Miznikki2u

July 14, HOS..So excited.

July 14, HOS..So excited.

Sorry to hear the cruise didn't live up to your expectations.  You did a great job of detailing your experiences.  Based on what you said we would probably have come back commenting we had one of our best trips.  I think it boils down to your individual tastes and expectations.  If you try again sometime I would offer a couple of ideas that work for us.  We spend the first day or so finding our bar.  By that I mean there is usually one that seems to have the right mix of crowd and bartender.  For us it is not the pool bar as that is almost guaranteed to give you the experience you had.  Secondly we usually do a cash tip of a few bucks up front to the bartender that we like.  It is amazing how quick they recognize you for the rest of the cruise.  I'm a planning nut so one of the things I like about the large ships are the amount of things I can pre-reserve.  Maybe you'd like one of the smaller ships as they tend to be open ended as far as scheduling is concerned.  Hope you give it another try someday

There was a single Headliner on my Harmony cruise in May.  He was a singer/impressionist who was definitely worth seeing.  The other shows (ice, aqua, and theater) are different, well executed, but with story lines that may be hard to follow (so don't try).  I heard mixed reactions from other guests because of the out-of-the-box thinking behind the plots.  Thee were many great performers, who often performed in other venues in between shows.  I recommend going to places like Central Park to catch the vocalists or guitarists who perform there.  Of all the shows, I preferred the Headliner and ice shows with Grease #3.  The high-wire work in the Aqua Theater was awesome, but no real plot.  If Will Barratt (from Grease) sings in Dazzles, you've got to see him.  PS.  When taking a seat in the Aqua Theater, be sure the bench has been cleaned -- smoke from the ship's engines can condense and stain your shorts or slacks.

There are always drinks of the day.  I can't remember how much for sure they are so I will let someone else answer that.  You can get the drink at any bar usually.  Jane

Okay, well I guess that answers that.  Thanks a bunch.

I believe the automatic gratuity is sufficient gratuity to begin with, so do not feel obligated that you have to tip beyond that automatically.
That being said, I tip extra depending on the situation.  If we were extra messy, or the attendant really seemed to go out of his/her way to keep things organized then I definitely tip extra.  
I know you're asking for a fair price, but it really depends on what you're comfortable with.  As I mentioned earlier, I see the auto gratuity RC charges as a good baseline, so I have tipped an extra $20 as a "thank you" for the excellent service.

Not so sure about that. That's a great idea for tipping folks in the states. The majority of the folks working on a cruise ship are not from the US and a phone card/visa gift card may not work for them in port or at home. I think they would prefer cash. 

We just got off of oasis of the seas and we had a royal genie . We had three couple and we tip 100 for stateroom attendant and royal attendant

Totally agree that it's not necessary, but we usually tip $20 at the beginning, which usually means we get very good service and occasionally, we will also tip at the end. We also have it in a wee 'thank you' card as well.
We will always have a few thank you cards with smaller tips inside on us for when we come across exceptional service, but we're unsure if we will see that crew member again on the cruise.
One thing we ALWAYS do is to write plenty of the comment cards for the staff. They not only get to receive and read them, but it can also help with pay increases and perks and that doesn't cost you a thing :)
Just my two cents worth
Shelley

Definitely contact the Department of State to get clear instructions on applying for passports.  As mentioned above, the local agents don't always understand all the rules, especially if they haven't seen your particular set of circumstances.  We dealt with this when my wife applied for a US passport last fall.

Story time.....my wife was recently naturalized after being a resident alien for 40+ years (she's Canadian and we live in Maine...it's kinda like Canada here anyway).  When she got her US citizenship, she received the naturalization certificate that proves US citizenship and was told to bring it when she applied for a passport.  When she went to fill out an application for passport at our town office, they said they couldn't accept it.  No one at the town office had processed an application with a naturalization certificate before, so they didn't understand it was valid.  This was no big deal for us since she has a Canadian passport and could have used that on our cruise.....but in your situation, a lack of knowledge on the part of a passport agent can really screw you.

Concurring with the other posters - did you by chance go to a post office or other secondary facility for the passport application?  It's probably a rare enough situation that folks outside of a state department federal office may not understand it fully.  I'd go back to where you applied and take the printout from the state department website that others have referenced.
 
I also agree with the others to get the passport.  It's always been something of a hot button topic on cruise forums, but I fall in the camp that having that passport in hand is the gold standard for travel, particularly if you have to leave the ship in a foreign port and have to fly back to the US.

That would be my biggest concern as well. If traveling with just a birth certificate there’s almost no way I’d get off at a port and enter a foreign country. You’d be tempting fate way too much. Just imagine you stub your toe and need medical attention in the Bahamas and couldn’t get back in time. 

