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Cruises and Cell Phone Charges

Written by T.I. Cruiser on November 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment

So what would you do if you opened up your monthly cell-phone bill and saw you owed $200,000? Hopefully you will never need to answer that question but for Florida resident Celina Aarons this was a reality. So how did she react when she saw her expected $175 dollar balloon to over 1000 times its normal size? In her own words Celina Aarons says that she was “freaking out” when she received the bill. “I was shaking, crying, I couldn’t even talk that much on the phone. I was like my life is over!” All in all I’d say she handled it rather well, my reaction would have been far worse.

So what happened? How did Celina’s mobile phone bill get so high?

What happened was Celina shares a family plan with her two brothers who happen to be both deaf and mute. The brothers use their mobile phones to communicate. The problem occurred when her younger brother went on vacation to Canada for two weeks. Since he never turned off the phones roaming, charges for texting and internet usage continued to mount.

So what does this have to do with cruising?

Even though you will be at sea it is possible to connect to voice and data services through the use of the ships towers. The problem is connecting via the cruise ships tower is very expensive, for most of us even more so than my international roaming. Now, some people may say they just won’t use their phones when at sea, but that isn’t enough. You really do need to turn them off completely. I go as far as to activate airplane mode before I turn off my phone.

With the proliferation of smartphones, passengers are more susceptible to surprise charges than ever. Certain services on smartphones will push and pull in data even if you aren’t actively using the phone. So even if you have placed your smartphone in a safe for the duration of the cruise it can and will use data if not fully disabled.

How can I protect myself for excessive mobile phone charges?

The best way to make certain you are never a victim of accidental charges is to adopt the rule that as soon as you board the ship the phones get turned off and locked away. Even though you may still be able to make calls from the ship before you leave the port, you are on vacation, so just turn the phone off. You also have to be sure to not turn it back on until after debarkation.

The reason leaving it off until you leave the ship is, while your phone is turned off your texts will be held for you. As soon as you turn the phone back on every text that has been sent will come through at once. If you are not yet receiving a normal signal you will be charged for each of those texts. While the huge charges come from data your goal is to avoid any unnecessary charges. This is precisely why I put my phone in airplane mode before turning it off. Airplane mode allows me to turn on my phone but without being flooded with text and data until I actively allow my phone to receive those things. It’s basically just an added layer of protection.

So what happened with Celina Aarons Enormous Phone Bills?

She was able to negotiate with T-Mobile to get the bill reduced. So instead of having to pay $201,005.44 Celina will have to pay $2,500. Feeling generous T-Mobile also gave her six months to pay off the still outrageous bill. I guess this is just another example of big business showing how much they really care about their customers.

Carnival Cruise Lines Tells Passengers to Tip More

Written by T.I. Cruiser on November 2, 2011 · 2 Comments

Those of you planning to sail on Carnival Cruise Lines in the future may be in for a little surprise. An announcement has been made that Carnival Cruise Lines has increased the suggested amount they would like passengers to tip by about 15 percent. Starting with passengers departing on or after December 1 Carnival will be asking passengers to pay $11.50 per person, per day; a raise of $1.50 per person per day.

While its not much an increase, no one likes a surprise that results in having to spend more money (even a paltry $10.50 per seven day cruise). At least this increase won’t affect those passengers who have prepaid their gratuities for sailings occurring beyond the December 1^st start date. Of course Carnival didn’t notify those passengers already booked on this cruises who hadn’t already pre-paid their gratuities, meaning they will need to pay the new amount. Great job Carnival, even though most people don’t need one you just gave people a reason to complain.

While no one likes to pay more for anything, personally I’m not ready to lambast Carnival for this move since they haven’t raised the auto-tip amount since 2001. It also seems that we have been getting a bargain for years since Carnival had been suggesting $10 per person per day compared to the $11.50+ that was being done on competing cruise lines.

Where does the new money go?

