Topic: Island Escape Action Group New Website

QUOTE:

His words are:- The price of alcohol is high when you see them loading all the duty free on board.

But isn't that true for all cruise lines. How anyone can justify $5+ a bottle for beer then 15% service tax when they are buying duty free is beyond me.

It's the same reason pubs are shutting in this country. Who wants to go to the pub and pay £2.85 (.57ltr) a pint when you can buy 3 cases of Lager (23.75ltrs) for £18 (43p a pint). It doesn't add up.

QUOTE:

But isn't that true for all cruise lines. How anyone can justify $5+ a bottle for beer then 15% service tax when they are buying duty free is beyond me.

It's the same reason pubs are shutting in this country. Who wants to go to the pub and pay £2.85 (.57ltr) a pint when you can buy 3 cases of Lager (23.75ltrs) for £18 (43p a pint). It doesn't add up.

Lets face it times have moved on we used to walk in the cold to the pub engage in conversation then stagger home now we sit in the warm converse with a wider number of people and drink more cheaply then just roll up to bed :D

It's a great comfort to me that since I cracked 50 and my hormones started playing up, I can no longer drink much alcohol at all. Saves a packet on a cruise.

QUOTE:

It's a great comfort to me that since I cracked 50 and my hormones started playing up, I can no longer drink much alcohol at all. Saves a packet on a cruise.

Ahh so there is nothing wrong with me
I often drink sparkling spring water now when we go out for a meal just don't fancy alcohol as much as I used to :D

Seems to me I'll be the only voice of descent here. I joined Island Escape on 29th January for one week - my first cruise experience - and had a great time.

If I had to gripe, I'd say the food, particularly at the beginning of the cruise, could have been a lot better; the decor was a bit tired - but you get what you pay for; and it would be better to stay overnight in port than have days at sea or Morocco.

There were hand sanitisers all over the place, you couldn't get into restaurants without a member of staff squirting you! All food was served for you and you couldn't even help yourself to coffee.....that is until the last day when we returned to the ship after a shore excursion and suddenly you could help yourself to the cold food. I thought that perhaps they had had to put in place certain measures following previous hygiene problems which after a week were relaxed.

It was one of the best holidays I've had - apart from the moaning minnies I met on board! Really couldn't understand people going on holiday to complain. They were determined to have a terrible time.

Hi Linda

The objective of this topic was merely to notify any past or future passengers concerned about their cruise about the Island Escape Action Group, and each forum user is entitled to comment negatively or positively as they consider appropriate.

Your comment “you get what you pay for” goes to the route of the Island Escape Action Group argument, the Christmas Carousel could not be considered a budget cruise, given the sums paid, add to that the overall condition of the Island Escape and the particular problems experienced, the passengers on the Christmas Carousel didn’t get what they paid for. However, in general I would add unfortunately grumbling has become something of a cruise tradition.

Although you enjoyed your future cruise, some tips for the future, almost all cruises will have one or more sea days unless it is very short, and pick your next itinerary carefully, reading reviews on ports is always a good starting point.

I have also tried to think of examples for my next statement; so here goes my first car was Vauxhall Viva, (complete with whippy aerial) I thought it was the bees knees, the cars driven or owned improved progressing to for example, XR3i (a then must have for the girl about town) to the more desirable motors.


Given the choice for my only source of transport to drive every day, would I buy another Viva? Well no other car will replace the experience of my first car, but many years older and having experienced far better sadly I wouldn’t buy another one.

Take another different cruise and see you will decide if the Island Escape remains your maritime equivalent of desirable wheels or you should have qualified for a £2,000 discount on a new set of wheels!

In anticipation of cheeky responses!

Jude

QUOTE:

Hi Linda

The objective of this topic was merely to notify any past or future passengers concerned about their cruise about the Island Escape Action Group, and each forum user is entitled to comment negatively or positively as they consider appropriate.

Your comment “you get what you pay for” goes to the route of the Island Escape Action Group argument, the Christmas Carousel could not be considered a budget cruise, given the sums paid, add to that the overall condition of the Island Escape and the particular problems experienced, the passengers on the Christmas Carousel didn’t get what they paid for. However, in general I would add unfortunately grumbling has become something of a cruise tradition.

Although you enjoyed your future cruise, some tips for the future, almost all cruises will have one or more sea days unless it is very short, and pick your next itinerary carefully, reading reviews on ports is always a good starting point.

I have also tried to think of examples for my next statement; so here goes my first car was Vauxhall Viva, (complete with whippy aerial) I thought it was the bees knees, the cars driven or owned improved progressing to for example, XR3i (a then must have for the girl about town) to the more desirable motors.


Given the choice for my only source of transport to drive every day, would I buy another Viva? Well no other car will replace the experience of my first car, but many years older and having experienced far better sadly I wouldn’t buy another one.

Take another different cruise and see you will decide if the Island Escape remains your maritime equivalent of desirable wheels or you should have qualified for a £2,000 discount on a new set of wheels!

In anticipation of cheeky responses!

Jude

Very well put - excellent analogy.

cheers
Harvey

QUOTE:

But isn't that true for all cruise lines. How anyone can justify $5+ a bottle for beer then 15% service tax when they are buying duty free is beyond me.

It's the same reason pubs are shutting in this country. Who wants to go to the pub and pay £2.85 (.57ltr) a pint when you can buy 3 cases of Lager (23.75ltrs) for £18 (43p a pint). It doesn't add up.

True

As cruise lines are now working on the "Ryan air" type principle cutting up front prices to get bums on seats - they have to recover it somehow.
eg Captive audience , stop the competition ( confiscation - albeit temporary - of booze at gangplank) and set whatever price you think you can get away with.
Same with trips and even "gratuities"
We all need to calculate it into the cost of the holiday ( or do without) .
We should have spreadsheets ( ship / cruiseline) of these extras - booze , trips , gratuities. Some of this data exists but needs to be in an accessible spreadsheet on a specific area of the forums ( fora??)

Loking forward to some freebees on the Magnifica - hope it IS a free lunch this time

Hello Jude

The topic objective is obvious, as are my rights as a forum user - neither need pointing out to me but perhaps those who need reminding will thank you.

My expression "you get what you pay for" is similiarly obvious and applies directly to my cruise. You will no doubt have noticed my posting said "my first cruise experience" from which it must be clear that all my comments were appropriate to my cruise and my experiences during that cruise.

If my posting was inappropriate in any way whatsoever, I would expect this to be pointed out by a forum administrator and not by someone who has taken it upon themselves to unilaterally police this thread by criticism, patronising repetitive remarks and inept analogies.

Finally, my posting conveyed a message which may be of some use to those pursuing a claim against Thomsons for cruises prior to mine. Forum users less mentally challenged may find my posting of use, others will no doubt resort to unimaginative, inappropriate and ingratiating responses.