Not At All Live From Our (Probably) Penultimate P&O Cruise

[TigerB]

Friday 20th September 

 

We were just getting tied up at the dock in Cartagena as we headed down for breakfast.

 

Afterwards, we stepped out onto the promenade desk to check the weather and take photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had never been here before; my sister and BiL couldn't remember if they had, the well travelled pair that they are!

 

We didn't leave the ship until 10:00, after all the crowds had dispersed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw a few buildings that had been demolished, with the facades left behind and preserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all liked Cartagena; it has a lot of history and interesting buildings, and apart from the Roman amphitheatre, obviously, and several other places, it was fairly accessible for a wheelchair user.

We will be back again next autumn, so we will explore more then.

 

 

We were back on the ship just before 14:00. Fish and chips from the Quays today

 

Afterwards, back to the cabin for a rest before getting ready for this evening.

 

 

 

[TigerB]

Sat 21st September

 

With it being a sea day, we had breakfast at the later time of 08:15.

By now, Clive and Annisa were almost like a well oiled machine, each anticipating our needs.

 

It was an okay day weather-wise and we spent a fair bit of it in our cabin, with me popping out to get some lunch from the Quays to bring back, doing a wash, and ironing.  I also went to Garry Richardson's last talk, this time the venue was the Clubhouse.

 

 

Tonight's dining venue was Beach House, but not until 19:15.

 

We were seated not far from the galley, so it was a little noisy, but not so bad.

Our waiters were Sahejad and I Putu, the latter explaining that his name means 'first born son'.

 

This is another dining venue that doesn't serve Punk IPA by the pint as, like on Iona, they get their drinks from the Crystal Bar. Knowing that it is served at the Laguna bar, just the other side of the pool, I asked Sahejad if he wouldn't mind getting, or sending someone to get, me one. “No problem at all, sir”.  I felt like telling him to go down to the 6th Street Diner to show the kid from last night what good service is.

 

The menu:

 

We had...

 

Starters:

 

Sister and BiL...

 

 

Me and our lass...

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

SORRY! I didn't take a photo

( I have given myself forty lashes!)

 

Sister...

 

 

Our lass...

 

 

Me...

 

 

Desserts:

 

BiL and our lass...

 

 

Sister...

I did warn her it wasn't like the banana splits you used to get in a Wimpey Bar

 

 

Me...

 

 

The restaurant was very full and service was a little slow; at one point Sahejad came to apologise for the wait. No matter, we were having a good time. All in all, a nice meal. We'll be back on our last night.

 

 

 

 

[TigerB]

@Ardennais, stop reading so fast; you've caught up with me!😵  I am trying to post as quickly as I can.😝

 

Two more days to go for this segment...

[TigerB]

Sunday 22nd September 

 

Marseilles today, and we didn’t have it to ourselves... 

 

 

 

The weather forecast was for cloud and possible light showers. Our lass wasn't sure if she wanted to get off. The other two hadn't been before so I gave them a quick précis of what to expect.

Later in the morning, our lass felt a bit more positive so we told the other two we would join them. We got off just before 11:00.

 

The accessible transport was two mini buses, each with a capacity of up to three average sized wheelchairs, or two devices if one was a mobility scooter. There were three seats available for companions.

 

 

 

 

 

In common with previous trips, when we’ve used the accessible shuttle, our cruise cards weren't scanned.

 

When we were here last year we were dropped off on the road opposite the cathedral. This time we were dropped off in a similar location, but within the port boundary.

 

During the journey we were talking to a young fella in a manual wheelchair. He wasn't aware of the new mobility device policy until he contacted P&O after he found out the emergency evacuation chair had been removed from his booking. He was booked into a partially accessible cabin, with his manual chair, which does not fold. He was told by the CSA that he could not take it; the chair had to be folded when inside the cabin. It was suggested that he hire one from Mobility at Sea.  He told the CSA how ridiculous that advice was, as he is a full time wheelchair user and how else is he to get around the cabin if his chair is folded. P&O relented and allowed him to travel with his own chair, and reinstated the evacuation chair. I should think so too!  He was saying how laid back he is, but that unnecessary situation caused him a great deal of stress, right before his cruise.  P&O, you really are a class act!🙄

 

 

We all had a bimble towards the museum on the front, then along the marina to the marketplace. From there, me and our lass headed a little inland towards shops while the other two sought out la toilette and somewhere for a coffee.

