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On 9/24/2021 at 10:39 AM, Auntiemomo said:

That's why they make you pay it up front - part of your cruise fare.  You pay it one way or the other.  Same for drinks.  They just include the tip and up the price.  You pay for it one way or the other.  😉

You are right - one has to pay one way or another. The whole tipping discussion could be put to bed - if it was automatically included in the Cruise Price!! But a Passenger is given a choice - if they want a Drink-package - OR the Internet package ..... and if they want the Tip included!?!

I simply prefer to be able to Tip .... at my Discretion! And I also don't like anything that is COMPULSORY. And to the people who mentioned "Sleazebags" .... YOU can tip whatever you want and increase the (suggested) daily amount 10-fold, just don't throw around labels, when there is a FREE CHOICE given.

On 8/31/2021 at 10:12 AM, zitsky said:

 

I guess when we go to your country we should not bother learning your language and should not follow any of your customs?

Hahaha -  NO, "you" don't have to learn our language, since the British left you with that legacy already. And whenever I go to your country, I can hardly overlook the "Held-out-Hand" everywhere - from people expecting a TIP for anything & everything🤣

On 8/31/2021 at 10:04 AM, RichYak said:

Simply put, it's called respect. When I visit a foreign country, I adhere to their customs. I'd feel like a sleazebag if I didn't.

You may expect to HAVE TO GIVE TIPS, when visiting the USA, because it's ingrained there. But just because US owned Cruise Lines "underpay" their Staff - and then expect Passengers to subsidize their Salary Expenditure for Cruise Staff - doesn't sit well with me.

I am happy to Tip for extra good Service (on a Personal basis), but NOT when it is enforced on me and made "compulsory"!

On 8/14/2021 at 4:35 AM, Pinboy said:

Pinboy can't talk about bars ( not a drinker ) but assume the Bar Tenders would share the tips after each shift.

In the Specialty restaurants , we were told on more than one occasion , if you add the tip to the bill , it goes into the tip pool for that restaurant. If you give a tip directly to your Server, that person keeps the tip-- no sharing with the pool.

A tip given directly to your Room Steward is not shared in the tip pool--- and, why would it ???

It's awful when those " sleezebags " remove their Gratuities !!!

Sleazebags??? Just because tipping is a Custom preferred by Americans (and Canadians?) why do Passengers from other Cultures HAVE TO adopt these practices? Cruise Lines should pay a decent wage to ANY/ALL of their Employees, then they would not have to depend on Tips!! 

Tips should be reserved for people who give me EXTRA GOOD SERVICE, - and should not just be applied (and expected) automatically.

Just extrapolate the Automatic Gratuities of $ 15.00 charged per Passenger on a fully booked Ship of 3 - 5000 Passengers? It's a hefty sum that Cruise Lines receive to subsidize their Operations. And where is the incentive of Staff, to provide (very) good Service on a fully-booked Cruise, when they already know, that they will receive their share anyway?

Most of the people here are from the US and relate about flights to far away destinations to catch their Cruise. I have a base in Thailand and usually catch Cruises out of Singapore, Hongkong or Dubai and such flights are not that long. Furthermore, I usually arrange flights that arrive a long time before Embarkation to avoid rushing. Regarding my After Cruise Flights -  I just make such bookings a few days before the Cruise ends - and if there would be any problems with flights, I just re-book. Now, that I am retired, the time-constraints don't apply anymore - as they did before when Leave-days were tight. However, I do agree, that it is prudent to get to the Embarkation Port a day prior to Departure.

On 6/25/2021 at 2:07 AM, Pickels said:

We learned the hard way on one of our very early cruises, (2003 or 2004).  Flying out of New York at 7:00 a.m. to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise that was to leave at 4:00 p.m.  Thought we had oodles of time to catch the ship.  Had a problem leaving New York because of equipment issue on the plane, very late taking off.  Then at Ft. Lauderdale, because we were so  late, no terminal was available for the plane, to allow us to get off.  More delays!  We finally got to the terminal a little pass 3:0?0, too close for a 4:00 cruise.  Never did that again; always leave the day before.  And also, on the back side, make reservations at a local hotel/resort for the day your ship docks then leave for home, the next day or two so, there's no rush to get off the ship. and worry about catching your flight!

