Korimako

Thank you. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear! I do speak fluent French and I was hoping to hear that the majority of guests were Francophone and that the food was what I would expect in France.

Thank you ljandgb Having travelled and lived in Europe, France in particular, the 'stinky cheese' dessert would have had me asking for seconds too, as I prefer cheese to sweet desserts anyway! I'm also quite happy with the 'menu du jour' aspect. If they still focus on regional cuisine, then a cruise in France would be fine, as I cannot think of any French regional cuisine which would be a problem for me, with the possible exception of andouillettes. Thank you for replying so fully - nothing you have said would put me off booking with them. This is a good example of the usefulness of the CC boards. Thanks again K

Queen of my Heart - could you possibly hint at what you found unacceptable? Was it the organisation, the food, the language?? If you feel you can't reply on here, my email is pm 12 wbt - at - hot mail dot co dot nz No spaces Thank you ljandgb Could you give me some examples of the (lack of) food choice?? Thank you

I'm thinking of a river cruise next year in France with CroisiEurope. I'd be grateful for any opinions and information from anyone who has sailed in France with this company. TIA.

Am I right in thinking that on ships based in Australia/New Zealand, gratuities are already included in the fare and there is no need to tip?

I am considering a Princess cruise which has Nouméa as a stop. I am not interested in any of their organised tours, but would just like to get off the ship, wander round town and soak up the atmosphere on my own. Does anyone know if there will there be shuttles or any other mode of transport from the port area to the town centre? Or will I be forced to book a 'Nouméa on your own' excursion? TIA I have already posted this in the Pacific Islands forum, but thought I might get more results here.

I am considering a Princess cruise which has Nouméa as a stop. I am not interested in any of their organised tours, but would just like to get off the ship, wander round town and soak up the atmosphere on my own. Does anyone know if there will there be shuttles or any other mode of transport from the port area to the town centre? Or will I be forced to book a 'Noumea on your own' excursion? TIA

You can get the local train to Soulac-sur Mer( I assume that's where you mentioned as being nearby - 'sur-LA-Mer simply means 'by the sea'.) which will take 6 minutes, or the local bus which will take 12 minutes. Soulac sur Mer is a typical French seaside holiday town, but whether much will be open in October out of season, I wouldn't know. Or you could take the ferry across the Gironde to Royan which is a reasonably sized town and spend a day wandering, exploring and relaxing where very few of your fellow cruisers will be.

Since reading this tip in a magazine years ago, we have always followed it. Fly Business Class - if you don't your kids will!!

The major travel websites you see advertised on TV where you can book every on one site... flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, etc. Yes I rather thought that was what was meant, but I'm in New Zealand and I don't recall seeing any such sites advertised on TV here. I'll have a go at Google and see what turns up. Booking from here, rather than from North America means different conditions apply. But thanks for your help.

I'm not sure I understand this. What exactly is a mass market travel website and where would I find out about them? I know here on CC it's forbidden to name names, but a point in the general direction surely would be allowed?? Would they allow me to self-book?

I did a dummy booking for a cruise from Sydney later this year. Some cabins were available for me to choose, but most were guaranteed cabins which Princess would choose later for me. If I book through a TA, do they have access to Princess cabin availabilities and would I be able to choose my cabin if I booked with a TA? Or would it likely be a guaranteed cabin regardless of the method I used? I would be using a NZ based TA. I really want to know exactly where my cabin is before I part with any money!!

Thank you all so much for all your suggestions, I do appreciate it. However, after several to-ing and fro-ing emails, it now appears that Adelaide is a better option (!), but I'm not about to ask for similar recommendations - we're looking at Glenelg. I'll just knuckle down and trawl the internet. . ......the worst you could most likely come across is the friendly Huntsman spider As for this - for an arachnophobe there is no such thing as a friendly spider!! From photos I have not managed to avoid seeing, it's the stuff of nightmares. It's the size of it. Aaaaargh!!!! And though I have heard of the Avondale spider here in NZ, as far as I know it is confined to the Auckland area where it arrived on a boat from Australia - thanks!! Thanks again K

Yes, thank you for all these suggestions and I apologise for my tardy response. Been out of town and offline for a couple of days.

