notentirelynormal

17 hours ago, ljandgb said:

Good idea skipping Florence.  I did not love it, but San Gimignano is one of my favorite places.  We went all the way up to the park in the abandoned fortifications at the top and talked to a painter up there.  I have a sweet little watercolor from him.  That sounds fun.  I will ask our guide to find us something like that.  The last one basically dropped us off and said meet me at the bottom of the hill.  He didn't give us any direction.

 

 

We really, really enjoyed Sardinia, unexpectedly.  I hope you can contact Dirk.  It was nice to get away from all the other tourists and see more of the island, but still have time for an amazing beach.  I am looking into Dirk.

 

 

17 hours ago, ljandgb said:

 

I'm sure chocolate in Barcelona will be a lot of fun. 

 

I agree with Marseilles.  We were there overnight before leaving for home and it seems to be mostly soap shops and souvenirs.  Maybe make that a beach day?  Or take a tour to Aix en Provence.

 

Thanks for the comments so far.  I will check out the guy in Sardinia.

 

My grandkids love to be together with each other and with us so I am very lucky that way. They all are appreciative of what I do for them.  I have a few payment plans.  Grandma dollars is a kiss, hug and "I love you Grandma". 

 

Both sets have been raised to have manners and understand the value of money.  The two youngest (not as much) have both parents that have struggled financially even now that they are both remarried.  The oldest have a dad that works two jobs.  One for their education the other for a good retirement plan.  Mom works two jobs.  One is her regular office day job and job number two is so that the kids get "scholarships" for the theater group they are involved in.  My oldest already has two apprenticeships lined up for when he turns 16 because he wants a car and knows that he is responsible for insurance, gas etc.  He is learning lighting and sound for theater and for outside lighting like the Emmys.  He goes to a performing arts school so it falls into his education as well.  He'll be starting at what I finished making (heavy sigh).

 

I gave them a choice: Premium Economy or Economy.  One has enough money left over for a good shore excursion.  The other doesn't.  Economy is just fine they all agreed.  I am making them tell me something they are interested in doing and seeing.  No so easy for the little ones but Michael did awesome research for Barcelona.  In Italy I have hired RomeInLimo for both Rome and Livorno.  I have used them before and they are awesome.  Rome is history and there is no two ways about it.  I have hired an additional guide for the Coliseum etc so that it can come alive for them.  For Livorno we are skipping Florence and going to Pisa and San Gimignano.    For Barcelona I have hired Barcelona Day Tours which I have also used before.  We have a full day there including Park Geull, the Fort and a Chocolate Museum where they will actually get to make a chocolate dessert.

 

I am struggling with the rest of the ports though.  Marseilles, Sardinia/Cagliari, Cadiz/Seville and Ceuta are my challenge.  I was told Spain Day Tours for Cadiz/Seville who is the sister or parent of Barcelona Day Tours.  I was not happy with my first contact with them as they gave me the boiler plate tour and didn't come up with any kid or handicap friendly ideas.

 

If you trust the younger kids on bikes, we did a Steel Donkey bike tour in Barcelona - riding bikes is out.  Not only is my 76 yo DH too overweight for that we haven't been on bikes for almost 50 years LOL.  News at 11 - American tourists cause traffic issue because of all the laughter of locals just watching them in action.  Plus, I am not physically able to do that because of my feet.  I would be in tears in minutes.  I do however appreciate the idea.  It would normally have been a good one.

 

I am just stumped on the four locations left: Marseilles seems to be mostly shopping and walking.  I'm not interested in shopping and a lot of walking is out.  The two Spain and the other Italy I am just drawing blanks in  finding private tour guides.

 

I am happy that I realized this morning that Stonehedge is on the way to the port from London.  Well, a little out of the way but not much.  It will be a great stop over on the way.

 

 

 

 

I finally found a trainer.  Thanks for all suggestions in that area.  I will check out the US Access Board for international travel info.

 

2 hours ago, DUTRAVEL said:

It is correct that there is no certification or registration required in the US for service dogs. I only raised the issue in the context of traveling to Europe. My service dog is professionally trained by a member organization of Assistance Dogs International. When flying to Europe from the US I do not need to provide any paperwork for my dog (because the flight is covered by the ACAA). However, once we get to Europe I have needed to provide my dog's training paperwork to fly between EU countries and to take the Eurostar from Paris and London. I do not know what an airline or other travel provider would accept as proof if your dog is not professionally trained.

