navybankerteacher

I believe my being away for a while is gift enough for my children.

Correct - it was not really “American tax math” - just bad math. While we were not bright enough to accept the metric system, we can do our arithmetic (when not in a rush to make a point).

VAT can be 20% - so if you bought something worth $1,000 you could be talking about claiming a refund of $200. You have to have receipts to show at your point of departure - and my be expected to show the item to prove you are taking it with you (they do not want a local to escape taxes on something a visitor bought for him). It is a bit of a hassle at an airport as you fly out - probably not worth it to claim $10 or $20 - but much more of a hassle if you are trying to do it at your ship’s last port of call in Europe. Certainly not worth it for a small amount.

I do not think so.

Not only is there no such deal in Boston, you will have to pay your hotel a pretty high charge to park each night you stay at the hotel. For those three nights, plus the week of your cruise, your best bet would be the economy long term parking at Logan Airport - I believe $120 per week. It’s easy to get to downtown Boston from the airport. Anyone going to Boston should always check Amtrak as an option.

“We” implies a couple - which means £130 per day (unless, as is likely, tips would be added on). Are you planning to spend any time ashore at ports (or much time on board sober)? Talking about before you go on board: try dusting off your elementary school arithmetic and figure how many drinks you really need to enjoy a week or so away - and compare total one-at-a-time beverages with the package

Even when cruise ships stopped at Labadee, it wasn’t really Haiti -rather a remote cruise line operated enclave on the north shore completely fenced off from the rest of Haiti . I suppose there might have been some chance of gangs moving in - so it made sense to stop port calls there — small loss, it was a rather unattractive phony port - not a good beach, but some attractions - hardly any kind of real Caribbean experience

And accept the cost of ship’s laundry as an acceptable part of your cruise “fare”. Why are people willing to pay extra for alternative restaurants on NCL (because included dining is rather disappointing) but seem to feel paying for having laundry done is unacceptable? $29 a bag for stuff washed and folded is not that excessive.

Given the virtual certainty that we are in an inflationary cycle - it may be wise to assume a 5 to 7% annual increase in cruise fares. So perhaps “first minute” cruise fares might be the thing to consider. Book now, with a very low deposit, and protect yourself from likely increases as sailing date nears.

Depends upon if you mean adults ONLY - in which case stick with Viking, or MAINLY adult - meaning Celebrity or HAL, or the pricey and smaller Azamara and Oceania,

Well, Monticello is a far away place - where people might be expected to eat strange foods.

At a busy port like Miami or Fort Lauderdale (close enough so you could have access to both), the chances would be pretty good of finding space - but I think two days lead is minimum, and you would have to be willing to spend your whole time on shore. For example: if you flew to South a Florida on May 1 you would have a shot at the following four 7 day cruises: May 4: Princess from Fort Lauderdale, MSC from Miami; or May 5: Celebrity from Fort Lauderdale , Carnival from .

Very.convenient - you might consider dinner, or at least drinks, at Harry’s , One Hanover Square (in India House) or Frances Tavern on Pearl Street (where George Washington had farewell dinner with his officers - both great old places.

How does anyone know exactly what his house is worth when deciding to sell? It’s worth is really only established by the amount someone else is willing to pay for it at that time. The seller can figure roughly what it should go for from recent local transactions - but really does not have a grasp on local demand at the time he/she lists the house. It is always easy to reduce asking price if there are no takers - but if someone snaps it up the first day you must accept the fact that you have under-priced it - there is little chance of increasing asking price once an offer comes in — unless you are in the unusual situation of multiple competing offers resulting in an effective auction in a bidding war.

They are reluctant to let their customer base get the notion that, if they wait, they will get a cheaper cruise. Yes, sailing with a few empty $3,000 cabins seems like a waste, but it is a necessary tactic to avoid the uncertainty of a last minute sale on every itinerary.

There are several reasonably priced lower Manhattan hotels an easy walk( or short taxi ride) to the ferry across to right next to the cruise terminal - convenient to several restaurants and places of interest in the Wall Street area - which is among the safest neighborhoods in the city. There are few comparable options on the Brooklyn side.

Did you ever buy a house or an apartment — and did you immediately agree to the original asking price? Did you ever interview for a job - and not accept an offer because you knew you could do better elsewhere? Did you ever leave one job for another because you got better pay - or better hours, or better conditions or prospects, or a shorter commute? Did you ever make a concession to a spouse or partner - in return for a concession made to you - perhaps as simple a transaction as agreeing to see their choice of movie because next time they would see yours? ”never” is a very long word.

About what? That cruise lines do not care who sleeps with who - or the FACT that folks who spend enough time in casinos are virtually certain to lose money, Sorry - but I hope you do not think that people operate casinos to provide income to others — casino operation is just about the most certain sure thing when it comes to making money.

Precisely - the lines are aware that a number of people who cruise do so (at least partially) for the opportunity to “sleep” in another person’s cabin - or to have that other person “sleep” in his/her cabin.

Yes, cruise lines give perk incentives to frequent cruisers to keep them coming back and contribute to the cruise companies’ bottom lines - just as casinos (and cruise lines with casinos) give BIG incentives to known gamblers because they know that regular known gamblers are great for the bottom line because the more they gamble the more likely it is that they will lose more than the incentives cost the cruise lines. There are a lot of gamblers who like to believe that they are winners - but at the end of the day virtually all of them are losers. An intelligent person can enjoy a casino - sometimes winning, but more often losing - but the ones who actually believe that they are regular winners are the ones the casino operators love the most - because they are the ones who will lose most to the casinos.

Yes - and I am willing to bet OP is talking about a 15+ day itinerary (at least) so an hour time change could only happen every other day at most. The only quick shot TA’s available today seem to be Cunard’s 7 day from NY to Southampton - so that’s five hours in seven nights.

Is there anyone who does not understand that the reason heavy gamblers are “given” benefits is because the lines know that, in the long run, the more someone gambles the more they will lose to the house? Of course they want to encourage high rollers.

Good question: whether or not an activity makes money for the person who performs has next to nothing to do with its being detrimental to others. And, when you get right down to it, what is wrong with earning “Easy money”? That is what intelligent people prefer over hard- earned dollars.

Having done a number of TA’s - both directions - I’ve found it very easy to adjust; after all you are not at work, commuting to work, etc. you can lengthen your sleep time a bit. It surely beats handling a 6 hour jump on a flight.

If you do not want to be filmed, wouldn’t you understand that others probably would not like it as well? As long as they do it to others you feel it’s OK ?