UKCruiseJeff

Always listen to to the “voice inside`’ is a wiser choice. 🙂

It is extremely sad to hear of others’ lack of consideration. There are many of a sensible disposition who have managed to remain safe so far and are having their lives restricted because they are unable to enjoy things fully until they can relax and feel sufficiently safe and it is this selfish under-class who are defining too many others future enjoyable existence. C’est la bleedin’ vie. On the plus side I was so, so pleased to see you travelling again and also lifted to notice today on another thread that you treated yourselves to some Laurent Perrier Rose Champers, in my uneducated view the Covid version of an emergency blood transfusion. You might recall from a couple of years back when this plague started I exchanged our 1.8 million BA miles for LP Rose and the traditional Blanc de Blanc Brut Nature made in the original non-sugar dosage method which we are working our way through. I simply needed you to know that I was very lifted to see you drinking the LP Rose on-board. 🙂 Life doesn’t get much better than LP and the sea. ☑️ I hope you might get to try the Blanc de Blanc which seems to be relatively unknown but is how champagne accidentally started. Hope you enjoy the remainder of your travels and keep up imbibing all the best that the world has on offer. Jeff

The art of happy travels is to try and predict what “might” go wrong and do anything reasonable to avoid it. That’s why I was a bit surprised to see Silversea using Blacklane. Blacklane is not a fleet owner but an app based company like “Just Eat” or “Uber”. They make their cash from what they charge their contractors for each booking and their contractors routinely complain about Blacklane’s cut. Blacklane have an incentive to make themselves appear global when it is very clear they do not honestly operate snugly or at all in some of their claimed areas of operation. Hence my suggestion to others that they make a dummy booking directly using their home address and destination to see whether they get the message that the address is outside their area of operation. It should at least raise alarm bells if Blacklane have accepted Silversea’s bookings for addresses that owner/drivers appear unwilling or unhappy to service. I have regularly been offered In Singapore, Vienna and Nice/Cannes/Cap Ferrat the cards of drivers to make future bookings directly. On top of the Blacklane share, presumably Silversea are also making a profit and are taking a cut. Once Blacklane accepts a booking then the contractor they allocate it to is obligated to accept and fulfil the future booking even if they feel it unprofitable. I think it unlikely that Blacklane would volunteer not to accept a Silversea booking even if there are obviously going to geographics where they cannot be guaranteed to be fulfilled. They want that business, So when drivers have fairly obviously been “double booked” or simply do not fancy respecting a booking they are hardly going to admit that they have decided not to honour the booking but naturally make up an excuse that their non-arrival is for reasons outside of their control. This also gets them off the hook with Blacklane. My only purpose in contributing to the thread was I felt it wrong not to offer my own experiences so that people can make informed judgements either way about the non-guaranteed nature of this risk and about the possible hazards and potential consequences on their cruise. Have a great cruise. Jeff

Out of morbid curiosity, have you tried entering your trip on Blacklane as a potential early possible predictor of unexpected potential future challenges? 😉 Jeff

Margaret, Have you requested a Blacklane quote? A sensible starter for your decision would be to put in a pricing request from Ferndown to Southampton, on the Blacklane site and if as the case is for much of the UK that the Blacklane site does not quote because the service in “unavailable” in Ferndown then this might imply that it is perhaps an option you should avoid. if you wish to avoid a layer of avoidable stress and use a trustworthy local company. If it quotes then at least you know where you are. https://www.blacklane.com/en/ Jeff

I think you’re right. It seems to me that SS customers from anywhere in the world who are now offered the choice of “option” of door to door are all tipped off of the ship whilst they rub the sleep from their eyes and bussed en-masse to the airport in coaches together to all spend a happy end of cruise hour or day awaiting their various flights to a wide range of hubs or home airports. Travel broadens the mind. As long as people all understand exactly what it is they are buyinng then nil desperandum.

