Ex-derivativeTrader

Hi Ex-

 

Your TA sounds quite generous! Ours will send some Florida citrus fruit from time to time...maybe I'll have to forward this post to her! ;)

 

My opinion is that reciprocation is not needed unless you have a strong personal relationship in addition to the business relationship. If it's all business, then you're making money for your TA, and if they choose to share some of that with you, it's great. The best gifts you can give in that case are (1) your continued business, and (2) some stellar online reviews.

 

Now, if you are feeling guilty about the Dom rosé, please get in touch and I can arrange to have them taken off your hands...we love that stuff! I remember sharing a bottle aboard Silver Wind back in 2012, when we had so much OBC that we didn't know what to do...so we ordered a bottle to our balcony and enjoyed the view of Sorrento! $360 per bottle didn't seem bad when it was free.

 

 

jpalbny,

Loved your 2 pics so much, I had to share 2 of my indulgences. Happy Holidays! Ciao ~ Don

Hi Ex-

 

Your TA sounds quite generous! Ours will send some Florida citrus fruit from time to time...maybe I'll have to forward this post to her! ;)

 

My opinion is that reciprocation is not needed unless you have a strong personal relationship in addition to the business relationship. If it's all business, then you're making money for your TA, and if they choose to share some of that with you, it's great. The best gifts you can give in that case are (1) your continued business, and (2) some stellar online reviews.

 

Now, if you are feeling guilty about the Dom rosé, please get in touch and I can arrange to have them taken off your hands...we love that stuff! I remember sharing a bottle aboard Silver Wind back in 2012, when we had so much OBC that we didn't know what to do...so we ordered a bottle to our balcony and enjoyed the view of Sorrento! $360 per bottle didn't seem bad when it was free.

 

 

Hi Jpalbny -

Funny... I think my wife and I will keep them...Maybe next time...LOL:D

That's my dilemma ! We have become close both personally and professionally. Close enough where he has had us to his families compound in Nantucket, and we have flown with him on his families plane. (Kind of hard to figure out what to get someone like him) We do go out from time to time, and usually alternate who picks up the check. We see each other at Charity events, etc. Like I wrote in the original post, we were SHOCKED when it arrived. Neither of us has done something like this for one another in the past, even before we became close. Yes, I will promote him and his business every chance I get, and I know that is worth more than a gift or $$ !! I do know they do not make much off me as he is always telling me most of their commission reduces my fare on whatever I go on. I guess I have to really think and wrack my brain! Oh, Love the picture taken on your balcony!! Happy Holidays! Ciao ~ Don

Morning all,

I'm curious if it is the "norm" to get a gift FROM your Agent...

I felt bad having to cancel our 2 suites last minute for the Wind this week, and lo and behold, FedEx just arrived delivering 2 bottles of Dom Perignon Rose from our agents Company! :eek:

Granted, we have developed a great working relationship, and have been social, but I was a little shocked to say the least!!!

I know losing 2 suites on a Holiday cruise cost them a nice commission. Should I reciprocate the gesture? Anyone have any suggestions ?

Ciao ~ Don

Hi, .... welcome to the cooler. I genuinely suggest you are a bit circumspect with how you feel about the response to your post.

 

I'm making no excuse for anyone else and only speak for myself. I didn't respond simply because it seemed to be an exact copy of your original post where I think you started a thread for the purpose of posting and I'd exchanged some banter with you in that thread so it just seemed odd to me if I simply reposted and repeated what I'd previously said as though we hadn't chatted before.

 

I guess many of us who have been lucky enough to have what will seem to others to be extreme experiences or "an interesting life" often choose not to share them simply because they are sometimes received as boasting instead of someone simply sharing their memories or their own delight and joy in a wonderful or interesting or unusual set of experiences. I know that many of the better experiences in life when discussed with others even invokes doubt or perhaps just envy and you feel you are being accused of telling fibs .... so that's why many don't share their best experiences. What's the point? I had a pretty odd early life when I stumbled into the entertainment industry from sleeping rough in London - quite a transition - and whilst my family all know the stories to be true because they were either around for it or have seen a fair amount of the legacy to it all, others wouldn't believe a word so experiences just aren't shared. They also actually often feel mundane to those experieincing them because it was simply a normal day even though it might be abnormal to others. Perhaps when repeated as you did, it sometimesconfuses and invokes a more acute reaction whether the reaction is right or wrong - don't take it to heart.

 

I loved hearing about the wonderful set of experiences you had, and I'm glad you shared it.

