pete14

They have proper lactose free milk onboard but seem to be more focused on making use of oat, soya or other non dairy alternatives, possibly to also meet vegan demand.

I had the fillet steak on Aurora a couple of months ago, and although more medium rare than the rare I asked for, it was well worth the supplement. I don’t think many ordered from this optional upgraded menu but in my opinion, it is a positive step forward in offering greater choice.

It just goes to show that we are all different. A couple of months ago, we enjoyed both the tiffin lunch and the evening meal in Aurora Sindhu. Attempts to book another evening were futile because they were fully booked every night.

Thanks for reminding me about the Pork Vindaloo on Aurora. When I had it a couple of months ago, I suspected a ship wide shortage of hot spices. Obviously they still haven’t restocked.

You would only save by taking it out on Day 2 if you do not have drinks once you have boarded, wine with evening meal and a couple of ‘nightcaps’. Although drinks prices are reasonable, it is surprising how quickly the daily total creeps up.

I am pretty sure your information is incorrect. The only price reductions for a drinks package that I have seen are a special offer for buying the package in advance. Whether even the advance discounted price is good value is debatable and dependent on how many drinks you intend to buy. Taking a litre of spirits with you is permissible but you are not allowed to drink it in any bars or restaurants onboard - just your cabin.

Sounds nice but I hope you checked the sell by date in case it was left unsold from Christmas.

I guess ‘late bookers and newbies’ are being put on Maleth planes but probably alongside early bookers, experienced cruisers and others in between. It is always possible that those late bookers are put onto Maleth flights because early bookers have already been allocated their flights on other operators (eg TUI?) before Maleth were even chartered, well before late bookers actually booked. They may even have chosen and paid for particular seats on their allocated flight. If that is the case, it seems fair enough to me.

What a great idea. I am sure the thousands of people whose cruises may have to be cancelled will be overjoyed. The lack of availability of aircraft for charter on a regular basis has been given for the chartering from Maleth airlines. Terminating the contract will not rectify this so cancellations by P and O will be the inevitable consequence. Somehow, I cannot see the requisite number of signatures to trigger a parliamentary debate being reached.

Have a great cruise. I look forward to reading your updates over the next couple of months.

It doesn’t necessarily make his opinions, comments or reports any more authoritative or valid than anybody else’s. How is his cruising lifestyle financed?

I cannot help you with your question, but am looking forward to seeing Brighton at Stoke on Saturday in the hope that the mighty Potters can reverse the defeat in the 4th round last season. 😊

I believe it has been an option for a while, just not a very good one because there is no difference in price.

I believe it is Barbados next stop.

If it is any consolation, it is exactly the same in North Wales. Perhaps Noah’s friend Dai the Arkbuilder can pick us up but Charlie the dog will have to go in one by one.

At last, congratulations on your retirement. I am sure it is well deserved. Our static van will be tucked up in bed, hibernating for the winter on Wednesday. Today doesn’t seem like winter, bright blue sky, a bit of a coldish breeze but rain forecast for later, just for a change 🥴

Can I share the same sentiments and good wishes with you and Mrs Kalos, not forgetting everybody else who visits / contributes to this monster thread. Your humorous musings helped to keep us sane during the early years of this thread and I hope you are willing and able to keep us entertained and supported once again next year, no matter what 2024 throws at us all. Happy New Year for tomorrow. Pete.

So sorry to hear your news Avril. I am sure Frank is in the best place for now and will soon fill his place beside you again.

Might the delays be caused by the weather? There are numerous weather warnings in force for strong winds.

Looking at her current position, Iona seems to be on schedule to dock on time tomorrow morning. I think it is highly likely that passengers will board as usual tomorrow and stay on Iona in Southampton overnight until the oncoming storm abates. I am sure that the shoreside staff would not appreciate a late change to their work schedule that a 24 hour delay to boarding would bring and P&O would not have to compensate for a day lost on the cruise. Added to that, hotel bookings, train tickets etc would need to be changed.

My last meal request would be the entire Lindt factory. Even doing my best, it would take an enormous amount of time and at the end of it, I wouldn’t care one way or the other.

There should be a card in the suite with a number to contact the butler by using the cabin phone. If he / she is not available, a colleague should be available to answer the call and take your order instead, without any charge being levied. The fact that many room service items are now chargeable for all except those in suites can make this a quite valuable extra. When we used the service on Aurora, it worked well and as it was delivered by the butler, the wait time was not long.

Who needs an excuse?

Thanks for thinking of us Josy. As far as I know our power stayed on all last night and all is well. I have just driven back to Stoke from Nottingham in torrential rain for the first 20 miles. A bit scary especially on the M1 for about 10 miles. Variable speed limits had not been activated and there were a surprising number of idiots in the outside lane travelling much too fast in such conditions. Mind you, if the speed limit had been reduced, they would probably not have noticed or realised they would be much safer travelling more slowly.

Clearly it did deteriorate from earlier in the evening. I hope everyone is OK and grateful they were on Aurora because I suspect some other ships may have been even less comfortable (if that seems possible).