 

 

 

 

We are flying from LAX to LHR.  The cruise is round trip Southampton.  We plan on probably flying or going by train from London to Paris after the cruise and flying home to LAX from Paris.

 

 

Thanks for your reply.  I have googled for local trainers.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I can't find any that seem legit or more specifically, qualified.  Of course I'm having trouble finding out what the qualifications are.

 

I've asked my Vet, the local dog stores, people I come in contact with and I've gone on line to my local neighborhood network.  Most didn't even have a name to give me.  I'm sure PetSmart is not where I want to go for a trainer LOL.  After contacting the different trainer references I only received two calls back.  From those their prices were insane.  They wanted $150 - $250 an hour just to potty train with a minimum of 10 training sessions.  One would be willing to walk my dog twice a week for only $30 an hour, well half hour.  I can't imagine what they would charge to Service Dog train.  Of course when I was shocked at her price chart I guess that she figured I couldn't or wouldn't pay her $3,500 new puppy training and never called me back after her vacation.

 

Going on line there were lots but very few that were within 200 miles of where I live. On on the West Coast and most of the results from organizations were on the East Coast.  I can't believe that in the Los Angeles area you can't find service specific dog trainers.  Then, I don't see how I can get the formal certification needed to present to countries or airlines.  Australia, for example, stated they had to have passed a certain program.  I can't remember specifically but they wanted proof.  I can train my dog or find someone to do what needs to be done on the basics but what can they give me for proof?  She is 2-1/2 years old, potty trained, comes when called etc but for the rest of what I need, that is where I'm struggling.

 

Thank you again. I sincerely appreciate your help.  I will go back and read those pages.  I'm out of the groove of searching this website since most of my searches come up useless.  I wasn't about to read that whole thread since most of it seemed to be off topic. 

 

Right now I'm working on getting all my money back from the South Pacific cruise.  Since Princess cancelled I'm hoping they correctly give me all that money back (over $17,500) but my next biggest challenge is going to be American Airlines.  That alone is $7,000.  Once I get all that money back I'm planning on a Med cruise next July with my four grandkids. 

 

I know I'll need my dog with all that standing and walking.  That's why I'm trying to get the documentation and figure out what needs to be done and how to do it.  Information like what was told about different islands in the Caribbean.  That was awesome help and why I came to CC for guidance.  Specifics like forms that needed to be done, where to find information and how to fill them out.  Originally my questions were about the South Pacific/Australia/New Zealand area.  Now my questions are about Europe.

 

Pain seems to be winning, especially since my condition is getting worse.  The one I'm faking just to get a service dog. Asking me what my condition is before they would answer my questions, frankly, is non of anyone here's business. To demand to know in order to answer my question and help me is hostile because "I'm not going to help people cheat".  I get that people cheat.  I have no doubt they do.  That doesn't mean we all do. I've been on CC for a long time and it would seem that if I was going to cheat I would use a new user name rather then as a long time member.  Sometimes it takes bravery to ask a stranger for help. 

 

When the people you ask want to know your specific disability before they help you they were more than insinuating that I am a liar and a cheat it makes it less likely you will continue on that road so I stopped reading that thread realizing that those two posters had no interest in helping me because I didn't fit into their mold based on their comments.  Funny enough I used to respect that poster and found her to be a great source and help to everyone.  I enjoyed reading her posts.

 

The problem is, my disability doesn't fall in a category that is obvious or easily provable.  There are not enough of us out there that even have this disease so no organization is going to waste their time training a dog just in case.  Half the doctors don't know what it is. I get it.  I need to do my own training.  I just need to know what that training is and how to document it happened.  So, when I come to you and ask for suggestions of where I can get ANY information on how to certify my dog in this training, belittling me doesn't help.

 

So, again, to those that offer help,  I thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

I am trying to get my personal dog trained.  It is a challenge because it is not for being deaf or blind.  I suffer from a disease that qualifies me because of a Neurocognitive disorder.  What makes it hard (besides finding a trainer) is the judgement of others. 

 

I tried to get info on CC a few months back and was basically attacked and accused of trying to cheat the system and not really needing the dog and they weren’t about to help me if that was the case.  The poster and her friend are big time CC posters in this category and has made me leery to even ask on here but I am struggling to find help so I am trying again.  The poster(s) even went so far as to say anyone that bought their own service dog jacket were fakers until a few others came back at her.

