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TxCityKat

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Posts posted by TxCityKat

    Mr

    in Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!

    Posted

    Howdy vitalyg!

     

    Welcome back to Cruise Critic and thank you for your post! I see it has been a while since you posted on the boards. 

     

    However, this is not the forum for the information you seek. Please note the following at the top of the first page of this forum:

     

    Note:  This area is intended only for questions and answers relating to technical assistance in using these message boards.  Please do not post general cruise-related questions or Roll Calls here.

     

    I suggest you research the Ports of Call - Asia forum and the Princess Cruises forum.

     

    I hope this information will be helpful and glad to have you back aboard Cruise Critic! 😊

     

    Kat 🐱

    Tips to the Wait staff

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    16 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

    Some lines, such as P&O, have the gratuities built into the base fare so it can't be removed. Some other lines include the gratuities only for Australian or UK itineraries, especially if the ship is home ported there. Both are because of the high incident of locals removing the tips and stiffing the crew, which creates severe crew morale issues on those itineraries. 

     

    Not all countries have the same customs as we do in the USA regarding tipping/gratuities for service in the cruise industry as well as other industries. The culture or customs in their country play a big part in if international pax do or do not favor tipping/gratuities for service in all industries, not just cruising. See the Cruise Critic article Tipping on Ships: An Australian Culture Clash. Also see a breakdown of tipping customs other than cruising in X's A Guide to Tipping Customs Around the World at https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/guide-to-tipping-customs-around-the-world. In some, tipping is not customary and can be considered rude or offensive.

    Recommendations on excursions in European ports,with wheelchair bound person

    in Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!

    Posted

    Howdy salsalvr2!

     

    Welcome to Cruise Critic and thank you for your first post! 👍

     

    However, this is not the forum for the information you seek. Please note the following at the top of the first page of this forum:

     

    Note:  This area is intended only for questions and answers relating to technical assistance in using these message boards.  Please do not post general cruise-related questions or Roll Calls here.

     

    In addition to the above information from gnome12, you need to research the Carnival Cruise Lines  forum too. Be sure to read What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know and then find the Roll Call thread for your sail date. Please note the Roll Call finder tool is OUT OF ORDER at this time. See the Roll Call Tool - Under Construction Announcement.

     

    I hope this additional information will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 😊

     

    Kat 🐱

    UNABLE TO START A NEW ROLL CALL

    in Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!

    Posted · Edited by TxCityKat
    additional info

    @klsmrs Howdy from another Kathy!

     

    I sent an e-mail to help@cruisecritic.com asking for the four Roll Call threads for your cruise to be merged into one thread. That's why three of the four shown above  in Essiesmom's post now say "Sorry, this content is no longer available".

     

    The merged thread is located at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2675767-celebrity-silhouette-may-9-2020/ titled CELEBRITY SILHOUETTE MAY 9, 2020. Click the link and open the new merged thread. You can Bookmark or put the link in your Favorites for easy access the next time you want to go directly to your Roll Call thread. As the thread grows, on the next new page just rebookmark or put it in your Favorites and so on and so on with each new page.

     

    Also, make sure you Follow or Subscribe to the merged thread so you will be made aware of new posts. See the pinned thread at the top of the first page of this forum titled How to: Follow Topics & Forums (Subscribed Threads/Forums Info) at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2630011-how-to-follow-topics-forums-subscribed-threadsforums-info/.

     

    I hope this will be helpful for you and the others on your Roll Call! 😊

     

    Kat 🐱

    • Like 1

    how to get to the Port in Civitavecchia Italy from FCO

    in Italy Ports

    Posted

    Howdy @Caribbean99!

     

    Welcome to Cruise Critic and thank you for your first post! 👍

     

    Another good place for you to check for info on a place to stay or transportation is the Roll Call thread for your cruise. You do not mention your sail date or ship. I cannot direct you to the specific Roll Call thread for your cruise if there is one already started on the Princess Roll Call forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/63-princess-roll-calls/.

