livingonthebeach

I heard Jan 27 - that's today. Went to the CP for my Allure cruise next month and found no way to book reservations for my UDP. If anyone was able to reserve please post.

On the rare times I've seen the drink punch card, it has been towards the end of a cruise. Haven't seen it advertised in a while. As mentioned previously, the best bet is to ask for it.

It's great to hear positive experiences. I sailed Navigator on a 7-day last November and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. Did not go to the MDR - only specialty restaurants and they were all great! I especially liked the lobster at Hooked. I agree that the view from Izumi is to die for. I had never been to the Pacific side of Mexico, being from Florida I'm used to the other side, so it was a treat for me to visit Cabo, Mazatlan and Vallarta. Loved, loved, loved those 3 ports. The sunset sailing tour in Cabo was one of the best I've ever been on and the highlight of my cruise!

Tuxes are few and far between - so are kilts, but you do see them occasionally. I love to look at them but I figure if I’m not wearing a ballroom gown, I don’t expect my mate to wear a tux.

Comedy show was available for reservations on my 4 night Allure.

I don’t see the pay option on the App for my upcoming cruises or on the CP on the website - guess I’m lucky or maybe unlucky?

Loved following your experience, both on Harmony - a ship I’m very fond of, and the GoPro lessons were an added bonus! Nice to see such a lovely, well mannered and appreciative family - a rare breed these days!!!

At least the CAS points show up correctly. Some have said their points and status were wiped out in the past, this is a much better problem. Still not corrected though.

Oh my... I long for the good old days when complimentary sushi was bountiful. Alas, no Fing more!

Something to keep in mind is that not all specialty restaurants are open for lunch on embarkation day. I've always been able to walk in without a reservation using my UDP at whichever specialty venue was open for lunch on Day 1.

I thank you for your respect.

If you've read my previous posts, I've outlined exactly how I tip on my sailings. Going into detail on how I tip outside of cruising has no place on a cruising forum. Give it a rest.

I don’t compare a floating resort i.e., cruise ship, to a restaurant, either Mom & Pop or chain. I relate my experience to that of an AI. The restaurant analogy has been completely blown out of the water. To answer your last question, I don’t give one Iota how auto grats are distributed, hence why I tip cash directly.

You mean Amen sister! A happy and healthy to you too!!!

Is there a list of the 450+ different positions onboard? Is there a breakdown of how the $18 a day is divided amongst them? Does every single crew member who is "supposedly" due a pooled gratuity see a list of the passengers who removed the auto grats? The answers are no, no, and no. Until I see how and to whom auto grats are distributed, I will continue to tip those I interact with and provide me service, directly, and in cash.

They would either send you to the brig or make you walk the plank.

What those that I tip directly do with the tips I give them is none of my or anyone’s concern.

It is customary in the U.S. to give tips directly to the people that service you. It is not customary in the U.S. to give tips to a multi-billion foreign corporation for them to distribute as they see fit. Whether the corporation uses it to supplement a shortfall in crew pay or gives it to their CEO as a Christmas bonus, is none of my concern. My concern is getting my tip money directly to those who offered me good service and are deserving of it. The only truly American cruise line that I can think of (there may be more smaller ones), is American Cruise Line which is an American company and operates ships which are built and registered in the United States. Crew members and employees are Americans. The so called "gratuities" are not added on to the fare and distributed by the cruise line. American Cruise Line is bound by U.S. labor laws and they pay their crew decent wages. As an American, I will continue to tip the American way, and no, I am not stiffing, ripping off, nor depriving any crew member who serves me, my hard earned dollars as I tip them well without the aid of an added conglomerate.

It's either all or nothing I was told.

How on God's Green Earth would they know which employee (if any) was responsible for a passenger removing the auto grats?

I'm not a breakfast breakfast person but occasionally I'll go to the Diamond (now Crown Lounge) for specialty coffee and croissants. For lunch there are specialty restaurants open on sea days and on port days we like to sample the local cuisine. I haven't been in the MDR since the restart.

That 1.4% tax rate was before Covid. Those are not corporate taxes and after Covid they are using loopholes to avoid them altogether.

The way I see it is the Cruise Industry resembles more All Inclusive Resorts than just restaurants. Almost all AI resorts include gratuities in the rate (they don't charge you a daily extra for tips). People do tip over this amount, as I do, in the form of cash and it is very much appreciated by the staff that serve you. In the hotel industry, not every position receives tips like in some restaurants. I tend to follow the hospitality industry to base my decisions on tipping rather than restaurants. I do tip cruise line crew who serve me generously in cash as I see fit, rather than have the corporation decide how to distribute my discretionary funds.

I totally agree with you on this. The UPPERCASE writing is on the wall. Why else would they change the name? It is being done in a very slow process (to ease the pain and complaints) but eventually there will be no more Ds in the Crown Lounge.

I don't know what you mean by "here". They are a foreign corporation and as such are not required to pay U.S. corporate taxes. Maybe they pay a small amount of their operating revenue from U.S. sources but I think they found a loophole around this through section 882 of the tax code. They have cruise ships all over the world and revenue from many parts all over the globe which they owe no taxes on. That they give business to suppliers in the U.S., mainly Florida, Texas, California, New York, New Jersey and Maryland, I agree with.