Ladesign

I am more interested in who is cooking the eggs on silhouette next saturday morning about 6:45 , always good but Raoul is our favourite[emoji41]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

hi,sailing on eclipse on Thursday and it’s been a while since I have paid the bill in dollars.is it best to pay bill in the currency of my card (using ships conversion,or have my credit card issuer convert my charges.

 

Hope that makes sense thanks in advance.

doesn’t matter whether on a ship or anywhere else - always have the charge in the local currency ( trumpton $ on the boat) and get your bank issuer to do the conversion.

Tip for the future. some uk card issuers use the official exchange rate - not the ‘tourist rate’. there is a website run by martin lewis. money saving expert dot com. they constantly update the best deals for foreign money and cards . currently halifax clarity card comes out on top. [emoji41]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Please accept my heartfelt apologies. I should have read the post another time over before posting.

 

That said I do value your opinions and input as only through the experiences of fellow cruisers may I learn what to expect onboard :)

apologies if I was a tad harsh - should have checked the geographics [emoji12]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

erratum - previous post should have read

‘pay them extra for doing their job right. ‘

Apologies

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Still a bit curious...

With a near constant crew rotations onboard and on/off the vessel, and getting a seat in a different section of the restaurant each time... how can the experience be consistently poor?

Did you book and accept a table expecting a certain dish that was not on the posted menu?

(Sorry for being so direct, I just try to get an idea of what to expect when we board next month)

First paragraph- Celebrity are the only one’s can answer that question.

2nd Paragraph. How dare the poster make that assumption - we ordered from the menu, how else does one place an order in a Restaurant.

As I said , first experience - really bad . Go back with a ‘ guarantee’ and it really could not have been worse had they tried it . We had a great night laughing about how bad it was . I got serious stick for even agreeing to the venue and my pal from Canadia got some serious ribbing for quite a few days after.

Probs should feel guilty about the refund - as a comedy we could have been expected to pay I suppose [emoji848]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Some consider this bribery. Like you, I do it for the exponential benefits and exceptional service that comes with the practice. I have never waited for a beverage, seat, answer, etc as I am well known from the beginning.

i get fantastic, friendly service as well [emoji106]

I treat the staff with respect and friendliness but don’t see the need to pay them for doing their job.

each to their own i suppose.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We've had fairly good experiences at the Tuscan Grille on both the Silhouette and Solstice, so we'd also love to hear what specific aspects Ladesign found appalling. Granted it wasn't anywhere nearly as good as the Murano, but the food and service were really not bad.

 

And, just curious, is Canadia somewhere in the UK, or a typo for Canada? :confused::D

The service was very bad - waiter kept apologising. as a result food arrived over cooked , some cold. I am not a great cook but don’t serve pasta on one plate with some rock hard and some mushy. My pal had his linguine ( or similar ) cut into lengths varying between 10 & 25 mm.

Canadia is where Canadians are from - just north of Trumpton . me originally from Moosejaw) .

If I hailed from Canada I would be a Canadan [emoji12].

ie from America = American

from Canadia = Canadian

as the meerkats say - ’simples’

Just facetimed Canadia - my pals wife sorted things out on the way out of Tuscan wiv Maitre D - they got a freebie in Qsine on last night of boat trip - she only told him tonight nearly 8 months on - priceless

When they refund without a real grumble says it all . In the UK they would say it was like Fawlty Towers - so bad it was hilarious.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

My experiences of late in Tuscan haven't been very good apart from the view. I'm not sure I will even dine there next cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

If he were truly my pal and knowing he didn't enjoy the meal either the least I could have done was to mention his name to the maitre d' so he got a refund too. Teasing him the next day? What a strange attitude.

 

 

 

Phil

it was his wife’s idea - she kicked me under the table and shook her head. Suspect she sorted it later after teasing him worse than me. Maybe our sense of humour doesn’t match others -couldn’t care less. My pal thought it was funny too [emoji106]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Have had 2 very bad experiences in Tuscan on Eclipse last 2 January’s. My friend from Canadia even said to the guys ‘selling’ the spec dining that we wouldn’t go to Tuscan because of previous experience. We were ‘guaranteed’ a ‘great meal and experience’

We (7) thought ‘let’s give it a go’ - it cannot be any worse ! Well it was so bad that 6 of us couldn’t stop laughing , the only good thing was the Sommelier. At the end my pal from Canadia signed his bill (reluctantly) and left in a huff. 2 minutes later along came the Maitre D enquiring about our experience- we politely told him that it was frankly appalling . He immediately refunded our charges. It was great next day teasing my pal that if he hadn’t gone off he would have got a refund.