     

    But first, please note the following  from the Roll Calls  and Our Policy Regarding Facebook and Roll Calls sections in the Guidelines:

     

    Roll Calls

    Cruise Critic's ROLL CALLS are one of the most popular features within our community. In an effort to keep them fair and as safe as possible, the following is in effect:
    • Roll Calls belong to everyone; there is no designated leader or owner. It doesn't matter who started the thread.
    • On the other hand, if you are new to a Roll Call take the time to read the thread. Learn who is doing what, who made plans for an event, etc. before jumping in and making different plans
    • If you plan an event, be sure to invite everyone!
    • Please adhere to cruise line requests regarding setting up Meet & Greets on board. In other words, if they say contact us three (or two or whatever) weeks prior to sailing, don't contact them months in advance.
    • ROLL CALLS are for people to get to know one another before their cruise; therefore, there will be all kinds of discussion!
    SHORE EXCURSIONS
    • Sharing shore excursions is fun and can help you save money.
    • Get to know the other members in a Roll Call before attempting to get them to tour with you.
    • Shore excursions should be arranged so that payment is made directly to the tour operator, do not be the collector of funds for a shore excursion.
    • Do not arrange any shore excursions/tours if you are not going to be taking them yourself. In other words NO THIRD-PARTY arrangement of shore excursions are allowed. This includes people who are not participating on the Cruise Critic ROLL CALL *for whatever reason*.
    • Travel agents may not arrange shore excursions on ROLL CALLS.
    • Anyone attempting to "fill a bus" or making money from the sharing of shore excursions on our forums runs the risk of losing their membership.
    • Do not post your email address so that someone can email you information about a shore excursion. If they have important info, they should be willing and able to post this information on the forum. We will remove posts, at our discretion, that are nothing more than requests for emails OR posts providing email addresses.
    • Do NOT arrange to collect funds for shore excursion shares at any Meet & Mingle or Meet & Greet so graciously provided by the cruise lines. In the case of Princess Cruises, they have stated you cannot solicit other passengers for any reason once you have booked your cruise. If they observe you arranging tours on board, you run the risk of being asked to debark your cruise at the next port (verified via Princess Cruises March 2013).
    Our Policy Regarding Facebook and Roll Calls
    Cruise Critic loves Facebook. in fact, we maintain FB pages for all of our sites (Cruise Critic, CruiseCritic.co.uk, our Australia site, etc.). We have many people who participate on both our FB page and our message boards. We have no issues with people linking their own, personal FB pages in their profiles, or on your signature on Cruise Critic forums. You understand that doing so allows our members to know your "real life" name.

    ROLL CALLS created on FB are not anonymous. Most of them are open to the public. Even if they are private groups, once you are accepted into the group everyone will know your real name. In doing so you have pretty much told all those people -- strangers -- when you will be away on vacation. The fact of the matter is most people do not understand how much personal information they are sharing.

    On Cruise Critic roll calls, everyone is anonymous. You have the ability to remain as anonymous as you'd like throughout the entire Roll Call timeframe and throughout your entire cruise if you so desire. You can be JoeCruise101 until the day you disembark. The choice is yours, you share as much or as little as YOU choose to; everyone starts out on a level playing field on Cruise Critic. Anonymous user names only.

    Also, FB Roll Calls have already proven to divide Roll Calls. People, for whatever reason, who cannot seem to get along may open a FB group and then want more people to participate, so they harvest members from the original ROLL CALL. There have been actual disruptions encouraged on FB directed towards our ROLL CALLs.

    We believe a ROLL CALL created on Cruise Critic should stay here. We've worked long and hard to create this community, and have provided a certain level of trust and privacy for our members. If they choose to participate in a FB Roll Call, they'll have to learn about it somewhere other than Cruise Critic.

    We request that you not solicit people to your Facebook page on any of our ROLL CALLS.

     

    Next, please read the pinned thread at the top of the first page of this forum titled What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2594924-what-is-a-roll-call-everything-you-need-to-know/. Please note the Roll Call Finder tool mentioned is OUT OF ORDER at this time. Please see the Announcement titled Roll Call Tool - Under Construction at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2677726-roll-call-tool-under-construction/?tab=comments#comment-57854189.

