ScottVV

Just now, DHADEN said:

 

Sounds like I touched a nerve - sometimes the truth hurts.

No, you didn't touch anything..  Not sure what "Truth" you're referring to as you pretty much stated the obvious..  Happy Cruisin'

6 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

When I read these kinds of threads...it always reminds me of the classic tale...

 

 

Lol...  Classic Chuck ....

3 minutes ago, DHADEN said:

 

You (and all the other people sniping about not getting enough FREE stuff) seem to be forgetting that you also got

SEVERAL GREAT CRUISES - what you paid all those dollars for in the first place.

Why don't you appreciate that you GOT what you PAID FOR?

My life experience has shown me that "Sometimes you Don't"

Oh Brother.. Enough already...  Again, GOD FOR BID you have a difference of opinion about anything on CC.....

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Love my 3 free bottles of wine delivered to my stateroom also.  Drink up DS friend!!  😄 🍷🤗

Which is 100000% better than a small plate of treats.. 

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Ditto to that...love the perks!!  🙂 

.. and you every right to - To each is own!  But with pretty much every topic on CC, if you have a difference of opinion or don't agree with someone, the "My Dad can beat up your Dad" back and forth conversation begins.  If you think you're getting great bang for your buck with the perks of Diamond and above, great!  That's your opinion..  I, for one, would like more bang for my buck.

So, as I see from the responses, some are ok with little things and some would like a bit more for the amount of money they spend.  It's an opinion and everyone will have a different one. 

4 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I for one disagree with you.  Possibly you would feel differently if you were diamond or higher.  We appreciate whatever the C&A LA sends to our cabin or anything else associated with the C&A upper tier level program. 

...  and RC is very appreciative of your 10's of thousands of dollars with that small plate

6 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

A bottle of Dom champagne waiting for someone is totally over the top in expectations on RCI, regardless of status.

 

It may be over the top, but with so many other cruise line and such, it's the things like this..  Case in point, the casino's in my neck of the woods in NJ and NYS are everywhere..  But I'll only spend my money in the ones that offer better bene's and upgrades, comp rooms and such that treat me better..  But to each is own I guess.... 

4 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Don’t forget that you are getting a $225 balcony discount, a day of free internet, a free photo and free drinks every night and a few other perks as well.  

 

Why complain over a plate of treats and feel that you should get a bottle of champagne instead.  Look at the whole package not the individual item. 

I didn't complain..  I was merely stating that a plate of chocolates is pretty petty..    Then I said, "I hope as a Diamond and above member, you get better perks than that, which I assume you do", so what you said are the "better perks", which I appreciate your input.

24 on the Anthem!

26 minutes ago, BND said:

The fruit loops always crack me up.  I never would have thought of using them like that.  I love the chocolate covered strawberries, but we've had them delivered when we're in port and they have sat in the room all day.  When that happens, the chocolate affects the fruit and as it melts, the strawberries get mushy. 

Is it me...  Or is that small plate of treats sorta pathetic?  I assume you have to eventually spend 10's of thousands of dollars to get to the Diamond level and all you get is a few measly chocolates in your room?  How about a nice bottle of Dom or something like that to show their appreciation.  I hope as a Diamond and above member, you get better perks than that, which I assume you do, but wow..  I'd be unhappy with this :-(

2 minutes ago, Frankmac said:

A drinks package is a definite requirement for me, but my wife , at most , will drink a max of 3 alcoholic drinks per day. So a full price package for both of us might not be worth it, but a discounted one may be.

 

I will certainly put a request on to the roll calls for the cruises we are interested in.

 

Thanks again.

You can also call RC and ask them to only purchase one DP and one refreshment package.  You both need to purchase a package, but if you call, you can buy one Deluxe DP and one Refreshment package - and not two DPs..  Just have to call and request that!

4 minutes ago, Frankmac said:

Thanks Scott.

They also have smaller packages for purchase on board as well.  You can sometimes, if it's offered, buy a 3-4 day package at a reduced price - but they aren't usually available until you've been cruising for a couple days already, but that is an option as well..  You can also, at times, by a drink card for XX drinks for a reduced price.. Just ask GS about these once on board if you choose not to buy your DS prior...

15 minutes ago, Frankmac said:

A question. Is it possible to check the drinks package price for a cruise that you have not yet booked?

Another question. Is it always better to purchase before you go, rather than when you get on the ship?

What my experience has shown is no..  You can only see the prices for the DP at their price without any discounts on their main page, which is usually between $63 and $70 and I'm sure that's not including the 18% gratuity..    If you like a certain cruise, ship and date, come here and search and ask..  The reduced prices that we are all talking about are for ones that have already booked and purchased their cruise and are PATIENTLY waiting for them to go down..  Right now, my cruise on 20 April is $46 per person (and that's with a 30% discount).  So buying prior will usually always save you money....  Usually

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/beverage-packages

As far as buying the package on ship, I highly doubt you'll save.  You're already there they have you, so they aren't going to discount something that you had a lot of time to buy before.. 

10 hours ago, lbfluffy said:

I have been keeping an eye on the drink package for my cruise. It is at its lowest I have seen, $46 a day. I’m still checking to see if it will drop in price. My cruise is April 22nd. For cruisers that have bought the plan, when is the latest it stops changing price?

I'm on the Anthem on 20 April.. and it's been $46 since I can remember.. I hope it goes down before the start...  If history repeats itself, when I was on the Adventure last year, it dropped to $38 a few days prior..  You have to think they won't lower it right away when there's still 25+ days to go and only drop it right before the cruise....  Unless nobody is buying it

2 minutes ago, Hawk308 said:

We had an issue with doubles last week. 

