ToadOfToadHall

The site is now much better, has a more modern look and feel and has more features.

In my professional capacity I always see these types of reactions to change; One of the areas I work in is the design of Graphical User Interfaces used for industrial control systems. It's the graphics that are presented to people that operate (monitor and control, react and handle alarm conditions etc) process plants in industries such as water, power, road transportation etc. 

As new software is introduced, more advanced and flexible features are made available to the process/plant operators. However, they will always (well, almost always) complain about a new system and will tell you that the old one was way better than the new one (okay, that is subjective) and could do more than the new system (which is not subjective, it's wrong, because, for example, certain feature were not in the old software, but they will claim that it was (which it was not)).

So one of the things we have to do is manage change by introducing changes slowly and allow those that will operate a new system to see what they are going to get before they get it, so they get a feel for it whilst the software is still in development.   

In a nutshell; people do not like change. 

Nationwide, for example, is £500/day. HSBC is £300 but their premier account is £1000. Barclays is £300 but their premier account is also £1000.

So each back and/or account have different limits.

38 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

It was the first time, I had gotten a  50 pound note either, I withdrew  400 pounds so maybe the amount of the withdrawal had something to do with it. Or perhaps it was the location in St. James' Street. 

This has interested me so I've been Googling it and it seems that only Barclays' ATMs issue £50 notes, and then only at a few ATMs in London (that's the best info I could find).

So that would tie up with your £50 from Barclays in London.

In the UK, for some reason which I don't really see why, people think only drug dealers etc use £50 notes and for that reason there is a reluctance of shops/bars/etc to take them.   

I think they should be quill pens !

9 hours ago, Scorer9 said:

It was in the post from Bigmike911 earlier today.

Thanks, I found it and must have edited my response during the time you had put yours.

54 minutes ago, Scorer9 said:

I'm amazed any ATM in the UK would ever have given out £50 notes. I've withdrawn £100+ every week for many years in the UK and have never received one.

I've never had a £50 note from an ATM either. 

As an observation, we were in York on a holiday a couple of weeks ago and a saw a tourist (from Japan I think) proffer a £50 note and they had it refused.

4 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

Yes, the withdrawn notes and coins has hit me a couple of times too. The five and ten pound notes are now printed on plastic, with a see through security device, I am sure that by my next trip in September,  the twenty will have been replaced too.

2020 is when the Twenty pound note will be replaced with a new plastic version. It's normally 6 months or so after the new notes are issued that the old one is withdrawn.

57 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

We did a multi-country Scandinavian cruise and I withdrew the equivalent of $50 in two or three currencies at ATMs as we traveled. 

We did something similar on our first Baltic cruise. I got about £50 of each currency before we sailed and it turned out to be a waste of time. The next time I did not bother and just used my plastic when ashore. I think it's physiological for me; I hardly ever use cash now but I still feel happier with cash in my wallet.

We first went on Cunard when I was 40 and Mrs Toad was 32 and we expected that we would be the youngest on board. And we were almost the youngest, but not quite - there was one younger couple as I recall from Spain.

On our last but one cruise we met a couple that were in their very early 20s and they said they had really enjoyed it.

On a TA a few years ago there were a lot of children (as in grown up children) around late teens. They flocked together. It was like watching The Invasion of the Body Snatchers - they walked around the ship in a group and the group got bigger and bigger. If you've seen the film you will understand what I mean !  

4 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

While the proceeds go to charity, the goods offered are pretty poor. I went through all of them and found none worth bidding on. 

Yep. Absolute garbage that should be chucked in the nearest skip. They have a  cheek to punt it out.

During my return crossing aboard QM2 in August/September, I (a Canadian) was seated the first week with a British married couple and two solo American travellers (an older man and a younger woman). Two other solo travellers (an American and a Brit) switched to the early seating.

The second week I was joined by two American friends travelling together, a solo American, a Glaswegian lady and a Swedish lady.

No real patterns there.

 

Last week, we cruised aboard the Queen Victoria in the Mediterranean. We were the only Americans at our table for 10. The other eight people at our table were from the United Kingdom. In my experience with Cunard, I frequently have been assigned to tables with people from other countries. Chuck

I'd say there's a massive pattern there.

Both of you have been seated predominately (with the single exception of the Swedish lady) with people from English speaking countries.

And a quick search on the interest has just told me that 90% of Swedes speak English as a second language. So it's a fair bet that she could speak English as well.

Therefore, it would seem that people are being sat together by the language that they speak.

Classes on trains and planes is not what classes on NCL/MSC or suite perks on Cunard are.

Yes they are - they are very much the same concept.

