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A simple Ginnie Springs Florida search produced many images like this so we're basically buying natural swimming pond water. Ginnie Springs is a recreational resort and has caves to dive and they sell the water in the gift shop and to us presumably.

 

Reversed osmosis is all you need to know. Yuck. They do the same thing on the ship.

Years ago I remember sitting with a Pepsi vendor setting up their water (Dasani?), and asking him where does the water come from. He said "You don't want to know, but it's basically the same source as your tap water".

But they basically have the opposite "rule" - Carnival (per their spokesperson) wants you to leave them in the hallways.

They also like people that carry their own luggage and perform their own entertainment.

It's too bad they don't have a place to put them. Until they do, I put the tray under my sink. Its gone when they make the room.

It has been interesting with my cruise in January. My CC role call is really quiet but there are tons on the other. Maybe he is just moving with the trend?

 

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Almost everyone has a Facebook account. A very small portion of Internet users have a Cruise Critic account.

We have booked our first cruise for January and I have been learning so much on these boards, thank you! I saw a post about when to email the Maitre'd prior to your cruise. What do we need to email the Maitre'd for?

 

Thanks

It's not something you HAVE to do. You will automatically get an assignment and will know that assignment when you get your card.

These requests are basically Special requests, which you can make after you board the ship.

First time we did it was to try to switch from late seating to early.

I always notice it at some point during the cruise. I quickly switch to exhale as I move past the area, and then return to inhale when it's safe.

Why do you need to email the maitre'd?

You certainly don't have to. It's inky if you are looking for something special.

The MD's we have spoken to file and then process the requests based on the order recieved, so one two weeks out will take precedence for over one one week out, but generally processed at the same time as he plays assembly puzzle. Actually reminds me when I used to write a work schedule for 100 people, processing the special requests first and then filling in the rest based on staffing needs.

Sure. You said that if you left it for the bartender on the card they had to split it with the pool but if you tipped in cash they could keep it all. Tip pools cannot and do not work that way. Ever. Anywhere. It's all or nothing at all. So there is a pool or there isn't. If they keep the cash then they also get what's on the card. (I don't know for sure one way or the other and don't really care because as I've said once I've left the tip my obligation has ended and what happens to it isn't my concern, but I do know how tip pools work.)

Jesuit is correct. If you're tipping extra and to want the whole staff to split it, add it on your receipt. If you want the extra tip to go just to a specific person, just tip in cash.

At times the room steward and head waiter each have 2 assistants SO we prepare an envelope for all. We're not rich so the extra tips won't make anyone's car payment but at least they know we appreciate their efforts.

If you're tipping them and he's paying them out of his tips, you are hurting the main guys.

I have my bank get me 100 new $2 bills a lot of them have never seen one and think there kool!

 

 

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Hate to burst your bubble, but they end up having a hard time unloading them, even in the states. Last year a boy in school had the cops called on him because they thought he was passing counterfeit money.

Keep the "cute" things for your friends.

Glmaitred@carnival.com

Exactly, I do not even like stopping at Nassau, just floating in the Caribbean would be preferable to me.

We love doing to Paradise Island at night. The Dig is free, and walking around those grounds at night is quite lovely. A little dining, a little shopping, and then eventually back to the ship.

Liked it enough to book a 5 night stay at Cable Beach a couple of years ago.

There's actually an app for Cruise Critic that is much more iPhone-friendly. Just do a search for Cruise Critic in the App Store.

 

 

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Tried that and didn't like it.

Depends on the ship. Which are you sailing?

Your math is horribly wrong. And, their gross is of no concern. What you are tipping for, at less than $6 a day, is having your cabin serviced twice a day (yes, that always an option) with fresh lines scrubbed down, your mess cleaned up, their availability 24 hours a day to bring you fresh towels, linens, ice, pillows, etc. etc, etc. A good portion of people pull their tips and tip nothing or pocket change because they believe crap like your math and "they should be grateful". The more cabins they had, the greater percentage of pigs and being hosed on tips.

Your math is pretty bad as well. Tips per person for the steward used to be $3.90 per person per day. Since the increase the breakdown has suddenly disappeared ( as well as the option to tip in cash, BTW). So for 2 that's roughly $8/day. A family of 4 is roughly $16/day. That well exceeds basic room tipping suggestions on land.

Your suggestion that twice a day is always an option is being challenged on 6 ships; some have no problem, and some are being fed garbage.

Not sure why you are calling some Carnival cruisers names.

On the Vista TA at present.