This increase should mean a raise for the cruise ship staff, but will it? I am skeptical of the extent to which these new monies will make it into the hands of the staff that I am used to tipping. With the old policy I knew exactly where my money was going; $5.50 for the headwaiter/waiter, $3.50 to the cabin steward and $1 for the assistant waiter/cooks. The new breakdown of how tips are split up and handed out isn’t quite as good. The new guidelines are as follows; $5.80 for dining room services, $3.70 to cabin services and $2 for alternative services. What the hell does, “alternative services” mean? When I desire for the Maitre D to receive a tip, I hand him one. I don’t need the cruise line slipping him any of my money if I don’t deem it necessary. The Maitre D may be a jerk and jerks don’t deserve tips (we all have rules we live by).

According to Carnival, alternative services can include unspecified members of kitchen, entertainment, guest services and members of hotel staff. Now, although it seems as if we are being kept in the dark on who is getting the extra it seems that “alternative services” is an umbrella large enough to fit anything from the guy who fixes the ice-maker to standoffish Romanian dancer who scowls as she sells bingo tickets. For all I know I could be pitching in for a private jet for John Heald. I’m not saying these people don’t deserve a raise or that John Heald shouldn’t have a private jet, My skepticism stems from not necessarily agreeing on where that money should come.

In the past I usually tipped a bit extra to those who I felt went above and beyond. Now, even with the increase if I want to make sure those people actually get taken care of I will still need to give them an additional tip. Although I am sure nothing is amiss, it just seems like communication could have been handled much better than the effort Carnival has put in. If I am being asked to tip I should be permitted to know exactly who the party is on the receiving end of that tip.

What can I do if I am against Carnival’s new suggested tipping guidelines?

If for some reason you are a member of that group of passengers so vehemently against this increase, you do have an option. Remember any passenger who wants to adjust the auto-tipping amount can have this done at the purser’s desk. So if it really bothers you, you could just turn the auto-tip off and cash tip any amount you see fit. It’s not an avenue I would personally recommend since there have been reports on some cruise lines of workers seeing the list of people who removed tipping and one should never risk upsetting the person that handles their food. Besides, the potential for abuse with people removing the auto-tip and not tipping at all is too great. That would be an even bigger crime than Carnival slipping in the increase under the cover of darkness.

Five Ways You Can Get Taken Onboard a Cruise Ship

Written by T.I. Cruiser on September 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

When you book a cruise you are for the most part paying for a package that includes all you need to enjoy an incredible vacation. Transportation to exotic ports of call, food, drink and entertainment are all included in the rate you pay to book your cruise. That isn’t to say that a cruise is an all-inclusive package as there are certain extras that are available for additional charges.

However, these additional charges aren’t necessary to have fun, in fact if you are vacationing on a budget what makes a cruise perfect is the fact that you don’t need to spend much additional money to have a great time. The problem is without self-control it’s very easy to blow your budget especially in such a relaxed environment where the options are always presented as such a great deal.

The bad part is I’m not even talking about what happens in port I mean what actually goes on aboard the ship. When you cruise there are several opportunities that will be presented to you that look too good to be true but aren’t. What these opportunities really end up being is the cruise lines opportunity to pad their bottom line at your expense.

So, I wrote this article about five ways the cruise lines try to get even more money out of you. Now, I’m not saying these situations should be strictly avoided. What I am saying is, don’t allow yourself to be coerced into spending money on just anything. If you don’t value these services don’t allow yourself to be talked into paying for them because they are presented as a “deal”. For example, sometimes my girlfriend will come home from the mall with a new piece of jewelry. She comes in all excited trying to convince me of how great a deal she got. My response is always the same (as I’m getting my stuff ready for a night on the couch), did you mean to buy it because if you didn’t set out with that piece in mind you didn’t get a deal you got taken advantage of.

The Shopping Advisor

On every cruise you will find someone touted as the cruise ships expert on shopping. They tell you this person is who you should talk to in order to find the best deals in your upcoming port. Now I am in no position to question the validity of these people’s credentials as a shopping expert. However, I will tell you their primary goal isn’t to get you the best deal, but to get you to spend, spend, and spend.

