jh1809

I've just had a leaflet through the post from P&O. Among the cruises being promoted was one to the Baltic in 2024 on Aurora which took my fancy, as it featured quite a few ports that I've not visited before, and which I've now booked. However I noticed that it's said to be to "Northern Europe and Scandinavia". Presumably they are still nervous that potential passengers might have a fit of the vapours if they use the word "Baltic". Just how stupid do they think we are? If the itinerary includes Helsinki and Tallinn etc, then it's no secret where the cruise is going.

Yes, the Alhambra is amazing. Cordoba is also fantastic.

I hope you have a great time.

Though I can't remember when I last saw any customs officers on returning to Southampton. (Not that I've ever been over or even anywhere near the duty-free limit.)

Thanks. I knew there would be a disparity, but I hadn't expected it to be anything like that great. Last year I visited Greenland and the Caribbean, but this year all my holidays are within Europe.

Last year I took out annual travel insurance with the company that P&O recommend. That may have been a big mistake. This year, taking out travel insurance with a different company (I'm not sure if the forum rules allow me to mention their name), I'm paying only just over half as much. It's true that this year I only needed cover for Europe, whereas last year I needed worldwide cover, and I suppose the risk of insurance claims from Covid has greatly reduced. But to set against that, I've just been diagnosed with high blood pressure and of course had to declare that.

Is that the scheme where they are going to take your fingerprints on entry?

When I was on Aurora in Nov/Dec, the Glass House was only open for drinks and cheese, presumably because of a shortage of cooks, though the other speciality restaurants were operating as normal. I also have an idea that it didn't open till 3pm, but I may have imagined that. Of course it could all have changed by now.

There certainly should be a full programme of day-time entertainment, including guest speakers. When I was on Aurora in Nov/Dec, the Glass House was open, but as well as drinks the only food they were doing was cheese. Presumably that was because of a shortage of cooks, though the other speciality restaurants were operating as normal. Of course it could well be different on Ventura.

It did apply on Aurora so it probably would on Arcadia as well.

The comfortable cardigan is a good analogy. The MDR does a pretty decent breakfast eggs Benedict, if it's any consolation. And it's now available there every day, when pre-Covid it was a "special" only on once a week.

It wasn't an email but an old-fashioned letter, which makes sharing it a bit more difficult. But I think what was in it has already been adequately covered in this thread.

I had that letter too. I imagine that the reinstatement of the cocktail parties is probably part of the relaxation of Covid restrictions where they didn't want large groups of people mingling closely together. Nothing was said about a return of the Captain's cocktail party for all the passengers, though.. Regarding the afternoon teas, interestingly they were back on sea days during the second half of my Caribbean trip on Aurora during Nov/Dec. Maybe that was a trial run. It wasn't at all publicised on board, though, which meant that the one I went to was poorly attended. I just happened to be looking at the meal times shown in Horizon for the MDRs and happened to spot it. I wonder if the wider return is a sign that, after the disruption to crew levels and training caused by the Covid shut-down, P&O think that the crew situation regarding cooks and waiters is now good enough to reintroduce it. One other thing they say is that you no longer have to use their My Holiday app to book things if you don't want to, but can do it the old-fashioned way. (I suspect that in practice that was always the case, but now it's official.)

In mid-November, when I embarked on on Aurora, P&O were still recommending that passengers should wear masks, though adding that they were only compulsory in the medical centre. However 5% or less were wearing masks. Among the crew it was about 25%.

I think Mediterranean and up get them.

As it's the season for carols: "I saw three ships go sailing by..." But a couple of years later I didn't, as Carnival had axed them all.

Thanks. I now have all the paperwork ready for boarding Aurora on Friday for my 28-day Caribbean cruise, all printed out rather than relying on my smartphone for any of them: passport, boarding pass, insurance certificate, health declaration, vaccination certificate, "fit to travel" observed LFT certificate (required for this particular cruise). Phew!

Which ship are you on?

It's a shame about Sindhu, as I'm on Aurora's Caribbean cruise departing 11th November. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that it reopens. If chefs with knowledge of Indian food are being redeployed to the MDRs, perhaps that will result in more or better Indian dishes on the menu. Probably unlikely, but I can hope.

Wow, £69 each seems a bit steep. The places that I looked at all seemed to be charging £29.99.

I'd say it was worth doing an Alicante excursion that includes the old fortification on the height overlooking the town, where there are fantastic views. IIRC, to get right to the highest point involves a steep uphill walk from the point where the coach parks, so you need to be reasonably fit to get the most out of it.

I second the recommendation for Taormina. It's a lovely place, and the ancient Greek theatre is fantastic.

Talking about boarding cards, I've just filled in the details that P&O wanted for mine for my cruise 21 days hence. It said I'd have to provide a photo, so I made sure I had one that I could upload, but after doing the passport and credit cards details, when I clicked on the Photo link all that came up was a Continue link. I clicked on that and it was happy to give me my boarding card, with no photo having been provided. Have they decided it's easier to just go back to taking people's photos at the terminal?

For those wanting to dine at the same fixed time every evening, don't forget that on most ships club dining is still an option (though I don't know whether that applies to Iona).

My brother and his wife are on this cruise. I hope they're enjoying it.