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Try logging out and logging back into the Cruise Planner. Also, you might want to re-purchase the bev pkg and zipline separately. Cruise Planner purchases are tedious IMO, as I don't know why they can't just refund the difference from the original purchase.

I ask for extra face cloths on Day 1. I have plenty of towels, because the set up in the cabin is always for 2 people, so it's like double towels for me, a solo. Also, if the cabin steward forgets, I leave a note to remind them.

I agree it sounds like someone might have hijacked your service when you were using your phone. OR, the local provider charges about $10 - $15 per minute for international calls. I suggest you contact your cellular provider, explain the situation, and see if they can apply an international plan to that billing period. Going forward, turn on that international plan. I am with Xfinity, and when I go out of their coverage area, and I am not in airplane mode, I get a text they are activating the plan, which is $10 per day. Nothing is charged unless I use my phone on shore to text or call. On the ship it's all through the ship's wifi, and I am in airplane mode. I am so sorry this happened. Cellular service has always been an issue when traveling, and I've tried separate phones, separate SIM cards, etc. Good luck!

See post #53 above.

You must have missed the statement I made that the savings will be given as cash tips to the crew. I always do this: if I have extra money on a cruise, I pass that savings along as a cash tip. If I win in the casino with my "free" cash from RCCL, I give half to a crew member. I will get a refund for missing a port on and upcoming cruise, and I'll cash out that refund on my credit card in the casino, and use it for extra cash tips on the cruise. Between the gratuities savings and the port refund, that's an extra $374, plus sharing casino winnings, for the crew. They are good to me; I am good to them.

Most of us here agree we are unhappy with the gratuities increase. However, I think our disagreement is with RCCL, the company, and NOT the crew. If anyone withholds their gratuities as a form of protesting the increase, then we are penalizing the crew for a decision that is completely out of their control. To those who truly are against this business model for gratuities, then they can take their business to cruise lines that include them in the pricing. But, one WOULD BE PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY.

When they are available, go to the Cruise Planner online, and click on "more details". I was hunting around for luggage tags today for a cruise I am fully checked in for, and that's how I found mine.

I would never do this. This is how some of the crew get paid, and I would not want to jeopardize them or their families' financial security.

Just ask when you call, saying you want to be guaranteed to pay the pre-Nov 11 price. I prepaid all my booked cruises, which extend out to Jan 2025, BUT I have already paid them all in full early (to get points and statement credits on my credit card). I had to pay the tips immediately. I saved $196

My sister and I had lunch in Chops on embarkation day last March on the Vision. Just as we sat down, the waiter came over very, very nervous. The Coast Guard had just come on board and were doing an inspection, and no food could be served until the ENTIRE ship was cleared. We had free wine for about 45 minutes though.............................

I was on a ship last January when the new menus started. Quite a shock, and I b2b with another ship: even worse. So, over this past 10 months I have learned the "good nights" vs "bad nights". Good nights are when they have salmon, bad nights are when they have proteins I don't care for. I now order the dessert fruit and cheese plate as an appetizer with every dinner. I also will make an entire meal of salad and appetizers, telling the waiter to bring them in any order he chooses. I also order an appetizer size portion of pasta to go with my entree, and that doesn't seem to cause any problems. There is one night's menu where I end up with all shrimp: 2 appetizers and 1 entree. Annnnd, there's one night I go to the Windjammer and eat unlimited appetizers, because there is NOTHING on the MDR menu I want. Having said all of this, I have to add that when it comes to food, I will eat anything except lamb, wax or lima beans. I'm actually easy to please when it comes to food and movies................

I actually ate one of those monsters in May 2023. It was FABULOUS, and put me off desserts for the rest of the cruise.

However, if you track the prices it can be worthwhile to purchase the UDP. I did with my sister on the Vision last year, and we averaged $15 per meal for both lunches and dinners combined. Right now I'm tracking for all my booked cruises, and it's running between $24 - $35 per meal. This is lunches and dinners.

Not silly at all. Yes, you can also do this, but best to arrive when they first open. If you go into the Cruise Planner, do a "ghost" purchase of the restaurants shown for specialty restaurant lunches, you can see what's open on which day, then cancel out of the purchase. This is how I determine how many meals I will actually get when I buy a UDP. I have one cruise where Giovanni's is open every day for lunch, and Chops 6 days.

I was referring to those who choose to remove their tips, RCCL "supposedly" compensates for the missed tips up to a guaranteed amount, and RCCL ends up with a LOT of people removing tips because of the increase on 11/11/23. That's the "dry spell" I was referring to in my other post. I just feel that removing tips from one's account may end up negatively affecting the crew, and they are not the ones we want to include in this struggle with RCCL over the tip increase. The crew should not suffer financially in any way because of this business policy change by RCCL.

I wasn't very clear: the plus one is someone sharing the same cabin, or identified as a travel companion.

My thoughts exactly, but I won't take the chance that the crew have any "dry spells" while this gets worked out. So, I'll continue to pay them. Actually, I just got all the invoice updates for all my cruises with prepaid tips. I saved $196, but will pay that out in cash tips over the next 14 months.

Nothing shady about this page in their FAQ's. Very clear in the second paragraph: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

As I see it, passengers who remove their tips are ENCOURAGING RCCL to include the tips in the cruise fare. It was explained to me that tipped crew members are guaranteed a certain amount, and RCCL makes up the difference for the "tip-stiffers". But, if that amount gets prohibitive, they can very likely move to including tips in the fare.

Several D+ cruisers I know book dinner for one in the Cruise Planner, pay for it, show up with a plus-one, use the BOGO coupon, and the other person is free.

I ALWAYS give my cabin steward an extra cash tip. If I win anything with my measly free $8 in the casino on the first 2 days, the cash tip immediately goes to the cabin steward. Otherwise, I'll use my own extra cash I brought with me. HA! On my last cruise I did this on Day 1 after my visit to the casino. I was BURIED in the upgraded toiletries for the rest of the cruise!!! He was such a sweetie, from China, and said I reminded him of his Mom.......ummmm.....look at my avatar???????

This is great news! I don't have to also pay for specialty restaurant lunch on embarkation day, and then request a refund because I have the UDP. Also, I don't have to burden whomever is at that restaurant's podium to book all my reservations for the whole cruise.

Interesting. I did the exact opposite: I notified my travel agent to prepay all my (15) booked cruises' tips. I see tipping as part of the price of cruising, and have always, and will always, support the crew. If that's the RCCL business model in-place, then that's the way I roll, too. If they include it in the price, than I'll roll that way, too. It's ALWAYS been part of MY budget model to include tips as part of the price of a cruise.

I was able to book 2 Giovanni's lunches for 2 people on the Freedom: Day 1 and Day 6. $16.50 per person. Same price for Jamie's on the Navigator, too. If I go to my local grocery store's deli and get a large sandwich, a bag of chips, and a soda, it's over $20. Giovanni's and Jamie's for $16.50 including tips is a bargain!

This is an insurance issue, not an RCCL issue. Homeowner's, condo, credit card travel benefits: there's several ways to get reimbursed for the cost of having luggage returned to it's rightful owner.