Going on a "luxury" holiday was part of the appeal of Cunard to me, but I don't find it luxurious to constantly be asked for more money on board,
Gosh in all my years and l traveled in steerage, l would have never said the Cunard product (QE2 in my case) was ever luxury . I cant speak for the service up top, but it surely must have been better.
Its also interesting to define what makes "luxury" , and can you get luxury on these bigger ships.
The little Hebridean Princess that tootles around the west coast , always looked really nice, l had a tour of her once and shes very tartan and tweeds. Friends did a trip on her out to St Kilda and raved about the experience, but as the gentleman said, who could ever call a converted cal mac ferry luxury . But she has a very high repeat passenger count, and given the size and just how early people book does fill up and sell out. They do produce a lovely high glossy brochure and nice mailings.
Going "all inclusive" can have different views, lm generally not a big drinker, so why subsidise those that do drink, and if its all-inclusive is there a need to try to get your moneys worth. Adverts in the Sunday papers for trips to Blackpool "all inclusive" drinks show your bog standard vodka gin run and cider, One dreads to think of the state of the rooms and guests if they are so minded to get their moneys worth. Again a simply no tipping policy on the all inclusive cruises, isn't there a pressure to reward the faithful butler or waiter or room attendant with a small something? Or is there a view that its all inclusive and staff refuse such things? l was speaking to a butler on a recent trip and the tipping subject was raised , there are some guests who will ask very little of a butler and there are others who will have them running for everything and if its all inclusive , do the butlers feel cheated out of money ?
I once went to a New Years party on the Medway in San Diego, a thousand other people were there, and a hosted (complimentary) bar was in operation . I can only imagine the scene if it was in Scotland , and was very surprised at how well-behaved everyone was and how generally quiet the bars were. Im all too aware of how Scotland has a massive issue with drinking, l see it most weekends, we discourage free bars, in the past when they were in operation you had people asking for doubles, triples and double-doubles, in the end we posed the limits of single measure only, and now we simply refuse to operate a free bar. Of course cruise ships are another matter, and the higher end ones bring a better class of drunk.
We have a guest who stays every year, a complete pain with the drink, but he's generous with the loaded palm and we all turn a blind eye , it makes the suffering bearable.
