I'm going on my first Cunard cruise in a few weeks and I'm genuinely interested to hear the perceived wisdom of the more experienced cruisers - especially in respect of Cunard.
I know that Scottish people are known for being thrifty, and I'm surely not going to change that opinion in anyone's eyes. However, I've stretched myself significantly to a Princess Grill suite and I'm not keen on the idea of being fleeced for everything else once I'm on-board.
Here are a few questions which seek sensible answers without being told I'm just being tight. I have no issues spending money or rewarding service, but I don't like being taken for a sucker or a cash-cow. For me, it's about value for money. I'll happily spend thousands on something I want, but I'd rather be hungry than buy a chocolate bar for five times it's normal retail price. I hope that makes some sense?
I'm particularly unhappy with the idea of being automatically charged for service based on the cabin grade. I'm perfectly happy to tip, but I feel that an automatic $500+ total for this particular cruise is taking a bit of a liberty - especially when I don't get to decide who it goes to (and for what level of service). I would feel much happier looking after the individuals who are making the effort for me, but I realise that this doesn't cover everyone behind the scenes. What are the pros/cons of telling the purser not to add the automatic charge and to deal with it personally?
I find particular enjoyment in a certain type of red wine. I'd much rather bring a case of my own wine on-board (for consumption in/on my cabin/balcony only) than buy something I don't particularly want from the on-board wine list at an inflated cost. I do understand that there will be a corkage charge if I take my own wine to the restaurant. Does anyone think that a dozen bottles in luggage will be an issue?
I've been looking at excursions and I'm seeing a number of 3rd party offerings - particularly from 'cruising excursions dot com'. Does anyone have any expericene of using this firm over the ships own plans?
Thank-you for taking the time to read (and hopefully answer) this.
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I'm going on my first Cunard cruise in a few weeks and I'm genuinely interested to hear the perceived wisdom of the more experienced cruisers - especially in respect of Cunard.
I know that Scottish people are known for being thrifty, and I'm surely not going to change that opinion in anyone's eyes. However, I've stretched myself significantly to a Princess Grill suite and I'm not keen on the idea of being fleeced for everything else once I'm on-board.
Here are a few questions which seek sensible answers without being told I'm just being tight. I have no issues spending money or rewarding service, but I don't like being taken for a sucker or a cash-cow. For me, it's about value for money. I'll happily spend thousands on something I want, but I'd rather be hungry than buy a chocolate bar for five times it's normal retail price. I hope that makes some sense?
I'm particularly unhappy with the idea of being automatically charged for service based on the cabin grade. I'm perfectly happy to tip, but I feel that an automatic $500+ total for this particular cruise is taking a bit of a liberty - especially when I don't get to decide who it goes to (and for what level of service). I would feel much happier looking after the individuals who are making the effort for me, but I realise that this doesn't cover everyone behind the scenes. What are the pros/cons of telling the purser not to add the automatic charge and to deal with it personally?
I find particular enjoyment in a certain type of red wine. I'd much rather bring a case of my own wine on-board (for consumption in/on my cabin/balcony only) than buy something I don't particularly want from the on-board wine list at an inflated cost. I do understand that there will be a corkage charge if I take my own wine to the restaurant. Does anyone think that a dozen bottles in luggage will be an issue?
I've been looking at excursions and I'm seeing a number of 3rd party offerings - particularly from 'cruising excursions dot com'. Does anyone have any expericene of using this firm over the ships own plans?
Thank-you for taking the time to read (and hopefully answer) this.