TxCityKat

bcraig,

You might want to research the Disabled Cruise Travel forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/. Disabled cruisers that have cruised Alaska will be able to share their advice & experiences with you there.

I sincerely hope you do not mind me bringing this to your attention, but you really, really do need to change your Cruise Critic user name. It is not wise to use an e-mail address.

Please send an e-mail to help@cruisecritic.com and ask for your user name to be changed. When you do, be sure to send your e-mail from your Cruise Critic e-mail address of record and mention your current user name. This helps with the verification of your Cruise Critic account and will speed up the user name change process. Also, mention the reason for requesting your user name change.

You will need to include a list of at least five possible new user names. They will go down your list and change your user name to the first available. If all of the names on your list are already taken, they will send you an e-mail asking for another list of possible names. And so it goes until an available new user name is found for you.

When it is changed, all your previous posts will have your new user name and you will not loose your post count.

Hope this information will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

Kat 🐱

Perhaps the oldie but goody Cruise Critic article titled What to Do If Your Cruise Ship Leaves You Behind ... and How to Prepare So It Doesn't Happen to You will be helpful. The article's last update was on September 21, 2017.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2026

Kat 🐱

44 minutes ago, guitarboy53 said:

Are these drinks/smoothies included in either the premium or classic beverage packages?

Do not appear on the following lists from Celebrity:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/modal/premium-beverage-package-modal

https://www.celebritycruises.com/modal/classic-beverage-package-modal

Nor the following:

Premium Non-Alcoholic Package-Starting from $22 p/night

In addition to the Classic Non-Alcoholic Package inclusions, refresh with premium bottled water from Evian, Perrier & San Pellegrino, specialty coffees & organic teas, non-alcoholic frozen drinks, Red Bull Energy Drink, coconut water and offerings from Vitamin Water.

Classic Non-Alcoholic Package-Starting from $18 p/night

In addition to enjoying your favorite Coca Cola selections, you may also enjoy juices, premium coffees and teas, and bottled water.

Premium Bottled Water Package-Starting from $16 p/night

Quench your thirst with unlimited bottles of your favorite still or sparkling premium water, such as Evian, Aqua Panna, San Pellegrino & Perrier. Whether in a bar, lounge, or any restaurant, simply present your SeaPass® Card to order your favorite.

Soda Packages-Starting from $9 p/night

Our Soda Package features both fountain and canned soda for more variety and convenience. Selections include new, popular flavors such as Coke Zero, Barq's Root Beer, Sprite Zero, and Caffeine-Free Diet Coke.

@thisthat

I see in your previous posts you have already posted 4 times on your Roll Call thread titled Koningsdam - October 6, 2019 - Ancient Empires. It is on the Koningsdam Roll Calls forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/751-koningsdam-roll-calls/.

Click the following link to see your last post dated February 25, 2019 on your Roll Call thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2540283-koningsdam-october-6-2019-ancient-empires/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-56885947

After you get there, scroll up to the top of the page and click the last post icon that looks like this >> . That will take you to the end of your Roll Call thread. That is where you need to post your questions about the spreadsheet & M&M.

Hope this information will be helpful!

Kat 🐱

Edited to add: Also, you might want to Bookmark the thread or put it into your Favorites. That way you can quickly find your Roll Call again in the future.

It would be best to ask your question on the MSC Cruises forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/.

You might want to research the Cruise Casinos forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/455-cruise-casinos/.

Spa Café & Juice Bar menus attached.

1846825970_spaandjuicebarmenu.pdf 1863490974_spaandcafelunchmenu.pdf

It would be best to research the Ports of Call - Alaska forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/.

1 hour ago, TxCityKat said:

... There is a "definite possible maybe" it will be usable in the future...

@terran_explr

Found the final Cruise Critic Management answers re the vBulletin Cruise Critic Countdown Clock for you.

The old vBulletin software Cruise Critic Countdown Clock no longer works with our new Invision Community software. It was changed last year. There is a "definite possible maybe" it will be usable in the future. See the many threads about countdown clocks in this forum. You will need to find one from another source.

Here's one:

https://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php

Also, try Google.

Edited to add: With the new software there are new requirements for signatures. Again, there are many threads on this forum about it.

From the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic membership:

... 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.

5 hours ago, broberts said:

Email help@cruisecritic.com with the request.

buzz & woody,

And when you do, be sure to send your e-mail from your Cruise Critic e-mail address of record and mention your current user name. This helps with the verification of your Cruise Critic account in order to help you faster. Also, mention your reason for requesting a name change.

