travelberlin

Have a wonderful cruise 🚢. Ivi

Your cabin steward knows if you remove gratuities. They also know if you have prepaid.

They all reserve good salaries plus whatever benefits they should be entitled. How come it is so difficult to understand that with the tipping culture, employers are avoiding to pay those good salaries? Who is being cheap in those cases?

I have always prepaid gratuities and I will continue to do so. I do not intend to opt out of them. Gratuities are for me OK and my contribution to the crew salaries. I do not tip per drink or at the beginning of the cruise. I tipp additionally my cabin attendant or a waiter or barman at the end of the cruise if I am satisfied with their services. Besides giving them my tip, I praise them for their work and I thank them very much for their service.

For example, if you would „tip“ generously the barman and waiter the first day at the once called Diamond lounge, he would reserve tables for you for the rest of the cruise. Others would arrive after staying on a queue, and find that several tables were already „occupied“ with drinks on the table. But those „occupants“ were not even yet in the lounge. Or if you tip some barmen generously, you would get free bottles of water. This kind of „tipping“ is to have access to things that otherwise you would not have. It is not tipping because of good service but is buying additional benefits.

They say they do. But should you tip everybody who works on the ship? Aren’t they tipping positions and non tipping positions? Do you tip the assistants at the kitchen in restaurants on land or the laundry people in hotels? Tipping is a cultural thing and unfortunately it has lost the original meaning. Now tipping in USA is even used to have access to things you are not entitled to. In some countries this is called corruption.

Great news. With this change I might definitely consider booking the UDP. I did not like the stress associated with having to be on a long queue on the first day just to try to book the preferred times. I assume that there is also a limit on how many cruisers can book UDP on a particular cruise.

How about lunch on sea days? It is better to go to the MDR than to the WJ? Does everybody who wish to have lunch on the MDR get a seat? Are they still offering the salad buffet on the MDR?

How likely is it to get a table for two people only, not sharing with others at dinner time?. Either on fix dining or in MTD. Are quite a few number of tables for two?

I have not bought the package and I do not understand your answer.

But for the ultimate dining, you have to make reservations once you are on board. It seems unnecessary stress also. Why not be able to do the reservations online after you buy the package?

Who is the maitre allocating tables on EOS for my time dining? Do you think that it is something that she/he could improve or is a structural problem independently of the maitre?

I have found this on the internet: ”Pre-paid gratuities are required to participate in My Time Dining. Those tips are then shared among all My Time Dining waiters. You are welcome to offer additional tips to specific waiters.”

Thanks. Does everyone prepay gratuities nowadays? MTD used to be a convenient benefit if one prepaid gratuities.

Maybe because the offer was just for one day on the international pasta day?

Actually I did not choose MTD. I was automatically assigned because I have prepaid gratuities. Isn’t it the way it is?

Then maybe is a common problem in all ships of the Royal Caribbean family…It is a pity. Royal Caribbean shall really look at the complains and tell clients that at least there are trying to improve things. I do not believe very much those who come saying how 100% everything was perfect. Those seem to be robots and not real. Nothing is 100% perfect and nothing is 100% bad. But when a cruise critic fellow writes a good description of his or her experience in a way that seems balanced, then I do believe it.

Since this is your first cruise, you might want to go for Celebrity if the price is similar.

Thank you very much for your post. I am very sorry to hear that things are so wrong with Royal dining, especially with my time dining. I wish someone from Royal would read and answer this type of comments. I was very much looking forward to my cruise with the Royal but now I am not so sure.

I mainly use the vouchers for wine. Does anyone know which are the included wines (red, white, rose and sparkling wine)?

Do we have to book for shows on Mariner of the Seas?

If you get the Key, do you still have to reserve seatings for the ice shows ?

Thanks but it is still too much for me…

I am hesitant about buying an Internet package. It is also possible to buy it for one or two days? I will be on a transatlantic and I have noticed that on some days internet is not available due to the ship’s location. So I have ended up paying more than I have used.

I hope they offer it for my sailing for the same price. Otherwise not buying. The only benefits of interest would be a speedy check in and the lunch on embarkation day.