As you’ve asked! I was surprised that SS seemed to have partnered with Blacklane. This company is well established and widely used in Europe and we have over the years used them a few dozen times but now don’t and never would do so. There use to be a new customer wrinkle where on your fist journey you got a discount and if you have an ability to generate an unlimited number of email addresses you could then regularly get even better value. In Europe you book them via an app. But that is neither here not there! 😉 Our last few Vienna trips - the first the didn’t arrive for the pickup. The second the car was a tip with filth and sweet papers everywhere. They routinely ignore the class of car you have actually booked. They also rarely arrived at the agreed time. They also seem to enjoy on motorways in driving at too high a speed for the proximity to the car in front. The cars seem to be owner operated cars in a single owner vehicle or a limited vehicle fleet. The last - on the way to Vienna airport the extremely young driver seemed to me to be in the wrong lane for the upcoming airport turn-off. Once I had reached the state of inevitable panic I told him he was driving too fast and in the wrong (outside) lane and he was pretty rude and when he missed the turn-off he asked me whether I minded if he pulled over onto the hard shoulder and then reverse back against the traffic. You can guess my reaction. We’ve had the same sort of adverse experiences in other countries and for some time gave them the benefit of the doubt - but also to be completely honest they were cheap for a limo. I have no idea whether they are better in the US than Europe. They were good value and reliable originally but in Europe at least there seems to me to be an increasing sentiment of avoiding them. If they haven’t changed, the vehicle you will get will be black and you should consider it a bonus if they turn up,, or turn up on time and with the vehicle you booked and speak English etc etc. I guess my purpose in answering so fully is simply to alert those that have an arrangement with SS for Blacklane transfers that end in Europe - and many now seem to have a door to door arrangement - that the experience in Europe may not be as robust as those that you may experience in the US particularly if there are many people on a cruise that terminates in Europe who are all booked on to the local Blacklane. I genuinely question what would happen if 200 suites on an SS cruise terminating anywhere in Europe will ALL be met reliably by a Blacklane limo. I’m sure that for every adverse experience there will be many without problems. C’st la vie, except if you are in the adverse experience lottery group. I genuinely hope this concern is wrong but you asked and I answer. All the best, Jeff

Ritz-Carlton seems impressive. 🙂 The reviews on the reviews sections of CC that you read that caused you to wisely to be concerned are from a wide range of customers who are either long-term SS customers or not. They may have only had that single cruise. They are a cross-section or new and existing customers and you can make of the reviews what you will.No one is given the option to rubbish their opinions. A forum for a particular cruise line is more likely to be differently populated. The more prolific posters are of course likely to be loyal and extremely happy customers. Concluding that a product specific forum is a safer source to rely on than the wider reviews section of the website is an interesting approach. Good luck 🙂

Just checking that you fully read my post to you upthread. I posted it in the hope that it should provide with how to process some generous reimbursements of your expenses without the stress you appeared to be experiencing - but also hopefully a couple of thousand unexpected compensation. Was it helpful?

Lovely piccies Dr Ron … anything with food in it get’s my vote! 🙂 The last piccy I think was taken in Oz as it is upside down when viewed in the UK. 🥸 Enjoy your adventures. Jeff

Hi, Sorry to hear of your issues. If I were you I’d stop trying to deal withy BA through your agent via SS. This quite easy and straightforward. Under EU legislation (EU 261) BA have rebooked you on the closest available alternative flight automatically without intervention from SS or your agent and owe you (as passenger) a duty of care which includes the reimbursement of your hotel costs, food costs, any transfer costs and for some phone calls etc. You will also receive decent compensation for the delay depending on the cause of the delay. All of this is handled directly online through the BA site. As long as your expenses are reasonable they will reimburse you and pay you your compensation. This might provide you with the information you need. https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm And the BA landing page which explains both how to claim your hotel and other costs and how to claim for the your compensation. https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/delayed-or-cancelled-flights/compensation Good luck with your travel and cruise. Jeff

