ilikeanswers

On 9/16/2023 at 1:02 AM, Mick B said:

 

And yes, the local authority should pay for the port. If they want the ships to bring in passengers then why not. Did they or did they not pay for the airports and train stations that bring in passengers? Or should cruise ship passengers be treated differently?

I would say the main difference is airports and train stations serve the locals as functional transport. They are not built for tourists, tourism is an incidental benefit. Cruise ports would mainly serve tourists like hotels serve tourists and local authorities rarely pay for hotel builds. 

What sad news. His contributions were wonderful. Especially during Covid I loved reading his stories of him and Maxie😔. RIP @GUT2407

13 hours ago, hallasm said:

You’re linking to an article behind a payment firewall. Cannot access the article. 

That is odd. There should not be a paywall🤔. Maybe I linked it wrong? 

Second attempt though I suppose it is old news now 😂:

Sydney couple stuck on luxury cruise ship as COVID cases reported

Interview with people on board:

Sydney couple stuck on luxury cruise ship as COVID cases reported

Sounds like they are in good spirits. 

I don't know if I am "spoiled" but I do miss expedition cruises being expeditiony😝. Over time they have become more luxurified which obviously means the price goes up accordingly on top of which I don't real care for all those luxury trappings. I love the itineraries but I would be happy with a more simplified ship experience. Unfortunately that is the down side of change when you become the target market minority there will be less products that cater to what you want.

And I think that might be the core difference when it comes to CC. Most people on this site are prolific cruises who have experienced many cruises over many years so they have a lot to compare with while the reality is most cruisers only cruise a few times in their whole lives so they don't see the changes the way CC cruisers do and are more accepting of the changes than those who remember how it use to be. 

On 7/10/2023 at 8:20 AM, lyndarra said:

Here's something different, something that hasn't happened to me in years.

I received a cheque - in the mail!😨

Last month I had a business call me asking why I still haven't cashed their cheque. I was so confused as I didn't even know I was getting this refund and obviously hadn't received this cheque which according to their records had been sent in January😯. I asked if they could just EFT the amount and they said "no we are only allowed to send cheques". Have to admit I didn't think cheques still existed😂.

On 6/23/2023 at 9:28 AM, Sparky74 said:

I remember someone saying years ago (perhaps it was in this forum) that instead of flying business class, they would break their journey and stay a night in a five star hotel. It was more cost effective and they felt it gave them a better travel experience. 

I do the break up the journey as well though not in a five star hotel😄. It is the only way for me to feel rested when I reach destination. I can't afford business class either but one time I did get an upgrade with Etihad and found I still couldn't sleep in those lie flat beds as the whole environment wasn't really geared to restfulness so I prefer the breaking up of the flight journey anyway. 

I have used many website but lately I have been using Google Flights to see all the options but book with the carrier. Only once have I found a third party website to be cheaper. Unfortunately fees of some sort (booking or payment fees) are popping up everywhere even direct with carriers so it is getting harder to avoid but still even with fees I find booking with the airline cheaper. 

If you have an idea of your dates you can set up alerts to let you know if the price drops. 

First cruise was almost all booked out so we went for the balcony as it was the cheapest option left. Anyway it turned out to be a great option since it was a ship that allowed you to keep the balcony door open. Never forget the experience of sleeping with the sound of the sea surging past the ship. 

17 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

The brand is Elmsbury. As far as I can find, they are produced exclusively for Aldi, I wouldn't be surprised if they are linked with Herbert Adams pies, which have very similar pies and packaging.

The packaging is just to trick you 😂. You see it even with Woolies and Coles homebrands they always try to make them look like popular brands. 

16 hours ago, DarrenM said:

I just found Monaco pretentious beyond belief, and I also find folk with that much wealth just a bit sick.

When I visited Monte Carlo I saw mostly workers than rich people. Maybe because we visited in the afternoon so we ended up coinciding with the rush hour home. It is fascinating how much Monaco empties by the evening😂. Just buses and buses of people returning to France, it became a bit of a ghost town after. 

23 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Sounds delicious.  Which farmers’ market?

It's called the Carriageworks Market in Redfern. I don't go that often but when I do I head straight to the pie man stall. He makes some amazing and unique pies with a rotating list of flavours. 

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

As for not being messy enough to make much difference even an extra 10 to 15 minutes of extra cleaning on turn around day can interfere with things. One cabin maybe not so much but multiple cabins most assuredly (they have to clean all of their cabins in a few hours as opposed to having all day available and this includes a complete change out of linens, etc.).

That would make sense but if CC is any indication it would seem most people see room cleaning as pampering and I'm part of a tiny minority so hopefully I am not causing to much hassle. To be fair I don't usually put the Do Not Disturb sign through the whole cruise I just don't want cleaning every day. Though perhaps in future I'll let them clean the day before the end so they don't have the extra 15 minutes on turn around day. 

