Harters

My partner plays on an O Facebook group where there's very recently been a brief mention. Someone had commented about the problem on the "mid cruise" survey and had received a reply that "something" was going to be done in the not too distant future. No further details and, of course, this may be something to take with a pinch of salt. But it does seem to be a sort of official acknowledgement of the problem. We didnt experience any issues on our recent cruise. We were in 9063. My partner has noted, from the Facebook discussion, that a number of other occupants of nearby cabins were also reporting no issues. May be co-incidence or may be a suggestion that it's not a problem throughout the ship. Fingers crossed - as we've booked a cruise with the same cabin for next year.

Based on the recommendation on the Money Saving Expert site some years back, we got a Halifax Clarity. We bank with NatWest and they have just changed their conditions and their debit card is now fee free for overseas transactions apparently. But check with the MSE website for up to date recommendations When you pay for things, you'll usually be asked (by the machine) if you want to be charged in sterling or the local currency. Always choose the local currency. That way, the exchange rate will be the official interbank rate and not some extortionate rate that the business has made up.

That was certainly the case on our recent Vista cruise. The issue we did have, both in the GDR and specialities, on several occasions, was the length of time we'd then wait for our order to be taken. Once the order was in the system, everything was then fine by way of timings - not rushed nor finger tappingly slow.

Nor me. I'd rather have indulgent and decadent than healthy. Which is why I'm a short fat man, instead of being a short man.

And, if you do, then leave enough time for a fish & chips lunch at the quirkily named "Fish, Tram, Chips", directly opposite the tramway's town station. It's some of the best fish & chips you're likely to come across. We were there only last week (no tram ride this trip though - but it is very well worth doing). Walk from the train station is a good 15 minutes.

gambas ajillo - with no ajillo?

Any catering operation, big or small, has to do this if it wants to survive. It needs to take account of mainstream food trends and slowly adapt menus to them. Unchanging menus are not interesting or exciting. When I was a child in the 1950s, few people travelled overseas for holidays and it wasnt until the advent of mass tourism in the late 60s that most folk were able to experience "foreign" food. And improvements in supply chain transport meant those new foods that folk had enjoyed could be readily bought by restaurants and, indeed, home cooks. Food and food tastes evolve.

I'd usually think of them as hot dogs. That's the sausage and the bread. Not that I often think of them, as I don't like them. Tried them on a couple of occasions when visiting America, without enjoyment - and not in recent years. Now a decent pork sausage sandwich would another thing altogether. As would a grilled bratwurst (always Germans selling them at the Christmas market in the nearby city).

I never "save" on that pop-up box. Maybe that's why, like you, I don't get calls.

How odd. I often look at O's itineraries and never get a call. I wonder how they know it's you looking at the website and what your phone number is? Are you a previous O customer and are somehow logging on to your account, rather than simply browsing their website? Or maybe "announcing your presence" in some other way?

I do not believe this is the case. If it was the case, you would expect that different people would be charged different fees for using the ATM because their bank had set a different rate. That is certainly not what happens. I know, for a fact, that folk of various nationalities and customers of different banks are all charged the same fee for using an ATM belonging to, say, BBVA. I am absolutely confident that it is the Spanish bank that sets the usage fee.

I do not know for sure but would also make the same assumption. Sparkling water is my usual drink with dinner and it always came in the same bottle as does still water. I did see the occasional branded bottle (Perrier?) but was never served it, so do make the assumption a guest had requested it. I'm not that fussed - at home, I drink the supermarket's own brand sparkling (£0.45 for 2ltr) rather than a branded product (San Pellegrino - £1.75 for 750ml.)

Bear in mind that most ATMs in Spain charge a fixed usage fee, It can vary from a couple of euros to maybe six. Banks change their policy periodically so the amount can vary. I follow a particular Tripadvisor forum where the charges are regularly updated. As at the last time I read anything (which is about three months back), the only bank not making any usage charge is Banca March. As at last Christmas, when I was last used a Spanish ATM, the BBVA charged around two euros. Santander always seems to be the most expensive at around €6 per withdrawal. Something to bear in mind if planning to withdraw small amounts often.