 

So, we just walked to the next bar and got the same drink and put it in the glass. Annoying, but it worked. 

Hmmm.. Even if the double was lower than the max per drink amount?  Even so, if it was more, I would expect them to just charge you the add'l amount, + 18% grat of course...

27 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Doubles are not a problem 

Unless you're asking for a Double Johnny Blue or a Double Jameson 18! 

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 10:54 PM, mcatmcat said:

About prepaid I think they know but I AM not 100% sure but this is a why I think they know . I was travelling with my girlfriend and some extended family members. I'm basically the travel agent for my close family I do the booking select best cabin and so on and I have pre paid for everyone except for a couple which were friends of my family and I never got control of the reservation. Before boarding they were asking me how to pay the tip cash and I told them what to do, our waiter was super nice and on night 2 or 3 she came with a list with all our names but she was making sure "all the names were correct" and she stopped by the couple who was paying cash and she told them something like " you understand how tips work right" maybe it was coincidence but our waiter was super concerned about the couple paying cash 

Are you saying the people in your group where "Publicly called out" for removing their auto grats/tips?   Either way, I find this very hard to believe someone would have a list and go table to table to make sure passengers know "How to tip" if they have not pre-paid or pay via the daily auto grat charge.  I'm not saying you're making this up, because these days, anything's possible -  but that's something hard to believe....

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 4:41 PM, vacationlover_mn said:

Note- I wasn’t talking about embarkation day- plenty of booze then 🙂. I was talking about the last day, debarkation...

Ah yes..  I see that know..  I blame the NJ Public School System for my lack of comprehension lol...

4 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

I don’t think they have booze on debarkation day.  However, I was able

to get a latte and bottle of water, using my package on debarkation day (I did this at the Cafe Promenade on Symphony last month).

I can't speak for other ships, but on the Adventure out of Bayonne, as soon as I got on, I had an adult beverage in my hand within 30 mins and the ship was still docked..  But on NCL cruises out of New York, I remember the ship had to be a certain distance away from the pier before drinks were able to get - package or not.  Is that a NJ or NY and/or RCL and NCL rule?  Anyone know?  I'm curious as I'm on the Anthem on 20 April and hope to repeat my 30-mins or less adult beverage in hand policy!  Lol

2 minutes ago, Retired LEO said:

I've also seen the list on the bulletin board in the galley.

This is all good info; however, I work in Newark and visit Cape Liberty very regularly for work and such - and I'll tell you this much.. Parking at the Pier is the easiest and most convenient for cruising out of Bayonne.  While taking Trains, Uber's and /or Cab's and parking at the Airport or at an Airport Park and Ride, the means severely outweigh the ends (or should it be ends outweigh the means in this case lol) to save a few bucks do this, not to mention the hassle if you're running late or something unforeseen arises..  Just my 2 cents here and FWIW, living and working in this area, I'd never cab or Uber from Penn Station or NLIA to the Pier.. 

12 hours ago, OCVTSGIRL said:

How long were the towels on the lounges before they were picked up?  When my husband and I go to the pool, we just put the towels (still folded) on the chair and then go in the pool.  What if staff sees them and grabs them thinking we are chair hogs?  

They aren't going to just pick up your towels after a few minutes.. It's starting to sound like they have people walking around and checking after they see towels that have been on chairs after quite a while.  I believe all the signage states that after 30 mins, your items  can/will be confiscated (or words to that effect) if found that chairs have been unoccupied for that duration... But I highly doubt they are taking stuff after 30 mins and 1 second...   Words of advice...?  Find your chair, go in the pool and return every 20 or so minutes to ensure you (or anyone else for that matter) are following posted rules and not staying in the water for hours whilst your chair becomes a place to stash your items...

2 minutes ago, The Sunset Glow said:

 

Marci, we still either pre-pay or leave the daily charge on but I am seriously considering exactly what you are saying. The way RCI has changed the breakdown does not sit well with me. It used to be less than $2 for "other behind the scenes staff" when they first introduced it and now it's nearly $5 and way back it was the service staff's responsibility to "tip out" to the behind the scenes people. I prefer the old way as the people I don't interact with is not my problem.

 

I feel they are using this to subsidize the non-tipped staff which I don't think is right. I have no issue paying my tips to the  service staff and we, 9 times out of 10, pay more than the recommended by leaving an extra tip but RCI should be paying the others (like laundry staff, etc) This is getting out of hand and I have to re-think it.

I agree 100000%  Just like when you eat at a restaurant..  You tip your server..  That's it!  Then, the server "Tip's Out" the Bartender, the Food Runner and the Bus Boy (at least at every restaurant I've worked at).  You don't tip out the Dishwasher or the Hostess or the Cooks or the Cleaners, etc.  They get paid more than the server, bartender and food runner does..  If the cruise lines just paid the back of the house personnel a bit better, the auto grats would be easier to understand.. And I know a cruise is much different then going out to your favorite eatery, but the situations don't change much with regard to how and who to tip...

10 minutes ago, kag19 said:

A few weeks ago on Oasis we overheard a guy complaining (very loudly) about being charged $225 for towels.  I am assuming the staff removed his towels as he no longer had them, didn't know there was a charge and was going to Guest Services to fight the charge.  If I had 9 towels in my possession I would be sure to make sure to keep track of where they were at and not just leave them on a chair...  But that's just how I roll. :)

....  Awwww..  I guess he and his gang should have read the rules about being a "Chair Hog"..  No pity or sympathy for him and his.

4 minutes ago, retrembl said:

$13.50 for balcony and below, $14.50 for mini suite, $15.50 for full suite.

^^ Sorry Sir.. ..  The automatic service gratuity is $14.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $17.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest’s SeaPass account on a daily basis. The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. As a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense