Harters

Let me try and explain my reason for you...... ....... Nah, on reflection, I can't be arsed.

I believe not.

Have to say, I didnt really miss it for the cruise we've just finished. As I recall, there's nothing particularly useful that isnt on the emailed version. Now, if they want to save money, stop sending me almost weekly sales booklets.

I suspect bill splitting is not as common here in Europe as I think it might be in the States. Certainly, it's not something you often see in my country. When we have a family gathering, one will pay by card and the others will later reimburse that person by bank transfer. Alternatively, get one bill and present four cards, asking the server to charge X to each one. Obviously much easier if everyone is paying a quarter and not nit-picking over whether they had a second glass of wine or not.

Just to round this off, we did book that 2025 cruise on board. All priced in sterling. There was an "on board" discount and some onboard credit. We could apply that credit to either the existing or new cruise. We chose existing as it would go some way to paying gratuities which, for the new cruise, are now included in the headline cruise price for customers in my part of the world. We left the ship happy with the deal but, also, in the knowledge that we could pass this booking on to a travel agent - either our existing one or another. The last couple of days have one of negotiation with three companies - our existing one, one that I know Vallesan uses, and a third who we liked the look of. In the event, we've gone with the offer from our existing one which, taken in the round, suited us best. Everything taken together, we've managed about a 12% discount on the Oceania website "promotional fare", so happy with that.

Our travel agent had booked us a transfer from the port to Rome airport. It failed to turn up - in spite of speaking to the company once and the driver three times. First time, he said he was there (he wasnnt). Second time he said he'd be there in 5 minutes (he wasnt). Third time , he just shouted "taxi, taxi, taxi" (which we decided he meant he couldn't be arsed doing the job he'd been paid for and we should get a cab). So we did. It cost just under €200 on the cab meter. We had just enough cash to pay. On the plus side, we've spoken to our TA today, who was very apologetic and is arranging a refund to us of the cab money. Company to avoid - Samarcanda

A quick related matter, Our travel agent had booked us a transfer from the port to Rome airport. It failed to turn up - in spite of speaking to the company once and the driver three times. First time, he said he was there (he wasnnt). Second time he said he'd be there in 5 minutes (he wasnt). Third time , he just shouted "taxi, taxi, taxi" (which we decided he meant he couldn't be arsed doing the job he'd been paid for and we should get a cab). So we did. It cost just under €200 on the cab meter. We had just enough cash to pay. On the plus side, we've spoken to our TA today, who was very apologetic and is arranging a refund to us of the cab money. Company to avoid - Samarcanda

I used to enjoy the late night buffets on P & O during the early 90s. That's decades back and we only returned to cruising recently. That's been with Oceania which doesnt have late evening food except room service (you don't want a meal at that time, so no use). My late night snack at home would, most usually, be cereal. Muesli with yoghurt is a favourite.

It's historical. Goes back to the time that "hospitality" workers were indentured servants, rather than employees earning a wage. It's too lengthy a subject for discussion on this forum but Google will find you info. Here's a scenario. In the middle of the 19th century, I'm a wealthy friend of the equally wealthy William Hanmer and visit him for the weekend at his home at Bodnant Hall. I havent brought my servants with me, of course, so I am "looked after" by his. On leaving, for my train back to Manchester from the new station at Llandudno Junction, I thank Hanmer's butler and slip him a small sum of money. And there you have the start of tipping service workers. It's an archaic practice I hope we eventually see consigned to history as other European countries have managed to do.

Bear in mind that Sunday is a day when work on the track and signalling often takes place, so trains may be slower, or be diverted onto a different route. Personally I would always travel to a cruise port the day before (if in the UK) or two days (if outside the UK). We've just booked a cruise from/to Southampton for next year. We'll drive down the day before. When we last did this (2018), we found a lovely hotel near Winchester which really set us up for the cruise.

Agreed. It's almost a duty to try and understand the place. you're visiting. I have a friend who practices law in Kentucky. Much of his practice relates to "workers rights". He explained the need to tip in accordance with American norms, otherwise you can actively financially harm the server. My recollection of what he said was that your tax authorities would assess a server's income tax liability partly based on the assumption of how much they are likely to have earned in tips. So, at its most basic, let's say I tipped at the usual UK rate of 10%, the tax authority may well assume that, for the hours worked over the period, the server would have received tips at the usual American 20% going rate and tax accordingly. FWIW, I used to play on a now defunct food forum where most contributors were American. Tipping often cropped up as a subject for angst and the need to be seen to be doing the right thing. Not something that would ever happen on a European led forum. Different cultures as I said. It can be tricky in Europe. There isnt a common tipping practice. Some countries have a tipping culture, other don't . Belgium is a country I've visited regularly and it used to have both cultures. In the French speaking parts, tips were not expected, as in France. But, in the Dutch speaking parts, tips or around 10% were common as then in the Netherlands. The area I visited was near the "border" between the two language areas, so it was always necessary to know exactly where you were when you stopped for lunch.