     

    Now you can go to the Princess Roll Call forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/63-princess-roll-calls/. Locate then click on your ship's Roll Call forum. Scroll down through the first few pages of thread titles looking for one with the sail date for your cruise in the title. If located, click the thread title to go into your Roll Call. First read through the whole thread to get to know the other members. Post an introductory post using the  Reply to this Topic button. Type your message in and click Submit Reply button. You will be on your way to exchange tips and information about your cruise line, ship, Ports of Call, sharing shore excursions/tours, transportation, etc.  If no one has started a Roll Call thread for your sail date, please feel free to start it per the directions in What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know.

     

    I sincerely hope this additional information will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 😊

     

    Kat 🐱

    Editing signature and adding/deleting countdown clocks

    in Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!

    Posted

    windsor26,

     

    Actually, not ALL countdown clocks. ONLY the Cruise Critic Countdown Clocks from the old vBulletin software at https://www.cruisecritic.com/vbulletin/countdown.cfm. This is due to the new servers, NOT the new Invision Community software. See post #57 at  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2665250-countdown-clocks/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-57704773.

     

    Please note the pinned thread on the first page of this forum titled How To: Edit Signature at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2595015-how-to-edit-signature/. Also the following from the Signatures section of the Guidelines:

     

    Signatures
    Cruise Critic has the following suggestions for keeping your online signatures manageable:

    • Keep your images to around three (approx) -- which would include a picture, clipart, photo or your countdown.
    • Try not to have any one image that is TOO large, which then takes additional time for your fellow members to download,
    • If you have a LONG LIST of prior cruises, think about chopping off some, OR rearrange them horizontally rather than vertically;
    • From time to time, browse through your signature and eliminate any extra blank lines, or old countdown codes, etc.
     Cruise Critic reserves the right to remove/delete portions of your online signature and will let you know that we've had to resize your online signature.
     
    I suggest you first remove all coding for the three Cruise Critic Countdown Clocks currently showing in your signature as I type this reply. Also any extra blank lines. Just leave your e-mail and history list. Then look for a compatible cruise countdown clock on Google. Or note the countdown clock types currently showing in the signatures of your fellow Cruise Critic members. Find one you like there or on Google, create it, and then paste the code into your signature as directed by your chosen countdown clock website.
     
    Hope this additional information will be helpful! 😊
     
    Kat 🐱

    First timer

    in First Time Cruisers

    Posted

    14 hours ago, CruisingViv said:

    ...  Anyone here going on a trip around Rome before going to the airport? My flight back to London on the 10th Nov is 1610...

     

    12 hours ago, CruisingViv said:

    ... Anyone on a Rome trip on 10th November which takes us to the airport? For a 1610 flight?... 

     

    Howdy Viv and welcome to Cruise Critic! 👍

     

    Congratulations on going on your first cruise! I feel you will fall in love ❤️ with cruising just like the rest of us here.

     

    As Essiesmom mentions above, go to the ROLL CALL thread for your cruise at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2505777-october-31st-2019-southampton-to-singapore-37-day-grand-adventure/ and get to know your fellow Cruise Critic members sailing with you.  Your ROLL CALL thread is the ONLY place on the Cruise Critic message boards where you can discuss sharing shore excursions/tours, transportation, etc. with the others sailing with you. When you have a chance, be sure and read What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2594924-what-is-a-roll-call-everything-you-need-to-know/.

     

    I sincerely hope this information will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!! 😊

     

    Kat 🐱

     

    • Like 2

    Is cruising even the way to go?

    in First Time Cruisers

    Posted · Edited by TxCityKat
    Typo due to fat fingers & skinny keys!

     

    On ‎7‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 7:56 PM, Cherylynn123 said:

    ... but I want active family time, exploring and playing. No shopping trips for us! Any suggestions at all? Places/ships to look into? Is cruising even a good choice? Thanks! 

