Selbourne ‘Live’ from Aurora’s 2024 Grand Tour

[Beckett]

20 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Today’s MDR menus. No mention of Marco Pierre White so far?

 

 

Dinner tonight looks lovely Selbourne - plenty there to tempt me for sure. I hope you and Lady S feel the same.  I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to entertain us with your blog again. I've always enjoyed your reports as they are so interesting and fair. Sorry you've had stormy waters but hopefully you're over the worst now. Keep on enjoying. Best wishes. Jane xxx

[Josy1953]

19 minutes ago, Peanut006 said:

Loving reading your blog each day Selbourne.

 

We ate in Sindu on Azura last year and it was nice, not exceptional but nice.

 

Purdy16, I have made chicken tikka masala for tea tonight too!! Great minds and all that…

 

TigerB, the heavy doors would be a problem for me too, I have limited use of my left hand. We are on Arvia in March, do you know if the balcony doors are easier to open on Arvia?

 

Michelle

I have also got chicken marinating in a tikka spice mix and yoghurt in preparation for tonight.  I have also made some naan bread.

[Selbourne]

Just now, Peanut006 said:

Loving reading your blog each day Selbourne.

 

We ate in Sindu on Azura last year and it was nice, not exceptional but nice.

 

Purdy16, I have made chicken tikka masala for tea tonight too!! Great minds and all that…

 

TigerB, the heavy doors would be a problem for me too, I have limited use of my left hand. We are on Arvia in March, do you know if the balcony doors are easier to open on Arvia?

 

Michelle

Thanks Michelle. I’m pleased that people are enjoying them as they take time to do (thankfully I can type very fast 😂) but after all the comments I’ve had from the last few live blogs I felt a pressure to attempt another this time. I might struggle a bit when we have runs of port days, but will at the very least post photos. 
 

I assume that the balcony doors on Arvia will be the same as on Iona in which case, if you use an accessible cabin they open and close electrically, which is brilliant. You just tug the handle and they start to operate. The basins are also height adjustable and my wife says that the grab rails were at better heights than on Aurora. 
 

Accessibility was excellent on Iona, with the sole but significant exception of the lifts, which were far too small. The lifts on Aurora are huge in comparison to those on Iona and we’ve yet to have an issue. 

[Selbourne]

Just now, Beckett said:

Dinner tonight looks lovely Selbourne - plenty there to tempt me for sure. I hope you and Lady S feel the same.  I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to entertain us with your blog again. I've always enjoyed your reports as they are so interesting and fair. Sorry you've had stormy waters but hopefully you're over the worst now. Keep on enjoying. Best wishes. Jane xxx

Thanks Jane. Much appreciated. The lunch menu isn’t doing much for us, but dinner looks fab. I just hope that it all tastes as nice as it sounds, as there can sometimes be a disconnect in that regard  😂 

[Peanut006]

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Michelle. I’m pleased that people are enjoying them as they take time to do (thankfully I can type very fast 😂) but after all the comments I’ve had from the last few live blogs I felt a pressure to attempt another this time. I might struggle a bit when we have runs of port days, but will at the very least post photos. 
 

I assume that the balcony doors on Arvia will be the same as on Iona in which case, if you use an accessible cabin they open and close electrically, which is brilliant. You just tug the handle and they start to operate. The basins are also height adjustable and my wife says that the grab rails were at better heights than on Aurora. 
 

Accessibility was excellent on Iona, with the sole but significant exception of the lifts, which were far too small. The lifts on Aurora are huge in comparison to those on Iona and we’ve yet to have an issue. 

Thank you for your reply, the electronic doors sound great for me. Lifts can be a problem but it’s just one of those things. My hubby stops people stepping in front of me at the lifts

 

Looking forward to reading your next instalment Selbourne

 

Michelle

[TigerB]

3 hours ago, Peanut006 said:

TigerB, the heavy doors would be a problem for me too, I have limited use of my left hand. We are on Arvia in March, do you know if the balcony doors are easier to open on Arvia?

 

Michelle, below is a photo showing the handle to which @Selbourne refers.  As he writes, it really is easy to operate; just move the handle about 10 degrees left or right and the motor will then take over.

 

[Slugsta]

I agree that the balcony doors in the accessible cabins on Iona (and, I assume, Arvia) are so easy to use.

 

Selbourne, are the doors to the accessible cabins on Aurora automatic opening? I haven't been on her for a long time and can't remember. It really makes a difference to whether I can get in and out easily on my own in my chair.

[zap99]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Today’s MDR menus. No mention of Marco Pierre White so far?

 

 

That'll do for me.

[Selbourne]

Just now, Slugsta said:

I agree that the balcony doors in the accessible cabins on Iona (and, I assume, Arvia) are so easy to use.

