Korimako

On 5/14/2023 at 1:21 AM, Lois R said:

We don't tip our Doctors and Dentists........hairdresser, yes.....but the other 2? Nope. 

 

 

I didn't really phrase that very well. What I meant was, we don't tip hairdressers, doctors or dentists but I assumed in the US, you would tip hairdressers but you would not feel comfortable tipping your doctor or dentist. I was trying to illustrate the level of discomfort I would feel tipping anyone at all.🙂

Thank you!

So am I correct in thinking that from the moment I get on until the moment I get off I don't need to pay anything to anyone who does any sort of service for me - serving food, drinks or tidying my cabin? It's just that on another website I asked about tipping in the US, there was a fairly extensive list of recipients as well as what percentages they should be paid! Made me decide NOT to set sail from the US after all.

My only onboard expenditure would be if I went to speciality restaurants or ordered drinks? Or have I got that wrong?

Hello all

I am thinking of doing a Princess cruise from Australia. Are the fares on the website AUD or USD? What happens about tipping? Is it included in the price? Do I have to have envelopes of cash to hand over?

We've only ever cruised once before - 10 years ago - and gratuities were included in the fare, so we avoided that uncomfortable, Antipodean feeling of having to do something that felt very awkward. 

Tipping etiquette in the US seemed to be such a minefield that I have decided against taking a cruise which started from a US port. 

Thanks in advance.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. However, as I am planning this cruise to have some relaxation after a very stressful year, all that this has done is make me feel more stressed about the complex issues and expectations surrounding tipping in the US.

As a Kiwi, tipping is something unknown and not expected, and the thought of it makes me  feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed at handing over cash to people who are just doing their jobs. There's no difference (for me) in the level of discomfort I would feel in giving a tip to a waiter in the US than there would be if I tried to leave a tip when I'd been to my hairdresser, dentist or doctor.

So I will not be cruising from the US, but thank you all for helping me to come to this decision.

Please note spelling - Auckland (with a 'c' ) is named after George Eden, Earl of Auckland. Nothing to do with seabirds!!
😂😂😂😂

Yes I am that hopeless at percentages - calculator or no calculator! My husband is the maths whizz, so he does all that. My skill set is language- based, I speak 3 other languages besides English. 

I have just discovered, after your suggestion to download an app etc., I can also ask Siri to work out percentages for me!

Thank you.

Gosh - this an etiquette minefield!! There are several points in these replies which confuse me, so here goes!

Basically, anyone I come across who does anything for me, no matter how trivial, will expect to be paid?

I think what you mean by a bellhop/bellman, we would call a porter. This job does not exist in most hotels in NZ (most hotels in NZ are motel-type hotels) neither do we have doormen. The only doormen we have encountered have been in upscale London hotels and Singapore, where tipping is not allowed.

I will only have carry-on baggage (small roller acceptable as international cabin baggage) and my handbag (purse I believe you call it?) Do I really need help to get it out of the taxi and up to my room??

I still haven't worked out to do percentages on the calculator on my phone, so that won't help me much

Is it this complicated in Canada? I might just look for a departure from Vancouver!

Thank you for a very detailed reply! One question though - what is a bellman??? 

I am considering a cruise from San Francisco to Auckland and intend staying several days in San Francisco pre-cruise. My worry, though is I have NO idea about tipping etiquette, coming from a country where we don't have a tipping culture. Who do I tip, how much, how often??

I wouldn't want to appear mean or unpleasant, nor would I want to be criticised for not leaving a tip, but it's quite possible I might forget, or be unaware someone was waiting for one, as it's just not on my radar.

Any guidance gratefully received - and please, as I'm mathematically challenged, don't give me percentages!!

Thank you all for your replies. I did hear from someone - not on Cruise Critic - that P&O Australia can be quite rowdy with hen parties and the like, so I'm more inclined to look at Princess. When I said "busy" before, it was more along the lines that there were lots of activities going on, but as people have pointed out, I can ignore them!

Advice needed please. I am considering a cruise from NZ to the South Pacific with P&O. I will be travelling solo, elderly female, and just want a relaxing, away-from-it-all break. I'll probably book a balcony cabin to have some private outdoor space.

I have looked at other cruise lines e.g Princess and Carnival and they would be far too "busy" for me. Will P & O suit me, or is it going to be too "busy" too??

I have looked at smaller ships like Ponant and Paul Gauguin, but have not found an itinerary I like, because I would prefer to leave from NZ.

I have also posted this on the P & O forum.

Thanks

Advice needed please. I am considering a cruise from NZ to the South Pacific with P&O. I will be travelling solo, elderly female, and just want a relaxing, away-from-it-all break. I'll probably book a balcony cabin to have some private outdoor space.

I have looked at other cruise lines e.g Princess and Carnival and they would be far too "busy" for me. Will P & O suit me, or is it going to be too "busy" too??

