Selbourne ‘Live’ from Aurora’s 2024 Grand Tour

[zap99]

54 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Is sreak and kidney pie in suet pastry a pie, or a pudding?

At least spellchecker didn't change it to snake and Pygmy.

[Grandad John]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

But in fairness Pizza Express will have very few, if any, customers eating there twice a day for 10 weeks

Oh I don’t know, rumour has it that a prince of the realm is something of a regular there as long as the aircon is working okay as he doesn’t like to sweat.

[Eglesbrech]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

Are there still such things as ' works canteens '?. Mediocre or otherwise.

I don’t know to be honest as I don’t work 😀. Good question.

 

 

[jh1809]

6 hours ago, zap99 said:

Is sreak and kidney pie in suet pastry a pie, or a pudding?

If it's suet pastry, my family always called it steak and kidney pudding.

[Presto2]

6 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Today’s MDR menus plus, for those who might be interested, the Italian menu from the Beach House last night. Apparently there’s a menu A and menu B for that as well and this is menu B which is the more popular one (so we are told). 

 

 

Does every ship do this for the Beach House. We cancelled our second visit as the Caribbean menu they had was too spicy for me but if they do this on every ship it will be great. (Yes I know it was the Caribbean, but it was a bit 'overkill' on a theme of chilli, chilli and, you guessed it, chilli! I'd have killed for a green bean !!!)

Is it one of those 'hidden events' that you have to know about to ask about? If you get me

[P&O SUE]

6 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Does every ship do this for the Beach House. We cancelled our second visit as the Caribbean menu they had was too spicy for me but if they do this on every ship it will be great. (Yes I know it was the Caribbean, but it was a bit 'overkill' on a theme of chilli, chilli and, you guessed it, chilli! I'd have killed for a green bean !!!)

Is it one of those 'hidden events' that you have to know about to ask about? If you get me

When it first started the Beach House was Italian (and free!) on Azura and Ventura. How we miss it! 

[Selbourne]

Just now, Presto2 said:

Does every ship do this for the Beach House. We cancelled our second visit as the Caribbean menu they had was too spicy for me but if they do this on every ship it will be great. (Yes I know it was the Caribbean, but it was a bit 'overkill' on a theme of chilli, chilli and, you guessed it, chilli! I'd have killed for a green bean !!!)

Is it one of those 'hidden events' that you have to know about to ask about? If you get me

I think it must be a fairly new thing as I’ve never come across it before. It was never advertised and I just happened to notice that in the restaurant listings in Horizon it had ‘Italian Menu’ in brackets. It seems as though it operates a bit like Tiffin Lunches in Sindhu or Chefs Table in the Glasshouse i.e. they are never advertised but just mentioned to those who dine in the venue earlier in the cruise. We had dined in there a couple of times previously and it was never mentioned to us. 

[Presto2]

9 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

When it first started the Beach House was Italian (and free!) on Azura and Ventura. How we miss it! 

We remember the Horizon Grill on the Oceana. That became the Beach House and we loved both of them as a venue.

[Presto2]

8 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I think it must be a fairly new thing as I’ve never come across it before. It was never advertised and I just happened to notice that in the restaurant listings in Horizon it had ‘Italian Menu’ in brackets. It seems as though it operates a bit like Tiffin Lunches in Sindhu or Chefs Table in the Glasshouse i.e. they are never advertised but just mentioned to those who dine in the venue earlier in the cruise. We had dined in there a couple of times previously and it was never mentioned to us. 

Thanks - that's really helpful. Sounds like the wine tasting in the Glass House and, sometimes the Behind the Scenes Tours. You only know if you ask. We can ask now ! (Its another 11 months away but planning is half the fun!)

[P&O SUE]

27 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

We remember the Horizon Grill on the Oceana. That became the Beach House and we loved both of them as a venue.

I loved the Italian on Oceana in the atrium, breakfast and lunch was free! Supplement for the evening.

[Eddie99]

With that gorgeous black and white decor?

Oh yes, it was wonderful 

Again, a bit of a secret.  As cruises wore on more and more passengers became aware of the free breakfast (we don’t do toast!*) and lunch

 

*the waiters always seemed to say this as their opening gambit.  I suppose there had been issues with people wanting what couldn’t be provided, so they pre-empted any problems

[P&O SUE]

15 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

With that gorgeous black and white decor?

Oh yes, it was wonderful 

Again, a bit of a secret.  As cruises wore on more and more passengers became aware of the free breakfast (we don’t do toast!*) and lunch

 

*the waiters always seemed to say this as their opening gambit.  I suppose there had been issues with people wanting what couldn’t be provided, so they pre-empted any problems

Yes it was something to do with Gino de Campo when we were onboard but I can’t remember the name! I loved the view looking over the gorgeous atrium.

[P&O SUE]

19 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

With that gorgeous black and white decor?