Got some shawarma spiced lamb pies, 14 hr wagyu roast pie and a massaman curry beef pie at the farmers market. The curry pie was lacklustre but the shawarma and wagyu yum😋

Fatu Hiva French Polynesia. One it is fascinating to see a society that lives in extremely isolated conditions and two it is one of the most gorgeous places I have visited. Certainly most spectacular place visited by cruise ship. 

3 hours ago, HardToPort said:

No bragging about your job, finances, kids, house etc. Be self aware enough to know when you’re boring.

I would another side. I don't want to spend my holidays answering every tiny detailed question about my job😬. I don't care if you find my job interesting, I am not your cruise ship entertainment and if I wanted to talk about work I would have stayed home and worked😂. 

7 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Unfortunately, you are causing them additional work, as it takes longer for them to clean, once they finally get access to the cabin. If they don't get access until turnaround day, expect to see your photo on the crew dart board, as having a backlog of cleaning to do is something they don't need on the already busy turnaround day.

 

Lack of regular cleaning, especially dusting, increases the risk of fire, a fact that is hammered into us when we were new cadets.

 

BTW - the do not disturb sign doesn't prevent access to your cabin, as the Master, or designate can search/inspect any space at any time. 

I'd like to think I'm not that particularly messy that, it would make such a difference on turn around day😳. Though thanks for reminding of another concern. IMO when a cruise finishes all passenger data, should be deleted. With all these increasing data breaches you got to wonder why companies keep your ID data for so long even when you stopped utilising a company a decade ago🙄. 

But I am wondering if dust is so hazardous why have Do Not Disturb signs at all? Why not tell passengers it is mandatory to have your cabins cleaned due to fire hazard? 

4 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

I actually forgot about the do not disturb sign.

 

I suppose I feel that the room attendant might feel offended if I left that on every day.

 

Going soft as a get older

I figure I am doing them a favour one less room to clean🤷‍♀️. My mum always refuses to use the Do Not Disturb sign even though she too dislikes daily room cleaning but the way she sees it, it's included in the room price so she wants to use. I have said the Do Not Disturb sign is also included in the room price so why not give that some use🤪.

53 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

I fall into this trap regularly on the net. My sense of tone, or humour, doesnt translate well. Especially when discussing with folk from different backgrounds, countries etc.

 

I type like I am talking to a mate in the pub.

 

Apart from the swear words.

Emojis can help. Not perfect but sometimes it is a way to separate where you are trying to lighten the mood in your text. 

48 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

I must be odd then because I dont like anyone coming in my room during my time on board. I would rather make my own bed and re-use towels etc. I dont stop them cleaning etc because its disrespectful to do that, and I tip generously, on top of what I pay upfront as part of the cruise cost.

 

But I would rather know that when we  leave the room nobody has been in.

 

I am like that in hotels too.

I would actually agree with you on this. I've never liked having my rooms cleaned daily. Unlike you I have put up the Do Not Disturb signs just to stop the cleaning😂. I like to know the space I reserved is just for me and not open to anyone and everyone. I would much prefer it if room cleaning was done by request than on a daily schedule. 

26 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

They are only cleaning the cabins once per day, so less hours per cabin. Since the scope of work is reduced they require less cabin stewards to service all cabins aboard the ship, within the same hours.

I understand they have less shifts but if you half the staff surely it would take longer to do that one shift🤔? 

Most people cruising aren't regulars. It may feel like everyone is taking multiple cruises a year when on CC forums but for the average passengers what a CC cruiser does in a year will be the amount of cruises most people will take in their life😂. So they are less likely to notice the cut backs because they won't know how it was before. And maybe they are a little less jaded or critical because they don't have a routine yet, everything would still feel like a new cruise. I don't think any demographic is being phased out but regular cruisers were never the majority demographic, so the companies know what to cut that won't effect the bottom line and unfortunately the regular cruisers are people they can afford to lose. 

6 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

The cabin stewards will have more cabins to clean, but that doesn't translate into longer work hours, which are regulated. The change also won't affect their ability to go ashore, as this is dictated by "In Port Manning", where a percentage of the crew have always been required to remain onboard.

If there are less cabin stewards doesn't that mean you have to work longer to get all the cabins cleaned in one day? Or do they reach the maximum hours of work and just leave the rest of the cabins not done? 

About two week ago I was on CC on my mobile and noticed this number 035 has appeared at the top of the page:

I looked at the desktop site and the number is not there. I'm just curious what this number is about and does it mean something about my account? 

I don't have an interesting story as to how I started cruise it was just the destination I wanted to visit was easier to get to via cruise. My reason was so boringly practical😂.