Chuck586

I have not been keeping up with all of the covid restrictions and changes but I had heard that they were restricting access to the lounge and CK at one time. Has that been lifted now? Sounds like, from some of the posts, that it is getting quite busy.

What was that about "little brother?" The problem with having a little brother is that sometimes they grow up and kick big brother's (&(!

I can't imagine why anyone would work so hard to watch either of those two teams play each other. Especially considering they will have both been through the band saw which is Michigan State before that date!

I suppose whether it is worth it depends on the subjects of the photos. In my case I have a mug better suited for radio than television so it probably would not be "worth" it, no matter the cost!!

They mean a lot....the people that have the white or pearl colored cards own the ship.... (It's a joke folks, don't shoot me....lol)

I have seen probably 15 posts in the last year about tipping onboard. I think the way that Royal (and most cruise lines for that matter) structures the tipping system so it is intentionally foggy. I just looked up the current Q&A regarding tipping and it seems to say two different things. It says that you will be charged a $14.50 per person per day pre-paid gratuity which will be applied to your account. That gratuity is then "shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience." A few paragraphs below it says that "A 18% gratuity is automatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases." So if you read both of those statements it sounds like the bar staff, for example, will receive a share of the $14.50 gratuity, but you will also be charged 18% against any beverages. It is never clear if the 18% goes into the tip jar for everyone or if it goes to the individual that brought the drink. It is also unclear if the gratuity fund into which one is contributing on a daily per person basis will go to those who serve that person or are just divided equally among the hotel crew. It just seems to me that these policies are intended to keep everyone confused. I think most people will tip at the time of service as they are receiving their drinks or food as that is what we are all trained to do.

I don't know how I missed this thread but I am just now catching up. Lots of great information! As for the Michigan State Cup, I can give some insight. It was given as a gift because someone obviously has great taste in schools. Go Green, Go White!

A recent conversation I had with someone on a Facebook page brought a question to my mind about tipping. The conversation on that "other" site went something like this: There was a question about the amounts that people were tipping while star class passengers. I asked the question: What does everyone tip to their room attendants for example? The answers I received were several hundred dollars to each attendant. I asked if they were including the amount of their room that was already allocated to the tips and they responded that they suppose the attendants were just getting extra. This leads me to my question. As I understand it, the gratuities that are recommended as policy by Royal are already included in the cost of my cabin. So, for the room attendants in my cabin there is already the $7.50 per person per day amount allocated to that attendant out of the amount that I paid for my room. If I have 4 people in my room then I have already paid $210.00 towards the tip that my room steward would receive. Anything I would elect to tip would be above and beyond that if they provided exemplary service. Based on my reading of what others are posting there are people that are tipping hundreds of dollars above and beyond the standard policy. It is also my understanding that the same thing is true for waiters and bartenders. For example, if I order a $10.00 (just to keep the math simple) drink poolside, a tip of 18% is added to that drink automatically out of whatever amount of my room cost is allocated toward tips. In other words the bartender is already getting a $1.80 tip when he gives me my drink. I am reading in other posts that people carry around $2.00 bills to tip waiters at the bar. This is above the amount already allocated towards the tips. Now I am no cheapskate but it seems to me that a $3.80 tip for a $10.00 drink ($1.80 automatic tip + $2.00 = 3.80) is a bit excessive. Am I looking at this correctly or is this a problem with the transparency related to the star class included gratuities and how those are paid out to the waiters, bartenders and cabin stewards? I don't want to short anyone their tips if I am looking at this wrong. Of course, nothing I said above applies to the genie. I understand their tip is not included in the "complementary gratuities." Thanks all!

Suites are worth it to some but not to others. That is why Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors. Everyone enjoys something different.

What's next, are they going to limit bacon to every other day?

While this wasn't on the ship, it was during a cruise excursion. Let's just say it was on St. Martin and was at Orient Beach. I will only say that it was a parade and leave the rest to everyone's imagination. Simply put, some things cannot be unseen. I am reminded of the words of caution given to us by our tour director as we were being let off the bus: "Those that can, don't and those that do, shouldn't!" More accurate words have never been spoken.

Between the loss of the Seafood Tower and the cancellation of the cupcake class I may just cancel my whole trip.... Maybe I'll think about it first...lol

So this thread raises a question. My understanding was that Star and Sky Class passengers could invite other guests to dine with them in CK whenever they wanted. Perhaps something has changed with the covid restrictions??

Being constantly at the front of the line for the flow rider might be worth the price of admission for my 13 year old!

I will never wear a tie. Formal night seems more like work than a vacation for me. I have enough of the ties at the office -- vacations are for getting rid of ties. But to each his (or her) own!!