Current Affairs 2023

[Stephen]

But would he take in one without the other!

[david63]

Harry might want to come back (inevitable that he would at some point) but Meghan will never come with him - and that leaves the problem of the children, who like many in these situations get caught up in something that they have no control over and end up as a "bargaining chip".

[oldbluefox]

But would he take in one without the other!

Give it time and Keefy would no doubt be featuring in one of their moanalongs when they find his chickens keeping them awake in the morning.

[Ray B]

Very interesting as Pompeii continues to give up it's secrets. Hard to believe when you see some of the buildings and contents of the the houses being revealed, of the fiery destruction that rained down upon them 2000 years ago, While trying to find out about more of the lives of the people who perished in the disaster, they are having to juggle with what has been found and trying to preserve it. But slowly Pompeii is continuing to come back from the ashes.

[Stephen]

Amsterdam bans cruise ships.

How many more will follow. I guess it depends if they need the revenue from cruise tourism or not.

Amsterdam bans cruise ships to limit visitors and curb pollution https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66264226

[barney]

Amsterdam definitely doesn’t need the tourists.
Last time we went, we docked right in the city centre and it was brilliant for us, but I do sympathise with them.
Literally hoards of tourists disgorged into the city at the same time.
I think many other cities will do similar in the future.

[david63]

I thought that Amsterdam had already banned cruise ships - wasn't there an outcry possibly pre Covid over this?

[Mervyn and Trish]

I think they introduced a per passenger charge to deter them, which worked for some but not others. This now seems to be a total ban. Maybe they'll close the airport too. That should save a bit of pollution.

[CaroleF]

I went on Aurora to Amsterdam in April and we docked right in the city at the large Cruise Terminal. It was great for my daughter who was due to meet a friend there who lived on the Dutch/German border. She did say though that the number of tourists pouring out of the terminal was very large.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I see research today shows that TikTok is now the biggest source of news for teenagers. That bodes well for the future of civilisation.

[Stephen]

I see research today shows that TikTok is now the biggest source of news for teenagers. That bodes well for the future of civilisation.

Sounds about right for future generations

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[Chalgrave4]

Amsterdam bans cruise ships.

How many more will follow. I guess it depends if they need the revenue from cruise tourism or not.

Amsterdam bans cruise ships to limit visitors and curb pollution https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66264226

Will this also apply to the dozens of river cruise boats?

[Stephen]

No idea .

[Mervyn and Trish]

I doubt it. A dozen River Cruise boats carry fewer passengers than one Cruise Ship.

[Manoverboard]

I also doubt it.

The vast majority of Riverboat tourists arrive by coach or rail rather than by silly sized cruise ships.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I wonder if it will solve their problem? As I fear for Venice I wonder if they'll end up gridlocked with coaches busing passengers in?

[Ray B]

The price you pay for having mega size cruise ships and tight fisted passengers who refuse to put their hands in their pockets when ashore.

[david63]

It is not necessarily "tight fisted" passengers as, if others are like us, there is not always anything that we want/need to buy.

Sometimes we will have a drink or a meal when in port or we will buy anything that we need but I am not sure what these countries expect cruise passengers to spend money on.

[Stephen]

And if it's Norway then no way am I dipping into my wallet, Merv said.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We rarely buy food or drink ashore. Why would we when we've already paid for a ship full of it? And thanks Norway, but we only need so many plastic trolls.

But every ship in port pays substantial fees and directly creates local employment. Every tour coach and HoHo bus puts money into the local economy and provides jobs. Local taxis rake it in too. In fact having been a regular visitor to Madeira I know what a taxi should cost there and that those queued up on the dockside often take the p*ss. I've no doubt it's the same elsewhere.

[Ray B]

Just buying a drink away from the cruise terminal helps those that don't really benifit from cruise ships, especially in places like the Caribbean, and you more likely get a warmer welcome.

[towny44]

Just buying a drink away from the cruise terminal helps those that don't really benifit from cruise ships, especially in places like the Caribbean, and you more likely get a warmer welcome.

There is only so much food and drink that you can consume without damaging your health, and we eat breakfast late, and rarely eat lunch before 2 or 3 o'clock, and, 3 hours ashore is about the maximum for us. So a coffee is about the maximum we have ashore.

[Stephen]

Providing it doesn't cost an arm or a leg we will have a beer or a coffee at a cafe or bar partly to also use their WiFi, which is only fair.

[CaroleF]

My husband and I rarely ate a meal ashore in the Caribbean, as has been said, John's thought was we've already paid for it aboard. Just occasionally he liked the look of somewhere where locals ate. I remember a little restaurant upstairs just a short way away from the port of St. John's Antigua. It was a meal too. I remember a few times when we'd have a drink, lovely banana daiquiri (had to look up how to spell that!) in St. Thomas, stood there while the bar tender made it with real, fresh bananas. Generally other than spending money on a few presents for grandchildren, we didn't spend a lot. I do remember John going off in the pouring rain in Venice and came back with a beautiful Venetian Mask for our grandaughter, and soaked socks and shoes and a rather wet passport - it did dry! My grandaughter treasures it and it's still on the wall in her bedroom.

[Frank Manning]

We have eaten ashore a few times in different places. A superb pizza in Venice. We had a nice lunch in St Paul de Vence, another in Wellington N Z, and one in Portland. It is nice to eat away from the ship some times and try local dishes.