JohnnyRocketsUK

Perhaps you were on one of those very few cruises from Southampton that only sailed to EU ports?

We recently sailed to Gijon , Bilbao , Cherbourg , La Havre

Which are EU ports ... but this didn’t get explained on the ship!

We cruised before all round the med 2,3 or 4 times and also the fjords and canaries , we also did a tester cruise in 2005 which went to Guernsey all of which once so many miles out the duty free shops opened

Just curious, why no spirits or cigarettes. Aren't they subject to the VAT.

I don’t know hence I’m here on this forum find out ... ?

Very strange and none of the staff could give a straight answer to why

I asked if it was to do with brexit etc but the staff said no it’s always been a RCi rule ... but when I said that we had brought duty free from out of the RCi duty free shop in the past they couldn’t answer!!

I looked at buying some aftershave and the price was $69 but add 20% vat and it brought it back to pretty much what I would pay in the uk from boots ?? How’s that duty and tax free?? Also they were advertising Invicta watches 70% off retail price ( which they always do every cruise) which is Normal but then you add 20% vat ... why advertise in the compass that it’s a duty and tax free if it isn’t ?

Well we have done the 14 day med cruise / canary cruise & also around Norway with RCI all from Southampton and on each of those cruises we were able to buy duty free tobacco / cigarettes / wine / spirits all from the on board duty and tax free shop ...

Nothing saying about added tax anywhere but on this particular cruise there was signs everywhere and also a leaflet to our state rooms saying there would be 20% added vat and also the duty free shop had no alcohol and no tobacco for sale ... just chocolate and the usual RCi merchandise :mad:

First time in 15 years sailing around Europe

We’ve sailed with RCI over the past 10 years and have never experienced what happened on this particular cruise ... we usually buy a few things whilst on board but spent nothing this time round !! Even shops at the ports we visited didn’t open ... everything seemed very strange

bit of a shock but we had to pay 20% vat on independence of the seas

And the duty free shop was empty of all alcohol and cigarettes

Seen the show this past few days and it was really good ... tho the ice show was the same as it has been for the past 6 years or so now

I expect the exchange rate comes into it as well. The prices are usually US $ and I find the UK pricing normally fluctuates more with the dollar changes. With the current exchange rate I suspect that's why. I have my eye on one for next year and the us prices have stayed pretty consistent but the uk prices have risen quite a bit.

One thing I did learn on our recent cruise compared to previous years is that the exchange rate this year wasn't great , I normally take some cash on board with me to put onto my on board account and all seemed fine until they gave me the figures in $$$ 's , basically the exchange rate was 1.2 and they would take 7% for taking the £££'s then another 7% for something else on top of the bad exchange rate of only 1.2 ....? Yet in the on board duty free shop all cigerttes , spirits , watches etc were at an exchange rate of 1.44 ...?

The guest relations person basically said I was getting 1 dollar for every £1 I gave him..... and told me to keep hold of my cash till I get home

Some of the difference is the date . August , June and July is the peak months for the Med . Therefore prices are higher . Common for all seasonal cruises . May is low season or shoulder season with fewer people traveling . Therefore prices tend to be lower.

Yes I understand the that during late June thru July & Aug are peak times

But why would a cruise jump from one fair price in 2016 too almost £3000 more for similar time in 2017 🤔🤔🤔 I know the way the deals given out this year are different then last year but shouldn't it almost equal itself out to almost the same price give or take £200-500 ?

Last year (2015) whilst on board Anthem we booked a 14 night cruise on Indie around the Med (departing 14th May 2016 ) in a family suit for 5 of us that cost approx £7800...! Whilst on indie during this recent holiday we went too see the next cruise staff to book again for 2017 on either navigator or indie .... We asked for the same room and got prices from May thru till September !!! Well we're not sure what's happening but we got quoted a £10'000 for around May start of June & £15-16000 for July which is to be expected and around £11'000 for end of September 😩 Why the sudden price creep ..??

They did mention that if we booked and placed a deposit we could do a one time price match ... Which meant we could shop else where and if we got a better deal they would match it...🤔🤔

Why not just give us a deal in the first place ?

We've just come off indie and our daughter came in with us on several occasions but only stayed with us for short periods of time as she went off and played in the arcade or mini golf ... The longest she stayed with us was around half hour and the bar staff and waiters etc were really good with her and didn't ask us too leave at any stage !

