Bennybluehat

That’s brilliant that Glod will bring us back to the ship as I expect it will be into the early hours when we return. It sounds like Innogy has already done this trip, can I ask what your experiences of it were?

We are doing this cruise as well, our 2nd Northern lights trip. The first time we went we were on Oriana in March and we missed our last port out due to not being able to leave Alta on time because of a storm. Because this cruise is in November there aren’t as many excursions to pick from on the P&O site probably due to the lack of snow at this time of year and the few hours of daylight we will have. We have booked an independent excursion at Tromso and it’s a chance we will have to take that we get there on time. It’s not only the weather conditions that may hold us back but I’m not overly confident Aurora will get there without any issues as it has just had an engine fire and the last time we were on it there was a mechanical fault and we were 5 hours late leaving our 1st port. Just keeping my fingers crossed everything will be ok!

In today’s news I see there has been a major traffic delay, 12hrs so far, due to a bomb scare on the M3 near Southampton. On our next cruise we are using Eavesway coaches to arrive to & depart from Southampton & it got me wondering just how long will the ship wait if we were to get caught in something like this?

Ummm maybe, but an informed source told me that the start of the fire was captured on cctv and that it occurred when the engine room alternator exploded and there was a flash fire. Further, I was told that had anyone been present at the time they would not have survived. The response to this was emergency FULL crew alert, the first for some who had been at sea for 15 years, and trained and very brave firefighters to extinguish the blaze. This was no small incident but fortunately it was contained, do not underestimate the seriousness of these situations.

Bal

It sounds serious enough to me and it concerns me because we all know cruise companies don’t like to pull ships out of circulation because of the money they will lose. Yes they will be in deep trouble if something serious happens but I get the opinion as long as they can stick a plaster over the injury to limp on they will do so. A fire will cause weak points wherever it has spread to and beyond.

We are cruising on Aurora at the end of the year & i cant say this gives me much confidence. Firstly i know cruise companies like to do repairs on the run but surely any sort of fire will have caused all kinds of issues and i dont like the idea of just putting the fire out then carrying on like nothing has happened. Secondly this doesnt seem to be a one off so if it isnt fixed thoroughly the chances are it will happen again & there will be a lot of unhappy passengers if we have to miss out ports because of ongoing faults related to this.

Oh dear does that mean there won't be any 60's music on Aurora for my cruise?;p:cool:

I really wouldn't worry :rolleyes::D

Good post, and very true. On two previous (100plus nights) cruises, many of us completed the questionnaires, pointing out that P&O's obsession with 'all things 1960s' was very boring. (We're a bunch of 6 friends, all in their 60s btw). Much as I loved the 60s, it drove me crackers. It seemed to me that the ents team, including the Headliners and the DJs, gear their entire repertoire to the Beatles and other 60s entertainment. I wonder whether P&O actually READ the questionnaires, let alone act on the views of pax. They have 60s/70s nights, where they encourage pax to dress up (and yes, we did!), but they could easily have an 80s night (think New Romantics), and play all the 80s stuff. 90s too. If I was in my 40s (oh I wish!), I think I'd be stir crazy, listening to all the 'Pick of the Pops' music.

Im so glad you agree with me and it must be true about P&O not reading the questionnaires because we wrote the same thing on ours and still nothing changes! Funny you should mention the 80s, when we were on Aurora we went into one of the lounges after the theatre where they were, as usual, playing 60s songs. Everyone was sitting around and nobody was going near the dance floor. We said we'd finish our drink and head off but then one of the entertainment team asked if we had any requests so i said anything 80s. He then played "Relax" by FGTH and the dance floor came alive! They stuck with 80s tunes and the atmosphere was amazing! People of all ages were dancing and enjoying themselves. Why cant P&O see that we arent all over the hill just yet?!

We have sailed on various P&O ships and once you have been on the adult only ships the rest do seem a good bit livelier. We sailed on Aurora 2 years ago, and as two 40-somethings we still found the entertainment was aimed at the older age group. There were a few young adults onboard but not many. Unfortunately P&O seem to be aiming to please the older passengers which means younger cruisers are not choosing to sail with them. Personally I wouldn't choose a cruise that was like a floating Ibiza but I would like them to think a bit more about my generations tastes in entertainment as well, after all I pay the same as everyone else onboard and expect to be catered for accordingly. Maybe Royal Caribbean would be better for teenagers as they do cater for all age groups.

I think you are right about these companies not wanting to confront individuals over various problems they cause whilst onboard. Not only is smoking next to your cabin disrespectful but it is also a major fire hazard and i wouldnt want to be in P&O's position if a stray cigarette butt landed on deck & caused a fire somewhere, especially when theyve known about this & not had the guts to act.

