ggo85

I seem to recall on our previous SS cruises that we received an email from SS 7-10 days before sailing asking about our drink preferences, etc. We sail in 5 days and have heard nothing. Am I confusing this with other lines? If SS does this, is my timing right and / or are they even still doing it. Not worried as we can obviously make preferences known to the butler when we get on board -- just curious

Thanks for the help. I have a cheap plan for calling and texting that works in port. And the WiFi on the ship covers everything else. However, I may need to do work calls while at sea out of range of port. Does Cellular at Sea work for phone calls from sea. Is it better /cheaper than paying the per minute fee mentioned above. We will be in Asia on Muse. I have ATT.

IMO, the dress code is more strict for men than women. Women have more flexibility Even on formal night, women can wear almost anything that looks dressy, including slacks with a nifty top. Top could be silk or sparkly. Nice looking jewelry helps. If you stay away from shorts, jeans, gym wear, and casual tops, you’re fine for informal. One step up is fine for formal. Or you can go all out with cocktail or long. This trip I’m bringing nice slacks and lightweight dressy tops for informal. For formal, I’m bringing dresses that are near cocktail but that I’ll dress up with jewelry. It will be fine. I stressed on my first SS cruise. Now I’m respectful of the dress code but also know that I don’t have to bring cocktail or formal to be ok. DH has to bring coat and tie. And yes, I’m well aware that there are less formal venues. 😀

Would love to hear from anyone who has called the US while the ship is at sea outside U.S. waters - and especially outside North America. I may need to do calls for work during my cruise and would like to know: (1) how easy it is, and (2) how much it costs. Also, would love to hear about ability to videoconference while at sea.

Yes. The option to book will magically appear at 120 days.

If I were a server, it would suck. However the overwhelming majority of US workers who depend on tips to supplement their income will never see anyone from a country that doesn't tip. Those who do probably see very few over the course of their careers. I would hope that places that do see a lot of non-tipping customers provide better upfront compensation. If they didn't servers would go elsewhere. As you know, in many countries working as a server or a taxi driver is a career whereas in the US, for the most part, it's a transient and / or entry level job. Different business model in the US. I'm not arguing that the US model is superior. In fact, many Americans are starting to get fed up (no pun intended) b/c EVERYONE now wants tips. Carry out meal -- give us a 20% tip. Go through an automatic carwash -- there's a tip jar when you pay. Tipping 20% is now considered stingy in many places. It is getting out of hand and there may be a backlash. The problem is that Americans have put themselves in a box. Even in situations where tips are included, Americans feel the need to tip. So, including the tip for us only exacerbates the issue. But I agree it is getting out of control.

I don’t know what tour guides who work for companies get paid in the U.S., let alone other countries. Thus, I choose to tip. Not saying everyone needs to do it. As for my comment re private guides, I was referring to those who work alone / for themselves. In the end, we will never know the intricacies of every guide’s financial arrangement or situation. We make our choices based on our culture and personal preferences.

To follow up (and end for me) this discussion, the TA called SS. They said there would be 2 formal nights (not the 3 that are typical for a 14-night cruise). They also said casual vs. informal for the other 12 nights "is at the discretion of the ship." While guys just need to throw on a jacket to go from casual to informal, for most women, the difference is more pronounced: different tops, pants / skirts and shoes. I'm a pretty minimalist packer -- hate dragging around clothes I never end up wearing (other than to account for weather variation). I'll manage (a first-world problem, I know), but s it really so hard for SS to include dinner dress information in our cruise planner????

I tip guides on most excursions, but not all. For me, it depends on the level of service given by the guide -- both in quantity and quality. The nature of some tours means the guide doesn't do much, such as where the guide / bus takes you to a day on your own or to a boat tour, etc. I don't feel obligated to tip in those situations. There is also quality -- everything from an exceptional guide to the downright awful. I'll eagerly reward a great guide because s/he can absolutely make a port come to life. The above said, we usually tip the guide $5pp for a half-day tour and $10 for a full-day. If I have local currency, I'll use it. However, I'm not going to change money solely to tip a guide in local currency. If I don't have local currency, I'll use US dollars. I apologize for not having local currency -- never, ever had a response other than a smile. I figure that English speaking guides deal with a lot of Americans and thus can accumulate their dollars and then change them. It's not perfect, but better than giving them nothing. As an aside, we always tip the bus driver -- more if the driving was arduous or long. I also agree that private guides should include the tip in their price. We used a private guide for a 2-day tour in Israel about a decade ago. It was a fabulous tour with a price to match. I gave a negligible tip. My view is that private guides set their own prices and get 100% of the price of the tour; they should set their prices such that they aren't relying on tips to "earn a living."