While these guys bill themselves as providing a service helping you find the best deals, more often than not they get paid to steer you towards certain stores. That’s right, in most cases these guys are (more or less) working on commission. These “shopping experts” are usually contracted by a consortium of stores who pay them to get you into their shops. The cruise line is in on this deal, and oftentimes they are tied to the stores themselves. Many of dockside strip malls you see in the Caribbean were built by the cruise lines themselves. Why else do you think every place they send you to usually end up being conveniently located in those shopping villages.

Buying Pictures

Everywhere you go on a cruise ship (and even when exiting) they are snapping pictures. It’s not uncommon for passengers to be photographed dozens and dozens of times over the course of a week-long cruise; and even more if you voluntarily seek out the photographers. To some it’s no big deal but to others like me it’s at best annoying and at worst bordering on harassment.

I bring my own camera on vacation. In fact, I usually bring 2 or 3 cameras along for different situations, complete with a ridiculous amount of storage. On a 7 day cruise I usually return with 300-500 photos and a few hours of video footage so when it comes to capturing memories, I’m good.

While most of these shots are scenery pictures I have never had a problem getting a picture shot with my girlfriend. Other couples are always happy to take our picture in exchange for me taking theirs; also waiters (in addition to being well versed in service and hospitality) tend to be excellent photographers. Unless it’s some kind of special occasion you are commemorating, it’s usually a good idea to avoid buying too many photos.

Buying Cruise Line Swag

I have never had the desire to buy a Holland America (or any other cruise line) logo shirt, hat or windbreaker. However, I do understand that some people do. Occasionally, I do see someone walking around in “Cruise Line Swag” and it provides me an opportunity to strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger. I just hope that perfect stranger didn’t buy their gear on the first day of the cruise. They could have gotten it much cheaper had they exercised a little bit of patience.

I’m not sure if you ever noticed but onboard cruise ships there are always sales going on. The sales start almost immediately once you board the ship and continue at varying amounts throughout the remainder of the cruise. If you have ever paid attention you probably realized that as the week goes on discounts get deeper. So if you are going to buy cruise logo gear its okay to browse around early in the week but you aren’t going to want to do any of the actual purchasing until at least midweek.

Art Auctions

Every cruise will feature art auctions at various times. The art is usually displayed around the ship and some of it is pretty appealing. The problem is most of us having absolutely no idea if it really is worth the price or if it’s junk. The auctioneer (who is not employed by the cruise line) would like you to believe you are getting a great deal on an investment piece of art that that will appreciate in value and maybe someday even send your kids to college or carry you through retirement. More accurately they are just trying to get under-informed and over-exuberant tourists to buy overpriced “art” so they can get a fat commission check.

That’s right that slick talking gentleman with the 1000 watt smile who seems so friendly and helpful is just another one of the commissioned salesman trying to separate you from your hard-earned cash. Now at some point you probably will end up at least meandering through one of these auctions as they pretty popular for the free champagne they like to pass out. It’s even okay to purchase something if it’s a piece you really like. Just remember it’s quite possible the art you purchase will never be worth more than the purchase price and sometimes it won’t even be worth that.

Bar Service Auto-tipping

Now I am a huge advocate of tipping. I think the auto-tips that are put in place are wonderful because I truly believe if they didn’t exist lots of people would “stiff” the staff. In fact, I even believe in tipping additionally if I received service that was above the line. However I tend to limit that extra-tipping to people that are actually in a position to provide me excellent service. If you give it to everyone it will only come to be expected.

If you are my cabin steward or dining room wait staff and you take care of me, I will take care of you. But, if you work in a lounge or at the pool most likely you just carried my drink from point A to point B. For that service the 15% auto-tip will suffice. The problem is a lot of people don’t realize that a 15% tip is already added onto your bill as soon as they purchase your drink. So, what happens is the customer ends up writing in an additional tip when signing for their drinks. Now if a poolside waiter catches my eye as someone who is going to take exceptional care of me throughout the week I have no problem slipping them a little extra to secure their service.

So as you can see these are just a few things you can look out for to make certain you aren’t taken for a ride while you cruise. Now I’m not saying you should stick to any of these things as if they were gospel, but I do want you to aware of what is going on.