If P&O is your tipple then there are three choices to leer you into a longer cruise. They repeat each year. The Ventura is the entry-level long cruise at only 35 nights. Two of them each year. 

Once hooked, the Aurora offers the Grand Cruise of 65 nights. But stop, for the first time, in 2026, the grand cruise changes to 75 nights. Then the third cruise is the whopper, the World Cruise at 99 nights. When the Aurora leaves Southampton on January the 3rd, the Arcadia leaves Jan 6th, and they swap year on year. We have been on all versions so can share some tips and films as port guides.

Here is where we list the chat groups for the AURORA Grand Cruise……..

Aurora R401 chat group – 2024 Grand Cruise click here – join – tell others and share, share, share

Aurora R501 chat group – 2025 Grand Cruise click here – join – tell others

The Aurora had the route that attracted nature lovers in 2023. Along with the long lens cameras, there was also a good team of those who travel with their bicycles. Comradeship is the keyword on this ship which is likely to be full at just under 1800 guests. For me, it is one of the most stable ships at sea. Please post the pictures on the Aurora chat group. With prices that start at under £100 a day, it is not surprising many miss the whole UK winter, huge fuel bills, and have their food not just covered but delivered.

uCruise Aurora and Arcadia group by Doris Visits a FaceBook Chat Group 

The 2023 R301 cruise got off to a slow start with some not having either the Yellow Fever jab, the yellow card, or an exemption which can be granted to those over 60 and some with other conditions. Our very modern COVID-like digital version and our full NHS record of every vaccine we have had in the last 40 years was questioned for some time and had to be backed by us calling the doctor. Some were not let on and had to join later in Tenerife. They may have been the winners this year given the state of the Bay of Biscay in January. 

It is a reminder that the need for medical proof is put upon the ship by the countries the ship intends to stop at, and the conditions must be checked. Yellow Fever is one that Brazil likes when people arrive from some countries, and it was the case that the cruisers on board were not arriving from the UK but from the last port. Please always check, and always get exemptions if you choose to be exempt. The yellow exemption card is yellow like the Vaccine record. Luckily, after three planes and arriving in Cape Verde, we did get on, with Paul Ruck doing one of his last Eric Clapton performances for a while, Tom Suha a rock and classical violinist you will see on our latest film, and a new classical duo. Such is the life of a travelling entertainer. The highlight for many was the Redeemer statue on the mountain, best seen at sunset from the ship looking back at the land. See our Rio film.

I will be posting all the films and will add links to this blog over the coming week and they will feature in our South American section. It will be useful because you should be aware of queue times, standing, and extra payments. Although there is a local law on older people queuing and in many places they will ask older people to sit down while waiting, the price reduction for older guests does not work at the Jesus statue, which is for locals only. We managed to obtain the over-65 reduction at Sugar Loaf which was a better moralistic gesture. The views were better at Sugar Loaf and the sugar nuts were the best I have had.

2023 Grand Cruise – We visited the changed port of Recife for which we suggest you might consider a beach tour if going there – see our film. We then went to the wonderful Cabo Frio. It was Jean’s un-numbered birthday, so we went for a real Brazilian lunch and had the best food of the trip. It was a national holiday, and the main beach was crowded in a way I don’t think anyone will be able to comprehend without seeing the film. Rio de Janeiro was a treat, and there is more to see than we managed on our exhaustive two days. I hope the film about Rio will help you. Finally, I learned from Classical guitarist Declan that our next and final port, Montevideo in Uruguay, was the origin of the South American Tango which many attribute to being the Argentinian Tango… but then history used to say that Columbus discovered America.

Talking of slavery, this coast, and Brazil were hugely involved in the slave trade and the African influence is colourful. It outshines the colonial influence. A note to all, even if after a warning from the ship’s port guide person you insist on wearing even the smallest jewellery and a few rings, and in taking a bag, do not be surprised when many helpful locals speak with you to warn you to hide them or carry the bag around your neck. Jean was stopped many times and as little English is spoken it took us a while to comprehend just how concerned they were for us.

R501 Grand Cruise 2025 visits South America including New Orleans and Cartagena, plus it visits many great islands.

On January 6, 2025, the Aurora will embark on a new 65-night Amazon and Caribbean exploration voyage from Southampton. It will include a visit to the Amazon River’s Parintins, a partial transit of the Panama Canal (as in Cruise Ship Heist the novel), and two full days in Manaus. Ports of call on the way to and from Southampton include Gran Canaria, Antigua, Tortola, St Lucia, Barbados, Manaus, Parintins, Santarem, Devil’s Island, Tobago, Cartagena, Colon, Puerto Limon, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Georgetown, Montego Bay, Grand Turk, Freeport, Bermuda, and Praia da Vitória.