Oh yes, it was wonderful 

Again, a bit of a secret.  As cruises wore on more and more passengers became aware of the free breakfast (we don’t do toast!*) and lunch

 

*the waiters always seemed to say this as their opening gambit.  I suppose there had been issues with people wanting what couldn’t be provided, so they pre-empted any problems

I’ve just looked at my photos - Cafe Jardin 😁

[tring]

2 hours ago, jh1809 said:

If it's suet pastry, my family always called it steak and kidney pudding.

 

I agree that suet pastry is used for steak and kidney pudding, rather than pie, but that is normally prepared in a basin and steamed.  If suet pastry is put on top of the meat (usually in a shallower container) and it is then baked in an oven, I would call it a pie.

 

Edited March 3 by tring

[galeforce9]

13 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

I’ve just looked at my photos - Cafe Jardin 😁

Edited March 3 by galeforce9

[jh1809]

20 minutes ago, tring said:

 

I agree that suet pastry is used for steak and kidney pudding, rather than pie, but that is normally prepared in a basin and steamed.  If suet pastry is put on top of the meat (usually in a shallower container) and it is then baked in an oven, I would call it a pie.

 

Fair enough. I'm no cook - putting a ready meal in the oven rather than in the microwave is about as advanced as I get - so am hazy on the details.

[Selbourne]

Just now, tring said:

 

I agree that suet pastry is used for steak and kidney pudding, rather than pie, but that is normally prepared in a basin and steamed.  If suet pastry is put on top of the meat (usually in a shallower container) and it is then baked in an oven, I would call it a pie.

 

Either way, I think it’s probably best avoided 🤢😂

[grapau27]

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, it certainly wound me up and I know that I felt exactly like that when a cabin steward said it to me once. Hopefully our current steward won’t feel the need to say it. He will be getting 10/10 anyway as he’s been brilliant. 
 

There will never be a time, especially on a cruise of this length, where all acts are worthy of 10/10 and I shall be making the point in the comments sections that the entertainment scores are likely to be artificially inflated for this cruise as a result of the entertainment managers request. 
 

Personally, I will take great pains to score everything completely honestly, including each of the entertainment acts that we’ve seen. One or two will get 10/10 on their own merits. A number, including the Headliners, will also get very high scores. However, one or two acts were really poor and that has to be fed back honestly if the feedback is to be at all meaningful. 
 

One advantage of having to use the lift all the time is that after each show we have ‘travelled’ with a bunch of people all giving an immediate post show assessment, and I know that almost all of the views that I have expressed have been shared by others. Two comments that stick in my mind were during a Pulse performance when we left early as it was so bad, and a woman got in the lift with us and said “I love that song and she’s absolutely murdering it”. Also last night there was still lots of discussion around the ship about how good the talent show had been and most agreed that it had been better than some of the professional acts we’d seen!

On RCL we have been asked many times to give 10/10 on feedback.

When the review request from RCL comes to my email one of the questions is

Has anyone asked you to give 10? If so who and what department?

Personally if anyone has been exceptional I email the RCL CEO Michael Bayley letting him know who and what the crew member had done to deserve credit.

I have also done this twice on P&O and had replies from the executive office.

@Selbourne I'm pleased to hear your sore throat is getting better.

Our balcony cabin on Iona in January and last November was a little warm most of the time but the corridor was cool.

Thank you for your daily reports and prayers🙏 you get a smooth sailing for the remainder of your cruise.

[zap99]

3 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Does every ship do this for the Beach House. We cancelled our second visit as the Caribbean menu they had was too spicy for me but if they do this on every ship it will be great. (Yes I know it was the Caribbean, but it was a bit 'overkill' on a theme of chilli, chilli and, you guessed it, chilli! I'd have killed for a green bean !!!)

Is it one of those 'hidden events' that you have to know about to ask about? If you get me

Beer can chicken looks interesting. A couple of mornings in our Jamaica hotel, I had a beercan sandwich.

[Somerset Cruiser]

1 hour ago, P&O SUE said:

I’ve just looked at my photos - Cafe Jardin 😁

It was Marco Pierre White influenced originally. The evening menu had a £5 cover charge some 15-20 years ago.  We had a great Valentines meal in there once. 

[Selbourne]

Day 61 - Sunday 3rd March - Sea Day

 

The clocks had gone forward again, so we are now just 1 hour behind the UK. We will make up that final hour after the Azores. 

 

Thankfully, Paul Stickler’s daily crime talk (today The Acid Bath Murders) was on at the far more sensible time of 11am. 10am was too early when last entry for MDR breakfast is 9.30am, especially with the clock changes thrown into the mix as well. Hopefully his talks on the 3 sea days between the Azores and Southampton will all be at 11am, but I suspect that the later time today was more to do with it being a Sunday and there being a religious service in the theatre before it. 

