Mike.s

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

Having the same issue on both Royal and Celebrity apps, changed the password on Royal, for the same one I had previously, on Celebrity I get a HicUp message saying we can't change your password right now. How can a company this big be this bad when it comes to IT.
They should be ashamed and embarrassed.

We just completed an 8-day cruise on the Odyssey and we had 4 sea days.  As you can imagine, the chair hogs were out in full force but Odyssey’s staff were ready.  Each pool area had at least two attendants that worked all day long…They were tagging all unoccupied chairs and removing the items if the person didn’t return in time.  They were using little yellow stickies to mark the time they placed the tag, the number of chairs and they placed the tag on the chair in a location the person would not notice.  The staff got lots of thanks and I only witness one upset lady…She came back three hours later and was upset her stuff was removed.  Way to go Royal!!!

Other cruise lines go to Tonga and Fiji including Celebrity.
Royal tends to stick to Mystery Island, Noumea and sometimes Vila. The itineraries are less diverse than they used to be because some islands never reopened for cruising after Covid, and also some places limit the ship size. Maybe having Voyager/Adventure will provide opportunities for new ports.
Cruises also tend to be shorter now than they used to be with less opportunity to travel further afield. I think it is the cruise ship equivalent to chocolate bar manufacturers who make the chocolate bar slightly smaller each year but still charge the same price.
Also the ships are travelling slower so a port stop that used to take 2 days now takes 3 so the total number of port stops is less.
 

I believe that is the plan.

We just got off Odyssey and men were almost anything.  Even on formal night, I saw one dude with t-shirt, gym shorts and flip flops.  However, most guys wore polo shirts or dress shirts.
I sort of wish they enforced long pants on guys on formal/dress-to-impress nights.

Yes, definitely pickleball. Too much pickleball IMO

Just listened to the latest webcast from Celebrity, in the Q&A session Laura Hodges Bethge was asked about updating the ships that missed their upgrades due to the pandemic. She confirmed they are looking at updating the Solstice class ships but was non committal re the Millennium class ships, stating they were nearer the end of their life. Sad as we love the smaller ships, we're hoping they don't follow Royal by building ever larger ships.

Sadly the whole 2025 Europe deployment is very disappointing, feels like Royal is only interested in short sailings to CocoCay

Sadly the whole 2025 Europe deployment is very disappointing, feels like Royal is only interested in short sailings to CocoCay

Frankly, Royal is getting exhausting.  There should be no debate that the fine service people deserve great compensation.  But gees, every time I turn around Royal is holding a masterclass in separating me from my money.  Firstly, the Royal beverage packages are the most expensive at sea - so your 18% is higher dollar amount.
Second, in one year Royal changed cabin service from twice a day to once a day, I did not mind but RCL and / or cabin attendants benefitted.  Right on the heels of that gratuities go from $14.50 to to $16.00 and we all scramble to pre-pay our existing bookings quickly.  Now one year later the $16.00 to $18.00 and I need to start looking at my cruise receipts and call my TA again.  Then at the end comes the “Tip Tip Hooray” envelope suggesting you should do your share.  We always throw extra cash along the way but if you want to feel nickel and dimed this is the place.  Oh and if you want one of the new ships, well you know that pricing.
i’ve never been on Virgin Voyages but on their web you see one price (that is reasonable) that includes gratuities, WiFi, and sodas, juices, and water it is obvious they are stepping into a marketing hole Royal and others created. 

Might be worth getting the earliest boarding time, completing your muster drill and then getting off the ship to see the city. That way you get rid of your bags and have the day to explore.

We used Celebrity's recently in Tampa, it was a large old bus but it did the job. When we booked it they stated it wasn't for flights before a certain time. It was reasonably priced and got us there in plenty of time.

Might be worth getting the earliest boarding time, completing your muster drill and then getting off the ship to see the city. That way you get rid of your bags and have the day to explore.

Just had 9 days on Constellation, have to say the service was excellent. First night MTD was a mess but other than that all was good. Lots of waiters around serving drinks, didn't wait too long when at a bar. We loved it and have to say with Royal's move to shorter sailings on larger ships we'll be spending more time on Celebrity ships.

Just had 9 days on Constellation, have to say the service was excellent. First night MTD was a mess but other than that all was good. Lots of waiters around serving drinks, didn't wait too long when at a bar. We loved it and have to say with Royal's move to shorter sailings on larger ships we'll be spending more time on Celebrity ships.

Just had 9 days on Constellation, have to say the service was excellent. First night MTD was a mess but other than that all was good. Lots of waiters around serving drinks, didn't wait too long when at a bar. We loved it and have to say with Royal's move to shorter sailings on larger ships we'll be spending more time on Celebrity ships.

Just had 9 days on Constellation, have to say the service was excellent. First night MTD was a mess but other than that all was good. Lots of waiters around serving drinks, didn't wait too long when at a bar. We loved it and have to say with Royal's move to shorter sailings on larger ships we'll be spending more time on Celebrity ships.

Just had 9 days on Constellation, have to say the service was excellent. First night MTD was a mess but other than that all was good. Lots of waiters around serving drinks, didn't wait too long when at a bar. We loved it and have to say with Royal's move to shorter sailings on larger ships we'll be spending more time on Celebrity ships.

I definitely have a trend.  I do bad at the beginning of the cruise and even worse towards the end !  😔

I think you mentioned you're from the UK, sadly we can't reprice our cruises, unless we book them through a US travel agent 😞
 

https://www.crew-center.com/royal-caribbean-build-new-cruise-terminal-barcelona
Coincidence??? I think not

An email from C&A, that would be a first for many of us 😉

In the end they should just include it as part of the fare like other lines do. 

Adam Ruins Everything taught me that our(ie American) tipping custom actually dates back to gangsters and the like sliding extra money (aka bribery) to their servers for better service (and you know...to ignore the crimes happening probably). Then, when big bad bosses caught wind of this they figured..oh well why should I pay you when the customer is paying you?, so then they cut back on employees wages.
Only that practice stayed even though most of us aren't gangsters, because cutting employee wages nicely lines the pockets of corporate. And corporate always cares about corporate first.
So,  tipping wasn't/isn't about - do good and you'll get some undisclosed amount of money. If anything it was, "here's some extra money, keep serving me better than you do the others and I'll give you more of what you're already seeing"
So tipping up front and then adding more later...very classic way.
 
Also, modern tipping, in my view, should be a sign of appreciation for someone going above and beyond the expected services. So like when my stateroom attendant made towel animals every night, or made sure to keep our suite stocked with large coffee cups, or when they chased down to find our missing luggage. Things outside of their normal duties that they do because they want to make my experience better than average.
 
Anyway - here's the video. I think this is a clip from a longer show but i skimmed and it should talk about it and cite sources.