 

Selbourne, are the doors to the accessible cabins on Aurora automatic opening? I haven't been on her for a long time and can't remember. It really makes a difference to whether I can get in and out easily on my own in my chair.

The ones into the cabin from the corridor are automated, but the doors into the bathroom are manually operated. 

[Slugsta]

Thanks Selbourne, we are on her in April and it's good to know that I will be able to get in/out easily on my own. It gives both OH and I a bit more freedom!

[Peanut006]

3 hours ago, TigerB said:

 

Michelle, below is a photo showing the handle to which @Selbourne refers.  As he writes, it really is easy to operate; just move the handle about 10 degrees left or right and the motor will then take over.

 

Thank you TigerB, that looks easy enough 

 

Michelle

[posford]

Well Selbourne, it’s taken me 8 days to post on this thread.  As I’ve said before, I’m one of your biggest fans/followers.

It is only 8 days into your tour but my wife and I are totally addicted.

if this goes on for 65 days I don’t know what I’ll do when you finish.

 

We really feel we are on there with you.

Keep it up, Selbourne, you are helping us through the cold winter days.

Well done and thank you.

[Dobbers]

Thanks Selbourne, love your blogs. One of my favourite menu’s, French onion soup and beef wellington yummy.

Hope the swells calm down for you soon x

[Ardennais]

Just catching up after a few days away without internet access. Glad to hear that the port talks are back! 

[Canberra forever !]

2 hours ago, posford said:

Well Selbourne, it’s taken me 8 days to post on this thread.  As I’ve said before, I’m one of your biggest fans/followers.

It is only 8 days into your tour but my wife and I are totally addicted.

if this goes on for 65 days I don’t know what I’ll do when you finish.

 

We really feel we are on there with you.

Keep it up, Selbourne, you are helping us through the cold winter days.

Well done and thank you.

I too am addicted to your posts, we have great friends who are on board your cruise and it feels as if we are cruising with them and you. 

Thank you for taking the time, I can't wait for the next episode. 

Happy cruising! 

[Selbourne]

Just now, posford said:

Well Selbourne, it’s taken me 8 days to post on this thread.  As I’ve said before, I’m one of your biggest fans/followers.

It is only 8 days into your tour but my wife and I are totally addicted.

if this goes on for 65 days I don’t know what I’ll do when you finish.

 

We really feel we are on there with you.

Keep it up, Selbourne, you are helping us through the cold winter days.

Well done and thank you.

Thank you. That means a lot. 

[Selbourne]

Day 9 - Thursday 11th January - At Sea

 

Today is day 4 of our run of 5 sea days to Bermuda. We had hoped that we would have cleared the low pressure system and awake to a smoother ride, but there were still heavy swells and, as a result, plenty of movement. 

 

Now please brace yourselves for a shock. Are you sitting down? For the first time in 28 years of cruising, I have (drumroll) used the laundrette 😂. An 8am reconnaissance  visit first, to suss out how it all works (to avoid public shame) was followed by the real thing 15 minutes later. Unfortunately, by the time I returned there were a lot more people there to witness my amateur efforts, but I managed to get a load going and then scarpered to the MDR for breakfast!

 

There was a huge mass of people waiting outside the restaurant with pagers and when we got to the front of the queue I realised that pagers were even being issued to those prepared to share. So we took a pager for a table for 2 and found a seat in the excursions area expecting a 20-30 minute wait. In less than 5 minutes the pager went off and we were in with a nice table for 2. Ask no questions!

 

After breakfast we returned to the laundrette to find that the wash had finished. However, I couldn’t open the ruddy door - even tugging it very hard. I then had to do the useless bloke thing of asking if there was a knack to this and one lady who was ironing said “give it a whack”. She didn’t say whack, but a similar word that I couldn’t quite catch. I thought she might be joking but then she kindly came over and did just that and, hey presto, the door opened! Next challenge the tumble drier. Far too many options for someone with a simple brain like mine and I wasn’t sure that I’d even turned it on as, unlike the washing machines, there’s no porthole to see inside 😂 (note to anyone else who’s as dim as me, you press the dial in to start 🙄). Thankfully the laundrette is near our cabin so I was able to pop back to check and after 30-40 minutes it was all done. Result! I was talking to a couple in the laundrette who mentioned that on Arcadias World Cruise there was an offer for “as much as you can fit in a laundry bag for £10”. I like a bargain and don’t intend to return home with 65 days of washing and ironing to do, so will keep my eyes peeled for that or something similar. 

 

I was surprised that there was no port talk today. With 27 more ports left on this cruise, and only 19 sea days before we leave the Caribbean, I would have assumed that they want to cover off one or two ports on every sea day to keep ahead. 

