marjosagb

We often eat all our dinners in the WJ. That is why I always did and still do, treat my night time WJ staff as everyone else treats their MDR staff and tip them. That's why I will never pre pay my tips!! they have always been very appreciative of the tip.

This is why so many, that eat dinner in the WJ and never eat in the MDR hate this auto tip thing. Luckily-it is easily removed!!

You can do both. The thing about the auto tips is they get split amongst everyone, where as cash, well, that's likely going into the recipients pocket. Doesn't everyone deserve their share...especially when they are paid so little?

Agree with Cigar King.

Automatic gratuity is in place to ensure that ALL staff receive their fair share. If you feel like the service was not up to par, you can adjust the amount before you leave the ship.

But by cancelling it all together and just tipping manually where you see fit is going to exclude a lot of people that are working hard behind the scenes to serve you. Think cooks, dishwashers, cleaners, laundry workers, etc, etc.

Servers in the WJ/MDR, and room attendants are the face for all service workers on the ship. They deal directly with customers and their service is what most people remember and assess when it comes to gratuities. But that is not to say that the others working hard behind the scenes to serve you do not deserve their share of gratuities as well (especially when wages are so low, as Cigar King mentioned).

So as odd/wrong as it sounds to pay "automatic gratuities" before you even know how the service is going to be, I think it is even more odd/wrong to tip manually and leave a bunch of "behind the scenes" people out.

As for the WJ vs MDR comparison...the service is more attentive and there is the taking of orders / bringing of food involved in the MDR, so I can understand where Debde is coming from to a point...but I think that keeping the auto gratuity and just lessening it slightly would be a far better option than cancelling it and tipping manually (if you feel so inclined to do so seeing as you are serviced slightly less than those dining in MDR).

Save on luggage fees. Instead of packing formal wear, make your own from duct tape.

LOL

Also good for DIY excursions

I would MUCH prefer to just fast forward to 1/2/2014 and skip everything in between.

 

Saying this in not my favorite time of the year is an understatement.

You dislike it so much that you'd be willing to scrap 1/6th of a year?

I'm sure you have your reasons for not liking this time of year, but that boggles my mind.

Time is the true currency of life.

Perhaps a more upscale line would suit you better.

Considering the OP enjoyed the food, entertainment, and ports of call I don't really think this is the answer.

If RCI (or any company) is going to offer services such as delivering gifts to your room for a particular date, they need to fulfill those services. These type of gift deliveries are in a lot of cases date specific, and if not delivered as promised it will naturally be disappointing.

Not really anything to do with "upscale"...everything to do with a Company fulfilling a service that they offer.

With that being said, when I book a cruise with RCI, the only thing I book is my ticket to get on the ship. I take care of airlines, hotels, transfers, getting to and off the ship.

 

I would never order anything special, purchase photo packages, excursions etc.

Agree, and this is not limited to RCI...do it with pretty much every vacation I take.

I know that it will be quicker, less restrictive, and in most cases less expensive if I plan it myself.

I do understand the convenience of booking an entire package though...not everyone is comfortable booking everything themselves.

Also worth noting - Navigator will be all nice and shiny and more fully loaded than ever after its dry dock in Jan 2014.

I was between these 2 ships as well, and decided on Navigator...just working out a date.

To the OP - seeing as this is your first cruise, also keep in mind that there is already a built in gratuity automatically added to all bar drink purchases. Feel free to add an ADDITIONAL tip if you like...but just something to keep in mind incase you didn't know.