My tip would maybe sit out side on the balcony area of the lounge as then your son could possibly play football or basketball whilst your enjoying a drink or two and you'll be within 20 yards of him over looking the sports area . Also there was no problems in the concierge lounge

I can believe that people were rude. We've had experiences in the past with people commenting that we "must have inherited our status from mommy and daddy." We're in our early 30s, but look to be mid-20s. We earned our Diamonds on our own (my dad is only Gold and my mom is only Platinum). It's a shame that people have to behave so rudely. It gives everyone else, the nice people, a bad rap too!

We are pretty much at the same stage of C&A as you , we have been crusining for the past 11 years and earnt our Diamond membership by ourselves . My daughter is only 9 and she is Emereld so by the time she is 20 she may well be Diamond plus or even Pinnacle but that depends on if we keep cruising..! 🤔

We're your children with you in the Diamond Club? Under 18 aren't allowed in the DC during the Cocktail Hour.I've been in a DC with my grandchildren in the afternoon playing card games. At 4:30 ( the start of happy hour on that ship). People did the same thing as you experienced. The Concierge nicely asked us to leave, which we did. (Grandchildren are Diamond on their own and have D+ via their mother.). Children are allowed in the CL during the Cocktail Hour. I hope you will cruise again and have a better experience.

Yes our daughter joined us for a very short space of time ... She would generally meet a friend she had made and went too the arcade ,played mini golf or ball games in the sports area in which we sat on the balcony area of the diamond lounge so we could see her , she popped up the outside stairs 2 or 3 times to have a quick drink but then went back to play . We actually asked staff if it was ok for her to sit with us and they said yes no problems but I did use my head a bit and thought no I'll make sure she isn't within the lounge for long periods of time .

Tho there were others in there with a baby and another group with a girl around 13-15 years old but there didn't seem to be any fuss about them or our daughter to be honest

I am horrified that there are people that rude out there. Rarely do I say it, but in my head I am thinking, "Are you naturally that much of an a**hole or do you have to work at it?" Unfortunately that might drag me down to their level.

I'm sure me and my family conducted ourselves in the right manner , we didn't barge in or be rude to anyone, we gave up our seats to older members so they could sit down instead of standing , actually a member of staff said that we were quite polite as they had suffered on the previous cruise from some passengers as they couldn't say a simple thank you after being served ....

Do you let people with unpleasant attitudes bother you in real life? Don't let them bother you on a cruise.

 

In my experience, the annoying people are MUCH more common in real life.

 

Examples: People in the express check-out line with a cartfull of items.

 

People who use the shoulder to cut to the front of the line in traffic.

 

People who don't use their turn signals.

 

People who turn left from the center lane instead of getting into the left turn lane.

 

People who talk in the movie theater during the movie.

 

People who don't clean up after their dogs.

 

And the list goes on and on.

 

As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

 

Amen

the staff in both the Concierge and diamond lounges were first class and no problems at all and always making us feel welcome but there were a select 2 or 3 groups of around 5 to 8 people all making a fuss and pointing at us , one particular couple (possible husband and wife ) stood right next to me at the bar in the diamond / Viking lounge and quite blatantly said out loud

" why are they in here they shouldn't be allowed " and in response I took out my gold card and twiddled it in my fingers so they could see I was entitled to drink in that venue in return I got

" ooh he's got a gold card tut tut tut probably hasn't cruised as much as we have "

You know it really did put me off ever attending this particular part of the ship again and we didn't re book another cruise as we normally do for the following year but I shouldn't really let this get too me or my family as there are some really genuine nice people who we met

Our next cruise will be our first Diamond Cruise. It will be interesting to see what happens. DH and I think we would rather enjoy our three free drinks in a place of our choosing rather than crammed into the Diamond Lounge. Be interested to see just how much they change the Diamond Perks.

Don't get too excited .... We've just come back from our first cruise as a Diamond member on INDI and the Conceige lounge was full every night from 5pm till 8.30pm and the diamond lounge was also full tho they extended that particular room by closing the Viking crown bar and making it a diamond and above only venue which made things a lot better...

My only worry for you is that you may experience similar hostile welcoming to what me and my family did over the past 14 nights when entering either the Conceige or diamond lounges , basically people who I'd imagine are either diamond plus or pinnacle were and obliviously know each other started pointing and questioning our status of drinking in these venues in which made me and my family feel very unwelcome and put a sour feeling to what would of been a very good holiday .....