     

    I sincerely hope you and your family DO take a cruise and all fall madly in love ❤️ with cruising. Just like the rest of us here on Cruise Critic!! 😉

     

    Perhaps you will find something in the following Cruise Critic articles to help with your decision:

     

    Fun Cruises for Families: 5 Cruise Lines That Bring Kids and Parents Together

    https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=422

    Best Cruises for Kids

    https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2

    What to Expect on a Cruise: Family Cruises

    https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=183

    What to Expect on a Cruise: Visiting Cruise Ports

    https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1161
    First-Timers' Guide to Onboard Activities

    https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=153

    First-Timers' Guide to Shore Excursions

    https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=79

     

    Glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 😊

     

    Kat 🐱

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    cruise crew salary,only 100dollars a month?

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted · Edited by TxCityKat

    6 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

    Check it out yourself. Totally bogus.

    https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Rci/salaries

    How much does RCI in the United States pay?

    Average RCI hourly pay ranges from approximately $10.87 per hour for Laborer to $40.00 per hour for Administrator. The average RCI salary ranges from approximately $20,964 per year for Laborer to $32,000 per year for Entry Level Customer Service Representative.

    Salary information comes from 137 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.

    Please note that all salary figures are approximations based upon third party submissions to Indeed. These figures are given to the Indeed users for the purpose of generalized comparison only. Minimum wage may differ by jurisdiction and you should consult the employer for actual salary figures.

     

    The RCI mentioned in the https://www.indeed.com/ link and the copy/paste information above is about a timeshare company, NOT the Royal Caribbean International cruise line. See https://www.rci.com/ for the timeshare site.

     

    The RCI logo shown on the https://www.indeed.com/ link was not the RCI Cruise line logo we are used to seeing, so I looked further on the https://www.indeed.com/ link. I found the following information in the job description for their RCI Sales and Customer Service Representative at https://www.wyndhamdestinations.com/careers/jobs/sales-and-customer-service-representative-carmel-indiana-1907299?ReqNo=1907299&src=JB-12900&utm_source=indeed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=job-boards&src=JB-12900.

     

    ... RCI is proud to be part of Wyndham Destinations, one of the world's largest hospitality companies across six continents. RCI is the global leader in vacation exchange providing our community of 3.7 million members worldwide with quality vacation experiences at more than 4,500 resorts in 100 countries.

     

    Our phenomenal Sales and Customer Service Representatives have the opportunity to interact with members in planning their dream vacations. That’s why we dub the role a VACATION GUIDE! Pretty fun, huh?!...

     

    I hope this information will be helpful to those reading this thread.

     

    Kat 🐱

     

    Edited to add:

    @LHT28 Looks like we both found the same info at the same time.

    • Haha 1

    10 August 2019, Baltic Cruise Tui

    in Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!

    Posted · Edited by TxCityKat
    typos

    Here's my 2 cents.

     

    Look at the Categories page at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/.

     

    What is the first thing a new member sees at the top?                  

    Forum Assistance

     

    So they click Forum Assistance and see the following:

    1.  

      Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!

      Before emailing the Community Team, we ask that you please browse the many pinned help topics below.  Also, your question may have been asked by other members and answered -- please browse those as well. 

      Note:  This area is intended only for questions and answers relating to technical assistance in using these message boards.  Please do not post general cruise-related questions or Roll Calls here.

      11,390 posts

    2. TEST FORUM

      Test your signatures, images, avatars.  Try adding photos, or a video!

      1,127 posts
    3. 13 posts


    Yes, the "Before emailing..." does show along with the "Note this area...", but they click Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here! because they are ready to jump in & think they need some kind of help from there on how to navigate and/or use the boards. The forum opens... and "WOW! I'M IN!" begins. Again the "Before emailing..." does show along with the "Note this area..." info at the top of the forum, but they are intent on posting their first post... and maybe a little bit scared too! And maybe they do scroll down looking at the thread titles first. However, they see titles for previous off-topic threads posted on this forum. Maybe they find out they can hover over the title and see the first post of what WE know to be an off-topic thread for this forum... but THEY don't. Without clicking Last Post or clicking the title to read the whole thread, they probably assume if someone else can post that type of question or statement on this forum, so can they. Remember, they don't even KNOW what an off-topic post is. They are so nervous about posting on the first place they see on the Categories page that they have not taken the time to check out the pinned threads at the top of this forum or any of the other forums to see what they are all about.

