Member Info for Bhants

PPS - sorry, Dave, only saw YR’s response after I posted. Still, at least we agree!

B

Hi Dave,

Welcome to this board and its characters who you will no doubt get to know and love as time goes by!

First, I assume that StockPerks accepted your “proof of ownership” otherwise they wouldn’t have responded.

Secondly, if one of your cruises is after November, you won’t get the additional OBC until after the AGM as the “perk” has to be approved year.

Finally, it might be worth going to your travel agent or whoever you booked through, to ask them to check with P & O what your OBC is. You should get a revised booking confirmation, eventually, showing it as an addition to the lead passenger.

Finally, my experience is that it does all work - in the end!

Hope this helps.

B

PS you’ll be cruising for a good number of times before you break even on your purchase but I’m sure you knew that!

Bot,

I have no clue how you tolerate such a busy existence! How much time per cruise do you have to spend in the casino?

Anyway, I thought we were have a pretty good day until around 15:00 ish our time when, after a gentle rise we find ourselves just under 20p down on the day. Ah well, who’d be an investor in Carnival……

B

And the debt is down at least $5 billion over the last 12 months.

My take: we’re doin’ OK and on plan/target for 2026 IVG status etc.

B

At least we are just about holding our own in the cricket. Although why one might want to hold anyone else’s is beyond me.

HAGWE, everyone and stay coooooool!

B

Piddling little trades and not many of them, so how come the SP moves so much?

I am right in thinking the US is closed today, though?

B

Sorry to hear that YR. I don’t think you’re bad at all.

I suspect people avoid us at dinner! Mind you, we always opt for”freedom” rather than club so get to choose where and when we go.

B

B-J, Carnival have already said they plan to re-start dividends in 2026 as part of their plan to achieve investment grade by then.

I watched the H-A Line programme, too. The Americans have a completely different take on what makes a great cruise. The thought of a visit to somewhere like the “Key” fills me with horror. Ditto the continuous intake of alcohol. Spoke to some folk on our last cruise who said they struggled to get drinks at one point owing to the number of people on drinks packages seemingly getting preferential service and continually looking at watches for time to order the next drink.

Á chacun son gôut, as they say.

B

Don’t forget that US is closed tomorrow so we wait to see where the sp ends up later.

B

But only if you’re outgoing, CWWX?

B

Not, just to add another unpredictable variable, it seems one of the consequences of Starmer’s latest climb down is likely to be a fall in the value of £Stg, especially if the bond markets take against it.

Any thoughts - don’t let me distract you from your current table activity, though (I do hope it’s continuing well).

B

I agree, mainly, with your assessment of Flam, Bot. Another contender for the exit stakes, though, is Olden where we used to get Andrea Boccelli singing “Time to say goodbye” on more than 11 on the volume, together with a resident flying the Cross of St George flag. Scenery isn’t bad either.

B

And another hike as NYSE opens……….just to keep us on our toes!

B

Yes, Quiggers, at about 15:00. I was surprised, too!

B

Might have to settle for less than half that, unless the US pumps things up again ……..

Thanks, Bot, for the exchange rate explanation. Very clear and concise.

I happened to go past the Forex cubbyhole in Morrisons this morning. The sell rate for Euros was 1.09 - the buy back rate was 1.36!! I’ll keep my €10 note for the time being.

B

Thanks Aangus - can’t buy them though through my HL SIPP. At least, not without paying some hefty fees.

B

BTW, usual pattern for the SP……….dribbling down again just now.

B

There needs to be an enquiry by the CMA, I reckon.

Locally, I was looking around for Euros to buy - the “official” rate at the time was €1.18 to the £. The best I could find was €1.093, improved to €1.095 if you bought £500 worth. That means the “buy back” rate must be around €0.93 - what a rip-off! So, I usually try to use my Santander Zero card when buying anything abroad. At least on P & O all the stuff is in £Stg!

B

K, did you get any feedback about MW’s short position? It seems to have been increased slightly, if anything.

B