They can cruise with the original copy of the Birth Certificate but not ONLY cruise with the birth certificate.  My kids travel only with passports.  I think you were given bad info about the passport.  Here is a screenshot from the US State Department website page for Passports for Kids.  Look at the 3rd bullet point. 

Have you checked with the passport office if the sole custody papers and father's attendance for passport papers requirements are still valid if the kid's birth certificates don't list their father? It seems to me that in this situation, as far as the law and paper trail goes, the kids don't have a father in the system, and so sole custody shouldn't be an issue. Sole custody papers are for when the kids had two parents listed, and the paper states clearly that only one and which one is the legal guardian.

Its not surprising the customer service personnel have to keep putting you on hold in this situation, its a convoluted set of issues and I doubt this comes up often for them, so she probably had to check. Don't be afraid to call them back if you're not 100% sure. Quote the Birth Cert FAQ back at them, then tell them you're listed on the certificate. You're paying for the trip, so its part of their job to make sure they can give you what you are paying for.

The responsibility falls onto the guest to ensure they have the proper documentation to sail, that's written into the cruise contract.   That is exactly what OP is wisely doing.
It may be worth while to pursue input from an attorney who is better versed in these matters.  Ironically without a father listed on the birth certificate how would the father prove he is actually their father when it's time to sign the passport application? 
Since you are listed alone on the birth certificate that may be enough to board the ship.  People do often cruise with just original raised seal birth certificates but I've also see terminal workers (who are not Royal employees but 3rd party contractors) interpret the requirements differently when it comes to minors.  You could be fine and breeze through check in or you could run into someone who errs too far on the side of caution.

Right, what I meant was just that she shouldn't be afraid to call again to ascertain or confirm information that she is unsure about. Alot of people I know don't want to, in their minds, inconvenience or cause trouble for companies, and end up not getting the information they need to proceed and get blindsided. RCL of course can't get you on the ship if you don't have the documentation, but they can tell you what they need you to prepare so you have a smooth check-in.

Sounds like you got the wrong info regarding the passport application - only the people listed on the birth certificate need to sign. See below - the first option applies to you.
Evidence of sole authority to apply for the minor must be submitted with the application in the form of a:
U.S. or foreign birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or adoption decree, listing only the applying parent Court order granting sole legal custody to the applying parent (unless child's travel is restricted by that order) Court order specifically permitting applying parent's travel with the child Judicial declaration of incompetence of the non-applying parent Death certificate of the non-applying parent

My daughter is a single parent and her child's birth certificate only has a mother listed. She had no problem getting passport for child. No letter from other parent was needed as per the US there is no other parent. Now, as the grandparent when I have taken my granddaughter on cruises without her mom, I needed her passport and notarized letter from her mom stated she was allowing me to take granddaughter. Also had a notarized letter allowing me to temporarily make medical decisions if needed with dates of application,

The spa is one of the few areas that I don't think it greatly benefits you all that much to prebook from purely a price point of view. Sometimes, single services are a bit cheaper online if you want to have it done on like embarkation day.

Like @ThyriC said many specials are for multiple treatments.  However, I've found that the spa people are usually happy to add treatments to your session.  I find the deepest discounts tend to be during times that people don't want (Embarkation day, very early or very late or right in the middle of a port day).  
As always if a treatment at a certain time is something you really want and you would be disappointed without it, then book now.  You can always go to the spa the first day and then change/cancel it onboard.  

I think it depends on what you're looking to do spa-wise.  If you're looking to do multiple treatments in a single visit, waiting until you're onboard is probably a better bet.  There is a CHANCE that if the spa doesnt get a lot of appointments on port days, you may see a port day discount on single services but if the spa is booked, you wont see the discount.  
On sea days there are rarely discounts except on the multiple treatment deals.  Some are good, some arent so good.
So it depends on your comfort level with waiting.  If you're looking to take care of paying your services in advance and not having to think about it later, book now.  However if you're willing to gamble a little, then waiting until you're onboard is OK.  The worst that could happen with waiting until you're onboard, is your preferred spa time is not available.  If you're looking to do your spa treatment on the last sea day or before formal night, its HIGHLY likely the spa will book fast.  But if you're flexible with the times and days for your spa treatment, then waiting can net you some savings sometimes.

They said to just tell them that you are together and they would seat us all together.  We'll see...

I called.  Was on hold for about 20 mins..but whatever.  They said that Sabor does not have a tables setup for 5.  So you have to make two reservations.  One for 3 then another for 2. 
Note-This was over two different reservation #'s.  Not sure if that matter or not, but FYI.

We were at Maho for about 45 minutes - 1 hour. We had enough time to sit at the beach bar and order a couple appetizers before moving on to the next stop!