It was fine. We stayed the two nights to avoid any possible SNAFU with flights. Also meant we'd adjusted to local time by the time we were boarding the ship. We had a nice time - walked round the botanical gardens which were lovely. Walked on the Beach. Bought sandwiches for lunch and ate them in a park opposite the hotel. A couple of nice dinners. Our next cruise (2025) is a Southampton round trip so no flights involved which really appeals. Booked it on board and am in negotiation with the TA you hinted at a while back (and a couple of others).

We've visited the States a goodly number of times since our first visit in 1980. We do not generally visit the areas that are popular destinations for foreign tourists. It's often been the case that folk in the hospitality industry have never previously met a British person. Rudeness has been rare - probably no different than in the UK or other European countries. I've always enjoyed and been engaged by those trips - I find America to be the most "foreign" country I visit, even though we generally share a language. More foreign/different than, say, other European countries. It's just down to America and Europe generally having very different social cultures on so many aspects. But, what I see of current American society suggests that our recent pre-cruise stay will probably be our last visit. It no longer holds an appeal.

We've only used Ryanair once. It was fine and ontime. There's also Jet2 which was our flight home last Thursday from Rome.

Somewhere on your cruise line's website, it will tell you when online check-in opens. For our recent Oceania cruise, I think it was 21 days prior, so there's no need to be fussed about checking in at the minute (or day) it opens. I cannot recall what time of day ours opened but do know it was Florida time, as that's Oceania's home port and main office.

We are just back from a transatlantic on Oceania's Vista. Our online cruise specialist travel agency (which forum rules prevent me naming) arranged our flights. We'd also looked to sort it out ourselves but found the TA was the cheapest/easiest way forward. The transatlantic was with British Airways - Manchester/Heathrow/Miami. I could not get close to the TA's price myself. But one very keenly priced option I did find was Aer Lingus - Manchester/Dublin/Miami but for a couple of reasons it just suited us to have everything in one booking with the TA, rather than a DIY thing that would have saved us literally only a few quid. Both of these would need an overnight hotel at Heathrow/Dublin because of the fairly early departure time for Miami. Return flight from Barca to Manc will be easy for you to sort out with Easyjet or Ryanair.

Of course. And we encountered it during our brief pre-cruise stay in Miami Beach. I'd noted, from the Tripadvisor forum, that restaurants there commonly add a service charge (at around 18%). And so it was on both dinners we had there. First night, the server pointed out the charge on the bill, saying that nothing more by way of a tip was expected. Good for the Miami Beach restaurant industry.

Bollocks!

Yeah, Sleazy or Ryanair will get you to most European destinations from Manc.

Ah, yes, American cultural imperialism. Have you even considered for one moment what an insult that would be to your server, to receive a tip in a foreigner's currency, rather than their own.. Nasty. Just plain nasty. Shame on you.

We had a butler on Nautica last year. We'd booked a penthouse because of the regular mention of the shower cubicle being very small in lower grade staterooms. We had no use for him, with the exception of one night we ordered the freebie canapes. They weren't very nice, so never repeated it.

Yes. Maybe the hotel van thing was part of your deal with the hotel or cruise line. Our travel agent had booked the hotel for us and, rightly, said there'd be no need for a transfer company - it'd be easy just getting a metered cab from the airport to hotel and then hotel to port. Simples.

I liked this. Part of the excellent cabin design, IMO. No problem with the blue light for either of us.

Indeed, old fashioned cash tipping is very much a minority interest here. Many restaurants have replaced it with a discretionary service charge (tends to be 12.5% in the London area, 10% elsewhere) which, of course, you have to actively ask for it to be removed from the bill. FWIW, my brother in law drove a taxi for about 10 years up to Covid. When he started, most customers would tip at about 10%. When he finished, it was rare to get any tips during a shift. Not even of the "keep the change" varierty. He tells the story of driving football superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, who waited for his ten pence change on the fare. We do indeed have a very different attitude in Europe towards tipping, from the American attitude. I'd read of porters at Miami cruise terminal almost demanding a tip from passengers arriving for their cruise, to "make sure their bags got on board".

Flights were arranged by our UK travel agency. It included Manchester-Heathrow, Heathrow-Miami, Rome-Manchester. I don't know the individual pricing as it was all rolled up with the cruise price and other ancilliaries. I tried to work it out, knowing how much the headline price of the cruise was, and could only conclude the TA had access to British Airways prices that I couldnt match on BA's website. FWIW, the best transatlantic price I could find was with Aer Lingus via Dublin. It would have worked out slightly cheaper than the TAs offer but it was more convenient to keep everything in one place.