bbtablet

Yes, it took me many weeks - a wonderful way to pass the winter months when retired! You just need a dining room sized table, a partner who will let you "block" it for weeks on end, and the trick is to sort by colour first, not part (there are too many pieces for that). Still available from Wish at about £78.

P&O shore excursions for Tangiers should appear soon in your "My P&O Cruises", if not there already, to give you some ideas. There is also this from this site: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/shore-excursions/port/5828/?stay=1&posfrom=1

I made this the other day - 20" long, 4950 parts. I didn't play with Lego as a child but am now in my second childhood at 79!

We don't tend to use the chairs in the cabin anyway - we prefer to chill out lying on the bed with bunches of grapes.

Babs135 - but when you are away on a cruise you are reducing your normal energy bills and the cost of food, petrol, etc. I always reduce the house-keeing money I give to the wife in the months we are away on a cruise!

For goodness sake! - never seen so much muddled thinking! The originator of this thread said: "We are planning a longish trip to Canada next year for our special birthdays and want to return home on the Queen Mary 2." i.e only coming home to UK (Shetland) on the QM2. Therefore travelling East. Therefore starboard side faces south (unless she's going to reverse the whole way). Therefore best chance of any sun on a balcony is a starboard side cabin. A few have got this right, but not many!

Well, if the rule was "within one day" that would mean on June 30th for a July 1st embarkaction, wouldn't it? So "within two days" would mean on June 29th, as Frank said. Hope that reassures you. I have 5 fingers on one hand but there are only 4 gaps between them - same principle. Also:"On the first day of our holiday we got onboard. The second day we rested, and on the third day the ship stopped at our first port. On that third day we were only two days out from when we got on."

"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone? They paved paradise - put up a parking lot." The one thing you really will miss when it's gone is good health - if you've still got yours, cherish it.

Not so with Staysure: Section 16c Itinerary change What is covered: We will pay up to £75 for each port listed on your cruise itinerary that is missed due to adverse weather or timetable changes up to £500.

Yes - that is the thing to do. Don't do what I did and disembark without the letter. I asked for the letter (once I was home) through P&O Customer Services and am still waiting over 2 weeks after we got back - so far no reply! Lesson learned for the future!

OK - I see, thanks. I am just trying to get a response from anyone at P&O!

What was the exact email address you replied to please? I have requested a confirmation letter re a missed port some time ago and am still waiting for any reply.

We did the same on Aurora last month - came up to the port of Visby, all getting ready to get on our tours after docking, and then noticed she had pulled away - lack of tugs to assist coping with high winds was given as the reason. We went off to Tallinn as a replacement, but that will depend on the schedule for each particular cruise.

yes, wedges - and not to be confused with heels or golf! Keep up at the back there!

I read a lot about Geurnsey visits being abandoned due to a combination of poor weather and the need for tendering. Some have suggested there is only a 50/50 chance of getting in. Ventura regularly has Geurnsey as its last stop on the way home, and I am on such a cruise next month. Can those who have been unfortunate enough to have lost this stop in the past say whether any OBC compensation is offered please? tai

Why do people spend huge sums of money on watches? - I simply don't get it.

Aurora the same.

We were on Aurora last month (until the 24th) and you have to walk by the casino at times to get to where you want to go. We do not use it but there were certainly staff there hoping for punters, but we did not see many risking their money to be honest. I don't think there was any requirement to wear a mask there, but towards the end of the cruise there was a lot of Covid and the captain asked us to mask up generally (too late for me and also my wife, who is negative at last, only from yesterday!).

Small additional point - we had 2 free cans of water in the fridge, so I assume it is one can per person. Towels - yes, literally leave those you want changing thrown in the bath or on the floor of the shower - not folded neatly! - and the steward will automatically remove and replace them. We had a printed statement on the last night too - on Aurora in July. If you use the app you can see the details and summary at any time of day or night as the cruise progresses - useful if you have a lot of OBC that you are having trouble spending, as we did, not being drinkers, nor wanting to buy art, jewelry, etc. and having pre-booked and paid for tours prior to boarding to get the discount. If you have a smart phone but are not sure how to connect to the app, once on board simply go to reception and they will set it up for you - best to do this on the first sea day (usually Day 2) rather than on Day 1, to avoid queueing too long. We asked the cabin steward for flannels and round soaps more than once - no issues. And don't forget to hide the cabin biscuits in a drawer every day so they get replenished every day. Or you could eat them!

There is one used for sale on bay for £22.50 - looks similar if not the same: Minic Ships Ocean Terminal Set. Queen Mary and Port. Hornby 1/1200 Diecast Metal

So, by analogy, you would gladly accept moody behaviour from staff on the ships? I think they are better trained than that.

Queen of the Queens (are you really Her Majesty?!) - you may know that In GB standard house and contents insurance only allows up to 30 days continuous absence from home property for the quoted premiums, so worth checking that out too to ensure cover - just a thought.

All this talk of staff being polite and friendly etc reminds me of one day when a student of mine asked me: "How come that every day you come in to teach us you are always the same? - happy, smiling, polite, enthusiastic? You never seem to have a bad day, or be grumpy, or impatient or irritable - how do you do it?" I replied "It's my job."

I always book a forward balcony cabin because I love the movement in rough weather - the rougher the better. Also the whooosh! from the bow's cutting edge immediately below the cabin is a fantastic sound I could listen to all night. Bangs, crashes, juddering - bring it on! I imagine I am in an old sailing clipper and reliving what is was like to sail the oceans back then, thankfully in relative comfort and without the constant fear of foundering! Last month on Aurora the cruise to the Baltic was a great 24 hour start in a very angry North Sea - worth the price of the cruise alone! I always feel cheated by a cruise with no really rough weather, but the wife hates it of course!

Do you mean they were AWOL?