 

As the MDR menu didn’t appeal for lunch, we decided to go to the Glasshouse and we had a really lovely lunch.  No starters, my wife just had one small plate of hummus (such a lightweight) and I ordered my favourite Glasshouse dish, sea bass wrapped in banana leaf, with prawns in a curried broth and rice. On Ventura it was very different to usual. It was very pale and watery and had none of the usual intense flavour. I’m delighted to say that, on Aurora, it was as good as usual (albeit they had no banana leaves and the fish was tiny). What a relief. I washed it down with a large glass of the recommended Greywacke Sauvignon Blank and my wife had a Peller Ice cuvée Rose’. Afterwards we shared a cheese board and that was gorgeous. I was going to have a glass of Madeira with it as they had no Port, but then decided on a large Jam Shed Shiraz instead. Very nice indeed! We had a brief chat with the couple that we had shared the priority boarders lunch with, and when I asked how things were going the reply was that it had ‘gone downhill since we last saw them’. Whether that was a reference to the weather or other issues I don’t know. I didn’t ask. However, he has been called by reception to say that his ESTA has been declined, so I don’t know what happens now. 

 

Another shock was that at 3pm there was a 

Chocaholics Tea in the Alexandria MDR, another thing that we thought had succumbed to the cutbacks! Lady S wasn’t remotely interested (“we’ve only just had lunch”) but purely in the interests of market research (and this blog) I forced myself to attend. It wasn’t as grand an affair as it used to be, and there was no free walk through of the galley afterwards (as they used to do),but it was still a nice diversion on (yet another) sea day 👍. There was some discussion at the table that a lot of people who booked Select and opted for first sitting are unhappy that first sitting is now at 6pm, which is too early, especially when in port. Some have changed to Freedom as a result. I’m very relieved that we were allocated 2nd sitting and we are quite happy with the slightly earlier 8pm slot. 

 

At 4pm I attended a talk in the Playhouse entitled “Wacky Weapons of WW2”. Dick Taylor is an engaging speaker and I’ve enjoyed all his talks (although the two large glasses of wine and lunch combined were making it a challenge to stay awake) 😂 

 

Deciding that I needed to wake myself up, I forced myself to do 10 laps of the promenade deck. The chap with the long camera lens was out there again and said he’d seen a couple of whale blows earlier. He was pointing out flying fish leaping out of the water at the front of the ship, but I only managed to glimpse one. Hopefully this will become a regular sight later in the cruise. 

 

We had a pre dinner drink in the Crows Nest prior to attending the second black tie dinner of the cruise. My wife and I. Or had exactly the same 3 courses - smoked and poached salmon, beef wellington and sherry trifle Wally Ladd (whatever the hell that means). An excellent meal all round, although I could have eaten double the size of beef wellington that I was served. 

 

Finally we went to the second Headliners show of the cruise - Fantasy. We’ve seen this show countless times and the story line is utterly naff and the songs aren’t the best, but I can’t give a critique on how good this particular Headliners troupe were as I nodded through most of it. My wife said that it was good though, if that helps! Tomorrow is our last sea day before landfall in Bermuda!

 

[lindyloo22]

Great blog Selbourne can’t wait for the next instalment, hope the seas and nosy cabin have calmed down for you bet you can’t wait to set foot on dry land.

[paulatsea]

Thanks Selbourne - really good blog.

 

[Eddie99]

Beware those *land legs* once you eventually get off, Selbourne.  It’s quite disconcerting!

 

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Day 9 - Thursday 11th January - At Sea

 

Today is day 4 of our run of 5 sea days to Bermuda. We had hoped that we would have cleared the low pressure system and awake to a smoother ride, but there were still heavy swells and, as a result, plenty of movement. 

 

Now please brace yourselves for a shock. Are you sitting down? For the first time in 28 years of cruising, I have (drumroll) used the laundrette 😂. An 8am reconnaissance  visit first, to suss out how it all works (to avoid public shame) was followed by the real thing 15 minutes later. Unfortunately, by the time I returned there were a lot more people there to witness my amateur efforts, but I managed to get a load going and then scarpered to the MDR for breakfast!

 

There was a huge mass of people waiting outside the restaurant with pagers and when we got to the front of the queue I realised that pagers were even being issued to those prepared to share. So we took a pager for a table for 2 and found a seat in the excursions area expecting a 20-30 minute wait. In less than 5 minutes the pager went off and we were in with a nice table for 2. Ask no questions!

