ptf2009

If you are on 1st seating your tips will NOT be included on your final payment invoice...you may want to remind your TA that you switched from MTD and make sure they are removed...

I just think it is wrong to have to pre-pay gratuities just because the first and second seatings are supposedly filled when booking several months in advance. I've read several complaints from others that this is now the norm... Perhaps RCI has to do this to make sure grats. are paid. Liked I said I don't mind them adding them to my account while I am on board and deducting them from my OBC (we don't drink and go on our own excursions). It's just a matter of principle:)

Can't wait to go on IOS in Dec. Just found out Tim Connor is going to be our CD? Anyone heard of him? Supposedly he was/is Activiites Director with Joff Eaton.

I don't mind the "auto" gratuities while we are cruising, I just mind RCI making you pre-pay the gratuities before final payment. My TA said that since first and second seatings were unavailable, we had to sign up with MTD and be waitlisted on first seating. With MTD, gratuities had to be pre-paid. A couple months later, first seating became available. I've read from other boards about this happening to others and feel this is RCI's way of making sure they get gratuities. We have always given more than the minimum, but we would rather use our OBC to pay the gratuities than have to pre-pay months before we even step on board!

We reserved a cruise 7 months in advance and were told that since early and late dining were not available, we would have to take MTD and therefore HAVE to pre-pay the gratuities. I told the TA to put us on a waitlist for early dining, but was told we still had to pre-pay. What a coincidence...a few months later, our waitlist status was lifted.

We have always tipped at least the minimum amount suggested, but I still didn't appreciate having to pre-pay. I would rather use my OBC for the gratuities. Have others experienced this with RCCL or other cruise lines?

Check the hotels that shuttle you from the airport. Then call the hotel. Alot of hotlels have a shuttle service they've outsourced and will give you a phone number to make reservations. It's not real expensive, but you may also want to see how much it costs to rent a car at the airport and drop it off at the rental place near the port. You will then be shuttled to the port. When you return from your cruise, the rental co. will pick you up at the port and drive you to get your rental car for you to drive to the Orlando airport.

Hope this helps!

Good idea to refuse it MTD....we just booked on IOS and were told that only MTD was available, so we are wait listed on early dining; therefore gratuities were added immediately which means we can't use our OBCs to pay for them. Since we don't drink and do our own excursions at ports we don't have a large bill at the end of the week and have always used our OBCs to offset the gratuities.

It's all about how can they get more money from you.

Congrats to Richard Spacey...He is THE BEST! I just don't understand why they didn't just keep him on QOTS.

Any info on Dave Chapman? I've never heard of him. We are going on OOTS in Sept.