I'm aware of the stated requirements based on # of nights. On our last SS cruise, I followed them in packing. However, we had more casual nights than was the "norm." Thus, I overpacked informal and underpacked casual. I'd like to get it right on this cruise so I don't bring stuff that I don't end up wearing (prefer not to dress up if we don't have to). I'll ask my TA to contact SS to see if we can get info for our specific cruise.

Thanks. Sounds as if there are full day tours offered, it’s casual and informal if ship leaves port early. Do you have any ports where you stay overnight? We have several. What is dress code for those?

We are doing an Asian cruise this fall on Muse. On our last SS cruise (transatlantic), dress was (for us, unexpectedly) casual on nights the ship was in port. For packing purposes on a port-intensive cruise, would like to know what to expect. Yes, I know we can alway dress up but don't want to if I don’t have to. Appreciate any insight from recent cruisers on in Asia.

Sorry for jumping in late but, other than free laundry one time and more space, are there any advantages to a Sapphire over Aqua? Also, anyone who was in a JS, how did you feel being close to the bow?

We moved to SS when Crystal was out of service. What we like better on SS: much larger cabin for the price; included (good) shore excursions; more dining venues for all meals What we like better on (old) Crystal: entertainment, great optional shore excursions (but pricey), dress code, and a slight nod to service. We will try Crystal again if there’s an itinerary we like. I don’t think one is better than the other. Just different. Go with what you like and don’t criticize those who make different choices.

We did Kaiseki on Moon and were unimpressed. As have many others on this forum, I’ve eaten extensively in Japan. This wasn’t anything remotely familiar to what I had in Japan. It wasn’t even that great for free, let alone a $40pp up charge. Was disappointed that there was no sashimi at dinner. Didn’t like the mostly pre-fixe menu. Lunch wasn’t much better - very limited and uninspired menu. Server was so rude that I actually complained - something I almost never do. Didn’t even try it on Dawn our last cruise. It never looked crowded at dinner. We’re on Muse later this year. Can we find the ship- specific menu anywhere? If it looks appealing, might give it an other try.

I'd like to wear mine, but it's tough with a cocktail dress. [Many women have earned military medals -- no one thinks about how they should be worn with women's formal attire outside of mess dress. Just saying.]

IMHO, most SS passengers don't want to be boorish. They want to meet the requirements. However, I also think many want to stick to the "low end" of the requirements -- to quote Hawkeye Pierce (of M*A*S*H) fame: "If the minimum weren't good enough, it wouldn't be the minimum." Others simply don't want to pack extra clothes and shoes if they don't have to. Dress code is a common question for those who haven't cruised a particular line in the past or haven't cruised recently -- i.e., "What do I need to wear to fit in?" Telling someone they shouldn't have an issue wearing a dark suit or a tux or a tie isn't helpful b/c they may (have an issue, that is). Likewise, it's not helpful to tell people you MUST wear a dark suit when they get on board and find 1/3 of the men are wearing coat and tie. It's more helpful to say say what you typically observe and especially if you know passengers will be denied entry to a venue if they aren't complying with a certain requirement. From that, people can decide what they want to do (eat at a different venue, choose a different cruise line, etc.). Most will conform, many on the low end. Since SS is one of the stricter lines when it comes to attire, questions are, IMHO, fair game and aren't always intended to start a debate (though the discussion often seems to devolve into one).

Like any business, SS must keep the current customer base happy but also appeal to new customers -- or they won't survive. Remember the old Girl Scout song: Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. If the "dress up" crowd becomes annoyed at easing of the dress code, what line will they go to? Not manny that are stricter than SS. If the new customers don't like SS's dress code, there are lots of other options. Also, one can always dress up. You can wear a tux on casual night if that's your thing. When I started cruising 40 years ago, even mainstream lines had formal nights and almost everyone wore true formal. However, in those days, most white collar workers wore suits to work every day. The "world" has changed wrt attire -- even more so after COVID. Recognizing that fact is being smart from a business perspective. Trying to ensure loyal customers aren't annoyed has to be part of the strategy. BTW, I'm NOT one who wants to see shorts and baseball caps at dinner. My idea of "perfect" is a collared shirt and pressed slacks or nice jeans for men and slacks/skirts with blouse for women. With a couple of "formal" nights where men should wear jackets and women dressier outfits. I thought the old Crystal had it done pat. But that's just me -- I understand and respect that YMMV.

