Heidi13

The UK notes that have been withdrawn from service are still and will remain legal tender in perpetuity. When a new series of note is introduced, with enhanced security features to prevent counterfeiting, the existing notes remain in circulation for a number of years, with considerable notice provided prior to removing the old notes from service. With the notice provided, it impacted the ex-pats mostly, who had wads of old notes in the safe for future trips.Wasn't an issue for me, as I sold them to our local bank before the deadline, so they became their problem. Totally agree with the culture issue, as I find it hard to believe that citizens are happy continuing to use old technology notes that are easy to copy/forge. Although I rarely carry cash, I much prefer the new plastic (polymer) notes over the old paper ones.

Although scran was also used in UK when I was brought up, those are all my guesses. C-130, also known as Hercules.

The 20's and 50's were withdrawn on the same day in Sept 22, as I had some of both notes in the safety deposit box.

Here is a link to the BoE regarding how to exchange the old paper notes. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/exchanging-old-banknotes#:~:text=your UK bank-,Exchanging old notes at the Post Office,not have a bank account.

A great and valid question. As a retired mariner and camera enthusiast, who carries both binoculars and cameras with long lenses, these are my thoughts. When on a moving ship that also has some inherent vibration from machinery, magnification level is a key consideration. With binoculars, they normally suggest 7x or 8x as being the highest level to ensure a clear picture. Having used binoculars at sea for 40 years, especially on cruise ships, I can comfortably use 10x and provided the ship isn't moving significantly, routinely use 12x. On full frame, from memory I believe 12x would be similar to about a 600 mm lens. One of the key specifications for binoculars, at least when we were using them on the Bridge, is field of view. When searching for a buoy or other navigational object, a larger field of view made it easier to locate them. Since my largest lens is a 70-200 with a 2x doubler, that is about the equivalent of 8x binoculars, or the recommended max for use on a ship. My standard 10x50 permafocus binoculars have a significantly higher field of view than my 400 mm lens, therefore it is much easier to locate wildlife, etc with the binoculars, then switch to the camera for photos. My binoculars don't have the same clarity as Swarovskis, but they meet my needs for identifying things I then capture with a camera. I also consider the light gathering and depth of field. My x50 binos are big and heavy, but they let in lots of light and have depth of field from about 12' to infinity. In low light situations, I find the binoculars have an additional advantage for finding wildlife, etc over searching with a lens.

If you have any paper 20's and 50's in the safe, I believe they will also need to be changed at a bank before you can use them. Not so sure about the 20's, but since I had some paper 50's in the safety deposit box, I sold them at our bank in 2022, before they were removed from circulation. Hopefully some of the UK members can confirm.

The best views, especially when navigating in confined waters, are from the Bridge. Therefore, generally there is little difference between port & stbd over an entire cruise. Personally, I have been subjected to fwd and aft cabins too many times during many years at sea, and as a pax prefer to avoid the potential pitfalls of both areas. When scenic cruising, my preference is to enjoy a fwd facing deck, fwd facing lounge, or just wandering around any of the outer decks.

Correct, nobody refuses the money, but you also don't hear the comments.

Smaller denomination Sterling notes should be available from your local bank, but I suggest ensuring that they are the new style plastic notes and not the old paper notes. I believe the paper notes have been withdrawn, so would need exchanged at a bank. Tips in a foreign currency are never refused, but from experience of carrying golf bags on the Old Course, foreign currency tippers may not be held in high esteem, as you must trudge to the bank or post office to exchange them. Based on my experience years ago, we generally only had 1 nationality that tipped in their own currency.

On the BC Ferries, which is our equivalent to Alaska's ferries, they used to pitch tents in the lounges at night. So yes, sleeping on the deck does happen.

Since I quoted the original post, I was commenting on the fact all optional and included tours must be booked online prior to the cruise. The OP stated no option to book onboard. The OP did not qualify application to shore-ex within the first 2-days. We tend to book longer cruises, so if the OP is factual, this policy is ridiculous and completely unnecessary.

The definition of passenger under SOLAS is Every passenger is a person other than: - The Master and the members of the crew or other persons employed or engaged in any capacity on board a ship on the business of that ship, and - A child < 1 year of age.

I don't use Tours by Locals, or any of the other 3rd party booking sites. I only book directly with a vendor and many don't take payment prior to the tour and ones that do are usually 24 hr cancellation. If the ship doesn't dock, I only book tour providing a full refund.

Unfortunately, downtown parking costs are normally prohibitive. Suggest checking out the long term parking at YVR and taking the Skytrain into Canada Place.

Alaska State Ferries and any other ship flying the US Flag at the stern (small expedition type ships)

Totally ludicrous policy. Easy solution is to boycott Optional Shore-ex and only book private tours. Sorry Viking, yet another reduction to the original exceptional customer service standards.

The Bridge watchkeepers often eat in the buffet, not to experience customer standards, but for convenience, as it is often their only option available.