I (might) have to change my ways?🙄 And since I can't travel now anyway - it gives me time to reconsider my future actions😵

So far, I have never done this - ALWAYS just arrived on a flight -the day of Sailing - and straight from the airport to the ship - but may change my behavior in the future, whenever Cruising becomes possible again.. Currently, we here in OZ are prevented from leaving to anywhere - so will have to wait until these travel restrictions are lifted - maybe by mid 2022??

Went from LA to Singapore in 2019 - it had some Ports in the Itinerary that I had not been before (Guam), so it was interesting ... for me.

Had a Circumnavigation of Australia booked for April 2020 on Cunard, but that was ...... cancelled due to the Covid 19 Crisis. 

As far as any next Cruises? I still have Cruise Forward Deposits with NCL that need to be used-up, but personally, I will NOT be rushing to get back on Board - I'd rather WAIT, until the full extent of the Covid 19 situation is fully understood - and the Risk is reduced....... maybe in LATE 2021 or 2022?

On 7/11/2020 at 8:26 AM, Saint Greg said:

Forgot about the casino. That can be added to my list sometimes. Nothing huge but I may drop a couple hundred there. Last year I gave them a six month interest free loan when I forgot to cash chips in.

 

 

..... You truly are .... A SAINT - Bless you

22 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I visited this Museum as part of a Stockholm city tour during a Eurodam Baltic Cruise shore Excursion.  My visit to the Museum was "unguided" and I enjoyed viewing the video and wandering through the exhibits.  I really appreciated the near immediate access to the Museum rather than joining the long line of other folks waiting to enter.  There was just so much to see, I wish I was able to have had more time there.  

I had a similar experience when I took a Baltic Cruise that stopped at St Petersburg and I joined a Ship's Excursion to the Hermitage - bypassing a very, very long Line of people waiting to enter the Museum. The downside of the guided tour was ..... not really enough time to enjoy all the treasures there - 

On 5/13/2020 at 6:11 AM, clo said:

And then do you do that?

YES, whenever I am lucky enough to do so - but time is running so quickly - and right now, I am not able to go anywhere due to the travel restrictions .......

18 hours ago, Aardvaark said:

My wife's brother takes a month in Aruba every Frebruary.  Twenty-some years now.  We flew down to join them in their condo for a long weekend during Carnival.  Wow.  A great place, but you can't appreciate it on a one-day visit from a cruise liner.  We enjoyed our five-day stay, about right for a first visit.

That is the Problem with most of the Port-calls ....... I just use it as a means to find "nice" places - and then hope to get back to them on a more extensive visit.

On 5/10/2020 at 9:31 AM, Aquahound said:

 

I totally agree.  Cruise line excursions are a thing of the past for me.  I stopped booking them years ago.  I have no patience anymore for the crowded buses and the tourons who hold everyone else up because they can't grasp the concept of time. 

My Pet-hate are Excursions that "offer" a Sit-down-Lunch-Break during the Tour!! Don't get the Passengers enough Food while in the Ship? Can't they just ....SKIP LUNCH ....one time? Such Lunch stops take 1-2 hours out of any Excursion and are a total waste of time.  Cruise stops in any Port are usually too short anyway - and while in a port, I want to see as much as possible - NOT spending time in a local Restaurant. 

So, I peruse the available Excursions carefully to maximise my Shore time - and don't book any Excursions with meal breaks. If I want to sample the local Cuisine - I just venture out by myself and find a LOCAL Restaurant - where LOCAL People eat.

