Kirsten

I'm sailing on Adventure in 56 days. If the worst that happens is a stray shrimp tail, moldy display food, and staff who don't seem phased by that, I'm OK.

I respect that people may have the "worst cruise" ever, but what thing or things made it so.

I find it disheartening that people are able to find these sites to complain about their cruise but they can’t find them before they cruise to research and find information that would help them enjoy their cruise. 

In defense of those who don't always use a TA and go directly through RC...I have never had an issue with customer service and fixing issues. I've either received a refund or got a good resolution to my problem. 
I've found the online prices can be good with certain discounts and promos and sometimes the agent on the phone doesn't align with what you found. 
I would fight with the credit card company if they did not honor the promotion but like someone else said, always read the fine print on these things. 
But if you're canceling everything then I guess good luck to you. 

Yes, anyone who is staying in a suite has access to the suite amenities. The only way the children would receive your pinnacle status though would be if they were listed in relation to you, but CK and all of that stuff will be available to them. 

Per the companies that find employees for the lines like Indeed  or Zip Recruiter... Pay offered is 50,000 Philipine Pesos a month.  50,000 PHP per month works out to be roughly $900 a month for near 100 hour weeks (5000 hours per year, not 2000. ) or maybe $2.25 an hour.  Not sure where the $16 per hour stuff came from and no $32k is not near the norm. Maybe for an officer or director but general staff? Not even close. 
 

Congrats!  We are heading to Bermuda on Saturday and the 4 of us tested negative this morning, so I totally get it!

Congrats!  We are heading to Bermuda on Saturday and the 4 of us tested negative this morning, so I totally get it!

Congrats!  We are heading to Bermuda on Saturday and the 4 of us tested negative this morning, so I totally get it!

Congrats!  We are heading to Bermuda on Saturday and the 4 of us tested negative this morning, so I totally get it!

Yay! Enjoy! 😊

Congrats!  We are heading to Bermuda on Saturday and the 4 of us tested negative this morning, so I totally get it!

Congrats!  We are heading to Bermuda on Saturday and the 4 of us tested negative this morning, so I totally get it!

I’d like to think this is the last time we have to jump through this particular hoop to board a ship, but we’re cruising to Canada in October. 
 
….but for now….We’re all negative for our Sunday cruise!!
 
(I figure people here will get it. No one at my work seems to understand why I’m so happy)

I think it's a lovely idea (not being condescending, I promise) but people need money, that's why they work. Blessings don't pay the bills. 

Really not trying to "pile on" here, but in looking at your profile, you mention that your Allure OTS cruise in January 2023 will be your first cruise, so I think it's partially a factor of not having seen what these crew members do for you and who they are perhaps?  @Ampurp85 was not exaggerating when she said they maybe have one day off per week and work 12-16 hours a day. This is not like a hotel stay where a different maid will service your room each day. The same stateroom attendant will clean and make up your room morning and evening every single day with rare exception (I have seen my assigned stateroom attendant every single day on all 3 of my cruises this year.) They will call you by name: "Mr. Joe" every time they see you from the first day and ask how "Mrs Sue" is if she is not with you. The same MDR staff will wait on you every night and remember your drink order if you have traditional dining. They will ask you if you got off the ship and how your excursion was - many of them have not been off the ship in AGES. They have not seen their families since their contract began and many send all of their paychecks directly home. If the 32000/year figure is accurate, it most certainly is not $16/hour. Additionally, (and someone more experienced feel free to correct me if I am wrong) they do not work the whole year - when they finish a contract and go home, they have no pay until their next contract begins.
I hope you and your wife have a wonderful cruise. I am going on Allure in a few weeks myself and am really looking forward to not having to think about a thing except which drink I want and which restaurant to go to once I get on board. 

I could not disagree with you any more than I currently do. This is not a great wage for the work they provide. I feel like you're going out of your way to justify why you don't need to tip because you tip with your time. You do what you need to do with your $$ but 32k is not a livable wage for the hours they put in. 

Considering that many of the crew actually work a 12-16 workday with maybe 1 day off a week, the $32,000 figure is crap. If that $32k figure is based on a 29-week contract at roughly 2500hrs, based on a 14hr workday for 6 days a week. Their average pay is $12.80, factor in a 17% tax rate and the rate becomes $10.62. Minimum wage varies, yes, but so does cost of living. 
I also want to point out that you say you "save" people. A Vegas server compared to cruise crew members is dragon fruit to bananas. They both might be fruit but that is where the similarities stop. It is nice to offer a lending ear, prayer and support but those don't pay the bills, not everyone has vices they need to be cleansed of. I also wonder if the cost of 24/7 phone support is more than what the daily gratuity would be? 

Not going to comment on the link because everyone knows everything you read on the Internet is 100% true 😉
However i will comment on the fact the person i know who is bar staff on cruiseship received $1000 per month for their 1st contract. 
I cannot say if this has inceased each time they renewed contract as i have never asked as its none of my business. But to get to the figures mentioned thats a $3000 a year increase or roughly 30% per contract 

I can't add much to this discussion except for this: Most of us tip according to a percentage of our bill.  For example, most of us will tip 15% to 20% of our restaurant bill.  However, RC changes a set price per day.  So, it makes sense for them to increase the gratuities ever couple of years.  The fact that they only do it once every 3 to 4 years even if the cruise prices have increase during that time means the staff is shorted before the next increase.   It also makes sense for RC to have a fix rate since how much we each pay varies widely across the board. A percentage would not make sense. 
Yes, I prepaid the gratuities because I don't want the bill at the end of the cruise and because I know that I won't be able to find the people behind the scenes to thank them with a tip. 
Yes, even with prepaying the gratuities, I still tip more to brighten up someone day. Especially since I can  afford to. I don't know if this will chance once I am a fixed income but it feels good to do it today.

Are you basing this on a 40 hour work week? Cruise ship employees work more than 8 hours a day and more than 5 days a week.
The most recent glimpse I have seen was a pay of a little under $1400 a month for a 29 week contract.  That $32K figure may be an average when you count officer level staff who do make more.

I think there's two primary issues with gratuities.
First, is the nature of the fact gratuities are obligatory and many (including myself) wish it was just rolled into the cruise fare since they aren't really optional. I'd be the first to sign up for that.
Second is the fact the rate is going up. It's the first rate change in 4 years. I think that's quite a lot of time between rate changes. Given the rate of inflation and standard of living over last 4 years, it's not an overreach, especially given how hard the crew work.

Praying for someone or blessing them doesn't pay the bills.

Praying for someone or blessing them doesn't pay the bills.

They really need to change it so if you answer "yes" to anything it takes you to a confirmation screen saying "hey this can disqualify you from sailing, are you sure this is accurate?"

Especially now that the ticky tack questions are gone.