RCVoyager

Wow. Just wow.
The only thing I see RCCL did that is questionable was to let you board in the first place.  
They gave you a second cabin.  You only paid for one.
RCCL is not responsible for your relationship.
Of all the ridiculous complaints I've seen from first time posters, this one takes the cake.
Suck it up buttercup.  You and your friend ruined your vacation... not RCCL.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit more blunt than Neesa.
What is your endgame?  Whether you mean to or not, you are coming across like you are expecting resolution in the form of a complete refund.
I'm sorry you and a 20 year friend are enemies now, but that's on the two of you not Royal Caribbean.  You and your former friend handed the staff on the ship a xxxx sandwich and they did the best they could. 
How good of friends were you if an argument while you were checking in for a cruise caused an irreparable rift?  
 
 
 
 

Thank you

I fail to see where any of this is the fault of Royal Caribbean. 

None of us could afford cruising if they paid North American wages on cruise ships.  
Then again few of the folks that come from poorer nations come from a nation where anyone in that nation can make North American wages in their home country.  Doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. - none of them make North American equivalent wages in their home countries. 
So a cabin attendant working on a cruise ship should make more than a highly educated working professional back in their home country?
Many folks who work on cruise ships do so because it far greater pay then they can make back home.  
 

We would never consider canceling our tips.  We do provide extra tips to crew members who have made our cruise memorable or crew members who don’t get the recognition that others do.   On one cruise we heard two of the pool deck attendants talking…One was wishing the other a happy birthday.  Psycho went and bought a birthday card and we put 20 bucks in it.   When the young man came back by, we handed him the card and wished him happy birthday.   The look on his face was priceless and we will never forget it…He did asks how we knew it was his birthday.  

Even if they included it in the fare, people would complain how they don't have kids so they shouldn't have to pay wages for the kids club. Or that they don't drink so they shouldn't have to supplement the bar staffs wages. The long and short of it is people can do what they want (and they will) no matter what is said on this board, it won't change your position 

I think the cruise lines should issue specific colored key cards to those who opt out. Like a scarlet letter. See what kind of service they get then.

I would rather they include it with the fare or call it a service fee, which is what it really is.
Having said that, right or wrong, it's how the crew are compensated. Don't take it off. Instead, tip extra for those who go above and beyond.

I think this is a personal preference deal for most of us. 
To me, $112 per person per week for across the board good or better than good service each employee I encounter, is reasonable. And even though we are not rolling in money, I don't think we've been on a cruise where we didn't hand out a few extra 20s to those who went over and above to make out trip better.
That said, I have traveled with a family member who ordered multiple dinners every night and whose wife made nightly special requests, whose son ordered off menu every night, and did not offer a single dollar extra that I saw.  For all I know, they may not have tipped at all.
If I can afford to pay for a cruise in the first place, I am a fortunate person.  I don't mind digging a little deeper into my pocket.  Makes me feel good about myself.  If I were wealthier, I would do more.

I think this is a personal preference deal for most of us. 
To me, $112 per person per week for across the board good or better than good service each employee I encounter, is reasonable. And even though we are not rolling in money, I don't think we've been on a cruise where we didn't hand out a few extra 20s to those who went over and above to make out trip better.
That said, I have traveled with a family member who ordered multiple dinners every night and whose wife made nightly special requests, whose son ordered off menu every night, and did not offer a single dollar extra that I saw.  For all I know, they may not have tipped at all.
If I can afford to pay for a cruise in the first place, I am a fortunate person.  I don't mind digging a little deeper into my pocket.  Makes me feel good about myself.  If I were wealthier, I would do more.

I think this is a personal preference deal for most of us. 
To me, $112 per person per week for across the board good or better than good service each employee I encounter, is reasonable. And even though we are not rolling in money, I don't think we've been on a cruise where we didn't hand out a few extra 20s to those who went over and above to make out trip better.
That said, I have traveled with a family member who ordered multiple dinners every night and whose wife made nightly special requests, whose son ordered off menu every night, and did not offer a single dollar extra that I saw.  For all I know, they may not have tipped at all.
If I can afford to pay for a cruise in the first place, I am a fortunate person.  I don't mind digging a little deeper into my pocket.  Makes me feel good about myself.  If I were wealthier, I would do more.

