DAVE(Darkcabbie)

My first ever cruise will be Sydney to New Zealand to Sydney cruise on board the Radiance of the Seas in February 2015, A cruise is long overdue for me as I have always loved watching the ships come and go, now my wife and I will experience our first.

Peter

Your gonna love cruising once bitten forever hooked :)

Hi Peter welcome to Matt's blog :) .

I'm sorry this topic got off track. Like monctonguy said, tipping is automatic now so there really isn't much you have to worry about. Tips are collected for your Stateroom Attendant, Head Waiter, Main Waiter, and Assistant Waiter. Feel free to tip extra if you feel necessary. Enjoy your cruise!  B)

Tylor is right tip when you feel it is necessary and it does not matter what job they do , if they have gone above and beyond it's good to say thank you.

 

If your toilet was backed up and you had been desperate for a few hours man would you be sooooooooooooo pleased to see the maintenance guy :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :D  :D  :D  

I can't believe the World Cup starts next week I'm soooooooo excited :) .

 

Hope you have a great Cruise in July Sandya and enjoy those games on the big screen :)

I personally tip the porter $10.00 and I usually have 3-4 bags.

 

Same here , it always pays to look after the porter who has your luggage :) .

Chops Grille :)

135 days till we go and a couple more days after that HELLO CHOPS GRILLE   :D

I had a party last night to celebrate my half century - Imagine my surprise when this was produced!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONALK   :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  hope you had a good one.

 

That cake is fantastic, is the Vision your favourite RC Ship or the next one you are cruising on ?

Another good Podcast Matt :). 

 

I know it costs a lot of money for RC to supply Internet access but i wish it was free or maybe they could make us feel like it was by hiding the cost in the price of the cruise

It sure is especially when they come true.Just over a year till I'm on the ship.1 year two weeks.

I bet you know every inch of her already  :lol:  :)

We are getting close (June 23!) to our first cruise.

Wow bet you are getting excited  :lol:  :)

We are getting close (June 23!) to our first cruise.  Can someone explain the best procedure for tipping? Who to tip? Etc.

Gratuities are taken each day for each person straight from your on board account however if you feel that a staff member has been exceptional then you can give that person extra in an envelope at the end of your cruise. As an example we gave our Cabin Steward extra at the end because he was fantastic.

Thought it would be good to see what your all time top 5 restaurants are past and present and maybe over time we might see an overall clear favourite.

 

As we only cruised with RC for the first time last year we can only list our choice from the Independence but that will change over time as we sail on more ships.

 

1) Chops Grille

2) Giovanni's Table

3) Windjammer

4) MDR

5) Johnny Rockets 

 

BON APPETIT  :D  :)

I think a tea room would be a nice choice to have on board and if you have ever tried a full cream tea you will know how good they are especially if you have a sweet tooth   :)  :) . A choice of at least 40 teas, fresh cut sandwiches , a good selection of pastries and scones with lots of fresh cream and jam. Yuuuummmm

 

That's the day I leave the ship.We go the 2nd till the 13th.

Maybe we will bump into each other :).

Can't beat watching a movie under the stars wrapped in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows :).

Definitely Chops Grille , great food and great service :)

For us we definitely prefer to plan our own trips unless there is a tour that RC are doing that really appeals to us. I find that I can see a lot more of a port of call if we do it on our own as usually the organised trips tend to only see a few things on each tour in the hope that you may book 2 . The other bonus is you can save a lotta bucks over the course of your cruise which means more to spend on the good stuff.

 

It may take a lot of planning but it's fun doing it :) :) .

Thinking about booking a 5 night Liberty cruise in December when my wife has a break from her masters classes. I gotta see Saturday Night Fever before they take it off!  ;)

Go for it Tylor  :) . I bet your wife will need a break after all that Studying and how nice will that be on the lead up to Christmas.

I guess I'm boring because I love the Windjammer salad bar. Especially the tomato, cucumber, olive and feta cheese salad. 

No way is that boring Tylor I love that  :D. When i come out of the Gym i normally go straight to the Windjammer for a protein fix of 3 bits of Chicken breast and a good portion of that on the side .... yum yum yum.

Off to Indianapolis again.

The cost of a flight midweek is £1300 and only £700 if you stay a Saturday night.

 

So Majesty here I come for the weekend. Boarding on Friday for 3 night Bahamas. :)

 

I agree with Don 

 

What a plan! Love it!

Buisiness then 3 nights on a Bahamas Cruise.

 

As a wise man in the A Team once said.....  I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER  :D  :)

Hi Don welcome back  :) hope the Med cruise was Awsome

Two things that have been very special are

 

MONGOLIAN STIR FRY

Usually once a cruise, especially on European sailings. Like all Windjammer special evenings, there are no notifications in the the compass.

Ask at WJ which evening and give it a go. Its like the omelette station, pick your ingredients and they cook it fresh for you.

 

PAELLA ON THE POOL DECK-SEA DAY (not windjammer but close enough)

Again, usually found in the Med, but simply to good to miss. Especially watching how the make it in front of you on the giant pans.

This is usually in small print in the compass. Well worth it.

  

Enjoy  

I love stir fry so thanks for the tip  :)

I have to say Tylor that Chops have some of the best steaks i have ever had and i really am counting down the days till we are back on the Indy in October and as soon as we are on board we will book for Chops for both Formal nights  :lol:

Hi Michael, welcome to the blog :) .