 

I’ll jump through the hoops I need to.  It is finding out the hoops just to get certified in the US.  Even more so to travel.  I’m trying to do it right but like I said, it isn’t easy if you aren’t deaf or blind.  I’m certainly not going to travel across the country or send my dog away for 6 months though.

 

So, please, I’ll take any help you can give me.

On 1/20/2020 at 4:49 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

I just took my service dog on a transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale in November. You should be aware that Italian law only officially recognizes guide dogs for the blind as service dogs. It’s a good idea to contact any hotels or transportation providers ahead of time to make sure that they will accept your service dog. Italy is so dog friendly that we had no problem bringing my dog on the train and public buses and into restaurants.

 

Unless you have an EU Pet Passport issued by an EU vet, you will need an EU Health Certificate in English and Italian endorsed by the USDA. The requirements can be found on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/take-pet-to-foreign-country.

 

It would be a good idea to take your dog on a short flight to make sure he/she is ok with flying. You don’t want to find out that he/she is terrified of flying on a 10-hour flight. A lot of people don’t give their dogs food or water before a flight – it really depends on the length of the flight and your dog’s habits. I bring a roll up bed for my dog to lie on and she usually sleeps for most of the flight. I also took my dog on a ferry ride before her first cruise to make sure that she was not prone to seasickness.

 

You can find lots of good information on the Cruising with a Service Dog ….. everything You Ever Wanted to Know thread.

 

Thanks for the information on the pet passport.  That tells me I have A LOT of research I need to do. 

 

Directing us to the Cruising with a service dog thread though.....  I went there first.  First, it has regressed to talk about Wizard's dog's health issues and a lot of what I would expect on a roll call but not on a thread that offers specific information.  Granted, I only went back a few pages but there is afterall a LOT of pages and I didn't start at the beginning (around January and page 905 of 924).  I'm sure page 1 back in July '07 is not relevant today.  I know people are upset about cruise cancellations too but again there is little to help me find the information I was hoping to find with the majority of the posts personal rather than information.  I was hoping for more up to date info from experienced cruisers to Europe but....  Off my soapbox now.

 

It sounds like it will be too difficult to bring my dog.  We are going to England, Spain, Italy and France.  If we can't leave our dog alone on the ship then that would mean not going to shore.

 

 

 

 

I totally agree and that is why I hate doing searches for tour guides.  I get put on the Viator website and not the actual guide.  I try to find the guide that is operating the tour but that is such a huge challenge and why I ask on here for names.  So far I have never gone wrong using a CC recommendation.

 

On 6/4/2020 at 12:59 PM, bluecruisin said:

There are a few company's that offer private tours that could be tweaked for your family's interests. They are ore costly but still a good deal for 7 people. Check Viator, Provence tours, cruisingexcursions .com

 

I made a note and will check them out.  Yes, private can be expensive BUT with limited time and sometimes they don't work that much more and you don't have the wasted time.

5 minutes ago, bennybear said:

 Always worth it to check somewhere like tripadvisor for things to do recommendations or buy or borrow some Guide books such as Fodors or Frommers or lonely planet.  

 

To find your thread Check under content I started. 

 

All kids are different, ours enjoyed a visit to Pont du gard,  and Uzes to watch the running of the bulls.  

 

Tripadvisor so far has been useless.  The links have not given me enough to go on to do more research on what it is about or with who.  Good idea on guide books.  I will stop by AAA once they are back open.

 

Can you give me a little more guidance on finding my thread?  What exactly do I click on?  The kids would LOVE something like the running of the bulls.  My biggest issue would have been holding them back.  They would want to be front and center.  I was trying to find flamingo dancing but all I could find were evening shows.  It isn't about adult things.  It is about ruins.  They can only see so many ruins.  We have a full day in Rome and Pisa/San Gimignano and I've hired a guide for the Colosseum.  I want to make sure it comes alive for them.  For me, I enjoyed seeing it but I wanted to relive it and that wasn't possible on our own.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I will research it and let you know what I come up with.  I do appreciate ALL suggestions made because I know nothing about this area.  I have to admit, I am not a big spur of the moment person.  It is also difficult to come up with fun and education mixed together.  I am trying not to bombard them with "culture" but again that is the lure of being in these locations.  They are kids and just driving looking at scenery all day can't be that much fun either.  They will not be allowed to play on computers and spend time texting.  I will be bringing downtime activities that include paper and pencil (crayon) along with board games.  Jenga is on the list.

