Meka3256

3 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

 

"Gaslighting"?

Moi ?

Hellfire I even had to google the expression 🙄

 

I merely echo'd the "surprise" of mom says, and I don't see how that constitutes Mr Google's definition of gaslighting.

If it does, it was unintended and I apologise to Poppy.

If it doesn't then perhaps you're guilty of gaslighting me, because you definitely hurt my feelings.😒

And you've certainly introduced an unnecessary negative vibe to the thread 😒

 

What say you, Poppy? 

 

JB 🙂

BTW, I spend time with family up north, where tipping is far from uncommon.

Interesting reaction.

Gaslighting is telling someone their feelings are invalid, inaccurate, often accompanied by being critical of the fact they have them.  You being hurt as a result of my words is not gaslighting - me telling you you can't be hurt would be gaslighting.  

It was actually you and ask mom brought unnecessary negativity - the original question was basically someone saying they were feeling worried about tipping.  You can reassure that it's nothing to be worried about, without being critical aka 'surprised' that they would have these worries. 

I'm not really looking to start a 'fight' however in this case I wanted the OP (and others who may be browsing) to know that they can ask questions around things they are worrying about, and some people will answer kindly.

BTW I'm from the north, and didn't discover tipping as a consistent practice until I moved to London.  

@John Bull and @mom says  Is there any need to be critical about fears the OP has?  They have stated they are new to cruising, and as a Brit, tipping culture is not really engrained, especially if you live in the North. 

There is a way to reassure, and provide information whilst not gaslighting someone's feelings.

Fred Olsen and Ambassador go from regional ports.  Hull and Newcastle may also be options you want to look at.

Tips - it depends on the cruise line.  All of them you can add to your onboard account.  Some though give you envelopes where you can give cash - Disney is one example of this.  Some people also just prefer to hand cash to certain people.  

Pretty much all lines will have suggested gratuities.  So you can limit anxiety and just pay what they suggest.  I tend to do that as I don't want to take anything from the invisible staff.

On 4/13/2023 at 1:43 PM, Britboys said:

Just released here...

 

 

https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/24-25-season-preview/?smclient=083d5018-fddc-11ec-8edc-18cf24ce3548&smconv=bbf4fab2-4cf1-4504-aea9-6e1768165a3c&smlid=4&utm_source=salesmanago&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b2c_2024-25_preview_13-04-23

Thanks a lot for posting

You original estimate re timing was also very accurate!  Do you predict lotto numbers too?

Hotels will often have day rates.  It's not advertised on their website, but if you contact them directly you can book a room for a day.

My unpopular opinions:

I like technology onboard.  I like seeing everything on my phone, and would prefer to book everything through it. Plus as a way to order food and drinks.

Wifi on ships is not that bad.  It should be better.  However it's not as terrible as some make out.

Entertainment is good, but nothing I've seen rivals Broadway or the West End.  That's fine as I'm not paying those prices.  Some cruise lines though should stop making those comparisons.

I like entrichment talks, but wish the subjects were overhauled.  I'm not interested in WW2, weapons, or ships

Staff onboard are friendly and providing good customer service.  They don't actually care that much about who you are, and definitely aren't interested in a present from your home town.

The worst thing about cruises are the handful of obnoxious people who think they're better than everyone.  

Type of cabin is itinerary dependent.  Always sticking to one type of cabin doesn't make sense to me.

Spending time in your cabin watching TV is a perfectly acceptable way to spend your holiday.

Loyalty programme's are pretty much pointless.

You should be able to pay for priority embarkation, like at an airport

Disembarking times should be possible to prebook before a cruise.

Has there been any indication when Ambassador will release their full programme for 2024? 

Currently sailings for the 1st quarter of the year are available, but has anyone come across anything that states when the summer itineraries will be released?

TIA

13 hours ago, arxcards said:

AH yes, true. I misread the Auckland Ports schedule and saw Ovation there - departing in the afternoon of 31st, so didn't read QE on the line above.

 

Not sold out, and better priced than next year.

