Boomer Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 We will be cruising on Allure of the Seas on Mar. 4-11 and it will be our first cruise. I have read many of the posts and they have been very helpful but I still have some questions I hope can be answered. First, We have My Time Dining and have been assigned the American Icon Rest., can we go to the other dining rooms and what time would we need to go to eliminate waiting long. Is the menu the same at the different main dining rooms. Secondly we enjoy our coffee in the morning and we have a CP balcony. We were wondering about the complementary breakfast and is it on the room service menu or is there a other way to order. Finally we have paid our gratuity up front when we paid for the cruise. Who and what does that initial gratuity cover? Are the room staff included in that gratuity, if not we want to make sure they get their tip. We are not getting the drink package so we know the gratuity is included when we buy the drinks. Thanks everyone for the answers we are looking forward to the warm temps. and relaxation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsay Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Hi!, For My Time dining, you still need to make a reservation each day. Not sure on the dining rooms. Someone else will need to answer this. I've been on several cruises and to be honest with you, we only dine in the actual dining room about 1 time per cruise. We love all the other dining options like many restaurants on board (be sure to book in your My Cruises before cruise) and the room service. Yes, the menu is the same in all the main dining rooms. I believe unless you are a suite guest, you are limited on room service. Tip for morning room service. Order the night before if possible or put out the little tag on the door each night. We always run down to the cafe for our coffee in the morning because we want it once we wake up. But we also ordered more in the room service. We've never been on Allure but I am almost positive room service is the only way to get breakfast in your room in the morning. The pre-paid gratuity covers everyone. Room staff is included. However, MANY people tip on top of that during a cruise. This of course is personal preference. We do 7 and 8 day cruises and always get $100 in $1's and $100 in $5's from the bank before we depart. We carry a hand full of $1's and $5's around each day. We always tip the person that brings and takes away our room service. We ALWAYS tip bar staff. We've noticed that when at the pool if you tip, they take care of you and always come back! Lastly, we always leave our room steward around $40-$60. If we get a suite and the steward was totally awesome we leave $80-$100. Again, this is personal preference. It's not required but you know it's very much appreciated by the staff that work so hard to ensure that you have a great vacation. I hope this is all helpful! You will LOVE the cruise. Royal Caribbean is THE BEST and we only cruise Royal. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Boomer said: can we go to the other dining rooms No. You are assigned a location for either My Time Dining or Traditional Dining and that is where you will go every evening. You are not permitted to visit other Main dining rooms. Tip: The easiest way to make sure you do not have to wait is to book the first available dining time, which is usually 5:30PM. While this isn't always possible (port days when you are off the ship until after 5:30 or when a 5:30 reservation would just be inconvenient) it is THE best way to make sure you do not have to wait. Tip: Make reservations for all of the meals that you will eat in the MDR. Earlier is better (see above) but if you cannot or do not want to eat early, at a minimum, make a reservation for a time, later in the evening, when you do want to eat. The longest waits (and they are generally not long, really) will be if you show up at your assigned restaurant without a reservation. Will you be seated ? Of course...and with just 2 it is generally very easy to get a table, but it will increase your chances of having to wait, minimal though that wait is, in most cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Boomer said: complementary breakfast and is it on the room service menu or is there a other way to order. The complimentary room service is a limited selection list and can be found in your room, usually on a hanging menu that you hang outside your door the night before. If all you are wanting is coffee and Danish, for example, it is delivered free. If you want hot food, you can get it but there will be a delivery charge. I believe it's $6.95 but I have never used it so I do not know if that amount is correct. The $6.95 service charge is a fee for the entire delivery and not a per-person charge, and it is the same amount, regardless of how much food you order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Boomer said: Who and what does that initial gratuity cover? As Lindsey said, this gratuity covers everyone including your Main Dining Room staff and your stateroom attendant. While it is not required, it is customary to tip for room service. As you said, the drink gratuity is already included in the price of a drink when you purchase it so there is no need to tip extra unless you want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Boomer said: Is the menu the same at the different main dining rooms. Yes, menu is same across all main dining rooms. 1 hour ago, Boomer said: We were wondering about the complementary breakfast and is it on the room service menu or is there a other way to order. The Continental Breakfast option on Room Service menu is the only one that is complimentary. You can also go down to Cafe Promenade and grab a cup and bring it back. 1 hour ago, Boomer said: Who and what does that initial gratuity cover? Are the room staff included in that gratuity, if not we want to make sure they get their tip. That gratuity covers... Stateroom attendant Main dining room waiter Main dining room assistant waiter Main dining room head waiter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amathey11 Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 On 2/27/2018 at 1:37 PM, WAAAYTOOO said: As Lindsey said, this gratuity covers everyone including your Main Dining Room staff and your stateroom attendant. While it is not required, it is customary to tip for room service. As you said, the drink gratuity is already included in the price of a drink when you purchase it so there is no need to tip extra unless you want to. We always tip extra. Those people are working for months on end and probably never see a dime of those prepaid gratuities. We figure the least we can do is give them a few bucks for getting me a drink, making my bed, and bringing me dinner every night. A few bucks can change those peoples lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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