wineoclock

The one night we didn’t make a reservation we had to wait for a table in Luminae. We were in PH & we had simply forgotten to tell him.

Well if that’s true then it’s most odd.

I’ve never had a problem with my laundry. Dh on the other hand has had the occasional polo shirt shrink. I’ll take that anyway to lessen the laundry load back home.

Yes but then you need to contend with the airport on departure. But worth it for a beautiful island. I don’t think I’d go again on a cruise there as want to enjoy the island.

Chicken Itza is an amazing place. Went over 30 years ago. Prefer Palenque though & oh Tulum ❤️ On any long tours I generally prefer to do ship excursions.

I’m limited mobility & use a walking stick. It was difficult but I managed it by having a private guide (can’t remember which company tho) but I’d told them in advance. I wouldn’t have been able to manage in a group & id have held everyone up.

I have printed off excursions & dining reservations for our upcoming cruise as well. I’ll end up in a pickle otherwise.

Exactly chemmo. Whatever you say retreat or no the PH balcony cannot compete.

Thank you.

I doubt it. I will imagine that they will do it slowly. When I was young I remember coins from George VI reign.

And it means you are well organised. Any problems you have the evidence in your hands. A computer isn’t always right.

Do you have to do blank booking to see or is there another way to see how many cabins have been sold?

Oh no that’s disappointing. But thank you for the honesty.

This is where we always stay. Hotel des Arts is an amazing hotel. Love it.

Istanbul is one of my favourite places to visit. Easy & safe on your own. I agree about the underground cistern. I also love sitting in the grand bazaar having a coffee & watching the world go by. Make sure you know what to visit & when. Females should have heads & shoulders covered for mosques. I usually throw a shawl/scarf in my bag to take with me.

Miched Clearly the retreat host didn’t get the memo that the customer is always right. Glad you got that sorted. Even if you were wrong there are ways of wording things.

What a good idea to give a copy to your butler. I’ll make sure to do that as well. Edit: thank you for the suggestion.

When we invited guests on Connie the guests were more blown away by the balcony than the PH! Have to say I sort of agree. And I loved the butlers pantry. Hot coffee & pastries delivered every morning at 7am for me to enjoy on my balcony. Complete bliss.

We were never turned away when we wanted speciality dining - any time we wanted. We were in PH x2

No it isn’t ok. And it isn’t necessary to tip. They won’t be expecting it either. Staff in the U.K. are paid a living wage and tips are unnecessary. They won’t say no to them however. If you want to to a pound coin is sufficient.

When we gave individual envelopes on our last cruise in Luminae we saw the staff hand the envelopes to the Maitre D.

Thank you everyone for your views. It’s very useful to know what to do.

So are auto tips 15%? To me 15% is enough for tips. If I pay tips in the U.K. it wouldn’t occur to me to tip more than 10% unless the bill stated I needed to. I can’t imagine what exceptional service merits people getting more. Surely they are just doing their job? A good butler/waiter should anticipate the needs of their guest. That is doing their job & is not exceptional imo. It’s an interesting discussion & highlights differences. However Gary does tip more & im not sure I agree with the concept of Doing so. I’d rather my cruise fare was more & the staff have a decent wage than me subsidising the cruise line. I’d know then what I’d spent without having hidden extras.

Extra tipping when already tips are included… I actually don’t think it’s something I’ll ever understand even if I practice it, I’ll never understand why.

12k for a SS??? That is RS territory.