It's such a small amount of money at $16 per day per person considering they are serving you for 3 meals, cleaning your room, and all the interactions in-between.  I don't get the obsession with the tip money.  We tipped $27 on a $100 dinner (3 of us) just the other day... just for dinner.

How old is your kid?  Argument isn't valid unless he's an infant.  But even then, your kid is still using towels that need to be picked up for cleaning, cleaned up after at least somewhat in the room, etc.
$48 for a full day of service is not a lot of money.

Why a tribute band you say? Because the bands I like are not together anymore and some of the members are dead.

The story of the beginning of Acadia National Park is a great one.  At a time there was little to no federal money for acquisition, improvement, or enforcement of the National Parks, a man named George Dorr, who was born to great wealth, never married, and had no heirs, gave so much of his money to make that park happen, his accountant had to hide $2000 dollars from him for his funeral.  Once the land was purchased, John D. Rockefeller II gave millions for improvements.  It is a great story.

The story of the beginning of Acadia National Park is a great one.  At a time there was little to no federal money for acquisition, improvement, or enforcement of the National Parks, a man named George Dorr, who was born to great wealth, never married, and had no heirs, gave so much of his money to make that park happen, his accountant had to hide $2000 dollars from him for his funeral.  Once the land was purchased, John D. Rockefeller II gave millions for improvements.  It is a great story.

The feds should probably review any grants over the past 5 years to see if they were provided on the basis of supporting cruise ships or passengers.  Ports in Maine received $18M in 2022.  The Army Corp of Engineers awarded $6M to a specific project in Bar Harbor.  
If the justification for any grants included cruise ship passengers that needs to be reviewed and possibly reimbursed by the town now.  

My worst cruise was the one I didn't get to go on!
I started cruising back in the dark ages--only one restaurant for everyone, no televisions, no Internet, bunk beds in many cabins, lots of metal stairs without carpets, skeet shooting off the back deck, etc.  
It has been very fascinating to see the evolution of cruising, and what people like and dislike, and the way the ships have become more and more self-contained entertainment centers.
I do agree that having to smell smoke is a bad experience, and there needs to be more effort to accommodate the many non-smokers who are much more prevalent than the smokers these days.
But travel is always an adventure, and one has to take the good with the bad--at least there are always a lot of interesting memories and stories to share!

The last Carnival trip we were on was way better than the Voyager trip we just had. Could be pandemic hangover and restart, but the service was first rate and the food was a lot better. They had groupings for Indian food, Mexican food, pizza, etc. Guy's burgers were "off the hook". 

Why is this thread titled "Carnival experience"?  This is clearly a RCCL Issue.

Why is this thread titled "Carnival experience"?  This is clearly a RCCL Issue.

It would seem like a weird thing to say, but this question brings fond memories for me.  We lost a beloved brother almost 10 years ago to ALS.  The last time he was on his feet was in the pool on the Carnival Magic thanks to the pool lift in the aft pool.  3 brothers together.  Two helping the third take what would be his final steps across that pool with his wife taking photos from the side.  The weight reduction of being in the water allowed what little use of his legs was left to put one foot in front of the other for a few steps.  13 months later, he was gone.
The memory brings a tear to my eyes this morning.  Thanks for asking the question.  I hope whatever your wife's condition, she is ok.

It would seem like a weird thing to say, but this question brings fond memories for me.  We lost a beloved brother almost 10 years ago to ALS.  The last time he was on his feet was in the pool on the Carnival Magic thanks to the pool lift in the aft pool.  3 brothers together.  Two helping the third take what would be his final steps across that pool with his wife taking photos from the side.  The weight reduction of being in the water allowed what little use of his legs was left to put one foot in front of the other for a few steps.  13 months later, he was gone.
The memory brings a tear to my eyes this morning.  Thanks for asking the question.  I hope whatever your wife's condition, she is ok.

It would seem like a weird thing to say, but this question brings fond memories for me.  We lost a beloved brother almost 10 years ago to ALS.  The last time he was on his feet was in the pool on the Carnival Magic thanks to the pool lift in the aft pool.  3 brothers together.  Two helping the third take what would be his final steps across that pool with his wife taking photos from the side.  The weight reduction of being in the water allowed what little use of his legs was left to put one foot in front of the other for a few steps.  13 months later, he was gone.
The memory brings a tear to my eyes this morning.  Thanks for asking the question.  I hope whatever your wife's condition, she is ok.