AndyMichelle

You definitely don't have to. It's not worded as optional, it is included. Some still do. Some never will. We do if somebody goes above and beyond but don't feel obliged to. Completely your choice... Andy

This will sound strange, but I preferred it when tipping was not included... I always felt the room stewards and waiters were 'working' for the tips, going the extra mile, now it just feels like they are 'just' doing their job. I appreciate they work extremely hard, but I never tipped for the first time ever on our last cruise as it felt like they didn't really care if we were happy or not. Andy

We are doing great Graham, thank you for thinking of us. I try to pop in occasionally, but struggle to keep up with all the goings on, so lurk more than comment these days. You are all still in our thoughts and hope you all have a fantastic Christmas. Andy & Michelle xx

We never used to think this way, but after our Britannia cruise this year, there were certainly times when we were so glad to have the balcony, sometimes you just need a break from certain types of behaviour... Andy

We are similar age to you, slightly older, and although I see the value, our recent bookings we are 'paying a bit more to get a bit more'. There is no getting away from how things have changed, for better or worse, but seeking a bit of solace on our balcony, or switching lines to get a bit better service etc, seem to have crept up on us. We have 2 balcony Britannia cruises and one QM2 booked for next year, so I suppose we have, unwittingly, moved away from the bargains. Andy

We love a balcony, but have had some great 'bargain' cruises in inside cabins. We still mostly choose balcony, but would I rather have 2 cruises inside for the price of 1 balcony? I suppose it depends on destination, do I need a balcony in say Hamburg in December, probably not. Horses for courses and I definitely get both sides of the argument. Andy

Exactly right Snow Hill. No story here. The time to be concerned would have been 2015 when the PE invested. They have probably stabilised the business and made it sellable again, it's their job. Either that, or they would have stripped the assets and dissolved the company, which hasn't happened. They will be hoping to sell it back to the industry, which is good news for everyone. Andy

Oh what a great quote, sums it all up perfectly. Andy

Good point Harry. Pre lock down, we used to enjoy seeing the well behaved children, it was a pleasure to see. This year we did almost the same cruise on Britannia to the Fjords that we did in 2018, so have something to compare to. We definitely never saw kids running riot around the ship in 2018, or toddlers in the Live Lounge being allowed to get onto the stage and pull over musical equipment as they were unsupervised, or kids sitting on the bar playing bingo in Brodies past 10 at night, while the parents were taking advantage of the drinks package, or a very young girl (5 or 6) wandering the ship past midnight, up and down in the lifts trying to find her parents, who were eventually located by crew in the buffet... Times have changed... Andy

It's about a half hour flat walk, or about 5 mins in a taxi. Being December, I would be in the taxi🚖 Andy

I doubt it was alcohol that made these women behave so badly, they probably just thought they were 'avin a larff'... Too much inappropriate behaviour is disguised as 'banter' these days. Andy

My Dad, my hero... We were lucky to have him until he was 86, but always conscious so many of his mates never made it. Thinking of all our Dad's and Grandads today. Thoughts and love with you Sue for tomorrow x Andy

Not seen any ballroom dancing in the atrium on Britannia? The Crystal Rooms were initially a ballroom dancing venue, although now used for a lot of other things as well. Andy

Slight problem with that theory... Both adult only ships. Andy

All our fears were heightened after lock down, rightly or wrongly, so all the comments of 'not likely' to pass on infection does not appease a lot of people... It's quite simple though, if the rules say 'dont', it should be enforced, whatever the reasoning. Andy

We did complain at the time, the manager said sorry, but that was it. We also complained to the hotel manager, we were just referred back to the unhelpful restaurant manager.

We tried Epicurean on Britannia this year, it was absolute rubbish. All the food was drastically overcooked, looked nice but tasted horrible. Service was poor, we were 'forgotten'. Clientele was quite rowdy, so bad atmosphere. There was nothing in our experience that we should have paid extra for. All we expected was a bit better for a bit extra, we didn't get it. I accept that so many people have much better experiences, but we didn't. Andy

I wonder if I could scatter my mother in law on Britannia next April? I doubt I will need a certificate, surely that's only for the dead😂

Unfortunately the weather is atrocious down here and no sign of letting up as the week goes on. Today started off OK, but when it rains, it really rains... I'm in Portsmouth at the moment, trying not to get soaked. Let's hope it dries up for your visit. Andy

Happy Birthday Brian, have a great day. Andy

If the eggs were poached and the sausage was low calorie, that wouldn't be far off a slimming world accepted breakfast.. (I don't like hash browns or black pudding)... The main reason for going to SW is to get shamed in group🤣 The basics are common sense really, low fat, low sugar, move more. Andy

There is no syns in herbs and spices, add more... Michelle adapts the recipes to suit us, we don't find them bland. SW is not for everyone, but it has worked for us. Andy

Really!!! I have just been nominated as 'Mr Sleek' for our Slimming World group and have never heard of anyone being turned away. We have some very slim people in our group, although they do like you to set a target of at least half a stone, so maybe that is the reason. It's not rocket science really, for me it is really cutting out pastry, white bread and reducing sugar (only a couple of biscuits, not the pack)... I have to lose wait to be able to put it all back on again on our next cruise... Take their advice as a positive though Josy, you are perfect as you are. Andy

The traffic down here has been 'tricky' all week, it only takes a little incident to cause major issues. I had a 2 hour delay just getting across the Winnall roundabout from the A34 to the M3 on Thursday evening, still don't know what caused it... With the Winchester Road being closed for some time, although it is not an obvious route for cruisers, the diversions are. Add football and cruise traffic, it's gonna be busy... Safe journey to all travelling today. Andy

Have a great time Selbourne & Tiger. Allow plenty of time getting to port, Southampton will be busy. Andy