UK-v US..the differences in culture?

[excitedofharpenden]

I seem to remember somewhere one thing to watch is =X= offering to convert your account for you from $US to £GB, I understand this can work out more expensive, is this right?

I started this thread some time ago which may contain more information than you really need, but bottom line is don't let the cruise line do any conversions for you as it will work out more expensive:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=801468&highlight=

 

Make sure they record your request correctly at check in if possible. You should also pick your UK credit card carefully if you want to avoid unnecessary exchange rate loadings.

 

Phil

[moondoggie]

Baked beans, yes, but probably the US version rather than the UK version. They had English bacon and bangers for breakfast. Can't vouch for the taste--I'm a fruit and omelet girl myself:)

[Johnthed0g]

I started this thread some time ago which may contain more information than you really need, but bottom line is don't let the cruise line do any conversions for you as it will work out more expensive:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=801468&highlight=

 

Make sure they record your request correctly at check in if possible. You should also pick your UK credit card carefully if you want to avoid unnecessary exchange rate loadings.

 

Phil

Thank you so much for taking the time to post that link, just the sort of thing I am looking for on this thread.

[dkjretired]

All a matter of taste & where you go...which is the point of the thread, to highlight the differences & prepare those who may be venturing onto Eclipse this year. I like Costa coffee best.

 

Been to Costa and not impressed. This is the point of the thread, the coffee is made differently than we get in the states. The only place I could get frresh brewed coffee was in Starbucks. Costas coffee was half cappachino and half water. When I was there they did not have brewed coffee available.

[Johnthed0g]

Been to Costa and not impressed. This is the point of the thread, the coffee is made differently than we get in the states. The only place I could get frresh brewed coffee was in Starbucks. Costas coffee was half cappachino and half water. When I was there they did not have brewed coffee available.

The thread is hopefully about the differences on cruise ships not a cup of coffee in London but...in my experience the average cup of coffee in the average hotel or diner in the U.S. is stewed watery rubbish that has been sitting in a pot for who know how long. In my experience of Starbucks & Costa the coffee is made exactly the same way just using different beans/blend. It is a basic Espresso which is then used to make whatever you require, Cappuccino/Americano/Latte etc.

[DC2OC]

All a matter of taste & where you go...which is the point of the thread, to highlight the differences & prepare those who may be venturing onto Eclipse this year. I like Costa coffee best.

 

the coffee we brought home from Costa Rico was great.i think they have the best beans

[Captain Jake]

The thread is hopefully about the differences on cruise ships not a cup of coffee in London but...in my experience the average cup of coffee in the average hotel or diner in the U.S. is stewed watery rubbish that has been sitting in a pot for who know how long. In my experience of Starbucks & Costa the coffee is made exactly the same way just using different beans/blend. It is a basic Espresso which is then used to make whatever you require, Cappuccino/Americano/Latte etc.

 

You must have eaten at dumps.Nearly all places do not serve coffee that has been sitting around.The average U>S> hotel does not serve rubbish like you get quite frequently in the UK

:cj

[CanWeGoYet?]

I thought the coffee at the starbucks I visited in london was fine, but wish they routinely had half & half available in the decanters. There was only milk, or low fat milk as I recall. If you want cream they have a jug of it in the fridge, but more than once what was offered was the bottom inch in a gallon jug. Looked like it had seen better days. Got food poisoning from 2 sips of an americano I bought at Heathrow. Not a fun flight home.

[Project_gal]

John - I have never done that so don't know, but I did hear the same.

 

We took friends on a short 3 nighter round-trip out of Southampton last Summer and I felt bad that I had pre-bought USD @ 2.00/£, but my friends were late booking and they got stung at 1.60/£ on their final card payment.:rolleyes:

 

Almost always, do NOT ask the cruise line to do the conversion. However, to be sure that you get it right, check the % fee being charged by the cruise line [it will be hidden in the smallprint somewhere] and that charged by your credit card company and go with the smaller of the two. You do not have to decide until you board.

