Traveler

26 minutes ago, MikeK said:

   Lobster in the windjammer!  Wow you learn something new everyday.   I guess I assumed (yes I know what they say about assume) there would be no lobster.  Does this happen on the same night as lobster night in the MDR?  I guess it would be asking too much for two lobster nights.

Yes , when I found them in the WJ it was usually at the same night but it is always good to check everyday  , its good to do WJ recon everyday before going to the MDR 

Mind , not always you have them. 

17 minutes ago, twangster said:

150 CP is on the deck plans posted to their website.

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/RCI_Deck_Plans/Deployment_2018_2019/Symphony_Deck_Plans_Reference_Guide_2018_2019.pdf

Interesting , as even in the restaurants publication they are not showing it , but I hope as you wrote they are planning to have it , by the way , in the cruise planner you can not even book the new sea food restaurant 

By the way , is 150 central is out of Symphony , I can not see it in my cruise planner , only Jamie, Wonderland, solarium bistro and chops , Izumi/Hibachi ? 

19 minutes ago, Matt said:

even if sushi gets considered from Brazil

Well , to RCL defense I must say that some of the best sushi I had was in Sao Paulo ...   In Brazil (mainly Sao Paulo) you have the second largest Japanese population outside of Japan 

In Sao Paulo you can have as much as you can eat Sushi lunch  for 15 $  you just order from the menu whatever you want (including very good  sashimi ).

Regarding the "hard sell" usually it dose not bothers me (beside the one in the SPA) as I look on it the same as I look on free app I am using. 

Usually free app will come with some commercial which you can drop if you pay for the app. The same in cruise , if I want to cruise without the hard sell I will choose to cruise with real all inclusive cruise line which will cost me much more ... 

Same for TV channels  ... 

I know that because of the extra sell effort  RCL (and other) can offer cruise cheaper and now more people can enjoy it and more people can enjoy it multiple times and not has one time live event.   

All the gratitude issue is much more complicated than just what happens in RCL or even in all the cruise industry,

I think we all (as society) created a monster which is very hard to handle.

Before I am being attacked on being cheap and not want to give my money for people that work hard and not paid as much I will say that I give gratitude , many time very happy to give but many other times it is all because this is what I am being expected.

Don’t get me wrong, people should get money for good services they provide , but is it really should be to us to choose  ? How many people will not leave tips in a restaurant if they got a mediocre/bad service ? I guess not many as most likely you will get the shaming treatment  like the waiter saying something like “hey , did not you forgot something” or other action which will make you feel very unconfutable.

When I am saying we create a monster I am talking exactly about those thinks, sometime I am feeling in certain ports or even on the ship as if I am consider to be walking wallet.

On last excursions at Jamaica I was asked for tips from the one who escort us on the buss , the buss driver , the one who lead the trip with the horses , his assistance  , the one who brought us the box of  food  and even the one that stand near the place we changed our cloth. And it is not only there. Again , I would gladly give tips for good service and I understand they are not earning much , I just do not like to be under pressure  to give them.

You can even see in convenient stores tips jars and many other places.

Once I went with my coworkers  to a restaurant at Manhattan, at the end of the meal when we asked for the check  (so we can pay including adding extra tip as  we got good service) the waiter came to me before he gave me the check  and told me that he do not know if I know but in NYC it is common to leave at least 20% as tip , I guess he heard us talking in foreign language and wanted to secure his tips , what a wonderful ending for that meal.

Regarding all the people that give service over the ship, I am asking where it should end?  are we expecting to give tips to the cleaner in our local mall  ? , what about the people that sweep the street? , people that fix the electric lines in the middle of a storm ?  And many other examples.

Hey , if I am fixing a customer crises should I get a tip? ,  I worked very hard on it , did not sleeps for 48 hours and eat cold pizza instead of a normal meals.  What about if I give a very good training to people, should they tip me?

You can say, you probably get a good compensation  for what you are doing therefore you are not in the category of getting a tip , ok , maybe you are right but what about let say , nurses at hospital that gave me a good service or the once which are moving the sick people from place to place , they are both not getting much  , should we tip them ?  What about teachers  which to my opinion are not paid enough for what they are doing and what they need to handle (especially if they need to handle students as I used to be), maybe each semester the kids will get envelope to leave for their teachers (a good time for that will be before final tests J )

As Matt said, we do not have a better system for now, but I think we must have.

I agree that services should be paid out of the regular cruise fees and as suggested here extra tip for good service above what the job requirements   can be added as cache to the people or even better with the application from the sea pass.

Sorry for the long replay, but this subject really making me very unconfutable and annoyed

12 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

OK, so big moment here. We finally got all of our passports and, thanks to that, we were able to complete online check in! And you know what that means...

Our Set Sail Pass is ready to print!!!

Looking at it, I see it lists all four of us on the first page, with me as the primary pass holder, and then only lists the room number for the cabin my wife and I are in. At the end, there are sample luggage tags showing both room numbers, the passengers in those rooms, and our muster station (B, as it turns out).

So, do I only have to print one copy of this document and it's good for all four of us? Or should I be printing four copies so each of us has one and can use it for things like any beverage purchases or the like while we're on board and waiting for our rooms / Sea Pass cards to become available?

I was always thinking there would be one Set Sail Pass for each of us, with our name / cabin # / etc; and then each of us would show our individual pass and passport in order to board. Would be happy to find out I'm wrong.

You need to bring the sail pass for each one that sell , if you will look on the print ticket option from the site you will see you have option to print for each one (or at least for you and yous souse), 

So although they look the same they are different (you name will be the primary and different name on each ticket) , that what I had last time anyway 

2 hours ago, AlaskaJane said:

One more question from a first time cruiser regarding Harmony of the Seas.

Does the ship's comedy club offer any shows that would be appropriate for teens?  Show reservations for our May 2018 cruise just became available, but the RCCL website will not allow us to include our teenage children on the reservations.  

Thanks for your input.

Jane

As far as I know in the comedy  club shows that you can book ahead of time you do not  have  kids friendly shows  but many times there is one or two family comedy show with a stand up comedian usually it will be  in the main theater hall but it will not appear in cruise planner 

3 hours ago, JLMoran said:

You're kidding me, right?!? The worst casino in AC still gives 2:1 odds on a $5 table. 

Yap , even in the Borgata during the weekend  you can find 10 $ crap tables with 3X4X5 odds 

29 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

at most to play craps and maybe a little dollar slots, solely for the reason that I really like playing craps and the slots can be entertaining for a little while;

Regarding the craps , RC odds in the craps table is 1:1 which is very bad , only if you play 25$ and above you getting better odds ...

That is what happens when the casino know you can not go betting anywhere else for the next 7 days ...

39 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

I'm very new to this Casino stuff on Royal. How much needs to be spent or gambled or do they base it on hours playing? It's very confusing to me. We like to gamble and plan on doing so, but really not sure about how this works. Thank you in advance.

Lets start from the simple things , slots , 

For slots you are getting 1 point every 5 $ you play (it is accumulate so if you are playing 1 $ after 5 plays you will get a point).

Once you accumulate 1000+  points you can get some certifications to use for cruise booking  up to 4900 $ for 7 nights balcony cabin free cruise (you still need to pay taxes )   /

For tables play , well here no one can really understand how it works but it seems that you need to play few hours with average bet of 50 $ in a black jack table.

For 3 card poker it will be less but your odds are against you .

In the table games it is very important that the pit boss will see you gamble the required  average if you are not playing on a table which has the required minimum .

In general it is always good to ask the questions and present yourself to the shift manager .

If they think you played enough in the first day they might give you the VIP status which allow you to get free drinks in the Casino bar and a waver of the 5% they are collecting if you are getting money from the casino cage.

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

I was not saying that I felt that they SHOULDNT make that wage. I was providing concrete numbers as given out by Celebrity cruises as to what they make based on what your daily grats are. It seems there is so much confusion and questions around this topic.

Of course there are other factors and variables that we don't know...however, I think its safe to say that they do ok. Yes there is sacrifice and time away from family etc, but lets be honest..they are making about as much or more as what we make in North America..which has a much higher cost of living, taxes(at least in Canada) and keep in mind that many of us have attended college and University and spent $10's of thousands of dollars on education..and aren't making much more than the room attendants.

 

I don't care what they make....I think its just important for ppl to be informed and know both sides of any story. I hear so much about the "poor" people that work on the cruise ship and how if we don't tip them we are terrible people cause we can afford the trip to start with on travel boards that it drives me crazy. They chose the career, they know the benefits/pay and the downside to it(if you consider any part of the job to have a downside).

 

Some numbers to compare from India , mind this is what expats are paying , local will pay much much less 

Driver - 170 $ (private driver which is available almost 24/7 if needed)

House helper (cleaning, take care of kids ) 5-9  hours per day 60- 120$

Cook  6 days a week 2-3 hours every day - 70$ (lets say she works in two places than 140$)

IT testers our from college - 400- 500$ 

So you can understand why people from some country consider it to be a good option to save some money and even build themselves for better future for them and for their families. 

6 hours ago, mickjacket said:

We like to tip our Stewart extra. How do you guys like to do it? A few bucks everyday or a lump sum at the end?

Usually , I will give some cache at day 7 so I can give the extra tip base on the service I got.

I know that some people recommended to give it in the beginning of the cruise to assure good service but I do not think you need to bribe someone for good service , it is something which expected from him/her and part of the job.  I even heard some cabin attended are offended if you give a tip in the beginning 

On 1/9/2018 at 8:10 PM, tiny260 said:

I read on some Royal cruise blog somewhere that they did offer lobster in the WJ, the person even had a picture to go with the blog, and they stated that it was all you could eat, serve yourself...

Here some picture to prove the Lobsters in WJ (Although I am not the one who post it in blog).

And yes it was eat as you can , so we took two every time (they were small) and once finished we went for some more until  we were full and anymore would bring us from the point of enjoy them to the point we wish we did not eat so much :-) 

On 1/9/2018 at 7:13 PM, MikeK said:

  We have done the windjammer dinner meal a few times and agree it is good with a wide variety.  But there is one thing the windjammer doesnt have......Lobster night!

