seanquirke

Hi all,

I have a Baltics cruise booked for May 24 and have considered a drinks package. Having only cruised with Celebrity once before and taking advantage of the Drinks package which came to £500 or $625 US  for both myself and my Partner on a 7 day cruise. albeit in 2015. I was shocked to see that even with a 20% discount that is offered at the moment, that same package would now cost £1790 or $2246 for a 13 day cruise. 

I am considering just paying as we go so to speak, but checking prices. If we both had just 1 Martini a night with no other drinks, coffees or bottled water the final bill would be $460 including the 18% gratuity. If the $15 price tag is correct. Even if I reduce that to $13 the bill would be $398. Surely this can't be right ? Or do you think it may be a way of encouraging all to purchase the drinks packages. Neither of us are big drinkers but we would like to have a coffee, some bottled water and evening drinks even if this was kept to 6-8 drinks a day across the board we would run the risk of ending up with a drinks bill of $3000. It just seems crazy to me. Or do I need to consider that I just can't afford to cruise on Celebrity which it seems could well be the case. 

Thanks 

Sean 

52 minutes ago, the penguins said:

One question

Why, as you are set against X’s, and most other cruise lines, pricing system, don’t you book with cruise lines where tipping is not required?

Or, if you do carry on booking with X, just be up front and admit that your decision not to tip directly reduces the take home pay of every crew member who is included in the “auto grats” system.

 

To be honest I do try and book cruises that have tips included and I am happy to do this. I really don't want the staff to suffer via loss of earnings. But as I've already mentioned we most likely will never agree. I stand my ground and say. We should be paying a fare days pay for a fare days work. FYI I have never  said I remove the Tips. What I said was, I don't understand why I would be bad if I do, but the Corporation's are all Good for not paying their staff a real wage. 

Hi all, 

We will never agree on this subject. For me I don't agree that any company let alone a multi billion pound corporation has the right to ask me to pay  Staff appreciation to help top up their wages. Why oh why do we even consider that this is acceptable behaviour. Why am I made to feel or even be told on this site that I am a bad person if I pay $6000 for a cruise in a basic balcony cabin and remove any staff appreciation. Why is that blame not clearly sent packing in the direction of the Corporation who employed  these staff. We all know they work hard. Well guess what. So do I in fact I have worked hard my whole life. A 12 hour day is nothing abnormal to me and never has been. I apply for the job and work hard at being recognised as someone they can not do without. I hit my targets and beyond and then I ask for a pay rise.

Its always perplexed me as to why we allow this to happen and why the USA allows fat cat corporations to get away with paying cents. Rather than the going rate with the opportunity to progress within the company. I assume the later does indeed present itself but you guys need to stop blaming the likes of me for removing this and yet say not a single word to the likes of Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Don't even get me going on the 18-20% gratuity added to each drink. What on this planet is that about. $10-15 for 1 glass of wine poured from a bottle I can buy in my own super market for $8 and then I'm given no choice but to pay a gratuity. 

 Before I  go. When I am in the US I get on the HOHO bus to discover this great new city I find myself in. There's never any earphones. But there is a guide who has self taught themselves everything about the route we are taking. This person constantly reminds me that they don't get paid by the bus company and proceeds to get off at every stop again reminding me that he gets no wages from the bus company that have invested in jack points and software that will deliver in detail and 6 different languages, everything I need to know. and they & the driver will share these very much appreciated tips. So yes I tip because I'm British and feel embarrassed to walk past and ignore. Do I want to. NO. The same journey happens in Europe. The earphones are worn by all including our US friends and to date I have never witnessed one single person tipping that driver.  If I want to chat to my wife and enjoy the view in peace I take off my earphones We pay our fair we Hop on & Off as instructed and we are happy. The driver gets paid the going rate and they too are happy. 

That I am aware of. Not one single hotel in the whole of Europe asks that we pay a staff appreciation. certainly not one I have stayed at in my 60 years. 

Thanks 

I tend to look ahead at when we can fit a cruise in. With that in mind I start my sweeping search. Firstly any line, any cruise, anywhere, at around the time we want to go. Then I narrow it down a little. Example. 2 months ago I started looking for a Med cruise in a outside or Balcony. I looked at all cruise lines but one inperticular kept showing up and that was Island Princess on the 13 of Oct 2015, cruise nation had this at £859.00 ($1330.00) for a balcony 12 night cruise starting in Venice and finishing in Rome with a 2 night stay in a Hotel with B&B.

I decided to go for this but when I called Cruise nation hey stated adding little hidden extras and did not include any transfers. So I emailed Cruise.co.uk and asked them if they could match. then did and also included all transfers and flights. So now I have that booked and it was £849.00. ($1320.00) I'm now looking at Caribbean with P&O in Feb. 2016 they are at around £1799.00 for 14 days including flights in a Balcony. I know this will come down to around £999.00.($1560.00) So I will watch and wait. The key is to be flexible with dates.

