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I suspect that once things get back to normal, the people who have been in lockdown for many months (who make up the bulk of the UK cruising market at least) will realise that, given the choice of going on holiday with their excess spare cash or remaining indoors staring at the walls, holidays are more fun.

2021 bookings, they tell me, are higher than usual this far in advance.

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

That was true of Spanish flu.

It started late spring of 1918 and was done by the dawn of 1920, having killed about 500 million people - about a third of the world's population.

 

JB 

 

You might be confusing it with the Black Death, there.  Spanish flu infected about 500 million people and killed about 50m - 100m of them, according to Wikipedia, which is about 2.5 to 5% of the world's population.

On 11/22/2019 at 2:01 AM, HelloFriends said:

Yes, the jewelry company was endorsed by the cruise line.  We were told by the two jewelry company employees as well as the cruise employee that was present at the time of sale that the piece was worth twice as much as we were paying for it.  Unfortunately, we believed it.  Now we believe that it is worth even less then we paid for it.  The receipt was correct as well as the charge on the credit card.  Maybe we just were too gullible at the time.   

Jewellery is one of the things that is always worth less than you paid for it, unless you are a professional jeweller with your own shop.  Every time you leave a shop with jewellery, it is instantly worth perhaps half what you paid, because the part of your purchase that represents the jeweller's profit is instantly worthless and you can't get that back when you sell it.

If they told you that its resale value would twice what you paid, then you would have a clear case for a refund; if they said (or could claim to say) only that it would cost you twice that much to buy it in that store or elsewhere, then you will struggle.  

I would forget the credit card claim.  You made a deal to buy something and what you bought was what you agreed to buy; and the price you paid appears to be not wildly different from its worth.  I can't see a credit card company accepting liability for that. They certainly won't accept any liability for the profits you expected to make, but won't.

On 11/21/2019 at 3:11 AM, ldubs said:

 

Thanks for posting.  

 

Are you talking about the national parks, or are there specific towns that would be visit highlights in those areas?   

 

BTW, my last name is a place name in Northumberland. I would like an excuse to go there.   

 

 

Take a look at Alnwick.  Lovely place.

(pronounced Annick.)

One Scottish option is a visit to Shetland and Orkney; loads of history (5,000 year old houses etc.).  There are companies that prepare bespoke itineraries for you.  The one I used advertises "Tailor-made services and trips with a difference".  (I don't know if it classes as a travel agent or as a holiday company so I won't give the name.)  But they book all the tickets and hotels for you and the odd excursion thrown in.  There are trains to Thurso and Aberdeen, where the ferries go from, and quiet roads on the islands so driving a foreign car on the wrong side won't be much of an issue.

It will take about a week, though, if you want to see things.  How long have you got?

Lerwick's a sheltered port - between two islands.  It's unlikely to be cancelled in summer unless (as the post earlier says) the sea as a whole is too rough for the ships.

The ferry to Aberdeen is rarely cancelled in summer, and those ferries are smaller than all but the smallest cruise ships.

That's impressive.

In the Panama Canal, the narrow parts, they fasten the ship to railway engines on either side to keep it straight.  But that just seemed to have a single tug - how does that work?

Cruises from the UK sail from almost any port.  My next one goes from Liverpool.  I have also sailed there from Southampton, Tilbury, Glasgow, Hull, Newcastle.  Look for Fred Olsen, P&O, Cruises & Maritime among others.

It's fairly normal, in Europe at least, that if the customer books anything and pays a deposit, and then the customer cancels for some reason which is no fault of the supplier, then it's the customer's risk.  It would be reasonable but pointless to complain to the cruise company for not getting you there, or you could claim on insurance, but it isn't the supplier's fault and he shouldn't be expected to bear your risks.  He could, after all, have perhaps sold the trip to someone else.

This may be a US / Europe cultural difference.

On 8/14/2019 at 5:16 PM, JennyB1977 said:

I just want to add what appear to be facts. I have no idea as to the credibility of the website. However,  in the link to the decision it states that:

1) the 15 yo girl (K.T.), there is a footnote stating that in her various filings her age changes. Therefore, she was somewhere "between 15 and 17 at the time of the cruise"

2) embarked with her two sisters and grandparents - Oasis of the Seas

3) beverages were purchased by others "in a public lounge and other public areas of the ship"'

Summarizing - The basis of the suit is that RCCL had a duty of care to 1) warn passengers that sexual assault is possible 2) that the staff should have done more to protect/intervene in the situation. The original court dismissed the suit against RCCL and this ruling from the Appellate Court allows the suit to proceed.

 

No criminal charges were brought against the alleged perpetrators because the assault was not reported until months later during a therapy session. - Raychel Lean

 

I am going to respectfully bow out of the "debate". It has been interesting to read/see the view points of others. I hope that if the discussion continues, it will be thoughtful and kind in nature.

So this girl was gang raped by 12 men - and then what?  She went back to her cabin and neither grandparents nor sisters noticed anything was wrong?  Seems unlikely. 

(As does the idea that 12 passengers could be found in a random group to take advantage of any drunk female regardless of age, but that of course is possible.  But like all conspiracies, the first difficulty is finding the willing conspirators without ever finding someone who won't play; 12 random men in a bar seems to be a long shot.)

As for the idea that 15 year olds should be supervised at all times - it is surely nonsense.  I know that parents sit with toddlers in the cabin rather than leave them alone, but 15 year olds?  Do people really put their 15 year old daughter to bed and then sit in the cabin to ensure she doesn't sneak out?  Surely not.

