BruceMuzz

I really think the HSC, gratuities,tips or what ever you want to call them is an insult to the cruising public.

 

The only reason the cruise lines use this system is to keep the advertised cruise prices lower to try and fool the public into thinking they are getting a cheaper cruise.

 

It is the cruise lines responsibility to ensure their staff get paid an acceptable wage, not the cruising public.

 

The HSC should be removed and the charge should be added to the cost of all cruises, it is that simple, then those who want to tip for exceptional service can.

My ship just spent two months cruising Australia / New Zealand. We carried a very high number of Australian pax who were very upset about paying a Service Charge, and complained bitterly about it. The vast majority of Aussies removed the service charges and tipped nothing. My crew were very upset about losing so much of their salary. Many resigned and will not be coming back.

We frequently went ashore in Australia for lunch and dinner. In most of the restaurants we visited, the service was abysmal - and the restaurant added a Service Charge to our bill. In one Fremantle Restaurant the service charge was 25% of the bill!! When we asked the restaurant managers about this "service charge", they informed us that it was not negotiable, and was used to pay the salaries of the service staff.

Seems to be a double standard in Australia.

That's not cabotage laws about the ship. And many ships therefore do domestic itineraries.

 

It's only about whether duty free applies or not.

 

Your argument is like saying that there are cabotage laws against flights, because you cannot buy duty free when flying Sydney to Melbourne.

My ship spent most of last month in Australia. When the Aussie Customs people sent us the rules about Duty Free and GST, they were listed under the heading "Cabotage Regulations". You might want to contact your government and straighten them out.

Kate,

I am going to take a reckless guess and assume you are talking about planet Earth.

Might you enlighten us on the continent / country / city you are planning to visit?

Would you mind explaining this?

If you embark a cruise ship in an Australian port and then want to disembark in another Australian port, you will not be legally allowed to take any duty free purchases off the ship.

The ship must call at a foreign port to allow duty free shopping.

One-way Alaska cruises begin or end in Canada, but many round-trip Alaska cruises depart from Seattle.

 

You can do a one-way cruise between Vancouver (Canada) and Honolulu (US). However, you can't do a one-way cruise between Seattle (US) and Honolulu (US) without making a distant foreign port stop - as it violates the PVSA. That's also why there are one-way cruises between Honolulu and Ensenada, Mexico rather than Honolulu and CA.

 

As has been mentioned, some one-way NZ cruises begin in Auckland and end in Australia. However, we're on the Jan. 20 Celebrity Solstice from Sydney to Auckland, and we'll spend a few days in Sydney pre-cruise and Auckland post-cruise. After that - I'll spend 2 weeks touring the south island, then 10 days touring Tasmania. :)

Many Round Trip Alaska cruises also sail from Vancouver. There are many non-US cruisers who do not want to put up with all the hassles of joining or departing a ship in the USA.

Australia and New Zealand have their own versions of cabotage laws for foreign flag cruise ships, forcing the ships to go foreign. Another reason to start in another country.

Why do Alaska cruises start in Canada?

Why do Eastern Canada cruises start in New York and Boston?

Why do Caribbean cruises start in Florida?

Why do Mexican Riviera cruises start in California?

Why do Hawaii cruises start in Seattle?

Why do Hawaii cruises start in Northern Mexico?

All for the same reasons that New Zealand cruises start in Australia.

Lobster thermidore on a plane, impressive!!

 

I looked at JAL, they do fly out of ORD, but the same plane style I am trying to avoid 3-4-3. :(

Business Class and First Class do not have 3-4-3.

I'm not Jacksan, but I frequently take the very same Minato Mirai train from Nihon Odori Station to Shibuya Station.

I earlier posted that it costs 240 yen each way. That is not correct. It's 260 yen.

Previously the Minato Mirai Line ended at Shibuya, but it has recently been extended past Shibuya.

That is no problem. Just remember to get off in Shibuya.

We would like a hotel that is high class with a Japanese touch.

Then its either Palace Hotel or Imperial Hotel.