So the question is - anyone got recent experience in Tuscan on Silhouette as I am on next weekend. I have a 4 dinner package and wondering whether to chance it . we always do QSine last night to lift the spirits a bit. Murano we absolutely love. Porch club not really our scene. So either a 2 Murano or chance Tuscan ?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm in the food service business(catering)So nice to see some "Angels" on this site, who tip over & above, rather than those who like to remove the auto tip & pocket it. Seen that several times.

It is not possible to “pocket” the Auto-grats. It is a series of charges added to the account daily and paid for at the end- one cannot pocket something that at end of cruise doesn’t exist [emoji848]

It is a voluntary charge and “can be removed at the discretion of the passenger” (Celebrity quote in an email)

I certainly wouldn’t tip anyone if for example they didn’t know the difference between a Bloody Mary & a Bloody Caesar.

All chargeable drinks have an 18% compulsory service charge included on the bill.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

which boats have the rooftop terrace please ?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

OK - thanks for replies[emoji106]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Bit of a long shot. Anyone onboard now who can ascertain whether one can buy Apple Watch series 3 on the boat please, SWMBO’s burfday on Oct 7 so would like to surprise her[emoji41]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Same here in Germany, every receipt shows the amount of VAT you´ve paid (the total, not for every item). The receipt includes the rate and the total amount of VAT.

 

 

 

Actually in Europe it doesn´t really matter what´s on the tag. Even when you move the goods from one country to another the price is the same. As an example Desigual (Spanish clothing company) has world wide price tags. There´s an EU price and a price for Spain and Portugal (Desigual is slightly cheaper in those two countries although they also have the Euro). but you can also see the UK or US price on the same tag. So let´s say the dress is 79 Euro - it´s 79 Euro in Germany with a 19% VAT and also 79 Euro in Italy with a 22% VAT. So the company Desigual earns more selling a dress in Germany than in Italy.

 

 

 

H&M (Sweden) has international price tags too. Funny thing is that they charged 9.90 for an item I bought in Germany (including the VAT of 19% - in Euro) and 9.90 USD in the US (not including sale, city or state taxes). And not regarding any kind of currency exchange rates.

 

 

 

We do have the problem of different VATs too as soon as you offer your services all over Europe. Then you have to know and cope with the different VAT rates.

 

 

 

steamboats

how dare a poster suggest things may be clearer in their home country that in Trumpton [emoji848]

Please do confuse anyone with facts - not liked on here [emoji12]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hiding the tax in the price tag is a way to trick the consumer into believing it's the price of the item. Besides, I want to see how much I'm being taxed by the government who wastes my money.

 

Cruisestich was correct about varying rates based upon municipality location and the type of item being taxed. Just in my state you have numerous postal zip codes that charge multiple rates whether it's delivered within a city, county or state taxing unit. We even have a different local tax rate for groceries that are manufactured and a higher rate for groceries that are prepared at the store. Examples of the higher rate are roasted chicken and locally made pizza to take home and bake. However the frozen pizza is taxed at the lower rate.

 

I have to charge sales tax dependent upon where the product is actually delivered. My clients are all over the state. I have to charge the rate based upon their municipality not mine.

Almost all receipts in the UK detail the amount of VAT so the consumer can see how much the Govt (should) get

It's a bit of culture issue really - no right or wrong way, just depends upon one's point of view.

Think of it being like driving . You guys drive on the right side of the road. - we drive on the correct side [emoji12]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Tomato juice with clam juice used in a Caesar. Canada's national drink :)

I am not from Canadia but I do like a Caesar .

We have a bit of fun wiv some of the guys from the country immediately south of Canadia when they 'comment' about me drinking Clamato. tell them I am from Dogpound Alberta [emoji12][emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Clamato juice? Nice to see someone really finally knows what it takes to make a proper Bloody Mary!

Fink you will find Clamato juice makes a Bloody Caesar

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

But Norway isn't in the EU so things brought there wont be subject to EU VAT refunds would they?