 

After breakfast we returned to the laundrette to find that the wash had finished. However, I couldn’t open the ruddy door - even tugging it very hard. I then had to do the useless bloke thing of asking if there was a knack to this and one lady who was ironing said “give it a whack”. She didn’t say whack, but a similar word that I couldn’t quite catch. I thought she might be joking but then she kindly came over and did just that and, hey presto, the door opened! Next challenge the tumble drier. Far too many options for someone with a simple brain like mine and I wasn’t sure that I’d even turned it on as, unlike the washing machines, there’s no porthole to see inside 😂 (note to anyone else who’s as dim as me, you press the dial in to start 🙄). Thankfully the laundrette is near our cabin so I was able to pop back to check and after 30-40 minutes it was all done. Result! I was talking to a couple in the laundrette who mentioned that on Arcadias World Cruise there was an offer for “as much as you can fit in a laundry bag for £10”. I like a bargain and don’t intend to return home with 65 days of washing and ironing to do, so will keep my eyes peeled for that or something similar. 

 

I was surprised that there was no port talk today. With 27 more ports left on this cruise, and only 19 sea days before we leave the Caribbean, I would have assumed that they want to cover off one or two ports on every sea day to keep ahead. 

 

As the MDR menu didn’t appeal for lunch, we decided to go to the Glasshouse and we had a really lovely lunch.  No starters, my wife just had one small plate of hummus (such a lightweight) and I ordered my favourite Glasshouse dish, sea bass wrapped in banana leaf, with prawns in a curried broth and rice. On Ventura it was very different to usual. It was very pale and watery and had none of the usual intense flavour. I’m delighted to say that, on Aurora, it was as good as usual (albeit they had no banana leaves and the fish was tiny). What a relief. I washed it down with a large glass of the recommended Greywacke Sauvignon Blank and my wife had a Peller Ice cuvée Rose’. Afterwards we shared a cheese board and that was gorgeous. I was going to have a glass of Madeira with it as they had no Port, but then decided on a large Jam Shed Shiraz instead. Very nice indeed! We had a brief chat with the couple that we had shared the priority boarders lunch with, and when I asked how things were going the reply was that it had ‘gone downhill since we last saw them’. Whether that was a reference to the weather or other issues I don’t know. I didn’t ask. However, he has been called by reception to say that his ESTA has been declined, so I don’t know what happens now. 

 

Another shock was that at 3pm there was a 

Chocaholics Tea in the Alexandria MDR, another thing that we thought had succumbed to the cutbacks! Lady S wasn’t remotely interested (“we’ve only just had lunch”) but purely in the interests of market research (and this blog) I forced myself to attend. It wasn’t as grand an affair as it used to be, and there was no free walk through of the galley afterwards (as they used to do),but it was still a nice diversion on (yet another) sea day 👍. There was some discussion at the table that a lot of people who booked Select and opted for first sitting are unhappy that first sitting is now at 6pm, which is too early, especially when in port. Some have changed to Freedom as a result. I’m very relieved that we were allocated 2nd sitting and we are quite happy with the slightly earlier 8pm slot. 

 

At 4pm I attended a talk in the Playhouse entitled “Wacky Weapons of WW2”. Dick Taylor is an engaging speaker and I’ve enjoyed all his talks (although the two large glasses of wine and lunch combined were making it a challenge to stay awake) 😂 

 

Deciding that I needed to wake myself up, I forced myself to do 10 laps of the promenade deck. The chap with the long camera lens was out there again and said he’d seen a couple of whale blows earlier. He was pointing out flying fish leaping out of the water at the front of the ship, but I only managed to glimpse one. Hopefully this will become a regular sight later in the cruise. 

 

We had a pre dinner drink in the Crows Nest prior to attending the second black tie dinner of the cruise. My wife and I. Or had exactly the same 3 courses - smoked and poached salmon, beef wellington and sherry trifle Wally Ladd (whatever the hell that means). An excellent meal all round, although I could have eaten double the size of beef wellington that I was served. 

 

Finally we went to the second Headliners show of the cruise - Fantasy. We’ve seen this show countless times and the story line is utterly naff and the songs aren’t the best, but I can’t give a critique on how good this particular Headliners troupe were as I nodded through most of it. My wife said that it was good though, if that helps! Tomorrow is our last sea day before landfall in Bermuda!

 

Enjoyable read as usual @Selbourne.

[Bin man]

This take on a traditional trifle is one of Marco Pierre White’s signature puddings. And it’s a nod to Wally Ladd, a chef who worked at The Connaught many years ago

http://cruiseandtravel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/trifle-for-web.jpg

[Selbourne]

Just now, Bin man said:

This take on a traditional trifle is one of Marco Pierre White’s signature puddings. And it’s a nod to Wally Ladd, a chef who worked at The Connaught many years ago

http://cruiseandtravel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/trifle-for-web.jpg

Thanks. I thought it was to do with MPW, yet still no mention of him on the menus??

Edited January 12 by Selbourne

[Bin man]

Surprising what you can find out using Google .I had not a scubbie do .Have a great cruise 

[Bin man]

Aurora 2001 chocoholics with a chocolate Eagle and ice sculpture our first cruise