RoLoHa
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Posts posted by RoLoHa
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I always tip the generally accepted 15% in a restaurant unless the server is rude or otherwise personally responsible for a less than par experience. Generally I tip 20% or more. I tend to write reviews and share my opinions and if the service is good I mention the staff by name who made it special. I do the same when completing my survey or writing a cruise review.
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I know this is personal choice but I just wondered what rule of thumb others use for tipping above standard gratuities for room attendants and dining staff when the service is excellent? Especially on shorter 4-5 day cruises..
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There is an HDMI port on the TV. We did not personally try it but heard from another cruiser that they brought a cable and used it to connect their device so their child could watch cartoons.
Our cabin had USB plugs on the underside of the two bedside lamps which was very cool for charging phone while using it as an alarm clock....they were not marked and almost invisible, lol.
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I think hotel restaurants are easily overlooked.
Will report back re: shorts. However, I can say that I watched some YouTube videos to prep for my cruise and the person I was watching was always very very casual.
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Thanks...it was very casual when we cruised last year...just making sure nothing changed. ;-)
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Looks like a good dinner choice in Tampa. I live nearby and have never been. We will be boarding when you return, for the non-Havana itinerary. This will be our first time using My Time dining. Since the Empress is generally very casual I am wondering if men can wear nice shorts at dinner?
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We are headed on our third Empress cruise, 5/25. Our first first out of Tampa. We loved it last year and from your pics, everything is more or less just how we left it!
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My last two cruise we had deluxe drink pkg but we noticed that the drinks are not strong like they were in the past. I would wait until pina colada complete then ask for Capt Morgan on top. I think they do try to keep us in line
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I took my granddaughters on Divina they were 9 and 12 at the time. They had a great time even with the bad weather we encountered. My only complaint was about a couple of craft activities scheduled which did no allow kids participation. Both my girls are crafty and would have enjoyed the activity especially since pool and slides all closed. No exceptions could be made....
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We just signed up for Chops lunch on Day 1 of on our May cruise on Empress. Perfect way to get started.
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Not on a Royal cruise, but, last year I had booked a shorter cruise on another line and after making final payment found out it was a charter featuring Def Leppard. I was never a huge fan and was a bit apprehensive. My husband didn't really want to go and I ended up taking my daughter and two granddaughters. The weather was not great so the cruise was not optimal, but I must say it was really fun travelling with a completely different crowd. Most of them were up late and slept in, making the early breakfast lines shorter...and they were a friendly and well-behaved bunch!
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Marie We have all heard the risk but haven't seen many stories about anyone contracting this while cruising. Thank you for sharing your story. I am happy to hear you are now recovered. :-)
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Just cruised Navigator in December. Never a problem with one of us going to bar for both of us with both cards in hand, including alcohol or specialty coffees.
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Thanks for the entertaining review. Can you tell me if they still allow cigar smoking in The Connessioeur Club? Thanks!
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Yes -- Deck 5 before Star Lounge. We stopped in there with friends and got to chat with the comedian performing that evening...Angelo.
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Hmmm...far be it from me to disagree, I just want to have a better understanding of this...sounds like you are saying this is RCI's SOP. I have a B2B next year and after the first leg, we will technically have earned Emerald status...are you suggesting we shouldn't expect to have Emerald status for the second leg? Even if the welcome amenity is crappy, I still want it (having earned it), dangnabbit :D
Your status change will not be in the system and not automatically recognized but the Loyalty Ambassador on first leg can and should assist in having your sea pass and rewards updated for second leg if you ask.
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I had the fortune to be just behind you walking on to the promenade and to have taken one photo of you too as I passed when you stopped at the pub. Not too many could pull off that suit, but you certainly did!
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Rick,
A very low priority request, but can you report on the comfort of the bed in your suite? (Maybe you should wait until tomorrow morning when the LIIT's have worn off!!)
The bed is one of the hardest I have ever felt. Not uncomfortable but super firm.
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I am on the cruise with you, so I will follow along to see if I am missing anything!
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This was our first "real" cruise as a family (my wife and I took a short two-nighter earlier this year as a test run for her motion sickness)...so I really don't have anything of this scale to compare it against.
Overall, we had a good time on Navigator. I would rate it as "good", not "great"...but maybe I had unreal expectations going in (based on what I had read about cruising and various message boards).
The ship itself is really nice. I was "wowed" at its sheer size. Everything was clean and well-maintained. There is a lot to see and do (pools, bars, restaraunts, etc.) In just four nights, we didn't have time to experience it all (not even close). The shows were enjoyable (the comedians weren't great, and if I had it to do over I probably would skip their shows). The ice show is pretty cool, especially given the small size of the rink they are on. We found the live bands/singers they had in the various bars to be pretty good too.
