not-enough-cruising

7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Have you had Covid or Covid symptoms in the last 10 days  

The word Covid is no where on the questionnaire; nor is there a 10 day window  

TLDR

10 minutes ago, firstimer2009 said:

You can pre-order the night before?  I haven't read that anywhere.  I guess it will show up on the app when I am onboard.  Thank you for a very helpful tip!

You can’t order the night before. 
 

If you want a wine pairing with each course you will be better off skipping the MDR. I. My experience it can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes for a drink to be served. 

Have never heard of this law, but after reading it, I don't see where Royal has anything to worry about.

They already have the privacy mechanism in place from the EU business, everything else seems to be no issue.

4 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

Am I the only one that finds this odd that with everything that is going on  and the decisions that have been made , that Royal is making middle of the night stops with thousands of passengers aboard .... (Assuming this is actually true) .Especially in light of all the talk about Travel insurance policies possibly even becoming invalid due to this ... Seems Risky

 

??

One's travel insurance fine print is of no concern to Royal; but i highly doubt this type of stop would invalidate anything

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Some pre show drinks improve the experience.😉

I like that bar in 270

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

And I sure would not book a ship specifically to see that.

You and I are cut from the same cloth, however, my wife, a liberal arts and dance major from way back, thought it was one of the best things she has ever seen.

We went and saw it twice in one week

6 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I realize there is a lot of subjectivity when it comes to shows, but every version of Effectors I have seen has been really corny and not very good in my book, but not as bad as Voices on Wonder. 

“Corny” is an excellent adjective; but yes entertainment is every bit as subjective as food. 

4 minutes ago, CarolRoy said:

I would like to know before I book either of these ships.

 

Anthem has the 270 and also We Will Rock You.  Have been on the Anthem 3 times and saw We Will Rock You then.

Odyssey doesn’t have a Broadway show. They have “The Book” in 270

1 hour ago, The Sunset Glow said:

 

 

Exactly this! We paid the auto grats when it first statred years ago and the "other hotel services" was around $1 then (I think I remember the first one being $0.90). We stopped auto grats when the "other" category went over $3-$4 but the other positions barely went up back then. We saw the writing on the wall in that RC had found a sneeky way to supplement salary positions by using money from the tip pool. "Other hotel services" is now around $6.50.

 

When auto grats were $14.50 per day Dining staff was about $6.25 and "other" was $4.70. Now at $18 per day Dining staff is about $6.95 (11% increase) and "other" is about $6.50 (40% increase). You don't have to be a genious to see what RC is doing here and I won't partake in it. Our $18 pp/pd (and more) will still be given out to the staff that serves us but it will be transacted from us to the staff directly.

Well said thank you for that analysis

1 hour ago, LEMJMcC said:

Related question.

 

Can the pre-paid gratuities for Spa treatments be removed or refunded?  I think I know the answer, but am curious to see if anyone had any success in removing or at least reducing these so-called "tips".

No, much like the 18% added to drinks, this one is non negotiable 

4 hours ago, uvadover said:

 

So the dishwasher is covered by your cruise fare, but not the guy who carries the plate to your table?  You seem to know everything, so are you privy to a compensation approach whereby the waiter is more reliant on tips than those in the kitchen?

Absolutely not. 
“Reliance” on tips is not something I judge. 
 

My fare covers a basic level of service. When someone goes above that level, then THEY get a little something extra. 
 

The next time the dishwasher makes a plate “extra clean” I’ll walk to the galley and give him a few bucks. 

2 hours ago, Vibe said:

The cruise line crew that work behind the scenes and those who work in positions that have directly contact with guests agree to their compensation based on the automatic gratuities that the guests pay.

When you pay the automatic gratuities you contribute to that salary plan that is acceptable to the crew when signing their employment contract.

 

I personally don’t like that method, I agree that it is a scam, however I pay the automatic gratuities because I feel that I contributed to every crew members agreed compensation and don’t want to disrupt it.

 

If a crew member goes over and above, I discreetly give them cash as a thank you.

 

The crew members are from areas of the world that does not have many opportunities, they work hard and are away from their families. We are so blessed that we can afford to cruise and have the time to cruise. The $18 per person per day is not going to break any of us. Most of us spend that amount of money on things that are not necessary. Why are some obsessing over this?
 

Keep this in mind:

• Part of the cruise fare is taxes and fees. We have no idea of the breakdown of where that money goes.
• The cruise line adds the gratuities on as a separate charge so that initial total cost seems lower, the same way hotels have resort fees, both practices are not ideal, but it is what it is.

 

When booking the cruise, I consider the cruise fare, taxes, fees and the gratuities all together as the total cost.

