P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[brian1]

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I believe you can now fly non stop back to the UK from Perth.

17-18 hrs on a 787.

[terrierjohn]

29 minutes ago, brian1 said:

17-18 hrs on a 787.

Great for a movie binge,

[Purdey16]

Thanks for all the tips on booking COVID booster, I’ve just booked mine and other half’s one but can’t get in anywhere until 30 th November, so over due for us to , I did try the other week and it wouldn’t let me , but at least it’s been done 😉

 

Been busy picking some cruises out and pre registered for Arcadia Baltic’s September 23 and Arcadia Hong Kong to Southampton 35 nights (part of world cruise) 24 hopefully get the cabin we want 🤞, changed my mind on the Iceland / Norway because I was doing Iceland a few months before I forgot 🥴

[Britboys]

14 hours ago, wowzz said:

Out personal preference is Kuala Lumpur, as it has more of an Asian feel to it, but Singapore has its own appeal. 

Spent three weeks in Singapore a few years back as a friend worked out there. Sorry to say that I wasn't impressed at all. To me it really felt like an American city dropped into the middle of Asia. Yes, it had a China Town, an India Town and Clark Quay but it was all a bit sanitised. We did a side-trip for a few days to KL, which did feel more authentic but was unbearably humid - much moreso than Singapore!

[Britboys]

13 hours ago, wowzz said:

Yes, we are of like minds about that! 

Awful places.

Glad it's not just me that has no desire to visit places like the UAE and Qatar...

[Britboys]

Thanks for all the posts about booking Booster vaccines. Had my 2nd jab 20th May, so just been on the NHS website to book my booster. The venue I went to before couldn't offer anything before 30th November, so tried the other local alternative and got booked for 21st. Have to drive to both so no odds where I go.

[kruzseeka]

3 hours ago, Purdey16 said:

Thanks for all the tips on booking COVID booster, I’ve just booked mine and other half’s one but can’t get in anywhere until 30 th November, so over due for us to , I did try the other week and it wouldn’t let me , but at least it’s been done 😉

 

Been busy picking some cruises out and pre registered for Arcadia Baltic’s September 23 and Arcadia Hong Kong to Southampton 35 nights (part of world cruise) 24 hopefully get the cabin we want 🤞, changed my mind on the Iceland / Norway because I was doing Iceland a few months before I forgot 🥴

You may have already checked this out but did you know walk-ins are available at Kings Park 'subject to availability'?  Might not be that simple but if it is possible, perhaps you could get something earlier than the end of the month.  Good luck!

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination-service

Edited November 8, 2021 by kruzseeka

[Purdey16]

3 hours ago, kruzseeka said:

You may have already checked this out but did you know walk-ins are available at Kings Park 'subject to availability'?  Might not be that simple but if it is possible, perhaps you could get something earlier than the end of the month.  Good luck!

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination-service

Thank you kruzeeka I didn’t know that so I went on the link this morning and the nearest one they are offering is in totton and Southampton, no info on kings park but never mind we will wait and still be very careful in using face mask and gelling hands and shopping trolleys 🤗😷 take care everyone and have a lovely day .

[brian1]

8 hours ago, Britboys said:

Spent three weeks in Singapore a few years back as a friend worked out there. Sorry to say that I wasn't impressed at all. To me it really felt like an American city dropped into the middle of Asia. Yes, it had a China Town, an India Town and Clark Quay but it was all a bit sanitised. We did a side-trip for a few days to KL, which did feel more authentic but was unbearably humid - much moreso than Singapore!

Even chewing gum is illegal,lol.It's OK for 2 or 3 day stopovers.We've been there 3 times,once as a port on a cruise and twice staying over before and after cruises.On the 3rd time it was probably enough.Been there,got the t shirt now.Brian.PS,had mixed feelings about Hong Kong also.

[wowzz]

19 minutes ago, brian1 said:

now.Brian.PS,had mixed feelings about Hong Kong also.

We loved HK prior to the handover to the Chinese,  but in subsequent visits we felt the spark  of the place had died a little.  

However,  I do think that taking the Star Ferry across to Kowloon should  be on everyones "bucket list"

Edited November 8, 2021 by wowzz

[purplesea]

Asia is one of the many places on my bucket list!

