Mike_

Thar she blows!

My wife and I have been wanting and waiting to go on Freedom for many years, but the heavens never quite aligned for us.  Last week we were in San Juan leaving on an NCL cruise and as I took our traditional "first drink" photo, what photobombs me?  Freedom!  I have been chasing that elusive whale for many a voyage, and finally I have come in contact with her.  I checked your "Events" page and saw that you had an upcoming cruise aboard her, so threw my harpoon and I am booking.  
See you soon!
Mike_

Thar she blows!

My wife and I have been wanting and waiting to go on Freedom for many years, but the heavens never quite aligned for us.  Last week we were in San Juan leaving on an NCL cruise and as I took our traditional "first drink" photo, what photobombs me?  Freedom!  I have been chasing that elusive whale for many a voyage, and finally I have come in contact with her.  I checked your "Events" page and saw that you had an upcoming cruise aboard her, so threw my harpoon and I am booking.  
See you soon!
Mike_

Thar she blows!

My wife and I have been wanting and waiting to go on Freedom for many years, but the heavens never quite aligned for us.  Last week we were in San Juan leaving on an NCL cruise and as I took our traditional "first drink" photo, what photobombs me?  Freedom!  I have been chasing that elusive whale for many a voyage, and finally I have come in contact with her.  I checked your "Events" page and saw that you had an upcoming cruise aboard her, so threw my harpoon and I am booking.  
See you soon!
Mike_

Thar she blows!

My wife and I have been wanting and waiting to go on Freedom for many years, but the heavens never quite aligned for us.  Last week we were in San Juan leaving on an NCL cruise and as I took our traditional "first drink" photo, what photobombs me?  Freedom!  I have been chasing that elusive whale for many a voyage, and finally I have come in contact with her.  I checked your "Events" page and saw that you had an upcoming cruise aboard her, so threw my harpoon and I am booking.  
See you soon!
Mike_

Thar she blows!

My wife and I have been wanting and waiting to go on Freedom for many years, but the heavens never quite aligned for us.  Last week we were in San Juan leaving on an NCL cruise and as I took our traditional "first drink" photo, what photobombs me?  Freedom!  I have been chasing that elusive whale for many a voyage, and finally I have come in contact with her.  I checked your "Events" page and saw that you had an upcoming cruise aboard her, so threw my harpoon and I am booking.  
See you soon!
Mike_

I concur on the quality of rccl bedding on Jewel. They were as good as any Marriott I've been in, and slept like a baby. (Slept for two hours, woke up crying with wet pants ;) jk)

This is interesting.  Just what types of "goodies" do you put in this bag?

I leave the auto gratuities in place, because I think Royal has a better idea of how tips are distributed and who they should go to then I do. There is some percentage of how it's distributed that I saw on their tv channel. It's split with your steward and dining staff I think... and one other.
 
I also tip my steward in cash, and my wait staff additionally on the last day/night of the cruise, not of these people provide extremely personal service to me, and it feels right to me.
 
My first steward also told me he only gets paid for the rooms that are full... so if he has 12 rooms assigned, and only 10 are filled, then he's losing money. They work awlful hours too; my stewards always look like they never sleep a straight 8 hours. And my assistant waiter for dinner, was handing out juice at breakfast!
 
P.S. I heard they pool their tips anyway, so even if you hand a direct cash tip, it goes into the pool. If they don't hand money to the pool they can be terminated for hiding money. That was on a Podcast interview... so not sure if that's the same on all cruise lines, but if it is, you're not gaining anything by removing the tips if you are just going to hand out the same exact money anyway. e.g. $12.95 x 2 x 7 days or however long your cruise is. I think... :)

I leave the auto gratuities in place, because I think Royal has a better idea of how tips are distributed and who they should go to then I do. There is some percentage of how it's distributed that I saw on their tv channel. It's split with your steward and dining staff I think... and one other.
 
I also tip my steward in cash, and my wait staff additionally on the last day/night of the cruise, not of these people provide extremely personal service to me, and it feels right to me.
 
My first steward also told me he only gets paid for the rooms that are full... so if he has 12 rooms assigned, and only 10 are filled, then he's losing money. They work awlful hours too; my stewards always look like they never sleep a straight 8 hours. And my assistant waiter for dinner, was handing out juice at breakfast!
 
