Research, research, research...

[AndyMichelle]

58 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

people also post on here for opinions too. I know some of my posts I could definitely find out the information by google but usually that brings up threads from other sites from 10 years ago. 
 

I usually ask as I like to know what other people’s experiences have been regarding ports or taking food on board etc. 
I can sit and google Tenerife all day but I’m not necessarily going to get the information from google that I would do taking to someone who has been. 
 

it would be a very boring forum if we all googled our questions. 
 

google is not a brilliant conversationalist 

We have done quite a few cruises now, but my knowledge is minimal compared to the years of experience on this site. 

It's the little things that we generally want to know, we have visited so many places recommended by you lot and learnt so much. 

We definitely prefer honest opinions to terms and conditions. 

Andy 

 

[terrierjohn]

There are  high street TAs, and there are specialist cruising TAs, you may be lucky if your hight st. TA has a cruise specialist, but all agents at an online cruising TA should be specialists, so far better to go to one of them.

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, terrierjohn said:

There are  high street TAs, and there are specialist cruising TAs, you may be lucky if your hight st. TA has a cruise specialist, but all agents at an online cruising TA should be specialists, so far better to go to one of them.

That's the lesson we learnt John. 

Very poor advice from the High Street ta, bowled over by the service we get from our specialist cruise ta. 

Andy 

[Elaine0138]

On 1/20/2020 at 11:56 AM, terrierjohn said:

Maybe but I guess that what P&O charge them will be based on the sales they achieve.

The spa operator pays a fee to the cruiseline, the therapists get a basic wage plus gratuities and variable commission on products if the meet their targets. They are set targets each week by Steiner in this case which are often quite difficult for the girls to make on certain cruises.

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, Elaine0138 said:

The spa operator pays a fee to the cruiseline, the therapists get a basic wage plus gratuities and variable commission on products if the meet their targets. They are set targets each week by Steiner in this case which are often quite difficult for the girls to make on certain cruises.

It was the spa operators fee to P&O that I was referring to.

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, Elaine0138 said:

The spa operator pays a fee to the cruiseline, the therapists get a basic wage plus gratuities and variable commission on products if the meet their targets. They are set targets each week by Steiner in this case which are often quite difficult for the girls to make on certain cruises.

I do feel for the girls in the spa as they are obviously under pressure to sell/reach targets, but it can't be nice to be on the receiving end. 

Andy 

[Eglesbrech]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

I do feel for the girls in the spa as they are obviously under pressure to sell/reach targets, but it can't be nice to be on the receiving end. 

Andy 

You pay roughly a pound a minute for a massage or facial on a cruise ship so having it spoiled by a hard sell is not nice.
 

I am quite a strong character so just politely said no if the product is not something I am interested in. As I said above  just got fed up and stopped booking the spa and I don’t think I am alone in that. 
 

I have seen people leaving the Spa with an armful of expensive products which they didn’t even think about purchasing when the pay booked an appointment. So while I feel for the staff I also feel for pax who are put in a very difficult situation and are too nice to just say no.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

You pay roughly a pound a minute for a massage or facial on a cruise ship so having it spoiled by a hard sell is not nice.
 

I am quite a strong character so just politely said no if the product is not something I am interested in. As I said above  just got fed up and stopped booking the spa and I don’t think I am alone in that. 
 

I have seen people leaving the Spa with an armful of expensive products which they didn’t even think about purchasing when the pay booked an appointment. So while I feel for the staff I also feel for pax who are put in a very difficult situation and are too nice to just say no.

Why are we asked to feel sorry for the spa staff, or any ship's staff for that matter.  They all have a choice of the job they apply for, and I assume the glamour of life on a cruise ship will be part of its appeal.

If they don't like it, or feel that their targets to achieve the wage level they were promised are unattainable, then they are free to leave at the end of their contract, or complain and try to negotiate better terms.

[AndyMichelle]

10 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Why are we asked to feel sorry for the spa staff, or any ship's staff for that matter.  They all have a choice of the job they apply for, and I assume the glamour of life on a cruise ship will be part of its appeal.

If they don't like it, or feel that their targets to achieve the wage level they were promised are unattainable, then they are free to leave at the end of their contract, or complain and try to negotiate better terms.

Fair point John, but they are only trying to earn a living and I will never knock anybody for doing that. 

I expect many do leave because of the pressure, but it must sound like a glamorous job, so they will be easily replaced. 

