lildawgscottFL

Jack Daniels is the McDonald's of booze - it's ubiquitous, it's reasonably priced, it tastes fine, but nothing to write home about, and it's got brand recognition. Thus, every bar carries it, just like they all carry Johnny Black and Smirnoff and Bacardi. Unfortunately, it's not the bars' fault - it is the fault of the uneducated consumer. Hence, I drink Jack when they have nothing else available, and Smirnoff and Bacardi - NEVER JWB!!! Yuck!

They're asking as if RCblog group taking over the ship would be a bad thing. 
Oh no a fleet of people that love cruising and have a lot of helpful advice. THE HORROR.

Just reply with, "It's the biggest group in RoyalCaribbeanBlog history." That should be enough to scare them. 

Rest assured more than half the ship will consist of Royal Caribbean Blog group cruisers...You have been warned. 

To the above worried CC member...I would advise the ultimate drink pkg.  Also, don't get in their way with elevators, or pool chairs.  You have been warned!

Today Harmony.....Tomorrow the World!!!! 

I was reading the past posts on the Roll Call for the Sept 16th Harmony sailing (group cruise). A few folks mentioned that the RCblog group cruise was part of that sailing. I got a chuckle out of one members reply... 

I wouldn't hold my breath for a Laphroaig of any vintage.  Dewar is their rail Scotch and they will McCallum in the casino but beyond that, it's pretty slim pickin's for Scotch.  I don't drink it (I think it stinks to high heaven...particularly those peaty Scotches from Islay) but Dan is a Scotch drinker....the stinkier, the better.  UGH
We went through this a number of months ago with Billy.  I'm sure he will chim in when he gets here.
Sometimes the bigger ships will have a better Scotch selection in the pub but they're fairly hard to come by.

Bourbon..  Woodford Reserve or Bookers - neat. Higher end bourbons (like Scotch lovers point out their favorites ) are in short supply.  

Nothing beats that smoky peaty aroma of Islay Scotchs .  I do know it is a matter of taste and some love it and some can't stand of it but to me...

There definitely is Scotch on board and it is definitely included in your Premium Drink Package. Have no fear! Defining "good Scotch" is an individual thing. For me, I "settle" for their selections of decent Scotches. They used to have a few better ones, but quality has declined in recent years. As for getting it in the MDR after dinner, my experience is that you are better off leaving the MDR, getting it at a nearby bar, and then returning to your table. Or, simply wait until you have left the MDR. The bar service in the MDR is notoriously slow. (The bar service in specialty restaurants - Chops, 150, etc. - is significantly faster, but still slower than one would like.) The other option you have is to discuss your desire with your wait staff. These guys and gals are usually incredible!! Truly the soul of the MDR. Let them know this is something you will want every night and most of these fine people will make sure it is done for you. They are very good at learning behaviors, habits, likes, dislikes, etc., but they are even better when you help them learn by simply telling them! Just remember, you are asking them for a little something extra. Reflect a little something extra in their gratuity! Finally, as for selections on each specific ship, listen to FManke's advice and search this blog for the menus. That is your best bet. Other than that, you can stay apprised by joining groups on Facebook and simply asking people who just got off of your cruise ship.

Hope that helps.

Thanks! That was very informative and was good help. I will definitely try to tell my desire our waiter on day one. If he/she is able to provide to me my special Scotch from that evening onwards he/she definitely deserves and gets extra gratuity.

Hi everyone!
My name is Kerstin, 33 years and I'm from Germany. My husband and me will start cruising with Royal on Symphony OTS Transatlantic Cruise next year. This will be our first Royal cruise and also our first one with a non-german cruise line - and the first out of Europe. We've already got 3 cruises with TUI Cruises under our belt (Canaries, Full Metal Cruise, Baltic) and will cruise Western Mediterranean with AIDA this year.
We've always wanted to try an Oasis class ship but I wasn't up to such a long distance flight. Guess I won't have a choice when it's time to go back home ;) To make up for the dreaded flight we're also planning to spend 2 weeks in the Caribbean, but haven't decided on an itinerary yet - 14 nights with Regent's Navigator seems most likely at the moment.
Guess I'll have a lot questions although numerous are already answered thanks to you guys =)

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to cruising, and I'm pretty sure I've read every single article on this page. I'm maybe a little over prepared but I can't wait to get on Oasis in 18 days! Thanks Matt for creating such a terrific community!
--Haley

Out of respect, I do what is traditional. But as that is changing, I'm becoming happier. If I had my way, I'd be in full bum attire everyday, everywhere. In the meantime, however, that has not yet changed. So I wish the eye sore folks would find their way to Carnival.

Sometimes you should just play the game the way it is already set up, and not force your game on everyone else. Don't bring a basketball to a tennis match.

So wear a suit and a nice dress on formal night. Don't wear a tank top and flip flops to the MDR or the theater on any night. And so on. It's not always about you. Sometimes it's about respect for others. If you want it to be all about you, buy your own ship. Shy of that, conform a bit.

Confession time. I wore jeans and a button down shirt to the MDR for the first time ever on my cruise last week. I felt totally dressed down and little uncomfortable. That said, people were wearing shorts and tees, so, by comparison, I was fine. Didn't make it right though. I think if times are changing, it should be officially changed. And when it is, I'll be the happiest man in the room.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

(Here comes my "form letter" once again. "Insiders" will understand what I mean.)
 
;)
 
This is from a different post on these boards (http://www.royalcari...n-july/?p=11005), but instead of making you search, here are my thoughts....
 
