springfire

4 hours ago, SherriZ366 said:

I'm interested to see the outcome of the meeting.  

I wouldn't expect much from this meeting. 

2 hours ago, CruiseWendy said:

The future bookings desk was packed everyday on Harmony two weeks ago.  Busiest I’ve ever seen it.

Many cruisers likely also had concerns about their future bookings.   Royal is trying hard to deal the changing situation. 

23 minutes ago, mek said:

And I'm not one of them.  Booked a June cruise last week and if I had the time, I would hop on a cruise right now.

Good for you and anyone else who wishes to cruise.  It will be interesting to hear from others in the next few weeks to see if the ships are going out full for Spring Break.     

9 minutes ago, Texas Flood said:

I agree. That is what the authorities are saying. I'll depend on the CDC, the World Health Organization and travel advisories by the State Department. Depends on where the cruise is going as well. Checking to see the status of any countries on itinerary with State Department is always advisable.  Also each person's person health status and itineraries should be considered.  

 

Any other opinions are just that...opinions. Each person should weigh their own health history, circumstances, itinerary risk and information from the qualified authorities.

Excellent post!

41 minutes ago, Tulsacoker said:

because he used an exclamation point 😷

!!!!

2 hours ago, BeachChik said:

And you know this how?

 

I saw plenty of people doing bookings last week. 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL continues to suffer due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. Travel warnings and cruise cancellations are starting to take a toll on the company. In fact, the outbreak has compelled management to further trim 2020 guidance. In the past month, the company’s shares have fallen 23.4%, compared with the industry’s decline of 8.7%.

The company announced that it has put travel restriction on those who have travelled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days. The coronavirus outbreak has persuaded the company to cancel 30 cruises in Southeast Asia. The company has also modified several itineraries.

The company now expects earnings to be down by 90 cents due to the cancellation of cruises. Notably, it had previously projected 2020 earnings to be impacted by 65 cents. The company further added that if it has to cancel remaining cruise sailings in Asia through the end of April, it would hurt earnings by another 30 cents.

China remains of utmost importance to the Royal Caribbean brand. According to 2020 Cruise Industry News Annual Report, China constitutes 7.6% of the global cruise industry. Notably, the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus resulted in the cancellation of a number of voyages in other parts of Asia.

While cruise business from China and Asia fell significantly, bookings for the broader business outside Asia has also softened recently thanks to travel restrictions to contain the spread of the contagion.

Future bookings are down!   Many cruisers are not booking future cruises until everyone gets a handle on this situation.  

1 hour ago, PaperSniper4 said:

 I bet you meant to say "Never PRE pay unless"......

I get that some cruisers like to prepay gratuities for the convenience, and I am glad they have this choice but I would never prepay. 

1 hour ago, shipshape sam said:

Would you like chips with that bbq?

 

I agree dinner attire has gotten pretty bad at times.  

The MDR has really gone down hill over the years.  We now leave our formal attire at home as we now use alternative dining mostly. 

9 hours ago, jomf said:

They pour from a different bottle, which is a cheap version. They didn’t tell us that it was not proper Baileys until we asked. We can tell the difference! 
There is no Baileys onboard. 
now they have run out of our favourite wine as well. 

You should be angry!  Please voice your concerns. 

7 hours ago, Sam Ting said:

Lol and by leaving the tips on you are tipping employees fleet wide. Totally ridiculous. 

Agree completely!

57 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

 

we have the same adapter. We plug it into the European outlet and use it to charge our phones and watches. This frees up the only other two outlets that are common on smaller older ships

We do this as well, nice and easy way to have more outlets.

4 minutes ago, Mickey527 said:

How do you get these on board? I have some but always afraid I will get caught. I did bring one into Disneyworld once 

We always leave them in our checked luggage, 35 years cruising and never an issue.  We bring it even when we have the drink package, as we enjoy our special drinks on the balcony.

2 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

Very interesting article in USA today why more and more travelers are joining the "no tipping movement."

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2020/02/14/tipping-while-traveling-why-gratuities-may-going-out-style/4748441002/

 

People are being made to feel like the have to tip not like the want to tip.

 

I agree with you and it is nobody's business what anyone does with gratuities and what you say makes total sense.

 

 

Nice article!

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

 

Based on the cruise experience?

So you are saying adjust or remove the tips and punish all the crew?