Forgot to mention - one of us is a paranoid arachnophobe. How likely is that to be an issue in that area at that time??

There's a possibility, that before or after a cruise in February, I might be able to meet up for a week or so in Melbourne with an old friend. Neither of us know anything about Melbourne or its surrounding areas, it's just that it's more or less a halfway point between our respective bases at that time. We're female, both pushing 80 (from both directions!!), so not interested in the bars, clubs and nightlife scene. We thought of maybe renting something for a week so we can potter about at our own pace, but would still like to have access to decent eateries and go on trips to places of interest. Probably won't rent a car and neither of us can ride a bike. Would the Mornington Peninsula or St Kilda suit us? I don't want to be in the heart of the city and would prefer a more open aspect with greenery or seaside views. I'm hoping some of the regulars on here will have some useful inside knowledge! TIA

I didn't really phrase that very well. What I meant was, we don't tip hairdressers, doctors or dentists but I assumed in the US, you would tip hairdressers but you would not feel comfortable tipping your doctor or dentist. I was trying to illustrate the level of discomfort I would feel tipping anyone at all.🙂

Thank you! So am I correct in thinking that from the moment I get on until the moment I get off I don't need to pay anything to anyone who does any sort of service for me - serving food, drinks or tidying my cabin? It's just that on another website I asked about tipping in the US, there was a fairly extensive list of recipients as well as what percentages they should be paid! Made me decide NOT to set sail from the US after all. My only onboard expenditure would be if I went to speciality restaurants or ordered drinks? Or have I got that wrong?

Hello all I am thinking of doing a Princess cruise from Australia. Are the fares on the website AUD or USD? What happens about tipping? Is it included in the price? Do I have to have envelopes of cash to hand over? We've only ever cruised once before - 10 years ago - and gratuities were included in the fare, so we avoided that uncomfortable, Antipodean feeling of having to do something that felt very awkward. Tipping etiquette in the US seemed to be such a minefield that I have decided against taking a cruise which started from a US port. Thanks in advance.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. However, as I am planning this cruise to have some relaxation after a very stressful year, all that this has done is make me feel more stressed about the complex issues and expectations surrounding tipping in the US. As a Kiwi, tipping is something unknown and not expected, and the thought of it makes me feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed at handing over cash to people who are just doing their jobs. There's no difference (for me) in the level of discomfort I would feel in giving a tip to a waiter in the US than there would be if I tried to leave a tip when I'd been to my hairdresser, dentist or doctor. So I will not be cruising from the US, but thank you all for helping me to come to this decision.

Please note spelling - Auckland (with a 'c' ) is named after George Eden, Earl of Auckland. Nothing to do with seabirds!! 😂😂😂😂

Yes I am that hopeless at percentages - calculator or no calculator! My husband is the maths whizz, so he does all that. My skill set is language- based, I speak 3 other languages besides English. I have just discovered, after your suggestion to download an app etc., I can also ask Siri to work out percentages for me! Thank you.

Gosh - this an etiquette minefield!! There are several points in these replies which confuse me, so here goes! Basically, anyone I come across who does anything for me, no matter how trivial, will expect to be paid? I think what you mean by a bellhop/bellman, we would call a porter. This job does not exist in most hotels in NZ (most hotels in NZ are motel-type hotels) neither do we have doormen. The only doormen we have encountered have been in upscale London hotels and Singapore, where tipping is not allowed. I will only have carry-on baggage (small roller acceptable as international cabin baggage) and my handbag (purse I believe you call it?) Do I really need help to get it out of the taxi and up to my room?? I still haven't worked out to do percentages on the calculator on my phone, so that won't help me much Is it this complicated in Canada? I might just look for a departure from Vancouver!

Thank you for a very detailed reply! One question though - what is a bellman???