The two of us walked/booled along a street parallel to Qaui du Port, and found the exact same shop in which we bought a magnet last year, which we later lost. €18 and three magnets and a bit of tourist tat later and we headed back to the ship.

 

At the shuttle pick up point there was a long queue for the buses. We waited in a separate area no more than one minute for our minibus; it was the same driver as earlier, and again, our cruise cards were not scanned.

 

Some photos...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Water Fairies playing bonny with their clown fire engine...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once onboard, the two of us sat outside near the Quays for a bite to eat. We would have gone to the MDR for lunch, but we had missed it by about fifteen minutes.

I had a Yorkshire pudding with veg...

 

and our lass had a Yorkshire pudding wrap...

 

By now, the other two had got back onboard, and they joined us for a drink.

We then spent the afternoon chilling in the cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 12:19 AM by TigerB

[TigerB]

Sunday 22nd September (cont'd/...)

 

 

Tonight we were back in Zenith, at our usual table.

 

Tonight's menu:

 

 

We had...

 

Starters:

 

Sister and BiL...

 

 

Me and our lass...

That was really nice

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

 

 

Our lass...

 

 

Sister...

 

 

Me...

By now Clive had become accustomed to my penchant for two fillets of fish.

 

 

Desserts:

 

A full house...

Do you know that really nice baked rice pudding you could get from M&S?  Well, this was nothing like that!

 

One of us had a cookie dough ice cream chaser. Do I need to say who that was?...

 

 

Afterwards, we moved on to the Crow's Nest for drinks.

 

[TigerB]

Monday 23rd September 

 

Barcelona 

 

 

After breakfast we went on deck 8 to watch the Marella Discover 2 pass us on our starboard side and parallel park behind us.

 

 

 

 

The Costa Toscana was parked in front of us.

 

 

We also spent a while watching the pallets of fresh produce being off-loaded from wagons and loaded onto the ship. There was a security officer with her dog, checking them.

 

 

   

I sent those videos to my friend, who has working dogs; she said 'they were really quick checks'. No doubt the security officer was clock watching, thinking about siesta time.😴

 

@Selbourne, for you it was green beans, for us it was leeks; a pallet full of the buggers were loaded here.

 

 

The weather forecast today was for showers, and the was looking really moody...

 

 

 

Before we even knew that, it was extremely doubtful that our lass would have got off. She was wiped out; she had lost all of her spoons. Those of you that have a debilitating physical or mental illness, or partners with the same, may well be familiar with that analogy. She wanted to fully recharge so she could have enough energy for the next day, my BiL's birthday. Even if she felt okay enough to get off, we would have probably just got a bus to the area of the Olympic stadium.

The other two did get off, later telling us that they had gone up and down Las Ramblas, where they had paid tourist rates for Sangria. 

 

 

Meanwhile, back on the ship, me and our lass went for lunch in Meridian. Surprisingly, at eight days in, that was our first lunch in the MDR on this cruise.

 

Menu:

 

 

We both had the same thing as a starter and main...

 

The macaroni cheese was nice.

 

 

Desserts:

 

Our lass...

A bad choice, she said.  Her fault for choosing a vegan cheesecake!

I was forced to finish it off! 🤭

 

 

Me...

It looked like the junior pastry chef had a lot of time on their hands, playing bonny with the coloured gels.

 

 

Afterwards, we went and sat the Beachcomber area, sensibly undercover; it was funny watching all the sun worshippers abandon their sun loungers and scatter like ants when it started to come down like stairs rods.

 

Our travelling companions later joined us, and we had more drinks, while people watching and enjoying the moody skies and intermittent showers.

 

 

Afterwards, we returned to the cabins to freshen up for dinner.

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 12:38 AM by TigerB

[TigerB]

Monday 23rd September (cont'd/...)