 

Not to hijack this thread but - LOL - I started a thread "somewhere" and can't find it so don't know if I've gotten any responses.  I am having trouble finding something good for Seville (Cadiz) Spain and Ceuta Spanish Morooco.  In Sardinia I'm just going with a ship tour and we'll have a day of sailing unless I can come up with something better.

 

Hank

I know you always venture off on your own but I am at a loss what to do here.  There will be 7 of us.  Two with limited walking and standing and 4 kids ages 16, 14, 13 and 11.  I'm having trouble coming up with something that the kids would like to do or that doesn't require a lot of walking.  For me a lot of walking is more than 20 or 30 minutes.  We will be seeing enough ruins in the other ports so I wanted to focus on what else there is to offer.  Any suggestions?

 

 

1 hour ago, marco said:

  I don't remember ever seeing a pay phone on a cruise ship...... before or after the 1990's.

 

But isn't the topic of this thread  how come ships didn't have balcony cabins until the 1990's?

 

Not on the ship but there was always a long row right inside the terminal that was full with crew members.

Hi.  We are going to do a cruise with my grandkids.  We have an 11, 13, 14 and 16 YO that I'm sure don't want to spend their whole time looking at ruins the shopping.  Does anyone have ideas of what we can do in these locations?  Can you include a tour company that might do it.  I'm trying to work with Barcelona Day Tours and Spain Day Tours but they gave me the same spiel they give everyone.  I am 100% sure the kids don't want to go so a quaint little town and go shopping for three hours.  I also don't/can't walk for three hours.  I have no clue what to ask for.  Is there anyone that can give me clues?  Barcelona Day Tours came up with a Chocolate Museum.  That was a perfect idea.  I need help.  We are also going to Sardinia, Italy and have no clue who to use or where to go there either.  Any suggestions or ideas are welcome.

On 5/20/2020 at 4:07 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

We sailed a number of times with Fairwind (and once on Fairsea, a fabulous 14-day Alaska cruise round-trip from San Francisco) from around 1974 through 1984.

 

I wouldn't say there was "nothing" for kids -- have you forgotten the small children's area up and aft with a couple of counselors, various games, toys and puzzles and some activities? And the pachinko game that was perenially broken?  On cruises with lots of kids, the older ones would take over the "diner" room next door -- the one with the jukebox and a soda counter. Sometimes they even gave out free sodas for an hour or so.... 

 

They did have a costume making contest for kids (complete with our own part in the "costume parade" and a kids' talent night on some cruises.

 

I certainly remember them fondly. I thought they had more on offer back then than HAL did when I cruised them with my son, even 30 years later!

  

 

My daughter was only 7 on her first cruise and actually wanted to spend time with  us so we didn't push her to go but yes, you are right, there were counselors on board.  I do not remember a room with arcade type games but I do remember now that you mention it a long table where the kids could color and play games together.  I remember the counselor taking the kids to the bar area, sitting in the back corner and buying them drinks.  They thought they were so grown up.  My DD chose to go to the restaurant and learn napkin folding.  To her that was really fun.  She often helped them set up for dinner.  Back then the entire staff was allowed to engage with the kids and there were so few sailing that it was a joy for them to spend time with the younger ones since the only connection they had to their family was calling home while in port.  I guess that is why people still give "tips" of calling cards to the crew.  So they can call home on public phones LOL.

 

 

Wow.  This brought back memories.  Our first cruise back in April 84 was on the Fairwind.  The next, in April 87 was on the Fairsky.  Yes, we started with Sitmar.  My daughter was 7.  There were no children things.  None.  The staff loved and I mean loved her.  Since there were so few kids she got the royal treatment.  Every night when she entered the dining room this gorgeous young assistant waiter would see her come in and stop whatever he was doing.  He would run over to her and escort her to her table.  The other ladies were so jealous.

 

The Cruise Director flirted with her terribly.  She kept talking to the Captain.  I told her to leave him alone he was busy.  He had to do the welcome about speech.  He took offensive to my comment.  He grabbed her and pulled her up on the stage with her.  His first dance was with her. The second with the cruise director.  As we get ready to leave I hear the guys taking the suitcases and open the door to see my daughter bothering the guys.  Well, I tried to tell her to leave them alone they were working but they grabbed her, put her on the dollie, ran her down the hallway to the stack of luggage and threw her on top. 

 

Our next in 91 was on the original Regal Princess.  If I remember right this one didn’t really have a kid’s center either but there were more kids.  They hired the really tall guy who was in Pete’s Dragon as the kids counselor.  Since there was nothing dedicated for the kids they made it up.  He took the kids to the dining room, turned plastic cups upside down and found round oranges and viola! a bowling alley.  He told them to go back to their cabin, take a roll of toilet paper and empty it all over their cabin.  Then stick one end in the toilet and flush.  They did a scavenger hunt.  I’ll never forget our room steward helping.  He was yelling up and down the corridor and all the other room stewards came out to find out what they were looking for.  A green cherry, toothpick etc.  She loved it. 

I used to love those directories they gave us.  Name, cabin number and home town.  The cruise director remembered everyone's name.  Funny story.  My sister in law got invited to the Captain's room for a drink.  She's an airhead.  I'm sure he meant just her what with the expensive champagne he was serving.  Too bad for the Captain cos she brought my brother.  A party for three.

 

Steeler36: I don't see a price for MY category (figures, right).  What is the price for 4 devices for a 26 day cruise or is that particular cruise one where you can't buy in advance?  Our cruise can be booked as 10 plus a 16 or the 26 that we booked.

 

It must depend on the cruiseline.  It is rare for Princess to move kids up or down.  The only time I've seen it was when we were on a cruise with a small amount of children and they combined the group.  I think there were only around 20 kids total on the entire ship and the siblings from England asked to be put together and they allowed it.

 

When we started cruising there were no kid's club or fancy dancy stuff.  Remember the original Love Boat?  Yup, way back then.  They found things to do even on those small ships.  My daughter was a master napkin folder.  When they sailed on ships that did have a kid's club they hated them.  Never went.  They loved exploring the ship, watching the shows, the pizza and hot dogs and even the ice carving.  I never worried about them having fun because they made it on their own.   They actually had fun spending time with us too.

 

The last cruise I took with my four grandkids.  They were 7, ,9 10 and 12.  They loved being able to come and go.  We put a magnet on the cabin door.  Like the ones a real estate agent might put on the side of his car.  All the doors look alike and this way even our autistic granddaughter could find her cabin.  Everything was a game.  We had 4 kids in a room with 2 single bed, a couch that makes into a bed and a bunk bed that comes out of the ceiling.  They took another set of magnets and put the who was sleeping where each night.  Everything became a game for them.

 

At dinner they could choose what they wanted.  I gave them the option to try new foods.  Just take one bite.  If you like it great if not the waiter would have their backup dinner waiting.  My DGD always had her spagetti with 5 meatballs waiting.  We brought kid champagne (apple cider).  The waiters served them in wine glasses, kept the bottle chilled for them and they could choose red or white.

 

After the younger girls were in bed the 12 YO slipped out and watched a show.  He returned through our cabin so I knew when he came back.  I would check on him occasionally but he was a good kid and that was his reward. 

 

Bottom line.  Bring a few things for them to do with each other but they will find new things to do on the ship even without all the bells and whistles.  Just like in the olden days before all the instant gratifications.

 

We are taking a 26 day cruise on the Pacific Princess.  The same ship we started on.  There is literally nothing to do during the day.  So, we are taking scrabble, jenga, dominoes and a portable DVD player.  We will sit on our balcony and enjoy each other. 

 

 

 

 

Coffee mugs with everyone's name on it.  I also did a cabin directory so everyone knew what cabin everyone was in plus the phone number.  For example, to call someone in cabin 456 on Caribe deck might be deck 8 so 8456.  I did it for everyone in the cabin not just one person so that the kids could look up kids etc.  One had a glitz once when the ship moved my brother as they were boarding.  The people in the original cabin must have hated us.  Or, we did sun visors with our group name on it. 

 

My grandkids start school and have different spring break times than the kids where I live which is Ventura County.  VC borders LA County.  None of their time off matches the kids in our school district.  Plus we have different school districts within our County.  Oak Park has different times off than Calabasas and Thousand Oaks.  My dentist used to tell me he had three kids and none of them ever had time off at the same time. 

 

My grandkids from Washington State start and stop school totally different.  I think last year the kids here were in school for three weeks ahead of the WS kids and they sure get off school at a different time.  I think we have one month where they are off at the same time.

 

Then, of course, you have Orange County which I'm sure has different times off as well.

The old fashion way.  I go to the bank every month or so and take some out.  With on line banking for bills and credit cards for purchases I almost never use cash so it lasts a really long time.

