markannab

Thankyou.

We'll be doing classes from Australia so not sure if we'll end up on the same cruises! marypat01, I'll send you an email now. Thankyou.

Thankyou very much!

Hi everyone

I wonder if you could help me out. My wife and I are about to take on the role of being guest speakers - 50's rock 'n' roll dance teaching - onboard a number of cruise lines via an agent. (The agent manages a number of cruise lines and we pick which individual cruises we'd like to be guest speakers on.

We are familiar with age groups on R.C. and P&O and that such classes work well in view of the age groups present. But we have never been on a Celebrity cruise. We have been told the age group tends to be older. Of course, I know the average age varies depending on the cruise length, etc. But I wonder, in your opinion, if we would find two things on board:

1. A good number of cruisers who would jump at the chance to participate in, specifically, rock 'n' roll dance classes; and

2. One or more multi-piece bands who play, among other things, some 50's rock 'n' roll.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Mark.

Hi everyone

I wonder if you could help me out. My wife and I are about to take on the role of being guest speakers - 50's rock 'n' roll dance teaching - onboard a number of cruise lines via an agent. (The agent manages a number of cruise lines and we pick which individual cruises we'd like to be guest speakers on.

We are familiar with age groups on R.C. and P&O and that such classes work well in view of the age groups present. But we have never been on a Princess cruise. We have been told the age group tends to be older. Of course, I know the average age varies depending on the cruise length, etc. But I wonder, in your opinion, if we would find two things on board:

1. A good number of cruisers who would jump at the chance to participate in, specifically, rock 'n' roll dance classes; and

2. One or more multi-piece bands who play, among other things, some 50's rock 'n' roll.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Mark.

Thankyou very much

Hi, I'm trying to find out who to contact on RC (Australia) to apply to be a guest speaker. We do guest speaking on another cruise line but can't get a response from RC. Thanks.

Hi all

A question for anyone just off the Jewel. I wonder who is currently providing live music around the ship. Who is the main band? Who are the soloists? We really liked those onboard some time ago and we're back on in three weeks. Thanks.

Among the P&O ships, my wife and I have only done the Jewel, Dawn, Pearl and Sun. The Pearl, being out first ship in 2011, will always be a favourite. Out of the Dawn and Jewel, I prefer the Dawn by a touch due to the fact that the top, front section is still accessible for sitting in with great views. On the Jewel, this area is set aside for spas, etc and you have to pay a fortune to get there.

Not exactly answering your question, though I'm quite sure they don't have cocktails of the day, but we have noticed this: Different venues onboard sometimes charge significantly different prices for the same drinks. For example, on the Pearl, the piano bar (I can't remember it's name) is more of a cocktail-specific lounge. As a result, they were charging quite a bit more than Connexions for the same drink. We have found it's worthwhile checking out the drinks menus at the beginning of the trip.

Thankyou.

When we visited earlier this year (and we're back there in six weeks), we didn't go to the beach. We heard that the beach is great but over-run by ship passengers. So, after a brief look through the market, we headed left (the opposite direction to the beach). The ships map of the island showed a "market" some distance from the dock. We thought a nice market, away from the majority of passengers would be great - likely one set up mainly for locals and so authentic. We walked almost 6km and found it to be a SUPER market - a tin shed with various groceries! Quite funny to find what we'd walked all that way for!

However, it was well worth the walk. For much of the way, you get glimpses of the water on your left and a limestone cliff edge on your right and lush greenery everywhere. We had to give way to an angry crab crossing the road at one point. And there's a number of tiny, isolated beaches set between boulders - a perfect place for a quiet swim or lounge on the sand.

The market had very inexpensive ice creams, so we bought one each and a couple of snacks and began our walk back. We didn't get far when some local boys driving a tray-back ute stopped and signaled us to hop on the back, which we did. We offered the driver some money for his effort but he refused.

Next time, we're juggling between a shorter version of the same walk to enjoy the beaches, or to walk to the right instead. Around 2.5km to the right is the Natural Aquarium. You can't swim or snorkel there but you can look down into clear water teaming with fish and occasionally turtles and eels.

Be cautious of a tour which is both "all day" and involves multiple forms of transport (vehicles, flights, etc). While my wife and I regularly do tours/activities independent of the ship, be aware the ship doesn't wait if you're late getting back due to delays. I imagine with a longer tour (likely taking you closer to departure time) and going from one form of transport to another, you are increasing your risk that you may run into challenges.

We are doing our tenth cruise in August. Thus far, we've only ever booked one shore tour via P&O – primarily because of the higher cost. Of all the excursions we've arranged for ourselves, only one didn't work out as planned. The small tour bus that we were to go on apparently had no signage on it and we couldn't find it. The arrangement was that we would pay upon meeting them so no money was lost. We learned later they were searching for us as well! Still, we had a great day because we located another means of transport (the back of a ute) and had one of the very best tours we've ever had.

We research at home what we think we'd like to do and usually arrange some form of transport on land. At other times, we sort things out via a fantastic Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/redVanuatu/.

If you book tours ahead of time that are not with P&O, you won't normally miss the tour if the ship is late to dock. They don't have anyone to take on tour until the passengers have disembarked, so they'll still be sitting there waiting for you.

Some are also concerned about ships leaving with them. The simple workaround is to set your return time WELL AHEAD of departure time and don't pay taxi drivers until they've returned you to the ship. That way, they won't leave you stranded at some remote location. Most drivers are fantastic; just one or two that have done wrong by their paying passengers.

On the topic of taxi drivers, just be prepared at Vila for the onslaught of eager drivers wanting to take you places. There's yelling and waving and offers galore. Plan what you want to do before you hit the wave of drivers, and pleasantly but firmly say that you've already got things arranged. Or, if you want to hire one of them, be ready to negotiate a fair price. Incidentally, a cheap and fun way of getting from the dock to the centre of Vila is by water taxi. Come out of the gates and look for signs for water taxi (or ask a stall owner).