 

I walked a mile on the promenade deck before lunch. It was quite windy and the temperature has definitely dropped now, but thankfully the sea state was calmer than yesterday so the movement was negligible. 

 

As we had time to kill today, with there being no afternoon show, we had a leisurely lunch in the Glasshouse. I had some wine and almost instantly I could feel the discomfort in my throat again having had no issue (but also no alcohol) for the last couple of days. I don’t ever recall having a throat issue that’s triggered by alcohol before, but it’s almost like putting antiseptic on a cut. Very odd. 

 

During the afternoon we had a siesta in the cabin before attending Ben Kearsley’s 3rd classical guitar performance in the Playhouse. After that we had a cuppa in Raffles. The cakes had gone but we were still full from lunch. In the cabin, prior to dinner, the movement of the previous day had returned, so I hope that we won’t have any issues getting in to the Azores as we certainly don’t fancy 9 sea days in a row 😱  

 

Back in the MDR for dinner. I didn’t fancy anything on the menu so had tomato soup and chilli tortillas which, despite being vegan, were fine 😂. The singer Shellyann was back in the theatre again tonight and, as with her first performance, it didn’t appeal so we went back to the cabin. By now the motion was very noticeable and, to make matters worse, my sore throat is back with a vengeance. What a ruddy nuisance. I think I need to get away from this ship to start shifting it and that doesn’t happen until Friday onwards. Tomorrow is Praia da Vitoria in the Azores (weather permitting) 🤞

[Snow Hill]

9 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Day 61 - Sunday 3rd March - Sea Day

 

The clocks had gone forward again, so we are now just 1 hour behind the UK. We will make up that final hour after the Azores. 

 

Thankfully, Paul Stickler’s daily crime talk (today The Acid Bath Murders) was on at the far more sensible time of 11am. 10am was too early when last entry for MDR breakfast is 9.30am, especially with the clock changes thrown into the mix as well. Hopefully his talks on the 3 sea days between the Azores and Southampton will all be at 11am, but I suspect that the later time today was more to do with it being a Sunday and there being a religious service in the theatre before it. 

 

I walked a mile on the promenade deck before lunch. It was quite windy and the temperature has definitely dropped now, but thankfully the sea state was calmer than yesterday so the movement was negligible. 

 

As we had time to kill today, with there being no afternoon show, we had a leisurely lunch in the Glasshouse. I had some wine and almost instantly I could feel the discomfort in my throat again having had no issue (but also no alcohol) for the last couple of days. I don’t ever recall having a throat issue that’s triggered by alcohol before, but it’s almost like putting antiseptic on a cut. Very odd. 

 

During the afternoon we had a siesta in the cabin before attending Ben Kearsley’s 3rd classical guitar performance in the Playhouse. After that we had a cuppa in Raffles. The cakes had gone but we were still full from lunch. In the cabin, prior to dinner, the movement of the previous day had returned, so I hope that we won’t have any issues getting in to the Azores as we certainly don’t fancy 9 sea days in a row 😱  

 

Back in the MDR for dinner. I didn’t fancy anything on the menu so had tomato soup and chilli tortillas which, despite being vegan, were fine 😂. The singer Shellyann was back in the theatre again tonight and, as with her first performance, it didn’t appeal so we went back to the cabin. By now the motion was very noticeable and, to make matters worse, my sore throat is back with a vengeance. What a ruddy nuisance. I think I need to get away from this ship to start shifting it and that doesn’t happen until Friday onwards. Tomorrow is Praia da Vitoria in the Azores (weather permitting) 🤞

Given your sore throat has lasted this long I would suggest an appointment with your GP at the earliest opportunity, as I said earlier my brother had a similar situation, which turned out to be an infection of the larynx, caused him to loose his voice for a long period. 

[Cathygh]

@Selbourne does your sore throat improve in the open air? If so I wonder if it's the ship's aircon? The only time I have had cruise cough since covid was on Arcadia, which has an older aircon system probably similar to that on Aurora. I had to have the balcony door open at night, which I've never had to do before. Just a thought. If not I agree with Snow Hill, see your GP asap.

[Selbourne]

Just now, Cathygh said:

@Selbourne does your sore throat improve in the open air? If so I wonder if it's the ship's aircon? The only time I have had cruise cough since covid was on Arcadia, which has an older aircon system probably similar to that on Aurora. I had to have the balcony door open at night, which I've never had to do before. Just a thought. If not I agree with Snow Hill, see your GP asap.

It’s always worse late afternoon and evening when, of course, we are always on the ship. I also have a sneaky suspicion that it might be the air con, which is why I feel that I’m stuck with it until I am home. If I still have it after a few days at home then I shall definitely see my GP. 

Edited March 4 by Selbourne

[FatBoy20]

After the prolonged problem I think I would see the Ships Doctor @ £65 it might be worth it !.