I cruise with Oceania. They have recently changed their policy on gratuities, following pressure from the UK cruise travel agency industry. Daily gratuities (usually $18 pppd) are now incorporated into the main cruise fare, instead of beinf added to the onboard account, for UK customers (and, I think, other Europeans) as they have been for Australian and New Zealand customers for some time.

The only things we asked our butler to do was press three (? items of clothing on boarding, bring a wine cooler bucket one night and, on two nights, we asked him to bring canapes (they weren't that nice so we didn't ask for them again). I know he can do more, like helping to get additional speciality restaurant reservations, but we had no need for that.

Almost certainly your deposit will be lost - you are choosing to cancel and there is no "fault" on the part of NCL. But check your contract with NCL. As always, "caveat emptor" applies to any purchases. With regard to insurance, we have an annual travel policy (with All Clear) which includes cruises, so have never had to look at the details of a "one off" policy. But I can't see any reason why the insurer wouldnt be able to transfer the policy to another cruise - but you'd need to look at your contract and then contact them.

Definitely not. You are getting "free gratuities" built into your cruise price, because you are a customer from the UK. It replaces the 18USD, per day, that would previously have been added to your onboard account. It's part of a move by O reacting to a general wish by the European travel agency for more inclusive pricing, as has been the case for Australian and New Zealand customers for some time. Deffo a move I support. Drinks in the bar are outside this deal and attract an additional gratuity (20%?)

That's exactly what I did recently. I think O's booking system records it as a direct booking with them unless you reassign it within the 14 days.. We had booked the cruise we were on, using a TA, but wanted to shop around for a possible replacement. In the event our existing TA proved to be the best bet for us, so we then assigned it to them. All within the 14 days.

If you're not getting satisfaction from the manager at reception, then go to the general manager's office which, as I recall, is also on Deck 5

I'd suggest you have a look at gpsmycity.com I use it to plan self guided walks. The website has a number of "attractions", for each city, some of which it marks as "Must See". The point of the website is that you select what you want to see, decide which one will be your starting point, and the site then puts everything into a route for a walk. You can then download i the walk to your phone or, as I prefer, use it in conjunction with Google Maps which I take a a hard copy. I've used this for Alicante and Cadiz and did have one planned for Bordeaux, for a cruise that we had to cancel at the last minute.

Our own process started with reading CC's own article detailing specialist TAs in the UK (yes, it's odd they ban discussion on the forum but have no qualms about naming them themselves). That gave me a shortlist of about six companies. I searched for these on the Tripadvisor cruise forum and was able to delete two from my list, as they had quite negative comments. So, for the remaining four, it really came down to getting quotes for the cruise. The information is out there.

Yes, they were really good. And versatile, playing a different sort of set each evening. We particularly enjoyed their "country" evening.

Other than my suggestion upthread, my other advice would be to look at sites other than CC. There are Oceania Facebook groups which might have a more relaxed attitude to mention of TAs. The Tripadvisor cruise forum also has no restrictions on naming names - which, seeing as it owns CC, makes CC's ban not only unhelpful but just downright weird.

Basically - put a lot of business O's way. And, in return, getting "perks" - which probably include cash incentives (probably a reason why it often appears that North American customers can get a better deal than customers from other countries) Google found me a letter from O welcoming a new company to the group. Obviously I can't mention the company, so have blanked out mention of their name but it should help inform about the "Club" "On behalf of the entire team at Oceania Cruises, it gives me great pleasure to welcome (deleted) into our Cruise Connoisseur Club. Your contribution to our success as well as the significant business you’ve booked with us for the future has qualified your agency to be a member of this prestigious club. As you may have heard from industry colleagues or your Regional Sales Director, the Cruise Connoisseur Club is Oceania Cruises’ recognition and rewards program for our top producing travel agency partners which provides an array of benefits and perks. It is our pleasure to present (deleted) with a personalized recognition award to commemorate your club membership. Again, we deeply appreciate the outstanding support of Oceania Cruises that you’ve demonstrated and we’re delighted to be able to recognize you in this new and exciting way. We look forward to working closely with all of our Cruise Connoisseur Club members and to enjoying a mutually successful relationship for many years to come."

Oceania has a group of preferred travel agents known as the Oceania Connoisseurs Club. A Google on this name may well find companies who mention their membership on their website. Only of help to O's customers in North America as all the companies are based there/