P.S. I heard they pool their tips anyway, so even if you hand a direct cash tip, it goes into the pool. If they don't hand money to the pool they can be terminated for hiding money. That was on a Podcast interview... so not sure if that's the same on all cruise lines, but if it is, you're not gaining anything by removing the tips if you are just going to hand out the same exact money anyway. e.g. $12.95 x 2 x 7 days or however long your cruise is. I think... :)

Prepaid gratuities are the only way to go.  If  it comes down to "nickel and dime"ing  every one of the service personnel, maybe you really can't afford to travel on a cruise.   Pay the prepaid..and you will have one less thing to be concerned with.  It's taken care of and everyone will be happy.  

I don't have any problem washing my hands or using sanitizer. I wash my hand in the bathroom, I use the hand towel to open doors, I sanitize into a dining area, leaving a dining area, and sometimes when moving into a new location. It does not feel like an inconvenience to me at all, it's about keeping the ship and it's passengers as healthy as possible.
 
If you think about it, in the buffet everyone is handling the same serving utensils. Wait staff are picking up glasses, cleaning dishes, bringing you drinks. It's general health and welfare. We all get shots and inoculations to ensure a healthier populace, same goes for washing hands.
 
But the song gets stuck in my head!!!!!!!

How is 10 more than 15? I'm trying to figure out how you've determined RCI has had the most outbreaks.
 
Given how much more strict HAL is, I'm surprised that they have the same number of outbreaks as Royal. For example, HAL doesn't allow guests to serve themselves in the buffets for the first 48 hours of a sailing until they're sure Noro hasn't been brought into the ship by boarding guests.

Note that the gloves are to protect me from cross contamination from the shared serving utensils after having washed and sanitizing my hands.

Oh my god, this song is sooooo stuck in my head still!
 

I don't have any problem washing my hands or using sanitizer. I wash my hand in the bathroom, I use the hand towel to open doors, I sanitize into a dining area, leaving a dining area, and sometimes when moving into a new location. It does not feel like an inconvenience to me at all, it's about keeping the ship and it's passengers as healthy as possible.
 
If you think about it, in the buffet everyone is handling the same serving utensils. Wait staff are picking up glasses, cleaning dishes, bringing you drinks. It's general health and welfare. We all get shots and inoculations to ensure a healthier populace, same goes for washing hands.
 
But the song gets stuck in my head!!!!!!!

I don't have any problem washing my hands or using sanitizer. I wash my hand in the bathroom, I use the hand towel to open doors, I sanitize into a dining area, leaving a dining area, and sometimes when moving into a new location. It does not feel like an inconvenience to me at all, it's about keeping the ship and it's passengers as healthy as possible.
 
If you think about it, in the buffet everyone is handling the same serving utensils. Wait staff are picking up glasses, cleaning dishes, bringing you drinks. It's general health and welfare. We all get shots and inoculations to ensure a healthier populace, same goes for washing hands.
 
But the song gets stuck in my head!!!!!!!

I will be periscoping on Harmony of the Seas May 22nd Maiden voyage, a little nervous about doing it but I will show you everything !

This stems from guests not washing their hands, either out of ignorance or laziness.  Outbreaks of norovirus are directly tied to guests not taking precautions to prevent the spread of such easily communicable viruses.
 
This isn't about someone telling you how to vacation, as much as it is mitigating the spread of these nasty bugs.  It's a small price to pay to ensure a healthy cruise.

Oh my god, this song is sooooo stuck in my head still!
 

Oh my god, this song is sooooo stuck in my head still!
 

Oh my god, this song is sooooo stuck in my head still!
 

Oh my god, this song is sooooo stuck in my head still!
 

..and, any day on a cruise is a day not at work.  ;)  I'd take a cruise just about anywhere, from anywhere, anytime.  I like them that much. :)

..and, any day on a cruise is a day not at work.  ;)  I'd take a cruise just about anywhere, from anywhere, anytime.  I like them that much. :)

While you may not favor a winter cruise from NYC, your first sentence nailed it.  The market for cruising is there in the winter and having done a Quantum of the Seas sailing out of NYC in March (where it snowed the day before the cruise), I can tell you it's not a bad experience.
 
Yes, it will be too cold to hang out on deck but Quantum class ships have two indoor pools (Solarium for adults, regular indoor pool for all ages) and plenty going on indoors. In addition, by the end of day 2 it starts warming up usually.
 
I guess the way I look at is everyone cruises differently and the value of not having to fly is a big deal for me.