 

Tonight should have been our second visit to Olive Grove, but my sister and BiL had seen the menu earlier and didn't fancy anything from it. That, together from our so-so experience the week before, made it an easy decision to cancel the reservation. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we much prefer Olive Grove on Iona.

Luckily, my sister still had the Zenith reservation as a standby, so that was to be our venue this evening.

 

The menu...

 

 

We had...

 

Starters:

 

Me...

Dressed Asparagus

 

 

The other three had this...

That tiny portion would not have satisfied me!

 

 

Mains:

 

Our lass...

 

 

The rest of us had this...

 

 

When Clive brought mine he had doubled up on the fish fillets without asking me...

I felt a little embarrassed (well, for a millisecond anyway!😉)

 

Previously, the plaice fillets have been tiny affairs, not much bigger than a fish finger; for this cruise the head chef must have done their shopping at Big Plaice R Us.

 

 

Desserts:

 

BiL...

 

 

The other three of us...

 

...all with Belgian chocolate truffle ice cream...

 

 

Tonight's post-dinner bar of choice was Anderson's.

A gin and tonic for my BiL.

Baileys for the ladies.

This refreshing number for me...

 

 

Afterwards, the girls retired to bed and the gentleman attended the 7/10 Club for the first time this cruise. I had missed the booking slots when they opened up on the first day, so we didn't make any reservations for the first week . Yes, we could have joined the standby queue if we wanted to attend, but weren't that fussed.

The band on this cruise were:

Monty, the piano and keyboard player, MD, and main vocalist;

Ryan on drums;

Ellis on bass;

Connor on guitar.

I had seen Monty once before on Iona, with Ellis in that line-up. Ryan played with Ellis in a different line-up on Iona last June. I had not seen Connor before. 

Of the different line-ups I've seen, this one seemed to gel the best.

Tonight's set was American Vinyl Returns. It had a heavy jazz influence, and was not appreciated by all members of the audience; I counted seven couples leaving.

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 12:48 AM by TigerB

[TigerB]

That's it for tonight, folks!

 

The final instalment will be in a couple of days, dependent on me finishing tiling.

[Purdey16]

Loving this review , I’m reading it during the night , and you take some really good photos, good food porn pictures to see what these dishes look like .

[Selbourne]

7 hours ago, TigerB said:

@Selbourne, for you it was green beans, for us it was leeks; a pallet full of the buggers were loaded here.

Yet more very interesting and engaging reports. Many thanks for doing them 👍. I actually love leeks, but if P&O start serving them as regularly as they do those ruddy green beans then I could easily be put off them 😂 

 

I’m pleased to hear that you haven’t mentioned any problems with lifts, as that was the biggest issue that put us off Iona (and therefore, by default, Arvia). I think that our challenges were exacerbated by several factors. Firstly it was peak school summer holidays and the ship was packed (almost 6,000 passengers), although we had no issues with the kids, who were significantly more courteous at the lifts than their elders. Secondly, we were on deck 10 midships, so most lifts, whether going up or down, had already picked up enough passengers to make getting in with a wheelchair nigh on impossible (the lifts being so small). Having to walk to the forward or aft lifts just to have a better chance of getting a lift was a real pain. 
 

Time has not been a healer with my wife and she remains of the view that she is not remotely interested in experiencing Arvia or Iona again. I’ve explained that we could go out of season when it would be less packed, but she says that the passenger profile will most likely still be the same 🙄😂. It’s a shame because our accessible deluxe balcony cabin was the best cabin for her needs that we’ve had on any ship - including the newer Queen Anne, although it’s fair to say that the overall Cunard product was better.

 

Looking forward to the final instalments. I’d like to say that it’s getting me in the mood for our second Queen Anne cruise in 5 weeks time, but I won’t know until the end of the month whether we can go, as it’s dependent on the outcome of a hospital procedure (for me this time rather than my wife). Thankfully both our daughters have had agreement in principal from their respective employers that if we can’t go they can, so they might be getting a very nice cruise for nowt 😂 

[Sussexboy]

Thanks @TigerB for a really interesting and engaging review. When I think back to our Arvia experience we enjoyed it overall but there were a few rough edges. The crew seem to fall into two camps. Either “can’t do enough” or “CBA”. Not having cruised on P&O since pre covid times and then doing several cruises on Oriana and Azura, we were completely underwhelmed with Anderson’s bar. We were expecting the retro vibes of a gentleman’s club, but got the metro vibes of a badly designed tram station. We scuttled off to the crows nest as quickly as we could.

