Aurora City & Short Breaks
On the 4th June 2009, I received two letters from P&O informing me my Aurora two-night party cruise on the 5th-7th December and twelve night Canaries cruise from the 7th-19th December were cancelled so the ship could have a refit four months early.  I was gutted.  Since Cunard had sold QE2, I was unable to spend my 40th birthday on her so Aurora was the next best thing and had looked forward to being somewhere hot for a change.  The price had been great too for a single.  They gave me compensation towards another cruise of £25 for the short and £75 for the Canaries.  As much as I wanted to be away for my birthday, the Caribbean was out of my price range and I didn't want to freeze in Northern Europe!  So I decided to spend my birthday at home and use the money towards the two night cruise from the 27th-29th December 2010.  Since they changed many of Aurora's itineraries, she was no longer alternating with Oriana and her trips were on average longer than two weeks.  It was £301 for a window instead which was good.  I did go for F109, which I'd had before and had booked for the cancelled trips but accidentally closed the booking window so went for D109 instead to see how they compared.  The balance was paid on the 9th August.  I had my long-awaited surgery on the 4th November meaning more than six months of constant pain would be finally over, leaving me fully mobile again.  So I looked forward to the trip as November progressed.  However, my mum died on the 25th after a year-long struggle against cancer and an NHS ruined by Labour.  I didn't know what to do but my dad insisted in no uncertain terms to go.  As he pointed out, thanks to more stupid NHS rules thanks to Labour we were unable to get the death certificate until the 29th or 30th when it was signed by the GP when he was back at work plus I hadn't recuperated properly from the surgery.  I couldn't help but worry about him but he said it was only two days and he'd be fine.  So I set off for Ocean Terminal later than usual, catching the 12.40pm ferry and freezing in the biting wind.  The former lightship Calshot Spit was now at the terminal, having been moved from Ocean Village.
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			(C) Copyright Patricia Dempsey 27th-29th November 2010 Not to be reproduced without permission