13 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We were originally booked on Cunard for this Xmas/NY and it was overnighting in Auckland on NYE. We cancelled that cruise for various reasons. It's probably booked out by now.

13 hours ago, arxcards said:

Nothing this season

 

End of 2023 - Cunard Queen Elizabeth is overnighting in Auckland to see in 2024.

14 nights - New Zealand - December 2023 - Cunard

 

End of 2024 - Most lines are yet to release itineraries for the 2024/25 season

15 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I'm fairly certain Auckland used to have NY fireworks but not quite on the scale of Sydney. We had booked a couple of Cunard cruises that would have overnighted in Auckland on NYE. Auckland could be restricting the number of ships for that night, just like Sydney does. Too risky.

Thanks all for the note about Cunard.  I'll wait and see what their 2024 itinerary produces - good to know that it does still happen - or at least it will in 2023

15 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Are you sure you are not thinking of fireworks in Sydney Harbour?

No I definitely mean Auckland

Pre-covid I was sure there were Christmas cruises that docked in Auckland for the new year fireworks.  I have had a look over the last couple of weeks, including the Celebrity 2024/25 programme released this week, and there seem to be no such itineraries. 

Am I just looking at the wrong companies, or have they just all stopped that feature of the itinerary?  Does anyone still do it?

I found Jamie's vlog useful - as are others on You Tube.  I find them better than reading reviews, as you can see yourself what they are saying.  I thought it was quite fair - he highlighted the good and bad points.

I have never done Ventura before - 1st with her next year, but have done 7 other cruises with various companies including P&O.  There has never been a trip where I haven't had to queue for something.  This includes the MDR (although usually for dinner not breakfast), and getting on and off - I purposely choose to alter my plans to avoid trying to get off the ship as soon as you are able to.  It's just what happens when you have hundreds of people with the same idea.

The no tea spoons thing amused me.  Can't say I have ever experienced that in the MDR, but no cutlery or plates happens all the time in the buffet.  Perhaps I only started cruising when "standards started dropping", but I just put it down to large numbers being being catered for - it's the same in a large resort too.  It does mean that I have never used words like 'pampered' in explaining my experiences, but I do have a good time and keep coming back. 

I don't feel like I am paying for a luxury experience, which is maybe the issue sometimes with reviews (generally, not Jamie's in particular) - perhaps those who have been cruising longer remember something that was more expensive, and so offered a different product

Hi all,

I am thinking of doing a Trans Atlantic cruise on QM2.  Is the general rule that solo travellers should book earlier, relevant for Cunard? 

I have never cruised with them before, so just wanted to check there wasn't an obvious piece of advice about pricing for solo travellers than I was missing.

Hi all,

How far in advance do Celebrity publish their cruises?  I am looking into booking something for Christmas 2024 in Australia and New Zealand.  Is there a rough idea of when this might be released?

I have never cruised Celebrity before, so am completely ignorant of their launch patterns.  Any advice appreciated.

Thanks 😀

I am doing a Caribbean cruise next year for a big birthday.  I would like to spend a night or 2 in Southampton before I get on the ship.

Does anyone have any personal recommendations of hotels that are a little 'special'?  I am wanting something more than a Premier Inn or Travelodge. 

It doesn't have to be central, as I have seen some lovely spa type hotels in Hampshire.

Parking is not a requirement, so it doesn't have to be a hotel that has a cruise/stay type deal.

11 minutes ago, ferretktf said:

Apologies - i misinterpreted the reason for your question. I thought you could not physically call due to "number unobtainable".   I hadn't realised that International travellers were handled by a separate team in P&O.

If any consolation i phoned P&O yesterday and the wait time was only 1 minute (entire call lasted less than 5 minutes despite needing to make a booking change) 

Thank you that does help a lot!  A few minutes wait is no problem, I think I was just in covid world where it was 2 hour wait times lol

3 minutes ago, ferretktf said:

Presumably you have tried 0044 344 338 8003

it’s an “03” number so would have hoped it would work? But as it is non geographic then maybe not.

 

I have also found  0044 238 065 5000 (but that was the overseas equivalent for 0845 678 0014 so might be out of date)

Yes it's possible to physically ring those numbers with an international dialling prefix - however they can't book anything for non-UK residents.  There's a special department/number who does that.  I am also unable to book online - unhelpfully the site just says to ring the UK number which can't actually book anything.

I can try the UK number tomorrow to get the right contact details, but I thought someone on the board may just know the number for 'international guests', and save me a phone call (and associated wait time).

Does anyone have the number to call to book a cruise if you are not based in the UK?  I'm in Ireland and the number that comes up in Google searches are just for UK residents. 

TIA

Thanks all for the replies.  Really helpful!

I have booked a cruise for March 2023 (so ages away).  However I was wondering about experiences of those who have travelled from their home in Ireland to Southampton to board the ship.  What travel methods did you use, and what were the pro's and cons?

I understand in general what options there are, so I am not after info about what the options are in theory - I am interested in actual experiences, and what people felt worked for them, or were more challenging.

I am not necessarily looking for the cheapest option (although a private plane is definitely out of my budget lol), but the one that was least stressful.  So for example I am thinking about travelling a couple of days before and staying in a Hampshire hotel in case planes/ferries don't run etc.

Has anyone for example sent suitcases ahead?  If you fly, did you go into London and get a taxi, or straight into Southampton?  Or is driving and ferry an easier option?  Or getting the ferry and then picking up the chartered bus?

I understand experiences will be pre-covid and it's not clear what will be available in 2 years time eg covid has seen the death of a lot of regional flight routes which may impact on what routes go into Southampton airport.  However I am interested in any info people have from past experiences.

Dining is allocated by cabin number, but if your bookings are all linked, allocation together will occur automatically.  Allocation is only relevant for the main evening meal.  At other meal times you can do to whichever dining room (or the buffet) that you want.  All have the same menu.

Afternoon tea - this is usually in the buffet as self service, but sometimes can also be in the MDR.  This would be advised in the daily newspaper.  Waiter service is obviously quite nice, and sometimes in the restaurants they have 'special' afternoon teas eg a few times I've see a chocolate afternoon tea.  The buffet option is available everyday, without specialisms.

Anytime dining means you don't have a set sitting time.  You can go anytime when the restaurants are open for your dinner. If busy you may have to wait (they give you a pager).  I've never done this option, but everyone on Iona eats this way so I can't imagine it would ever be a long wait.  I would note, I'm not sure they would have a table for 12.  So if you all go together, you might end up sat across a couple of tables.  You can though go at different times, and in different combinations.  The only thing your linked bookings result in is the allocated restaurant.  Beyond that you can eat when you want, in whichever combination you want.  Some can also eat in the buffet if they prefer.

Supplementary restaurants - they do need to be booked in advance.  It is in theory possible to book the same day if there is space, but to avoid disappointment if you want a particular date I would say book a few days in advance.

Wine - if you don't finish they keep it for the next night.  Spirits are given in measures.  I'm sure how they would categorise port.  Either way anything you 'buy' won't be lost.  You'll either get it in measures, or the bottle will be saved for the next night.  Maybe a port drinker will be able to advise better, but hopefully my reassurance will help.

I'm considering at some point doing a Christmas cruise.  This is specifically to avoid Christmas with extended family.

For those who have done it, what's it like?  Does it feel Christmassy?  What are the demographics onboard?  Is it families, or older couples?  Presumably that will also depend on ship and length of cruise?

I'm a confident solo traveller, preferring to travel alone.  Not easily bored or lonely, but I do appreciate companions at dinner.  Are there any other solo travellers who've done it at Christmas?  Anything particularly different to travelling solo at other times of the year?

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

I don't think anybody has suggested that the porters are being removed from the terminal, just the CPS procedure has changed.

So I still don't see why you cannot drive to the terminal and have your luggage whisked away and then drive to the CPS area?

You may have to walk a bit further than previously, but your luggage and passengers are still taken care of.

An inconvenience, but is it really enough to stop most people cruising?