B) 
 
First, my disclaimer: I am a bartender at Dockside Margaritas in Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I live on tips. So, admittedly, I am biased. That said, I can still present an objective argument as to why tips really are not included when you purchase the drink package. Yes, technically, they are. But, it is a set dollar amount regardless of how much you drink or do not drink.
 

For example, let's say that the total gratuity amount is $50 (it's not, but it's close to that - round numbers are just easier, obviously). Then let's say you get 10 drinks over the course of your cruise. Each bartender would get $5 per drink. But, you never would get just 10 drinks, because to break even on the drink package, you would need to drink 5-8 drinks per day (easy for this guy to do! not so easy for others). So now let's say now that you get 50 drinks. Each bartender would get $1 per drink. You see how their tip just dropped a lot? But still, you probably wouldn't get just 50 drinks, because then why buy the package? You didn't come out ahead and you should have just bought the drinks individually. BUT!!! It gets worse. They tip share! Not only do they tip share with the people at their specific bar - let's say R Bar - but they also split with other people at other bars - let's say the On Air Bar. The bars are grouped, so stronger bars will help support the staff at weaker ones. So when you give the bartender $1, you're really giving that bartender $1 divided by the amount of people sharing that $1. In the case of the R Bar and On Air folks, that's split at least 6 ways. So instead of the traditional 15-20% tip a tipped crew member should receive, they're receiving something like 2-3%. I don't know about you, but I think the service I receive from the Royal Caribbean crew is worth far more than 2-3%.
 
So what we do is leave a buck per drink on top of the "included gratuity" - in some cases two bucks for more difficult to make drinks, like mojitos,etc. At the R Bar, the bar we spent the most amount of time at, we ended up giving them a lot more than that. But, we weren't just paying for someone to put liquid in a cup. They provided such a unique experience that we felt the need to say thank you in a big way. Remember, if you do not do the drink package, you still have an included gratuity. We always round that up as well, again because they earn more than they're being given.
 
One contrary point. If the bartender isn't happy to see you, seems to begrudgingly pour the liquid in the cup, and doesn't seem to care if you are there or not, feel free to stiff the guy! Well, okay, maybe not stiff. He still lives on tips. So maybe just a bad tip. ;) Just because I'm in the industry, doesn't mean I don't recognize that there are horrible servers and bartenders out there.
 
Speaking of servers, you should also give them something more. Calculate the amount of money you would have to spend for any meal based on the prices you'd pay on land, and then consider how much of a tip you'd give your land-based server - 15-20%. Then consider how much you're giving your sea-based server. Then, don't be a curmudgeon! If you can afford to spend thousands on a cruise, find a few bucks for the service you're receiving. If you can't afford it, maybe you can't afford the cruise in the first place.
 
Finally, don't forget to tip something anytime someone goes above and beyond for you. If you're stateroom attendant does his job and nothing more, then he is already being tipped. But, if the deck patrol guy does something WOWing for you, give him a few. He probably doesn't get that often - you'll make his day! If he WOWed you, WOW him!!! Instant Karma!!!

Wow! Gratuites are always such a hot button issue! (And, obviously, I'm biased as hell!)

As people in the service industry (especially at Disney), my wife and I can both say, unreservedly, that children are nearly always more time- and energy-consuming than adults. You may not think your children are, but trust me, they are. That's not to say anything bad about your children. They're children. That's the nature of a child, and, as a parent, you know how children can be. I have never met a truly bad child (only bad parents), but even an angel can be unruly or messy or whatever. Unless you, as the parent, are going to make sure there is no additional work caused by your children. If that's the case, then forego the gratuity. That's highly unlikely though.

The service fee (which is what it should be called, because it should not be optional) will be well-earned!

Royal's revenue, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with the income that the individual crew member is, or is not, receiving via gratuities. The question was about gratuities, no? And yes, you should still pay for service! Just remember, one of the ways in which companies, like Disney and Royal, keep the sticker price so low is by making everything a la carte, including service. They underpay their people (to the legal minimum - which I'm not sure even applies in Royal's case) with the understanding that the consumer will make up the difference. I have no problem with this system, by the way. I just have a problem with people stealing service (ie. being served and not paying for it). Never stiff a server, bartender, bellman, car attendant, baggage handler, etc. You're taking something for nothing.

I leave the auto gratuities in place, because I think Royal has a better idea of how tips are distributed and who they should go to then I do. There is some percentage of how it's distributed that I saw on their tv channel. It's split with your steward and dining staff I think... and one other.
 
I also tip my steward in cash, and my wait staff additionally on the last day/night of the cruise, not of these people provide extremely personal service to me, and it feels right to me.
 
My first steward also told me he only gets paid for the rooms that are full... so if he has 12 rooms assigned, and only 10 are filled, then he's losing money. They work awlful hours too; my stewards always look like they never sleep a straight 8 hours. And my assistant waiter for dinner, was handing out juice at breakfast!
 
P.S. I heard they pool their tips anyway, so even if you hand a direct cash tip, it goes into the pool. If they don't hand money to the pool they can be terminated for hiding money. That was on a Podcast interview... so not sure if that's the same on all cruise lines, but if it is, you're not gaining anything by removing the tips if you are just going to hand out the same exact money anyway. e.g. $12.95 x 2 x 7 days or however long your cruise is. I think... :)

Prepaid gratuities are the only way to go.  If  it comes down to "nickel and dime"ing  every one of the service personnel, maybe you really can't afford to travel on a cruise.   Pay the prepaid..and you will have one less thing to be concerned with.  It's taken care of and everyone will be happy.  

Same Same

Same here

We have always done the automatic gratuities, but we've always giving our cabin attendant and servers additional tips based on the type of services they have given us. But I must say we have never had bad service.