Independence of the seas

[mercedes125]

We are going on the Independence in April and I have a few questions

 

1 Will there be a kettle in the room

 

2 Can you opt out of paying gratuities and pay your own

 

3 How many nights out of 11 will it be formal nights

 

Thankyou

[Cruise_Kitten]

We are going on the Independence in April and I have a few questions

 

1 Will there be a kettle in the room Yes but it takes forever, you can order room service to be delivered to your room at a time you want in the mornig rather then boiling the kettle. The do supply tea bags now in the cabin. If you are around the ship Sorrentos has a hot water boiler and you can make your own tea or coffee, they have all the things you need down there.

 

2 Can you opt out of paying gratuities and pay your own Have never done this but yes you can. I find it easier to pre pay my tips then tip extra for exceptional service.

 

3 How many nights out of 11 will it be formal nights there is defiantly 2 but I believe there are 3

 

CK x

[mercedes125]

Thankyou for your very quick reply,

 

How much is it for room service

 

When do you actually find out what the formal nights are

 

Thankyou again

[cb at sea]

There is no charge for room service, but a tip of $1-5 is nice, depending on how much they have to carry. The exception is "late night" service...there is a $3.95 charge, and that IS the tip.

 

The 1st formal night is always night 2. The 2nd one should be the next to last evening.

[davenew]

We are going on the Independence in April and I have a few questions

 

1 Will there be a kettle in the room Yes but it takes forever, you can order room service to be delivered to your room at a time you want in the mornig rather then boiling the kettle. The do supply tea bags now in the cabin. If you are around the ship Sorrentos has a hot water boiler and you can make your own tea or coffee, they have all the things you need down there.

 

2 Can you opt out of paying gratuities and pay your own Have never done this but yes you can. I find it easier to pre pay my tips then tip extra for exceptional service.

 

3 How many nights out of 11 will it be formal nights there is defiantly 2 but I believe there are 3

 

CK x

 

Are you sure that there is a kettle in the room?

The Liberty (same class) didnt have one, neither did the Oasis and Allure. They were confiscating kettles from people that had them in their luggage. Just wondering as we are on in August :)

[saw777]

Are you sure that there is a kettle in the room?

The Liberty (same class) didnt have one, neither did the Oasis and Allure. They were confiscating kettles from people that had them in their luggage. Just wondering as we are on in August :)

 

Hya,

Any RCCL or Celebrity ship sailing from the UK (ie Independence or Celebrity Eclipse have kettles in each room). Cause we Brits love our tea / coffee :D.

[guineapig]

If thats the case, do we supply our own sundries-tea, coffee, sugar, milk BISCUITS?

[Occi]

If thats the case, do we supply our own sundries-tea, coffee, sugar, milk BISCUITS?

 

Hi,

We returned from Independence on Tuesday this week. Your room steward keeps you supplied daily with Tea bags (Tetley), Coffee both types, UHT milk pots, sachets of sugar and sweetners. Unfortunately no biscuits but cookies and cakes are available from various places.

 

Mark

[guineapig]

Brill, thank you.

That is one thing I really missed on Splendor of the Seas, no kettle to make a brew when you got in from the days outing.

I know you can call room service for free-but being English/British we don't tend to call on it (don't want to bother someone else -maybe)

[Occi]

Yes we didn't like to use room service for something like a cup of tea, I should mention there are only paper cups in the room so my wife used plastic ones from Sorrento cafe until we reached a port where she could buy a 'proper cup' as she put it.

[Flowercruise]

Hi, we're going on the IOS in March and I've managed to get myself in a bit of a fix about the gratuaties.

 

I think we may have been misadvised by our travel agent so perhaps somebody here can help.

 

There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 children. When we booked they told us it probably wasn't worth us paying up front because with the kids it was unlikely we would use the main dinning area every evening so we should just pay tips for the evenings we used it. They also said that we could count the 3 kids as one adult so multiply the tips by 3 rather thand 5.

 

I can't find anything online, here or elsewhere, that puts this as a suggestion and so I'd like to know what everybody else does.

 

thx

[Occi]

Hi, we're going on the IOS in March and I've managed to get myself in a bit of a fix about the gratuaties.

 

I think we may have been misadvised by our travel agent so perhaps somebody here can help.

 

There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 children. When we booked they told us it probably wasn't worth us paying up front because with the kids it was unlikely we would use the main dinning area every evening so we should just pay tips for the evenings we used it. They also said that we could count the 3 kids as one adult so multiply the tips by 3 rather thand 5.

 

I can't find anything online, here or elsewhere, that puts this as a suggestion and so I'd like to know what everybody else does.

 

thx

 

Tips are an emotive subject so this is purely our view.

 

Firstly we don't prepay the Independence sails from UK (£) and goes to European destinations (€) so we pay in cash the crew can use immediately rather than wait for Royal Caribbean to share it out.

 

Room Stewards: We pay the recommended amount plus a little extra for everyone in the rooms (2 adults, 2 children) they are great and deserve every penny.

 

Waiter and Asst Waiter: Usually we go to MDR most nights. We pay recommended amount for each adult and child multiplied by the number of nights we visit in addition if the service is exceptional we give a bit more. The children are often more work than the adults and waiting staff are great with them.

 

Head Waiter: We have given them tips before but on our last cruise he messed me about so got no tip.

[dln929]

Hi, we're going on the IOS in March and I've managed to get myself in a bit of a fix about the gratuaties.