Hi, You will find that Singapore has as others have said - changed enormously over the last 25 years. It is now extremely international and you'll see little difference from any city if you remain where most others that arrive stay. We started visiting Singapore over 20 years ago on our way for a months stay every January / February in Sydney simply to have a place to walk in the UK winters. We then increasingly found that we so enjoyed the stopoversin Singapore more than the destination that we eventually cut out the flights to Oz and made the trip Singapore. We dumped Bankgok because I always got food poisoning! Until the virus we'd visitSuingapore between one and three times a year for three weeks or more each triplonger but mostly to emerse ourselves into the routine of day to day local life, hawker food and walks in Botanic. The locals are soo, so wonderful and have enriched our lives. I'm also worryingly obsessed with idea that someone in the world is eating something I haven't eaten so I've tried to put that fear to bed by eating in as many places that locals eat that I can. It's tough doing that without edgy travel. I now realise that Anthony Bourdain is a half-brother. You haven't said what you're looking for in your stay so consequently in that vacuum all of the above recommendations are all extremely sound and you will not be dissapointed with any of them I'm sure. You will be comfortable and pampered. For example the food hall in the basement of Marina Bay is wonderful, but it is almost entitely "expensive" franchised food in very wonderful air-conditioned sublimeness. If however you want to emerse yourself a little more into local life few of the hotels are optimum for that unless you genuinely will take the MRT (underground train) and busses to explore more. I always feel a bit dissapointed for others who take all that trouble to travel to exotic places but do all they can to smooth out and avoid the local experience and edges so that they basically experience what they would experience if they stayed at home or travelled almost anywhere in the world except that is for the change in the currencies and climate ( but smoothed our with aircon!) that makes those places so different. I feel that what is the point of travel if you end up where you started. If your aspirations for your four days are fairly easy going then you should - and I say this genuinely - stick to the above. But perhaps you should spend a moment thinking about what is is you want and you should make sure make this a conscious decision rather than a default position. I ramble but I always do. Wifey #1 and I so so love and enjoy Singapore and those we encounter so much. You can eat at hawker centers not restaurants (you can do all that pretend cusine on the ship) and you could avoid Singapore food halls, but instead talk to locals eat lunch with them and make unique memories. Enjoy your stopeover and forgive my typos - but it is lunchtime. Jeff

To be honest, I’m still unclear what it is that upsets you about discussion concerning prominent people who clearly seek maximum publicity the consequence of which is discussions about those tactics. If you never discuss these things yourself, I gently suggest that you are nearly unique. 🙂

We’ve NEVER needed to switch the aircons on at 8am in the morning before. Tonight we’re decamping to Seaside - Helga willing - for sone hopefully refreshing sea breezes …. Jeff

It might be easier on yourself to be a bit easier on others comments and opinions than changing the behaviour of the other 7bn people in the world ….. Best of luck with the test. Jeff

Good Morning all, A few posts back Meghan cropped up and there is shortly in the UK a book being published by Tom Bower who is a respected ex-BBC investigative journalist and producer and author of unauthorised biographies. There has been a series of excerpts in The Times and The Sunday Times, and it occurred to me that some might be interested so I thought I'd share the articles. The Times allows and gives subscribers explicit permission to share articles so I hope the links work and is readable and isn't time or volume of views locked ... if they don't show up then please don't shout at me ... I did my best .. 🙂 …but if they do I hope you enjoy them. There is also a background piece on Prince Andrews car crash interview and shortly afterwards it has emerged that there was some highly embarrassing photographs taken. Prince Harry and the war between the royal family https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a934a92e-043e-11ed-a4ba-b61f33f3c1cb?shareToken=3f616debbec835ef0dccf8c7e5908aee Meghan felt she was the victim, she ordered Harry into battle for her https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/meghan-felt-she-was-the-victim-prince-harry-went-in-to-fight-for-her-w8lzrjq0f?shareToken=b0e8c0960b3a5afe594c691dc7d371d8 Writer ‘felt manipulated’ by Meghan https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-inside-story-of-meghan-and-the-vanity-fair-affair-jvqc00rht?shareToken=b3883b7711309cc9d0f030fb9a3d91ec Philosophising with the Vogue editor over mint tea — then it all went sour https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/meghan-and-vogue-editor-philosophised-over-tea-then-it-went-sour-59px6m55m?shareToken=bbb695857a256715c28d5713c857d6bd ‘Harry must be nuts’ — what his old Etonian friends made of Meghan https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/prince-harry-must-be-nuts-what-his-old-etonian-friends-made-of-meghan-markle-rlsqzsgnq?shareToken=abd63c35e04c442ff9fd93e607bbaeb4 Andrew drama heads to big screen https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/story-of-prince-andrews-newsnight-interview-to-get-blockbuster-treatment-v6r3w6ntb?shareToken=ec9f25d7c4801783d9fe4e9bd5049be3 Hope it's readable and if so they are enjoyed, Jeff

