RW20

Reading this thread is making me consider FTTF for my cruise. I am in a suite so I get some perks, but if I have to wait in line at customer service for 50 people I think I would rather be on the recieving end of someones stink eye. Also I have a 1pm flight booked out of Orlando so the priority debark would be nicer than the self-debark espcially with two very active boys. I booked priority seats once on a charter airline to LAs Vegas. When I was leaving I got in the priority line and people starting asking why we were so special... so I told them we paid for elite seats and service to stand in the short line and sit in the seats with lots of extra leg room. The best part is I am only 5'5" and this was a guy that was at least 6'3".

Looks like they are starting to trickle in. At 267 days and 12 excursions so far. Still no FTTF

Here in Ontario the schools start the day after labour day. Also the two weeks before labour day are the biggest vacation times.

The reason we are looking at it is to ensure the room is ready for the 2 year olds' nap. Otherwise we wouldn't bother.

I heard the shore excursions come available for sale at 275 days... Well there are 4 listed right now and no FTTF fun.

Do the excursions come out all at once or do they just trickle out? Also does anyone know when we can book FTTF. I am not going to get it because we are in a OS but my sister is in an balcony and she wants it because she will have a 2 year old with her.

I have a cruise booked on Sunshine and really enjoyed your review. Thanks!

This was my favourite thread until it was hijacked and became all about coffee!!! And I HATE COFFEE. I don't discriminate either I hate all coffee and anything remotely coffee flavoured. Now getting back to what the thread is about lets hear some good stories.

When waiting to get on board my first cruise I was talking with my husband about what we should expect our cost of the on board account to be. Then I mentioned about the daily gratuity fee. We both thought it seemed like a lot of money per person per day.

Later that evening when we were having dinner we realized how ignorant we were and actually started a conversation about how much more we would pay in tips on land to get the same high quality service. Now we are booked for our next cruise and I have family coming who started to complain about the daily gratuity fee.... they got an earful on how much work the staff do to earn every penny and more.

I never pack for my husband because I have to pack for me and the kids... but I do laugh at him when he forgets things, like his swim shorts :)

This thread is awesome! I have been reading thesestoriesout to my husband

Right now the ships may still have the traditional dining but RCI is planning on replacing it with Dynamic Dining which is essentially MTD. The system confusion may have occured because they have delayed the roll out. See this post here http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6136

I have done it before while sailing and we had an aft. The waiter said it was much better on the aft because there wasn't the wind to deal with

Allure and Oasis are moving to MTD only. Not sure of when this starts but we were bookedbefore they announced and then switched to another cruise line. Personally I like the set dining.

I am booked in a suite on Sunshine. Are there any benefits to having FTTF too? Does the suite also get us priority debarkation? We have a 1pm flight out of MCO and the ship docks at 8am. I am also travelling with family in a balcony who plan to get the FTTF.

I have a cruise booked on Sunshine for January 2016. When will the shore excursions be open to book? Right now when I try I just get the spinning circle.

I have a group of 14 who will be getting off the Carnival Sunshine on a Sunday with a 1pm flight out of MCO.

I am looking to book a shuttle for us and just wanted to get some feedback on which ones you would recommend... and which ones you wouldn't.

We are looking at the 1pm flight after getting off the Carnival Sunshine on a Sunday morning. What are the best options for getting to the airport? Rental car or shuttle? There are four of us travelling and the kids will be 7 and 10. I am just concerned about how quick I can get a rental car after disembarking. And also getting to my flight.

When will Allure be converted?

On Princess you don't have to pay for your excursions up front (they are paid at end of the cruise). RCI wants their money up front

I have booked a room with this configuration but I am not sailing for over a year away. I have two boys who will be 10 & 7 so I was thinking giving them their own bed would be great. Can't wait to hear how it is and also if you have pictures with the sofa pulled out and the pullman down I would love to see them

I have a hyphonated last name and the second part is two with a space. In total 21 characters. My travel agent put the second last name in as my last so it matches the rest of my family and my first last name as my middle name for my next cruise. Previously they have typed until they ran out of room.

I believe the friends are British, which customarily means they tip little or nothing (it's built into the price).

 

Note that I'm not saying they shouldn't tip on the cruise. I'm just pointing out that where they are from, tipping is done differently.

Even though they are British if they are well travelled they should know. Since I and my family are all British (I live in Canada now) I am very familiar with the way tips are handled in Britan. I also recognize that in Britan you also pay much steeper bills for what you buy because you don't tip like you do in Canada/US. All the same when I have family visit they are familiar with the tipping customs here and adjust. Good travellers respect the customs of where they are travelling. It would be like them assuming they can come to North America and still drive on the left side of the road.

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I remember when I was going on my first cruise two years ago and thought that the amount we were tipping per day in the auto grats was high. I left them on and paid them. By the third day on the cruise experiencing the incredible service I was receiving from many of the staff on Princess I realized the auto grats were very reasonable and almost thought I should be tipping more.

Tell your friends to think about how much money they tip when going out for meals. Then also think about the quality of service they receive, I am sure they will realize the people are earning their tips.

However that being said if I had an experience where I receive poor service I do tip accordingly. Tips are to be earned and well deserved for the effort being put forth!

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I book through the travel company associated with my TD credit card for all the extra travel $$$ and they offer various other OBC and other perks.

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I know some people who not only fly in the day before incase there is an airline delay but also fly back the day after scheduled arrival because they had one experience where they returned to port late (galveston) due to fog.

Has this ever happened to you in Fort Lauderdale and if so which month were you cruising?

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