Enough already! Reader tired of all the complaints over fees

I have been a longtime reader of the Times Travel section, but I might have to stop reading it one day in the near future because it has become the “fee-whiner” section, and it’s getting more annoying each week [“Rental Owners Displeased With Fees,” On the Spot by Catharine Hamm, April 10].

Businesses must charge a fee because they need to stay in business and hopefully make a profit.

Most things in life are not free. However, many things appear to be free: The buffet on a cruise ship is “free.” Meals and alcohol on most international flights are “free.” Some hotels provide “free” Wi-Fi and “free” breakfast. Many rental car companies give “free” upgrades and “free” unlimited mileage.

Marketing costs are expensive, and consumers have been paying for them since the beginning of marketing. Whether it’s a car, a smartphone or a can of soda, the price you pay includes the costs of marketing that product to you.

Many consumers are oblivious about paying for fees and costs that are built into the pricing structures of products or services. But when the fee is made transparent, naive consumers scream, “Why is there a fee?”

Rob Lam

Orange

This Guinness
is for you, really
I hope readers of “A Short but Sweet Stroll Through Dublin” [April 10] won’t be put off by Diane Haithman’s description of her first pint of Guinness (“It was still nasty…”).
This Southern Californian tasted her first Guinness, poured in a pub in Kilkenny, on Day 1 of my two-week driving trip through Ireland. I found it to be a smooth, malty ale, with almost a melting chocolate creaminess to it. I drank Guinness with almost every meal, and Jameson at the end of every day. The Irish really have wonderful national drinks. (On a fun note, I happened to arrive in Ireland on Arthur’s Day, an unofficial national holiday when Arthur Guinness’ birthday is celebrated.)
Ann Stice
San Diego

Cruisers missing the boat
on seeing the real city

The best off-ship trip is one that doesn’t involve a ship [“Comparing Off-Ship Trips” by Rosemary McClure, April 17].

Cruise-ship travelers would be far better off choosing one island on which to stay or one area to visit, rather than deluding themselves into thinking they are seeing Barcelona, Rome or Venice, or getting to know seven Caribbean islands, with one- or at most two-day stays in port.

Those who think they’re seeing the world on a cruise with excursion trips are the ones who are missing the boat. They are missing out on seeing the real city or island, on getting to know an area so well that they don’t feel they need to see it again for many years.

Cruises should be reserved for those with health or energy issues who just can’t do it on their own.

Those who are afraid of venturing into the world without disembarking from a cruise ship would be surprised to learn how safe and easy travel on their own can be.

Although it helps to speak a few phrases in the local language, almost everyone in the tourist industry speaks passable English, and it just isn’t that hard to travel on one’s own these days.

Daniel Fink
Beverly Hills