|
Booze on cruises do’s and don’ts |
 |
 |
 |
|
We firmly believe cruises can be the most economical way to enjoy a relaxing, luxurious vacation. Everything is within a few steps of your comfy cabin: food, pool, spa, entertainment, ocean breezes, casino. And all-inclusive for one bargain price of from $50 to $100 a day!
Well, not quite. The beancounters who work for cruise lines calculate to make the all-inclusive prices so attractive, because passengers will spend extra money on booze. It’s the same reason why Las Vegas makes room rates so low, knowing visitors will lose money gambling.
There’s nothing rip-off about it, just common sense ways to insure profits. Here are some tips for managing your booze spending on your next cruise.
1. Prices for alcoholic drinks and sodas are very high on cruises and keep getting higher. A Coke costs $5 or more, while mixed drinks and beer are $10 plus. If you order them at a ship’s bar, you’re expected to leave a 20 percent tip.
2. If you order bottles of booze, champagne or beer for your cabin, the price is at least 50 percent higher, with the obligatory 20 percent tip added.
3. When you’re checking aboard before the cruise begins, ask at the info desk about the booze and soft drink policies. On some ships, you can buy an unlimited refillable soft drink bottle for $10. It’s a bargain if you drink two or three a day during a week or more at sea.
4. If you’re permitted to bring bottles of champagne or wine aboard, when you open any in a dining or bar area, you’re charged up to $25 “corkage” fees.
5. Tipping for booze, wine or beer service at meals or anywhere else on the ship is on each order you get. It’s always separate from the other end-of-cruise tips you’re expected to give for dining and cabin service.
On your next sailing, enjoy all the wonderful ways to have fun, but expect to pay more when you add booze to the cruise. |
|
|
Send your love to a GI today! |
|
|
|
|
Valentine’s day is over, but you can always send some loving messages and gifts to those who are serving you in lonely and dangerous spots around the world. It can be a loved one or someone who’d just appreciate your consideration.
Through various online services, you can contact members of the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard. Some of them are:
www.operationshoebox.com
www.veteransresources.org
www.uso.org
www.redcross.org |
|
Travel memories: U.S. Navy guys in Egypt |
|
|
|
|
Crew members of U.S.S. Raleigh visit the sphynx and pyramids, 1896 |
|
Airline food: Does jet noise make it taste yukky? |
|
|
|
|
Do loud sounds while you dine bother you? According to a Unilever study, noises produced by aircraft engines take away the appetite of passengers when meals are served in the air. They also state that knowing the food is pre-frozen and microwaved doesn’t help, either.
In the experiments, blindfolded diners ate while simulated aircraft noises were broadcast at low frequency and then up to very loud. The results were that the noises were distracting, and the food didn’t seem as tasty. Researchers said the meals were more appreciated when soft music was played.
So, next time you fly, and the meal in the air isn’t so great, don’t blame the airline chef. Put on your earphones and listen to music instead of the engines. Maybe that’s why they have strolling violinists at the fanciest restaurants on the ground. |
|
Get off your a$$ and hike the Grand Canyon trails |
|
|
|
|
The very popular mule rides that transport visitors into the splendid rocky depths of the Grand Canyon in Arizona will be drastically reduced under a new plan by the National Park Service.
According to the NPS announcement, the number of mules allowed on the Bright Angel Trail, the most traveled route into the canyon from the South Rim, will drop from 40 to 10 riders daily.
The NPS reason for the cut-back in mule rides is that the trail over the years has eroded to potentially unsafe conditions, and repairs are getting too expensive. Additionally, hikers are complaining that they must share the ever-narrowing trails with the mules and the inevitable stuff the mules leave behind. NPS also states that it wants to encourage more hikers to use the trail.
There will be mule rides available along the less-spectacular but safer top of the South Rim trails. For those planning Grand Canyon visits, they should know the hugely popular mule rides will become even more difficult to book, and reservations of up to a year in advance are advised.
For more information, go to NPS.org. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 467 of 530 |
