David Williams

If you live in Holyhead, it would be pleasant trip and a saving on booze - 4 litres of spirits is a reasonable allowance

I think that Portugal is 72 hours before departure, however hopefully it will be spelt out officially, however it must be the PCR test. It would not surprise me for us to get banned again soon due to the Indian Variant.

If they leave Le Havre on the 19th, they have time for loading stuff and getting down for trials and still start on the 24th. They may even load the stuff at the Le Havre roro terminal.

Any firm information on number of Portugal crossings if they go ahead ?

PA is showing as leaving Le Havre on 19th May

Extract from BBC Live News:- Tourists from the UK will be allowed to visit Portugal from Monday, the country's minister of state for foreign affairs has said. Anyone arriving in the country will need to have had a PCR test 72 hours before departure, according to VisitPortugal, the website developed by the country's National Tourism Authority. Work is also under way to ensure there is enough testing capacity in Portugal, it adds. The announcement comes despite Portugal extending its "state of public calamity" on the mainland - the second highest level of alert - for a furthe

It would make sense to continue Portugal as a seasonal route (one return a week), that would give those wanting to go to Portugal a good option and also make for some decent touring holidays involving both Spain and Portugal. However, I am not sure that a knee jerk reaction to a temporary problem is the answer.

The NHS App now has a section on Covid vaccinations, not great as it just shows the covid vaccinations on a report. To link it to a person you need to go to show the home screen as well. I will phone for a paper copy in case this becomes useful.

Individual taste, I like privacy and Fresh air. I have done Norway in December and also Alaska (in Summer) on cruises & made full use of the balcony. The day cruising Glacier Bay with a Park Ranger giving a commentary was Magical on our Balcony (admittedly we had a large Balcony !). I have booked a Balcony on the PA this year (fingers crossed).

It is clearly targeted at those that like smaller ships, however whilst the 50+ market of a couple of decades ago might like them, I am not so sure that a ship with 22% Balconies will appeal to the current crop of 50+. I personally like medium size modern cruise ships or small expedition type ships with Zodiacs for shore landings.

Not her fault, the Commission produced the recommendation at the start of the month, the Council (aka the 27 Countries) seem to be the cause of the delay.

The EU decision seems to have been delayed. I understand that next week the EU Council should now be discussing the recommendation to ease the restrictions on more third Countries, however they are not certain to agree them. There is also the standard 2 week review under the existing rules next week as well.

Someone has put Nassau on Wikipedia, however it won’t change on the ship until it moves registry. Enjoy your fishing.

Could you see the 'official' bit with the port of registration etc. ?

In theory it is because they want everyone present before they load anyone. Once a set of cabins has been cleaned everyone can be called together for them and then go straight to the cabin and not have to hang around waiting in the corridors etc. However it is a pain and I am sure that they could devise something suitable using the original last check in times and accept that the late arrivals can be processed slightly differently.