davecttr

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Dave.

Can your travel insurance cover you for everything else but not for the issue you are waiting for an answer to.

Surely if we are covered and paid big premiums for our medical issues the insurance companies need to be a little flexible.

I wonder how many people don't get things checked at their doctor's for fear of what you are experiencing.

Good luck Dave.

 

I don't think they can quote until i have a diagnosis, hence the first batch of blood tests. It could be spinal, kidneys, thyroid, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, bone marrow issues, blood supply problems, either arterial or veins etc etc etc.

I did have a nerve sheath issue in my arm when I was 20 and only now remember the consultant in Newcastle telling me it could surface in other parts of my body later and cause issues. He wanted me to return during the final student exams and said they will have to be good to diagnose that condition and most would think it was a tumour which it wasn't. I still have that lump in a much shrunken state.

My attitude to money will help as i consider money spent is gone anyway and would rather know the answer. i still have another 4 cruises booked for next year so i might get to see some whales after all.

Not a good day so far. I have a problems with my fingers/hands and my diabetic nurse suggested I need to see a doctor so on Wednesday I filled in the practice e-consult form which promptly told me to contact the practice. A long phone wait and computer problem at their end resulted in a triage and an appointment at the Gillingham Community Health Hub at 9.am this morning. So I set of walking to the station at 7.30 this morning as no buses went anywhere near Gillingham Station. Pouring down but at least my waterproof works. A car then soaked me by driving through a large puddle at the top of Station Road. Got to the appointment 20 minutes early and the doctor arrived 10 minutes late.

The result is a battery of blood tests and maybe more and a referral to the orthopedic clinic which may take up to three months.

Apparently this means my travel insurance is no longer valid until I get a diagnosis and that means no cruise on Iona in mid January for which I have already paid. I have already paid the March cruise as well.

Fed Up

What is an overnight stay? Obvious really, when the ships departs after sunrise the next day, night having ended 😁

Not in P&O speak though.

25 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

That contraption looks rather like a large touring caravan, and the antennae more like chimneys,  or maybe the escape pod for any Italian Captain,

5 hours ago, crompton21 said:

There are a couple of blokes in jeans who have diligently been attaching a bizarre looking set of antennas to the rear of Aurora.  They’ve been out there in bad weather on sea days holding on tightly as they work.  Amazing how hi tec can look rather low tec to the casual observer.

As to whether this is starlink I don’t know, but I assume it’s a fair assumption.

 

I think this is the aft port side of Auroras deck 13 Sun Deck. You can see the rectangular hatch on the roof and wooden planking which is on the image of Aurora taken at Andalsness in July. Foreshortening of the image means the funnel does not show on the Starlink image. The antennas are Starlink ones.

2 hours ago, FangedRose said:

I don't miss the little "reminders" (begging) that occurred when it came to the last few days of a cruise. I also don't miss the in cabin surveys and the hints that "unless you mark this question 5 stars I won't get my tips".

On Oceana I was confined to my cabin while recovering from Norovirus and was suffering severe stomach cramps. The steward knocked on the door once and burst in holding the survey aloft. I told the idiot to disappear rapidly over the horizon (polite version) as he was prepared to put his health and that of other people at risk in seeking the magic 5 stars. He got no stars 😠

3 hours ago, eightofninekev said:

 

I know tips are included but do people give out extra to the cabin steward and to the waiters in the main dining room on the last day?

No, unless they add significantly to my enjoyment of the cruise

I

1 hour ago, kalos said:

The other week when we were onboard Ventura  , I think it was around day ten that they put 

in the Horizon mag reminders about washing hands . 

To me, this could have been the heads up warning of things to come.

So from there on in the buffet was only used first thing in the morning but mainly we used 

the MDR for breakfast . Meals later were in the Glasshouse or even room service as they 

do a tasty beef ale pie .

Stay safe Dave and have a good cruise . 

As i have plenty of OBC the Glasshouse is a good idea as is room service. My remaining problem is I like playing Blackjack and it won't be just me touching the chips. There used to be a hand gel that killed noro type virus but it was found that if you bathed your hands daily for about 20 years in the active ingredient you stood a risk of getting skin cancer.

I am on freedom dining but the buffet will be OK in the morning because i am usually first or second in. I also wash my hands on arrival and take some of the paper towels to handle the serving utensils. i will also go to the supermarket at Southampton and buy some decaff tea bags to ensure a supply

8 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Surely they will simply put the Peninsula embarkation lunch back as everybody is boarding later?  Or have they told you that it will be cancelled?

 

We're on the cruise after, I doubt they will be able to fully sort the noro issues, so may well be delayed boarding for us in a couple of weeks. 🤔

No word of cancellation but that lunch would turn into a very early dinner. I am thinking of avoiding the buffet which means the MDR which I don't particularly like. I have had Noro on at least 3 occasions and don't want to repeat the experience

Just had an email from P&O. They are delaying the boarding times for Ventura on Thursday by 2.5 hours. Gastro Intestinal reports on the previous, current? cruise. i suppose it means a deep clean. My boarding time was 12.15 and is now 14.45 so no Peninsular lunch and I have to leave the hotel at noon. It is going to be chaotic and I think the revised boarding times may not be realistic. 😟

4 hours ago, davecttr said:

I don't have a bank app on my phone for two reasons. I don't do any financial transactions via an app and  i get online access from my PC.

