JimnKathy

It's a good benefit unless you qualify for the Interline discount (wife is employed by FedEx), the extra onboard credit isn't available.

Great thoughts. Former food industry guy here as well. I carry a handful of $5s, $10s and 20$ to tip crew members on the spot whenever we experience an incredible hospitality interaction. I like to tip the room steward a $20 on the first day when I ask for a wine opener (we bring two bottles of vino on embarkation day). I also slip a $10 to a server when they open one of our bottles of wine for us in a restaurant. I'll typically tip more money to the room steward during the cruise if I happen to run into them as well, just to thank them for doing a terrific job of making our vacation great.

I'd wager you should have an adult beverage in your hand by 10:45am. ?

Sounds like a bit of VIP treatment for doing this back-to-back. Thanks for the feedback! ?

We will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary this year by doing back-to-back cruises on Symphony in late Sep/Oct this year. Does anyone have experience doing this in regards to the procedure of disembarkment at the end of the first week and re-embarking back on the boat for week two?

It's folks' reaction that makes the virus FAR more dangerous than it really is. All of the newsertainment outlets can't help themselves by over-sensationalizing this thing.

Uber and Lyft are your friend, too. It took us all of 1 minute to get an Uber when we disembarked from Symphony this past September.

My wife and I are doing the tour this fall on Symphony of the Seas...we are stoked!

Lots of good advice on this thread. The missus and I don't do the unlimited drink package because we are lighter drinkers than most...we also bring two bottles of delicious vino on board with us as others have mentioned. We enjoy the MDR but love to supplement it with the 3-night specialty dining package to satisfy our foodie requirements. Shore excursions are a great thing and we have booked the Coco Beach Club just to enjoy the delicious food offerings and the additional privacy. You will have a terrific time no matter your choices and you'll be able to fine-tune your preferences after you experience your maiden voyage...happy sailing!

Bottom line to avoid getting the flu...wash your hands frequently and minimize touching your eyes, mouth and nose unless you just washed your hands and you'll be virtually assured of staying healthy (Coronavirus, norovirous, flu, cold, etc.) on a boat ride. Happy sailing! ?

Take it from someone who is Serve Safe Certified in the hospitality industry...wash your hands with regular soap about a million times a day and you will virtually assure yourself of not getting sick while on vacation or back at home.

Just so sad that an innocent young toddler lost their life due to the incredible negligence of an adult behaving badly. ?

We're spoiled by my steak-cooking skills at home...going to Chops isn't on our list of specialty dining options on the ship...luv us some Jamie's Italian, though. ?

If you're not doing the Waterpark or Beach Club, go directly to the Oasis Pool and enjoy some beverages at the Swim-up Bar. Hit up the Snack Shack for one of those amazing chicken sandwiches and you'll be quite happy...you can't go wrong just laying around enjoying the beautiful ocean, nice breezes and endless sunshine. For our trip in September, the missus and me are doing the Coco Beach Club for the relaxing experience, infiniti pool and amazing food.

Give us 2 cruises on the inside every time, baby! ?

While the missus and me will just use our passports to board plane flights for our cruise in the fall, I've been mystified by all the hype around the Real ID. Even if it's imbedded with some sort of fancy-smancy, secret spy technology, it seems to me that good fakes can be had by criminal masterminds no matter how cool they are. It's all more TSA re-arranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic if you ask me. ?

Yes, they will let you visit a restaurant more than once if you ask them...we've found guest services folks to be accomodating with any reasonable requests.

From my semi-retired hospitality perspective, you should feel quite comfortable leaving no additional gratuities while on a RCCL cruise (even though I personally tip a few extra $$ here and there for outstanding service encounters). I spoke with several servers on our last cruise who were particularly amazing, and they all said that working for RCCL was an awesome employment opportunity compared to the meager opportunities available in their respective countries of origin (Philippines, Montenegro, etc.). It's easy to make the assumption that while WE might not want to work on a 6-month, no-days-off contract working for relatively less money than we could earn in our own countries, it doesn't mean that the job isn't a absolute godsend for those from third-world economies. Happy Cruising!!! ?

I have a Costco-branded Citi VISA that is far more generous with rewards than the RCCL deal. Unless they up their game, no way does it make sense to carry the RCCL card.

First off, I'd get off that FB group...who needs that sort of negativity in their life. ? I tip on top of the auto-grat, but I do tip throughout the week anytime a staff member provides an exceptionally hospitable interaction. I keep a few 5s, 10s, and 20s handy and probably tip out an extra $100 to $125 weekly. For a few examples, I'll pop a $20 on the first day to our cabin steward as I kindly ask for a corkscrew to open the wine I've brought onboard. If I ask a question about something and any crew member reacts with a tremendous spirit, I'll probably give them a $5 handshake on the spot. If I bring one of my wine bottles to dinner, I'll tip the waiter a $10 or $20 upfront to avoid the corkage fee while also benefiting them for creating a better dining experience. In addition to $5 handshakes throughout the week, I'll likely tip an addition $20 or so to the cabin steward at the end of the week as well, preferring to hand it to them directly. I've found that giving $$$ handshakes really greases the wheels to an amazing cruise experience.

We do the same whenever we experience an amazing interaction with a RC employee. The positive karma created with staff members by being generous with gratuities enhances the entire trip.

You are correct...my wife is an employee of FedEx, so we qualify for the Interline discount which negates any shareholder benefit. For a hot second, I thought I was going to become a shareholder in RC just to get an extra Onboard credit. ?

First time visit for us coming up in September. Is it worth the $98 bucks to rent the covered beach lounger for two or would you Labadee vets suggest forgoing that option?

Yes you can...a fewships also have a free group chat feature as well. They are working on adding the chat feature to more ships once the tech folks debug the app a bit.

Unfortunately, the onboard discount for shareholders doesn't apply if one is already receiving an Interline discount. ?