My tips would be to enter either lounge before 5pm and get a seat enjoy the free drinks and just try to ignore what's going on around you !!

The drinks vouchers are only 3 per person when it's unlimited in both lounges ...

Having just got off indie .... I can confirm that you do get 3 x drink vouchers for every person over 18 if your a Diamond and above member . The vouchers can be used to obtain drinks only on the Diamond drink list which was posted on this thread earlier as a photo! Each bar are very strict and will not do anything different to what is on the list .... Also you can't use the vouchers in the dining room / theatre and champagne bars

It was our first cruise as a Diamond member and all I can say is how uncomfortable other guests made us feel when we went to the Conceige lounge or even the Diamond lounge which had been extending into the Viking bar as there were so many diamond and above members on board . We were constantly having to fend off unwanted twittering and whispering by people who we were either stood by or sat by as they were questioning why we were allowed in ... The down side to that is we didn't went to stay and take our full benefit of free drinks between 5pm and 8.30pm and that we only had 3 vouchers each to use at other bars which were gone within an hour ...!

So we will be aboard Indy soon in the royal family suit .... Has any one stayed in these suits and what benifits too look forward too as a gold card cruiser ..?

Thank you everyone for the options I may check out the ikea breakfast ... I take it I build it myself ...

Hi folks ,

We are due on Indy this coming Saturday and we are arriving in Southampton to park our car at the port car parks around 8.30am ... As we are a little early we are looking for somewhere close too the port gates to go for Breakfast before boarding the ship ... Any options ?

Just contact trading standards they should happily investigate

I agree that sauna and steam rooms should be included in cruise fare. I know only Quantum and Oasis class ships that charge extra. Unfortunately that is just another way how RCI is getting more cash from us.

I just couldn't believe it , I was stood there ready to go in and to be told sorry have you paid....? I was like yes I've paid over £5000 for this holiday and your asking for more to use the sauna and steam rooms..! :mad:

Paying for the wifi on board too is just ridiculous, $15 a day or $150 for whole cruise , I'm not one for spending hours and hours on the internet especially whilst on holiday but I would like to check on emails or listen to music etc whilst sat by the pool etc .

Your poor daughter. I would also be livid if they didn't feed my child after being there for over 6 hours! That's unacceptable.

 

Sorry you didn't have a good trip.

Normally over the past 10 years of cruising with RCI we have come back refreshed / happy & eager to sail again very soon! But this time round we just feel very very let down and our expectations weren't met and it wasn't just us it was felt by almost everyone we spoke too.

I've never seen so many people queuing at the guest relations desk waiting to complain and with so many upset people it started to emulate to arguing between holiday makers as well as staff!

Overall the ship gave off a bad vibe which generated a bad feeling between fellow cruisers

Surprised about the AO staff as they are well educated and trained on dealing with youth

 

Minimum Requirements:

 

 

•Bachelor's degree in education, recreation or related field from an accredited university or college or the international equivalent.

 

 

•Three to five years experience working with large groups of youths ages 6 months -17 years.

 

 

•Experience working in school sponsored youth groups, YMCA, camps or similar positions preferred.

 

 

•Infant and child CPR certification and life saving certification from the American Red Cross or similar certifying organization.

 

 

•Working knowledge of computers, internet access and the ability to navigate within a variety of software packages such as Excel, Word and Power Point.

 

 

•Ability to speak English clearly, distinctly and cordially with guests

 

 

•All international applicants must have the ability to obtain C1/D1 visa (and other relevant visas) when applicable

 

 

•Must meet all physical requirements, including the ability to participate in emergency life-saving drills and required training.

It was a really bad experience which has left my daughter scared and upset! All the other Adventure Ocean staff on INDI / Adventure were fantastic and understanding of the children's needs but it was very different on board the anthem , there was a very subdue atmosphere which was very unusual compared to our other experiences on board other ships

"Arcade was advertised as free but it wasn't !"

 

Was it a specific hour when it was called "free family arcade" or something like that? If it was, and you went during that time, did you play a plain old videogame (like Ms PacMan or Donkey Kong) or one of the ones that gives out tickets to get prizes? The ones that give tickets are NOT free even during the free family hour.

Sounds like they are going the route of Disney

It was wrote on a letter we had back after booking the cruise , it just read enjoy free arcade

But every time my daughter wanted to play on something we were charged which also showed on our account . We couldn't ask at guest relations desk as it was always busy with very long queues & we didn't want to waist our valuable time standing for hours waiting