 

I checked my credit card account this morning and there is no payment pending so P&O have not processed it yet. I will try again later but I don't want to end up paying twice!. I will try using the phone option before travelling tomorrow or on Thursday morning. My hotel is Premier Inn West Quay with P&O HQ next door so I could try them,🙄 otherwise can you pay a balance on board ship?

I tried paying again and it has worked this time with the amount shown as pending on my credit card. No worry to stop me sleeping tonight 😴

57 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

If you have your bank app on your phone you should get a notification of any in or outgoing payments Dave.

I don't have a bank app on my phone for two reasons. I don't do any financial transactions via an app and  i get online access from my PC.

I checked my credit card account this morning and there is no payment pending so P&O have not processed it yet. I will try again later but I don't want to end up paying twice!. I will try using the phone option before travelling tomorrow or on Thursday morning. My hotel is Premier Inn West Quay with P&O HQ next door so I could try them,🙄 otherwise can you pay a balance on board ship?

Don't you just love the P&O web site. I have to pay the balance of a cruise by early December and I will be away on a cruise so decided to pay today on line.

All went well with the bank security then the P&O site threw a 9004 error 😠

I find the final preparations for a cruise stressful without this extra hassle.

So have i paid or have i not?

I must be cursed. My Ecoair dessicant dehumidifier has broken down. I checked on line and the problem seems to occur when the machines are over 5 years old which mine is. Apparently the manufacturer won't fix it so I need to spend over £200 on a replacement. It is a Which best buy too.

39 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Starlink should cure this problem, they dont use geostationery satellites. Not sure how they operate but suspect there are a string of them in the lower orbit position, and you connect to the nearest one to you at the time.

But I am sure we will have a few experts able to tell us exactly how they differ, and why this improves internet speeds.

I think the Starlink satellites are all in a lower orbit including about 200? which are in polar orbits so there should be several in range even in Norway

starlink.com has a map of coverage and a section on boats

23 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Doesn't sound too appetising

Jobby is either Scottish slang for a.........jobby or a type of Nigerian cuisine

Time problems!

I have a wall mounted clock which is regulated by the National Time Radio Signal. Yesterday at 22.10 it started running fast. OK, take down from wall and reset. The hands went to 12  and a few minutes later moved rapidly to the correct time. It is working fine this morning.

I have a Sekonda battery watch with dial and it keeps excellent time. When I came to put it on this morning  at 9am before going to the supermarket it had stopped, at TEN PAST TEN 🤯 I shook it about and it started.

I bought a simple Casio digital as a back up for the holiday only to remember when I got home that I bought one 3 years ago. I found it in a drawer and the thing is running 30 seconds fast, after 3 years.

What do you reckon, gravitational wave, cosmic rays. electromagnetic pulse or Aurora Borealis or even little green men.

I get a reminder that the upgrade will happen outside normal hours so it is best to leave it switched on all night. I am not looking forward to the windows 11 version after I tried the new email system, rubbish and did not work anyway. Waht always worries me is my online banking software really secure despite the security software and the little padlock icon

Just reported on the Saga forum that the MAIB are investigating the Spirit of Discovery loss of propulsion

I tried a long cruise to the Caribbean on Oceana several years ago. 24 nights  from Southampton for £130 more than an equivalent 14 night fly cruise. That is £130 for an extra 10 days holiday, and i like sea days. We called at the Azores there and back. £13 per night and the ship was not full 😀🤑

IRRC the difference between formal and celebration is if you are a high Peninsular club status you get a free  half bottle of champagne on Celebration night.

4 hours ago, charlie7 said:

I personally would never cruise on Arcadia again after being on her in May.

I and a vast number of passengers succumbed to some virus described as norovirus. This was the first time in almost 20 years of cruising I had ever picked up anything as nasty as this as I am very careful hygiene related. I have my doubts that the virus’s  which circulate on Arcadia can be blamed totally on passenger hygiene, more of a concern to me was the wet carpets and foul sewerage smell midship, particularly in the Retreat Room used by the people who enjoyed participating in the ballroom dancing there. Throughout that cruise “deep cleaning” was carried out but they never seem to eradicate the source. I have been on other cruise ships where there have been small “norovirus” outbreaks but these seem to be contained so as not to have an impact on other passengers but something appears amiss with Arcadia.

I can confirm the Retreat Room smell on deck 10 as in August I and others were whale watching outside. The Retreat glass doors were propped open in an attempt to keep the room ventilated.

For table games it is exchange sterling cash for chips or buy them via your cruise card and the cost is added to your onboard account. Don't forget to change your chips for cash at the end of the cruise.

Onboard credit cannot be used in the casino.

17 hours ago, Ilovemygarden said:

I always take a brightly coloured (or distinctive) handbag and put it on a table whilst I go to collect food - it’s also good in guiding me back to the right table! 😀 Good idea re the card though - I’ll check it out next month on Azura.   Clodia - I see you have been on Iona.  How did you find that as a solo?   

I found a jacket on the back of the chair plus my beanie hat on the table works OK except once when I forgot the soup spoon. On returning with it everything was OK except someone had taken the chair and there were no other empty ones nearby 🤬 

I used to enjoy the Beach House but now it has a more spicy menu I will maybe visit once for a steak. 

I received 8 this morning from P&O within 10 minutes!