1 hour ago, Rec33 said:

Wow 95% of these are great (mostly European cities). You don't need a cruise to go to any of these. The best place for cruises is the Caribbean because you can see more than one island in one trip. I get the Mediterranean, but since when is 1 day enough for Barcelona, Rome, or even Venice, not to mention the damage cruises do to Venice. 

 

Shout out to those that put the Faroe Islands, Hawaiian and South Pacific Islands, and St. Martin. 

 

However, in the Caribbean no doubt I would put St. George's, Grenada, Bridgetown, Barbados, any port in Jamaica, Cayman Islands. If I had gone there I'm sure I'd add Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the British Virgin Islands. 

Nowadays many Cruise's are in 7 day segments, and sometimes I string them together 2, 3, or more in a row - and then visit the same Islands (especially around Greece & Med) and when I arrive at an Island the second time, I already know a bit about it - and can explore a different area....Last year I did 9 Segments, together -  2 around Greek Islands, then up to Trieste, back to Athens, then across the Med to Malaga, to Casablanca, to Lisbon, Oporto, back across to Athens and finally got off in Dubai.

Regarding the Caribbean - YES, they are beautiful (St Lucia is my favorite), but too close to the American Market and usually invaded by Tourists - and NO Caribbean Island is great, with 2-3 Cruise ships in Port at the same time

5 hours ago, clo said:

There are some there I've not heard of. I'll look them up.

The Marquesas!!!, ( a group of Islands ENE of Tahiti) Qeqertarsuaq, ( a Port on the Greenland West coast), Longyearbyen, (a Port in the Svalbard Archipelago - between Norway & the North Pole)  Faroe Islands, (A group of Islands between Scotland & Iceland)  Seydisfjordur, ( a Port on the SE Coast of Iceland)  Commonwealth Bay, ( the place on Antarctica where MAWSON landed in the 1912 to explore a large part of the Area)  Pango Pango, (American Samoa) Nuku'alofa, (Tonga) Rarotonga.(Cook Islands - between New Zealand and Tahiti)

...... such Ports are NOT (yet) over-visited by Cruise Ships and NOT (yet) over-run by Tourists

Yes, The Marquesas!!!, Qeqertarsuaq, Longyearbyen, Faroe Islands, Seydisfjordur,  Commonwealth Bay, Pango Pango, Nuku'alofa, Rarotonga.

Santorini and other Greek Islands were nice, but too crowded 

Venice was spectacular .... arriving & leaving, but too many Tourists,

Alaska was very Scenic, but when there are 3, 4 or more Ships in any port - it's just MAYHEM .... never again!!

What has me worried is - MANY Cruise Ships tried to Dock at some Ports during the Corona Crisis, stating that they had NO Corona Cases on Board. However, as it turned out afterwards quite a large number of disembarking Passengers were found to be POSITIVE?

Did the Ships Company simply told a LIE to Port Authorities - to get them to allow Docking, or was the On-Board Medical Staff incompetent to detect such Cases?

Small Ships = BIG Ships? Of course the chance to "catch" something is higher when one is stuck  with 3-4-5000 Passengers, that's why I prefer smaller sized Ships ....... and yet, they build them bigger and bigger??? I did  a MEGA Ship once, but NEVER again!!

10 hours ago, dundeelass said:

Did you have to give your passport to the Russian immigration in advance, as someone said that. I don’t plan on getting off ship anyway, but worried about not having visa and if it could be a problem

I don't remember, if the Passport was held (at the time) by the Ship's Reception Office - or if I still had it in my possession. But if it was collected on Board - to be available for Russian Immigration inspection - then that's ok - 

10 hours ago, dundeelass said:

 

 Were you asked upon boarding the ship if you had a visa for Russia or not. Called celebrity and they said they don’t offer advice on visas, crazy considering you are trying to go on a cruise thru them.

Dundeelass, I also was on Celebrity - but found that since they are "part" of the ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE LINE Group - and RCCL is NOT the very good with their "Customer Relations". Had some very NASTY Experiences with them .... "BEWARE of RCCL"

1 minute ago, Miaminice said:

We just had the same issue with Vladivostok. The easy solution: for now we booked a walking tour with the cruise line for 49 USD. A visa is not required for cruise passengers as long as you are doing a tour with a certified tour operator (as the cruise lines use them). 

