carolina_yankee

I was always understood the “gratuities included” fares to mean the standard gratuities - main dining, steward. On every line, I’ve tipped better when service really stood out, and I’ve always tipped in specialty restaurants if it wasn’t included. Now that it is, I won’t, unless service truly stands out for some reason because of our requests or the server was a just that special. I don’t believe gratuities should be given in order to get good service - many countries don’t have a gratuity system and offer outstanding service. I do understand the pay structure for the cruise staff, so I don’t mind the addition of a mandatory gratuity as long as it’s at a standard rate - I just want transparency.

Is this the Edge trip in your signature? That sounds interesting. I would love to do a full transit, but even an opportunity to see the locks and get a sense of what it took to build the canal would be interesting.

I wonder if they know how well staffed the ship will be. That is, are they hitting their hiring goals, or expecting to have the staff only to hit last minute delays? I do want to give them the benefit of the doubt because the premium lines know their reputations rest on quality. Then again, if their hiring forecast show they can only handle a certain amount, then they should cap at that amount until they. Know they can up their forecast. The problem is if they are losing staff that they don’t anticipate losing. We also don’t know how many crew are off the field due to COVID, so they have the numbers, but they aren’t available to work.

Full disclosure: Haven’t been to Alaska but doing research. I think this is one cruise where I would choose first based on itinerary, second by line that covers my “must-dos” and then third by ship within that line. Skagway from what I hear is a definite must-do from many people. I personally also like itineraries that permit a couple of cruise days or scenic viewing days in order fully enjoy the ship!

It will be interesting to hear reports of the Beyond’s next voyages to see if staffing (i.e., dining service and bar wait times) improve. I fear it’s going to be hard to fully staff ships for quite some time both with new ships coming online and and the trend of worker visas becoming more challenging. From reading several of the boards as I gear up for some upcoming cruises, it also seems to be affecting all cruise lines, randomly by ship and passenger load. Customers will put up with it the first time if they see the staff trying “because COVID,” but a new trend will certainly turn them off. On DCL pre-pandemic, I was quite miffed with the wine service in the dining rooms. I never could manage to order more than one glass of wine, and if I started with a glass, it wouldn’t come until the entree. And this is a ship that doesn’t have drinks packages so has every incentive to sell. They apparently had moved to having servers cover more tables, which of course, means poorer service. It was noticeable and another reason why we are “post-Disney.” Penny-pinching at the expense of the guest doesn’t work. I’ve only ever used my own transportation (car, rental, car service) or ship transport at a port, but it would seem that the port managers have every incentive to make sure there is easy access to transportation for wherever guests are likely to want to go (airports, NYC in the case of Bayonne). My cruising approach for the next couple of years is “hope for the best and prepare for the worst” (or at least prepare to be self-entertaining and flexible with conditions).

I would definitely want to do the old locks and go on a cruise that also offered some background, either through presentations or excursions. Almost any long cruise is on my bucket list, but two weeks at a shot is about the best I can do unless the dates line up perfectly. We do have family in Southern California, so maybe if I don’t tell them I’m in the area. . .

Everyone in my congregation that caught COVID this past year did it at family events. I’ve flown, cruised, and land-toured since re-opening and still haven’t caught COVID. By my experience, families cause COVID. Traveling’s a piece of cake. 😉

On some podcast I heard the description as: - full transit (both locks) - partial transit (in the lake, turn around after traffic clears, and head out) - touch (just stop in panama) It is hard to get enough time for a full transit since I wouldn’t want to turn around and go back, but spend some time in SoCal. I’ve wondered how much you actually miss if you do a partial transit. I’m not sure I’d want to simply to do a “touch.”

There my be some workarounds in the US, but generally our mobile providers hate us calling outside our borders. Or rather, doing so inexpensively. For someone not comfortable with the process, it just isn’t worth it if email works. Absent getting a local SIM, it is also quite expensive for us to use our phones outside of the US unless our company gives us a flat-rate $10/day option to use our data and cell number in a foreign country. This is where other countries are generally miles ahead of us.

Our Tromsø port day will be on a Sunday next June. Assuming, passable weather (not pouring rain), the tram and Arctic Cathedral would be our greatest interests, but would also enjoy walking around town. Is it possible to get to the Tramway from the cruise port on one one’s own (bus or foot?). I know Arctic Cathedral is on the way. How about the center of town? And would any shops or casual restaurants be open? If we focus more on nature and the tram, are there trails for an easier hike at Fjellheisen for good nature or good view? Thank you!

