Selbourne ‘Live’ from Aurora’s 2024 Grand Tour

[Winifred 22]

18 hours ago, Selbourne said:

The one positive thing is that we have had personalised letters, exactly as per the wording you describe, within hours of each missed port call. 

Nationwide paid mine out recently over the phone. I had the letter from Cunard but they didn’t want to see it. The lady handling the booking just noted the name of the ship , the dates of the cruise, the approx booking date , the date and name of missed port and reason. It was approved within hours and the money in my account a couple of 

days later. 

[Guest]

16 hours ago, zap99 said:

We went to Grand Cayman on Britannia pre covid. I don't think we tendered.

Strange- every time I’ve been to Grand Cayman it’s been a tender- all the ships line up in a row and the local boats are used as tenders! I hate it😂

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Day 50 - Wednesday 21st February - Sea Day

 

Well here we are. Day 50. That’s more than double the length of time that we have ever been on a cruise before and we still haven’t murdered each other 😂

 

I had a much better nights sleep without the pressure of an early start and even managed to get a couple of loads of washing in the laundrette before we went to breakfast. Breakfast was a little hurried as I wanted to get both loads out of the washing machine and into the tumble driers in time to attend the first talk of our new guest lecturer, Paul Stickler at 10am. I got my wife in situ in the theatre and then whizzed back to the laundrette, sorted it all out and made it back to the theatre just a minute or two after he’d started. 

 

Well I am delighted. I really like true crime and that’s the subject of all his talks. My wife said that he had mentioned that he was on board until the end of the cruise and would give a talk each sea day, so that’s a big relief for me to have something to look forward to on the long drag home. Today’s talk was titled ‘The Porthole Murder’ about a murder on a cruise ship in 1947 that he has investigated. It was very refreshing to  hear about a case that I’d never read about and his presentation style was very good.

 

I did some more washing and some emails before we headed to lunch at 1pm in the Glasshouse. Having had at least half a dozen meals in there this cruise, I can say with some confidence that it is the best place to eat on Aurora. Every meal there has been superb and the service is always exemplary.  

 

We were planning on attending the 3pm ‘Audience with the Headliners’ in the theatre, but lunch had dragged on a bit (the second large glass of Jam Shed Shiraz was to blame) so we returned to our cabin for a rest and a read and ended up remaining there until dinner. The 10pm show was the act Duo Esencias with their performance called ‘The Dream’. We saw this on Britannia and didn’t feel the need to see it a second time. Tomorrow Georgetown, Grand Cayman, which is a tender port. 

I don’t know if you have managed to find Jam Shed back in Blighty, but I came across it in Home Bargains of all places! They do a Shiraz, Malbec and Tempranillo. £6.50 a bottle. 

[david63]

9 minutes ago, Glitterati said:

I don’t know if you have managed to find Jam Shed back in Blighty,

It has been widely available in Tesco, and other supermarkets, for years - long before P&O started stocking it.

[david63]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

about a murder on a cruise ship in 1947 that he has investigated

I an guessing that it is a reinvestigation otherwise he would be over 100 by now!

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, david63 said:

It has been widely available in Tesco, and other supermarkets, for years - long before P&O started stocking it.

I’d never heard of it before I went on P&O! 
It’s a bit too sweet for my liking but it’s easy to drink 

[mrsgoggins]

41 minutes ago, Glitterati said:

Strange- every time I’ve been to Grand Cayman it’s been a tender- all the ships line up in a row and the local boats are used as tenders! I hate it😂

 

We've been to Grand Cayman 4 times on non-P&O cruise ships, and always used a tender. Unless it has changed in the last few years, I am not sure it is a port where large ships can berth.

[Cathygh]

6 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Day 50 - Wednesday 21st February - Sea Day

 

 

 

Well I am delighted. I really like true crime and that’s the subject of all his talks. My wife said that he had mentioned that he was on board until the end of the cruise and would give a talk each sea day, so that’s a big relief for me to have something to look forward to on the long drag home. Today’s talk was titled ‘The Porthole Murder’ about a murder on a cruise ship in 1947 that he has investigated. It was very refreshing to  hear about a case that I’d never read about and his presentation style was very good.

