I'm not old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



WINNER - 2009 �Idler Of The Year� Award
Runner Up - 2009 �Just Doing What It�s Designed To Do� Award


DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Very Annoyed wrote:

I'm not old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just joking

Well you are welcome to come for a summer cruise on my ship - for sure it will be hot hot hot and very humid............ I have to look forward to Dubai, Salalah, Suez, Istanbul, Messina, Port Said, Salalah, Mumbai, Pipavav and back to Dubai for the next few months. Nice gentle passages through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in the South West Monsoon, at least the pirate activity should be a bit reduced due to the 5-8m swells running during the monsoon and the rain showers and gale force winds 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Just don't get ill!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13154500

Unfortunately unless that poor lady dies there will not be any investigation into that incident as it isn't a British ship (even if it was a UK flag ship there still wouldn't be an investigation unless she dies) The officers supervising and the crew on scene should be dismissed as she had neither a lifejacket on nor any transfer ropes on the stretcher - 3rd world seamanship of the highest order that gets us all a bad name. To just push a stretcher out of the shell door onto a small pilot boat bouncing up and down in the wake is exceptionally poor seamanship. BIG question that will be asked by insurance companies will be why was she not transferred by helicopter - it is not expensive and a whole lot less risky than a ship to boat transfer at sea. Even if the lady had been able to walk it would have been safer to call for a helicopter. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Just got back today from an 11 night trip on the Ventura(P&O)Not really my Idea of a relaxing break,but I prefer just to cabbage on a sunbed by the pool for 2 weeks :oops:The service from start to finish was excellent though as was the organisation,food was dissapointing during the day but excellent in the evening,the onboard casino was fun Some good entertainment in the evenings aswell.The drive there and back was nice though £100 of diesel did the trip Bolton-Southampton and back 32mpg average speed 46 ish,mostly sat around the 75-80mph.
Glad I did it yes,would I do it again probably not,didn't really like the 2m swell so god knows how Tim gets through it

Went on a Thomsons Cruise a few years ago in my early 30's. I had wanted to go see the Pyramids & Petra in Jordan (the cliffs Indiana Jones comes riding out of on horse back) and the best way I could see of doing both within a week was the Thomson Red Sea Cruise.
Though it would be full of old fogies as well but there was loads of folk my age and younger, paid the extra for all inclusive drinks £100 and it was Stella on tap all day and Long Island Iced Teas all night. Entertainment was good if not my style (too much cabaret, not enough Rock for my liking) food was if not excelent then still right up there and plentifull and varied, staff couldnt have been more helpfull.
Havent been on another one yet but I would not hesitate to go back on a cruise ship, if thats how good Thomsons can do it I can only imagine what paying a bit more for a more upperclass cruise would be like.

Bullet. RRS TDV8 (loving it)
Suzuki Bandit 1200 (For when the suns out)
Nissan 350z GONE

Tim in Scotland wrote:

Unfortunately unless that poor lady dies there will not be any investigation into that incident as it isn't a British ship (even if it was a UK flag ship there still wouldn't be an investigation unless she dies) The officers supervising and the crew on scene should be dismissed as she had neither a lifejacket on nor any transfer ropes on the stretcher - 3rd world seamanship of the highest order that gets us all a bad name. To just push a stretcher out of the shell door onto a small pilot boat bouncing up and down in the wake is exceptionally poor seamanship. BIG question that will be asked by insurance companies will be why was she not transferred by helicopter - it is not expensive and a whole lot less risky than a ship to boat transfer at sea. Even if the lady had been able to walk it would have been safer to call for a helicopter.

I hope someone's head rolls of the chopping block as I have just been catching up on news events and read the lady has sadly died in hospital

PM'd.  -Michael

We went on Royal Caribbean about 4 years ago for a week in the Caribbean from Miami, to Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Maarten and the Bahamas and loved it. The breakfast and lunch buffet was a bit manic and a bit of a scrum but the evening was always good. There is loads to do on the boat but when we filled out the questionnaire at the end we realised we had done hardly anything other than lounge on deck drinking margaritas. Not a good place if you dont like lots of people though. It gets a bit packed on deck when you are at sea on sunny days.
We went again last year on a short cruise to Cork with our two year old and she loved it.
Things to note: drinks can be expensive as can excursions and the photos taken at $20 a shot can rack up the costs as well. We reckon we spent at least £100 a day on drinks photos and extras etc and thats before any spa treatments!!

Plenty of info to go at......thanks all!

Looks like we're off round the Med just for a week to give it a whirl.....

Off on hols on Monday for 5 days which means I am now collecting the Autobiography Saturday 7th May as it is not ready this week surprise surprise!!

Photos to follow on Monday 9th May