🙂 🙂 I don’t care how old you claim you are. I only have your word for that and you claimed it was champagne and not coca cola. To an old bloke like me, with a vivid imagination and only Soho to go on you will always be now and for ever, my Lola. I met her in a club down in old Soho Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like coca cola C-O-L-A, Cola She walked up to me and she asked me to dance I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola L-O-L-A, Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, I'm not the world's most physical guy But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine Oh my Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, I'm not dumb but I can't understand Why she walked like a woman but talked like a man Oh my Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, we drank champagne and danced all night Under electric candlelight She picked me up and sat me on her knee And said "Dear boy, won't you come home with me?" Well, I'm not the world's most passionate guy But when I looked in her eyes, well I almost fell for my Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola I pushed her away I walked to the door I fell to the floor I got down on my knees Then I looked at her and she at me Well, that's the way that I want it to stay And I always want it to be that way for my Lola La-la-la-la Lola Girls will be boys and boys will be girls It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, I left home just a week before And I'd never ever kissed a woman before But Lola smiled and took me by the hand And said "Dear boy, I'm gonna make you a man"

Thanks L, so kind. In recognition of the 4th July and what I believe to be the Lincolnshire national dish todays eatings have been Toad in The Hole with my baked bean sauce. and Tanglefoot. And Chrysanths.

Sadly you are right - and hence my prolonged ducking out. I really enjoy and miss thought provoking exchange with people who enjoy the ponderings of the imponderable but I recognise that I’m in a minority. And what makes it worst is that I’m extremely irritating and whereas I adore irritating people I fully accept that not everyone does. C’est la bleeding vie.

I think we all currently underestimate how much the world has changed and how many of those changes are permanent. It seems to me that a very high percentage of the world views the world as though things are in a temporary condition and that we will at some point soon revert back to something like our old lives. What we all now see is the new normal and we all have to get use to it or become permanently discontented and unhappy. We need to learn to cope with a bewildering new world with a rate of change that we were never built to cope easilly with. Jeff

I am afraid the boat has been completely burnt. There are no credible set of medium or short-term circumstances whatsoever that he would be welcome back I’m afraid. I think it possible however that there is a seam of potential British forgiveness in that he is clearly extremely - perhaps even “clinically” deluded in that he genuinely believes that Meghan married him for his good looks, wit, personality and intelligence and that he believes he is making a living due to his inate ability and business acumen rather than who his granny is. Such self-delusion may eventually bring a visa. But it won’t ever give him a get out of jail free card. You are stuck with him I’m afraid until that it he finds a more lucrative country to butterfly to.

