t suppose it applies to rabbits, hamsters and goldfish though.

As any delays are likely to be approximate, giving such an estimate commits them to it. If it turns out that the delay is less severe, if every passenger is at the airport they can leave at the earlier time.

Although correct about Arvia, your comment about select and saver is incorrect. On ships apart from Arvia and Iona, booking Select fare gives you the choice between fixed dining on first or second sitting or freedom dining. On Saver fare, P&O allocate which you get and there is no choice.

As Arvia is freedom dining only, I don’t suppose it makes any difference at all.

With global warming, you may regret that final remark.

We have a couple of sturdy blue reusable coffee cups that some may recognise. Take them into the purveyor of coffee that gives a bean with every cup and you get two, not one.

Thanks for a great review. I am delighted you had such a great time and the positivity in your review is good to read. Perhaps you could try swimming in the sea in Wales to check the contrast in temperature.

Is Anne Boleyn the author or is that her head on the floor?

I tried it on Aurora and enjoyed it one night when I really didn’t fancy anything else on the menu.

I disagree. This extra ‘pay’ menu increases choice for those who want an occasional upgrade from the normal menu. It is not compulsory. I agree that the menus have been slimmed down, and would prefer for it not to have happened, but that is possibly down to the need to provide both vegetarian and vegan dishes (suitable for everybody) requiring dedicated meat and fish free spaces to prepare in a galley which has limited space to provide the larger range of previous ‘meat’ option choices as well.

Disappointing on many fronts. I hope you feel better soon.