Morecruisesplz

The ministroni soup and a 1/2 order of pasta in Giovanni’s is a meal for us! Delicious. (And ask for shrimp in your pasta.)

Exactly!

*I have seen staff force folks with anything above a carry on each into an elevator vs escalators at some ports. Fyi.

Quantity is not important, imho. Lower quality of the ingredients (beef, chicken, vegetables, etc) + preparation so far ahead of serving seems to cause issues. To me, serving lukewarm/coldish food makes it so unappealing. What do think?

I missed the part about it starting in 2024. For a Christmas cruise I booked 2 specialty to use our D+ bogos. I signed the zero receipt and tipped on night one then took it to the check in desk and asked why the check wasn't for one person. She explained the difference and seemingly easily and happily refund the charges and used our bogo.

Just like all tricks and secrets reported here on CC.

Longer on the ship.

So much drama and involving upper mgmt for so little money.

Personally, I think you'll be back. You can not resist.

Not stairs, escalators. But if you have large and/or many suitcases staff will direct you to the elevators. But to answer properly, we must debate! Unless you are traveling with no more than 1 carry-on each + a backpack, do not attempt self debarkation. Set those wardrobe sized suitcases outside your door at bedtime and find them at the bottom of the escalator, please!

The bleeding hearts will believe those who are crying to them in an attempt to extract some $s. They see these folks who want to chat about how miserable the crews existence must be as a wallet. I'm all for the OP handing out money. I just don't think she should involve us. (Or praise Royal on the other hand.)

This is the 1st time you have mentioned boycotting the cruise industry. Now we're getting somewhere! You have finally stated your true intentions, after getting everyone so excited. But do you remember saying this? "I absolutely love Royal Caribbean. It is my favorite cruise line and company. We are Diamond Plus members. We’ve made incredible memories and have had the best of vacations with Royal Caribbean." (Never mentioned you planned to boycott.)

My reply was not in response to you, but since you brought it up, the OP thinks Royal is a wonderful company as is. She isn't asking them to share any profits with the crew. Plus you need to check your facts! No one is being paid $50 to $100 per month. Ubsurd!

Deaf ears or accept? Can you do both? But you and OP are like minded, although you have suggested tipping these poor people more in exchange for some recognition as you pass by Starbucks and/or the Windjammer. At least you are willing to pay for a smile. Not sure who the OP wants to pay for their wifi or uniforms. Obviously not Royal because she praises them!

And the fact that you paid a fare to board the ship is understood by all but one.

Are you a mental health expert? What percentage of the crew fall into your mental health concern group? The OP is talking about a few staff with whom she talked. I see happy, smiling, friendly staff all day long on cruises! Lighten up and enjoy your cruise. Leave saving the world to superman.

You said that so much clearer and nicer than my attempt. Next time I will just wait for your post, doc. Thank you!

Who do you think would pay for those free uniforms, free wifi and shorter working hours for staff? Yep... us! Royal (the company you praise in other posts) has proven that they expect customers to foot the bill for even part of employee wages. You are a dreamer! Everone should have everything and someone else should provide it in your world. Pull your big girl panties on and flash some cash around the staff. Uniforms are $25, so start there. Bring a stack of $100 bills to distribute and stop whinning. Just don't ask us to do the same please.

She said 40 above and a world traveler.

Well, I can tell you MSC has almost exactly the old Royal menus in MDR and it was all tasty and plentiful. On Virgin, all specialty dining is included and the galley is a huge food court with table service or grab and go. Have you tried either of those?

Are we still talking about Royal? Do you read the posts regarding dire food quality in the MDR, service declines, etc? You seem to be kissing up to Royal with one side of your mouth while complaining about something that you could easily fix. Maybe you are spending too much of your cruise time distracting staff from doing their jobs with conversations to notice what is going on around you.

Limited is not enough to describe actual entree to entree comparisons. If you compare today's MDR prime rib to pre-covid, its night and day. One night a dinner choice was chili. I used to love Royals root vegetables but now you get 6 little pieces! The turkey was sliced thin like in a deli and was so dry that the 2 teaspoons of gravy was lost. Cranberry sauce was served in a 1" diameter tiny dish similar to those used in a doll house setting. Terrible... not limited.

When the group rate is such a savings, how much obc would you expect? Pay a TA the same rate as booking direct and you might get lots of obc. (But less than the group rate discount.)

So tell Royal!

Even 7 days are feeling too short any more. We did a 5 day then a 4 day over Christmas. Packing and unpacking takes up too much time.