I can't agree that the lights did not dance to the naked eye. I sat and watched it drift and move exactly as I expected it to. What you can't do is video it. You need a tripod and a camera that will allow long exposures.

I agree, we had a fantastic display and they did definately dance across the sky. When you watch footage of them they move fast because it's done by time lapse but if you are lucky and you get a really good display you will also see them dancing. We were also told that the naked eye doesn't pick the colours up like a camera does but again that was incorrect, we seen a multitude of colours. Just hoping and praying we get to see them again on the next trip!

Let's keep our fingers crossed that it decides to snow heavily the week before we get there! Last time we went, bearing in mind it was March, we were caught in a blizzard leaving Alta, was definately an experience trying to sail through the Norwegian Sea in those conditions! Did feel a bit queezy though!:fever:

There are two possible dates and various times being offered for the 'In Search of the Northern Lights' on our cruise.

 

Thursday 16th November 14.00, 19.00, 21.30 and 22.30

Friday 17th November 19.00, 20.00, 21.30 and 22.30

 

Now If only I had a Crystal Ball to find out the best day and time for sightings. :D

BTW. Is the 14.00hr tour on the 16th a little early? :confused:

Probably not when you think about the few hours of daylight we will have, all the better for Aurora spotting!:D

Thanks for all the advice. I think in our circumstances we might be better booking quite soon. I don't think I want to risk waiting until a couple of months before the sail date because they might sell out completely or the only rooms that are left may be in a poor location. I wasn't sure if Cunard do any promotions or deals at various times like other companies do.

We are planning to do the transatlantic at the end of next year but have noticed some of the interior & atrium view cabins are already sold out. We were hoping to hold out for a good deal but are now wondering if we need to book sooner rather than later. Do Cunard put good offers on at various times or are the prices likely to remain the same as they are now? Thanks in advance.

The guide comes onboard & tells you where he plans to take you to get the best possible chance of seeing the lights & gives a bit of info about photographing them, what to wear etc. A bus then picks you up & takes you to the destination. We went to place not far out of Alta but enough to be away from light pollution. There were camp fires & benches to sit on & also a lavvu where u could keep warm & get hot drinks. Then its just a case of sitting it out & enjoying the show! It lasted 4 hours so warm clothing is required. We had a brilliant display but it all depends on the conditions on the night.

You might have a bit more snow at the end of Nov, our cruise this year is mid Nov so that is why we don't have dog & reindeer sledding available. The ice hotel won't be finished by then, it generally opens the week before Christmas. If you definately want those activities you need to go in either Feb or March to be sure. As for the Northern lights if they appear you will see them but the best views are where there's no light pollution. We did the tour and it was definately worth it. The guide plans where the best place is to see them on the night to give you optimum chance. We had a fantastic display & got lots of photos but the spectacle will stay in your memory forever.

Hi we are booked on this cruise aswell, our 2nd Northern lights cruise. Last time we went it was in March so there was lots of snow so we did dog sledding, ice hotel etc but as this is a November cruise it might be too early in the season for those activities. Saying that we should have a greater chance of seeing the lights because of the amount of darkness we will have. Any questions just ask.:)

Hi, going onboard Aurora later in the year, does anyone know who the Captain will be and which cruise director we will have? Thank you to in advance.

We are planning on doing the BTB next year and as we will only have a few hours in NYC what are your opinions on the best things to see and do while we are there given it's such a short timeline? We want to fit in as much as poss so shopping isn't something we are interested in, it's more the sights we are wanting.

We have cruised with P@O and Royal Caribbean. Definately RCI are far superior at keeping you entertained and they cater for all age groups where as P&O cater for the over 60s as far as entertainment is concerned but there isn't much to keep the younger generations amused. Don't get me wrong there are things P&O are better at such as price of drinks and less hard sell onboard. We cruised on Oriana for 12 nights and we were bored stiff on the sea days as it resembled a care home so we would never sail on an adult only ship again. The quality of food onboard P&O is average at best but I guess you get what you pay for and their cruises are very well priced.

Thank you all for your replies. I am happy to learn we can get to Macy's and back to the ship again through Cunard, that will be very helpful. As we are not keen flyers the btb trip seems ideal and although neither of us are "city people" New York is somewhere we want to experience and if we don't like it we are not stuck there for a few days. It will be a good trial to see if we would like to spend more time there. Is the QM2 good at handling rough seas as the cruise we would choose would probably be near the end of the year when I imagine the Atlantic isn't at its best?!

Hi, we are considering doing the transatlantic round trip on QM2 next year. Firstly is there enough to do onboard to keep 2 40 somethings amused for 12 days at sea and secondly what is the best way to see as much of New York as poss given we are there for less than a day?