If we feel like going on shore, we will. If not, we´ll cancel the tour and get a refund. Any possible questions during embarkation are answered by prooving that we booked a tour.

On my both visits at Petropavlovsk (2017 & 2018) I did NOT take  Tour - just walked around by myself. Found a good Hotel within walking Distance from the Ship - and they let me use their WiFi to do my Internet work....

11 hours ago, pspercy said:

People pay a fortune to go fishing in Kamchatka, do they offer an excursion to do that?

Check with the Cruise Line - in the first instance - and if they don't offer something like that, perhaps try to find a LOCAL Tour Operator

14 hours ago, dundeelass said:

Any up to date info on visa needed or not thanks

 I have been twice through Petropavlovsk - and never had a Visa .... and it was NO Problem

(The last time in Spring 2018)

On 12/14/2018 at 2:27 AM, aussie cruzer said:

How did the cruise go...any tips.

Hi - Aussie Cruiser,

Well - let's just say, I was quite happy to get off that Ship when it reached Dubai - 10 weeks was just too long on that one. Pullmantur Ships are more geared for shorter Cruises - mostly 7 day's  turn-around - and since I had booked 9 Segments consecutively, things became a bit predictable - including the Kitchen Menu's. I knew in advance what would be served on any Embarkation Days etc.... and the Shows - I could have seen the same ones on every Segment..... Anyway, I knew all that in advance and the Itineraries suited me personally, so it was not a real surprise.

What really annoyed me was the "compulsory Gratuity" that had to be paid at the time of booking - and I truly prefer to give a Gratuity for excellent Service - not for mediocre Service ..... and for my time on that Ship,  I was charged a "compulsory" Gratuity of about 1000 Euros!!!! .... for a Service that did NOT warrant any Gratuity!! However, I still provided (personal) Gratuities to People who actually deserved it.

So be fore-warned when booking a (longer) Pullmantur Cruise. Since they were bought by Royal Caribbean this "compulsory" Gratuity charge has been applied!! 

Hi Plato 123,

I noted your comments and since you were with "The Waves" ....??? I am not surprised that you enjoyed your Cruise in such an environment. 

I have also been on the Athens to Malaga Sector - in fact, I have been on the Horizon since 1st October..... and I look forward to get to Dubai, so I can get off. 10 weeks on Horizon are just too long - but entirely my fault as I have only booked (cheap) Cabins. However, even when cruising in a cheap Cabin, the Food served should be HOT - a very basic requirement - but with the assistance of the Assistant Chefs who re-heat my dinner-plate for me, I still get (reasonable) Hot food. However, such actions should NOT be necessary on any Ship.

The Ship leaves at 20:00 - your Embarkation times should have been posted to you with your Cruise Info? But I guess anytime around noon should be ok to check-in? Your Cabin should be ready to enter "after" 2:30 PM??

Pullmantur are a Company that need to get used to ..... They charge  "GRATUITIES - IN FULL" at the time of booking - which is one thing I totally object as I prefer to TIP Personally to people who deserve it !!

Gratuities should only apply when GOOD Service is given - and when placed on a Passenger's Daily Account should always be able to be adjusted "upwards/downwards". When they are applied on a COMPULSORY basis, they are NO longer Gratuities, but become nothing more than a CREW SALARY CONTRIBUTION!!!

The Main Language on the Ship is SPANISH, even though some Announcements are made also in English - with a heave accent. Some Shows are in SPANISH ONLY!!! Some Excursion (may) be also in Spanish only??

The Food at the Buffet is mostly COLD, since they cannot keep the food hot after it comes out from the Kitchen.... but you can ask one of the Chef's to heat-it-up!!

I have got accustomed to their (mediocre) Service and look forward to the end of my Trip!!