Traditionally, at least on British ships (P&O & Cunard) it wasn't just senior officers who had a role in enhancing the pax experience. Many officers of 2 stripes and above hosted a pax table at dinner and were expected to join their table for the show or other entertainment after dinner. All officers, if not on-watch/working were expected to be in mess kit after 18:00 and visible on pax decks. For many reasons the officer's roles have migrated away from pax service to fulfilling the technical requirements of the job. When I was a cadet and junior officer, we rarely saw the Master on the Bridge. He would pop up to check the chart first thing in the morning, before heading onto the pax decks, basically so he could answer the inevitable question of where are we. The junior officers were significantly better trained and more experienced than those on the Bridge today, so Masters had no issues leaving them to run the ship. To put it into perspective, I spent over 3 yrs as a cadet and 7 yrs as 3rd Officer, whereas my son was sailing 2nd Officer after less than 4 yrs. As 3rd Officer on the Princess ships, I held my own navigating watch, the 4 - 8 watch. This was traditionally the Chief Officer's watch, but he had the option of attending other duties and leaving the 3rd Officer alone. On a number of occasions, I picked up the pilot and was the only officer on the Bridge when he arrived. In the absence of the Master, I did the Master/Pilot handover. In today's World, with the detailed Bridge manning outlined in the SMS, that would never happen. I doubt many, if any of today's 3rd Officers have the experience to perform that task unsupervised. With the significantly more detailed requirements in today's SMS and the reduction in standards of Junior Officers, the Master has significantly less time to walk the ship. I tried to walk the ship once per day, and in addition, headed down to the pax decks once per day for a meal. Otherwise, I was either on the Bridge, or in my cabin, which was in close proximity to the Bridge. Some days, whether weather and/or traffic related, I could not leave the Bridge, as mandated by our Bridge procedures in the SMS.

He left P&O/Princess about 12 yrs ago and as Senior 2nd Officer was still permitted reasonable alcohol, ensuring his blood alcohol never exceeded the limit, as they could be tested 24/7. Even at that time, I believe 3-stripes and above were no alcohol. You have to question their standard, as Senior 2nd Officer was the senior watchkeeper on the 12-4. Not all watches had a 3-stripe officer. Unfortunately, everyone I knew and sailed with is now retired, so I have no more contacts on the Bridge or ashore. With our last Viking cruise, Master, Staffy, C/Eng, Staff Chief, Doctor and Hotel Senior Managers were all no alcohol from signing on to signing off. Had an interesting chat with the Master on this very subject. When I worked, I had nothing to drink from the day before I started a shift to returning home after my last night shift.

Best option is to Google both of the Singapore pax terminals to determine which one the ship is assigned. If not listed at either terminal, the ship may be assigned to a commercial container berth, which we were assigned on one trip to Singapore.

With P&O/Princess it was a little different, as since I started in 1975, the Pursers always wore Officer uniforms and had gold stripes, with the colour between the stripes being the only identifier that they weren't certified officers. When we signed chits in the pax bars, 60% was immediately removed from the bill and the remainder was applied to the Deck Dept entertainment allowance. Therefore, it was cheaper to drink in pax bars than the officer's wardroom. Comparing my days to those of our son, who started in 2002. We were expected to be on pax decks every night, when not on watch. We had no real restrictions. If you didn't spend copious hours on pax decks, your Passenger Division career was quickly curtailed and you were shipped off to General Cargo/Bulk Shipping/Box Boats. By the time our son started, if they got a drink in a pax bar they paid full price. When we cruised with him, he could join us in the Buffet at any time, as watchkeepers had no restrictions, unlike others who could only use the Buffet at non-peak times. To eat in one of the restaurants with us, he had to submit a request through Staffy and was provided a table number and time, usually a table at the back. He could also join us on decks, but could only sit at a table, he was not permitted to join his mum on the dance floor, only entertainers could enter the floor. Personally, I liked the Viking system. Deck, Engineering and Medical, who had professional certification, all had gold stripes, with the usual colours identifying department. The hotel managers and supervisors all had silver stripes. Same standard applied to the name badges, with the hotel being silver and the gold stripes having a gold badge.

If they are watchkeeping officers, the Buffet may be the only option, as the officer mess hours do not always suit the traditional watchkeeping schedule. In addition to the two 4-hr shifts on the Bridge or in the Engine Room, the officers have extra non-watchkeeping tasks to complete, which further restricts access to the officers mess. You also have convenience, when your cabin is aft of the Bridge, the Buffet may be significantly closer than the officer mess, which is often down on a lower deck. Using the Buffet can provide an additional 10 - 15 mins sleep.

Viking do state and in our WC experience, provided the shore infrastructure can accommodate up to 900 pax, they do guarantee every pax an included shore-ex in every port. In some ports, 2 options are available and you pick one of them. On our Viking WC only 2 ports had minimal included shore-ex, due to insufficient local infrastructure. Nuku Hiva and Thursday Is were examples of where the included tour was a self-guided walk.

If everything goes well, you should be able to make a Noon flight, but a number of variables can impact the risk levels. You didn't mention how many ships are in Vancouver that day, which can have a huge impact in getting out of Canada Place. If it is a 4 or 5 ship day, it can be chaos departing the cruise terminal by bus or taxi. The day of the week will also be a factor in both traffic issues between the port and airport and the number of people checking in for flights. The one benefit is once clear of downtown, you are heading against rush hour. Destination - are you flying international, USA or domestic, as the recommended arrival time varies. With international, they suggest 3 hrs before departure. With US flights you clear US Immigration in Vancouver and with the number of early morning departures, the airport can be busy. A quick trip out to the airport will get you ahead of other cruise pax. If it is a week day with lots of ships, you best bet for a speedy trip to the airport is using Skytrain. Distance from baggage pick-up to the platform is about 400 - 500 yds and includes stairs. Arrival is right at the airport. Those Skytrain cars are also better able to accommodate luggage. Trip to the airport is about 1/2 hr. Provided you have sufficient mobility and can handle your luggage up/down stairs, this is your best option for a speedy transit to YVR.

Certainly won't dispute that scurvy is possible; however, on cruise ships the root cause is most likely the crew member dietary choices, as the required fruits and vegetable, etc are available. It is each crew members choice what to eat. Scurvy is also an issue in many countries, especially the 3rd world countries. I'll suggest the incidences of scurvy in cruise ship ratings is significantly less than their home countries.