I did speak with Ryan the Entertainment Director and he did change the time of the M&G from 9 am to 11 am on the first sea day to accommodate us as many of us had arranged to meet at 9 am for brunch. He also changed the venue from Piano Bar to Limelight Bar. He did say that he had cabin numbers for 100 members but that 350 had signed up and so again did not send any invitations to the cabins.

 

The meeting was good with about 100 present. However not one person from Carnival Management showed up. (Ryan was present at the previous Med cruise M&G but did not show at this one)

This gives a strong message that we and our loyalty are not important to Carnival. Big difference from Norwegian where all the Officers show up and Celebrity where the Captain often shows. Royal also has Officers welcoming us.

With THE John Heald on board?

I can't think of a bigger slap in the face than that!

how can you smuggle beer on

The only way I've ever been able to do that is coordinating that with a a cruiser on the cruise directly before mine.

Example:

Is there a mapping problem on Cruise Critic today? Just noticed it. I thought maybe they were adding profile pictures above everyone's avatar, but it's the same picture in everyone's.

I'm on an iPhone 6.

Depends if you want a longer afternoon or a longer evening.

We tried late once and hated it. We are also traditional early eaters.

Did a solo cruise once. The MD kept putting me with other single cruisers at a table for 2. Hated it.

When we get to cabin on first day, and the room steward comes in to introduce him/her self, we always ask for bucket of ice to be kept in our room and filled twice a day. Even though I always ask Special Services (we are handicapped) for padding on the bed and they say they have noted it, it is never done when we arrive in the room. We also request this to be done by the following night because we know they are busy the first day. So for these two requests, we usually give the steward $20. Our tips are prepaid before the cruise. Now, on our last cruise, we didn't know there was an assistant steward until the third day. So, when we tip the steward extra for extra things he does for us, how do we handle the assistant?

We tip extra at the time of any extra request or anytime we feel the steward has done something exceptional. We also tip extra on the last day for the week. I know at that time we can give the assistant extra tip, but I am curious about the ones during the week.

Thank you

You don't. He pays the assistant. If you bypass your steward he would get more than what he's due, unless there is something specifically he does for you that goes above is normal duties.

But you can still til who and how much you want to anybody.

I would bet with the 4 ships that have these, that the doors have been closed on the coves no more than 30 days total between the two ships.

 

 

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How would one even know this?

Missing the correlation, lets are hourly wage, since you tied it to earnings and salary. Show me when the minimum wage last went down. Lastly, Carnival has published where tip distribution goes long ago and has been quoted to death here.

 

 

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Take another look. It's missing.

Your first sentence is garbled so I have no clue what you're saying. But it's Catemo who said labor costs went down.

Why? They become an OV. If weather is bad enough to close the doors, the other balconies will also be unusable.

Not if they're not that low, which they are not.

Looks like no one is venturing outside on all the pictures I've seen. I've also heard there's an norovirus outbreak.

.

So far I see:

 

Dream

Splendor

Pride

Triumph

Breeze

Victory

 

Any others?

Adding Victory

- I've never had a room steward who "underperformed." They have always been exceptional. I've also never been told a "Sob story" from any employee on a Carnival ship. However, I do know they have a huge workload and get paid very little for it, less than minimum wage in the US. The reason anyone's cruise vacation is affordable is because they have cut costs in labor. A pre-paid gratuity helps to off-set that loss for the employees, but is also COMPLETELY optional. My point is that I would personally NEVER remove the gratuity COMPLETELY. These people work hard for a long time away from their families and deserve their tips.

 

-Maybe the gratuities do not go to "all" employees, but they don't just go to your room steward. So if you remove the pre-paids based on what you perceive as bad service from the steward, you're also taking your money away from cleaning staff who work in common areas, as well as kitchen and laundry staff etc.

 

-Never been "held hostage by a tip." I'm not even sure what you mean by that statement. I believe all service workers deserve to be tipped and I budget accordingly.

 

-Just because I don't leave my room a mess doesn't mean I'm doing the work for my room steward. I like things to be organized and I personally enjoy my cruise more when my surroundings reflect that. BUT I also know it means the steward can spend less time on my room if need be, in order to spend more time on a room where someone has been less conscientious.

 

-And yes, it is absolutely your right to adjust the tips how you see fit if you are receiving bad service. My original point is that i would personally never completely REMOVE the tip based on all the above reasons.

Tips have always been a part of cruising to the stewards and the dining staff. And while fares may have gone down ever since they started cramming more people on board, tips have NEVER gone down.

And non service workers like kitchen and laundry workers do not get tips. They get a on agreed upon contractual salary.