 

He is an excellent speaker. We saw him on Arcadia last year and we loved debating the verdicts between ourselves. 

[jh1809]

21 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

He is an excellent speaker. We saw him on Arcadia last year and we loved debating the verdicts between ourselves. 

He's been on a couple of my recent P&O cruises, and I agree that he is very good.

[galeforce9]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

It has been widely available in Tesco, and other supermarkets, for years - long before P&O started stocking it.

I hate jam shed!  But everyone had their own preferences! 

[zap99]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

It has been widely available in Tesco, and other supermarkets, for years - long before P&O started stocking it.

We normally stock up when Tesco have the 25% offer.

[zap99]

2 hours ago, Glitterati said:

Strange- every time I’ve been to Grand Cayman it’s been a tender- all the ships line up in a row and the local boats are used as tenders! I hate it😂

Strange. I have never, ever got mixed up before. I like tenders.🤣

[Guest]

Just now, zap99 said:

Strange. I have never, ever got mixed up before. I like tenders.🤣

I usually like tenders but those ones in Grand Cayman always make me feel nauseous! 
 

However, all tendering has been completely spoilt by the ‘Destination Gateway’ and ‘no step’ tendering process on the Celebrity Beyond from the magic carpet! It was amazing!!!!!

[Clodia]

3 hours ago, Glitterati said:

I don’t know if you have managed to find Jam Shed back in Blighty, but I came across it in Home Bargains of all places! They do a Shiraz, Malbec and Tempranillo. £6.50 a bottle. 

Thanks for that; I love Jam Shed and will try my local Home Bargains: big store so likely to stock a variety. Selbourne, I continue to enjoy your blog immensely. You've got me thinking that I'll buy a drinks package in advance for my November cruise on Aurora and spend my OBC in the Glass House on food!

Edited February 22 by Clodia

[bobstheboy]

Paul Strickler, there's a name from the past. I knew he did presentations on cruise ships but haven't been on a ship he was on. First met him in the mid 80's, a lifetime ago. A very good detective.

[Selbourne]

Todays MDR menus

 

Edited February 22 by Selbourne

[FatBoy20]

34 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Todays MDR menus

 

Repeat Menu from a few days ago & more like Canteen Food with plenty of Green Beans (seasonal  vegetables).

[tring]

6 hours ago, david63 said:

I an guessing that it is a reinvestigation otherwise he would be over 100 by now!

 

Yes he talks about cold cases.  We remember the porthole murder, so it must have been on Aurora round trip Caribbean in November 2022.  It must be easy to find the same talks done on more than one cruise, which can be quite a blow if someone is on for a long time, since P&O do not use many speakers on the same cruise.

 

Thanks for your continued reports Selbourne, still very informative and readable.  I hope you do not become an alcoholic before you return 🙂

 

 

Edited February 22 by tring

[brian1]

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

Yes he talks about cold cases.  We remember the porthole murder, so it must have been on Aurora round trip Caribbean in November 2022.  It must be easy to find the same talks done on more than one cruise, which can be quite a blow if someone is on for a long time, since P&O do not use many speakers on the same cruise.

 

Thanks for your continued reports Selbourne, still very informative and readable.  I hope you do not become an alcoholic before you return 🙂

 

 

Did he shove his mrs thru the porthole.Is that why they don't open anymore?

[TigerB]

On 2/18/2024 at 1:26 PM, Selbourne said:

 

Apologies for the delayed report. No internet problems, just a self inflicted issue that will become apparent as you read the report 😳😂

Day 46 - Saturday 17th February - Roatan, Honduras, Central America

 

At first glance, it didn’t look as though there would be much to see when we berthed. The whole area (Mahogany Bay) seemed to be trees with a few scattered buildings, but no town as such. We could see a beach resort but assumed that this was a hotel. Going ashore we were to be pleasantly surprised!