     

    And even though they were supposed to read all of the Guidelines when registering for membership, new as well as not-so-new members forget the following portion toward the end:

     

    ... Browse Before You Post
    Browse a topic first to see if your question has already been asked or answered by someone else. Also, many of the major cruise lines forums have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) topic that has been created by our members. Give that a try first. Browsing is your #1 best resource! Please post your messages in an appropriate topic so that you'll receive the best possible response. It is very time consuming to move misplaced messages that are in the wrong topics...

     

    7 hours ago, Aulanis said:

    This  getting first posts in the help section used to happen a lot.  I did and still do wonder if "the system"  automatically sends first posts here  for vetting...

     

    Actually, a new member's first post or one of their first few posts STILL happen every day and have been so since the original AOL days. Just scroll through the pages in this forum and you will see off-topic threads for this forum from new as well as not-so-new members on every page.

     

    And no, there is no 'automatic sending' on a new member's first post. However, in the old vBulletin system there was a time when a new member that was not logged in could post in this forum. That was because if a new member needed help from this forum about how to post, etc. they could post to get the help they needed.

     

    If you think this forum has a lot of off-topic posts, check out the next ones on the Categories page:

     

    New Cruisers

     

    Many of the off-topic threads there should be on a specific cruise line forum, the type of cruises forum, port of call forum, Roll Call forum, etc. where they would get the best informed answers by being on the correct forum. But to new cruisers or new members... they have found their Mecca! And who remembers they were supposed to browse first? And Lord help them if they try the new software's Search feature for the first time! It takes a bit of trial & error for all of us to figure out how best use it.

     

    And speaking of Search, I think when using the feature folks should try to use words/phrases their fellow members would have posted in a previous reply or thread title. You know your words for what you are searching for... but what are the actual words/phrases another member would have used? Search works a lot better for me when I think in their words, not mine.

     

    Okay, off the soap box for now...

     

    Kat 🐱

    Tracking Price Drops

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted · Edited by TxCityKat
    typo

    Is this Cruise Critic site reliable enough?? 😊

     

    See the Cruise Critic article titled  Cruise Price Alerts: A Price Tracker for Cruisers In the Know at https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3882&et_cid=3266593&et_rid=21140031&et_referrer=Contest_NCL_2013. The article contains the following information concerning the Cruise Critic Price Alerts feature:

     

    1. What is Price Alerts?
    2. How do I sign up for Price Alerts?
    3. When are Price Alerts notifications sent?
    4. How does Price Alerts get its information?
    5. What are the benefits of Price Alerts?
    6. How can I manage my Price Alerts?
    7. Does Cruise Critic sell cruises?

     

    Hope this information will be helpful!

     

    Kat 🐱

    Connections email bouncing

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted · Edited by TxCityKat
    additional info

    The problem has been going on for years. The wonkiness of the Celebrity website is well known. See the pinned threads at the top of Celebrity Roll Call forums. Note the dates started. After all these years, the pinned threads are STILL there because there are STILL the same issues!

    See a recent thread on the Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here! forum where we found out the Celebrity e-mail address connections@celebrity.com  given on the Celebrity Cruise Critic Connections page at https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-critic-connections appears to be NOT in service anymore. Also, it appears if anyone is booked with a TA that has booked you on A GROUP FARE as I am, gets the same error message when trying to register. We have paid the deposit w/credit card to Celebrity via the group's TA. We have a Celebrity reservation number. The group's final payment date is not until December 2019. Apparently until everyone in our group has made final payment, none of us are considered paid and able to register for the party. That's why we keep getting the Celebrity error message Cruise Critic Registration is not allowed for bookings in a status other than booked when trying to register.

    But who REALLY knows what's going on? Could be just the Celebrity website page for registering being wonky, as well as other stuff! Wishing everyone lots of good luck!! 🍀

     

    Kat 🐱

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