balf

Yes the sea- she can be unpredictable. I like all the three Cunarders- maybe the QM2 in the leading- because of the high ceelings- the sheer elegance- much more so after her refit last year. To be honest I liked the Chart Room in it´s first decor and apperance best. Very roomy back then- now all filled up - but still a very nice room.

Queen Camilla then first- if Charles manages to outlive his dear mother. Queen Katherine next and then... well back to QM again. LOL: Nice to spind those tales. LOL

Camilla, No no no you must be lolling, that would not do at all.

David

I wonder what new technologies will be available by then ? She will probably run on some exotic fuel.

I think she would probably be either Mary or Elizabeth, I would think they would want to keep the classic names alive.

In 34 years time Queen Katherine will be 69 and Pricess Charlotte 36, Camilla will be well over 100 and very much a yesterdays royal.

So how does RMS Katherine sound. All assuming that the present cruise boom continues,

David.

I was on the same crossing and it was annoying as the shutters for the kitchens in Carinthia were always down after 10am, which is annoying as one of the things I would have liked to have done is sit there read a book with a light snack.

 

Regarding the prices of drinks, my bar tab came to around 400ish usd and that included an average 2 or 3 cocktails per day and two bottles of wine 30 and 45 usd each, so maybe a bit high for some, but I thought it was ok. But I had 300 usd OBC so didn't notice too much, photos I thought were / still are expensive. I'm always surprised how people complain about the drinks but not the photographs.

The photographs are only expensive if you buy them.

David

Lets cut out the political opinion stuff and stick to cruising issues

The OP asked how would Brexit impact on cruising. Brexit is all about politics so we can't really discuss it in isolation. Sorry.

If you read the doom mongers in the national press and the BBC none of us will be able to afford to cruise anyway and it won't be long before P&O start retiring ships. Realistically we will notice little difference imo though there will probably be a few difficult years until things settle in. Might well be some cruise bargains, who knows.

David

Two things I've learned over the years are to never believe all you read in a newspaper and even more so never believe all you read on CC boards.

David.

Osteopathy has always sorted out my back problems, but you won't find one on board.

David

I seem to remember you saying on another thread about tipping that the only time you left the auto tips on was when you had a lot of OBC. Why was that?

Anyhow like a lot of people I get sick of reading these threads because they just annoy me. However like the OP I’m also considering whether to remove the tips on our next cruise. I really wish they would just include them in the price of the cruise but I’m sure we all know why they won’t

Like Presto 2 the main reason I’m considering removing the auto tips is because a lot of people pay nothing.

Yes, the system is grossly unfair, the cruise lines refuse to make it fair, and most continue to encourage them by continuing to pay up. In a perfect world there would be a mass boycott of auto tips to force the issue.

David.

I just love it when someone makes an assumption that people who remove the auto tips are mean or trying to reduce the amount. We have done both, left the auto on and also removed it. These days, we remove it and pay our tips direct. Mostly because on the last night, everyone at the table used an envelope except us when we left the auto tips on. Somewhat embarrassing. So we now do it the old way and prefer it. I await comments that we like the master/servant thing which is also a load of tosh. I tip my hairdresser. I tip taxi drivers. I tip waiters in a restaurant. What's the difference.

Do you tip the check out staff at the supermarket or the guys who empty your bins of the flight attendants on your flight or the local bus driver who gets you to town safely. If you do you are an exception.

If you wish to reward everyone who helps, seen or unseen on your cruise removing the auto tips is illogical. How do you allocate £84 of tips or £168 for a couple? Half to your room steward and half to your waiter? How do you tip the guy who unblocks your toilet or sorts out your air con or indeed does the washing up. And please don't tell me that all cash tips are handed in. See the sticky on the Cunard thread and think of what you know of human nature.

If you wish to believe that everyone acts as you do so be it. I will remain a doubter.

David

There is no need to beat about the bush, most people remove the auto tips to save money, paying much less in the "envelopes" or nothing at all. If everyone did the same on every P&O cruise the regular tipping threads would be at an end because the cruise line would have to include tips in the cruise fare. That way everyone would pay and the staff would be guaranteed a set sum.

It's pie in the sky I know and there will be no change while people keep on paying. Just ask an Australian.

David.

What brand of carryon luggage are you using? Can you actually get it in the overhead?

Mine's a normal gamekeepers bag.

David.

 

 

 

 

I like what NCL in the US has done. It's now called a "service charge" and cannot be removed on board. One has to get a form from their purser and describe the specific service failure and how it was not addressed during the voyage. The form is then imaged and emailed to a shore side office for a reimbursement request. Brilliant. Shore side has a digitized record, in the passenger's own handwriting, on why they want to remove gratuities.

