the penguins

3 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Personally, I prefer to be reachable by phone/text/email at all times. My free minutes are worthless to me.

Choice is a great thing. 

12 hours ago, markeb said:

Curious who you were trying to tip individually? Dining room, housekeeping, bartender?

 

That kind of matches what we were told on our last cruise. An additional gratuity to our stateroom attendant supposedly went to him (no one else in the pool). Same for the butler. We couldn't tip to the individual in Luminae; they split all the tips (which makes sense). The breakdown that gets posted periodically includes a $2 "other hotel services" that I assume goes to some of the back of the house people (they may get something from housekeeping?). We were able to designate the Retreat bartender; there are almost no transactions in the lounge to tip on, and I just don't carry cash on the ship.

 

And, yes, I'd assume they're required to turn in cash tips. That's the only way to make the accounting work for the auto gratuities if some people pay cash. Pooling the tip jar is pretty standard at most bars so that's not unusual. 

Correct the $2 goes to the staff you don't see (eg laundry, washroom attendants etc).

Dining is the waiter/assistant.

Cabin steward is separate.

Bars tend to pool as they work together especially places like the Martini Bar which is more like a show.

Somelliers get the tips added to each drink.

3 hours ago, asctony said:

Drink packages on Princess are cheaper than Celebrity but they have a drink maximum (alcoholic) per day where as Celebrity does not. 

Princess limit is 15 alcohol drinks per day. Plus, in Princess' Plus pkg equal to Celebrity Classis plg Princess has many high end drinks that are only in Celebrity Premium pkg.

Gratuities are included in Princess'. Celebrity use to include Gratuities, but not now! That is at least $216 for 7 days.

X doesn't have specific drink limit but it does include a condition that drinking must be responsible. We have seen passengers escorted back to their cabin being told very clearly that they must remain there until the following morning and that any attempt to leave their cabin would result in more drastic action being taken. All done very quietly and without fuss.

On 5/19/2024 at 8:08 PM, travellerin1984 said:

For couple of years ago we booked an european flight 9.15 am out of Barcelona. It was an early morning but we made it with time to spare. I think 11.15 is no problem of you disembark so early you can. 

The OP is travelling International not European. Minimum check in time for International is usually/typically 3 hours.

We would never book a flight so early as delays can happen at every stage of the journey - late arrival at Port, delayed immigration at Port, traffic to airport etc. 

9 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Drink packages on Princess are cheaper than Celebrity but they have a drink maximum (alcoholic) per day where as Celebrity does not.  If you buy a drinks package when on sale in the cruise planner, you can get a pretty good discount (on Celebrity).  Currently, the premium package is listed at 35% off, so $65 per day.  

 

MSC's drink packages are also less than Celebrity's but we've always had one included in the price of our cruise when booking Yacht club so I haven't paid a lot of attention to how it stacks up with regard to inclusions.

 

NCL's package is "free" in that you still pay taxes and gratuities...so not really free but significantly cheaper than the other cruise lines.  You can upgrade your package as well.

At the prices quoted Princess would seem to be by far the cheapest as for £50 (approx $65 ) you get the drinks, WiFi and grats plus a few odd extras like special desserts at dinner.

1 hour ago, matt'smom said:

If a excursion is sold out, is there a chance it could open once on board?

check your cruises Roll Call as there maybe private tours you can join which are usually much better value than X's offerings.

Or book your own private guide (this is our preferred option) and get other Roll Call members to share with you.

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

1) Yes.  Reddit doesn't read itself.

 

2) A lot.

 

3) He drinks less.  Do I still have to get premium for both of us?

question 3 - yes. 

Makes me glad our answers to 1 and 2 are no and neither of us drink any alcohol.

What we "save" on drinks/wifi we spend on private guides.

Choice is wonderful

53 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

To expand on the alcohol, you can carry some wine and "forget" that you left some wine in your checked luggage

True - but we would be carrying it for "others" as we don't drink any alcohol - perhaps we should offer this as a service for say $10 a bottle cash 🤣

6 hours ago, zitsky said:

Looking at a future Japan cruise 2026, I see extra cost for All Included is maybe $1500 for a $8000 cruise.  It seems if you wait for a sale on WiFi and drink package that Cruise only is the way to go?  It makes no sense to pay extra for basic then upgrade.

