CruiserNic

I've been left envelopes for extra tips on every cruise that I've taken since 1999.

Envelope left on cabin bed along with statement showing any onboard spending. 
Personally i don't see it as a big deal! If you want to give extra you put it in the envelope if you don't you just ignore it. 
 

Then ignore the tip envelopes if you believe they're inappropriate.  Everybody tips differently.  Some folks tip at the beginning, some for every service, some at the end, some all of the above.  And some, not at all. 

I've always had tip envelopes left in our room on the last night. 

We had envelopes left in our stateroom on our last 2 cruises in dec 2021 and March 2022.  We payed our tips through our online account, could give more if you choose with the envelopes

Were you verbally asked for extra tips or were the envelopes just left in your room?
 
I've always been given envelopes near the end of the cruise

Not sure whether to give you my condolences or congratulations !  At least you know, now.
This will be an interesting process.

Update: I called RC today since we're just over two weeks out. They said they would be finalizing all exemptions this week and I should hear something for sure by the end of the week. Either way it'll be nice to finally have this three year long chapter of my life closed. I talked to my Mom and we agreed that (much as we hate cruising without the kiddos) if the exemption doesn't get accepted we'll be calling to find a Virgin cruise with unvaccinated space and we'll be trying them out for a five day in August. I'm pretty excited to soon be back on a ship one way or another. 🙂

I definitely think it's the latter and would have zero animosity for RC filling their spots with vaccinated over unvaccinated, it's easier for them and they are running a business. I'm glad they're giving unvaccinated an opportunity to cruise, even if we have to do some extra stuff. I feel really bad for the cruise industry, it upsets me that they're being subjected to (what I view as) the abuse of the CDC. I think it's incredibly unfair and it stinks of unelected officials trying to stay relevant. Whatever happens with these two cruises, I wish RC all the best and will go back to them whenever they drop the mandates, but I'll definitely be throwing my cruise dollars at whichever line drops them first. 🙂

Yeah, those boosters’ll kill ya !

As @Matthas stated many times, this is not the forum to discuss the efficacy of masking and vaccines. Please keep the discussion on topic. 🙂

And if you look at the uptake of boosters, that aren’t required in the US, the number of cruisers who are “vaccinated” is even lower. Let’s say 1000 people on a cruise a year ago we’re vaccinated, less than 300 got booster number one nationwide, booster number two declined even further from there. The number of people on cruises right now in the US that have any therapeutic effect at all might be 40% in the most optimum circumstance. In reality it’s quite likely much lower depending on departure state.  There’s just no point to it being a metric anymore.

That depends. If we're in the middle of a big outbreak, like we are with omicrom BA.5 right now, and I'm going to be indoors, close to a lot of people, then yes, I will test myself. I don't know if I'm contagious without a test, since Covid-19 can be asymptomatic.
I don't want to harm other people.
Because it's a pandemic on a scale not seen since 1918 and has killed over 6 million people.

If I am feeling healthy, not really.
I never used to test myself for any other diseases/illnesses just to see if I had them, not sure why I would want to with this one going forward.

Do you mean would I test myself regardless of the cruise line policy?
 
Pre-covid I never got a complete health test before I went on vacation, I don’t test myself before I leave my house each day, so would I test before a cruise if the policy no longer requires it? I guess time will tell. I really don’t know at this point. 

Do you test yourself before you fly or before you go the Disney World or before you walk into a concert or your stay t your hotel. No! Wouldn't you want to know if you were contagious? The reality is No no one tests these days for it. Only cruising is being harassed and its absurd! We should not have to test to get on a boat!  if you don't have to test to get in a tiny airplane and sit like sardines for a few hours with recirculated air. We should not have to test to go on a cruise. 

I would like to see both restrictions gone...  The Vax  shot is reportedly good for minimizing the consequences of getting the virus, but don't think it prevents the shot-ee from getting it (obviously, based on people getting it on cruises)....  I know from a business perspective, having shot-ed passengers keeps Cruise Lines out of the news (in case of unfortunate post-cruise tragedies)...   but really, I'm not sure it's not just Optics at this point with the shots.  (full disclosure, I'm 4x shotted).

It is soo stressful. In April I went on my first star class cruise and I paid for our entire party of 10 people. We all had to test negative on that Friday. I was leading a national training and to this day I remember when I got one of the text messages of results. Of course they didn't say negative or positive in the text 🙄 they just sent me a picture of the test. I remember stopping the training to check my phone for an "emergency".  That was the absolute most stressful day of my life! Granted this is a shorter 4 day cruise with just my husband and daughter but its still dang stressful!!  I'm eating multivitamins like they are tic tacs!  

It’s not bad if I was driving to the port. But link in air+hotel, I find it stressful having to cancel all that at the last minute. 😕
I should clarify that it’s not the testing itself that I find stressful, it is the possibility of testing positive two days before. 

Plus 2 more...

That is why I want the pre-cruise testing to end so badly. 4 cruises since the re-start and the “Will I test positive and need to cancel?” is so stressful.

Girl I am over here in my office throwing things at anyone who comes in or sneezes near me. All I have left to throw are a stapler, a dead succulent, and an open can of green monster. I just need to pass our test on Saturday. I am legit loosing it. lol!

Please let Royal be next! lol
At least for short sailings....

Looks like Azamara fired the first shot. 
Azamara Announces Removal of Embarkation COVID-19 Testing - Cruise Industry News
 

If protocols work(ed) so well, why don't the work so well?