Not sure this poster has the fittest story [emoji848]

https://www.visitoslo.com/en/oslo/practical-information/vat-refund/

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

would anybody know if we are allowed to bring on board clamato juice or other juices that are difficult to get on board, ncl has stopped this and are charging outrages prices to buy it on board

never had an issue getting Clamato juice on the boat. they don't have decent tonic so i might take some Fever Tree on my upcoming boat trip [emoji41]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There is little to add to the excellent answers so far except to say that VAT stands for Value Added Tax.

 

 

 

It does not matter to the OP, the end consumer, but the name comes from how the tax is applied. VAT is added at each stage of the supply chain. Anyone in the supply chain who is registered for VAT can claim back the tax they have paid on their cost price but must collect, and pay to the taxman, the full tax due on their selling price. Thus, the net VAT at each stage in the supply chain is the equivalent of the VAT on the value added at that stage.

 

 

 

As others have pointed, for the end consumer, the selling price always includes the VAT. There is nothing added at the till. Wholesale/trade prices are often shown without the VAT added although it is charged because the purchaser can usually reclaim it.

Not a bad explanation, albeit a very general description, but it is a bit more complex than described in this post.

Some organisations can be classed as 'partially exempt' (e.g. private golf clubs) and things like 'de minimis' rules can apply.

Oh and discretionary service charges are not subject to VAT but compulsory ones are . Many unscrupulous businesses in UK ( particularly 'the smoke') imply to customer that charge is compulsory but declare it as discretionary - illegal but common.

OP asked a simple question. Unfortunately the answer is complex and makes a lot of money for Accountants and Lawyers.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We had Gibraltar on a cruise...awful place in our opinion, but saved us the VAT...we would just avoid VAT cruises if at all possible. Don't mind paying if on land but on a ship it is really ridiculous,..same for Fl taxes.

Sort of agree about Gibraltar. Us Brits stole it many years ago and is a highly important strategic location for UK and its puppet master the USA- same as Cyprus. Hopefully

we will never need to utilise it militarily.

Not sure I would be too uptight about it as a cruise stop - one can stay on the boat. We sometimes stay on when doing the Caribbean as some islands don't do much for us - especially when having 2 days there.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Chris,

 

. ....

Go cruise on a different line if you do not like Celebrity's policies.,,,,,,,,,.

???

I very much do like Celebrity's policies.

I will cruise with whichever Company I choose but I appreciate the posters rather vague recommendation.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Just because something is not mandatory does not mean there is not a right and wrong choice .....

So who decides the right and wrong ?

My choice seems to be

Celebrity say it is entirely up to the individual . They add the 'auto grats ' "for your convenience".

or

Many posters on here who see it as some sort of moral crime to exercise one's rights.

I am inclined to favour the company who I have a legally binding contract with. Rights and wrongs are decided by courts , not by internet forums IMHO. Perhaps it is my background and training that makes me think this way.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

If that's true then why are the other two UK'ers on this thread removing the gratuities? They're US cruise lines. And I'd love to hear from those two to find out if they tip at restaurants in the US as you say. Why tip there but not similarly on a US ship?

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

US cruise lines ? moot point

The ships are maltese and built in Germany. The holding company shares are on s US stock exchange but they regard themselves as a global company - widely referenced.

As said on another post I am about to go on a Celebrity cruise from Rome around the Mediterranean sea. My contract is absolutely with a UK registered Company ( Celebrity Uk) and coveted by only European & UK consumer legislation , International Maritime laws and laws of any country outside the EU ( visited)

I would be obliged if the poster can explain where the USA fits in, other than he cruise line choosing to use US $ as a common currency. I can assure anyone that NO USA legislation covers any of my forthcoming trip - sorry if facts confuse the debate .

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

How do you know that those barking orders and clicking fingers are from the tipping brigade? Just as you don't tip, I'm sure that you are not the only one, so not sure how you distinguished the tippers from the non tippers.

 

.

Good question . On more than one occasion I have gently probed as to why the passenger was uptight . The response is always "i have given that guy a big tip and expect better" other staff members have recounted similar episodes

sorry i shouldn't have implied that all order barkers and finger clickers are fully paid up members of the tipping brigade - just my experience albeit somewhat limited I accept. Apologies to Tipping Brigade members who neither bark nor click

Sent from my iPhone using Forums