My thoughts/questions are:

1) Do you really need the Wifi? Our free Elite + Captains Club minutes are more than enough - share one lot and once that's used you will see if the second lot will last until the end of the cruise. If not use the second lot as a discount on a full package as by then there could well be a special on the remaining days. Free WiFi in every port.

2) how much do you drink? All speciality teas/coffees/chocolate are free if you are Elite+. Japan is port intensive so not much drinking time in the day. 

3) if you are a couple do you both drink the same amount of alcohol?

Do the maths (sorry math) and you may find neither WiFi or drinks packages are the best option. These products are priced to give X a profit I.e. the majority of passengers lose.

No right or wrong just personal choices.

52 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

Yes, you can bring pretty much anything other than fresh food and alcohol onto the ship.  Whether you bring it from home or buy it in port.  You can bring as much luggage as you want. The biggest limiter on luggage is just the fact that the rooms are small. Only so much room to stash your empty suitcases.

beds are high with lots of storage space underneath.

2 hours ago, Liao said:

At this point the vast majority knows this.  Nothing any of us say, one way or another, will change this.

There are always new passengers joining CC who rightly ask the same questions. There have been at least 2 other threads in the past week plus one Poster on this one who said X doesn’t publish any breakdown of the tips and clearly this is not correct.

The confusion isn’t helped by cruise lines adopting different ways to share the tips (or as Princess call it Crew Appreciation) for example with X each cruise is a cost centre in its own right whereas Princess shares the tips across the fleet - know idea how.

10 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I was curious about lunch and breakfast meals myself. 

Also I assume they never had any sheets or towels washed and never used any of the public restrooms as staff in there are also included in the Auto Grats.

9 hours ago, rmalbers said:

X captains can DEFINITELY not do whatever they want.  They cannot deviate from the planned route unless they get approval and coordination from the team in FL.

Plus the route for every day has to be signed off by every Bridge Officer from the lowest to the Captain plus the Environmental Officer before its submitted to Corporate. A system one Captain described as planning by Committee.

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

What about the behind the scenes folks? 
 

Now we really are getting off track..my mistake. 🙂

no your not - it's something everyone who chooses to remove the auto grats has to accept i.e. removing the grats means some staff work for less money.

15 minutes ago, the penguins said:

it's like any other restaurant. If lots of people turn up at the same time you may have to wait. Worst case is you get a buzzer so you can wait in a bar/lounge/al bacio etc. Agreeing to share a table can also cut the wait time. We always pre book for 6.30 every night as soon as we book the cruise as we like a relaxed meal and go to the theatre for the 9.0pm show. We always share a table (ideally a 6) as this for us is one of the reasons we cruise - we eat as a couple every night at home. No right or wrong just personal choice.

a

6 hours ago, PepC450 said:

Sounds like, at minimum, make a reservation for 1st night and recommended for other nights too unless you're willing to wait. Good to know. Thank you! 

it's like any other restaurant. If lots of people turn up at the same time you may have to wait. Worst case is you get a buzzer so you can wait in a bar/louge/al bacio etc. Agreeing to share a table can also cut the wait time. We always pre book for 6.30 every night as soon as we book the cruise as we like a relaxed meal and go to the theatre for the 9.0pm show. WNo right or wrong just personal choice.

On 5/18/2024 at 7:54 PM, edgee said:

Want to cruise on Eclipse in Sky Suite. Do not want to be in cabin under pool deck, nor cabin with connecting door. Looks like there is one cabin on the entire ship that meets my criteria and it us a deck 11 sunset sky suite. We normally like to cruise forward on a ship due to less engine vibration. Any opinions on if vibration is an issue for S class rear facing cabins? Thanks.

Never had a cabin at the rear but always feel a vibration when having breakfast in Tuscan. 

10 hours ago, celebrity cruiser said:

Yes I understand it is 23 pp/day

 

What I am looking for is on a 7 day cruise what do I give the waiter, asst waiter, butler stateroom attendant and so on for the duration of the cruise that would equal to the 46 per cabin/day

X publishes the breakdown and the current figures are shown below.

If you were to remove the auto grats it would be impossible to tip all the people who woluld otherwise be covered (for example the laundry staff).

On 1/18/2020 at 6:28 PM, dkjretired said:

So

 

Sorry for all the rude and uninformative responses , this is why I'm not posting on here anymore. 

