Leann1980

I assume you mean if you prepaid your tips and gratuity when you paid your final payment. If so, you will get receipts to give to the dining and cabin staff the day before disembarking. Put them in the proper envelopes provided (with any extra tips you may want to add) ,and give to the wait staff etc the last evening at dinner. Give to Cabin attendants or leave the envelopes in your cabin when you leave. Should you eat at other venues beside MDR, We usually give cash tips at each meal.

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You need to rewrite the last question so we can figure out what your asking.

 

 

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MY last question is I paid for tips and gratuity with my cruise there is a option on Royal Caribbeans site to do so. I am not asking if I do that does that cover me a tips and gratuity for the cruise or will I still need to pay a bill getting of the boat at the end.

Tips will be added to your account daily...your bill is settled when you leave. The tips cover your cabin attendant, waiters, ass't waiters, and head waiters.

Bar tabs will have 18% added to the cost of any drink (or package).....no further tips are needed.

Room service isn't covered by the tips they charge...so if you use room service, $1-5 is common, depending on how much they have to carry!

This isn't unique to RCI...all of the major cruise lines do it like this nowadays.

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When on your cruise do you pay for tips during your cruise or on your way off the boat? I have been told by my sister and father that in order to get off the boat you have to make these payments. Does anyone have any insight on this to clear my worries about how this works beforehand.

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I’m relatively new to posting in Cruise Critic, but I am an experienced cruiser. I have traveled mostly with Holland America Line (still my favorite) National Geographic/Linblad, and Grand Circle. I have never been on a cruise where I was universally miserable the entire time nor have I gone on a cruise expecting perfection. I think many who cruise for the first time have an inordinately high expectation of what will happen on the cruise. So, I've decided to share what I have found to be helpful when cruising.

 

 

1)[Prepare your logistics ahead of time].

 

 

My wife and I have discovered that flying the same day your cruise departs is quite a gamble. We have been fortunate not to miss a departure, but we have come close.One time we were processing in as the lifeboat drill was taking place. I strongly recommend planning your vacation, so you arrive in your departure ports day or two before your cruise departs. This allows you to have contingencies in case and airport suffers a power outage, planes go down for maintenance issues,or whatever other unforeseen circumstances occur. Have a solid backup plan.

 

 

2)[Don’t forget those things you cannot function without].

 

 

I love checklists, but my wife and I have an empty suitcase we keep in our closet. The week before our trip we start dropping things we don’t want to forget in the suitcase before we begin packing. This works for us, and may notwork for you but you should have a place to put items you cannot forget to pack so it will trip your memory when packing time comes.

 

 

3)[Learn about the place you are traveling to before you go].

 

Use the internet, library, or people who have been there before to getan understanding of culture, amenities, and things to avoid when you are at a certain location. I recommend learning the polite words in the host language before you travel. You don’t need to be fluent but words and phrases likeplease, thank you, excuse me, and where is the toilet are immensely helpful. Donot assume that everyone should understand English just because they are a tourist port.

 

4)[Prepare for lack of activity].

 

 

Sea days can belong days. Not every ship is packed with activities. My wife and I are avid readers and load our devices up with plenty of electronic books before we travel. Remember travel games (for kids) and favorite DVDs (many cruise ships have DVD players in room). If your traveling with children, plan activities on sea days. You can arrange a ship spotting contest with your kids or identify constellations games (I know its crazy, activities that are fun and educational). Many shipshave charity walks on deck on sea days or other activities but don’t rely on the ship to fill your day.

 

 

5)[Exercise].

 

 

I know we defer healthy eating habits,diets, and New Years resolution when we travel but we also do this for so many other things in life. If you are able, avoid using elevators (they won’t work in emergencies so train yourself now). Plan walking events, uses stairs, have a small workout routine in the morning (plan for a minimum of equipment).

 

 

6)[Eating].

 

 

I recommend the dining room experience.The portions are gourmet rather than American so you not getting the sheer amount of food your used to but you’re probably getting the right portion size.Lido dinning is OK occasionally, but it is very easy to lose self-control and over eat. If nothing else, go to the Lido once and observe how people eat and act. That by itself can be enough to deter you from eating there.

 

 

7)[Adapters and chargers].

 

 

Some cruises are about power strips but bring 220/110 adapters for your laptops. Most laptops today are built for dual voltage. Since most cruise ships are built in Europe, they tendto have very limited 110 options in public spaces. Our last cruise the room only had one 110 outlet and there were no 110 outlets in public spaces. Don’t forget camera battery chargers, USB and data transfer cables. Options to get these on ships or in ports are surprisingly limited.

 

 

8)[Read your programs].

 

 

You get a program in your room every night. Read through it, don’t just toss it to the side. Time zone changes, meeting places, tender schedules, and entertainment are included in the programs. I’m amazed at how clueless some people appear because they didn’t take the time to read what was provided.

 

 

9)[be on time].

 

 

If your tender is supposed to leave at 8am be at the meeting place at 7:45am. Don’t be “that guy or gal.” Others want to enjoy their vacation in a timely manner. Being late is rude, especially if it is within your power to be on time.

 

 

10)[be civil].

 

 

You are on a cruise, for some people just to take a small cruise is a bucket list item. For the duration of your cruise your only real function is to relax and enjoy yourself. If you cannot manage to smile and be nice, stay in your room so that others don’t have to share in your misery. Remember you are on a ship where your politics, religion,or worldview are largely irrelevant. If someone butts in line in front of you,let it go, Karma will take care of them in the long run. You acting defensive or aggressive will only make you and other miserable and will most likely get you labeled as “that guy or gal.”

 

This if far from an all-inclusive list but it may help new people think and prepare for an experience that should beenjoyable. I hope you find this useful.

Thanks so much very helpful infomation

Thanks so much for your detail information. I had know clue about the port information and how many days before to fly in. I don't really mind whether its eastern or western. I chose 7 because of what you said its not much cheaper. This is the information I was looking for but did not know how to ask it never cruised before and it time to try something new and giving my son something different for our vacation. I was actually looking at the December 1st 2019 cruise with the any of Harmony, Allure, or Oasis ships. You gave so much good info to look into now appreciate it all.

I live in Michigan so driving is probably not what I want to do.

Thanks so much

Keith

I am a single mom that never been on a cruise. I have been doing some research and would like a ship with lots of activities for my son. He enjoys water, basketball mainly. I also want the good food. I plan to book for 2019 in December. So fat Harmony of Sea is top of my list. Any advice for the newbie???