So? Why would that bother the passenger unless they were thinking of making it public, which really would not be a good idea at all. Maybe they would refuse to accept a future booking from the disenter. And pigs might fly.

David

Well,I'm a retired plumber and spent half my life on my knees.I will be sailing next year.Put me next to the bricklayer,lol.

Have a good one Brian.

David

 

And whatever it is you do to earn your cash, it isn't as "hard-earned" as the cash earned by the people on the ship who scrub your toilet and deliver your breakfast.

So the assumption is that no Cunard passenger can possibly earn a living working as hard as a Cunard worker and of course all passengers have their hands inspected at embarkation to detect evidence of manual work.

Shock horror, you could well be dining with a bricklayer.

David

Very well said BlueRiband, :) "LIKE"

Sadly, as I indicated above, in my experience, many seem want to "put on a flashy public display"; not on every trip I've been on, but I've noted it on at least half of them (sometimes on an adjoining table, sometimes a table-mate). Whether it is to make the giver feel good, or thinking they impress their fellow passengers with an obvious show of wealth, or to bolster a sense of superiority over the hard-working crew, I don't know.

I do as you suggest (in bold above).

 

Thank you BlueRiband,

 

Yours,

To me the offered envelopes of whatever colour or size all seem to be a bit shifty, and the discrete cash loaded handshake worse. The Lady Dowager would definitely not have approved.

David.

What do you mean by this?

A reasonably fit 80 year old can easily lift a 23 k case but there are many who can't so the lifting test is not valid. Safe to say that the porters (Southampton) who are the most pleasant of guys will have the boot/trunk of your car open and the cases half way to the ship before you unfasten your seat belt, and you have to chase after them to give them a tip.

It's manual handling regs that determine permissible weights, which are always somewhat on low side.

David

Anything between 20 -23kg per bag will still be ok. In other words, if you have difficulty lifting it, the porters & crew handlers will have difficulty too.

Not nessesarilly so.

David

Yes! :D All that was missing was a roll on the drums and a "TaDa"!

 

(And when the envelopes were handed over, all that was missing then was a tug on the forelock from the grateful recipient to complete the scene...)

Which sums up vey well this whole charade. That this practice with it's master and servant connotation still exists in this day and age is beyond me.

Hey Ho, the Americans will be awake soon.

David

Have you checked your voyage personaliser.

David.

You must tell me where to find the paddle tool in Photoshop, I am sure it must be in there somewhere.

David

I did say at the beginning of this thread that I looked forward to a good debate on the subject.

 

Wherever such a debate takes place you can guarantee that for those who rail most against ship's excursions it's either a money thing or their dislike of being 'herded'. Little changes.

 

Not so long ago I cruised with an ocean line on which the excursions were included.

 

Those excursions - you'll never believe this - were fully subscribed, everyone went and the coaches were full.

 

Funny old world.

 

[/

 

quote]

 

If the cost of the excursions is included in the whole price paid for the cruise, I am not surprised they were full.

Not every one has a money tree growing at home. So if you have paid for something you are surely going to use it.

They obviously don't supply coach hosts either and give a batten to passengers ! Again to save money or incase they get lost.

I think you have just explained perfectly that it is a cost and herded thing. :D

 

Maybe they offered a discount for passengers helping out and doing the washing up possibly.

 

Viking is expensive and you are correct, and they can offer top class tours thrown in because they charge so much in the first place. Anyone would be a mug booking independently. Not a good comparison.

 

David

Where is the logic in not allowing cigarette smoking in Churchills.

David

We will have 4 bottles of wine/ champagne in each of 6 people's cases plus a bottle of gin so hardly "dragging crates". Cunard make a good return on the corkage as they have no inventory costs.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Forums mobile app

Well in your post 4 you said you were taking 2 cases, you didn't say you were secreting them in your luggage.

David

The Cunard transfer is useful if all you want to do is get to St Mark's Square but the People Mover gets to Piazzale Roma where there is a much greater choice of boat routes.

We used it to get the Murano vaporetto.

We have also used the Cunard transfer one way and then walked back to the ship.

A 24hr vaparetto ticket is usually the same price as the return transfer so it's much better value if you are going to see several areas.

Of course the vaparetto is the most economical way to see the full length of the Grand Canal so I do that trip on every visit if I can.

As you say Hattie the Cunard transfer simply drops you off near to San Marco, which is not somewhere I would want to stay very long at. You either love being in massed crowds, or like me take one look and head back to the Vaporetto stop. The People Mover gives access to Piazzale Roma where you can get the Vaporetto to anywhere. In our case, once, Burrano, an island of calm indeed.

David

It's worth remembering that this is a very generous concession by Cunard. Abuse it, like dragging crates aboard could alter things.

David

Yup, that's because we're so warm and welcoming! :halo:

Make someone's day, cuddle a bed bug.

David