 

The cruise pier was very wheelchair friendly as it was just smooth concrete. There were smartly dressed ‘security’ personnel in white uniforms who were very welcoming. At the end of the pier was a modern air conditioned shop (like an airport duty free shop) and then this lead out to a wide pedestrian slope up to a cruise village. The security staff were on hand, even with a wheelchair, to offer assistance to anyone who might need it. The cruise village was very large with lots of shops and a bar, all well spaced and nicely landscaped. Again, fully pedestrianised, very wheelchair friendly and all the buildings were air conditioned. 

 

From the cruise village there was a wide concrete path leading to a private beach resort called Mahogany Beach. It’s private in that it’s for the sole use of cruise ship passengers, but it’s free. Judging by the number of sun loungers it can accommodate thousands, but as we were the only ship in the Aurora passengers barely touched the sides. It was lovely and, yet again, very wheelchair friendly. I even managed to get my wife onto the beach! We had a wander around, walked down a jetty which looks back across the resort and then sat in a beach front bar with a rum punch. There was even a cable car between the cruise village and the resort for those who didn’t fancy the short walk! We returned to the ship having had a very enjoyable morning in a lovely place. 

 

No time for lunch because I was booked on a tour - Snapshot of Roatan. This was a bit of an odd one. We were crammed in to one of those awful minibuses that they use in the Caribbean and first we were taken to a not terribly impressive viewpoint. Then the next stop was Archie’s Iguana sanctuary. That was quite a place. Hundreds of the things in all shapes and sizes freely roaming around. They are only caged up to a few years old to protect them, but once released they hang around as they know they will be fed by the visitors. Quite an experience. There was also an enclosure on the waterfront with absolutely ginormous fish in it that the guide fed, along with an amusing pelican who knew that the odd bit of food may come his way as well!

 

From there we went to a beach resort where over the course of a few hours quite a variety of things occurred. After a welcome iced tea we were taken along to watch a traditional tribal dance by some locals, and then shown how two food items, one savoury one sweet, were made from yukka (or similar sounding name) and coconut. Next a short boat trip into a mangrove reserve and then around a shipwreck, which also afforded good views of Aurora. 

 

Dropped back at the resort we were then taken to the beach bar where the flamboyant bar tender explained the Coco-Loco cocktail and the buy one get a free refill offer. This was my undoing. I was chatting to a very nice chap who also adopted the ‘when in Rome’ philosophy and as we downed the first one it didn’t seem that strong. The second one was stronger and then my drinking buddy managed to get a third one free, so not to be outdone……

 

In all honesty the rest of the day was a bit of a blur and I shall not make that mistake again 😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That looks great.

Did they have beach wheelchairs then, or are you just really really strong?

[Fionboard]

Enjoyed Mr Strickler before. Very good stories. Unlike most speakers! Also saw a very good one about Psychopaths, and another about serial killers. I obviously like the more macabre topics! 🙄

[twotravellersLondon]

45 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Did he shove his mrs thru the porthole.Is that why they don't open anymore?

 

Many a true word spoken in jest! 

 

James Camb was convicted of killing a British actress, Gay Gibson, on a voyage from Cape Town to Southampton in 1947. He claimed that they were in a relationship and that she had died during a moment of intimacy... he claimed that he had panicked and disposed of her body through the porthole... Camb was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. The sentence was never enacted as Parliament was in the process of abolishing the death penalty... the rest is history!

 

But not a very interesting history!

[brian1]

1 minute ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

Many a true word spoken in jest! 

 

James Camb was convicted of killing a British actress, Gay Gibson, on a voyage from Cape Town to Southampton in 1947. He claimed that they were in a relationship and that she had died during a moment of intimacy... he claimed that he had panicked and disposed of her body through the porthole... Camb was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. The sentence was never enacted as Parliament was in the process of abolishing the death penalty... the rest is history!

 

But not a very interesting history!

He'd be in trouble if it was May West.

[twotravellersLondon]

12 minutes ago, brian1 said:

He'd be in trouble if it was May West.

 

There is an answer to that... but... as Mae West said... "It's hard to be funny when you have to be clean!"

[jh1809]

3 hours ago, FatBoy20 said:

Repeat Menu from a few days ago & more like Canteen Food with plenty of Green Beans (seasonal  vegetables).

The "five bean and lentil soup" on the lunch menu is probably five green beans.🙂