drsel

29 minutes ago, drsel said:

 

A very detailed in depth & impartial video analysis.

He gives Costa a superstar status for negligence upselling/sales pressure for any drinks package, photographs, excursions etc

He also mentions the Costa app problem with Apple iPhones 

16 hours ago, mom says said:

Irrelevant.  The point is, a real Thai massage is the antithesis of relaxing. Not the same thing as a tourist massage in Thailand. Just like a massage isn't always a Swedish massage  just because you had it in Stockholm.

I am interested in massages for relaxation.

I was referring to the traditional Thai massage,  which is assisted stretching  without any oil.

100 bahts (US$ 2.90) for 1 hour in Central Pattaya.

The stretching may be slightly painful while they are doing it, but after the massage you get deep sleep.

It is just so relaxing!

And for US$ 2.90, it is as good as free!

When our Cruise ship stopped for 2 days at Laem Chabang, we did both the traditional Thai massage and the foot massage @ USD 2.90 per hour in Central Pattaya.

When we returned to the ship they had Thai masseurs doing the same massages for over $100 !

1 hour ago, mom says said:

If you got a relaxing massage in Thailand, it wasn't a proper Thai massage. Likely a tourist massage.

But there are ONLY tourists at every massage parlour in Pattaya & Bangkok.

There are hundreds of massage parlours in Central Pattaya. Every 2nd shop is a massage parlour & the massages were so cheap, they were almost free

The cost used to be 100 bahts for 1 hour traditional Thai massage or foot massage.

Aromatic, herbal & oil massages used to cost 250--400 bahts for 1 hour.

I'm not sure about the prices now

12 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

 

I use the massage chairs when I get a pedicure here at home. Agree that they are okay for 5-10 minutes but after that, they're a bit annoying! And they don't fit all people - what is intended to hit one part of the body often hits another.

 

@drsel I agree that massages are overpriced on ships. On our last cruise, I splurged on one and never again. I can have a much better experience here at home for about 30% of the price. So that's where my massage (and acupuncture) dollars go - to a local practitioner. 

You should try the relaxing Thai massage and foot massage in Bangkok and Pattaya for 6 dollars

7 hours ago, evandbob said:

Balconies can get wet and I wouldn't use an electric foot massager that's been installed on one - possibility of too much moisture that would shock my feet (or worse)

Yes, it would have to be taken inside when it starts to rain.

Maybe the cruise line could charge a deposit plus a fee for hiring the foot massager and check it on return to see that there is no damage or moisture.

Also, since disposable plastic foot covers would have to be used for hygiene, maybe it's advisable to keep these machines in the gym, where the gym assistant can personally make sure that everyone uses a disposable foot cover 

And also charge the cabin card.

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

Put them on balconies!  

Agreed, a foot massager would easily fit on any Cruise ship balcony.

It hardly costs anything (on Amazon), compared to the price people pay for a balcony cabin.

It would certainly enhance the value of the balcony cabin and make it much more attractive to book

14 hours ago, sanger727 said:

I can't see the spa wanting those installed. It would compete with their employees. Why would they want a lower cost alternative to be available?

13 hours ago, mom says said:

What Sanger said. Given that the Spa is a contracted service, and the cruiseline gets a cut of every sale, I doubt that either one would be in favor of such a move.

I agree, but remember that very few are willing to pay the exhorbitant fees (over $100) charged for a massage by a  spa employee. I often see the masseurs sitting idle on so many cruises, simply because the massages are too expensive, unaffordable or simply not great value.

This move would bring in additional business from those who cant afford, or are not willing to spend so much for a regular massage.

The rich folk who are anyway happy to pay high prices will not be deterred from doing so.

Just check out the things to see and do at all ports on toms port guide and whatsinport.

There are maps and details about public transport etc

43 minutes ago, pookel said:

First - I know we're not allowed to name specific agents/agencies.

 

I live in a smaller city and there are very few local travel agents. I also prefer to do everything online via email or text. But I'm interested in finding a travel agent who will get to know me personally and who can handle everything for me (hotel, airline, cruise). Every google search I've tried just gets me a ton of results from the large online booking agencies, which isn't what I want.

 

So - what methods could I use to find someone? Are there reputable websites that list agencies? Or sites that post agent reviews? Any advice?

 

I am in the US fwiw.

You can find out by personally asking all people you come into contact with on your next Cruise.

Or visit any nearby regular travel agent and ask him to find out and get you the contact info of an offline cruise specialist travel agent.

I do all my bookings online, so I have not personally met any of the agents.

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

It is difficult not to notice the ridiculous pricie points of some excursions.  We are currently in a Seabourn cruise where even simple “walking tours” are usually priced around $80 (with some above $100) which generally are 2 hour walks (from the ship) around parts of a port city.    These tours are easy to DIY.  Many other excursions are priced in the hundreds of dollars (per person).  
 

While many experienced cruisers routinely book private tours (easily done online) and others hire taxis or use Hop on Hop Off buses, there are still many passengers who pay the big bucks for the cruise line excursions which are often priced 2, 3 or more times the price of alternatives.

 

What do you think?  Are the cruise lines pricing their excursions too high?

 

Hank

They are not just overpriced, but ridiculously overpriced.

the markup is easily 100% or more for almost all tours

Wouldn't it be beneficial for all cruisers if the cruise lines installed  the following automatic machines in the spa and/or gym?

