Queen elizabeth.

[Lewis McColl]

Hi Jim
Norway has always been very expensive for drinks, in 1975 I think it was over £5 a pint then.
so Never go there.
£1.60 a pint is very good these days.
.
Usually Cruise ships charge, depending on the company, $11to $13 US. a day "Hotel Charge". per person.
Now you can go to the Purser's Office and sign a paper saying you are Not paying it, and that is OK.
Next March, with Holland America, because I have booked early before the end of June, I do not have to pay any "Hotel Charge". So that saves a few bob.
.
The money is `Tips` for the Table Stewards, Cabin Stewards, the Galley Staff, the Laundry Staff, Cleaners etc. How much they get from it I do not know, .but there is no tipping in that system.
In the Bars there is usually a 15% tip in every drink.
I do not drink much these days so not a problem as there are ways of getting a drink free.
As I am a regular with Holland America, I usually get a Drinks Package free, eg. Six Bottles of Wine, then the shop where they sell bottles of Whisky , gin, rum etc., have a session where they have free tasting, usually Eight glasses of Johnny Walker black Label Whisky etc. and that is quite exhilarating. Then they will have on another day Wine Tasting for the regular cruisers, and around Eight glasses of free wine, , and then they will have on another day Free Rum tasting and so on. Then the Captain this time gave a free bar for one hour one day so I filled my boots in that one hour, and as Anne does not drink I then Double up on all of that.
. so this last trip in March to May this year my Bar Bill was less than £20
Also I take some bottles of Rum and a couple of bottles of wine to drink in the cabin before going to dinner.with me in my case,
So all in all not too expensive.
Cheers
Brian

I do not drink much these days so not a problem as there are ways of getting a drink free. Bloody hell Brian you could drink me undr the table lol.

[happy daze john in oz]

Bermuda being a British protectorate allows the Red Ensign to be flown from all ships registered there.

As to the daily charge of up to $15 per person, go to the service desk, sign the waiver and no paying.

Back in 2011 Princess Cruises departing from Australian ports no longer apply that charge. We do not as normal tip here in Oz so that may be why. But speak to any crew member and they will tell you that they all want to do the ones out of oz.
Two reasons, the Australians are so easy to look after, just make sure there is enough beer. Secondly for some reason though we do not tip ashore we do so on the ships.
We give the Br, the winger and his mate $50 each.
But on al bar sales 15% service charge.

[John Arton]

Lewis, Brian
In all the years I spent at sea I only ever sailed on 3 U.K. registered ships. All the C.P. ones, with the exemption of the Empress of Canada and two Beaver boats, were registered in Hamilton or Hong Kong.
Never had any problems with sea time being recognised by the B.O.T. and safety standards etc. were on par with and at time exceeded the U.K. registered vessels I was on.
On joining Stolt's I first sailed on Norwegian registered (N.I.S.) vessels where the Norwegian Maritime Department were as strict as, if not even stricter than, the B.O.T.
They then changed to registering the fleet I sailed in, in the Cayman Islands along with many (or most) of their Deep Sea fleet. Again all standards were exactly the same as U.K.
Latterly they started registering there new buildings for the European fleet in Cardiff.
rgds
JA

[Ivan Cloherty]

On joining Stolt's I first sailed on Norwegian registered (N.I.S.) vessels where the Norwegian Maritime Department were as strict as, if not even stricter than, the B.O.T.

JA

Things must have changed John, when I was changing a vessel from Norweigian flag (built late 60's) to UK Flag (early 1970's), there was a whole host of things the B O T required changing before the British Certificates were issued. Emergency fire pump was in the engineroom in bottom plate area, had to be moved to foc'le with ability to feed from forepeak or overside, all requiring re-routing of piping, Lifeboat davits were designed to run out with a 12 degree list instead of 15 (UK), would not even run out at 12 dgrees had to be changed/modified. Portholes in cabins had to be enlarged to allowed emergency egress, there were many other things for LSA requirements both deck/engineroom/lifeboats, no emergency ER shut-offs on deck (all in ER), other things too numerous to mention, like most seafarers had always thought the Scandinavian vessels were the utopia of the briny, but found it not so, it was not an isolated case, as changed flag on another one later, also found on pre-purchase surveys the cost of bringing Skandy ships to British requirements was too cost prohibitive for a purchase agreement to proceed.

[Tony Skilton]

Hi Brian - regarding your Post #5, and the Filipinos being replaced by the eastern Europeans - I was on QE July/August 2011, and spent quite a bit of time talking with one of the bar staff, until her supervisor had her transferred to the Commodore Club so I had to drink up there after that!
Anyway, it turns out the UK Gov't had passed a new law requiring that Europeans working on UK registered ships had to be paid UK wages. Suddenly, a week before the new law came into force, Carnival re-registered the queens in Hamilton, Bermuda, so they wouldn't have to pay the pax staff higher wages! The wedding excuse was nothing to do with it. So far as I am aware, that is why the European workers were so bloody unhappy back in 2011-12.
Skilly

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Skilly.
Cunard told lies about the flagging out to Bermuda, re: A million Dollar Wedding market.
That crowd of Europeans were a disgusting lot. sneezing uncovered all over the food in the Lido Restaurant and I saw another waiter sneezing directly into four coffee cups then pouring the coffee into them , I got food poisoning from a bad fish and the full monty, they would not let me go ashore in Auckland where I had friends waiting on the Jetty, then they charged me $75 Dollars for an injection for it.
So that was me finished with Cunard. I sued them and got £3,000 off them.
So I always sail Holland America since then, far superior, they are registered in Rotterdam and Dutch Flag,
Cheers
Brian

[Jim Dixon]

All very interesting and no doubt expensive. However, having spent a my whole working life at sea the last place I would like to go is on a cruise. I will concede that I did take a short cruise on Hurtigruten many years ago.

