staceyglow

As a general rule, I do the same, but when I get a discount (such as a Happy Hour or using a coupon), I tip based on what would have been the regular price. If your tips are 23% of your cruise fare, at the current gratuities rate that is $70 per day. That's $490 for a 7-day cruise. Seven nights of hotel, 21+ meals, snacks, entertainment, and transportation to ports. How much do you think is appropriate? To be honest, I do think tips have gotten out of control on land, but I feel fortunate that I can afford a nice meal, and those couple of extra dollars will mean more to the person getting them than they do to me.

Is a percentage of the fare a fair way to look at Gratuities? Last year I was on a 5-day cruise where the fare was $65. The gratuities were over 100% of my fare. I suppose you think that if you go to Las Vegas and get free drinks while playing the slots, you shouldn't tip at all.

I was on the Carnival Dream last week and they had tea time. It's been on other ships I have been on in the last few months as well. I am not sure if every single ship has it.

That has happened to you on Pride?

It is "join the wait list". And I have never had to wait more than a few minutes on any my Pride cruises.

We always ask for our own table, and have never been seated at a group table for dinner. Only once for brunch. We didn't bother to go back to change. On our last cruise, they were asking people who were hanging in the "lobby" waiting for their table assignment to pop up on their app if they wanted to sit at a group table instead, but they still honored requests for individual tables.

I think the largest tables seat ten. And if I am not sure that kids are fed dinner at the kids club.

Yep. If you asked for a private table and they try to seat you with a group, there is nothing wrong with politely insisting on what you requested. I don't see why you wouldn't get the next one available.

If you are on a Carnival cruise and you need to sneak on beer, buy bottles of liquor for the room AND purchase Cheers, you should probably be aware of the "Friends of Bill W." meetings that are also available on the ship. 😁

I would spend even less time worrying about a free room - the worst cabin on the ship is still better than staying home! 😁

I just went to tea time last week on the Dream and regular tea was free, as was green tea. I got all the little sandwiches and pastries I wanted. I wouldn't assume Mic's experience is typical.

I am on a Journeys Cruise right now. Las night they had a Mexican themed night which was not up to par for a number of reasons I won't get into. But they still had the salmon, steak, and chicken options they always feature as an alternative.

Kudos! We were "mean" parents too, who never took our kids out of school for vacations. We were lucky that when they were in middle school, they changed the school calendar so they got all of Thanksgiving week. off.. We took an 8 day cruise out of San Juan that week and even ran into some other families from the school district on the ship!

🙂 Then you probably shouldn't be booking a TBA room, then. 🙂 There is always the risk that you won't be assigned a cabin until the very last minute.

We just boarded the Dream last week. Normally we are "first on" type of people, but we got to Galveston closer to 11:30 because that when our airport shuttle got us there. We basically walked right on.

They stamp your paper boarding pass after you jump through all the hoops for boarding. I don't know how they would do that with an electronic one. You already have to print out your luggage tags. What is one more sheet of paper?

As she should. That's part of her job. But it isn't her job to find the price reductions for you, which I believe is what the other poster was expecting from her PVP.

LOL I am old enough to remember when that "Alice" song was a hit on the radio. I had never heard of the singalong version with the raunchy lyrics until I was at a beer festival in Germany last year. The polka band was playing it, and every German, regardless of their command of English, was singing along to it!

My PVP is awesome. I have recommended her to many friends. However, I would never expect her to be responsible for finding better deals for a cruise I have already booked. That is not her job. She will occasionally check the upgrade options without prompting from me, but I certainly don't expect that of her. She does know the types of cruises we like and will contact us if she sees a good deal on one we might like to book, but is it her job to check for price drops on an already-booked trip? No way.

Yep. It takes up no room in the luggage.

Awesome! Thanks!

My biggest beef with the piano bars is that because the venue is so intimate, it is really easy for a few cruisers to take the whole place over. I have been on cruises where the same 8-10 people show up before it opens every night, take all of the good spots around the piano, fill up and submit a bunch of request sheets right away, and otherwise monopolize the bar for most of the evening. One my most recent cruise, they were holdovers from a B2B. I can't really blame the musician, because he is getting tipped, but once in awhile it would be nice if he said, "I will get to your other 15 Billy Joel song requests in a bit, Larry from Houston, but first I am going to play a song for Stacey from Las Vegas in the back there".

Dang. I almost never check bags. DH and I are currently on a 14-day Journeys cruise and we only took carry-ons.

Is that TSA friendly?

I got on a ship yesterday, and literally the first Carnival team member I encountered on the ship was directing everyone to their muster station. There is no need to figure it out ahead of time.