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HBE4

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  1. I tried posting a screen shot but for some reason, it was not working for me. Anyways, from the FAQ section of Royals website, type in Gratuities in the search bar: Q: What is Royal Caribbean's service gratuities (tips) price and policy? A:As of September 7th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest’s SeaPass account on a daily basis. The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. As a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, 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. In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense EDIT TO ADD: Nowhere is it specified what constitutes satisfactory or unsatisfactory service so presumably it is at the guests discretion.
  2. Earlier, you replied to one of my post, a hockey game example, that was really just tongue-in-cheek to prove a point. But let me give a more real world example. When staying overnight at a hotel, a basic Courtyard or Days Inn on a road trip to somewhere else, I’ll leave a tip for the housekeeper but never once do wonder if they are going to share it with the person doing the laundry, or the person cleaning the pool or the landscaping crew. I seriously doubt the “holier-than-thou” types preaching here care as well. But put them on a cruise ship & they are ready to give money at anyone that smiles at them, then come here onto CC acting like they are solving third world poverty and shame people for tipping differently. Which, BTW, Royal allows for different ways of tipping. Maybe I’m just an old fashion “charity begins at home” type of guy. What I tip my server is my business. What someone else tips (or not tips) is their business. So I’ll say it again, it’s your money so feel free to over-tip, under-tip or not tip at all, it will not affect my cruise experience.
  3. I don’t disagree with anything you wrote with the exception that Royal allows people to change/remove their gratuities with no questions asked. Period. And if that is okay with Royal, then it’s okay with me. And it should be okay with you and everyone else as well. For the record, I tip. Probably just an average tipper so nothing to brag about. I do auto-gratuities, will give the bartender a $1 cash when buying a drink whether he’s opening a beer can or making some time consuming, complicated frozen concoction. Maybe more if I have a good buzz. If the room attendant or waiter seems to be going out of their way to please me, extra money will go to them. That happens most of the time but if they seem to be doing just the basic, going thru the motions job, I probably will not give them extra on top of the auto-gratuities. What they get paid, how & who pays them is no concern of mine. That's between them and their employer.
  4. @lenquixote66 This Leonard - who is doing his best impression of a Egyptian Sphinx - is wishing you a speedy recovery!
  5. In all seriousness though, in all the cruises I've taken, I never once concerned myself with how others spend their own money that they presumably work hard for. I don't like when people tell me how I should spend my money so I won't do that to others as well. So feel free to over-tip, under-tip, not tip, pre-pay, whatever. Much like shorts in the MDR on formal night, it will not affect my cruise experience. 🙂
  6. I just realize that the last hockey game I went to, I only tipped the person(s) serving me food & drinks! It never occurred to me to tip the person that scans my ticket, the usher that pointed me in the direction of my seat, the security guard keeping unruly fans in check, the players, coaches and trainers and all the other little, behind the scenes people - like the guy that mops the locker room - that make the game so enjoyable. Am I a bad person? 🤣🤣🤣 - mandatory laughing faces to show I'm joking. Or am I? 😄
  7. Well, since you brought it up, the saxophone is probably one of thr sexiest musical instruments. 😁 "He wiggles well". Lol. Love that description. I'm going to see if I can work it into a conversation. 😆
  8. I can be, um, maybe the ticket taker? Show people to their seats? Part of the stage crew? Or a gopher? You know...go fer coffee...go fetch lunch, etc. That's kinda my specialty. I was going to suggest "Sea Dog and the Kruising Krakens" but he may be too humble to take top billing so Kruising Kraken it is. I can hardly wait until they release their first song: "Dancing in the Minefields".
  9. The Hallmark channel had Christmas in July movie marathon. And I'm pretty sure within the next 2 weeks, stores will put out Christmas decorations. So why not some Greensleves in August?
  10. My husband is a coin collector and does the same thing but also goes to coin shows. Quite a few of the people there are very helpful and have told him what is the absolute lowest he should sell for or to hold on to the coin and their opinion usually matches what he has found on the internet. He has sold some stuff, at the shows, above what he was told it was worth. I inherited a ring that I actually thought was costume jewelry. I took it to a local jeweler to find out if it was real before getting rid of it. It was real and offered me $500. I declined. I took it to the next coin show and showed it to a few vendors. The first few offered me exactly $500 so I kept walking. One said $1000 and I slid that ring over to him so fast and took the cash.Try a coin show for some different opinions, you might get lucky. One of my neighbors belongs to a local Numismatic Society, basically a fancy name for a coin club, whose members are made up of profession coin dealers as well general hobbyist with their own private collections. They host a monthly auction where people can put their coins up for auction with minimum bid. Often times, the professionals won't go much above the minimum bid but to a private collector or general hobbyist whose interest in coins is less about making a profit and more personal about having whatever interest them, will often bid 3 or 4 times above the minimum bid to get a coin they really like. Also, they do complimentary "no pressure" appraisals although I think they just look up the going price in the internet as well. Might be something worth checking out. One thing I found interesting is that where a coin is minted, say Denver vs Philadelphia - may have a big impact on it's value. Also, as someone else noted, don't clean the coin. That grunge/dirt is part of it's history.
