AnnaDarel

I'm hopping on the Gem on the 31st so I'm eager to follow your story!

I tip when I order. I lay the bill down with the card.

What a wonderful review. I'm drooling at everything.

Never felt rushed, but we like to eat fast and get out. Still, with multiple appetizers, wine, etc, we never had to leave before we wanted to.

If ya'll use dramamine, make sure you use ORIGINAL FORMULA and not non-drowsy. That's the key.

It works wonders for me.

I'm required to buy the soda package because I'm a Diet Coke vampire. The booze drink package isn't that much more, really.

On our last cruise, we sat with strangers. We always showed up at 5:30 and they showed up at 5:45. It was a huge pain for us AND our waitstaff--they told us if they didn't get our orders in quickly it would delay our service.

We could not easily fit our iPads in the safe on Navigator.

Fabulous review!!!!

You're such a great writer! I'm really enjoying this review, may go back and read the others.

Have stayed in an inside and think it's great. Love how dark it is. My traveling companion usually insists on a balcony, though. I don't need a balcony...BUT... We did our first aft last year and that was a total game changer. Holy cow did we spend a lot of time on that balcony.

You haven't mentioned one of the best parts of river cruising, at least when we went on Avalon... NO DRESS CODE. No formal nights. Just wear pants at dinner.

Cabins have shampoo, but I don't remember lotion. A somewhat crappy hairdryer.

Sunglasses

A watch - Don't rely on your phone

Lotion

The difference is, we didn't have to pay to make sure he did his job, so I don't really understand what you are trying to say.

I'm just being snarky. I don't require ice at all in my room. I'm very low maintenance. To me, the tip to the steward communicates that I'm friendly and generous. It's a good first impression.

I don't pretip the waiters, but I'm pretty demanding. Extra entrees, Indian food, lots of wine service. Hmm.

Being able to go on a cruise instead of having to work on a cruise means a lot to me.

Yes, I slipped my steward $20 when I first encountered her. And then I never asked for ice.

I'd love to go to Cuba, but I want to improve my Spanish first.

The RCL cruises are dirt cheap--small and old ships.

For the two of us, we would usually tip $40-50 to the head waiter and $30-40 for the assistant waiter at the end of the week. And about the same for the steward.

Wrong thread.

Think of the satisfaction you'll have when you get back from the doctor and are able to post "I told you so" here. That should be enough to motivate you! :D

My wisdom tooth rotted through and exposed a nerve the night before my trip. I just ate very carefully around it and had it pulled when I got home.

Noreen! I love your reviews on Royal Caribbean and I'm so happy to see you over here. I'm contemplating trying a cruise on Celebrity, too! I've found one that's roughly the same price as RC.

I have a personal question and you don't have to answer but...how do ya'll get by on so little sleep? It seems like you get four hours a night!

Amazing review! I'm having a really good time following along.

There's only one response to this kind of thread:

https://xkcd.com/1601/

I bring a stack of $1s. I've never had bad service.