krisko

I wonder if you could dispute the $300 charge with your cc since Royal didn't deliver as promised. I'd be livid with the photo cd issue and upset at everything OP had to put up with. And I'd probably not roll with Royal again given the choices he's got.

Interesting to me (though I respect maybe not you - so no need to post and tell me) that nearly a quarter of respondents (@ 15:22hrs GMT) think paying $12 per day per child is too much in gratuities.

 

:)

The explanation is likely that either they don't have kids or they're cheap and looking for any out to avoid grats. Anybody with teen kids know they are at least as high maintenance as an adult, sometimes much higher maintenance.

What is quite funny is I've met 3 people from on here over the past 2 years, all of who have flamed me quite a lot. In real life they really liked me and I got on well with them. Little did they know I was this 'not nice person' 'antagonistic' and 'troll like poster' from CC (or so people like you say!!)

Don't you wonder why everyone flames you? It's the internet so I try not to get all worked up, but sometimes it's not everybody else that's wrong.

The only troll I'm seeing in this thread is the op. You don't start a thread like this unless you're an antagonist, especially considering the Op's posting history on this topic. Grow up and quit being so damn cheap. :rolleyes:

Sounds like OPs recent thread are an attempt to justify reducing or eliminating gratuities. Have some courage in your conviction! If you don't want to tip, then don't. If he's having some trepidation and looking for folks to tell him he's in the right, it would be easier just to tip the standard amount and move on with the day. It's only $12 a day I think...don't each lunch out for a week and it's covered.

I would have preferred to save some budget for the adventure ocean staff as well.

Tipping AO staff isn't necessarily customary but I know they really appreciate it. I used to give the staff $20 at the end of a cruise.

Now that most cruise lines have pre-paid or automatic gratuities, why not just eliminate them and raise the cruisefare accordingly? I would rather go back to a true tipping environment where I may choose to tip someone for doing a particularly good job for me.

They have...they roll in the price of the tip without actually increasing the base fare of the cruise. It's kind of like the airlines, hold the line on prices of airfare but charge for luggage.

I agree that kids are often more work than adults and deserve a higher tip than adults. My kids were always good but I see some kids in the MDR tearing the place down.

I think Oasis/Allure are the only ships with a true barbershop. On Brilliance you'll be in the spa with the ladies. They do offers shave packages, basic shave to the works. I think the full package will cost probably very close to $100 after tip.

I got a shave on Oasis years ago and I have to say it wasn't worth it. The guy that did it didn't have very good technique, drew blood in spots and left a little hair in others. I had to touch up the shave back in the cabin.

I say treat yourself but go to a real barber shop in Tampa before the cruise.

I took 6 cruises last year but have no cruise booked currently. It's kind of fun to think of the places I can go now since cruising is out of the question. At least until prices come down anyway.

I think the main reason is Royal gets to hang on to your money for a year or longer if prepaying grats.

My point of reference is the first week of April. I've booked a cruise first week of april for last 5 years as my kids are off. Last year was under $2000 for 3 of us, this year the same boat is well over 3k.

My job gets me interline rates for Carnival, MSC, and HA. I'm willing to wait for last minute deal on Royal and if that fails, just cruise on one of the interline partners. I'm a fastidious planner but I'm willing to change if being a planner is going to cost me thousands.

Is everybody sticking with Royal or migrating to other lines? I just hit Diamond so I'm inclined to stay but not at roughly double the price what I'm used to paying.

On the negative side, I'm going to miss the running track going all the way to the front of the ship. I maybe in the minority, but I liked fighting a 50mph head wind and then turning the corner.

It's actually a great workout, kind of like intervals. I was on Indy a few months ago and after a windy run I'm kind of surprised that no runners have been blown off the ship as you make left turn under the royal crown lounge.

If the track really is shorter, I'll just run on deck four and climb the stairs to the pad. That's also a good workout.

Indy is my favorite ship but west Carib is my least favorite itinerary. If price were the same, I'd still pick Indy unless you cruise more for the ports.

Carter is a good dude, I shared a flight with him once and he shook hands and posed for pictures for about 20 minutes.

I sometimes wonder about the eyesight of people working the Xray machines. This wasn't on a cruise, but it was many years ago, pre 9/11 and I had a layover at Cincinnati airport. The area where I was sitting waiting to board my flight had a clear view of the TSA station and I was actually right behind the operator's back watching his screen.

I also have a pre-9/11 story at an airport screener.

I was flying out of chicago and had a tiny pewter model of a pistol on my key chain. It was about 1 inch x 1 inch, no moving parts and it got confiscated by security. I explained that it was no a real pistol, no moving parts even. They wouldn't budge. I smiled and thanked them for protecting America.

This is very entertaining! I've been checking out YW for simpler boats in the 150k-300k range but I could step up to grandeur if I can get a few buddies to buy in.

I sailed Liberty in November and thought the ship looked great. But then I did Independence two weeks later (identical ships) and it looked even better. There is something 'off' about Liberty but I can't point to it. Choosing between the two I'd pick Indy but that doesn't mean I wouldn't do Liberty if it was the only choice.

I was on the same cruise and we had a Pinnacle at our dinner table and she was just lovely. I think she had second most nights at sea on the cruise. She brought her chocolate piano (pinnacle thing?) to dinner one night and handed out christmas cards on the last night.

You cruised in second week of December which historically is one of the cheapest weeks of the year to cruise. Cruising in July is one of the most expensive weeks of the year. Especially on Navigator which now has a flowrider I believe.

Not trying to rain on your parade but there it is. Personally I think I'd wait til a month out and book whatever is cheapest. If it must be Navigator, might as well book it now.

And 3 cabins for 4 people is ridiculous...I'd tell you other two friends to become friends prior to the cruise. The beds do split, it's no biggie.

I can't comment about OPs situation, other than to say he should absolutely sail a cheaper choice. I will say that if Royal doesn't adjust their prices significantly downward, they've lost me as a customer. I always sail with them in early April and prices are currently more than double what I'm used to paying. I simply won't pay a 150% increase, I'll cruise elsewhere or not at all.

You could get the towels on the pool deck and keep them for the excursion.

You could go to the Next Cruise desk and they 'may' put a sticker of the new tier on your seapass card. You're not entitled to it but they did it for me without inquiring about it.

As you stated earlier, you tend to do better with opinions than you do with facts.:)

Maybe, my opinion is still relevant as it was the same ship and crew. I'm happy to report that in spite of OPs and my own complaints, Liberty is hardly going 'downhill'.

Umm... No, you weren't.

 

OP sailed 11/27. You sailed 11/22 according to your signature.

 

~ Judy

Ah, good point. He mentioned holiday cruise, I actually got off the boat on thanksgiving.

What do people tip the DL staff? I gave the concierge $20 and the waitress $15 on a 5 day cruise...aceeptable?