 

Went to the firework display last night and took some photos and a couple of videos, but somehow I seem to have lost the videos😒

Edited November 8, 2021 by purplesea

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, brian1 said:

Even chewing gum is illegal,lol.It's OK for 2 or 3 day stopovers.We've been there 3 times,once as a port on a cruise and twice staying over before and after cruises.On the 3rd time it was probably enough.Been there,got the t shirt now.Brian.PS,had mixed feelings about Hong Kong also.

I suppose it depends on when you went to Hong Kong. We had a 5 day stopover en route to Bali in 1996, just before the transition back to China and had a fascinating time. You could clearly see the changes happening though, but we crammed as much as possible into the 5 days of touring because we knew it would be the last chance to explore the 'original' Hong Kong'.

Sis

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

We loved HK prior to the handover to the Chinese,  but in subsequent visits we felt the spark  of the place had died a little.  

However,  I do think that taking the Star Ferry across to Kowloon should  be on everyones "bucket list"

Lantau Island too. A beautiful place with the giant bronze Tian Tan Buddah and the Po Lin Monastery. There were many diverse and wonderful faces to Hong Kong, most likely all gone now.

Avril

[yorkshirephil]

9 hours ago, kruzseeka said:

You may have already checked this out but did you know walk-ins are available at Kings Park 'subject to availability'?  Might not be that simple but if it is possible, perhaps you could get something earlier than the end of the month.  Good luck!

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination-service

You still have to wait 182 days before you physically get the vaccine, the 5 months is only for booking. Quite a few are being caught out with this and turning up at our walk-in demanding the jab because they had their second jab 5 months ago.

[Adawn47]

1 minute ago, yorkshirephil said:

You still have to wait 182 days before you physically get the vaccine, the 5 months is only for booking. Quite a few are being caught out with this and turning up at our walk-in demanding the jab because they had their second jab 5 months ago.

Thanks for that Phil. I was thinking they'd moved the goalposts(again), and were advising 5 months between 2nd jab and the booster.

Avril

[kruzseeka]

5 hours ago, Purdey16 said:

Thank you kruzeeka I didn’t know that so I went on the link this morning and the nearest one they are offering is in totton and Southampton, no info on kings park but never mind we will wait and still be very careful in using face mask and gelling hands and shopping trolleys 🤗😷 take care everyone and have a lovely day .

You're very welcome.  Crikey Sotton or Southampton?  Boots in town booked up for the foreseeable by the look of it!   The reason I mentioned King's Park was because there has been a change on their website reference Boosters . 

A few weeks ago our friend was trying to book on line and King's Park wasn't mentioned although it had been flagged up in the Echo.  When I checked if they were doing them - they were,  but only 1st and 2nd jabs so not offering Boosters at all.  However, their website does say Boosters now  - but not bookable just as  'walk ins' (subject to enough vaccine being available).  So it won't pop up on the NHS bookable system for Boosters.  I just wonder how easy (or difficult 🤔) it would be to just walk up and get one - presumably not too near the end of the day. 

 

But I'm pleased you are booked in and as you say will continue to take precautions - so take care.  It's definitely reassuring to get that Booster! 😉

 

 

7 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

You still have to wait 182 days before you physically get the vaccine, the 5 months is only for booking. Quite a few are being caught out with this and turning up at our walk-in demanding the jab because they had their second jab 5 months ago.

 

Sorry if I misinterpreted.   As Purdey said 30th November made them 'overdue' I had assumed she had hit 6 months but was experiencing quite a long wait for an appointment.  But useful clarification  on what the 5 months actually means.  👍

 

 

[yorkshirephil]

13 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

Thanks for that Phil. I was thinking they'd moved the goalposts(again), and were advising 5 months between 2nd jab and the booster.

Avril

I think the idea is to make it easier for people to get booked, some of the media reports I have seen make it sound like you can actually get the jab after 5 months. 

 

I think the goalposts will get moved anyway, optimisation of the booster will become clearer with time and data collection. It is clear that the efficacy of the vaccine is waning in some people, or it didn't work well for them.

[brian1]

2 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

I suppose it depends on when you went to Hong Kong. We had a 5 day stopover en route to Bali in 1996, just before the transition back to China and had a fascinating time. You could clearly see the changes happening though, but we crammed as much as possible into the 5 days of touring because we knew it would be the last chance to explore the 'original' Hong Kong'.

