Whitey Grandad

The NHS is good at emergencies but rubbish at routine.

Ostensibly they've made the change so that they can hold weddings on board. I suspect there's a lot more to it than that.

Good point. Although to qualify for the on board credit that you get for holding these shares you need to have at least 100 of them so that is what you would need to spend. This perk is available on all Carnival Cruise brands.

I first met the young girl who was to become my wife and lifelong companion at a disco called the North20 in Barnet High Street although we didn't call them discos then. It was a Valentine's evening on 12th February 1966 and we were both still just sixteen years old. For the last dance of the evening they would always play "The Carnival is Over" by The Seekers. She always dreaded hearing this song because it meant that the evening was over and if you hadn't pulled by then you were going to go home alone. For the two of us, fifty-seven years later, the carnival is truly over. By all means get tickets for the fair on the Common but you won't see much of the wider world that's waiting out there for you.

I've done the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes and back twice but it's a voyage and not really a cruise. You only get a couple of hours in the bigger ports but not necessarily at the best of times. NCL do a couple but they are mainly aimed at the Americans with 9 or 10 nighters. P&O still do some. Arcadia in August this year and Aurora in December. We went up to North Cape on Princess in 2022 the year before I lost my dear wife but the emphasis now is on shorter ones. The Norwegians are getting fussy over environmental issues. Geiranger Fjord will soon only accept zero emission ships. The problem is that the big lines are moving towards ever larger ships and many ports can't handle them.

We did that. I drove my dear wife up to the middle of Sweden so that she could buy a large Dalahäst (red painted wooden horse) in Mora in Dalarna. Ferries go from Hirtshals in Northern Denmark to Larvik and Kristiansand but the Bergen route is probably better for western Norway. Or you could go the long way round over the Øresund Bridge. We drove outbound via Harwich - Esbjerg just before that route closed and back via Øresund and Hook of Holland.

The locals are starting to get fussy about the type of ships that can use the Fjords. Geiranger in particular will eventually require visiting ships to be zero emissions.

That's they. I think that's about what I paid for them all those years ago. They are dual listed and AGMs alternate between London and Miami. I've been to a few. They're not the most dynamic bunch of executives that you might hope for.

He was overtaking at the time apparently.

The shorter cruises don't go that far up but anything over about ten nights definitely will.

No I didn't. I think they went over £50 at one point. In the past few years I bought another 100 shares at about £11 but as you say they dribbled down and when they had recovered to £13.50 I sold them. I still have my original holding which have probably given me a few thousand pounds of onboard credit initially with P&O but for the last few years with Princess. I jumped ship when P&O upset me. Coving was a big challenge. I think Carnival took out a $60bn dollar loan facility to see us through. The dividends were useful too but there has been no sign of those for several years.

I can recommend that. My wife and I went several times on big ships which is the best way to see the fjords and since I lost her I've been a couple of times on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express which is different but very rewarding.

And before your day?

Not good enough. They only check pressures and not condition. Typically they come free with the ABS and compare the rotational speed of wheels on the same axis. Any significant difference is due to a different rolling radius. Tyres, brakes and suspension. Don't take risks with any of them.

Wise choice.

Isn't Brooks still cup tied ?

I'm not. We spent all our money on cruises 😊

No time spent on checking is ever wasted.

Of course I knew its origins. You don't spend hundreds of nights on its cruise ships and ferries without knowing something of the brand and its history. As I have said above, I am or have been a shareholder in both enterprises. The Peninsular bit came first with the Oriental added later. The four quartered colours on the house flag combine the yellow and red of Spain with the blue and white of the Portuguese royal colours. The founders Brodie McGhie Willcox and Arthur Anderson are still recognised in the names of bars on their cruise ships.

Life is transient and fragile and gone before you know it. Waste not one day!

I had high hopes for him but as time went on he seemed to get slower. I bear him no ill will and wish him all the best in his new career. Nevertheless I'm glad he's gone. Next !

I have had shares in Carnival PLC for twenty years. They entitle me to a useful on board credit whenever I cruise on one of their brands. I also used to have shares in P&O Ferries until they were taken over by Dubai Ports. They used to give me a useful discount when I used to travel several times a year to France. Believe me, there is no connection between them.

It's a brand, a trademark. It doesn't have to stand for anything.

Yours?

Not in Kent we haven't.