You will need to include a list of at least five possible new user names. They will go down your list and change your user name to the first available. If all of the names on your list are already taken, they will send you an e-mail asking for another list of possible names. And so it goes until an available new user name is found for you.

When it is changed, all your previous posts will have your new user name and you will not loose your post count.

Hope this additional information will be helpful!

Kat 🐱

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

... Wages, how many barmen ashore will work 12 hrs per day, 7 days a week for 9 months for probably < $1,000 per month. After reviewing salaries, you may wish to consider utility costs, maintenance, etc which are all applicable shoreside, but provided on a ship.

Here is just a portion of the Cruise Critic article titled Gratuities: What's the Point? Cruise Tipping and Salaries Dissected at https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=261 last updated June 6, 2019. Note the parts I bolded regarding base wages for customer-facing positions, total compensation for bartenders & bar wait staff, work shifts, and noteworthy benefits.

What are typical crew member salaries?

So, what are the cruise industry's going salaries? First, let's address the crew members that would not normally receive tips.

Ever wonder how much a captain makes? A cruise ship captain's salary can be six figures annually. Captains on the largest ships, responsible for 5,000 or more passengers and crew members, can have a salary in excess of $150,000, typically working two months on, two months off.

The hotel director on a medium-to-large ship -- the officer that oversees the majority of the crew -- will receive a salary in excess of $100,000 annually, usually working four months on, with two months off. The food and beverage manager on a similar ship can gross anywhere from $3,500 to $7,500 or more per month, depending not just on the size of the ship but on the level of cuisine being prepared.

An executive chef can expect to earn $4,000 to $8,000 monthly, while a chef de partie salary ranges from $1,000 to $2,500. The assistant chef or trainee cook takes home anywhere from $700 to $1,000, while kitchen cleaners come in at about $600 per month. Such entry-level positions in the kitchen offer some of the lowest wages on the ship, but also typically provide the best opportunities for advancement. Muddying the waters further: Compensation for an entry-level kitchen position may be different for someone from Indonesia versus a crew member hailing from India performing the same job.

"Although the monthly amounts may seem meager to people in developed countries, they are significantly higher than what those crew members would earn in their home countries," explains Katie Collins, Associate Editor with CruiseShipCareers.com, a cruise line recruiting resource. (A notable exception is Norwegian's Pride of America, a U.S.-flagged ship sailing in Hawaii, where the state and federal laws govern employment and minimum wage, and crew members must be U.S. citizens.)

For customer-facing positions, gratuities usually come into play. "Gratuities make up most of the compensation for crew in the housekeeping and food and beverage departments," says Collins. The base wage is usually low -- sometimes as little as $2 a day -- but income from tips can represent as much as 95 percent of the take-home total.

Including gratuities, total compensation for an assistant waiter position ranges anywhere from $900 to as much as $2,200 a month; experienced dining room waiters can earn upward of $3,200 a month. The assistant maitre d' can earn $4,000 or more, and is generally part of the tip pool.

Total compensation for bartenders can range anywhere from $1,800 to $2,500, while bar wait staff earn between $1,200 and $2,200 a month.

On the housekeeping side, a cabin steward salary can range between $650 and $1,150 per month, including gratuities, though on a luxury line the salary might exceed $2,000 per month once tips are factored in. A housekeeping floor supervisor is included in the tip pool on most lines, and takes home $1,300 or more. A laundry attendant is usually not compensated with gratuities and might earn as little as $700 a month.

To be sure, most crew positions are not glamorous, and their salaries are not high. Most crew members work 10 to 12 hours a day, and as many as seven full days a week. But cruise jobs come with several noteworthy benefits: Room and board is fully covered while sailing and, once an initial contract is completed, round trip airfare is picked up by the cruise line. This allows for crew members to build up savings, or to send funds back home while at sea. Some learn valuable skills while working at sea -- skills they can take with them to develop a business or service at home. Crew members receive medical treatment for work-related illness or injuries while aboard, and the cruise line will provide transfer to a land-based hospital or home, if necessary...

Yes the Roll Call tool is under construction, but others can still find it by scrolling down the list of NCL Sun Roll Call forum threads. This is how we all did it for years before the tool was added.

As you know, it is titled Norwegian Sun Roll Call - August 19, 2019 at

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2665453-norwegian-sun-roll-call-august-19-2019/ where you and others have been posting since May 23, 2019.