Good Afternoon JK, Lest we do not misunderstand. I adore the wonderfulness and wideness of the US of A and I have to disclose that a very high highly dispoportionality percentage of the most interesting people I have ever encountered have been Americans followed by shorter head by Ozzers. Also a disproportionately high percentage of our memorable travels have been travels in the US and for a sadly too short a time my humble business even had an office in Atlanta staffed by the best people I have ever been lucky enough to work with. They took me for proper food and proper music. When I have sought spice and breadth of experience of travel it is America that we've headed to. My comments earlier were tongue in cheek. 😉 So far as Harry and Meghan are concerned you can keep them as penance for sending us Meghan in the first place. For what it's worth I am popping popcorn and waiting for Meghan to put herself forward for the Presidency with Harry being Presidential Consort. With that, my life will be complete and I can die amused and in peace. Jeff x

It's an interesting notion Radio Terry! Our loss!?! Are you absolutely sure? I guess I must be one of the very few who often ponder and wonder whether on balance our antiquated system even with Queen and Boris might be preferable to Trump, Biden, race, poverty, gun, crime, big buisiness influence issues and challenges etc, whether the Land of the Free might have progressed even if only slightly better as a part of our club that might have offered a little moderation than it's "progress" since "outside". It would be a wonderful topic for the Humidor (or whatever ut is now called) with a pint of grappa. And let us not talk about tolerance and freedom of speech here ..... 😉 Just a thought. Happy chewings all. Jeff

A reminder post because I'm concerned that many EU or UK citizens seem to have overlooked that they have enhanced sets of consumer rights that are not enjoyed by US citizens. In very simple terms if the cruise line makes itinerary changes that the customer believes to be significant then it is probable that the customer may be entitled to a FULL refund ie without any charges or penalties irrespective of the Ts&Cs. I say "probable" because significant is on a case by case basis but it seems to me that if there is a port change that was important to a customer then this is likely to be considered significant by a court but is not guaranteed. It is irrelevant whether the cause of the change was or was not within the control of the cruise line. If the customer decides not to proceed for any other reason of their choice then the cruiseline is only entitled to make a charge "that is fair". Case law so far is that "fair" means that the charge must be a demonstrably cost recovery charge and not be profitable. This is the government's guidance for those that decide to cancel for their own reasons. If your holiday can still legally go ahead, but you decide you want to cancel: Check what the contract terms and conditions say about cancellations and refunds Any applicable pre-existing terms and conditions on cancellation and refunds will apply. These terms must be fair. For package holidays, any termination fee charged to you must be appropriate and justifiable by the package holiday organiser A term saying no refund is available in any circumstances is likely to be unfair and unenforceable Any amount a business can keep must take into account what they are actually losing as a result of you cancelling and not be excessive For more information see our information on cancellation under the standard terms and conditions and our open letter to business You have a right to a full refund where you decide to cancel your package because ‘unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances’ at the destination significantly affect the holiday you have booked, or your travel there If you believe a refund is justified, you may wish to contact Citizens Advice and you have the option of bringing a claim against the company in the relevant court FWIW in preparation for future contention and to minimise "misunderstandings I suggest the following prudent action. Most cruise customers book specific suites or cabins. If you do cancel, then a week or two before the cruise start date I would check with a TA and ask the TA to ascertain whether the specific suite/cabin you had booked was now available for reservation. Make sure your contact is via email so your response is in writing. If it is confirmed that this suite is now no longer available or if the cruise is fully booked it implies that there is no loss and only a suitable admin charge is appropriate. There is a lot of information on the net with respect to these EU and UK laws and I'm only posting to remind EU and UK citizens that they should not give up these hard won "consumer favourable" rights in the belief that unfair consumer contract terms are enforceable. I'm concerned tha customers aren't cheated. I do not intend to become embroiled in any debates about the fairness etc but I hope this helps others for future web research. EU and UK citizens can no longer be "penalised" for the cancellation of packaged holidays. If they do make payments over and above "what is fair" they are needlessly volunterring to do so. Happy travels and good wishes and excvellent eating and drinking all.. Jeff

Davey, Luxury is old enough to know London when it really was London but sadly you are far too young. 🙂 London and in particular Soho was London in the mid-sixties. Luxury was a Mayfair man I believe. Soho in the sixties was a unique moment in time that I’m sad so few experienced. Muriel Belcher was the centre of gravity. I will never ever forget her first welcome of me into her parlour. I was only 16. 😉 I do remember that place in Chinatown and I’m not certain things in Chinatown have changed that much Jeff