We thought the food was good, though we heard some more "experienced" cruisers complaining about its quality. The only specialty restaraunt we ate at was Sabor, and it was worth every penny. The food was outstanding (though it was a little disappointing that the "tableside" guacamole really wasn't prepared tableside as I wanted to watch them make it). We wanted to try Chops, but waited too long to make reservations and it filled up. The Windjammer (buffet) had decent food but was very crowded and hard to find seats (I think that is typical though of buffets on ships).
We had a balcony room and our teenage sons were in a Promenade view room right across the hall. Both were nice (the shower is VERY small...but that may be the norm). The balcony was fun, but I didn't have nearly enough time to just sit out there and enjoy it.
Where things went a little wrong for me was in the level of service. I really thought you would be taken care of on a cruise and that wasn't the case for the most part. Our cabin attendant was brand new (his first day was our first day on the cruise). We never saw him...in fact, I couldn't even pick him out of a lineup if asked. Compared to our little trial cruise earlier this year, where our cabin attendant was personable, knew our names and just generally made us feel welcomed and wanted on the ship...I didn't feel that on Navigator. With that said, our room was kept clean.
I had also made a request to have the bed separated in my son's room and that was never done (fortunately the bed is pretty big so they didn't complain). The remote in their room was also broken which I asked to be replaced. This was also never done. It isn't that we wanted to watch TV, but I did want to be able to navigate their TV system to view my account (which was very tough to do with a broken remote).
Our first night's experience in the main dining room was also not good. Our waitstaff was extremely slow and was really bad about making sure we had water (we weren't guzzling our water either...they just rarely came by to refill it). Fortunately, I did request another table on the second night and was put with Apurv (fifth floor Saphire dining room - My Time Dining). He and his partner, Alona, were OUTSTANDING. If you do My Time Dining, definitely request him (we were at Table 655 on the fifth floor, so that is the area he serves). His service really turned our impression of the main dining room (and the cruise for that matter) around.
Also, my son has some serious food allergies. I spoke with RCL before boarding and they said to talk with Guest Services and the waitstaff for our dining room. I did this the first day on the ship and it never got communicated to anybody. When we found this out, we tried again to get this noted on our account. After getting a bit of a run around (talk to this person...no, no go talk to this person...rinse/repeat) we finally found somebody who made a note of it on our account. From that point on, when we made a reservation using that room number it was noted. Once the head waiter and Apurv found out about his allergies they were very compassionate and made sure he was taken care of.
Also, getting drinks/sodas at the bars was a pain. Many of the bartenders were overwhelmed and the service was slow. Other times, the bartenders were not overwhelmed but just seemed apathetic to providing any level of service (especially the Pool Bar and Sky Bar). This ship doesn't have the Coke Freestyle machines, so if you want soda you have to get it from a bar or the Promenade Cafe. The best service for bars I found was in the Casino and at the Schooner Bar. There was an Asian lady at the Casino Bar (I wish I had her name) that was really good. The servers at the Promenade Cafe also worked their tails off. That place seemed to always have a line and they worked hard to serve people quickly.
Disembarking was painful. There were seven ships in port (including us) the morning we arrived and it was really slow. I don't know if the slow down was Royal Caribbean's fault or not (they kept saying it was the Port Authority that was slowing things up). It would have been nice for them to communicate what was going on a little better. Also, the announcements for when to line up for your specific luggage number were sporadic and not broadcast throughout the ship which contributed to some confusion for passengers.
There weren't any HUGE negatives, it was just a combination of several smaller negatives early on that left me with a bad impression for the first half of the cruise. I think if we would have had a few more nights, my early negative impressions of the cruise would have been overwhelmed by the positives I experienced towards the end (We were just "learning" how to "navigate" the Navigator (where to get drinks, etc.) and then our cruise was over). Also, some of our issues were specific to us (i.e. my son's allergies). Given all of that, I would kill for it to be this time last week and be back on that ship rather than sitting here at work :) .
Hope you guys have a great trip!
(Sorry this was so long, but I hope you find it helpful.)
Actually
Sounds like a pretty fair review. They made mistakes, you dealt with them with a patient attitude and didn't let it ruin your trip.
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We have not filled out anything in advance, just as we exit, whether short or long term.
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Empress of the Seas - Questions and Confusion
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
Just cruised on Empress again and this time in an OV instead of JS cabin and was disappointed to learn that this USB is a suite perk[emoji845]and not on the similar wall lamps in the OV.
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