My $0.02 on why some don’t love the SS dress code. My DH doesn’t own a tux. He had one years ago, but hadn’t worn it for more than 20 years so got rid of it. He has quite a few gorgeous suits- also from 15-20 years ago, but most have shrunk so no longer fit. 😀. His current job doesn’t require a suit; a coat and tie work for almost every “formal” social engagement where we live, so no need to buy a new one. Finally, he’s a minimalist packer. He doesn’t want to buy a tux or suit just for a cruise. He doesn’t want to pack a bunch of extra clothes for 1-2 nights. So he goes with the dark blazer and dark grey slacks, both of which he can also wear on informal nights. And a couple of ties. Women have more flexibility and many cocktail dresses aren’t bulky or heavy to pack. But I also hate bringing something to wear just once - so I wear the same dress on both formal nights! I fully understand and appreciate that many, including retirees, love the opportunity to dress up. Go for it! But don’t look askance at those who see things differently and enjoy SS for its many other benefits.

I have some recollection that the dining room (at least Atlantide) had a few spare ties for those without. Could have sworn I saw them hand one out. On our last cruise, we noticed that the dress code was casual on nights after a day in port. We appreciated that, though some still wore jackets.

My DH wore a sport coat, dress slacks and a tie for formal night. No one said a thing. In my (albeit limited) experience of 2 SS cruises, I would estimate for men: 20% wear formal, 20% wear coat and tie, and the remainder wear a dark suit. For women, 5% wear long, 50% wear true cocktail (short formal), 35% wear very nice dresses or dressy slacks with silk or sequined top, and the remainder wear . . . not much more than dressy casual. I suspected that the last group consisted of women who didn't own a more formal dress and didn't want to buy one for the cruise. it was clear they'd made an attempt to look nice (never saw jeans, etc.) but dressing up just wasn't their thing. Just my perception -- I could well be wrong.

This new policy only went into effect yesterday, JUNE 1, 2023. Any changes made before that would have been under the old system. The old system was fine until May 31. Since people seem to be confused . . . my TA who was on the phone with X said that, as of June 1, suite non-refundable deposits are just that. Not refundable. Not transferrable even with a fee. No OBC for a future cruise. The ONLY option is to buy insurance, which may cost close to the amount of the deposit. This applies to new bookings made after June 1. If you booked your cruise prior to June 1, you're probably grandfathered under the old policy in terms of being able to change for a small fee. However, that's only a guess because ours was a new booking so TA didn't ask the question.

^^^^ That's how it was before -- you could move your booking for a fee. Not anymore. That's the problem. If you don't take that cruise, you lose your entire deposit. I reconfirmed just now with my TA who just spoke to a supervisor at X. (And my TA has been doing this forever!) If someone else gets a different answer for SUITES, let us all know.

I could not believe it. My TA confirmed and reconfirmed -- the X person was on the phone at the same time I was. To be clear, this ONLY applies to suites, not to all bookings.

As of yesterday, if you book a suite, you must put down 10% of the cruise fare that is non-refundable. Per X, if you can't take that cruise on that date, you CANNOT use that deposit or any portion thereof for another cruise. It's just gone. The amount used to be $500 -- now it can be thousands. Yes, you can get insurance at booking, but my TA said the cost can be as much as the deposit. So, for example, if the deposit is $2,000 and insurance costs $2000, you're out $2000 either way if you need to cancel. (Obviously, insurance helps after final payment.) I fully understand that they want passengers to have some money at stake so folks don't just book up all the suites and then cancel late in the process. Still, that's a lot of money that could be lost -- and when you book a cruise many months (or more than a year) out, it's hard to know what will happen between now and then. Rethinking a booking we were going to make today. Almost certainly will choose another line with a more reasonable policy. SS has a similar cruise -- 3 extra days, same price, better cancellation / rebooking policy.