 

You can also pre-purchase onboard credit and this can be a good idea if you watch the exchange rate. Celebrity does not always change the rate it uses that often and it has, on ocassions, been a much better rate than the tourist rate available. Now onboard credit can be purchased online, it is very easy to keep checking it and buy at the right time.

 

Sue

[Lobbylin]

 

You can also pre-purchase onboard credit and this can be a good idea if you watch the exchange rate. Celebrity does not always change the rate it uses that often and it has, on ocassions, been a much better rate than the tourist rate available. Now onboard credit can be purchased online, it is very easy to keep checking it and buy at the right time.

 

Sue

 

Excellent tip Sue, for future UK Eclipse cruisers. I will check that out...

 

I am also a fan of the currency website Travel Money Services, where you can forward buy USD and lock in at a good rate for any upcoming trips. Currently they are offering a special on USD @ $1.7499/£1 for delivery of currency from 27th Aug 2010 onwards.;)

 

http://www.travelmoneyservices.co.uk/content/us-dollars.asp

 

 

Linda

[excitedofharpenden]

You can also pre-purchase onboard credit and this can be a good idea if you watch the exchange rate. Celebrity does not always change the rate it uses that often and it has, on ocassions, been a much better rate than the tourist rate available. Now onboard credit can be purchased online, it is very easy to keep checking it and buy at the right time.

 

Sue

Sue, thanks for that one. It's not something I'd thought of.

 

Phil

[swigso]

You can also pre-purchase onboard credit and this can be a good idea if you watch the exchange rate. Celebrity does not always change the rate it uses that often and it has, on ocassions, been a much better rate than the tourist rate available. Now onboard credit can be purchased online, it is very easy to keep checking it and buy at the right time.

Sue

 

Thanks for that tip, I forgot about that,

with the rate really dropping last week I just got 1.599 by buying some

for our next cruise,

[rool]

I don't think this thread was meant to be a bun fight about which country's food is best but more about the little differences in practices and culture.

 

I think I've had rotten coffee pretty much every where I've travelled as well as great coffee :D

 

I love the British bangers as well as the american style sausages. In fact my breakfast on the cruise is always a mixture of the two. Sometimes I like the crispy streaky bacon, sometimes the back.

 

It's great to have all the choice and to try different things. If I don't like something it doesn't mean it's not right, it's just not right for me.

[Johnthed0g]

I don't think this thread was meant to be a bun fight about which country's food is best but more about the little differences in practices and culture.

 

I think I've had rotten coffee pretty much every where I've travelled as well as great coffee :D

 

I love the British bangers as well as the american style sausages. In fact my breakfast on the cruise is always a mixture of the two. Sometimes I like the crispy streaky bacon, sometimes the back.

 

It's great to have all the choice and to try different things. If I don't like something it doesn't mean it's not right, it's just not right for me.

Yep I have had crap almost everywhere!! I really would like find out (mainly for others) the differnces in cruising culture on the different lines

[Project_gal]

Excellent tip Sue, for future UK Eclipse cruisers. I will check that out...

 

I am also a fan of the currency website Travel Money Services, where you can forward buy USD and lock in at a good rate for any upcoming trips. Currently they are offering a special on USD @ $1.7499/£1 for delivery of currency from 27th Aug 2010 onwards.;)

 

http://www.travelmoneyservices.co.uk/content/us-dollars.asp

 

 

Linda

 

Linda

 

And thanks for YOUR tip. I was not aware of this service. The current rate you mention is very good. I shall have to think about what currency we need for our next cruise.

 

Can you tell me if you have to pay for the currency up front or just pre-order it? Thanks.

 

Sue

[dkjretired]

the coffee we brought home from Costa Rico was great.i think they have the best beans

 

I believe he is talking about a chain of coffee houses in Europe called Costa....Costa Rican coffee is excellent...