The Palace is newer.

Imperial is more classic -and also has the Frank Lloyd Wright Bar.

Ritz Carlton is a nice hotel located on top of the Midtown Office and Shopping Complex. The location is OK. This Ritz Carlton is just like every other Ritz Carlton in the World. It is on the edge of the upscale Akasaka District. Right next door however is Roppongi District, with many drunk westerners and hookers running around all night.

The Imperial is the classic Tokyo Hotel. It is located in Hibiya, at one end of the Imperial Palace grounds. Just behind the Imperial is the Ginza District. Next door to the Imperial is the Takarazuka Theatre. Within walking distance is Tokyo Station and the financial district. When the Imperial Family have a special function, they have it at the Imperial Hotel.

Palace Hotel is located at the other end of the Imperial Palace grounds. It was completely re-built last year - much taller with an even better view of the Palace Grounds. Fantastic Hotel. It is just 3 streets away from Tokyo Station.

Peninsula Hotel in Yurakucho is just a short walk from the Imperial Hotel, so it is also close to Ginza and the Imperial Palace Grounds. This Peninsula Hotel is a poor version of the flagship hotel in Hong Kong, but is still very nice and very well located.

There are 2 Four Seasons Hotels in Tokyo. One is located across the street from Tokyo Station. Very good location. The second one is out in the suburbs, and is primarily a business hotel for locals.

Park Hyatt in Shinjuku was made even more famous when they filmed "Lost in Translation" there. Great location close to Shinjuku Station. Has a "big city hotel feel".

Tokyo offers very little for the tourist. I'd go to Kyoto for the ancient culture and Japanese gardens.

It really depends on what type of "tourist" you are.

In fact, if you are a traveler instead of a tourist, Tokyo is even better.

It's currently the biggest metropolis on earth at 35 million people - with no crime. How do they do that?

Are you a foodie?

The city of Tokyo alone has more Michelin Starred restaurants than France, the UK, and the USA combined.

Many of the best 3 Star restaurants in France closed there and moved to Tokyo.

Are you a gadget freak?

Today in Tokyo you can buy all the state of the art electronics that will be introduced in Europe and the USA in about 5 years time. Show a foreign passport and they are all tax and duty free.

Adventure?

You can climb Mt Fuji in one day and ride back to Tokyo on a Bullet Train.

Or you can go to the top of the world's tallest structure (Tokyo Sky Tree) for a few dollars.

Tokyo Disneyland is far bigger and better than the ones in Europe and USA. If you get bored, Tokyo Disney Sea is right next door.

Shopping?

Have you ever been to the world's most amazing Department Store, Takashimaya?

For a bit of international flavor, you can also visit one of the Harrods or Printemps Department Stores.

They used to call Ginza Japan's version of New York's 5th Avenue. Now they call 5th Avenue New York's version of Ginza. There are more high end shops in Ginza than anyplace else on earth. Show your foreign passport and all purchases are tax and duty free.

Traveler?

Using Tokyo as a base, you can buy a multi-day JR Pass for peanuts. This allows unlimited travel on any Japan Rail train. You board a bullet train at Tokyo Station every morning, and you can be in nearly any distant Japanese city by noon. Have lunch, do a bit of sightseeing or shopping, jump back on the bullet train, and you can be back in your Tokyo hotel for dinner.

Sports fan?

Japanese are baseball fanatics - and they play pro baseball 12 months a year. The baseball stadiums are state of the art.

Go to a Japanese Baseball game and you may not want to go back to an American one.

Sumo? One of the oldest sports on earth. There are 5 tournaments per year; three are in Tokyo.

Is there something in the cruise contract or terms of passage that allows the cruise line to open and search bags in the passangers' absence?

Yes, there is.

You should read it.

Somebody explained the different cruise lines like this:

 

Carnival = board shorts

 

Princess = Dockers

 

Holland America = Depends

 

My experience has tended to validate the same.

For the past 8 consecutive years the average passenger on the Princess Fleet, worldwide, year round, is 58 years old.

