Trish D

I agree 100%. This is how I operate on my cruises, and nothing wrong with that at all.

...AAAAAAALL of this.  Kudos to those that tip big....I just dont. But its because I dont ask a lot. I try to make service peoples jobs as EASY as possible. Me and my fam are very low maintenance and feel wrong for asking things of others. I figure God gave me two arms, two legs, and half a brain, so I can do most things myself...I prepay gratuities and will tip above that if service goes above and beyond.   

Personally, I think $50 for the Stateroom Attendant was very generous.  I wouldn't get discouraged just because there are some wealthy people who throw money around.  The myth that prepaid gratuities don't get to the Attendant is, well, just a myth.  For a normal non-suite room, the daily tips (per person) are broken out so that the dining room staff earn about $9 and the Stateroom Attendant about $5.50 daily.  

I agree with @SpeedNoodles , leave that FB group. No one needs that nonsense. I find that this site is all I need for all things Royal Caribbean.
You're already paying a good bit amount of money for your vacation and whatever you want to pay above and beyond the standard gratuities is fine. There's no need to practically put yourself into debt just to tip people.
Quite frankly, There's no way to verify that the people saying they've paid $50-$100 PP/PD (YIKES!) is true!
 
 

$50 is very generous.  Whoever said that the daily grats don’t get the room attendants doesn’t know what he** they’re talking about.  They most certainly do.  Ignore that forum. Someone is just trying to make themselves look like big spenders.  That kind are usually making up for some personal shortcoming.

Ok, first, if you're reading a forum where people are shaming other people, leave that forum.  That's unnecessary.  We don't do that here. There's no reason for you to feel badly about a cruise like that. 
$50 is plenty because it truly is on top of what is expected.  If you WANT to leave more, that's fine - if you want to leave less, there's nothing wrong with that either.  I've left less, I've left more, depending on my particular room steward.  

Don't let it bother you.  Everyone tips their own way.  Tipping is included so anything you give is above and beyond.
Imagine how I feel/felt when I tipped my Genie $200 for a 9 night cruise with my family of 4 and then come back to see people saying they tip $50-$100/night/person to their Genie......I'm not going to tip $1800-$3600

Short answer...NO
Long answer... points are only awarded to individuals who spend time on the ship, if they end up being solo, based on cabin type mentioned above..they will be awarded 2 points per nite and those registered for a certain cabin can be moved provided that one person that was on the original registration remain in that room.

I agree ... with that price for Star Class ... the cabana is essentially free ...?
As you may be able to tell ... I am a seasoned veteran of justifying such purchases ??

My prayers go out to the family and also to anyone who had the misfortune to witness the tragedy.
As the grandfather of a 20 month old, I know how wiggly and squirmy they can be. I can't imagine how hard this will hit the whole family, let alone the grandfather who was holding her up (probably so she could see the view better).
On our recent Freedom cruise our son and daughter-in-law mandated "no kids on the balcony, even with adults." This situation is a reminder that they weren't being over-the-top in their caution - they were looking out for the best interest of their kids.

We boarded Harmony this morning. They asked us 3 questions::  1) have we been to China, Hong Kong, or Macau in the last 15 days, 2) were we in close contact with anyone from these areas in the last 15 days (that we were aware of) and 3) did we have any flu symptoms in the last 7 days. We answered no to all and that was it. 

I could be wrong, but it seemed to me (if I’m reading the screening guidelines correctly) that you will receive these “extra” screening parameters ONLY if you qualify via the “China” questions. In other words, if you have not been in contact with anyone who meets those (list) of conditions, you will not be subject to the extra screening.
I will find out later today, as we board Anthem at 3:00.

Same situation with us on the Symphony in the fall. A foundation garment was in our bottom bathroom drawer.  We didnt want our suite attendant to think it was ours ... so we mentioned it. While no hazmat suit was involved ... rubber gloves, plastic disposal bags and a can of disinfectant spray all quickly came into play. ?

In nearly 50 cruises with Royal Caribbean the worst thing I've encountered was a drawer with the previous occupant's underwear in it.  We found the room attendant and had it removed but never have I ever been concerned about bugs.  If there WERE bedbugs in that room at any time and Royal Caribbean was made aware of it, trust me, the entire room would have been fumigated and the mattresses tossed.

Back in the day before drink packages you'd be billed at the end of the cruise and you'd receive your account print out just as you do today; letter sized papers tucked behind your stateroom room number in the hallway.
If you woke up early enough not only would you get your bad news but you could see how many sheets of paper other staterooms received.
 
As embarrassing as it was for how big my tome would be; it was good to see that there were others that had screws from their number plate ripped out of the wall. Then there would be that quiet, older couple down the hall and their single sheet....I knew they were weird.
 
Drink packages are a BIG improvement.
 