Interesting, it’s worth a look. I primarily fly United, which still seems to use the older two-prong version, even in business class. I think the 1/8” stereo jack may still work, though, in the property connector. United does that on some flights, but I’ve heard they are going back to in-set entertainment. Regardless, I tend to listen to my music and read my books or watch what I’ve downloaded, but occasionally I like to catch their offering.

If I wear a T-Shirt that says “I don’t buy drinks packages” will I be a server magnet?

I have both the AirPods Pro (1st Generation) and AirPods Max. I’ve used the Pro on trips becuase I don’t like carrying larger things than I need. They work reasonably well to block out or dramatically reduce the background cabin noise, but they aren’t perfect. They do far better than I thought, though, and met my needs. The AirPods Max (over ear version) would definitely block everything out and are probably more comfortable, though my Pros fit very well inside my ears and I’m used to them. To my knowledge, there is not a way to use wireless headphones with the in-flight entertainment system, so if you are planning on plane entertainment, you may need to use their headphones or bring your own that use a cord.

I can’t speak for the OP’s original question, but I wouldn’t call the answer “Resolved!” The original schedule posted in the same format in another thread listed Apex on 11/12, which happens to be the date of our cruise. Now it’s 12/3. Bummer. Or is it? It may change again five times before embarkation and three times after.

Indeed, and another part of taking responsibility for your one’s health is avoiding others when one has a contagious disease that is known to cause havoc. Some seem to suggest that continuing with their cruise activities as if it’s their entitlement have simply changed their destination to “de-Nile”

Not really. Anyone with known COVID has no business being out and about mingling with other passengers and crew. They need to stay in their cabins and away from other people. Better to be compensated for that than not. The only way to get compensated is to have a verified test. Quite frankly, anyone who knowingly has covid and is caught ducking COVID protocols ought to be put off at the next port at their own (and travel insurer’s) expense. Despite erroneous popular belief, COVID is not just the common cold. Each person reacts differently based on a variety of factors (some unpredictable). I’ve had parishioners catch it multiple times without a problem despite being considered high-risk, and I’ve had parishioners catch the presumable same variants (based on timing/location) get slammed hard. I don’t believe in staying home to avoid catching COVID (because that likely won’t work, either), but I do believe in taking yourself off the field once you have it. It’s the responsible thing to do. And I know nobody wants to have bad service on a cruise ship because of a rise in COVID amongst the crew. If you aren’t willing to monitor for the sake of your fellow passengers, at least do it for the sake of not having closed venues, slow service, or no servers in lounges.

Only if they have an interesting camera or are seated at my table. Otherwise, I tend to keep to myself. I cruise to get away from people! (Oddly) 😊

I can understand confusion if a person is staying in their orignal stateroom but after the first call / request is sorted it should be noted. I would also definitely be pro-active in ordering as well as in escalating if anything is inappropriately charged or not provided. I would rather go through the hassle of getting an erroneous charge removed than miss a meal over an argument, or waiting to be called!

While we have been shut out of Palo for advanced bookings, we’ve always been able to get a reservation on embarkation day, and have even repeated later in the cruise if they had openings. I don’t know if Celebrity holds any bookings back for embarkation, but Celebrity (and most cruise lines) also has more specialty restaurants and thus booking capacity than Disney. Our Apex sailing is four weeks out and each specialty restaurant still has capacity, though not at the best times.

It’s not clue in text, but I was posting tongue in check. I’m quite bemused by the surprise of a female tender operator when the cruise industry’s most famous captain is also a woman on Celebrity!

I’ll make sure to set my Apple Watch by their opening times and send our part through at opening and closing to grab rations!

The Celebrity App shows the Eden Cafe only open on our two sea days for our Nov 12 sailing. I hope it’s open more than that. It does look good.

I think Captain Kate may have been reading this thread: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRHJD5Kn/

There are practical reasons to wear a baseball cap backwards - I do it quite often when I’m using my camera. The bill gets in the way. However, that wouldn’t happen in the dining room or even indoors. Good military training (and smart parents) made it very clear to me that hats are not worn under cover.

I never said don’t discuss. It’s just that reveling in other people’s misbehaviors (or lack of knowledge) isn’t necessarily a sign of class. As for kilts, they are hardly archaic! https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/tuxedo-black-tie-guide/advanced/scottish-highland-dress-irish/