For the past 7 consecutive years the average passenger on the Holland America Fleet, worldwide, year round, is 57 years old.

Air France Business Class on the A380 was better than First Class on many other airlines.

And of course, any seat on Air France is better than a seat on a US Airline.

Yeah, I realized I did that later. :rolleyes:

 

However, the question is how long is the hold on the CC?

 

Do they just even up the hold every day to the $60.00 pp?

It may help you to know how and why this hold business happens.

In today's economy, hotels and cruise lines are more frequently encountering travelers who cannot pay their bills at the end of their stay.

Even with this program in place, my employer is seeing 10% of passengers unable to pay at the end of the cruise. I'm not going to tell you how this happens, as I don't want to give any more ideas to the growing number of deadbeats out there.

The cruise lines establish what they believe is an average spending amount per passenger per day. Most of the lines have established that number to be $60 per person per day.

That amount is held in reserve against your credit card limit, by your bank at the request of the cruise line. Remember that this is an average. Some people spend $0 one day and then $120 the next = average $60.

Some cruise lines apply this hold on a daily basis - others for the entire cruise in one go. In both cases, NOTHING is charged to your credit card. Only that amount of your existing credit is held in reserve.

Most cruise lines do not charge anything to your credit card until the final night of the cruise. At that point, your bank charges the actual amount spent against your total credit, and releases the remainder of the hold against your account.

Some banks release the held credit in one day. Other banks take as long as a month to release the credit hold. That is an issue between you and your bank. The cruise line has nothing to do with it.

Anybody have a rough idea what the taxi fare would be to the Yokohama Cruise terminal if we don't want to mess with the transfer from our Shinkansan arrival at Shin Yokohama ?

 

Shin Yokohama station ---> Osanbashi Pier ?

 

or / also

 

Yokohama station ---> Osanbashi Pier ?

 

 

Thanks for any current taxi rates/info

Srpilo

For either station, roughly 1,500 to 2,000 yen one-way (depending on traffic).

I have a question regarding luggage delivery. Is that something that you do at the port/airport or should it be arranged/booked in advance?

 

Thanks for the help!

MC

When my ship calls at Yokohama, the agent brings on the pre-printed forms for the luggage service. The front desk staff takes care of the rest.

You should ask the front desk staff about this.

Jacksan1,

 

Also, I have looked at both the Minato Mirai Line website and the Tokyu site and am unable to figure out the total fare from Nihon Odori to Shibuya. I can only find the first leg (200 yen to Yokohama). Tokyu just says that teh fares are based on distance, but there are no station-to-station distances on their site. If you can point me to the right place or give me a ballpark figure, that would be great.

 

Thanks,

Matt

Nihon Odori to Shibuya is 240 yen, one-way.

Wow.

 

Lucy! You've got some 'splainin' to doooo.

 

On the other hand, they probably have insurance for the lost revenue.

All the major cruise lines do have insurance for things like this, but the insurance rates are so high that they can only afford to insure for long term and major losses of revenue. The costs of this event will be very high - but not high enough to reach the deductible limits of the policy.

Essentially, Princess is self-insured for this problem. It will be another loss for Carnival Corp shareholders.

Thanks Steve for keeping us informed, would love to see it as a hotel like they did with Rotterdam

I recently stayed in the SS Rotterdam Hotel.

Nice rooms.

Most of the ship is off limits to the public.

They didn't have enough funding to refurbish the entire vessel.

The management company running the hotel is bankrupt.

The government housing agency that financed the project used 40 million euros in taxpayer money that they were not authorized to use. That is all gone now. They need more to continue operations, but there is no more money.

Another massive waste of money for a pipedream.

The razor blade market is soon going to collapse with the addition of SS Rotterdam and SS United States.

The Black Label Photography company is on many of the mass market lines these days.

Remembering that in the cruise industry, "It is ALWAYS about the money", one might assume that this company does pretty well with their "over-priced product".

And one would be correct in assuming that.