 

My response to you hasn't been very concise and is a bit contorted, but in a clumsy way I'm offering my regrets for any slight you felt - I don't think anything was intentional - and asking you to give us a second chance and join in. I'd like to hear more fo your experiences.

 

:)

 

Jeff

Not necessary, Jeff!

I see your point, and agree many perceive some stories as either "bragging" or "made up".. I have NOTHING to prove. I shoot from the hip, and tell it like it is. Funny, my wife says I sometimes to do not have a "filter", which I make NO excuse for! As I say, if you can't take the heat, stay the *@#$ out of the kitchen! I LOVE hearing stories, experiences others have had, and gladly share in the enthusiasm as they tell it! There was one person who commented on my threat about "posting a picture" of my home. Well, for their benefit, here is a shot of the new kitchen in the new house. A picture is worth a thousand words......

I am a bit mystified, to use the most benign word I can conjure up, after reading the post about meeting one's TA.

Maybe it's just me...

I just don't get it.

I don't mean to be intolerant or unappreciative of what may be true exuberance.

I may be too old. Or my values a bit skewed.

Sorry.

Maybe its the "Too Old" like you mentioned. I try to post something nice about a great experience we have had, only to have a few stodgy old timers poo-poo it. WOW! Talk about too much time one one's hand. Maybe you should concentrate on worth while things like a menu change on the ship ?? Like that is important ? Oh, and for ever posted about the Kennedy's on Nantucket - Get a history lesson! They are from the CAPE, and the ONLY connection with Nantucket would be their compound is on Nantucket Sound!

WOW.... Maybe it's jealousy... :confused:

Thanks TLCOhio!

We LOVE Venice!!!!

UKcruisejeff suggested I post this in the water cooler section. I mistakenly posted in the regular Silversea area. I am hoping that I am doing it right! Here we go.....

I haven’t posted in a while. Most times, I come in read, and get ideas and see the reviews. I recently had a thought…..Have you ever met your cruise broker? Here is our story, as we are fairly new to cruising. I was fortunate enough to retire almost 3 years ago at 45. We have a love of the Ocean and have chartered yachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean in the past for vacations, but decided to try cruising, and were bitten by the proverbial bug. My wife and I were at a charity event here in Greenwich, and were chatting with a few neighbors/friends about it. They recommended a guy they have been using for quite some time. I gave him a call, and we seemed to hit it off at once. He too loves anything to do with the water, and also was telling me he was into purchasing, remodeling, and selling homes in his spare time. (Something I want to start to do now that I’m retired). We booked our very first cruise on Silversea and were hooked. After a few more cruises, we were chatting and I mentioned we were looking for a place to buy in Montauk, Long Island or Cape Cod, Massachusetts and since he is out on Long Island maybe he could make some suggestions. He said he had a vacation place in Montauk and would gladly meet up with us and show us around. Well, that is where the fun began! We drove out there early one morning with the intention of spending a day or so looking to buy. His place was amazing, and he started showing us around. During lunch, my wife mentioned the possibility of buying on Nantucket, and his face lit up. He excused himself from the table and when he returned a few minutes later he said he had a surprise for us. We got in his car, and he took us to the airport in East Hampton. Unbeknownst to me, his family owns a jet! Not the Net-Jets, or those other timeshare jets! It is their families jet. Now I am NOT one to be easily impressed since I was fortunate enough to earn a huge amount of money with a very big name firm – and have basically “seen it all” while working. This was one amazing plane! He proceeds to take us to his Families compound in Nantucket for the night! The next day was just as special as the first! My wife and I could not stop talking about the adventure we had, and were telling everyone we know. When we met, I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years he came from Real Wealth, or should I say "Old Money". I guess that is how he gives us such a large discount on the cruises we book. He said he does it as a quasi-hobby, and just loves chatting with folks, and planning holidays with them. He certainly is NOT in it for the money! Every time I see our friends who recommended him to us, I thank them over and over! Thanks to him, we are the proud owners of a great home in Madaket on Nantucket! We are so thrilled that we met him, and actually socialize with he and his family on occasion while we are on Nantucket. I cannot say enough nice things about him! We are very fortunate! Don

Funny you put this up. The agent I was referred to by the group I met onboard emailed it to me today, as 4 of the voyages I have booked are on it. (As mentioned in a prior post - I had never used an agent until now but that will NOT happen again :)) This agent is a "Top Gun" with them and has advised he is asking - but their terms say it is NEW bookings only and one cannot cancel and book again as it is monitored. He said that the new management there is NOT easy to deal with, but he said "it never hurts to ask" - which I liked hearing! I'm hoping that a 33 Day combination holds a little water with Silversea. I'll keep you posted.

DC