[SarahHben]

I really appreciate that you’ve photographed all of your parties food. I’m not a fussy eater but sometimes I might see a fish on the menu I like the look of but it has one ingredient, horseradish for example that I can’t stand, so it’s helpful to see how the dish is assembled, thank you!

Out of interest what did you think of the Caribbean Seafood Basket in The Beach House? Out of our 3 cruises this dish  was the worst I’d had, I couldn’t eat it. The mahi-mahi & salt fish were dry and totally tasteless, I’d not had either before so figured they were supposed to be dry, probably not supposed to be tasteless though!

 

Thanks, really enjoying reading your report!

[zap99]

Thanks @TigerB. Brilliant review.

[TigerB]

Thanks for your likes and your comments, folks!👍🏻

 

@Selbourne, @Sussexboy, and @SarahHben, I'll come back to you with comments much later in the day as I'm currently getting chowed at by our lass: "Get off your bloody tablet, the kitchen won't do itself." 😳

 

 

[purplesea]

Interesting review, thank you.

When we used the port transfer in Marseille were also dropped off near the catherdral within the port parimeter, but I thought that was because on that day there was a marathon in the town.

We had a long waits for transfers, although there were more than two assistance buses in use.

[zap99]

35 minutes ago, purplesea said:

Interesting review, thank you.

When we used the port transfer in Marseille were also dropped off near the catherdral within the port parimeter, but I thought that was because on that day there was a marathon in the town.

We had a long waits for transfers, although there were more than two assistance buses in use.

Same here. We thought it was a bit mean not to go to the harbour.

[sandancer]

Really enjoyed your review Tiger. We’ve only been on Arvia once and that was re-positioning from Barbados to Southampton and enjoyed it a lot. Since then we have taken 2 Iona cruises and find we much prefer Iona.  We are on again for NYE. I can’t explain the preference, but it’s definitely there. Just a different ambiance. 
I have to mention how much I enjoyed your review of Cartagena. Some years ago we spent the winter in La Manga (campsite, not golf club) in our motor home. Once a week we would take the local bus to Cartagena for shopping. 
I hope some day we will find ourselves on a cruise calling there. 

[TigerB]

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I actually love leeks, but if P&O start serving them as regularly as they do those ruddy green beans then I could easily be put off them 😂 

When I was younger I really did dislike leeks, but now, with age comes tolerance of them, although I'm still not a big fan. I think they have been present on every menu in the MDR, either as an ingredient or a side.

 

 

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I’m pleased to hear that you haven’t mentioned any problems with lifts, as that was the biggest issue that put us off Iona (and therefore, by default, Arvia).

I'll cover this in my final thoughts, needless to say, being on the lowest deck helped a great deal.

 

 

11 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Time has not been a healer with my wife and she remains of the view that she is not remotely interested in experiencing Arvia or Iona again. I’ve explained that we could go out of season when it would be less packed, but she says that the passenger profile will most likely still be the same 🙄😂. 

Never say never. Sailing on them without as many kids really does make a difference; we would never cruise during school holidays. With Arvia and Iona being so large there are many areas to avoid those types you do not wish to encounter. (See how I phrased that without using the word 'chavs'.😉)

 

 

[TigerB]

11 hours ago, Sussexboy said:

Thanks @TigerB for a really interesting and engaging review. When I think back to our Arvia experience we enjoyed it overall but there were a few rough edges. The crew seem to fall into two camps. Either “can’t do enough” or “CBA”. Not having cruised on P&O since pre covid times and then doing several cruises on Oriana and Azura, we were completely underwhelmed with Anderson’s bar. We were expecting the retro vibes of a gentleman’s club, but got the metro vibes of a badly designed tram station. We scuttled off to the crows nest as quickly as we could.