Take a plane; If you travel 1st class you get a separate lounge at the airport. You get a screened off area of the plane. You get different food on the plane.

Take a Cunard ship; If you travel Grills class you get your own check desk. You get your own separate lounge on the ship. You get different food on the ship

That's the reason why.

No it's not.

but do not forget that you can tell from the cruise card if you have sailed with Cunard before and also the little discreet diamond on the Card that shows if you are travelling in the Grills.

But you can't see someone else's card. Unless they happen to hang it round their neck on a shoe lace that is.

We have booked a guarantee 3 times; once we got the grade we booked (QM2) and I think once was 1 grade higher and the other time was 2.

Astonishing isn't it, the enormous difference between nationalities.

I've been to the US quite a few times (and a fair few bits of it) and there certainly is !

However, I was referring my ASKING a steward for his recommendation... not his saying "I'd go for the chop and chips this evening, sir" without being asked.

Yes, I was just using that as a further example, but, as you say, it's not the same thing as asking of course.

I think what we have here is another cultural US/UK difference !

I've never eaten out in the UK with anyone who has ever asked for a recommendation (apart from once as I recalled above). In fact, if a waiter/server/whatever term you prefer, was to proffer a recommendation without being asked, most people in the UK would assume they were doing that because they wanted to get rid of that particular dish.

. Odd, we accept "classes" on planes but resist the notion of them on ships.

Spot on.

If you look at other cruise forums, classes on trains or planes are fine with people, but people are often outraged if, as you say, it's a ship. and actually, they are only outraged with Cunard. Other cruise lines have exactly the same arrangement, but that, for some odd reason, if perfectly okay with those same people.

I've never understood the idea of the chef or waiter recommending a dish. Are they saying that the other dishes are of a lower quality ?

It reminds me of something years ago; A friend of mine was travelling to the US quite a lot and had a habit of trying to imitate Americanisms when we returned to the UK. So once we were in a restaurant when he'd just returned and he asked the waitress "What's good tonight?" She looked at him as if he was some kind of utter cretin and replied "erm, well they are all good". Well, yes, that's the answer I would have given him as well.

We sailed on QM2 this summer, brought our own darts and played on our own as well as joining the competitions where we all had to use the same ones...we then got on QE2 and where very disappointed to see that the dart board was only useable during the daily competition as there is a table in the way , as this is a pub, was expecting the same as QM2

The QV is the same. There's a table in the way and the oche is a bit of tape on the carpet.

. Sometimes we order a bottle of wine in the MDR or have a drink that's $15. But these are things that aren't included in the package!

When you look at it like that, it does make the package somewhat poor value when so much is not included as you say.

For us, we average around $100 on pop over the course of the cruise. Some of that will be wine by the bottle and we nearly always order a bottle of port at the start of the cruise to finish our evening meal with (a don't mean a bottle a day !). I drink more than Mrs Toad, so even at our $100 a day the $69x2 package would not be worth it.

I don't get how anyone who isn't an alcoholic would be able to save money with the $69 package.

Even if I have a beer for lunch, two drinks before dinner, two glasses of wine and a drink after dinner, it wouldn't cost me more than $69.

That's 6 drinks you have listed. Depends on what they are of course, but let's say an average of $10, that's $60.

I don't know how folks could managed to get their monies worth.

My usual 7.30pm routine is a couple of pre dinner cocktails up in the Commodore, then I'll enjoy a few glasses of wine from my wine package at dinner, then maybe a night cap after the show in the G32.

And equally you have just listed 6 or more. Another $60.

So you have both stated you don't know how anyone can drink $69. But 6 drinks @ $10 each, plus 15% comes out at $69.

It's so easy to rack up that size of bar bill without even realising it, as both Bell Boy and Shuffleboard Dude have just demonstrated !!

Last time we were on the QM2 there were darts available, but we also brought our own. The good thing about the QM2 compared to the QV is that you can go and play darts anytime you like because there's a dedicated area in the bar. Unless it's changed in the last few years that is as we've not been on the QM2 for a fair number of years.

Pins and lanyards both rate a 👎👎👎

Since your lanyard is used for both payments and access to your room, it's akin to your wallet and house keys. And I'd not wear my wallet and keys tied round my neck with a bit of string.

If the food was below par no wonder the Americans did not “Dress up” stop picking on us!

That's what Mrs Toad said last year on the QV - "Why am I dressing for this poor quality of food?"

So do people actually wear these things? They take me back to the world of work where the HR department come out with "loyalty" awards like a scroll for five years "loyal service". A photo with your head of department shaking your hand. And company ties. I am afraid I am far too cynical for all that.

We had one of these once. Straight in the bin - I have no desire to sport China's finest tat.