Slugsta

I was born and bred in the Midlands and have always used 'mardy'. Don't hear it much down here on the south coast though.

On Aurora, my husband - who doesn't tolerate spicy food at all - enjoyed his meal in Sindhu. He also ate a 'vindaloo' in the MDR. I am defo taking hot sauce with me next time as I found the 'spicy' food very bland.

@miriams Thank you for your balanced and enjoyable review.

We have a house/cat sitter when we are away, so the place is probably empty less than when we are at home!

I had to do a 'step test' on Aurora earlier this year (this was in one of the lounges, for people with mobility problems). However, IIRC, there was also a similar test that everyone had to do on the way down to the tenders.

Any dream will do There is nothing like a dame (men only) I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair (ladies only) Bring him home Can you feel the love tonight Ave verum corpus Can't help falling in love with you When the foeman bares his steel Thank you for the music It was an 18 night cruise with about 8 sea days.

The passenger choir is a huge part of my onboard enjoyment. Fortunately, there was a good one on Aurora in April and I am hoping for similar on Arcadia in September. Friends will be on Britannia in August and I know they will be disappointed if there is no choir.

@F-s Islander Are you saying there was no passenger singing whatsoever?

We haven't bothered until recently. However, with nearly 50 days onboard, I reckoned that our chances of missing at least one port was quite high this year. The first, shorter, cruise passed uneventfully but we still have the longer one to go.

Hassocks.

Yes, I wonder if they are starting again with new people. Different people, different opinions. The zoom interview I did was about having the special needs form filled in on-line (before it was rolled out in practice) so it seems genuine.

I've done a lot of their surveys and 1 online interview. However, like @Wonky, I recently got an email saying they are closing the site.

That is correct. It was not a requirement when I originally booked but I did get an email telling me that I had to complete the on-line form, even if I had already done this via email. After I did this, my TA sent me an updated booking confirmation with the 1:1 assistance documented.

When I booked prior to this requirement, then submitted the form under the new system, I got a revised booking confirmation with the 1:1 assistance documented.

Ah, I had thought it was down to the dreaded autocarrot!

Selbourne, I am really sorry that what should have been a relaxing break has ended up causing you health problems of your own! I would have thought that grab rails on both sides of toilets and showers should be a minimum requirement of something designated 'accessible'. One of the things I love about cruising with my electric chair is that it usually gives hubby and I the freedom to go off and do our own thing, knowing that I can be independent. Lack of such basic features reduces, if not completely removes, that independence. We have Queen Anne booked for next year but will have keep a close eye on reviews to see whether or not we want to cancel.

I am very disappointed to hear that, on a brand new ship, accessibility features are so poor. Things like signage can be changed, but the lack of automatic cabin/balcony doors is really not acceptable ☹️

We like 'Freedom' dining but now pre-book a speciality restaurant for the first evening when queues seem to be worse for the MDRs. It's a nice way to kick-start the holiday.

We don't have any priority and were given 12.30 boarding of Aurora earlier this month (we were on D deck). I seem to remember that the latest time was 3.30. We were told that there were a lot of people onboard with high loyalty levels.

We disembarked Aurora on Friday and the Captain said that both gastro-intestinal and respiratory conditions were prevalent. We certainly saw evidence of the former with people suddenly becoming unwell whilst in public spaces. We thought we were in the clear but I spent Friday night vomiting, was just glad that it was short-lived and waited until we got home!

Thanks for the comments about temperature onboard. We are going down to the Med. so I hope it will be the 'Goldilocks area'!

Changing the subject completely - what was the temperature like inside the ship? On our last 2 P+O cruises, I have been quite cold. I know that Selbourne said that some places were terribly hot when they were down in the Caribbean, but I suspect that is not the same in cooler climes.

Some cruiselines, including P+O, are now stipulating that people who use wheelchairs and scooters must be allocated an 'evac chair' and member/s of crew in case of emergency. I would imagine that this does necessitate some sort of 'quota' as these members of the crew will not be available for other emergency duties.

I'm sorry that you experienced this. Noro is bad enough at the best of times - and being alone, far from home must be particularly hard. I completely understand that this might have made you reluctant to cruise again, especially if this was your first time. In all fairness, it's not only cruise ships that get Noro outbreaks. It happens anywhere people are in close proximity for extended periods, including schools, hospitals etc. Of course, the same goes for cough, colds, flu, Covid and such like. Even so, many posters here have clocked up dozens, if not hundreds, of cruises without getting ill, so it certainly isn't inevitable.

He would only be able to add an extra passenger later if there were still lifeboat places available for that area of the ship. This could be an issue particularly if the 3rd/4th places in other cabins were taken, so this is something to be taken into consideration.