[dkjretired]

The thread is hopefully about the differences on cruise ships not a cup of coffee in London but...in my experience the average cup of coffee in the average hotel or diner in the U.S. is stewed watery rubbish that has been sitting in a pot for who know how long. In my experience of Starbucks & Costa the coffee is made exactly the same way just using different beans/blend. It is a basic Espresso which is then used to make whatever you require, Cappuccino/Americano/Latte etc.

 

Starbucks in London makes freshly brewed coffee the way we get it in the United States. I believe they also have the Americano which is basically half cappucino and half Water. I did not brewed coffeee available at Costa but readily available in London at any Starbucks. You do have to be careful when getting coffee in the states from some locations but if you go to high volume places like Starbucks, 7/11 or Dunkin Donuts, you will almost always get fresh coffee.

 

The point is as I stated in an earlier post, this is one of the differences you have to be aware of, our idea of coffee in the US is different from that in the UK...

[deb18]

LOL!! Then there are suspenders, which American men use to hold their pants/trousers up...

 

Oh, and rubbers... An English parent horrified a teacher at our school by asking if she had a rubber she could lend....

 

 

Are rubbers the elastic (rubber) bands we use to hold things together here in the states or something else in the UK (I know what they are of course here) and what are suspenders in the UK? sorry for my ignorance. What other terms are used differently in the two countries?

[CanWeGoYet?]

I believe rubbers are the rubber boots you wear in the rain - galoshes? Don't know about the suspenders.

 

A couple other differences - elevators are lifts, apartments are flats, french fries are chips and chips are crisps. Can't think of anything else right now.

[rool]

I believe rubbers are the rubber boots you wear in the rain - galoshes? Don't know about the suspenders.

 

A couple other differences - elevators are lifts, apartments are flats, french fries are chips and chips are crisps. Can't think of anything else right now.

 

A rubber in the school context would be a pencil eraser.

 

I would call suspenders braces, clipped to trousers (pants) and worn over the shoulders.

[deb18]

If suspenders in the US are called braces in the Uk then what are braces in the UK? Braces here are either bands used to correct problems with teeth or they are medical appliances that are used to correct structural problems with the body, such as when a back is out of alignment or when legs are out of alignment. also people use a brace to prevent a body part from going out of alignment or getting hurt, such as when lifting or moving a lot of weight (ie furniture moving). I enjoy getting to understand the differences in the nomenclature.

I also have been told there are many terms commonly used in the US that are considered "off colored" in Australia, but I have forgotten the words.

[Karynanne]

I know quite a few terms used in Australia, that are can't be shared on this forum. Years ago a business associate from Australia was visiting, and was intrigued with all the kitchen appliances in my kitchen. I asked if they had these "appliances" available for use in his country. He turned a bit red and told me what the term "appliance" meant in Australia. That's the term used for sex toys. Then it was my turn to blush...

[rool]

If suspenders in the US are called braces in the Uk then what are braces in the UK? Braces here are either bands used to correct problems with teeth or they are medical appliances that are used to correct structural problems with the body, such as when a back is out of alignment or when legs are out of alignment. also people use a brace to prevent a body part from going out of alignment or getting hurt, such as when lifting or moving a lot of weight (ie furniture moving). I enjoy getting to understand the differences in the nomenclature.

I also have been told there are many terms commonly used in the US that are considered "off colored" in Australia, but I have forgotten the words.

 

Braces would also be used in the UK for all the examples you quoted as well as a tool in woodwork and a few others I don't doubt :D

[Johnthed0g]

In the UK "suspenders" are the erm..devices used to hold up ladies stockings...

On the coffee thing, I think there are basically two sorts, instant & proper stuff, these are provided in two sorts of outlets, basic diner places we call "caffs" & specialist places like Starbucks etc. In the 1st the coffee is usually either instant or if actually ''brewed'' is also ''stewed'' in the 2nd it's fresh & really nice made to order. Americano is an Espresso but made longer/weaker, with hot water, nothing to do with a cappuccino at all, that's the one with the frothy milk.

[rool]

Oooh I thought of one, a fanny pack is bound to cause a smirk from your average brit, we call them bum bag.

 

A fanny is another word for lady bits