Sky Sweet

This our our dilemma when it comes to deciding how much to tip a butler.

We book a suite for its extra space/larger balcony and don't utilize any of the services that a butler can provide, with the exception of afternoon hor d'oevre and mini dessert platters. In fact, there are times we don't eat that snack.

In my opinion, a butler that does everything that they are suppose to do deserves a tip that is significantly higher than the recommended amount but should our butlers be penalized because we don't want that extra service?

I have my own opinions based on personal experience. Personally, I was very disappointed in the condition of Mercury when I cruised in October of 2005. After 5 years of not cruising with X, and after excellent experiences on Horizon and Zenith in their early years and then Summit when she was still sparkly, I was very sad to see how shabby how Mercury had become. Our cabin was a mess and public spaces showed wear and tear beyond what is acceptable to me.

 

There are others who I am certain had no problem with the worn furnishings, nasty shower stalls, cracked sinks, and threadbare soft goods and that is certainly their right.

 

I had been on Vision of the Seas and Rhapsody a few months before Mercury and they were both in lovely condition though far older.

 

Jade, there was no charge for the sauna and steam on LOS and this is something I really enjoy about RCI's newer ships. Great and underused as well, so always quiet.

Hi Caviargal :)

We were also on the Mercury in 2005, and thought the ship had extensive deferred maintenance at the time. Since we had a sky suite with a huge balcony that was partially exposed to the sun, we spent a lot of time there, but the condition of the ship would have been a bigger issue to us if we had a standard cabin.

I love to read comments either positive or negative. It gives us all a balance when choosing a cruise line or particular ship.

Millie is cruising down under to visit our corner of the world later in the year and the cruises down here on Millie are very expensive. I wouldn't want to pay big dollars and experience some of the problems on Millie that I've read on this thread.

 

Regarding the service on board. Does anyone agree with me that prepaid gratiuties somehow take away that extra inch the crew will give you? I feel that a good job done deserves a tip but not a calculated prepaid tip. Maybe if everyone tipped at the end of the cruise based on the service they've received we might all experience improved service from the crew.

 

Jillybean:)

Hi Gold Coast Cruisers :)

That is an interesting question.

A few years ago I went to an all inclusive spa resort where all tips were included in the package price.

In fact, if you tried to give an extra tip to anyone, even the valet who got your car, they would not accept them because it was against the rules.

The rationale the spa gave is that a spa is suppose to be a relaxing vacation, without any stress, and when people have to decide what is an appropriate tip, that can create stress.

Since all tips were included, I thought that might affect the level of service, but it didn't. In fact, I have never experienced such excellent service anywhere else. I attribute that to a management that knew how to train its employees to be service oriented, because that is what was expected of them.

With this in mind, I don't think pre-paid tips should adversely affect service on a cruise, if the right message is conveyed from management.

I also have a feeling that the crew probably gain more from mandatory pre-paid tips by people who may have stiffed them than they lose from generous passengers who give a little more.

RCI and Celebrity are owned by RCCL, but have different management. We have been on 25 RCI cruises on 16 different ships over 21 years and have never seen the maintenance problems we saw on the Millennium.

It just looked like they were maintaining some areas and items to the neglect of others. They might be ignoring what they consider low traffic areas.

The folks below us said their sofas were also in very bad shape, the drapes were torn and there was mold and mildew in the bathroom.

We were both in famliy oceanviews with the huge balcony.

Hi PaulWN :)

I have heard similar comments from a number of friends who have recently sailed on both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean That is one of the reasons why we feel comfortable about trying Brilliance of the Seas for our Mediterranean Cruise in June.

It is a bit of a mystery to me why RCI is doing a better job of maintaining their Royal Caribbean Ships than their Celebrity ones, when Celebrity is suppose to be a step up from Royal Caribbean.

I realize that Celebrity has a few special touches that distinguish it from Royal Caribbean. However, in my opinion, special touches are a nice extra but not a substitute for taking care of basics.

I still fail to see how if one likes the champagne, they don't care if the ships are not maintained. I agree that there are those on these boards who may think that X can do no wrong & will defend X at every chance. But the vast majority of posters are, I think able to see shortcomings in X. It is true that most do not put faith in a totally negative review, especially from the one hit wonders, & also take with a grain of salt, the Pollyanna reviews. I know I do.

 

As I said earlier, what disturbs me most is the increase in negative comments regarding maintenance & well as some of the attention to detail that Celebrity has had a reputation for providing..........and yes, I think that the welcome champagne is just one of the little extras that I appreciate from Celebrity; & I do care about the maintenance of their ships.

Hi Richsea :)

I agree wtih you about the increase in negative comments concerning maintenance issues with Celebrity, especially from people who had well balanced reviews that also discussed the positives, as well as the negatives, of their cruise.

That was one of several reasons why we booked our upcoming Mediterranean Cruise on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas instead of Celebrity.

This is slightly off topic, but I noticed that you live on Long Island. I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island during the fifties and sixties. To make this comment more on topic, our house on LI was always very well maintained...LOL :)

Reply to Richsea..

My comment was based on the fact that whenever the subject comes up, the majority of posters comment that the welcoming champagne is an important perk to them and they would be upset if Celebrity took it away.

At the same time, a significant number of people who have posted about the importance of welcoming champagne have criticized posters for their comments about maintenance issues on certain Celebrity ships.

That led me to believe the majority of cruise critic posters love the welcoming champagne, but do not consider the condition of a ship to be an important part of a cruise.

I agree with those who have posted that some of the issues noted on this thread are the result of Celebrity's need to cut costs since their costs have been rising while their prices have not.