 

I don't know if it is the same on Azura, or formerly Oriana, but the waiters in Anderson's on Arvia and Iona dress like extras from Peaky Blinders. I really don't get it.

[TigerB]

12 hours ago, SarahHben said:

I really appreciate that you’ve photographed all of your parties food. I’m not a fussy eater but sometimes I might see a fish on the menu I like the look of but it has one ingredient, horseradish for example that I can’t stand, so it’s helpful to see how the dish is assembled, thank you!

Out of interest what did you think of the Caribbean Seafood Basket in The Beach House? Out of our 3 cruises this dish  was the worst I’d had, I couldn’t eat it. The mahi-mahi & salt fish were dry and totally tasteless, I’d not had either before so figured they were supposed to be dry, probably not supposed to be tasteless though!

 

Thanks, really enjoying reading your report!

 

I don't like horseradish either and would never have it in a sandwich, but in that pate that accompanied the mackerel I wouldn't have known it was present if the description hadn't indicated so. As you can see from the photograph, you can just discard it.

 

I've had the seafood basket about three times on different cruises and, although I really don't care much for the salt fish fritters, the mahi-mahi goujons have always been fine.  I've had mahi-mahi a few times in the US, prepared different ways; it doesn't have a particularly strong flavour, a bit like swordfish but not as firm; I like it.

 

 

[Sussexboy]

25 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

I don't know if it is the same on Azura, or formerly Oriana, but the waiters in Anderson's on Arvia and Iona dress like extras from Peaky Blinders. I really don't get it.

Weird isn’t it. We had one drink in there and never went back. Even the expensive rums didn’t tempt me!

[SarahHben]

7 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

I don't like horseradish either and would never have it in a sandwich, but in that pate that accompanied the mackerel I wouldn't have known it was present if the description hadn't indicated so. As you can see from the photograph, you can just discard it.

 

I've had the seafood basket about three times on different cruises and, although I really don't care much for the salt fish fritters, the mahi-mahi goujons have always been fine.  I've had mahi-mahi a few times in the US, prepared different ways; it doesn't have a particularly strong flavour, a bit like swordfish but not as firm; I like it.

 

 

Thanks for your reply.

Maybe we just didn't get the best batch of fish when we had it on Britannia this year. I must admit it put me off trying mahi-mahi in a different land restaurant we went to recently. I may well try it again when we're in the Beach House on Britannia next year and hope that it was a one off bad meal.

Thanks

[terrierjohn]

@Selbourne following on from @TigerB's reply regarding sailing again on Iona. I feel certain that the passenger profile on Iona's 35 night round trip to the Caribbean will not be the same as on her summer school holiday cruise, and there are already a number of CC posters booked on this cruise, so you would be in good company.

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

@Selbourne following on from @TigerB's reply regarding sailing again on Iona. I feel certain that the passenger profile on Iona's 35 night round trip to the Caribbean will not be the same as on her summer school holiday cruise, and there are already a number of CC posters booked on this cruise, so you would be in good company.

I’m sure that you are right John, but we can’t book anything at present. Besides, I looked at that cruise a year ago and, as with many Iona and Arvia cruises, we felt it was a bit too light on ports and heavy on sea days for our liking. 

[Waju]

On 10/13/2024 at 1:25 AM, TigerB said:

Sunday 22nd September (cont'd/...)

 

 

Tonight we were back in Zenith, at our usual table.

 

Tonight's menu:

 

 

We had...

 

Starters:

 

Sister and BiL...

 

 

Me and our lass...

That was really nice

 

 

Mains:

 

BiL...

 

 

Our lass...

 

 

Sister...

 

 

Me...

By now Clive had become accustomed to my penchant for two fillets of fish.

 

 

Desserts:

 

A full house...

Do you know that really nice baked rice pudding you could get from M&S?  Well, this was nothing like that!

 

One of us had a cookie dough ice cream chaser. Do I need to say who that was?...

 

 

Afterwards, we moved on to the Crow's Nest for drinks.

 

Is it me?  I've done loads of P&O cruises and can't remember a bad meal but these pictures (on this brilliant review) everything looks a bit 'beige'