R501 – Southampton, England (06 Jan); Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (11 Jan early morning-afternoon); St Johns, Antigua (18 Jan early morning-afternoon); Tortola, British Virgin Islands (19 Jan early morning-early evening); Castries, St Lucia (21 Jan morning-afternoon); Bridgetown, Barbados (22 Jan early morning-early evening); Macapa, Brazil (26 Jan a early morning); Manaus, Brazil (28 Jan morning leave 29th afternoon); Parintins, Brazil (30 Jan morning-afternoon); Santarem, Brazil (31 Jan morning-afternoon); Macapa, Brazil (01 Feb early afternoon-early afternoon); Scarborough, Tobago (06 Feb early morning-afternoon); Cartagena, Colombia (09 Feb early morning-early evening); Colon, Panama (11 Feb early morning-afternoon); Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) (12 Feb early morning-early morning); Puerto Limon, Costa Rica (13 Feb early morning-afternoon); Roatan, Honduras (16 Feb early morning-afternoon); Belize City, Belize (17 Feb early morning-early evening); Cozumel, Mexico (19 Feb early morning-early evening); George Town, Grand Cayman (21 Feb early morning-afternoon); Montego Bay, Jamaica (22 Feb morning-early evening); Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos (24 Feb early morning-afternoon); Freeport, Bahamas (26 Feb early morning-afternoon); Hamilton, Bermuda (01 Mar morning leave 02 afternoon); Praia Da Vitoria, Azores (08 Mar morning-afternoon); Southampton, England (12 Mar)

It will come as no surprise to some that I will be asking to be on the leg that takes in Cartagena. With Colon, Panama, and Puerto Lemon it covers the ports that open my novel Cruise Ship Heist which has received an official 5* review from the huge American Online Book Club with the summing up:

Cruise Ship Heist was action-packed, suffused with danger, murder, and unpredictability. This was one of those stories that would stay with you for a while, as it delivered mystery and intrigue. The book was fun to read; there was no dull moment, and the entire experience was a rollercoaster ride. I enjoyed every part of Cruise Ship Heist. It was professionally edited, and I disliked nothing in it. Therefore, I’d rate it five out of five stars. Cruise Ship Heist would be appreciated by lovers of mystery and thrillers.

Official review 5* by Bibliophile @ OnlineBookClub.ORG 2023

This is a wonderful cruise with a wonderful group of people.

R601 – 75 Nights.  Chat Room Event area – are you going? Click here

P&O website link = https://www.pocruises.com/find-a-cruise/R601/R601

Cruise Itinerary: Southampton, England (03 Jan); Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (08 Jan early morning-early evening); Mindelo, Cape Verde (11 Jan early morning-early evening); Recife, Brazil (16 Jan early morning-early evening); Salvador De Bahia, Brazil (18 Jan early morning-early evening); Buzios, Brazil (21 Jan early morning-early evening); Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (22 Jan early morning(+1)early evening); Santos (Sao Paulo), Brazil (24 Jan early morning-early evening); Montevideo, Uruguay (27 Jan early morning(+1)afternoon); Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (31 Jan early morning-early evening); Cape Horn, Chile (02 Feb morning-early afternoon); Punta Arenas, Chile (04 Feb early morning-early evening); San Antonio, Chile (10 Feb early morning(+1)evening); Coquimbo (La Serena), Chile (13 Feb early morning-afternoon); Arica, Chile (16 Feb early morning-afternoon); Callao (Lima), Peru (18 Feb early morning(+1)early evening); Manta, Ecuador (22 Feb early morning-early evening); Panama City, Panama (24 Feb early morning-early evening); Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) (25 Feb early morning-afternoon); Cartagena, Colombia (27 Feb early morning-early evening); Oranjestad, Aruba (01 Mar early morning-early evening); St Georges, Grenada (03 Mar early morning-early evening); Bridgetown, Barbados (04 Mar early morning-evening); Castries, St Lucia (05 Mar early morning-early evening); St Johns, Antigua (07 Mar early morning-early evening); Philipsburg, St. Maarten (08 Mar early morning-early evening); Ponta Delgada, Azores (15 Mar early morning-early evening); Southampton, England (19 Mar)