Please note the  Roll Call Tool - Under Construction announcement at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2677726-roll-call-tool-under-construction/?tab=comments#comment-57854189:

What if there isn't a Roll Call for my sailing?

You can start one!

• Click ROLL CALL FORUMS
• Click your Ship's or Cruise Line's name to open the correct forum
• Browse the topic titles shown in the forum to double check there is no existing Roll Call topic for your sail date. 
• Click the Start New Topic button at the top of the Ship's roll call forum.
•  In the Title Box, type the name of your ship, your sail date and year. 
  • When you create a new ROLL CALL topic, you MUST include the sail date in the subject line, and here's the suggested format:    Example: January 1, 2016
• Type a message in the message box and click the Submit Topic button.

Thanks for your patience while we work on  the tool!

Just please be patient. It will be fixed when it is fixed. 🙂

Just a friendly reminder to all. 🙂 Please note the Travel Agent Recommendations section of the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships.

OP: Perhaps the Cruise Critic article titled Finding a Cruise Travel Agent at https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=62 will be helpful.

2 hours ago, mom says said:

... Rather, he would be asking for the names of those cruiselines where gratuities were built into the fare. He's already said he'd be willing to pay more for such a system... 

For the OP, Cruise Critic articles about tipping policies by cruise type and cruise line:

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Luxury Lines Updated August 21, 2018

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Big-Ship Lines Updated May 21, 2019

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Expedition Lines Updated June 11, 2018

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: River and Barge Lines Updated June 11, 2018

For those making the personal choice to still tip on any of the non-tipping ships:

Tipping on a Non-Tipping Cruise Ship Updated August 21, 2018

And let us remember:

7 Times You Shouldn't Tip on a Cruise Updated March 29, 2019

4 hours ago, luckybecky said:

 I don't think that is the problem. Like I said, it was just showing the menus and food pics from one of the NCL specialty restaurants. I've had multiple other posts with exactly the same type of content and never had a problem with it. So I don't think anything inappropriate, nothing about other travel sites, or advertising, or profanity, nothing at all. I would be be shocked if that were the problem. However it still has not been approved several hours later. Maybe they don't have moderators available for this on weekends? 

Did you read the explanation CC Help Jenn, Senior Community Support Specialist, posted in the thread titled Post Needs Moderator Approval? I mentioned above? See her post #2 at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2639588-post-needs-moderator-approval/?tab=comments#comment-56904628. Your post may have contained certain or similar key words and were caught by the moderation tool.

BTW, it is impossible for Staff/Management to read each post on each thread in each forum to see the questions, comments or concerns about Cruise Critic policies or site feedback. As for the Hosts/Moderators, they are not Staff/Management nor employed by Cruise Critic. They are non-paid volunteers trying to help "direct traffic" and must follow the Moderator Handbook given to them by the Community Manager. The paid Staff/Management work normal business days & hours. The non-paid volunteer Hosts/Moderators work on the boards when their private lives permit.

Questions or comments on the inner workings of Cruise Critic should not be posted on this or any other forum on the Cruise Critic message board per the following portion of the Community Guidelines:

... Discussion of the management of this community is not allowed on the forums.  Your post will be removed and you may receive a Guideline Reminder.  However, we would be happy to address any concerns you have via email.   Please write to the Community Manager at:  community@cruisecritic.com...

An e-mail to LauraS, Senior Community Manager, at community@cruisecritic.com is the quickest way for all members to get their questions, comments & concerns about Cruise Critic policies or site feedback to the correct place. All e-mails to Cruise Critic are handled in order of receipt. I suggest your request for an update should be via e-mail from your Cruise Critic e-mail address of record and be sure to mention your Cruise Critic user name. This helps for a quicker verification of your membership.

I sincerely hope this additional information will be helpful!

Kat

Please see the previous thread regarding this topic:

Howdy Gigi49suzette! 😊

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

When you have a chance, please look at the top of this forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/859-need-help-using-the-forums-check-here/ where you will see the following:

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.

To help with your research for less expensive excursions, please click here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/ for the Ports Of Calls forums. That is where you will find reviews or recommendations of tour operators, guides, etc. in the various ports of call. 

Also, please note the following portion of the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships:

... 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...

For a list of the Cruise Critic Community message board topics, click here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/. And when you go into a forum, be sure to check the top of the listed threads for any pinned threads with special instructions or help on that topic.