[Captain Kong]

I have been cruising since I retired 18 years ago, I usually do long ones , the longest was five months, I did two months this year and have already booked again for two months next March. I always sail Holland America, excellent ships, crews and itineries.
If I stayed in a hotel in one place for two weeks I would go loco.
Cruising gives me a chance to see many friends around the world.
Off this site I have met members, John Adamson on the old Queen Mary in Long Beach, Vernon several times in Sydney and in the Blue Mountains, Richard in Sydney , Roger several times in Sydney and beyond, HD John and Neil in Melbourne, John Sabourn in Perth, and our late Lou Barron in Dunedin and his family. If I didn't cruise I would never have had the Pleasure of meeting these fine Gentlemen.
I also go every year to Tahiti to meet all my Polynesian friends, who make us so welcome with their hospitality.
All in all, a wonderful experience, something to look forward to every year.
Choose your ships and company and itinery wisely and you would love it.
Sure it is expensive compared to a week in Benidorm, But when your retired , what are you saving up for. What have you worked 50 years for? enjoy your retirement.
Do a Lap of Honour round the world and enjoy,
Cheers
Brian.


THE LAP OF HONOUR. By Brian Aspinall aka Captain Kong.
.I went to the Sea School when I was a lad
where conditions were hard and the food was bad
but I walked through those gates as tall as a man
off to my first ship bound for Japan.

. Now I have retired and saved up my cash
once more round the world I am going to dash.
To Mombasa and Java and out to Cathay
to see all my old girl friends once more on the way.

.Mimi`s still waiting for me I’ve been told
I would like to see her before she gets old.
then on to see Dedeh in Tanjong Patak
and fly on a jumbo to Hong Kong’s Kai Tak.

. I`ll go back to Tahiti down in the South Seas
to see my Wahini in the warm sunny breeze.
Then on to see Maggie in New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay
and have a beer in Ma Gleasons back on the way.

. I will do a Lap of Honour round the Australian Coast
to see all the girls who loved me the most.
From Thursday Island round to Sydney and Perth
they were the loveliest girls on earth.

I`ll go and see Sheila and then Mary Lou
and call upon Sally in Woolloomooloo
Then go up to Townsville to see Mary O`Keefe
where we walked hand in hand by the Great Barrier Reef.

.When I think of those nights by a blue lagoon
loving my girl beneath a tropical moon.
and those happy times we both shared.
My Mary is waiting for me, so I’ve heard.

.On then to Honolulu and then Frisco Bay.
Up to Vancouver and down to L.A.
I`ll jump on a Greyhound across to Hoboken
to see my Jenny whose heart I had broken.

.In Manhattan`s Times Square and 42nd Street
there must be some girls left that I used to meet.
I would be sad if I looked around
and none of my girls where there to be found.

.So off I will go to old Mexico
to see my Juanita down in Tampico.
then across to see Molly in Montego Bay
and go up the Blue Mountains where we used to play.

.On then to Rio, Montevideo and B.A. [Buenos Aires]
to May Sullivan’s Bar where I used to stay
there was Rosita, Paquita and also Maria
on then to Santos and round to Bahia,

.Then when I return home again
back to Bolton’s dismal rain
all my memories will always stay
they are something that no one can take away

. I will be thinking now that I will get a shock
on my memory trip to turn back the clock
things won’t be the same, time has move on
the young girls I once loved have grown old and are gone.

..and now that I am coming to the end of my time.
I must get my memories down into Rhyme.
For when you are young life is all magic
but when you get old life become tragic.

But there is still some life in this old dog yet
and more excitement for me to get
So I will be heading off into the sun
to have more adventures and plenty of fun.

.And then one day when I am old and grey
my life used up and it has come time to pay
on my face will be a smile
I will just be a thinking, its all been worthwhile

[Jim Dixon]

Interesting post Brian. As already said I did the one cruise on the 'Polarlys', a vessel within the 'Hurtigruten'. Basically it is a mail boat that leaves Bergen every night and visits something like 12 ports going north to Kirkenes and the same going south back to Bergen. I lost no time, my wife tells me in introducing myself to the Master who was more than happy to give me freedom of the bridge when I advised I had worked for Jebsen. Watch keeping on these vessels a culture shock. The OOW did not appear to be as watchful to position fixing as he was to traffic (fishing vessels etc). Reason given the computer does the navigation and it is always correct. What we cannot programme into computers is these 'damn' local fishermens thinking. This over reliance on computers is one thing but my heart was in my mouth several times when proceeding along several fjords where the depth of water was never a concern but pinnacles islets were common. several occasions saw us heading directly towards an islet and say a mile off still no concern shown by OOW. However, my apprehension was obvious and the young OOW pointed to a discreet flashing light on the console which told the OOW the computer was well aware of the islet and tand action would be forthcoming. About 7 cables of with the OOW sipping coffee the ship altered course to stbd and resumed course thereafter. Not for the feint hearted.

[happy daze john in oz]

Funny how one thread can bring back other memories.

Sailed into Melbourne in 64 and we had to take on stores. Allowed any foods but under BOT rules we were not allowed to take on any Australian made sausages for some unknown reason. Funny how things stick in the mind.