DocLC

Thanks I thought so but you never know with Royal.

Peter, here's how I feel. Since the tips can be taken care of beforehand, I'd never feel compelled to tip on board. However, if you YOURSELF feel as though you were treated extra special, then by all means, I'd say "thank you" with that envelope. I was treated very well by our cabin steward, and did leave an envelope, but I never felt that way about anyone else on board.

I'd call your TA or RC to get insight into what's going on.  It's odd it was showing up in your My Cruises section and now not.
 
You've probably seen their website was just updated so perhaps it's related to the changeover.

I can tell you gratuities are included in all the packages.  The best thing to do is add a package to your cart in Cruise Planner. Once it's inside the cart, you will see RC breaks down the price with the base price with a "service charge" added on. 
 
Having the packages in your cart will show you exactly your cost of either one.

I played with it briefly and thought it was good that it was responsive, unlike the previous site.  That being said, my phone still goes to m.royalcaribbeanblog.com which is borderline useless.

Exactly.  I also think that after 9 cruises I may be a little more likely to rate lower than I would if it were my first or second cruises.  We are very solid in our expectations having "been there, done that" before and it may take a little more to "wow" me.  I try not to be biased when filling out the survey and I definitely try to give the crew their due.

We've decided to fly out sunday and enjoy saturday in Fort Lauderdale. Anyone have any hotel recommendations?

I didn't get any sob stories on the Jewel, but I was reminded by our waiter and the cabin steward to fill out the survey.  They didn't beg for a top rating but they alluded to it.  It is not as intimidating as the tipping though since you basically get to go back and fill out the survey with no pressure to score it higher than you think it should be.

They won't roll tipping into the cruise fare as it would keep them from advertising lower fares and many are price conscious.  Just like the airlines no longer include luggage in their fares. It makes the initial price seem lower and more appealing.

After a week onboard, "Hitting the ground running" on debarkation day is NOT something anyone choses to do.
 
A recent study found 99.9% of all cruisers experience a phenomenon researchers call "Ostrich Dilemma". Upon debarkation, the afflicted  head to the nearest sunny beach; often with luggage still in tow. They immediately stick their heads in the sand with their butts high in the air; denying any and all reality surrounding surrounding them. Often to the point of receiving sever sunburn to places that are normally covered by conventional lounge chairs.
 
Researchers have discovered two reasons for this behavior! 1) These cruisers are in severe denial that they--get this: Will actually have to open their wallet and give away money for a plate of food. 2) That future surprise towel animals will really just be a wet blob on the bathroom floor, the same one as the day before.
 
If you find yourself saying on the last day of the cruise "Baah, I can just wear shorts and flip flops to the airport tomorrow." you too are going to become an Ostrich Person. 
 
I encourage you to just plain enjoy some remaining time in Florida. What ever way you choose. Life Is Good.
 
 
 

While I can't specifically comment on the Allure, I have heard that Johnny Rockets is another option for breakfast that is complimentary.

We like to fly out late from FLL so that we can enjoy our disembarkation day. We rent a car and do things in the area.
 
After our upcoming cruise on Independence (in just 12 days!!!), we're going over to Sawgrass Mills and hanging out there for a few hours. There's a surprising lot to do there. It's a bit strange, but I'm looking forward to trying the conveyor belt sushi (Sushigami) that's there in the mall.
 
Our flight isn't until 9:10 PM, so we've got plenty of time to find things to do without needing to rush.
 
For your second question, I don't know what you mean by "beat breakfast restaurants". Are you talking on disembarkation morning? If so, they have breakfast in the main dining room during some early hours. It's not bad in there, and it's nice getting one last meal onboard that's served to you. Windjammer is horribly crowded that morning, especially a bit later in the morning.
 
I'm generally not much of a breakfast person, so on most mornings, I just get a couple pastries from Café Promenade or the Diamond or Concierge Lounge with some apple juice and that's enough for me.
 
In the past, I've tended to go to the specialty restaurants on formal nights since we don't dress up. This time, though, we're going to Giovanni's Table on the first night because they're giving us 20% back in onboard credit if we dine in a specialty restaurant on Day 1. That works well for me since I don't care for the Day 1 menu in the main dining room ("Mojo").
 
As far as recommendations, I'd suggest that you take a look at the main dining room menus and see which one you might want to skip. You'll need to check with the dining room staff to see which night that particular menu is served.

That's my fear.  I think I will give it a day or two to see how I'm doing before opting for a package.  Regardless of if my wife is there or not, 6-7 drinks per day is a lot over the course of a week.

That's what I keep telling my wife! I'm not taking vacations by myself.  I'm going to work and doing research! 

we made good use of the package, usually a bottle of water each and ate least 6 or seven cocktails per day, and the odd soft drink.
Peter

Life in general is easier to cope with when another cruise is imminent

I wouldn't worry about taking a cruise right before dry dock.  It's still the same great experience and the work isn't really started until after the cruise is over.

From what I've read, you'll likely get a better exchange rate through your credit card company.
 
As an aside, how does this apply to European cruises? Are charges in USD? The reason I ask is that years ago on the Legend out of Tampa, we came across something in the shops that was mark with a tag with he price in a foreign currency, so I wasn't sure how they handle the European cruises and onboard expenses.

G'day, 
Just finished the 14 day New Zealand trip from Australia and enjoyed my self completely as did my wife.
I had so many questions before I cruised I asked them on here and received many different answers.
Had I followed some I would have caused quite the ruckus. I have to assume that different countries allow many different things.
If any body is travelling out of Australian waters to NZ and needs some answers i will endeavor to answer as honestly as possible based on my recent experience.
Peter

I printed my baggage tags and cruise docs yesterday! Great feeling!

I think Mark will be better off with no exchange rate whatsoever since he lives in Connecticut and probably has a US-based card. :D
 
I had thought that Royal Caribbean generally operates in dollars even on sailings in Europe. The bar menus I've seen for Southampton sailings are in USD, and I know the casinos are USD.
 
I suspect, however, that China's sailings are probably in Chinese yuan given the extensive localizing they do for that market. I don't know about Australian sailings.

We're usually off before 9am.  I do agree flights noon or later are fine.  Earlier flights are possible but prepare yourself for a lot of anxiety.

As for the B2B question... I've had alcohol "accidentally" delivered at the end of the first week once, and then last year, they held it until the end of the second week.  So, it's 50-50 whether you get it...

Thanks for the info!

Nailed it.  Actually, everyone in this thread nailed it.  Book as far in advance as you can. You really have nothing to lose.