pete14

Megabear - I seem to recall that you have been in the Caribbean on Britannia, a cruise that coincided with a few others from these boards. I just wondered whether any of you were able to identify each other.

Another good reason to book directly with P&O and cut out the middleman who needs to impose charges to increase turnover. It also means that if an issue like this arises, you can speak directly to P&O, rather than allowing somebody else to negotiate on your behalf.

Reduced salt and sugar has it’s benefits but what irritates me is the predominant green colour which implies it is the healthy pure food option when it is likely to be highly processed and full of additives.

Regarding your request to move table in the evening, is Cleopatra still onboard in the Head Waiter team? We found her to be excellent in November and I am sure she would try to help you out quickly.

Again on Aurora two months ago, we had the small box of chocolates, box of White Company lotions which we brought home and drinkable champagne in the fridge. I agree that the canapés are no loss, probably more as a wastage issue than anything else.

This was November 2023. I have no idea whether any extra training was done on the ship immediately but I am confident that Head Office will have set something in motion by now.

My wife contacted the executive team at P&O about the failure to address her dietary needs properly on Aurora and she received a reply that was apologetic, and at least suggested that they took it seriously and would be dealing with it with the head chef onboard. My guess is, and it is only a guess, that the chef responsible for dietary needs has been retrained or moved to another part of the galley. At least, that is action that I think should have been taken.

Not mine I’m afraid. I don’t tend to need to wear one of any size.

There was a turndown service in our suite on Aurora a couple of months ago. I am not too sure why it appears to be so important to you.

Perhaps it is the one we left behind in November.

Have a great cruise. Free drinks package must have been a huge shock that only a few drinks will help you to recover from.

I share peoples’ thoughts about the on the beach adverts and wonder whether they did any research on the demographic of the families they appear to be aimed at. I just hope there are few similar actual families and that I manage to steer clear of them. I certainly wouldn’t use the company to handle any booking for me.

Great news for you both. Even though we have never met, I feel so pleased and relieved for you both.

Bon Voyage!

They have proper lactose free milk onboard but seem to be more focused on making use of oat, soya or other non dairy alternatives, possibly to also meet vegan demand.

I had the fillet steak on Aurora a couple of months ago, and although more medium rare than the rare I asked for, it was well worth the supplement. I don’t think many ordered from this optional upgraded menu but in my opinion, it is a positive step forward in offering greater choice.

It just goes to show that we are all different. A couple of months ago, we enjoyed both the tiffin lunch and the evening meal in Aurora Sindhu. Attempts to book another evening were futile because they were fully booked every night.

Thanks for reminding me about the Pork Vindaloo on Aurora. When I had it a couple of months ago, I suspected a ship wide shortage of hot spices. Obviously they still haven’t restocked.

You would only save by taking it out on Day 2 if you do not have drinks once you have boarded, wine with evening meal and a couple of ‘nightcaps’. Although drinks prices are reasonable, it is surprising how quickly the daily total creeps up.

I am pretty sure your information is incorrect. The only price reductions for a drinks package that I have seen are a special offer for buying the package in advance. Whether even the advance discounted price is good value is debatable and dependent on how many drinks you intend to buy. Taking a litre of spirits with you is permissible but you are not allowed to drink it in any bars or restaurants onboard - just your cabin.

Sounds nice but I hope you checked the sell by date in case it was left unsold from Christmas.

I guess ‘late bookers and newbies’ are being put on Maleth planes but probably alongside early bookers, experienced cruisers and others in between. It is always possible that those late bookers are put onto Maleth flights because early bookers have already been allocated their flights on other operators (eg TUI?) before Maleth were even chartered, well before late bookers actually booked. They may even have chosen and paid for particular seats on their allocated flight. If that is the case, it seems fair enough to me.

What a great idea. I am sure the thousands of people whose cruises may have to be cancelled will be overjoyed. The lack of availability of aircraft for charter on a regular basis has been given for the chartering from Maleth airlines. Terminating the contract will not rectify this so cancellations by P and O will be the inevitable consequence. Somehow, I cannot see the requisite number of signatures to trigger a parliamentary debate being reached.

Have a great cruise. I look forward to reading your updates over the next couple of months.

It doesn’t necessarily make his opinions, comments or reports any more authoritative or valid than anybody else’s. How is his cruising lifestyle financed?