The Hurtigruten ship Finnmarken has a heated pool, and runs up and down the Norwegian coast every 11 days throughout the year.  Though it's pretty cold getting in and out of the pool!

5 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Jeez, I hope you didn't pay money to see that.  Anything built by Europeans in the U.S. isn't very old and not all that interesting.  Structures built by American Indians in the Southwest are much more fascinating. 

Not a lot.  I had a couple of hours to kill while changing trains.

The one thing Sweden has not yet solved is how to receive money.  Not normally a problem for tourists, but at present the only cashless way to receive money as opposed to spending it, is to buy a very expensive internet-enabled mobile phone.

Context is valuable.  I've been to the oldest house in Los Angeles, and wouldn't say the experience was worthless just because my own house is bigger and older.

On your first trip to Norway, you don't need to splash out on excursions.  Especially now you can do internet research - first time I went, my mother had to write to all the tourist offices and get them to send things on paper!

At Bergen you will either dock or be taken by bus to a place near the city centre; at Stavanger you will dock actually in the city centre.  Geiranger, Flam, Olden and Andalsnes are all rural and you can just get off the ship and go for a walk to look at the scenery.  No need to travel inland.  The Flam railway, assuming you can get a ticket, starts 200 yards (if that) from the harbour.

Other places in Norway are similar.  There are few places where excursions are a must-do.

As for cruise lines on a budget, Fred Olsen or Cruises and Maritime are the two relatively cheapest.  Both have few frills but IMO do not miss out on anything that's worth the extra money.  That's because essentially I go for the ports and scenery, and as long as the ship provides good food, comfortable beds, and a little bit in the way of entertainment, I'm happy.  Look on their various boards on here for details.

16 hours ago, pully8 said:

Yes agree with that thought.

Given the contract terms and conditions which are written to protect the operators revenue and business interest, they can make any changes at anytime.

We may have to settle and go with the reality that we at great cost/risk, are simply booking mystery trips?

The marketing material is pretty but fantasy in travel.

 

Under UK law, at least, they can't make changes that completely change the holiday - eg. taking you to a different country.  My Shearings/A-Rosa holiday has it in their terms and conditions that if they make a major change (which this is) then they will offer a full refund in advance.

A quick info for our American readers - in the UK it is illegal to have high powered electrics in the bathroom, because of the risk of electrocution. Even light switches have to be string-pull or else outside the bathroom door.

But yes, I took a lot more out of your review than that! Maybe take in a performance at the Globe next time?

My recommendation would be Hurtigruten in mid-March. I flew to Norway, took the train across to Bergen, and the full round trip. Mid-March gives almost 12 hours daylight so you see plenty of scenery, but also is still winter so the mountains are covered in snow. If you can do it our way, following a snowstorm all the way up and down the coast (or so it seemed), the snow is always pristine and fresh!

You don't get long on shore at most places, but the ship does run special tours that leave at one port and meet up again at the next.

We agree on the benefits of tipping bartenders to encourage preferential service. If there is a bartender who impresses me I will slip them cash to ensure the good service continues for the remainder of the cruise. It works and not only on cruise ships.

Smacks of bribery to me. I tend to assume that people who are getting paid to do a job will do the job well anyway without further bribes; if they won't do a good job because they don't think basic salary is enough, then they ought to get a different job.

Of course, American bar staff (they tell me) don't get paid a proper wage and rely on tips. That doesn't apply on cruise ships that sail out of the UK; I don't know about American ships. But if the 18% auto tip is a tip, then that is enough.

I know it's a year ago, but I doubt that any cruise line would be especially impressed with a claim that says the jewellery was stolen from my cabin in the first night but I didn't notice until I got home.

If they want people to watch the video, then it might help if they didn't waste the time with broken coat hangers and small spots on the carpet. I mean to say, how much compensation is reasonable if you find that one of the coat hangers is broken?

Summer's the best time to go.

I went to Shetland and the Faroes this July, 8 days, and the biggest waves reported by the captain were 1.5m (5 feet). The only reason we could feel any movement at all was that the stabilisers weren't needed. I don't think the North Atlantic, in summer at least, is any rougher than the rest of the Atlantic, or for that matter the Mediterranean.

Maybe. I don't see the relevance of the "thousands of strangers" because I doubt that the cruise line would let the child roam freely round the ship; they would be kept under supervision. And I doubt if a child is unable to get home from school because of whatever parental issue has kept the parents away, would be spending the night at school where it is familiar with the surroundings.

But basically, if the child is comfortable being without parents for several hours on end, then the tiny risk of a ship's excursion not making it back to the ship (I've never known it happen myself) doesn't need to be something to inspire fear. If the child is likely to worry or panic, then I wouldn't leave it in the first place.

Do you have children? If so, do you really believe your statement?

No, and yes.

If you are afraid to leave a child on board ship in case something happens to you and you can't get back, then why wouldn't you be afraid to leave a child in school in case something happens and you can't get back? In both cases there are trained professionals who will look after the child for as long as it takes.

If P&O are "topping up" the wages of crew members whose customers don't tip, then that isn't an issue that anyone need argue about.

If P&O are withholding tips when passengers have paid them, then that is fraud and (if proved) would probably leave them liable to repay all the autotips they have collected for years back to the passengers who have paid them. That would be ruinously expensive, and that's why I would need very good evidence before I'd believe it.