Azura questions ??

[suebubbles]

Any advice to those who have been on the Azura please

1st Tipping we want to tip but dont know if they take it from account or you can tip as and when?

2nd Are you allowed to take drink on the ship to consume from different ports as we like a drink on our balcony while getting ready ?

3rd Will it be sterling on the ship and dollars to spend on the caribbean islands?

This is our second cruise so very new to this as our 1st was a med cruise 5yrs ago any advice please would be of help thanks in advance sue:)

[Wellpark]

Hi Sue,

 

From reading the well informed replys to previous questions, I will try to answer your questions. I am sure others will be able to clarify further.

 

1. Generally you can tip as and how you see fit, unless you have opted for Freedom Dining. This will result in £1.60/passenger/day being charged to your ship account to contributr to your waiter. You can have this charge removed with no questions asked by contacting reception. Thus you can still tip as and how you see fit.

 

2. Again generally you can bring drinks on board, they are not typicaly taken from you. There is a corkage charge in your romm of £1.50/bottle. Your room attendant will bring ice and lemon if required. You can also order a range of bottles of spirits through your steward for very reasonable rates £11-12/bottle typical plus corkage. You are not allowed to consume on public areas of the ship.

 

3. The currency on the ship is in sterling, a real plus when you consider present exchange rates. You can exchange for dollars on the ship and charge to your ship account if you wish. I am not sure what the crrent exchange rates will be, however they don't tend to be favourable on the ships and you tend to be better purchasing before you go.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Wellpark

[suebubbles]

Many thanks for that wellpark !

:)

[daiB]

Many thanks for that wellpark !

:)

 

Sorry but I do not know what the corkage is all about. The only corkage is paid if you take wine into a restaurant and it is high at I think £10 per bottle.

 

You do not pay to drink in your cabin!!

 

With regard to the exchange rate, it very much depends as the rate does not change on a regular basis and when we had our last cruise the rate was better than in the bank at home.

 

 

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

 

Dai

[Wellpark]

Hi Dai,

 

As I mentioned, I am no expert. However I am sure that I have read that the duty free prices on the alcohol sold on the ship have an additional charge, which covers 'corkage' for drinking in the cabin. I apologise if this is misinformation. It would be good to know that this was not the case.

 

Cheers

[Roxally]

Never paid any corkage for drinking in Cabin from drink brought onobard or purchaded from Stewards.

[cclarke12]

Hi Dai,

 

As I mentioned, I am no expert. However I am sure that I have read that the duty free prices on the alcohol sold on the ship have an additional charge, which covers 'corkage' for drinking in the cabin. I apologise if this is misinformation. It would be good to know that this was not the case.

 

Cheers

 

I think this is just related to spirits and you wouldn't really notice anyway as the 'corkage' is not advertised as an extra. If you want a litre of gin in your cabin it is £12 or £12.50. However, if you buy it as duty free to be collected at the end of your holiday, the price is £10.50. Either way it is still much cheaper than I could buy the same brand for at Tesco, so good value.

[LibraLass41]

''There is a corkage charge in your romm of £1.50/bottle.'' Wellpark.

 

Never ever seen this or paid it.

 

We take on a winebox of Chardonnay or Chenin and put it in the fridge for drinking on a 2week cruise on our balcony. It is much better than bottles, compact small and unbreakable.

 

 

There is only a corkage charge for bringing on your own wine to drink at dinner in the restaurant, it is about £10 so it would have to be a very good bottle of wine to go to the effort of bringing onboard and taking to dinner, or perhaps Champagne.

[Wellpark]

By 'corkage', I did not literally mean this in the same sense as you would in the main dining room to pay to have a bottle opened.

 

So lets not become pedantic about my choice of words. I hope you can read between the lines of my post and comments later from another poster to understand the gist of my comment.

 

I was aluding to there being an additional cost to purchases bought off of your steward for consumption in your cabin. Could I apologise for using the term 'corkage' as this appears to have caused a reaction in some. I was just trying to be helpful.:):):)

 

Sorry for the confusion and any distress caused;)

[Megsdad]

By 'corkage', I did not literally mean this in the same sense as you would in the main dining room to pay to have a bottle opened.

 

So lets not become pedantic about my choice of words. I hope you can read between the lines of my post and comments later from another poster to understand the gist of my comment.

 

I was aluding to there being an additional cost to purchases bought off of your steward for consumption in your cabin. Could I apologise for using the term 'corkage' as this appears to have caused a reaction in some. I was just trying to be helpful.:):):)

 

Sorry for the confusion and any distress caused;)

 

Well said - I for one understood exactly what you meant. No distress caused to me.

[bazzaw]

"I think this is just related to spirits and you wouldn't really notice anyway as the 'corkage' is not advertised as an extra. If you want a litre of gin in your cabin it is £12 or £12.50. However, if you buy it as duty free to be collected at the end of your holiday, the price is £10.50. Either way it is still much cheaper than I could buy the same brand for at Tesco, so good value."

 

Hmm - have I got this straight. You can buy a LITRE of gin from the Steward for 12UKP, including Duty??At current UK/AUS exchange rates, this would be about $20AUD. That is incredibly cheap for a litre of taxed gin - and would cost me more to buy it here at home and take in onboard.I am surprised that people are able to take alcohol onboard for private consumption in their cabins -have I got that right as well?? STRICTLY VERBOTEN on P&O AUS ships.Does all of the above apply to Oriana and Arcadia as well?

 

Regards

 

Barry

[daiB]

"I think this is just related to spirits and you wouldn't really notice anyway as the 'corkage' is not advertised as an extra. If you want a litre of gin in your cabin it is £12 or £12.50. However, if you buy it as duty free to be collected at the end of your holiday, the price is £10.50. Either way it is still much cheaper than I could buy the same brand for at Tesco, so good value."

 

Hmm - have I got this straight. You can buy a LITRE of gin from the Steward for 12UKP, including Duty??At current UK/AUS exchange rates, this would be about $20AUD. That is incredibly cheap for a litre of taxed gin - and would cost me more to buy it here at home and take in onboard.I am surprised that people are able to take alcohol onboard for private consumption in their cabins -have I got that right as well?? STRICTLY VERBOTEN on P&O AUS ships.Does all of the above apply to Oriana and Arcadia as well?

 

Regards

 

Barry

Yes Barry,

 

You can take booze on board any P&O (UK) ship for use in your cabin. If you drink wine in a restaurant you will have to pay corkage.

 

P&O (UK) seem to be alone in allowing this. However we never bother with Gin at £12 a Ltr. & ice and lemon supplied free.

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising (hic!):):)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

 

Dai

[bazzaw]

Dai

 

Thanks for that - I thought I had noticed elsewhere , when a cruiser posted the drinks menu for Arcadia, that the booze prices looked quite reasonable - we pay through the nose here!!! And Australian beer is terrible anyway compared to Pommie Ales!! :) And I am quite partial to Gin and Tonic - so these cruises are looking up!! :)

 

Mind you - this is all because , for the first time in 30 years, the exchange rate has gone our way - it was atrocious about 10 years ago, when I was paying $3 to the UKP :eek:.- compared to $1.60 in 1979. (although anybody coming to Oz from the UK then would not have taken that view! :D

 

Barry

[muddyw]

Regarding currency exchange rates on board ship, these are usually fairly competetive and more convenient than buying ashore. The rate is set on embarcation and remains the same throughout the cruise.