🙁🙁🙁

 

Yes if needed, just like anywhere else!

2 minutes ago, soloadventurer said:

Just ordered Luggage tag holders 

We use them all the time, they are great!

1 hour ago, Ilovesailaway said:

*Rum Runners

*Extra shoe to reserve a lounger by the pool

JK

here are a few:

Glow in the dark travel alarm clock for dark inside room

Leave TV on to the bow camera for inside room (tv acts like a window)

Over the door shoe organizer to keep cabin uncluttered

Breakfast in MDR to miss the buffet crowd

 

Love my Rum Runner's, we never cruise without them.

1 hour ago, Sail n Snow said:

You misunderstood the bartender comment. If the cruise line provided a list to who received the tips and it included the bartender (which it currently may we don’t know.) Then the above would apply.  
 

Let the luxury lines call call it what they want, the point is it’s included and all the workers on the ship know exactly what they will be paid!

The gratuity applies to all guests sailing, regardless of age. These gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience.

When Royal came up with this gratuity policy, it was a great way to fool those who pay gratuities.  As you can see by Royal Caribbean policy they can give your tip money to just about anyone they please, even those who do not serve you.  You have no idea or control who RCCL will give your money too.  Royal is able to save plenty of money by having guests pay more members of the crew salaries, this has been so great for my RCCL stock.   Royal gives you choices on how to tip, choose the way that works best for you.  We will continue to remove our auto gratuities and tip those who deserve in cash.

8 hours ago, marci22 said:

In the past, this is how tips were done. No problem cash tipping or paying the suggested amounts on your onboard account. Tips were broken out as to who got exactly what. For ex waiter, asst waiter, head waiter, room steward. Each got a fixed amount per person per day. Now Royal has changed the description to include possibly any crew member on board. That is not what would commonly be thought of as a 'tip'. And I would not call this skimming, but I do think it allows Royal to apply your dollars however they see fit. Again, not a tip.

 

I don't think anyone should worry what 'other servers' are getting. People in the WJ, at Sorrento's, etc,? not my problem. That is Royal Caribbean's problem. I will say again, I tip the recommended amounts, usually more. Sometimes I auto grat. Sometimes I pay cash. However, statements like yours above,  'that's just mean' not to worry about every server you are coming into contact with, is misguided. 

 

Again I will say: Royal provides suggested gratuities. You are allowed to auto tip, prepay tips, tip cash, or tip nothing. Those are the guidelines, coming from the company. Name calling of any sort, or implying that someone's tipping style is not appropriate, or even wrong, because it does not agree with what you believe should be done, is ridiculous. 

Well said!

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

You should NOT cancel the auto grats. That money is distributed to many of the crew who work very hard for long hours to make your cruise memorable. 
 

If you tip only your waiter, you stiff the person who clean and set your table, washed your dishes, cooked your food, cleaned the floors, restocked the toilet paper, organized ships activities, served your drink, set up your lounger, etc. 

So I am responsible for tipping the person who restocked the toilet paper?  I don't think so!   We will continue to remove those auto grats!

1 hour ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Never been asked for an explanation, just go to GS, ask to have the automatic gratuity discontinues, no problem 

We always remove the automatic gratuity,  very easy to do.

8 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

100 posts beating a dead horse.  Tip. Don't tip. Use auto tips. Tip on your own.  Believe whatever baseless conspiracy theory about tips you want to.  No one is changing anyone's mind.  Do whatever you want and shut up about it....

Open discussion is a great thing.  Many cruisers might have already made up how they will tip and that's great.   Many new cruisers may not even post here on cruisecritic but come here to gain information  and learn different point of views.   

It is kind of sad when you are tired of hearing about a topic and you have to tell people to shut up and stop talking about it.   Maybe you should just move on to the next topic and let those who wish to discuss tipping, continue to share their own point of views.

We usually remove the auto tips and tip in cash.  We prefer to tip in cash directly.

People do wear some of the craziest outfits to the dining room these days.  Some people make you smile when you see the way they are dressed.  When I was working on Royals Nordic Prince back in the day, we would have to go find jackets and ties for some customers just so they would be allowed to enter in the dining room.   The times they have changed.  Now everything goes regarding dress and most people seem to enjoy it this way.   Wear what makes you feel good!   

We enjoy Celebrity over Royal most of the time but in this case we would go for the extra day of cruising with Royal and head to Aruba!