I decided to get the Deluxe package on my upcoming cruise on Grandeur. The penny-pincher side of me figured out how many adult beverages I'd need a night to make it worth it (I also drink a lot of Coke during the day, as well as coffee now and again). We'll see how close I stay to that line...or how far I stumble over it. ?

We checked ours one night on Harmony.. We had the deluxe package.. The screen went on for about 8 pages.. Yep.. we got ship-faced lol 

I kept thinking, as some people were complaining that they weren't doing enough, "Just hang tight, this isn't over, their offers may change with time."  Auto-refunding for no shows without any communication is pretty awesome. Definitely disappointing, and inconvenient for those who've planned their week/vacation around it, but I think Royal is taking what is a really unfortunate situation, that they did not create, ,and doing their best with it.  I do feel for those whose vacations are altered, though.

Unprecedented situation that Royal had no hand in making.  Given the situation their reaction seems reasonable and understandable.  

Wow, I hate to say this but people are so entitled these days. I read my contract, RC has the right to change or cancel for multiple reason. No where does it say I am entitled to a refund or prorated anything in the event of such happening. I don't think it is about getting over it per se, more like putting things in perspective. RC is giving up to $200 for hotel and food cost and 2 days worth of refunds. I bet if you took a 7 day cruise but were stuck on a ship for 2 weeks, you would be p*ssed if they made you pay for 2 weeks... because that's basically the logic. I get what I paid for and nothing else is good enough.
Bad things can and will happen all the time. I flew Air France business class to Egypt, 2 hours before my flight they cancelled the connection, told me it would be 24hrs of delay in Paris. I cancelled my hotel and made a new reservation.  It ended up being a 11 hour delay and there wasn't even any more flights available for almost 36 hours. My flight on the other airline had no business class or even premium economy service. When we landed everything was booked up and we had to book a room for the night at a hostel...in Egypt. I didn't sleep at all because we looked like rich Americans and were constantly being hounded. We lost out on two whole days. I had to fight and all I got was $536 for my troubles. I could have been mad, let it ruin my vacation, instead I "rolled with the punches" because life happens.

Actually in the cruise contract, the bare minimum would be RC telling you to pound salt. The only time you are entitled to a refund of any kind is if the cruise is cancelled or terminated early due to a mechanical problem. Getting a refund and hotel costs covered up to a point is pretty fair 
 
Thankfully I wouldn't have to worry about this because this is also covered in the airlines contract of carriage. If they have a flight that is messed up, they have to get me to that destination, which has happened to me. I got put on a flight,  to funny enough to Paris, and made it to my destination.
 
It pays to read the fine print

Yes, I do roll with the punches. What else can you do? Sometimes things are beyond our control, and I would much rather take a shortened cruise and have a blast and make the best of it, than take a zero day cruise any day.

I'm sorry that you are frustrated over this, but this is all part of cruising and you need to be prepared for that. There are all sorts of things that delay sailings, weather, mechanical failures, illnesses. You need to be prepared for delays and port changes. Calling someone at a call center will not have all of the information as this is a fluid situation. As far as the call center knows, the departure date has been pushed back a day, so of course they are not going to issue a full refund for the cruise. Its in your cruise contract that RC can alter the sailing as they see fit at any time and we as passengers have no recourse.
6. CANCELLATION, DEVIATION OR SUBSTITUTION BY CARRIER: a. Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or activity. Except as provided in Section 6(e) below, Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but not limited to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation
Others that are on your sailing have reported that RC is refunding the passengers the rate for the day, and any on board things like beverage packages etc. I feel that is more than fair. I also feel that it is wise of the cruise line to push back the sailing to thoroughly sanitize the ship out of an abundance of caution. The cruise will still be enjoyable even though it was shortened by a day. The kids will forget about the delay 10 seconds after boarding the ship. Roll with the punches and have a great cruise.
 

Hi everyone,
 
For 6 months, I was working in the shops onboard Independence Of The Seas. I actually got the opportunity to meet some of you guys, and I just wanted say thank you for saying hello!
 
I actually made some YouTube vlogs of my experience during this contract, and wanted to share it with you guys. I'm trying to show what being a Royal Caribbean crew member is like, and I think a lot of you guys will find this very interesting!
 
In this first vlog, I show you the sign-on process. Me, walking on to the ship as a new crew member - followed by a ship tour.
 
https://youtu.be/TwY2wMDjpBk
 
I'm have begun my next contract onboard Mariner Of The Seas for 7 months, starting my new role as a Casino Host.
 
I hope to meet more of you soon, and ask me any questions you may have about being a crew member!
 
Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel as well. One day, I hope to vlog for Royal Caribbean full time!
www.youtube.com/ChristopherWongVLOGS
 
Chris

See, I subscribe to The Andromeda Theory approach to disease prevention. Drink so much wine and beer that my blood pH is too far off base to support bacterial / viral life.