Cruising costs

Ian, all good sound advice. We've done around 10 cruises now all different. First one was the Nile, fantastic. Since then the rest have all been fly cruises, 3 Caribbean (east/west/south) Panama Canal and a few Med/Adriatic ones.

My advice for what its worth is first decide where you want to go, then look at who does that route, from these choose who you think you would be more comfortable with. Some are more stuffy than others but most nowadays are a bit more relaxed than they used to be.

Word of warning you get what you pay for doesn't always work with cruises, we had a very good (the best ) cruise with Cunard, Panama cruise. This one was probably one of the least expensive ones we have done, however the cabin, food, service and excursions were top notch. We were a little concerned after we had booked it that it might be a little stuffy, no so. Different yes but we really liked it. At the other end is Thomsons, we've done 3 of those, the last being the Southern Caribbean last December. The ship was good, the entertainment also good, cabin good. The food however was not good, as this is a big part of a cruise it was a let down. Thomson however are not stuffy and tips are included in the price, there is no extra to pay, drinks also are more normal hotel/club prices. Excursions on most cruises are a rip off, where possible do your own thing.

Forgot to say that most cruise ships now offer 3 types of dinning, main restaurant (waiter service) some are same table every night some are open seating, some offer you the choice of sitting with others say 6 or 8 to a table or you can have a table for 2 or 4 if you wish. Fixed times early and late dinning on some ships while others its a continuous service from 18.00 - 21.30. Then there is the special restaurants where you have a more personal experience usually for a fixed supplement.

Tips are either calculated at a rate of around 11€ /11$ per person per day of cruise, or you can elect to tip as you see fit. The usual staff to tip are the cabin steward, the restaurant waiter/assistant waiter, but this only if you have the same table and waiter every night. Which is why with open seating they have gone to the all in tip method now. Drink waiters don't get tips as its added to your bill.

As I mentioned earlier we have only used P&O and everything is priced in Sterling are they alone in doing that or are there others?

David

Thanks again, all.

I have to say, this tipping thing really bugs me. 

Do the brochures / web sites explain all this and about the dining arrangements, seating arrangements etc in detail?

Ian 

When you book a cruise they go through the dining arrangements with then as you have to decide at the time of booking, although I understand it may be possible to change once on board. The brochures do explain this as well and the information is also available online.

I am interested to know what it is about the tipping that bugs you? You do have control over this unless of course its included in the price as it is with some cruise lines. 

David

David - the principal of tipping generally bugs me. People should be paid a fair wage and not have to rely on this.

If I go to a hotel, they don't ask for an extra amount to cover the barman's wages or the cleaner's wages. It's left to me whether I want to tip for exceptional service. I expect at least good service without having to pay extra.

But maybe this is going off topic and best left to another thread?

Ian

Tipping on cruises is much debated subject and I expect you are not alone in your view. Pay on cruise ships is a bit of a double edged sword as many of the staff spend months on board and usually operate outside the normal NMW pay structure usually because the ships are not registered in the UK. OK I appreciate that is not anything to do with the customer but as we all know we all pay for it in the end however they do it. If all cruise lines agreed they could just put up prices and we could forget about tips but that wouldn't be the end of it. What would happen is that some customers feel they want to tip regardless and some even want to make a very public show of it, we experienced that on our last cruise which can make it uncomfortable for those that don't. Also the tipping regime varies from cruise line to cruise line and I have heard that the American run ships its a lot more expectation as that is the way they do it at home. The Brits have always been a bit more reserved as far as tipping is concerned!!!

BTW, just had this last minute deal e-mail from Bolsover which might be of interest price wise.

David

Thanks David. I'll have a good look at those when I get a spare hour or so.

Much appreciated.

Think very hard, Ian.

We were in Bali when one of the Cunard Queens anchored in the bay, and out of curiosity we went down to the pier to watch the passengers come ashore. They were all very old. 

Many found a full frontal encounter with Asia all too much, and promptly turned tail and went back to the ship. The braver ones had just a few hours to see that amazing island and went away thinking they had "done" Bali  -  even though they had missed the temple ceremonies, the religious processions, the world famous terraced rice fields on the slopes of the volcano, the dance displays, the culture and music at Ubud, and some stunning hotels. We had a fortnight, and promptly went back the next year to  see it all again..

Do you really want that typical cruise routine of one day at every port - and then relentlessly move on? It's very shallow.

The thing about a cruise is that it allows you to visit a number of places in real comfort and decide if any of the destinations are places you would like to return to for a longer visit.