 

 

When we did our Med cruise 10 years ago we spent 3 days pre cruise in Rome.  The pickup from the airport, the 3 private day tours and the drive to the port were all paid by cash the day of.  Spain also.  They were very expensive and I was paying for 3 people.  I brought around 7,000 EU cash.  Each port the money was divided into envelopes and kept in a safe when not needed for that day.  Spending money was minimal but we did have to pay for our meals each day as well as entrance fees and additional private guides to the Vatican and Pompeii.  Is this normal for me?  No.  Usually every tour is paid for in advance by credit card.  In this case though - we carried a heck of a lot of money.  I am not one to want to spend my day looking for or using a foreign ATM.  I don't use them at home either.

 

LOL - it has been a while since I've been on CC and had forgotten about CB.

 

I had a similar problem.  My oldest grandson (12) had the drink package.  Just him.  The other three younger kids did not.  I sent him down to the bar to get 4 drinks, one for each of them.  Yes people - before you ask as I know someone will - they were non alcoholic.  He had the sticker.  He came back and told me they would only give him two drinks at a time and they both had to be free on his card.  I asked him, did you explain you wanted to purchase the other three.  Yes, he says.  I go down.  They explain to me that they can only give him two drinks at a time.  I told them I wanted to BUY three additional drinks and get his one plan drink.  After clearly explaining it so that the bartender understood he made all four drinks, charged us for three and everyone one happy.  They are just used to people expecting to get the free drinks regardless.  At a later time they bartender actually told me that.  After that no matter when or which one of my grandkids went to get drinks from that bar they were able to get the package drink and the additional at my extra cost.

 

I would agree buying drinks for working staff/entertainers would not be allowed.  They are working.  Does your boss let you drink while you are working?  It has nothing to do with passenger safety.  There are tons of crew that can drink no matter what the time of day as long as they are off duty - and they do party hardy - and that doesn't have anything to do with ship/passenger safety.

 

 Can you actually buy a drink?  Of course you can.  If my DH has the package and I do not that doesn't mean he can't get me a drink when he gets his own.  He just had to bring both cruise cards to do it.  His card is accepted and mine is charged.  Aren't there drinks that aren't part of the plan?  Expensive bottles of wine or champagne or top notch brands.  I thought on Princess that there was a dollar amount for glasses of wine or that you could buy a bottle of wine for sharing.  It's been two years since my last cruise but things can't have changed that much.

 

Thinking back I remember that we could get kahula for our coffee but not double shots unless we paid for it when we had the suite breakfast.  There are always work arounds.

 

 

 

 

 

At my favorite restaurant the waiters are paid just fine in tips.  At 35 one waiter owns 5 rental houses.  He had nothing when he started working there at 15.  The other waiters work only a few days a week.  Another makes enough to put both his girls in private school.  They made about $30,000 a year more than I did.

 

Regarding what the OP was asking and I"m sure afraid to come back to this thread:  unlike most I don't tip quite as much on tours.  I tip depending.  I never tip based on the price of the excursion unless I get exceptional service.  I tipped my guide in Spain.  He was stunned but happy.  I tipped in Italy.  They were fighting to get me for the next three tours.  None excepted anything from me.

 

In the Caribbean I must tip $5 to $10 depending on what they did.  It should be something good.  If they took me from Point A to Point B and dropped me off than they got no tip.  That is what I already paid for.  If they also shared information or maybe made a stop for pictures or something not contracted they would get a tip of again maybe $5 or $10.  For a bus driver I give $1 and maybe $5 for the guide if she spoke loudly and clearly and gave me interesting and useful information. 

 

Whatever you do please please don't tip in $2 bills.  If you are trying to reward don't make the recipient take more steps to get the money.  I was in Sydney Australia once and our driver asked me if it was even real money.  Someone thought it cute.  The bank had never seen a $2 and wouldn't take it.  It was useless and a waste.

 

To China....  get over yourself.  You know and I know and most of the other posters know you are only trying to stir the pot because you are bored.  You said so yourself.  You are off school so have plenty of time to post things.  You are arguing for the sake of arguing.  I don't believe you actually believe the drivel you are spouting.  You took a thread of someone asking for help and turned it into your own crusade and then you became the victim.    The reason people don't like you being a teacher is because they know you are pushing your single minded argumentative thinking on your poor students.  They are worried you aren't teaching both sides just the side that you think is important.  Every negative comment wasn't about you.  You are choosing to see it that way because you want to be the victim because you think people will feel sorry for you.  They don't.  They think you are single minded and unwilling to learn and that you want to be the center of attention.  That's all.  Seriously, get over yourself.