DavyWavey70

Be sure to take them all to lost property at Reception DrRon. People can be very forgetful leaving their precious items lying around and I’m sure they’d be very grateful that they’d been handed in.

Feel free PP. Its the Jan 16th sailing! Looks like a great cruise and the Quest looks like a lovely ship. https://www.azamara.com/gb/cruises/qs250116-012-12-night-south-africa-intensive-voyage I Always find that lots of planning pays off. I'm not a let's wing it type of person and my FOMO screams if I could have been doing something better that day.

I Must say Dr Ron, especially having shared a wonderful meal with you both myself, is that your food photos onboard fill my heart with sadness. I’ve never been a fan of MDR cuisine on any line but I now find myself hoping that Bea Smith, Lizzy Birdsworth and Doreen Burns never had to endure such horrors is at the forefront of my mind.

We’ll never forget the waffles!

Tenner-reefy isn’t any consolation for Funchal Spinns. It really saddens me that you can’t even get a shrimp cocktail. Personally I’ve not been able to find a SS cruise that fits in with my schedule but doesn’t punish me for leaving my beloved at home. Maybe 26/27 might have more options but from what I’m seeing I don’t think I’ll bother anyway. SS seams to have really lost their way. Doubling the price whilst halving the quality isn’t sustainable. I Hope that you and Mr Dr Spinns are able to find some enjoyment in this current storm.

Apologies for once again pecking at the hive mind of our wonderful coolers. I’m currently looking at putting the RTW trip on hold until Jan 26 and bringing forward South Africa to Jan 25. I’m onto a really amazing SA (door to door) tour including an Azamara cruise and can deviate flights to enable an extra week around the Vic falls area. Current plans for those 7 nights would be 2 nights Mbano manor, 2 nights Zambezi Queen, 2 nights Ichingo Chobe River Lodge and 1 night in a star bed at Zambezi falls river lodge before joining the tour. The tour is then 2 nights Victoria falls Safari lodge, 3 nights Safari Plains onto Cape Town and then 12 nights on Azamara Quest. Could I plan it better?

Wishing you both a very happy golden wedding anniversary Jeff. The prawns look beautiful.

Our beloved Dowager Countess (in another incarnation) shared her opinions too!

Apparently not. Hehe WWFT, I’m so pleased you do things properly and wouldn’t be at all surprised at people handing over their life savings and their grannies teeth in such a situation. I Hope you warmed the pot? Full marks also for the flask of Drambuie, a nice touch.

In a very disturbing turn of events, tonight whilst watching some YouTube videos in the interest of future adventure planning, an American gentleman during a suite tour pointed at a kettle and called it a coffee maker. Upon my exclamation my DH informed me that Americans don’t have kettles and make their tea in a microwave. Please put my mind at rest that these are just scurrilous rumours! The British method of making tea isn’t quite as ritualistic as the Japanese method but not far short. The thought of making tea in the pobty ping sends shivers down my spine.

I Must say that my cruise on Crystal in January 22 was incredible. It did knock spots off SS in almost every respect and that was even before Manfredi got involved. I Can’t wait to try them.

I'm loving following along HPD, SA is one of my 2 most likely options I'm looking into for next January, the other being a round the world trip. These great posts might be swaying me to bring SA forward a year.

So sorry to hear this QSS. It sounds like the right decision but that doesn't make it any easier. I'm afraid I'll be facing the same heartbreak myself in the not too distant. Lois, thoughts and best wishes to you and your sister at this sad time, it's so difficult for those left behind when someone goes so unexpectedly with no time to prepare for it. The only comfort we could take when we lost my father very suddenly was that it was better for him than a long, drawn out illness would have been.

I Certainly hope not.

He’s having a great time.

I Can picture him there with a tally chart 😁

Have a wonderful time Spinns.

Reported in the other place recently that somebodies Butler took Caviar to the lounge for them and they were told that they weren't allowed to eat caviar in there any more (despite the Butler offering to serve it) so it was left on the bar wasted instead.

I’m a bit dumbfounded Jazz tbh. I Know we all need to expect a certain “alignment” after an acquisition but I’m truly horrified to be watching the daily c*ckups, gaffs, degradation and diminishment of a previously incredible line. In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen the ridiculous photo opportunity debacle, the last moment cancellations of cruises due to circumstances beyond the lines control but of which they were extremely aware of months ago, an appointment of an “investor relations person” whose sole purpose seems to be to bring the line into line, begging letters from the HD (I Didn’t take offence from that letter until I reached the line about the suggested daily amounts), the “not” proof read flyer that stated that essential fares didn’t include butlers, Wi-Fi, gratuities etc), not to mention the recent “you can’t eat your caviar here” incident in the lounge, diminishing standards of food quality and all of this with complete radio silence from the previously proactive and wonderful Barbara Muckerman. I Understand that she maybe can’t engage as she used to before her promotion and have valued her responses hugely in the past but SS seems to be imploding. please Barbara M, put our minds at rest and tell us what has happened to our beloved line.

Do you at least still get the M&Ms? (I know you met Mysty and Myster recently but I meant the bags of chocklitty things)?

We long for 17c here in Wales. We would surely know that Summer was here.

I Think the closest I might find myself QSS in the near future is if I manage to pull off my round the world in 30 days trip next January as I pass through NY. I’ll gladly help you dispose of a lovely bottle of Sauvignon. I Must say though, I was vey spoiled in SYD recently with a wonderful bottle of La Violetta 'Ye-Ye' Blanc. It’s no secret that Gewürztraminer has always been number one but that was quite something. The view of the Opera house and harbour bridge added to the flavour too!

6 should be enough for a decent night QSS!

It certainly seams to streamline things and will hopefully lead to a better process. It’s only to be expected that the new Essential fares are offering a lot less (excursions, penalties etc) for the same price that they were included with before onP2P. I, For one, am glad that you can now book without excursions but the fact that you are paying the same price that you would have paid last month with excursions, unfortunately triggers my olfactory sensors. It saddens me immensely to witness this apparent Silversea Slalom as they dodge the poles on their way down.

I’m with you DVD, I’m quite happy to pay whatever I need to for whatever I want but if I feel I’m being fleeced I’ll take my business elsewhere sharpish. I’m very limited on my time off and can only take time holidays in January. The last 3 years there hasn’t been a single cruise on SS that has been of any interest to me at all that’s been less than 100% supplement. Next January is the same. With these policies, price hikes, poor service, PR stunts etc, I’m starting to think I’ve already enjoyed my last SS cruise. They just seem to be on self destruct right now which saddens me enormously.