I've discovered it's Sandy.

Hi all

I'm trying to find out about seeing the changing of the guard in Suva. We will be arriving on a weekday. I'd be interested in getting the actual address (which I've never been able to find online) and what time of day the changing of the guard occurs.

Thanks very much,

Mark.

Hi all, Just booking for 3 August 2017 and wondering who the current C.D. will be. Any help appreciated. Also seeking help in making contact with that C.D. ahead of time if anyone knows a way (social media?) since we like to offer to give dance lessons. Thanks very much!

Hi, Regarding costs, the bill for drinks can be a bit of a shock but if you're conscious of the cost each time you buy, you won't be caught out. Drink packages are fine . . . if you drink a considerable amount!

If you want a free drink, watch out for the "Welcome Aboard" event which I believe is always held on R.C. ships. I think this is the first or second night. Waiters walk around with free champagne, etc while music plays.

In Australia, if you had gratuities removed at the time of booking, I understand they will then start to add them day-by-day once onboard. If you want them on your bill, that's fine. If not, go to the service desk upon boarding and request that they not be added. You can then tip staff at your own discretion. Opinions on who to tip, when to tip, and how much vary widely. We usually tip our room steward ($20-$30), our food waiter and drink waiter ($10-$15 each). If someone else gives outstanding service, then we may tip them too. Generally, we do so soon into the cruise but after we've experienced the quality of their service.

We rarely pay for excusions. In fact, in eight cruises, we've paid for one! We research what we want to do before we leave. Then, we either wing it upon arrival searching for buses, taxi's, etc., or book third-party suppliers (often found on FB) before we go. Far cheaper. However, ships will not wait for you if you're late due to break-downs, etc. if you're not with a ship-organised tour. To avoid problems, we do such tours early in the day and do near-by activities closer to boarding time.

We don't have kids. But friends who cruise do. Any safety issues, such as young ones trying to sit up on railings on the edge of the ship, etc., tend to occur later at night or at nightclubs. During the day, things are generally pretty calm and safe. A practice my wife and I have which could be applied to other family members is to plan a time and place to meet before parting ways. That way, you can specify half an hour, an hour, etc.

I won't say the CD makes no difference; they make or break the onboard entertainment. However, my wife and I smile when we hear of people being friends with the CD's. I think we must move in different circles to them as we rarely lay eyes on them! We're extremely active onboard from around 6:30am-10:30pm or later, moving all over the ship, doing all sorts of things, and getting to know various staff members very well. But we don't see the CD much. :-)

Thankyou. Yes, your lifeboat point is a good one.

Hi

We were on Voyager about 18 months ago and are on again in two weeks. Last night, someone told us that they've been onboard recently and more cabins have been added increasing the number of passengers by 800 and reducing the length of the running track. They also said that, despite not being school holidays, the ship seemed to be over-run with kids. Has anyone else noted these things?

Thanks,

Mark.

My wife and I travel together, so only two vs your four. On our very first cruise with five ports, we spent about $600 over the entire cruise on land. We didn't pay for any tours but did have a couple of taxi rides and bought a thousand trinkets that first-time cruisers always do! :-) We also tried a couple of local foods and had a few kavas.

These days, we wouldn't spend more than $100 on land for an entire cruise. The exceptions would be:

1. Buying an item that is cheaper overseas than in Australia. For example, in Fiji a few months ago, my wife bought me an expensive watch that we couldn't afford in Australia. So we don't really count that in our "cruise expenses".

2. A tour arranged once we hit land. We've done this just a couple of times in eight cruises.

Many feel it's not really worth taking a lot in the way of local currencies since, in many places, you can use your credit card for larger purchases. It's primarily in markets, etc where some cash is handy. Most do accept Australian dollars but pop the price up a touch for the inconvenience. Bear in mind that in Vanuatu, their banks won't accept Australian coins. So if you pay with coins, the local vendors can't benefit from it until they can get a tourist to swap the coins for notes.

Giving cash to children is a nice idea. I'm not an expert in this field but I feel it could lead to a wrong view of tourists (ready cash). We have, at times, given little gifts like lollipops and it makes their day! We also treat them nicely . . . something not all cruisers do!

Other than higher-end staff and entertainers, many staff are paid low wages. There are various arguments for and against this which is beyond the topic of this thread. However, with their low wages, they most definitely appreciate a tip. Tipping is certainly not limited to US passengers! We tip and so do all our friends and family who cruise.

How much we tip is not pre-planned. It is dependent on the individual - not bending over backwards like they're a slave - but providing a quality service and being pleasant. We often tip our room steward $20-$30 and a lesser amount to our food and drinks waiters.

When you tip is also optional. Tip at the very start and you may tip someone who you later wish you hadn't tipped. Tip two or three days in when you've experienced their good service and you have the added benefit of having an extremely appreciate staff member for the rest of the cruise - a win/win situation.

Thankyou for your reply . . . though I don't quite understand it. :-) I will recognize the band if it's one I've been on a cruise with before.

Yes, they usually have a great range of music styles. I play music and it blows me away how they can do rock, pop and blues then, on another night, swap to something like country!

The only time I've been disappointed is on a recent P&O cruise. They had two multi-piece bands (aside from the solos, duets and the ships own jazz band). Those two multi-piece bands both did almost nothing but modern pop. And both bands had a very similar sound and a repertoire which was so small it repeated literally every day. And, to top it off, several of the same songs were done by different bands!

But, I have to say, that was the only time that's happened.

Thanks Ken. I've sent an email. We'll see what we get back.

Mark.