Just one more Tip for excursion’s I tend to do my own thing if it is a small town and everything is at hand otherwise I look at car hire as I don’t mind driving and have a inbuilt Satnav in my head Lol. That way I can get ahead of the coaches and the queues for around £20-£40 ($31-$61) per port in the Med its a bargain. I f I want to be lazy and let someone else sort it all and do the driving I use http://www.cruisingexcursions.com they give the same garauntees as the cruiselines when it comes to geting you back and at a fraction of the cost. They match all there excursions with your cruise. very easy.

PS I make it a rule not to discuss bargain prices on the cruise as I don’t want to upset those who book full fair in advance. If you can afford that then good for you. plus you get to choose your cabin. Whereas I have to take what I'm given. Never had a bad cabin yet though.

good luck all

Once again thank you so much for your Valued advice and obvious expertise

I am now looking into a 2 day tour. Perhaps I will have to miss out on the ballet.

These tour do seem quite intense though. Makes me wonder why not just visit half the places and reduce the cost to half for those who are on a limited budget and who dont really want to spend 9-11 hours per day on guided tours

As I've mentioned on a previous thread, my ideal tour would be a 4 hour tour on both days taking in Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens, Catherine Palace at Pushkin, a visit to the church of spilled blood and Lunch at the summer palace :) We would also like to have a ride on the hydrofoil and metro. Finaly an evening visit to the Ballet.

I think this could be done for around $250 a head? I have emailed this request to a couple of the T/O but my guess is unless i was to get 10 or more people to join me it wont be possible.

Sean

Thanks again Simon

Ive tried the roll Call but theres not a lot going on, I'm waiting for a reply off one person who seems to want to get a group together, but it was posted a while ago.

Sean

No sorry i dont mean on my own. there are quite a few out there with the Local tour guides and P&O do one thats 7 hrs and its only £42.

Idealy what would be perfect is a 4 hour tour on both days taking in

Peterhof Fountain Park and Gardens, Catherine Palace at Pushkin, a visit to the church of spilled blood and Lunch at the summer palace :) We would also like to have a ride on the hydrofoil and metro. I think this could be done for around $250 a head

Finaly an evening visit to the Ballet

not Opera as I've said earlier.

Far less tiring. Its not that i'm not fit but 8-10 hours a day taking in over 20 different places is just to much. "Slooooow down guys and then we will have to come back again".

Thanks Sayaguru and Sddsddean.

I have looked at all tours incl P&O which I very rarely do. I've been advised as you say to look into SPB and Alla but for a 2 day tour with visits rather than drive buys and a visit to the Opera, hoping that it will be half decent as the to big boys are out of town at the time of my visit. These Tours still amount to $425 each including the Opera way way out of my price range.

So I guess I will just have to make do with a walking tour of the town for half a day with a posible vist to the opera on night one.

I have emailed SPB and asked if they do a smaller 3-5 hour tour on each day with a visit to the Opera with a figure of $500 in mind (you dont get if you dont ask)and I'm waiting for a reply.

After all we dont have to see everything on our first visit which seems to be what they try to do

Thanks Again

I need some help with Tours of St Petersburg. I will be visiting on Oriana at the end of th Month.

I would like a 3-4 hour tour on both days or perhaps full days. plus a visit to the opera. My problem is that the tours I've seen are very very expensive. It seems a waist to visit such a place and stay on board ship but looking at the cost, I think I will have little choice. I normaly do my own thing choosing where an when to visit the places I prefer.

I understand this is not possible in St Petersburg But £300 plus for tours per person seems a little on the expensive side to say the least.

thanks for any advice:)

Hey Thanks JB. Lots of good advice in your responce. I have infact done lots of research and agree with the operators you have suggested.

Jjust one more question. We have found a P&O tour which is over 7 hours on day 2 called St Petersburg Explorer it costs £42 would you say this is a good idea or to rushed?

Thanks again for all your advice

Hi all

I need some help with Tours of St Petersburg. I will be visiting on Oriana at the end of th Month.

I would like a 3-4 hour tour on both days plus a visit to the opera. My problem is that the tours I've seen are very very expensive. It seems a waist to visit such a place and stay on board ship but looking at the cost, I think I will have little choice. I normaly do my own thing choosing where an when to visit the places I prefer.

I understand this is not possible in St Petersburg But £300 plus for tours per person seems a little on the expensive side to say the least.

thanks for any advice

Hi to everyone.

I was just wondering how many 50 and under cruisers, there are out there and which Cruise lines or ship's you choose.

The Mrs and I took a last minute trip 4 years ago from New York to Southampton on QM2 and we truly loved every moment of it. Since then we have done the same trip once again on QM2. Then we took a round trip from Southampton to the Caribbean on P&O's Azure. Our next was a 14 day round trip to Ireland, Iceland and Norway on P&O's Oriana. In Jan this year, we took the Queen Victoria across the Atlantic (through the biggest storm in many years, yes we were in the middle of the Atlantic being battered while you were home on Terra firma getting the same treatment) but it was all good. We then jumped ship onto Celebrity silhouette (truly amazing ship) to do a 7-day Caribbean cruise then flew home.

I prefer the round trip, as I'm a poor flyer.

We are now booked onto Oriana again in just over two weeks for a 14 day cruise of the Baltic’s.

As you can see, we are well and truly hooked. It would be nice to hear from similar aged like-minded people,

Thanks for reading