 

I want to enjoy my cruise, pay the automatic gratuities to feel confident that I did not screw any crew member to their agreed compensation/salary plan. I do not want to obsess over what crew members get paid, it is not my business, it is between them and the cruise line , the same way it is everywhere else.

 

 

Your data surrounding the crews salary composition is completely false. 

5 hours ago, avatar133 said:

Surely this wasn't the "big" thing that was coming to Galveston? https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/01/25/royal-caribbean-rumor-wonder-of-the-seas-galveston

 

This was announced 6 months ago (or more)

3 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

I fully understand it. We cruise a lot and I tip extra cash for people that provide great service directly then  the auto gratuities take care of the other crew. 

What some people (including you) believe is removing auto gratuities is ok because the other crew don’t deserve a tip.
 

The ones also saying they can afford anything they want, purchase better cabins, extras, then still believe in this practice are the biggest pieces of s*+t and hopefully karma will catch up on them.

Strong words

Karma has always been very very kind to me. Perhaps because of the positivity I put into the universe. 

31 minutes ago, BND said:

Just ask anyone who has had Noro.  The reports are they don't feel like being away from their bed and bathroom for at least 24 hours.  So, they are quarantined by necessity. Most everyone has had Noro at least once in their life, more likely as a kid as it's extremely common in schools, but when I was growing up, it was just called a 24 hour stomach bug.

12 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Remember, cruise ships make up only 1% of all noro outbreaks.

It is a daily occurrence at the hospital

3 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Cruise lines use the American tip culture. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not. It’s not built into the cruise price (I wish it was) so it doesn’t matter if your country doesn’t tip or not. If you want to tip extra cash to people great but there is a reason for the auto gratuity since you can’t tip everyone in person. 

 

Anyone who removes the auto gratuities is the lowest class of person there is. Seems like most do it are the ones that do it cruise often. If you can’t afford to pay the people who help make your vacation enjoyable then you shouldn’t be going on a vacation in the first place and saving money… 

 

 

What one can or can not afford has zero bearing on the discussion. 

Personally, I am very fortunate, and can afford just about anything I desire to have. I do not book cheap rooms. I continue to book (albeit less) despite the rapidly increasing fares.  The thousands i spend for a week on the ship should be used to fund the payroll. I have done my part by simply purchasing a fare.

I do not, however, pay an arbitrary pre set amount of cash to any corporation when they make it optional.  I (and a rapidly growing number) tip AFTER service is rendered, and in an amount commensurate with the quality of services received.

14 minutes ago, Neosophy said:

The problem with tipping in cash is those tips dont get shared evenly, just the person who interacts with you directly.

That is the point EXACTLY, my intention is to provide a show of gratitude to ONLY the person I give it to. 
I couldn’t care less about the dishwasher or laundry personnel; again, those services are covered by my cruise fare. 

2 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

I’d add a third which is directly related to 1 and 2. It’s more money in the pocket of RC. 

Precisely 

I quit participating in the scam years ago, have never looked back, and never regretted my decision. 

20 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

but I can’t. 
if I want my time dining then it is MANDATORY that I pay my tips before I cruise. 
 

Not if you are booking in the USA

Do it, you will feel better

1 hour ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

 

 

If you consider the active members of this group, or any other online discussion, as a sampling of the typical passenger, it feels like my payment of grats has increased proportionally to cover all of the people who remove theirs.  

 

 

No, gratuities have increased for 2 reasons.

1. People keep paying them, so why not squeeze them a little more

2. The cruise-line is constantly increasing the pool of employees on salary assistance, ie. "other hotel services"

6 minutes ago, TwoMisfits said:

 

RCCL doesn't charge you $200/person/day to visit the buffet, nor do you tip on a $200/person per day concept.

 

You tip, what $6/day, to waitstaff in the mandatory tips (with the other $10-$12 to stateroom and then general staff)?  So, per meal, if you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you're leaving an equivalent $2/tip per person on the table for all the service you received at your meals.

 

That's about the tip you'd leave at a land-based Golden Corral for a meal, not a served sit down meal, so they've pretty much put tips at the lowest tipping rate restaurant type for US restaurants.

OK.......................

3 hours ago, TwoMisfits said:

 

Buffet service is absolutely a tipped position in the US.  All buffet restaurant meals should be tipped at US restaurants.

 

So, if you cruise in the US, the expectation is ALL meals are tipped meals - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If Golden Corral changed you $200 per person per day to visit the buffet; would you still consider it a tipping situation?

Comparing a land based buffet to the Windjammer just doesn't work, on so many levels.

9 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

LOL, I have found just the opposite, I've lost track of how many times they have not charged me for my drinks on the island.  Sometimes those written slips of paper get lost.

Oh, I agree completely. 
 

I think it’s 50/50 they even think about handwriting a ticket when you tell them it’s a voucher drink. Especially at Hideaway beach