Part 2…Challenges along the way…New cruise bookings…Changes in tipping on cruises…

San Antonio, Chile to San Diego, California
15 nights departing March 24, 2019, on Celebrity’s Celebrity Eclipse
Our price:  $3,885.68 (we included tips on this cruise) (ARS 73,349.98)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees)

In reviewing our upcoming itinerary for 2018-2020 for 852 days (see this link), we realized we’d yet to post any information for the cruises we’ve already booked. 

We’ve yet to book the Zambezi River cruise in Africa, which we’ll do once we arrive on the continent, and also the sails for the Pantanal and Amazon River since they’re both far into the future.

Otherwise, at this point, we have a total of five cruises booked which includes the upcoming Antarctica cruise sailing in 17 days.  Based on the fact we’ll be spending a full year in Africa, other than the Zambezi River cruise, these four cruises are booked as shown, including pricing.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Dublin, Ireland
14 nights departing April 22, 2019, on Celebrity’s Celebrity Reflection
Our price:  $4,497.10 (tips not included) (ARS 84,891.76)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees)

Date	Port	Arrive	Depart
Monday, April 22	Fort Lauderdale, FL		5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 23	At Sea
Wednesday, April 24	At Sea
Thursday, April 25	At Sea
Friday, April 26	At Sea
Saturday, April 27	At Sea
Sunday, April 28	At Sea
Monday, April 29	At Sea
Tuesday, April 30	Ponta Delgada, Portugal	7:00 am
Wednesday, May 1	Ponta Delgada, Portugal		3:00 pm
Thursday, May 2	At Sea
Friday, May 3	At Sea
Saturday, May 4	Cork (Cobh), Ireland	10:00am	8:00 pm
Sunday, May 5	Waterford (Dunmore East), Ireland	7:00 am	7:00 pm
Monday, May 6	Dublin, Ireland	4:30 am

Tom suggested I mention that the pricing in Vacations to Go is not necessarily the price we paid.  Usually, they list the costs for the lowest valued cabin in the category mentioned. 

Based on our Captain’s Club member status, we often get an upgrade and also choose a more conveniently located cabin suitable for our needs that may be priced slightly higher than listed.  Thus, the prices listed here today may be different than those listed on the VTG site.

There are various perks listed from time to time, but few are included on the cruises listed here due to their excellent overall pricing based on “six of one, half dozen of another.”

Note: No map was provided for this itinerary.
Amsterdam to Amsterdam, The Netherlands
12 nights departing August 11, 2019, on
Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas
Our price:  $4,313,18 (tips not included) (ARS 81,419.90)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees)

Often, cruise passengers prefer the perception of getting a great deal with several perks provided.  After all these years of cruising, we’re well beyond the concept of perception and choose an exact price.

Recently both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity (owned by the same parent company) have upped the daily tips from US $13.50 (ARS 254.84) per day per person for US $14.50 (ARS 273.72).  That results in an amount of US $29 (ARS 547.43) per day added to our cruise bill.  For a 15-night cruise, there’s a total of US $435 (ARS 8,211.49) added to the account.

These tips can be reversed by passengers when on the ship, and they can do whatever they’d like regarding tipping their favorite staff members.  However, we’ve never changed the daily tips and always include extra tips for cabin stewards and others.

London, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
15 nights departing on October 24, 2019, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Silhouette
Our price:  $4,304.40 (tips not included) (ARS 81,254.16)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees

We discovered from a former cruise employee that removing tips is noted in the passenger’s computer file and visible by all serving staff members.  This could indeed hurt the quality of service. 

Like us, many passengers prefer to show an extra token of gratitude for exceptional service, especially for their cabin steward, bartenders, and other service staff one may frequent.  After all, these workers leave their homes and families and live in not-so-ideal conditions while aboard ship for many months at a time.

When we first began booking cruises in 2012, tips were often included in the price.  But, this was merely a case of convenience.  With price increases, these cruise lines decided to leave them out for passengers to pay separately, allowing them to raise introductory pricing, which would provide the perception of somewhat lowered pricing on many sailings. 

Artistic painting on a wall in Palermo.

Trickery.  It’s the nature of the beast.  We love cruising in between our land-stays, using cruises as much as possible for us to get from one location to another, as illustrated in our newly posted itinerary.

With the sun shining again, after last night’s rainy walk to dinner (the Prodeo Hotel staff provided us with an umbrella), we’re looking forward to getting out today for a bit of sightseeing, now that we’ve completed so much planning for the future.

We’re both feeling well, optimistic, and refreshed as we’re almost halfway through our extended stay in Buenos Aires, enjoying every day’s insight into life in this big city in Argentina.

Be well and happy!

Photo from one year ago today, January 6, 2017:

Joey’s head and legs were hanging out of the pouch in Tasmania last year.  It looks as if it’s time to stop living in there!  For more photos, please click here.