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

Happy sails,

Kat 🐱

Howdy GayleM from a fellow Texan! 😊

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

Yes, Shmoo is correct. Please look at the top of this forum at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/859-need-help-using-the-forums-check-here/ where you will see the following:

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.

Actually, to help with your research on your Viking Ocean cruise, please click here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/689-viking-ocean/ for the Viking Ocean forum. And for Rome, click here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/ for the Italy Ports forum.

Also, please note the following portion of the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships:

... 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...

For a list of the Cruise Critic Community message board topics, click here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/

I sincerely hope this additional information will be helpful!

Happy sails,

Kat 🐱

Eric,

Yes, Turtles06 Is correct. If you must post your e-mail address on a message board, do it so the spam-bots cannot harvest it.'

eseidel at me dot com

Eric,

Please note the following information at the top 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.

Also, please note the following from What is a Roll Call? Everything you Need to Know:

Shore Excursion/Tour Shares in ROLL CALLS

This is an excellent benefit of participating on your ROLL CALL. If you are sailing on a specific ship and departure date, you may post your share request on the specific Roll Call topic for your cruise. You are targeting the specific group of people who would be most inclined to share since they are already sailing with you. Please remember, do not start a new Roll Call topic on the Roll Call forum or any other message board forum with your share request. Use your existing Roll Call topic to post your share request. Please note, our Guidelines do not allow personal ads looking to share shore excursions/tours, transportation, etc. anywhere else on Cruise Critic.

I'm New Here, Can I Post Looking for a Shore Excursion/Tour Share?

Technically, the answer is yes. However, our ROLL CALLS are not a classified ad area for your tour share. They are, as mentioned above, a place for cruisers to get to know one another before they sail. You will receive a much better response to your TOUR SHARE REQUEST if you take some time to read the entire ROLL CALL; get to know the other members and allow them to get to know YOU first! That is the spirit of our ROLL CALLS.

If my ROLL CALL is slow may I post it in other forums?

No. Please don't post topics looking for others cruising with you or share requests for tours, excursions, transportation, etc. on any of our other forums. Roll Calls became so popular that there was a need to set up a separate area for them. We ask that you keep Roll Call type discussions on your existing Roll Call topic in the ROLL CALL forums and keep the other forums open for general cruise discussions according to forum topic

As stated above, your Roll Call thread below is the only place on the Cruise Critic message boards where your tour share requests are allowed. Please post your request there.

Howdy, caboodle! 😊

Yes, Essiesmom and Charles4515 are correct in the fact there should be only one Roll Call thread for your cruise and that one already established thread is where you should start posting. As time goes on, others booking the same cruise will join you and keeponkruising there.

It appears you may be confused about the Roll Call Tool at Find Your Athem of the Seas Roll Call because the January 4, 2021 Anthem Roll Call thread started by keeponkruisin does not appear there. And neither does this one you started here because it is a thread on the Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here!  forum. It is not a thread on the Anthem of the Seas Roll Calls forum where it should have been. 

Please read the following thread from the  Announcements  forum concerning the Roll Call Tool:  

 Please note the following portion of the directions above:

• Read Posts/Click Reply to post your own message on the roll call thread.
• Type your message in and click Submit Reply button. Your post will appear in the topic. We feel sure your fellow Roll Call members will post welcoming replies. You are now forming your on-line relationship with cruisers just like you.

So, click here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2668278-anthem-of-the-seas-january-4-2021/ for your proper Roll Call thread then follow the above directions to start posting on the thread.  

I sincerely hope all this information will be helpful!

Kat 🐱    

P.S. to @CC Help Jenn            

When possible, please add the Roll Call thread titled Anthem of the Seas - January 4, 2021 at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2668278-anthem-of-the-seas-january-4-2021/ to the Roll Call tool.

Thanks, Jenn!

Private Messaging isn't enabled for the membership except for Hosts, Moderators and Administrators. You can get private messages from them.

Kat 🐱

FYI for those that have not seen Jenn's banner at the top of the board screens:

Log In Issues - Help with Logging In

We are currently experiencing issues with our boards log in functionality.

If you are having trouble logging in, the following instructions seem to be a working alternative while my tech team tackles the problem.

1.  Go to our home page (not on the boards) cruisecritic.com

2.  Log in on that page, then click the boards link to come back to the forums

3. It may look like you are not logged in (the space at the top of the page where you normally log out will still say "Log In") but you are actually logged in an can use the forums like normal.

Thank you for your patience while we work on this issue.