  11. Sadly, that is the way it is with most families. When my parents were still alive, it fell upon me & my older sister to do 90% of the care taking while my other 2 siblings seem to always have an excuse as to why they couldn't help out. I'm not complaining though, looking back, the time I spent with my parents in there final years is (mostly) precious and I feel like the other 2 siblings missed out.
  12. You're welcome. Probably best to wait until after Labor Day so you won't have to deal with summer beach crowds & traffic. Although from RI, I'd have no idea how you'd get there. Ferry from CT to Long Island, maybe? https://www.fireislandlighthouse.com/
  13. I'm the same way. One of the reasons I resisted taking a cruise until I was in my 40's is that I'm not very structured and hate being on a schedule (and also very limited vacation time). After my first cruise, I decided that was one of the best things of a cruise as it kept me going, otherwise I'd probably just linger & miss half the fun. Having said that, I still hate deciding where & when to eat more than a day in advance. I like to "wing it". Although I have gotten better and usually will have a general idea of a few places where I like to eat each day depending on how hungry I am.
  14. Yes, it is. I never have as I usually lay on the beach & splash in the ocean all day before taking a late afternoon walk. It closes at 5;00 pm but the last admission is at 4:30. Missed it by a couple of minutes yesterday. I think next time, I'll swap the order & go directly to the light house first, then the beach. The light house is a about a 10 minute stroll from parking lot #5 at Robert Moses. They also have a free museum and gift shop in what used to be the Keeper quarters and a separate "Lens" building that houses some of the older lens from previous light houses.
  15. That just sounds gross no matter how it tastes. Back in my high school & college days, I worked in several deli's and would hate it when a customer ordered head cheese. Nasty to hold & slice and even nastier to clean the slicer afterwards. Fortunately, not to many people ordered it. I did taste it once. **** warning to those with a weak stomach, don't read ahead **** Think of slimy jello with chucks of indeterminate meat inside.
  16. I've been to Buon Amici several times and always had excellent food & service. A friend of mine who has very high standards and is very selective about where he eats (i.e. extremely picky) says Buon Amici is one of his favorites as is Parkside in Corona, Queens
  17. New City Pizza has been around since the beginning of time. Back when I was a mere child, my parents would go food shopping on Friday night at the Grand Union where the DeCicco's is now. Always got New City pizza after shopping as Mom was not going to make dinner that night. Pretty sure it's changed owners a few times but kept the name & taste. I've been to Rocco's a few times and it never disappointed me. Although I will admit, I've pretty low standards when it comes to pizza. The one pizza place I never liked was Nicky's in Congers & Suffern. It was good but it consistently gave me heartburn afterwards. Dessert was always Tums or Rolaids afterwards.
  18. Well, as long as we are on the topic of paying for things we don't use, in addition to charging for stand-up Flowrider, can they also add a surcharge for the Rock Climbing Wall, basketball courts and gym? I have no use for those and it's not fair my cruise fare subsidizes those that choose to use it. 😉. Maybe even afternoon trivia and certain shows such as CATS? 😇 It will greatly enhance my cruise experience. 🙂 🤣🤣🤣
  19. I don't disagree with this statement. It seems like for every really good pizza place, there is at least one not-so-good. I won't say bad as I don't think I've every had a bad slice. Except in High School where they tried to pass off a piece of cardboard with a hint of ketchup & some cheese-like material as pizza. 😉 Surprisingly, the "99 cent Fresh Pizza" slice joints are better than expect as long as you don't mind standing at a counter or eating it on the run. Which is what I usually would do as I race to get on the last train out of Grand Central. They've been around for 10-15 years at least and just recently upped the price to a $1.25 a slice due to - what else - inflation and supply chain issues. Haven't changed the name however. They have handwritten sign by the register saying the price increase is "temporary". haha. We'll see about that.
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