LondonLad60

If green beans are on the menu in the buffet I think I'll take the plank option...

Is there a difference between dress code evasion and dress code avoidance?

Care to tell us more Ray?

My wife and I were on Aurora for her Christmas 2019/New Year 2020 Canaries cruise - we thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm sure you will enjoy your forthcoming Christmas cruise. My Christmas Day lunch was a little unusual - a hot dog and fries washed down with a couple of glasses of Rioja sitting out on the Lido deck in lovely sunny weather. Dinner was a much more grand affair - it was a black tie event with seven courses - starter, soup, sorbet, main, dessert and cheese. The seventh course (for those who weren't already fit to burst!) consisted of waiters going around the tables with trays on which were mini mince pies, dried and candied fruits, nuts, pieces of Christmas cake, etc. After dinner we went to the Crows Nest - we sat up at the bar and the bar staff passed open boxes of chocolates along the bar, telling people to help themselves, although I can't imagine that happening nowadays, thanks to Covid...

Some years ago in Sicily my wife and I did a P&O excursion called The Godfather's Footsteps. It took in various locations where the three Godfather movies were filmed, including the bar where Michael and his bodyguards stop shortly after he first sees the girl who is to become his wife. It also featured a chat with the lady who played the girl's mother, with our guide acting as interpreter. If you are a fan of The Godfather films, and if this excursion is still available, then I thoroughly recommend it.

I had my Covid booster Tuesday last week (27th Sept) at a walk-in centre and my seasonal flu four days later at the local medical centre. I mentioned at the medical centre about my booster and I was told it didn't matter - there, they were offering both jabs, one in each arm, so it would suggest that there are no hard and fast rules, and that it is at the discretion of individual clinicians.

Hi Vivaldi That certainly is a plausible explanation. Thanks for posting.

Ivycottage, May I ask which cruise has been cancelled? I'm looking at two cruises next year (both in March) and I don't want to go to the trouble of searching for them if they are no longer there! Many thanks in advance.

Hi Ann I fully agree with BestGuessed above. My wife and I are 62 and 65 respectively. We've been on three Saga cruises this year, and I would say we were definitely at the younger end of the age demographic on all three I can't recommend Saga highly enough. Try them - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Was it snowing instead?

First time in Bergen for us was back in 2015, and it was an overnighter. It was raining when we arrived and raining when we departed, and if it did stop at any time in between I must have blinked and missed it. We went ashore in the evening with another couple. Despite having been warned by many people about Norwegian prices, we decided to go for a drink. Two half litres of a locally brewed beer and two shots of a local brandy based liqueur came to the equivalent of just over £40 - and as I said, that was seven years ago...

Perhaps the OP ought to email Paul Ludlow outlining his concerns. Good luck with that...

Thanks for that Vivaldi. I'll certainly check that out.

Thanks Wacktle

We're looking forward to Bordeaux. This will be out third attempt at Bordeaux - we were supposed to go there with P&O some years ago, but that fell through when they sold Adonia. Then we were due to go there with Saga in July 2020, and we all know what happened then. Third time lucky?

See you on there Medeba!

Our daughter cruised with Fred a few years ago and she said the ship (Balmoral) looked and smelled like an old peoples home. When my wife and I were looking for an alternative to P&O (pre pandemic) we did consider Fred briefly, but what our daughter told us, combined with the fact that on Fred's ships smoking is allowed on cabin balconies put us off completely.

Anyone seen this? https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/norway-anticruise-poster-campaign-b2125605.html The full article is behind a paywall, but the preamble provides the gist.

Thank you BestGuessed for a positive and accurate review.

Back in the 1960's when money was tight my dad would occasionally bring home a rabbit that his workmate had shot. As wowzz says above, there was a lot of bone to flesh, but even worse was having to constantly spit out lead shot...

Ginger ale helps as well

I was treated to a Father's Day breakfast at Carluccio's in Southampton a few years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and although standards may well have slipped since then I would be happy to go back there. They also offer veggie and vegan choices.