Sis

Hi sis,once again a 1 day visit on Diamond Princess.All the highlights covered,OK except being trapped in a bloody jade factory for an hour.Sail out was good thru the harbour at night.My favourite place was Vietnam,natural beauty even though poverty stricken and ***** fighting on street corners.Bro.

[brian1]

Oh dear,that word again,lol.

[Adawn47]

41 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Hi sis,once again a 1 day visit on Diamond Princess.All the highlights covered,OK except being trapped in a bloody jade factory for an hour.Sail out was good thru the harbour at night.My favourite place was Vietnam,natural beauty even though poverty stricken and ***** fighting on street corners.Bro.

We never got to Vietnam sadly, but did  manage to get to Laos.  These posts have got me thinking about all the wonderful places we visited during our flying days bro, lovely memories of the wonderful countries and people we met. If we have a favourite place, it's Chiang Rai closely followed Mae Hong Son, both in northern Thailand. The real Thailand, as it used to be with geniune helpful, friendly, happy people. 

Sis

[Adawn47]

55 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Oh dear,that word again,lol.

Rooster? fighting

Sis

[brian1]

4 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

You still have to wait 182 days before you physically get the vaccine, the 5 months is only for booking. Quite a few are being caught out with this and turning up at our walk-in demanding the jab because they had their second jab 5 months ago.

Sorry Phil,I was spreading falsehoods also.I misread the news.I blame my big sis for hogging all the books when we wos kids,she's clevawer than me.At least it's a step in the right direction.

[Josy1953]

Those of you having problems getting boosters etc have my deepest sympathy.

Just to add to the confusion surrounding vaccines,  I had a phone call last Wednesday to arrange a Pfizer booster vaccination for me because I took part in the Novavax trial and Novavax has not yet been approved in the UK and EU.  I told the person who rang that I had already had a Pfizer booster because I was working in the vaccine centre and she then offered to book a 2nd Pfizer jab for 3 weeks time which will be 8 weeks after my first Pfizer vaccine.  I have turned the offer down because I have no wish to waste over an hour to get the vaccine where the trial admin have decreed that we should go to. 

I have spoken with the person in charge at our hub and I will now have my 2nd Pfizer there, no time wasted because I  will be working there when I have it.  I  will have had 4 doses of vaccine but without the 4th jab I can't be sure that I will be able to go on holiday outside the UK.

The thing that I have learned from taking part in the trial is 'don't take part in any trials because it is chaos afterwards'.

Rant over 🤐🤐

Edited November 8, 2021 by Josy1953

[Adawn47]

1 hour ago, brian1 said:

Sorry Phil,I was spreading falsehoods also.I misread the news.I blame my big sis for hogging all the books when we wos kids,she's clevawer than me.At least it's a step in the right direction.

Don't use that excuse bro. You know I only needed them to stand on so I could smack you on the nose for teasing me. You would rather play with your conkers than read😜

Sis

[pete14]

2 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

Those of you having problems getting boosters etc have my deepest sympathy.

Just to add to the confusion surrounding vaccines,  I had a phone call last Wednesday to arrange a Pfizer booster vaccination for me because I took part in the Novavax trial and Novavax has not yet been approved in the UK and EU.  I told the person who rang that I had already had a Pfizer booster because I was working in the vaccine centre and she then offered to book a 2nd Pfizer jab for 3 weeks time which will be 8 weeks after my first Pfizer vaccine.  I have turned the offer down because I have no wish to waste over an hour to get the vaccine where the trial admin have decreed that we should go to. 

I have spoken with the person in charge at our hub and I will now have my 2nd Pfizer there, no time wasted because I  will be working there when I have it.  I  will have had 4 doses of vaccine but without the 4th jab I can't be sure that I will be able to go on holiday outside the UK.

The thing that I have learned from taking part in the trial is 'don't take part in any trials because it is chaos afterwards'.

Rant over 🤐🤐

I booked my booster for this Thursday when I was informed my 6 months plus one week were up. Went to my doctor’s for a flu jab this afternoon and was given my Covid booster as well. All I need to do now is cancel Thursday’s appointment.

Edited November 8, 2021 by pete14