Akkers

Pls do spare a thought for the cruise lines who have lost billions during the pandemic. It cannot be easy for them to make ends meet.

Depends which package you buy. If you get the basic plan its around $20/day/device and speed is slow and sluggish but its enough for facebook and emails. But forget youtube or any streaming.

Expensive price-tag with poor performance - how many people use it? A lot. Internet is a necessity now.

I have to say I did not see any crowding in the WJ at breakfast or lunch. Pretty damn of them for closing it for dinner.

From what I can remember the staff were very efficient and moved things along without too many queues.

One thing I noticed was that at breakfast they had the boiled eggs right next to meat products, not very enticing. If they have returned to self-service then you can bet people will use the same utensils to server themselves meat and non-meat foods.

58 minutes ago, CaroleSS said:

Can anyone say "resort fees"?

I have not come across 'resort fees' in places I have been to. And I have been to many places in Middles East, North Africa, Mediteranean, Far east etc. Usually I book a holiday with a TA and you pay everything and that is it. The only on-site charge I have come across is a 'City tax' that they charge in Morocco which is a small amount but you do get warned about in advance.

I think non-white people are in a minority in the US where the tipping/minimum wage issue is raised.

20 hours ago, rudeney said:

just claim it's racist

I did see something in a video that good looking white females make more on tips than their colleagues from ethnic minorities. Where tips are used to make up minimum wage it can be hugely unfair on minority workers who get less tips because of their race of colour of their skin.

If tipping is practiced mainly on american cruise lines then I will head straight for UK based cruises (eg: Virgin). In fact why bother with cruising at all, I am happy with hotel based holidays where you always know the cost up front and there are usually no hidden extras.

49 minutes ago, SRF said:

The US service industry is tip based.  And no amount of your whining will change that.

Fair enough; keep it there. So why do we have to conform to your standards when we cruise in the Caribbean or Mediteranean?

I agree, things like Wi-Fi, drinks etc can be made optional as not everyone wants to use them; those that do want to use can pay for it. But wages for staff - they deserve to be paid, no if no buts. So why is it optional? Include in the base cost and pay the staff the right amount. Whats so difficult about that?

We dont have such a problem in the UK. If a member of staff does not give you good service then we just dont go back. The employers know that and if their staff are underperforming then they have to take action rather than promote a tipping culture. Here a member of staff is employed to do the best and meet certain standards. If they are not flipping tables in a timely manner then it is the employers fault for not maintaining standards. Any employer will know that if standards are not maintained then their business will go down.

I am not sure how and if tips are taxed in other countries but in the UK most tips go straight into pocket without being declared for tax. It is black economy that the Tax authority have never been happy about.

As for cruising, I will head to Virgin and other liners where all costs are included and I know that staff are being paid a fixed fair wage.

btw why is it that RCI bill you for gratuties but then the cleaning staff also leave an envelope in your room on last day asking for tips?

SRF - my understanding is that an employer employs a person to a job and to do the job to the best of ability and to a set standard. So if an employee is putting in 60% effort normally and 100% when paid a tip, I as an employer should be worried.

I am not sure about your country but here in the UK you can work your butt off but will never get extra money (or at least its very rare). Some 25 years ago I created something at work that saved £10m for my employer and its allied companies. They used that creation happily but did they give me a pay rise or a promotion? Hell NO!

In this long discussion no-one has been able to convince me why a living wage cannot be paid to an employee and why tipping is necessary.

IMO tipping is pity money and no one should have to stick their hands out for extra cash; they should get a just wage for the work they do.

To the paying customer it should make no difference. If, as now, customer is paying $50 plus $10 tip. Then if you include that in the price of the service then make it $60 on the bill; the customer is still paying same amount.

I also object to these so-called special people who get tips and pocket money without being held accountable for taxes. Why should us ordinary folks pay tax on every single penny we earn but these people can earn hundreds in tips where they do not pay tax. And when was the last time us ordinary folks got a tip off our employers for doing an excellent job?

I think at the end of the day it is a class thing; people like to feel superior by giving a tip rather than paying a fair wage. Just my personal opinion.

'Tipping is a US thing' - I now understand it is. Is it PITY money though?

I was watching a video about this other day. They said that in 1800s people returning from Europe started tipping but this was banned by the govt as it meant inequality. But it made a come back after the abolishment of slavery. When slaves were freed, most of them found it hard to find jobs. With so many people unemployed they were prepared to take up anything. So much so that some took up jobs where there was no wage; they worked for free. And so it happened that bystanders or people using their free service would leave 'something'. Thus tipping took off again.

In modern day US a lot of employers are not payingh the minimum legal wage; they expect employees to make that up from tips. Brilliant system!

In a modern and civilised society should we not pay the employees their rightful dues in form of a decent wage?

Departing.

Is the BIM app mandatory? Where do you submit the Vaccination and PCR test results?

Are there any shops on ships where one can buy simple food (snacks, sweets etc)? What time do they stay open til?

On 3/8/2022 at 2:40 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

They would have a Lot of wasted food if they stocked the WJ for dinner every night.

Thats not a good excus to shutdown the buffet. Surely if theyhave less passengers then they should lay out less food. It does not take rocket science to work out how much food to prepare when you know how many passengers are on board (although not everyone eats in the buffet).

Do they do a mandatory daily Covid test on the ship?

What currency should one carry to spend on ship and at ports? Ist all US dollars all the way? Are GBP accepted/exchanged easily?

Thats for Carribean cruises.

So if you do not have a drinks package and go for the free (included) stuff, how do you tell which drinks are free and which are chargeable?

If WJ is closed for dinner then what are the alternatives for those of us that dont want sit-down restaurant meal? Are there any other eateries open (eg: snacks, pizzas...)?

On 3/4/2022 at 5:19 PM, boscobeans said:

we basically had a cruise to nowhere but for 2 ports

What they are not calling at all ports?

Also is WJ and other buffet stations open?

On 3/2/2022 at 10:25 PM, Raddo said:

I have done a cruise review

Whats the link Raddo.

On 2/26/2022 at 1:46 PM, sgmn said:

would be happy for tips to be built into the basic fare so they cannot be removed 

Exactly my point. If staff are providing a service they should be paid by the employer. The employer should then build that into the base price. Customer does not lose out as he/she will be paying roughly same amount. I guess some staff wil not like it as they will lose out on un-taxed earnings.

Is this ship running at the moment? If so, is it stopping at all the destinations?

Anyone been on it in past 1-3 weeks?

1 hour ago, CaroleSS said:

how the system works in the US

I think you have automatically assumed that I will cruising in or from US; I have no intention of that. My debate relates to cruises in general sailing in Carribean, Europe and Far East. So I cannot see how they can impose US practices on cruises sailing in foreign waters.

I just seen a few videos about tipping in US and am amazed about its orgins and how it has helped to segregate and marginalise workers even to this day:

I am not sure how the system works in the US but here in the UK its different. A bill in a restaurant includes all taxes etc. In most place the price quoted in the menu includes service and taxes. If waiters get anything extra as goodwill (tip) then technically they have to declare that to the taxman. BUT hardly anyone does; tips go straight to the pocket. I find this whole thing mind-boggling.

Tipping is not big in the UK but in higher end places people feel obliged to tip to show their social standing. Personally I avoid tipping here because staff are being paid minimum wage. If I go abroad to a third-world coluntry then I do tip because I see staff in very horrible situations.

btw Great video!!!