livingonthebeach

Celebrity has better live band dance music - I.e. East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Waltz, Foxtrot, Rumba etc etc. This said, the Oasis class ships have more dance venues than other RCI ships. Salsa, Bachata, Bolero are offered in Boleros and the Dance Halls offer hustle and swing. I remember there was more line dancing on Freedom than anything else. At times there are disco dance parties where you can dance hustle.

Try the Black Friday sale coming up -- maybe you'll have better luck then.

Just went to my cruise planner and there's a SALE!!! Not everything or every sailing though......but some items are priced up to 50% off. It's worth a look if you have upcoming cruises on the horizon.

The current 30% off sale ends in approx 14 hours -- does that mean that the Labor Day sale will start soon thereafter? Any cruise planner deals in the pike?

Did you book directly or through dayuse.com? It's a very nice hotel with a great Las Olas location and a fantastic Sunday brunch with live music.

Yes just log in and purchase through the cruise planner.

Watch the live streaming on https://www.nasa.gov/content/live-coverage-of-nasas-artemis-i-mission-to-the-moon

I believe this is her last RCI review - it was on FOTS:

From RCI's website: Q What is the formal dress code and what should I wear? Think of our formal dress code as a night out in your best black-tie look — suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns are all acceptable options. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ship’s discretion. Our Chef’s Table dining experience also enforces a formal dress code policy. Formal nights: 3/4/5 Night Cruises - Usually on Day 2 6 Night Cruises - Usually on Day 2 and 5 7 Night Cruises - Usually on Day 2 and 6 8 - 10 Night Cruises - 2 Formal Nights, Days vary by ship and sailing 11 - 14 Night Cruises - 3 Formal Nights, Days vary by ship and sailing 15+ Night Cruises - 3 or 4 Formal Nights, Days and number vary by ship and sailing Oasis and Allure - Day 2 and 5 on Western itineraries and Day 2 and 6 on Eastern itineraries P.S, From past experience, the dress code is not enforced.

I don't think so. What I wrote was that the beer bucket contains 5 beers. Never said it was part of the drink package. The drink package only allows for one drink at a time. You can use your Diamond, Diamond + and Pinn vouchers as you like.

Correct - for the drink package but you can visit different bars at different times. CK is more flexible. The beer bucket has 5 I believe. I'm more of a wine drinker so beer drinkers, feel free to chime in if I'm mistaken.

Not sure if they still have this cooler but many have purchased this cooler with their buckets of beer and bring it onboard every time to fill with ice and keep their beers cold. I have one from way back if anyone is interested 😉

You can buy a bucket of beer and save a few $ as opposed to buying them individually. If you get the drink package you can get all you want at anytime. If you're in a suite on Oasis class you can have all you want from 11am to 11pm in CK.

This article written in 2010 indicates tips were only suggested and not automatic at that time: https://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/12/09/royal.caribbean.tipping/index.html It's true some crew members receive low pay and work very long hours with almost no days off. But because the cruise ships and parent companies are registered outside of the US and not bound by the US labor law, they can get away with it. These crew members whose salaries are way below US standards, are also lured by the promise of large tips. It's also true that the salaries they get are also way above what they would have earned in their home country. Essentially, the cruise lines pass on to their customers their moral responsibility to pay their workers decent wages through automatic gratuities.

Do you think anyone here knows? We do know for a fact that before auto grats were introduced, RCI was paying their crew a guaranteed sum, exclusive of grats.

I've had embarkation lunch there after the restart and there was hardly anyone there. I'm sure there will be no problem if you arrived earlier.

What is wrong with paying the back end workers a decent salary? I don't feel I need to tip for services that are already included in my fare. Do I tip the CEO and CFO of RCI as well?

This makes the most sense. How could RCI possibly know the amount of cash one puts in an envelope? From my experience, the crew I receive services from are more than happy to receive cash directly. It makes me feel good knowing that that the crew members are getting 100% of the cash I give them. I'm not sold on the percentages RCI purports to give to them.

They cater to their clientele and when sailing out of the US they do what Americans prefer for obvious reasons but they are not treated as a US based company - ask the IRS. When sailing out of Japan on Celebrity (a RCG) company, they expected gratuities even though it is considered rude to tip in Japan. So much when in Rome….

While RCG’s headquarters are in Miami, they are not a US company. They are incorporated in Liberia and most of the ships fly the flags of the Bahamas.

Yes, we know. You are cruising vicariously through us. Enjoy the ride!

Everything from luggage tags, check-in and muster can be done at the pier if one doesn't have a computer or smart phone. The only thing is, it will delay the boarding process somewhat but it can be done.

I was there after the restart. Did the sip and paint and the walking tour. Both were good and reasonably priced. I'll be there again in November and plan to do the adult sand bar -- also reasonably priced. Happy sailing!