FManke

Who wants to lug all those cups home anyways? You'd look like one of those people at your local festivals, with the skyscraper of empty beer cups!

I'll help with a couple of things that I know and others can help with the rest. Gratuities are included in the package. Coffee cards are good at any venue that serves specialty coffees except Starbucks branded shops. Bringing drinks on board seem to be hit or miss depending on who you talk to. Chops is good across the board on all ships.

Doesn't it cover up to like $12 regardless of the drink?

Airlines as well, with refundable and non-refundable tickets. Once a company has your money, they are very reluctant to give it back. They will always want to give you a "credit" instead.

I would like the opinion of all the long time and multi-cruise a year members out there. The big question is why? Why is this beneficial to RC and what if any benefits are there to cruisers? Like DocLC says, the benefits don't seem to be worth the loss of flexibility. Maybe the simple reason I can think of is that this "locks" you in and guarantees them certain revenue per se, on a given cruise. I don't know, as this will be our first cruise and the date, our anniversary, pretty much dictated the cruise date was not going to change, but I would suspect that, just reading the hundreds of posts here, that a lot of people change there cruises all the time. Does this incur any additional costs on RC's end that they are trying to cut down on?

I actually found baked Alaska on a menu from an RC press kit for MDR menus that klaconqueso had sent a link for. They look like they are the most recent set of menus, as far as I know.

I have always read that you should not be afraid to ask for something off menu. If they have the ingredients, they will be willing to make it for you. But it is probably best to give them a heads up, as early in the dinner as possible to accommodate your request.

Like kla and JL said, anything over $12 is covered. You can check the most recent menus available for some of the bars and restaurants to give you a better idea.

I think that the C&A program is no different than any other loyalty programs, be it a cruise line or any other business. You always seem to spend a lot more, in relation to your benefits. That's how those companies can stay in business and afford to give you those benefits. I think of the perks, just as they are, perks. A little something back for your loyalty. I think if you expect too much, you will be disappointed. I think the question is, if RC didn't offer those perks through C&A, would you still cruise with them? If you answered yes, then you are cruising with RC for the right reasons, in my opinion.

I think in general when it comes to tipping, you should tip what you feel comfortable with. I think a lot of it depends on the cost of the trip. $10 to $15 a person sounds reasonable. I'm a hard one to judge though, as I always over tip. I guess it's just from years of working in the hospitality field, where so many people live off their tips.

Thank you for your service, rjac!

Well, if my experience isn't out of the norm, you should be able to order it in the next month or so. Just an fyi, I was told 60-90 days for ordering dining packages and reservations, and I was able to book mine last week. 157 days out.

Well never having cruised before, it will all be new to me!

I know who they are, and I didn't take offense by what you said. I mean it when I say, I commend them. That's quite an accomplishment for any restaurant, especially a quick service one.

Well, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we have something interesting from time to time, in Oct. I know that RC is going through a menu revamp, so maybe they will add a few new items to the WJ breakfast choices.

I was able to book our packages, right after making the reservation in mid-Feb and our cruise sails Oct 1.

They are an exception and I commend them for that. A lot of sushi grade fish does come in frozen. You have to think of where most of the fish is caught and then where it is served. Fish is caught and in most cases, travels half way around the world. Freezing it helps ensure, the quality and food safety. There are still a lot of fresh fish available, you just pay a lot more for it.

Usually articles such as this are written to expose the wrongs or dirty side of an industry. Usually they are written from someone who has an axe to grind about something, and should always to taken with a grain of salt. As someone who has worked in the food and hospitality field for over 30yrs, if you think that cruises are expensive now, they would be even more expensive, if everything came in fresh. Some items just make sense to bring in frozen for quality sake. It's better in a lot of cases to thaw out a frozen product and use it immediately, than use something that has been sitting around in a cooler for days. I challenge you to find a restaurant in the world, without a freezer. Even the fine dining restaurants. My guess is that they would have a freezer, before they had a microwave.

I guess they base it on the ethnic make up of the cruise, to a certain extent. I would always welcome some cultural diversity when it comes to food selections. But that's just me. I can get scrambled eggs and bacon anytime at home at Denny's.

Any type of quick made to order food would be good as an addition. There would be little waste as it was cooked to order, without leftovers. People would just have to wait for certain items, but would be worth it, in my opinion, as it would be hot and fresh. It seems like RC is getting more or at least staying more competitive, with their dining choices like, specialty dining, but falling a little short in their offerings when it comes to late night choices and buffet hours.

What do they do if there is inclement weather during a sail away? Do they do something inside?

So they are still offered, just not included in the drink package? Do you at least get a little umbrella?

I love it myself! There's a quick service Korean place in town that serves kimchi fries. French fries topped with melted cheese, spicy pork, kimchi and sour cream. Fantastic!

Thanks and congrats upcoming to you. Hope you are as happy as we are, after this many years.

How soon in advance would you suggest e-mailing? I'm assuming as late as possible? A week or two in advance?