kerryincork

I find the whole offence at  being asked what you work as very strange.

I think it's one of the least private thing about a person.

There must be hundreds of people who know what a person does on any given day.

I can understand stand it if the type of job you have encourages people to ask for your advice. Or if you are a police officer I wouldn't want to get drawn in to a political discussion about the job. No when you are trying to relax.

I must be a terrible person because I ask all the people I meet about their jobs. I am interested in other people experiences when I don't have that experience myself.

From hotel receptionists and what sort of shifts do they work. Hairdressers how do you become trained? (it's different from country to country) police detectives, etc. I ask all the people I come across where they are from what difference they experience, etc. I have found out about all sorts of traditions, experiences and other peoples points of view.

I speak to any crew I meet, I'll ask them about their home counties, did they get to go ashore and some times the hours they work. But these are natural conversations not me ganging up on someone and quizzing someone.

For example I get up early I see the steward I greet them by name, I might say 'gosh you have an early start' they might respond yes my shift started at 6. I move on. Later that night I am returning to my cabin, I see the same steward, still working. I say hello you're still working I see. They might say my shift finishes at 23:00, they might then add I had a 4 hour break this afternoon, etc. Just normal chit chat in passing.

I have no interest in what people get paid or tops or anything about money.

It's cruise ship who decides what the requirements they accept. The country is secondary (only when their requirements is less than cruise ship)

There have been many accounts on here where people have correct documents to meet entry requirements to countries they were visiting, but were denied boarding by cruise ship.

Thanks for the tips. I have just booked tickets for the miniature World for our New Years eve visit.

I see they have the Hamburg Dungeons next-door too.

I shared an inside cabin with four, ages 3 to 65. I found that doable. So if I can manage four in a closet I am sure you will manage in a suit 😉

Could you not ask your daughter to plait her hair or wear a hair net to bed?

Bring your bags, but pack underwear, socks, hair clips, panty hose, etc. Just use your bags to pack small items so space isn't wasted.

I personally bring the one evening bag,

I love to be active on a cruise, I get up before everyone else and go to the gym.

Then meet up with my cruise party.

I like doing puzzles and logic games too and am happy to have a coffee and play suduko. I participate in all the different activities.

I think the biggest challenge is when you travel with someone who is the opposite and wants nothing more to lounge by the pool. In this circumstances you just have to agree that at times you will do different things.

But a thing that has helped me was taking up Yoga and learning to calm my mind. I think learning that I don't have to be busy every second has helped the most.

You can buy alcohol from duty free on board, but you collect the bottles on last day.

I think you can buy a bottle at the bar, but this at bar prices.

The funniest thing I heard was at the buffet, when the lady at next table was telling her hale and harty husband in great detail the house with garden she was going to buy when he died, lol. She had already seen the house in the village she lived in that she wanted.

We laughed at our table and said the husband should watch himself or she would have overboard, so she could get her dream house 😂😱

No need to tip. They are doing their job which they are paid to do.

Even if they are retired they still get paid.

I would stay on the main land too. It's a total nightmare to get around Venice towing luggage unless you have big bucks and can afford to pay someone to tote your luggage around for you.

There are plenty of nice Italian hotels and guests houses on the mainland. Cheap, quick and reliable public transport to and from Venice. You can then stroll around Venice at your leisure.

On the day of your cruise you can either get public transport again or a Taxi to the cruise port.

Hello Andy I am on the same cruise.

I have never been on a new years cruise either and am looking forward to hear the replies from your post.

Hi I am a European and would never ever tip more than 10% for a meal even if it was a 'M*' restaurant.

I don't tip drivers and I would never tip a private tour guide I was paying €1000 to.

I don't tip hotel staff/cleaners, hairdresser, beauticians, porters, concierges (unless they really went out of their way) or bar staff. All these staff are paid a living wage or better. I feel no guilt in not tipping these people.

Also in Italy and Spain, they will often charge you for bread at the table & a service charge. If they do you don't have to leave a tip. Also in really popular tourist areas they sometimes charge you extra if you are sitting in a premium spot {like in St. Marks Piazza}, all these are like an added service charge, so be sure to check your bill.

Also in cafe some times you will see a plate, bowl, jar, cup by the cash register, this is a tip jar and is acceptable to add your change to the jar if you want to.

On group tours the driver/tour guide will often have a basket for tips, in these I would leave a couple of euros. If there were two of us, no more than €5.

When I pay for any service in Europe I expect that the cost of the service was included in the price I was quoted, this includes full compensation for the staff who performed the service.

In fact Europe has very strict rules about pricing in that the price you see is what you have to pay with nó hidden extras, this includes tips/service charges. If service charges are applicable these will be displayed on the menus or made clear before you purchase anything.

If you arrive on time you should be good.

I caught the coach to/from Heathrow this year on the last week of June with no problem. The bus took about 2 HR 30. It was also about 15 minutes late.

The bus terminal is a very quick and cheap ride (Uber) direct to the cruise terminal.

If you were considering public transport be sure to buy your tickets in advance.

I would avoid the trains as you would have to cross London with your luggage. Not a good idea if on a tight schedule.

My Aunt and I travelled on the Venturer for two weeks this summer, neither of us had problems with the curtains. The water stayed in the basin, this the biggest issue I find with shower curtains, water all over the bathroom floor.

I also used the Gym a good few times, their showers had proper glass doors. If you truly have a problem this might be a solution for you.

I really loved the Venturer, so much so that we are going on another cruise on her.

One of my Aunts was born in 1939, my grandfather was overseas working, she was born at home, my granny was too busy to register her so she never had a birth certificate.

She had no problem with out it until she wanted a passport to travel. She had to get a letter from her Bishop stating her baptism notice and confirmation was genuine. That was how how she got her first passport.

47 minutes ago, Truluv said:

Just verifying - does the "no tipping" policy also apply to hotel maids?  Or hotel concierage?  Is tipping EVER expected - if so, under what circumstances?

 

And a slightly different question -- our prepaid hotel confirmation in Rome mentioned an 8 Euro tax per night that will be collected during our stay as an add-on.  Can this tax be paid by credit card?  Does it count as a VAT tax if planning to apply for a refund? 

Hello, typically you don't tip maids or cleaning staff in Europe.

I have never tipped a concierge in Europe, but I have only ever used them to call a taxi for me or asking for information about local attractions. I would class this as being part of their job description. I don't know what would be classed above and beyond or how much to tip.

The shoes in original photo are sandals not flip-flops.

Just because they have a toe thing does not make them flip-flops.

Flip-flops are plastic/rubber shoes that are worn in shower/pool/beach.

Also before purchasing tickets I would check the prices directly from the theater.

For the really popular show they don't always have discounts tickets and third party sellers can charge above the face value of the ticket.

 By the way this not a forgone conclusion that they are not covered by their insurance. I do make a habit of reading the small print. There is usually some coverage of unavoidably delays. They should check it out. This can be car breaking down or strikes, all sorts of things.

The difficulty now if they were covered, they have to prove that they left their home in plenty of time to catch the ship. This is easier if they know beforehand about this cover and what they need to prove it example record of Sat nav. They would need to show traffic details probably from a site like 'AA'. This is not an easy process, but don't automatically assume that you are not covered for some sort of reimbursement.

Thanks for the reply I never use the mini-bar and didn't remember the fridge be empty

She was told they had to remove the alcohol since the elite member was a minor. They were very apologetic but mom was fine with it since she doesn’t drink anyway and wasn’t expecting

I have never taken anything from the fridge and only travelled with a minor once but is it normal policy to remove alcohol from the fridges when minors room?

Where are you flying to? As it 2 hours before hand to Europe, but 3 hours if going to the US.

It is my experience that the check-in desks /bag drop opens exactly on the 2hr/3hr check in limit and not before.

Also just check the average travel time in the cab for the airport for the time and day.

Also Barcelona has a bit of a strange arrangement in that you go through security to where the shops & restaurants are and then you queue again to go through passport control. Be warned they don't let you skip ahead of the passport line even if it looks like you might miss your flight.

Also there are two official Barcelona airports one is close to the city and one is 1 to 2 hours away, make sure you know which one you are flying to.

Taxis are pretty expensive from the city but if there was 4 of you to share the cost not to bad. There would be loads of taxis so it would not be difficult.

But depending on the day of the week you may have to book a restaurant in advance.

The last train from Cork is about 22:30.