1) Foot massagers 

2) Full body chair massagers

3) Back massagers 

Charges for these could be a fraction of the charges for typical massages offered in the spa.

These machines wouldn't cost a lot, but the earning potential is huge!

Because I am sure that they would be in heavy demand and also be very profitable for the cruise line.

What do you think?

On 8/10/2023 at 12:04 PM, maryann2 said:

I can confirm that the Costa app does not work on North American phones.

I usually use the whattsapp plan on board to keep in touch with people at home. Works well with excellent connection. Just cannot access Costa app.

I suppose it does not work well on Apple iPhones.

Although they have a new app for iOS also, it has very poor reviews (only 8 reviews, rated 2.5/5.0)

https://apps.apple.com/be/app/costa-cruises/id1252963680

On 6/23/2023 at 12:25 AM, Essiesmom said:

I just added it to my iPad ….hope it works.  I never visit forums on my phone…screen is too small and typing near impossible.  EM

Use voice typing or voice to text.

you talk and your phone will type automatically

If you are using a Google Android phone (OnePlus ,Samsung, etc),

All you need to do is put on airplane mode (to switch off mobile data),  and then put on Wi-Fi and connect to the free MSC or Costa open Wi-Fi network (free Wi-Fi is only for using the app).

both MSC or Costa app will work very well with their respective free Wi-Fi on board.

On MSC you sometimes get the easy plus premium alcoholic beverage package with unlimited Wi-Fi for two devices for only $99 per person for a 7 night cruise 

Both MSC & Costa apps work very well on android mobiles. I've not tried them on any tablet

Just released!

The internet opinion of the worst 3 Cruise lines.

This is quite incredible, I just can't believe it

Norwegian Cruises are highly enjoyable, but there is a huge difference in the prices before and after Covid.

The increase is nearly 100% , so I strongly feel that they have priced themselves out of the mass cruise market.

The free at sea perks are priced into the cruise fare, and.the added gratuities make it even more expensive

Still, you may just get a last minute deal or a sailaway deal without perks

Another superb comparison with great video shots of each cruise line!

Visit cruiseplum and put your departure port as Southampton and your dates and cabin category.

You will see all cruises available.

You can rank by date or cheapest price per night including all port fees taxes and gratuity.

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

. Maybe the wife would prefer to stay home and put more time into her expanding business. 

Are you kidding she would love to see both Australia and Japan

it's a once in a lifetime trip, we can't keep going again and again

10 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

I'm still wondering why this is only being delt with in the penalty stage.

I understand that it wasn't known when the original reservation was made.

But wasn't there a time when it was known, and could have been solved (= changed/fixed!) for a relatively modest fee such that both of them could have gone, or perhaps left it for just the second cruise together and maybe get some credit to change the first?

Was this really the "best that could have been done" if addressed sooner?

 

However, different people/couples have different patterns.  For us, if one couldn't go, the other wouldn't either.  I suppose there might be a situation where we'd do that, but I can't imagine it, and it's never come up, yet.

If the money is "gone" whether we go or stay home, if we'd need to split up such that only one had the nice trip... that's a no-brainer.  The money is "gone".  That's a sunk cost.  The situation then becomes:  Will we be happier with one away on the trip and one staying home, or both home?

Very easy answer!

 

And if even a small bit of the money could be recovered, all the better. 🙂 

 

GC

We would have done these two Carnival sailings in Feb 2023 along with the Princess cruise from Brisbane to Hong Kong, but Princess cancelled Mar 2023 and postponed it to Apr 2024.

Princess gave us complimentary extra days and lengthened the cruise to a grand voyage in April 2024 (from Brisbane to Hong Kong to Taiwan to Tokyo) at the same price !!

So we were forced to again transfer the two Carnival Cruises to Mar 2024, just before The Princess cruise left Brisbane to go to Hong Kong and Japan.

We had to bunch all three Cruises together in 2024 because we couldn't afford to make two trips to Australia both in 2023 and 2024.

And we did not want to waste the grand voyage that Princess was offering us at the same price of a regular cruise.

An absolutely complete, fair and unbiased comparison.

I also recommend Emma cruises and Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travellers. Both are unbiased.

26 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

When I checked out Cruiseplum, I found that it does not include many cruise lines. Do you know of another comparable site?

Yes, but it's a  travel agent

You will have to search on Google because we cannot name it.

It lists almost all the cruise lines including the very expensive ones. It has the option of price per night, but without port fees and taxes.

Another website lists  Cruises by price per night including port fees and taxes.

It also has charts of the price movement and tell you when the price is the lowest.

but there are only 10-11  cruise lines available on this website, Including 8 of the main mass market cruise lines

33 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

 

Thank you again, much appreciated.

Cruiseplum is not a travel agent but it's a good site to rank Cruises by price per night,  including port fees and taxes and gratuity.

They have a lot of filters and customisations.

You can choose the date, month, cabin category, region, starting and/or ending port, cruise line, ship, etc

Once you decided all your custom filters and personalisations, you will get the price per night ( including all port fees, taxes and gratuity) and you will notice that there are huge differences.

If you don't have any preferences then you can just rank ALL cruises by price per night.

Even that will work well.

Cruiseplum is not a travel agent and doesn't try to sell you any cruises, so it can be named