Oh, but sometime they have :-) ,

Last year on Harmony of the seas  (from Barcelona) they had lobsters tails cooked in two different ways spicy and non spicy , they were awesome ,

On another cruise (western or eastern Caribbean)  we had the same  , its always hidden in the last stations ... 

What we are doing now is to check if there are lobsters in the MDR , if yes we will do recon in the WJ to check if they also have them , if not we will go to the MDR 

I learn very fast to ignore most of the reviews in CC.

For some reason many people over there  tend to give detailed review only if its a bad review as a way to "revenge" about mostly some very small things.

Yes, there are many things to improve in RC but if I would go by the reviews of Voyager of the seas for example I would avoid taken one of the best cruise we had in south  Asia.

Per many of the reviews the ship is a wreck which must be fully refurbished and its a wonder how it still floating. the reality was very very far.

Well , only if you have luck :-) .

All this program build on the calculation that you will loose more than the cost of the "free cruise".

In other words , if you ask if it is make sense to play for getting the free cruise , no its not , if you play because its fun and you like it its a different story.

And now for some math , you get 1 points for each 5 $ you are playing .

To get free balcony room you need to get 4900 points which mean you need to play 4900*5 = 24500$ ...  

Now lets say the house edge on the machines is 8% (very low I think its much higher) but it means your estimate theoretical  lost will be  1960 $ , 1225 $ if its 5% and 2450 if its 10%

You are getting a certification that you can or choose to take a cruise or it worse 1000$ for other cruises , so as you can see it makes more sense to pay for the cruise ...

For sure you can have a luck and win a big jackpot , but since you are cruising for 7 days , chances are not in your favor.

The calculation even worth if you are not getting to the top rewards.

5 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

Well doesn't this stink! I"m not as up on some of the others here, but I would guess they will compensate you for the 2 days and only due 7 now. they need to keep on the schedule. I could be wrong though. I would wait till today at 12:30 though. I'm sailing on her in May so I know how this is a disappointment to you. It happens though.

I think  you are right , 

The will make it 7 days cruise, give some OTC 

I am using Airborne vitamins  when I start to feel cold.

I know many people will say its not really helping  but for me I guess it works by  shorten the cold period and prevent it from effecting my lungs (most of the times).

1 hour ago, twangster said:

True story:

• When you end an otherwise okay 1st date because she makes a negative comment about cruising in general

Next will be when you find out she is ok with cruising but think Carnival is the best ? or she is only gold in Royal  ?

1 hour ago, Myisland said:

Not sure if this helps anyone.....I read on another site (CC) that if you take advantage of a "price drop" with an RCCL cruise it is counted as a new booking.  I booked my May cruise on Oasis more than a year ago,  but took advantage of a price drop last week.  I wasn't sure if I cashed in my loyalty points with MyVegas if they would actually give me on board credit (my current price for the Oasis cruise is Central Park Balcony with Diamond discount and comes with $75 on board credit).  Well decided I'd give it a try.  Cashed in the points on Saturday, received an email from MyVegas, forwarded it to clubroyal@RCCL.com with info requested, immediately received an acknowledgement that it had been received and on Sunday got an email that said "Congratulations we have added $100 on board credit to your cruise."  I checked  My Planner and there it was .  Always nice to have that little extra to spend.  

I wonder if its also working if you use a certificate to book your cruise via club royal 

You tell your Doctor you can not take the blood test this week as you just came from a cruise  (real  story).

You tell yourself you are going to start a diet after the next cruise,

26 minutes ago, Sweety said:

When you've memorized your C&A number

Wow , I guess I am really a beginner , I remember my  FF number on airlines, hotels and car rentals but not yet the C&A .

• You try to teach your local bartender to mix labadoozie.
• You are little sad when you kids celebrate is 12 years birthday,
• You compare every expense to Alcohol package/cruise fair/shore excursions prices – “Oh this is a nice couch, but we can book 7 night cruise in a GS with the same price” .
• Your coworkers are tired to hear stories why cruise is the best vacation.
• You always have one window open on the Royal Caribbean blog site.
• You are checking every week if a relocation to Florida is available.
• You cannot sleep on the night before embarkation.
• You are one of the first people to arrive to the port, sometimes before the porters.
• You are trying to buy swimsuit in the middle of the winter.
• You know exactly what you are going to do with your yearly bonus.
• In the gym you listen to a podcast of someone a very fast talker instead of music like everyone else.
• You are not interested in Gold or Platinum jewelries only Diamonds    
• When you return from a few days out of office someone always ask you, again a cruise?
• You know periscope is not something you find only in a submarine 
• You develop resilience for bad designed cruise company web sites
• When you a see a washroom the words Washi Washi and a certain animation song comes to your head (and stays for long time) ..
• When you consider to adopt a pet you first think who can take care of it for at least a 7 night periods.
• You still believes in fairies (well at least in the upgrade ones)

So say yourself, My name is ……  and I am Loyal to Royal

The way I calculate it is very simple (to me anyway).

If a in the price different of suite and a regular cabin   we can take another planned cruise I will go for the regular cabin ...  if its less I might consider it.