tonyfsu21

Especially for the opportunity to drive from Port Everglades to Orlando International. That’s probably a profitable day!

I see Uber/Lyft/Taxi all day, every day heading into and out of PE.

I will be in this “golden room” on March 18th and report back.

If your hotel is on 17th Street in East Fort Lauderdale then your in close proximity to many dining options both a short walk/ Uber ride. Las Olas Blvd has a little of everything. Here’s a good mix: 1. Louie Bossi Las Olas. Great scene and good quality Italian food. 2. Bombay Darbar Las Olas: if you enjoy Indian food I recommend this place. The scene at night is energetic. 3. Boathouse at Riverside Hotel: Adjacent to the New River you can watch the boats. Laid back for lunch and busier during happy hour. Great chef. Menu = all over the place. American fused with a mix of everything. I had some blackened shrimp tacos that were great. 4. Le Tub Saloon- Hollywood: 15 minute Uber from 17th street. Made famous by GQ many years ago for America’s best burger. On the intracoastal and quite a scene. The place is made out of reclaimed driftwood. Burgers take some time to cook but the wait is worth it and the beer is cold. Laid back & very casual. I take my boat there at least once per month. 5. La Bamba 17th Street: Located in the Publix plaza on 17th street & Cordova rd adjacent to Embassy Suites. Great Mexican & Spanish food. Very casual. My kids request the pollo a la plancha every weekend. 6. Sistrunk Marketplace: Food Hall. Mix of everything. Great scene and highly recommended. 10 min Uber from 17th street. I can go to # 100 if necessary. If your into beer breweries there’s many popping up in downtown. I recommend Koffner Brewery inside Sistrunk Marketplace. American Icon Brewery, LauderAle and Invasive Species Brewery. For a laid back locals scene we all go to Laser Wolf which has a great craft beer menu and an AWESOME taco food truck. Everything in East Fort Lauderdale is pretty much accessible by a 15 min or less Uber and you can even take a water taxi to most waterfront locations.

Let me know what kind of food you like and I will send you recommendations.

Embassy Suites on 17th street. I am local and can point you in the right direction regarding dining as well.

What type of hotel are you looking for? I can help.

Cruising is better then ever right now. I know it’s not realistic for it to stay this way but the reduced capacity is an absolute pleasure (IMHO mask restrictions = acceptable trade off).

I have won quite a few times and it’s been pretty consistent 2-3 days before sail date when your card is charged.

Always deck 17!!!

IMHO it’s very enjoyable. Have a great time before these ship sail at full capacity again!

Anyone have recommendations and/or experienced the several beach excursions or Catamaran tours offered in Antigua? We are headed there in November and would like some options with kids in tow. This is one of the few places we have never been to in the Caribbean so it’s new & exciting. Thanks in advance.

It’s just “limited access”. All this means is you will actually have a nice window seat during sail away and a very attentive suite concierge + drink serving staff thats finally able to cater to you. Often the lounge was so jam packed with suite guests and friends of suite guests and randoms that you simply couldn’t get a nice seat or a drink (in a timely manner). Enjoy the experience because this situation may not last long. IMHO sailing in a suite on RC reduced capacity is now up to par service wise with high end companies like Regent.

I have to say, it’s really nice having 1+ crew per person as far as service goes. I really don’t mind the lack of crowds at all. I would think that this is going to have a major impact on RC bottom line and my concern would be the overall elimination of the cruise industry as we know it. I suppose it’s better to have 500 people sailing then 0.

Thank you so much for this excellent information. I am 100% going to ask for an ice chest for lots & lots of beer!

“If” we win an upgrade from Crown Loft to Star Class Aquatheatre 2BR for our next sailing I am imagining our introduction to the Genie will be last minute. Normally our CC gets charged about 2-3 days before which would mean it’s pretty much a quick shift from sky class to star class. Are there any issues getting the most out of the planning and pre work from this service? We are sailing with multiple parties and would like to set up a dinner party in the suite from giovannis (pizzas exc) for the kids and then something else for the adults. How do they work around the fact that technically only 4 of us would be star class? Would they actually charge extra to the people not in star class? What about beverages stocked in the suite? Can we get the place stocked with enough alcohol and soda for up to 12 people? Thanks in advance.

If you win a bid to upgrade from standard balcony to suite class do you still get the full points benefit? example: 3 night sailing in an owners suite should be 3+3+3 (or 3+3+6 possibly) but I noticed I received only 6 points.

I whole heartedly dislike a pressure situation involving tipping and it’s an automatic red flag for me personally. In many of the islands it’s literally nonstop discussion of tipping, everyone is reminding you to tip. I get it, there’s all walks of life coming off the ships and many different cultures to contend with so the locals have to reemphasize to an uncomfortable degree. This causes me personally to hold back a little and not necessarily be so generous. Onboard the ship, the envelopes are ok but IMHO what’s not ok is the maitre d accepting tips. I personally think in this elevated position they should be adequately compensated by salary and leaving the tips for the service staff. I just don’t see the added value there and quite frankly don’t really even know what they do?? Coordinate the dining staff? Do we tip the captain for driving the ship or the hotel director for the stateroom attendant staff? Maybe indirectly as part of a tip pooling system but I don’t see the point in direct tip compensation of any department head. Just a tip rant while I’m thinking about it.

I forgot that there was the mystery tip box located somewhere in guest services where some people put the envelopes. To be clear, we put cash in the envelope and personally hand it to the recipient.

My family of 4 always adds money to the envelope even after paying the standard gratuities. My kids make a mess though. I think from what I understand, RC uses the gratuity charge to essentially pay the staff a guarantee tip wage per voyage and anything placed in an envelope should technically go directly to that individual (I hope). I only tip extra via envelope to stateroom attendant and suite concierge (and Genie). Speciality dining I always tip around 25.00-$50 per meal depending on service. I also feel really bad for these crew members being away from their families and I get joy out of compensating them.

Sorry, my intention was not for this to morph into a “what have you done to deserve a tip thread”. I really just wanted to get a base line for the Genie knowing they are not part of the tip pool on the ship and their income directly correlates to their ability to provide a level of service that is rewarded by a tip. I think I now have a pretty good idea. Thank you.

Always

My kids will turn the aqua theatre suite upside down so I’m kind of thinking the same dollar figure.

Excellent information. Thank you!

Out of curiosity, what do you tip a genie for 7 nights of star class service these days? I am thinking the following: Average experience: $500 Above average experience: $700 Obviously everyone has a different definition regarding level of genie experience and I would like to get a range of opinions so I don’t under or over shoot the norm. On another note, if you book a suite during the double point promotion do you get double/double? Thanks in advance.