I have looked at smaller ships like Ponant and Paul Gauguin, but have not found an itinerary I like, because I would prefer to leave from NZ.

Thanks

20 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Korimako, it's roughly 50/50 this cruise. Bear in mind that this will vary by itinerary. For example, on our first Corsica cruise, there were fewer than 10 Anglophones. Which was great - we often got very small group tours. And they looked out for us very well.

 

Also, know that the Anglophone group is a big mixture. Besides the obvious American, Aussie/Kiwi, and British/Irish usual suspects, there are a number of German, Dutch, and Spanish speakers who use English as a second or third language. It's a fun mix!

 

But no worries about being in the minority. Have been there and it was lots of fun!

Thank you - but on re-reading my post, I think I may have not been clear. What I meant was I didn't want to be in a Francophone minority! I would prefer a Francophone majority.🙂

In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned Anglophone and Francophone.

Could you tell me roughly what proportion of passengers were Francophone?? I'd prefer it if I wasn't in a tiny minority!
Thanks

I can only agree with previous posters. The Seine dinner cruises are very much aimed at tourists and although the food will be adequate, I suspect that won't be what you're looking for. As the others have said, do the cruise and the dinner separately.

And FYI, we used to live in France and have visited Paris countless times - so I do know what I'm talking about!🙂

Can't answer for Qantas, but checked bags are weighed at checkin on AirNZ.

And carry-on maximum is 7kg economy.

 But if a US resident asked or if you are able to book through a US TA then I would suggest that one place to try is to use one of those sites that lets you specify the sailing and cabin class you want and they put it out to bid to TAs.

I don't think that booking through a US based TA would work for me. For example, if I have to call them about any query I might have, not only will it be an international call, but I would have to factor in the time difference. Here in NZ it's 19.50 on Thursday 9 Feb, but in New York it's only 1.50 and in Los Angeles it's 22.50 on Wednesday 8th!

Do you think it would be a good idea to identify which cruises interest us and then ask NZ/Australian TAs what they could do for us?

Very interesting, but not really what I asked!🙂

Not wishing to hijack this post, but I was thinking of asking the very same question. What I would like to know is, if it's better to book through an agent, how do you find one? As I don't live in N America, I'm a bit concerned that local (i.e. New Zealand or Australian) cruise agents might only concern themselves with Australasian cruising, when we're actually interested in Northern Europe.

We're not cruisers - only done a trans-Pacific repositioning years ago as an alternative to a flight from the US, so we have zero experience of the kind of service a TA could provide.

We haven't used a travel agent for years, booking directly with airlines and hotels on our annual migration from the southern to the northern hemisphere!

I know it's forbidden to recommend anyone, but some pointers as to where to start looking would be helpful!

Eclipse is docked in Lyttelton NZ 08.00 to 20.00 on Tuesday 21 February. The shore excursions list/pricings don't show excursions to Akaroa, but in the blurb about the cruise on Celebrity's website,  it mentions visiting the Banks Peninsula (i.e.Akaroa). How can I find out if there is an excursion to Akaroa or not? Anyone booked on this cruise with more information???

If the ship departs at 20.00, by what time would shore excursions have to return?

Can't remember when I last had a coffee, and as far as I can remember, I've never had a doughnut, so not a good enough reason for me!

😂😂😂

OK I understand - but why transit Canada - and the requirement for customs - when there are flights from Austin or Houston with a layover in Miami or Washington and direct from there to Barcelona with American Airlines/Delta?

Of course I haven't looked at prices and those could be eye-wateringly expansive!

On another point which was mentioned, if your flight is ticketed all the way to your final destination, you will say goodbye to your luggage at an airport in Texas and pick it up in Barcelona.

We once came home from France (using Mileage Plus points) and our ticket was Paris-Frankfurt-Shanghai-Auckland. In spite of thinking we'd never see our luggage again, with so many places for it to go AWOL en route, but there it was on the carousel in Auckland when we arrived!

1 hour ago, cruisinqt said:

 I was thinking customs would be easier in Canada but I’m still open to using anyone. 

I don't understand what you mean? Why would customs (or did you mean immigration?) be easier in Canada? Unless I have misread your posts, you are flying TO Europe for a return Transatlantic cruise, so you will have to clear customs and immigration in whichever European country you arrive in. Or have I got it back to front?

I wouldn't worry about not recognising other airlines - living in the US you wouldn't necessarily be familiar with them, but those of us who travel extensively in Europe will recognise that, for instance, TAP is the national airline of Portugal, Iberia the national airline of Spain, Lufthansa ditto Germany and Finnair - Finland. But read the reviews of any airline you're considering (the airline quality website below) to help you choose.

Here are some more websites to help with your choices. It's possible to fly from several airports in Texas to Madrid, so no real need to go via Canada!!

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search

https://www.airlinequality.com/

https://www.rome2rio.com/