The problem is that Celebrity is going to cut corners where they feel they can get away with it. If cruise critic is a representative sample of its passengers,they know that maintenance issues are something that the majority of its passengers will overlook.

Based on a number of posts I have read on various threads, it appears that given a choice of welcoming champagne and deffered maintenance or no welcoming champagne with greater attention to ship's maintenance, the majority would choose the welcoming champagne.

On the other hand, I think it is also possible that Celebrity might have a two tiered system when its new ships are launched. It may use its newer ships to cater to people who are willing to pay more for a new ship that is in good condition, and use its older ones for people who are willing to overlook maintenance issues if the price is right.

An 8 year old cruise ship is the same as an 8 year old hotel. Same issues; same expectations. Reviews of the Millie and its sister ships should reflect this.

Hi Cruiseguy :)

I can't speak for the current condition of Millennium because she was only two years old when we were on that ship.

However, we were on Century in December 2003 when she was 8 years old. Prior to that cruise, I was a little bit concerned about sailing on an eight year old ship because I had previously sailed on Infinity during the summer of 2001, when she had only been in service for a few months, and then on Millennium the following year.

At the time, our travel agent reassured me that on some cruise lines I would have had reason to be concerned but Celebrity was very good about keeping their ships in excellent condition. It turned out she was right.

I realize that it is almost impossible to keep a ship that is more than a few years old in perfect condition at all times, but it is disappointing to hear that Celebrity is not maintaining Millennium, which was beautiful when we sailed on her in 2002, the same way that it maintained Century when she was the same age..

Thanks for starting this thread because I am equally confused about how these credits transfer. I have a total of 6 on =-X-= and 6 on RC. Where does that put me on both lines? Is that a total of 12 for both? That is how I originally understood the process, but now I'm not so sure. Anyone?

 

PS - One of the better benefits of booking Concierge Class on =-X-=. It counts as another credit. 2 for 1 baby!

Hi jt1120 :)

Even though you have a total of 12 credits combined, you only have six credits per cruises line. When you earn 10 credits on either Royal or Celebrity, you will then get the same status on both cruise lines (diamond/elite).

When we booked our first cruise on Royal Caribbean after attaining elite status with Celebrity, I was not aware that diamond members were entitled to discounts on balcony cabins. So I booked it with a travel agent, who had special rates on Royal Caribbean Cruises because of all the business she does with them. Then when I found out about the diamond discount, I called that travel agent and she told me that she couldn't give me the diamond discount on my existing booking because it was a special rate. However, since the diamond discount was better than her special rate, she cancelled and rebooked it for me.

There are two reasons why I am sharing this story. One is that you can't depend on a travel agent to give you every discount you are entitled to, even if they have the information, so you need to be your own advocate. Secondly, the special rates that some travel agents have with Royal Caribbean aren't as good as what you can get directly from the cruise line if you have diamond status.

I'm Diamond Status Crown & Anchor and considering the Solstice, so it looks like I qualify for Elite according to this? Correct me if I'm wrong

 

 

Select Member Benefits

Includes all benefits of Classic membership, plus:

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Chardonnay Blending Seminar

Priority Status for Shore Excursion Waitlist

Senior Officer's Cocktail party

Opportunity to enroll in Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society program at the Platinum Level

Plus all Classic Member Benefits

 

 

Elite Member Benefits

Includes all benefits of Classic & Select membership, plus:

Complimentary use of Thalassotherapy Pool on Galaxy and Mercury

Private Shipboard Departure Lounge with Continental Breakfast

Priority Tender Service

Priority Waitlist for Dining Room Seating

Opportunity to enroll in Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society program at the Diamond Level

Plus all Select and Classic Member Benefits

Hi SuzieQ :)

You are correct. If you have diamond status with Royal Caribbean, you qualify for elite status with Celebrity.

Hello. Quick question for all you savvy Celebrity/RCCI cruisers. Does your Captain's Club elite status transfer over to a Royal Caribbean cruise? If so, what exactly does it do for one? Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your knowledge. I can't tell you how much I have benefited from these boards. It's a fabulous tool.

 

Susan

Hi Loveley :)

To answer your questions..

If you have elite status with Celebrity, you will be able to get the same status (Diamond) with Royal's Crown and Anchor Club.

However, if you have only one credit, it will do nothing until you earn five credits. Then you will be able to get that same status with Royal.

While I prefer Celebrity when cruising with only adults, I think the Carnival Cruises out of New York are probably better for family reunions which include a lot of children.

I'd like to add to the above. There are a number of different reasons why my husband and I cruise.

A relaxing escape to the Caribbean from cold northeast winters

Travel oriented European Cruises

A romantic getaway for the two of us

Three generation cruises with our married children and grandchildren

Family reunions with our extended families

An opportunity to take a vacation with good friends

Therefore, Celebrity is desirable for some of our cruises, but not all of them. While condition of ship is not a big issue for some people, we chose Brilliance of the Seas instead of Celebrity's Galaxy for our upcoming Greek Isle Cruise because a ship's condition is important to us.

For family reunions that include a number of children, I think Carnival and Royal Caribbean are better than Celebrity.

For a romantic getaway, my husband and I are looking into a cruise line that is more upscale than Celebrity.

My point is that one cruise line is not intrinsically the best for people who take different cruises for different reasons.

While I prefer Celebrity when cruising with only adults, I think the Carnival Cruises out of New York are probably better for family reunions which include a lot of children.

Maybe I am wrong, but I thought that Cruise Directors are responsible for all entertainment and social activities that take place on a ship. With that in mind, I think their announcements and emcee role at evening shows are a relatively minor aspect of that position.

What are your expectations of a Cruise Director, and what distinguishes the best Cruise Directors from the weaker ones?