 

I think we may have been misadvised by our travel agent so perhaps somebody here can help.

 

There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 children. When we booked they told us it probably wasn't worth us paying up front because with the kids it was unlikely we would use the main dinning area every evening so we should just pay tips for the evenings we used it. They also said that we could count the 3 kids as one adult so multiply the tips by 3 rather thand 5.

 

I can't find anything online, here or elsewhere, that puts this as a suggestion and so I'd like to know what everybody else does.

 

thx

 

This is copied directly from Royal Caribbean's website regarding gratuities. If you're looking for something on the RCI website and can't find it, simply use the search box on http://www.royalcaribbean.com or http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/onboard/onboard-gratuities/ As mentioned, tipping is an extremely volatile subject around here due in no part because of cultural differences. (If you want to start a fight on Cruise Critic all you need do is mention the "T" word!) I know the British and the Australians don't tip the way we do but my rule of thumb is "when in Rome do as the Romans do." The IOTS approaches gratuities in the American fashion and as such you are expected to tip according to the published guidelines. I know it says "suggested" not "required" but the overwhelming majority of us DO tip to the guidelines and we figure it into our budget. Your travel agent was misinformed. Your children do count, each and every one of them. Their beds still need to be made up every day and their plates cleaned after every meal.

 

Gratuities

Q: What are the gratuity guidelines for cruises?

 

Our suggested gratuity guidelines take in account our crew members that work hard to provide and maintain the highest level of service while sailing the high seas. Whether working behind the scenes or serving your evening meal, our staff and crew make sure you enjoy every moment spent onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

 

The daily amounts below have been calculated with this in mind. For new bookings that set sail on or after July 1, 2011, the suggested gratuities are:

 

Waiter: $3.75 USD a day per guest

Assistant Waiter: $2.15 USD a day per guest

Head Waiter: $.75 USD a day per guest

Stateroom Attendant/Other Housekeeping Services: $5.00 USD a day per guest

 

 

Gratuities are voluntary and at the discretion of each guest. These guidelines serve as suggestions to help guest express their gratitude for the outstanding service they experience on their Royal Caribbean cruise vacation.

 

Note: These gratuities apply to guests of all ages. Gratuities for other service personnel are at your discretion. A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to any purchases in the bar, dining room, spa services and salon services.

 

Notice to guests: Gratuities may be shared with other crew members depending on the particular service requirement.

 

Envelopes for gratuities will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Gratuities may be paid in the following ways: Pre-paid by having them added to your reservation by your booking agent. Added to your onboard SeaPass account. Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

[Missus Makkem]

Are you sure that there is a kettle in the room?

The Liberty (same class) didnt have one, neither did the Oasis and Allure. They were confiscating kettles from people that had them in their luggage. Just wondering as we are on in August :)

 

As already stated by others the Indie does indeed have kettles in the room and they rre part of an integral tray, a bit like in hotel bedrooms so not an independent one as at home but they work fine.

[Flowercruise]

This is copied directly from Royal Caribbean's website regarding gratuities. If you're looking for something on the RCI website and can't find it, simply use the search box on www.royalcaribbean.com or http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/onboard/onboard-gratuities/ As mentioned, tipping is an extremely volatile subject around here due in no part because of cultural differences. (If you want to start a fight on Cruise Critic all you need do is mention the "T" word!) I know the British and the Australians don't tip the way we do but my rule of thumb is "when in Rome do as the Romans do." The IOTS approaches gratuities in the American fashion and as such you are expected to tip according to the published guidelines. I know it says "suggested" not "required" but the overwhelming majority of us DO tip to the guidelines and we figure it into our budget. Your travel agent was misinformed. Your children do count, each and every one of them. Their beds still need to be made up every day and their plates cleaned after every meal.

 

 

Thankyou, yes I was able to read the RCI website and was aware of the costs and have spent longer than I care to mention reading on the subject although I hadn't realised it created such tension.

 

This was more about the fact that I felt the Travel Agents have given us misleading information (having looked around the web) and as this is our first cruise we want to ensure we get everything right. BTW the travel agent that told us this had been on the ship a number of times. The original poster asked the question so it suggests that it's an area us first time cruising non-Romans are a little unfamiliar with.

 

Anyway, I think what we may do now is pay them upfront then add in additional at the end for anything we feel is exceptional.

[ellyg1824]

We were on the iOS in october and opted out of the tips so it was at our discretion !!! We didn't bother tipping the head waiter but instead tipped a normal waiter who had been very helpful on numerous occasions when my dad struggled to walk etc. The cabin steward was rewarded very well as he was fantastic.. Nothing too much trouble !!

 

Also I'd suggest getting water from the windjammer for your brews as the fridge water is as expensive as alcohol (don't get me on the alcohol pricing subject!!!)

 

Hope you have a great time !!!!

[uksimonusa]

We were on the iOS in october and opted out of the tips so it was at our discretion !!! We didn't bother tipping the head waiter but instead tipped a normal waiter who had been very helpful on numerous occasions when my dad struggled to walk etc. The cabin steward was rewarded very well as he was fantastic.. Nothing too much trouble !!

 

Also I'd suggest getting water from the windjammer for your brews as the fridge water is as expensive as alcohol (don't get me on the alcohol pricing subject!!!)

 

Hope you have a great time !!!!

 

The water in the cabin tap is as good as many bottled water and the same as the windjammer, save yourself a trip