Obilix

Surely you mean crackpot?

That was probably her husband.

The Princess brochure says that on a ship leaving and returning from an Australian port and the ships currency is Australian dollars, no gratuities are required.

However, if the ship leaves a non Australian port and the ship currency is US dollars then gratuities are added to the account.

I started the booking process today for a repositioning voyage from LA to Sydney on the Majestic Princess. The currency on board is $US.

The TA I spoke to (and I am happy with her service) told me there would be no gratuities charged to my account. 

Who to believe, when the booking confirmation is silent about gratuities?

I know I can cancel the gratuities, and I'm happy to pay a couple of hundred dollars for tips, but not about an extra one fifth of the total fare!

I don't know if this is el cheapo or not, but I'm interested in a relocation cruise in October 2023 from LA to Sydney, including Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand (27 days) for under $6000 for a balcony cabin on the Majestic Princess.

Covid should be sorted by then.

Of course there is the one way airfare to LA to consider ....

Any contras to bear in mind?

5 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Maybe she gets delivered once you are home.

My wife is looking over my shoulder, so I have to say I would never settle for second best.

That's disgusting!!

But anyway, I grabbed the coasters, because I didn't really trust the event's coordinator about the other prizes.

And Scarlet wasn't even on board.

Well, you see, there were five others on the table ....

On my last ship board trivia quiz my table of six won an annual world cruise for 20 years, a mansion in Monte Carlo plus citizenship, $20,000,000 in cash, a luxury yatch, Scarlet Johansson, and a set of coasters.

I still have my set of coasters.

We last disembarked in Amsterdam, in September 2019, after a cruise on Holland America from Amsterdam to St Petersburg and return, with most Baltic capitals between.

Fantastic cruise, and the Russian component was unbelievable, with the Russians we met  being helpful, friendly and honest.

Three months later the world changed, and now, two and a half years later, we have the horror of the Ukrainian invasion.

I despair.

I logged on to the Find A Rat website and was transferred immediately to the Federal Parliament site ..... 

2 hours ago, NSWP said:

Margaret Court? 

Ah, you've heard of her?

It should have been Margaret.

(ducks for cover)

Anyway, to change the subject, and get away from politics and Covid, anyone for tennis?

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

But what they could do is give everyone a discount on the renewal fee, equivalent to the cost of two years.

Or at least the Federal Government could supply us with a month's supply of RATs so that we can check whether, at our age, we'll still likely be alive next week.

Or as a last resort, a packet of Ratsak, to help us along the way more humanely.

All together now

"We'll cruise again

Don't know where

Don't know when

But I'm sure we'll cruise again some sunny day"

Anyone who knows the next verse gets a free Zimmer frame.

Well, it seems "Freedom" will now be extended by the next Labor Government.

I'm warning youse.

Don't anyone mention the name Hunt, or this thread gets it.

Capish?

My father came to Australia on the RMS Maloja, a liner, in early 1953 bound for Melbourne where he had accomodation lined up with a cousin.

He became so wretchedly seasick on the voyage that he disembarked at Fremantle, found accommodation in a boarding house for a few weeks, and then got a job as a fitter on the construction of the BP oil refinery at Kwinana. The construction company found him a newly built workers home in nearby Medina.

My mother and I arrived a year later in the Strathnaver, travelling through the Suez Canal, then still littered with WW2 war debris. I was 3, turning 4.

I recall on board our accomodation was a four or six bed women's dormitory, with kids under a certain age allowed to bunk with their mothers. My recollection was that it was a happy voyage, not marred by high seas or seasickness.

We never left the Fremantle area.

A propos interest, I would think that for those that can, putting any surplus money into an industry super fund would be an excellent idea. Average returns over 10 years have been 9.1% per annum. And if you are over the prescribed age and retired, as many of us are, you can pull it out as you want it.

No, I have no connection with the world of financial advising, but I do know that 9% is greater than 0.15%!

Point Pedro Sri Lanka?

I hope it doesn't end up being Bonsai Airlines, with everything reduced, including seating size, leg space, service, security, carry on luggage, check in luggage and food and beverage availability.

All available as extras at hugely inflated prices of course.

Nah, it will be bonzer,

I've sailed on NCL, no problems.

My questions about this cruise, and I've seen no definite answers on the advertising blurbs online, are;

1 Are the included flights from Australia from and to Sydney only, or from other states as well

2 Are the departure flight dates flexible (extra accommodation at own cost of course) either side of the cruise

3 What airline/s are they using

4 What deposit is required and when is it payable

5 When is final payment due

6 Is it NCL itself or a travel agency making the offer

If anyone has made a direct inquiry, I, and I'm sure others, would be pleased to receive any extra information available, or pointed to any website that has the information.

Cheers

2 hours ago, By The Bay said:

According to SMH, the borders will not open just when NSW reaches 80% vaccination, it requires the other States to also reach 80%. Those laggards in WA, NT and QLD will be the brake on this race to open up. 😌 No mention of foreign visitors.

 

"Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday the trigger to reopen international travel will be a national average vaccination rate of 80 per cent of over-16s. Individual states will also have to hit the 80 per cent threshold before flights can arrive in their airports freely." SMH

Those laggard states have been behind the eight ball due to the Federal  Government's failures in supplying the vaccine (except to NSW).  You can't inject what you don't have.

Excellent shots.

The Noordam was in Australia at least as early as the summer of 2016.

We sailed on her repositioning cruise from Sydney to Vancouver on 8 April 2016.

A few points to consider when discussing Lawyers

All lawyers are filthy rich. They wear old fraying suit trousers with ill fitting mismatched jackets to court only to benefit you the client, by appealing to the sympathy of the judge.

All lawyers are absolute bastards, except of course for the one that represented you in your last court case, the one you won. He was the only nice guy in the room apart from yourself.

When the judge finds in your favour, remember it's because of the righteousness of your cause. When the judge doesn't, it's because you had an idiot for a lawyer.

When you go to see a lawyer, don't under any circumstances accept his advice on the actual law involved in your case. Tell him its a matter of principle. Tell him (or her) the money doesn't matter.

Insist that you won't settle under any circumstances. Yell and scream at him. Tell him you know your rights, and that you have important witnesses to back you up. Drop some politicians' names. Then when you lose the case, and the judge gives him a bollocking on your behalf for taking such an unprincipled, doomed, and meritless matter to trial, abuse and harangue him for being so hopeless, in front of everyone left in the courthouse.

If you are ever lucky enough to come across some dumb arsed lawyer who doesn't ask you for payment in full before accepting your brief, don't ever pay him, no matter how successfully he has conducted your matter. Be confident that he won't ever sue you for his money.

Remember, lawyers only act for you because there are some things even rats won't do.

13 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Clearly you have zero idea about lawyers.

Clearly, Mr Gut, I used to be one!!