On most mass market ships today, this specialized Black and White Photo concession makes more money - and far more profit - than most of the other concessionaires onboard.

If you like this idea and can afford it, good for you.

If you cannot afford this concept - even better. All the extra revenue and profit generated by this product means that the cruise lines are not forced to raise prices on other products you might want to buy - making your cruise more affordable.

Turnover is much lower on a cruise ship than in a hotel so there is less opportunity for the critters to jump out of one suitcase and into another.

Actually it is exactly the opposite.

Most land-based hotels are lucky to hit 50% occupancy at anytime during the year.

Hotel rooms often go for weeks or months without being occupied by anyone.

All the major cruise lines are requiring 100% occupancy every day and week of the year.

Popular ships and itineraries are running anywhere from 120% to 140% occupancy, depending on family holidays. So in addition to beds being at risk for bedbugs, there are also many sofa-beds and folding beds at risk as well.

Even if a ship is doing 3, 4, or 7 day cruises (with the same people in a cabin for the entire cruise) the actual number of different people occupying a cruise ship bed over the course of a year is higher than for a land-based hotel.

Many people leave their brains at home when they go on a cruise.

Big mistake.

Common sense goes a long way when you are traveling around the world.

Take your brains with you when you travel.

I realize you are exaggerating (I hope you are exaggerating) to make your point. But, a vegetarian eats no meat (that includes fish and chicken). A vegan eats no animal products, including milk, eggs, cheese, etc.

 

Except for a couple of your examples, NONE of those people are vegetarians. Also, vegetarians, don't just eat vegetables. There are fruits, legumes, grains, beans, lots of ways to mix it up. As I've pointed out, take a look at the HAL vegetarian menu, which includes several vegan dishes, and you will see how it can be done, creatively and with variety.

Sadly I am not exaggerating even in the slightest.

I could have typed a few dozen more goofy "Vegetarian" varieties we encounter every week of the year, but I ran out of time.

Most of the so-called "Vegetarians" I meet every week on ships have all sorts of silly ideas and excuses about what is animal and what is vegetable.

So they call themselves Lacto-vegetarians, Ovo-vegetarians, or Pescatarian-vegetarians or some other ridiculous name. And in the end, many of them are just playing with us so they can get a bit of extra attention. Offer them a free steak or a free lobster tail and you need to jump out of the way to avoid being bitten.

As I posted earlier, if you show up on a ship, claiming to be a vegetarian, the staff will probably not take you entirely seriously unless you can convince them you are not just pretending to be on a reality TV show.

For the cruise lines, VARIETY is the biggest challenge with vegetarians -at least when it comes to the VARIETY OF Vegetarians.

One eats no red meat, but eats fish or poultry.

Some will not eat red meat or poultry, but fish is OK.

The next one eats no red or white meat, but eats sauces made with meat and fish stocks.

The next one eats no meat or fish, but loves chicken, butter, and eggs.

One eats pasta but no fish, and will not eat cream sauces - but eats butter and drinks milk.

The next one will eat fish but not shellfish. No milk, but butter is OK.

Some will eat chicken, but will not eat a soup made with chicken stock.

Some will eat chicken stock, but not beef stock.

One insists on vegetarian pasta, and then requests extra cheese on top of it.

One insists on soy milk at every meal, but loves a latte with plenty of steamed cow's milk.

The next one is a strict vegetarian who eats no animal products, but does not want the same old boring vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, and salads. "Make me something different", they say. Unfortunately, they rarely have any suggestions as to exactly what those different foods might be. We are currently trying to import vegetables from the planet Mars to make them happy.

Nearly all of you want ice cream. ICE CREAM IS NOT A VEGETABLE.

The variations are endless - and they drive cruise ship chefs crazy.

My favourite vegetarians are the ones who force the staff to jump through many hoops for the entire cruise and then we catch them eating a steak on the final night.

Their explanation? They were just experimenting with a fad diet and just couldn't pass on that great looking steak.

If you claim to be a vegetarian and we do not seem to be taking you very seriously, at least you will know why.