Andy 

[Ranchi]

On 1/21/2020 at 10:39 AM, DamianG said:

 

You've just got to laugh at some of the questions on social media many of which could be answered by a quick check of the terms and conditions or even just by searching online. Presumably most of the posters just can't be bothered to research for themselves.

 

 a quick check of the terms and conditions...you could finish War & Peace and Ulysses in less time than it would take to read and appreciate the Ts&Cs. 

‘Quick’ well I guess on a glacial scale. 

Edited January 22, 2020 by Ranchi
typo

[the english lady]

I think some people do no research whatsoever before booking. They see a price in a shop window, something comes up in FB ,see something in a newspaper and think thats for me. Pay their money.

Then they discover by joining forums that oh pando have a dress code (don't go there) and if they want to dine that evening they will quite likely be in the buffet (pay extra to eat somewhere else- i wasnt told about that). would like to take lots of drink onboard (oh only 1ltr per person) why should I pay the ships prices. When they get to some ports (Barcelona lets say as I know that is one) you can either walk for 1/2hour+ each way, or you can pay for a shuttle each way.

They just see the base price and know nothing else until they find these things out and then complain on social media that the cruise line will not change things for them. A newly married couple booking a cabin with fixed single beds via a TA who knew nothing about the ship..I could go on.

Reminds me of many many many years ago just after package holidays to the sun had started a newspaper was asking people at an air port where they were flying to. They knew the flight number (never heard of the funny sounding name of the airport), and which country is that in, where are you actually flying to. They had no idea. 

Maybe not read all the t and c , but at least ask questions before you pay anything. Was reading one somewhere recently of someone who had paid a deposit-a few hundred , and now wanted to cancel. would they lose their deposit, and if they would that was very cruel of the cruise line...They did not give their reason for wanting to cancel, one could only assume from their post it was not something covered by insurance.

 

[davecttr]

This one does the rounds from time to time.

 

Have you been on holiday

Yes, we went on a cruise

Oh, where to

Some islands

What was the ship called

Dunno, it was big and white

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, the english lady said:

I think some people do no research whatsoever before booking. They see a price in a shop window, something comes up in FB ,see something in a newspaper and think thats for me. Pay their money.

Then they discover by joining forums that oh pando have a dress code (don't go there) and if they want to dine that evening they will quite likely be in the buffet (pay extra to eat somewhere else- i wasnt told about that). would like to take lots of drink onboard (oh only 1ltr per person) why should I pay the ships prices. When they get to some ports (Barcelona lets say as I know that is one) you can either walk for 1/2hour+ each way, or you can pay for a shuttle each way.

They just see the base price and know nothing else until they find these things out and then complain on social media that the cruise line will not change things for them. A newly married couple booking a cabin with fixed single beds via a TA who knew nothing about the ship..I could go on.

Reminds me of many many many years ago just after package holidays to the sun had started a newspaper was asking people at an air port where they were flying to. They knew the flight number (never heard of the funny sounding name of the airport), and which country is that in, where are you actually flying to. They had no idea. 

Maybe not read all the t and c , but at least ask questions before you pay anything. Was reading one somewhere recently of someone who had paid a deposit-a few hundred , and now wanted to cancel. would they lose their deposit, and if they would that was very cruel of the cruise line...They did not give their reason for wanting to cancel, one could only assume from their post it was not something covered by insurance.

 

Yep, the above happened to us.. 

As I said earlier, we liked the idea, popped into ta for advice, came out with cruise booked. 

Now, we are very flexible and not knowing was part of the adventure, if we didn't like it, we would make the most of it and then not go again, but we did need to research a bit after booking. 

Andy 

 

 

[the english lady]

3 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yep, the above happened to us.. 

As I said earlier, we liked the idea, popped into ta for advice, came out with cruise booked. 

Now, we are very flexible and not knowing was part of the adventure, if we didn't like it, we would make the most of it and then not go again, but we did need to research a bit after booking. 

Andy 

 

 

You were happy to make the most of It, if you hadn't enjoyed it. Some seem to Book, then come on social, find out things...and then choose to complain about cruise lines being stuck in the past etc, as it doesn't suit them.

[DamianG]

5 hours ago, davecttr said:

This one does the rounds from time to time.

 

Have you been on holiday

Yes, we went on a cruise

Oh, where to

Some islands

What was the ship called

Dunno, it was big and white

 

In the duty free shop at the port in A Coruña last year a lady was having a very loud mobile phone conversation: "Yeah, we just finished in the last port. Where? Oh, I don't know, La Coq or somewhere...."