SteveH2508

15% gratuity added to your bill at the SELF SERVICE wine bar! Robbers! Maybe it's to pay for the huge balconies.

It's the auto part of auto-gratuity. :rolleyes:

Check post 69 in this thread - www dot br*ntj*s dot com (* = e)

We did Christmas and New Year this year and the weather was gorgeous! Hardly a cloud to be seen for the whole voyage.

I prefer to make my investment in fine wine - the trouble is it never stays in the bottle! :D

We have a small flat with very limited wall space which is full of photos, prints, certificates etc.. We always take a walk through the gallery just to see if anything 'floats our boat' (excuse the poor pun).

What we have seen so far on the ships is generally stuff we would never give wall room to. As was posted above, the value of art is what someone will pay for it. I know a lot of people go for the free 'bubbly', fair enough, but I have seen enough people get carried away at auctions/sales pitches to know that a few bottles of 'five-buck fizz' is a snip compared to what they will make.

The bottom line - if you like it and the price is right then buy it - personally I would rather nail my eyelids to my knees than go to the onboard art auctions. :eek:

BTW - OP - an interesting analysis and a sensible conclusion - buy what you like - do not think of it as an investment. If the art was that good as an investment would they be hawking round cruise ships?

Another one which appeared on this thread http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=37614317#

LM = Little Monster!

You may have cut it too close for them to get one booked. Usually done at least a month out, and you're right at 2 weeks out. Are you sure no one on your roll call has already set one up? It's usually the person that started the roll call unless they drop out or let someone else do it.

There is a sticky thread at the top of this board on how to set up a Meet and Greet.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1300907

As you can see, you are very close time-wise.

Do not exchange money on board - the rates are a killer!

Best way is to use the local ATMs.

I've been on both RCCL and NCL and I'm going on both lines in the next two months. The meet and greet for RCCL has an official sign up process through CC, but I don't think there's one for NCL. RCCL put out a brunch spread and raffled off logo gifts. I didn't remember NCL doing that. I'm just deciding if I Gould undertake organizing one for my upcoming Epic adventure.....hmmmm..

It is worth organising the M&G if you like that sort of thing. Trust me... ;)

Dear NCL

Any chance that you could do the same on the Jade?

You would have two seriously happy passengers if you did (and a bigger take from the Martini bar!).

The Jade also has a non-smoking cigar bar next to Le Bistro.

LOL

 

AA Meetings? Who would have guessed? Anyone know if they have anything for ex smokers?

Now I understand why they have a non-smoking cigar bar! :rolleyes:

OMG! Speedos!!!!! What's that all about?:D

Any repeat cruiser over about 40 years of age does NOT want to wearing speedos/skimpy bikinis!:eek:

Sitting on a sun lounger with towels over another 6 loungers; smoking in the wrong place; drinking out of a rum-runner; wearing speedos and snapping your fingers at the waiters.

Have I forgotten anything? :rolleyes:

Loving your review. We did these ports last summer on the Jade. My DW has mobility issues and we can empathize with your review. It is a real shame you had so little time at Ephesus - it was the highlight of our excursions.

Do bear in mind that the European attitude to alcohol is VERY different to the US attitude - particularly as regards to age. Many European kids are brought up to respect alcohol and they drink beer and wine from an early age. Just saying...

Have you considered that the parents might be Europeans and have bought the drinks for their offspring? There are significant cultural differences between Europe and the US and these parents may well see this as perfectly normal. I am not condoning them breaking NCL's rules but some of the posts on here are bordering on the hysterical.

Maybe the officers were taking a pragmatic approach - supervised responsible drinking - no big deal - too much drink and the ton of bricks drops.

Do bear in mind that the European attitude to alcohol is VERY different to the US attitude - particularly as regards to age. Many European kids are brought up to respect alcohol and they drink beer and wine from an early age. Just saying...

Excellent review.

You mentioned that you didn't take the guided tour of the Tower of London.

This is what you missed.

Enjoy!

Borough Market - nearest Tube station is London Bridge (two stops from Waterloo on the Jubilee Line).

 

The food is good, but it's not cheap.

Just to add that at weekends there are several farmers markets in London. http://www.lfm.org.uk/

There is also a farmers/produce market at Duke of Yorks Square every Saturday with plenty of 'take-away' cooked food as well as produce (nearest tube Sloane Square). http://www.partridges.co.uk/foodmarket?sessionid=1326266732a854b65a7e6d8f36a59a61342bf7b74b

Here's one I found - can't vouch for how up to date it is :-)

 

http://www.beyondships.com/files/Crown_Princess_Crooners.PDF

Looks the same as the one we were given a year ago.

To get all yankee on y'all, I have no idea what you are saying, but I love the way you say it!

A UK expression is 'tarring everyone with the same brush' - meaning the making of an over-arching generalisation about a group of people.

Comments to the effect that all Limeys stiff on tips is as insulting as saying all Yanks are insular or ignorant. Some are - some are not.

The RollEyes smiley :rolleyes: gives an opportunity to show that the statement is ironic/humourous. (Internet etiquette 101)

(I do not take offense but some of my countrymen might) (also I am happily married to a lovely American lady). :D

I am an Englishman (and proud of it) and I do subscribe to the 'when in Rome do as the Romans do' despite my personal views on the whole tipping culture.

I regard the $12 per person per day DSC and 15% booze gratuity as sufficient except where my room steward or a particular waiter has performed 'over and above' the call of duty in which case they will get an extra tip. (Waiters on the Jade in the Martini bar please take note - we shall be there in August :D )

My understanding is that the 25-30% surcharge for British cruisers is levied to cover the costs of extra staff in the home office to handle gratuity complaints and process DSC refunds.

Might I suggest you get a smaller brush for your bucket of tar? :rolleyes:

Left luggage facilities were removed during the IRA bombings in the 70s and 80s and have not been re-instated generally. You may also notice that on railway stations there are no litter bins as such - just hangers with clear plastic bags (for the same reason).

I can't wrap my mind around why someone who hates gambling is lurking around the casino board.:confused::confused:

Because they want to preach their 'holier than thou' or 'I'm smarter than you' attitude.

You know the type of person - you see them in a bar and find any excuse to avoid them...

I enjoy my life - I like a smoke; a drink; a gamble; good food; cruising etc..

I'm as happy as a pig in muck - I pity people who want to spend their lives being miserable and preaching to others.

If I choose to spend my hard-earned on having fun, it is none of anyone else's business (except for my wife!)

HHHHHEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO jasjess7881: Roulette is extremely popular in Europe although I can't figure out why. In an American Casino you have on an even money bet 18 chances to win and 20 chances to lose. On a Column bet you have 12 ways to win and instead of 24 ways to lose you have 26 ways to lose and for that you get paid 2-1.

 

As in most casino games you make less than the true odds. The only game where you get a true odds payout is when you take the odds in craps on Pass Line or Come Bets. That pays out at true odds. It is the only bet in the Casino that pays out at true odds. Remember, the larger the odds the less chance it has of hitting.

It's probably popular in Europe because we only have one zero so the house edge is 2.7%.

As a Brit - I would never play a US wheel!