Andy

 

First I think you've misunderstood P&O Sue's post - she was just saying that she agreed that it was nice that she didn't have to walk with luggage

Second a minor inconvenience is a matter of opinion, and so that's great that the changes suggested are not a big issue for you.  However everyone has their preferences, and I don't think it's helpful (especially in a patronising tone) to suggest someone's preference is not valid.  

Third, it may not stop anyone cruising, but that doesn't mean people shouldn't feel the need to state they don't like it.  Whilst I understand cruise companies (or whoever is involved) determining changes can be made that won't affect the number of passengers, and so profit - as a passenger I am still going to expect more in terms of customer service. 

Personally I would be sad if this became the new normal; I am valid in this opinion, just as you are valid in feeling it is not a big difference to you.

Throwing in my opinion

Lots of talk of those who need help . . . . . I'm 36 and have no physical issues.  However one of the things I like about cruising is that I don't have to think about my luggage.  So even though I don't NEED porters, losing them is a big deal.  To me it reduces some of the specialness that cruising has over flying. 

I hate to think of myself as one of those people who starts saying things like "it's not how it used to be", but if porters are taken away ..... "It's not how it used to be" :-(

Left my car, and house keys on the ship.  Had a taxi home, so didn't realise until I was about 150 miles into the journey.

Luckily I was able to contact my cleaner who lived nearby, and she let me into my house (and once in the house I had spare house and car keys).  Cruise liner did find them (they were in the exact draw I put them in on my 1st day), and were safely returned to me - there was an admin charge of £20 though (normal post - not next day or anything)

I had never been so glad to be luckily enough to have a cleaner who lived nearby and was able to let me in.  If not for her, an emergency lock change to get into the house would have been much more expensive

On 4/21/2019 at 10:13 PM, thegashlycrumb said:

I was on a Carnival cruise with my trans wife when she was still legally under her deadname (although she did have a female gender marker on her passport). At the time we booked it, she was early in her transition and wasn't sure how comfortable she'd be being out by the time the cruise came around. When cruise time approached, we contacted Carnival, not really expecting it to be too big a deal, but we were wrong.

 

Unfortunately, they required her to present as male upon embarkation so her cruise card and the associated picture showed her male presenting. This determination came from a supervisor after a call center employee wrongly told us it would be okay for her to board presenting female when her ID was male name and male presenting. We had requested this info in writing to have at the pier and that resulted in it going to the supervisor who provided us written documentation that unequivocally stated she would not be able to board unless she presented as a male and that the call center employee would be spoken to about her wrong information. When going ashore in port, she again reverted to male presentation to avoid any difficulties and/or unneeded stress getting on or off the ship.

 

Onboard, she presented female (and put a little sticker with her female name on her card), used the women's restrooms when it wasn't feasible to use the cabin or the unisex, and was never treated any differently than any other cruiser. I honestly don't recall if we gave her name to the cabin steward, but he saw her coming and going in both male and female presentation and was always friendly. We had set dining with the same waitstaff each night. She introduced herself with her female name the first night and that's what they used. Other staff had no need to ever address her by name. She didn't have any problems using her card on board the ship, but whenever possible we used my card to avoid any possible unpleasantness.

 

It wasn't an ideal situation and she certainly didn't enjoy herself as much as she would have without the added stress or being forced to present as male. It wasn't as difficult for her as it may have been for others further along in their transition or those with bad feelings associated with their deadname. It did prompt us not to go on any further cruises until her legal name change was complete.

 

We have since gone on a cruise on Celebrity with everything in her proper name. If anyone clocked her as trans, they didn't show it in anyway and it was a wonderful vacation.

 

In regard to the poster asking about getting a passport with the proper name, that would be the ideal scenario. Unfortunately the process for getting a name change differs from state to state and can be subject to a judge's discretion to grant. My wife's name change itself took 5 months, and then another few weeks for her updated passport to arrive.

 

 

 

This is a really infuriating story - surely there are better ways Carnival could have dealt with this?  Given its 2019, they should have done better.  Surely someone presenting in a different way to their legal name is no longer that unusual?