 

Here is the amounts of the tips, Celebrity doesn't really break it down anymore

 

• $15.50 per person, per day in standard accommodations
• $16.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass^® staterooms
• $19.00 per person, per day in suites

 

X does break it down and you can collect the breakdown from Guest Relations.

The current breakdown is shown below:

17 hours ago, dctravel said:

We are headed to Alaska at the end of July on the Solstice. We are so excited! We have anytime dining, and noted that many reservation times are already booked up for the main dining room. Will other times open up on board, or should I make reservations for times we are comfortable with (but not prefer) now so we don't get a too late or too early meal?

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

dctravel

Just like any restaurant if lots of people turn up at the same time you may have to wait Worst that can happen is you will be given the option of taking a buzzer and waiting in a bar/lounge/coffee shop.

On 1/16/2024 at 12:48 PM, Hawkstar33 said:

I understand that prices are higher than in the past. The world is changing, yet people still cruising, regardless of rising cost. I'm not saying any of you are wrong, and what you do is your business, but after reading post after post, it just amazes me how far people are willing to go, and what they are willing to do, to avoid paying for a beverage package of any type, especially Elite n Elite+ cruisers..All the money that has been spent on cruises to get to that level, and this has become a major issue. ..Who luggage tags cases of bottled water. Who carries 2 bottles in their carryon bag to embarkation. Who fills their pockets with water bottles.  Who brings a giant yeti. Who carries a big tote to load up at Happy hour.  Who hits 8 different bars during HH, to fill the room fridge. Who is smuggling drinks out of Elite breakfast and HH. Who has a friend get them a drink off their package. Who goes to the breakfast first for the freebies, then hits Oceanview. Who plans their day around how they can skirt the system.  I'm sure there are other things done. Some say it's fun, but really.   Last thing I'm doing, is any of those things. And definitely Not worrying about it months in advance, and surely not when onboard.  While free, the limited choices are pretty much a joke, during those times for us personally.  So we pay.  Save in advance. Never think about it again.  

We are Elite+, don't drink any alcohol and don't need 24 hour unlimited WiFi. For us any form of drink/Internet package is a total waste of money - the Elite+ benefits cover us just fine. We do like a large balcony - We use it for a minimum of 4 hours every sea day (cruise mainly itineraries with lots of those).

No right or wrong just personal choice.

55 minutes ago, travelbuds said:

Have credit card with chip but never needed to use a PIN with it. Have purchased items from Canada with credit card in past; kept it in Canadian currency. Shows up on credit card statment in USD. No transaction fee.

Unless you are making a contactless purchase you will need to enter the pin every time in the UK and Europe. The transaction fee doesn't show as such just the rate of exchange can be very bad on some cards. 

15 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

 

I'd almost say contactless is the norm. The limit used to be £30 as I recall, but I'm pretty sure that's been lifted or eliminated. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and contactless. At least it means we don't have to remove all doubt where we're from by signing a slip...

contactless limit is now £100 but there are frequent spot check that require you to enter the pin number. This can prove difficult when/if you only have the card on your phone rather than an physical card. I am a volunteer cashier at a local charity/not for profit store and these checks whilst important to prevent fraud are a real pain. I strongly advise that you always carry a real card, we take to separate cards: one in my name with Boss (Anita) as the secondary card holder and one in the Bosses name with me as the secondary. One set remains on the ship for use if one of the first set is lost/stolen/compromised.

1 hour ago, ScottC4746 said:

And my experience, I always ask for the charge to go through in local currency as I often get a more favorable exchange rate.  Keyword: Often, not always.  Some countries are chip and pin for example UK.  I do not have a charge card being American that works that way, so I have to remind them it is a chip and sign where I have to sign a charge slip.  It is has been two to three years since I have been to the UK, so it might have changed.

Never had a better rate from a store. Essential you must have a Credit Card that doesn't charge a fee so you get the rate on the day. 

Everywhere in the UK/Europe Chip and Pin is the norm. Thankfully the US is now catching up and at long last when we visit our family in Dallas we can get our Gas at the pump without any issues. 

10 hours ago, travelbuds said:

Thank you for  your comments. Curious who does the conversion if not the credit card issuer?

The store/ stores processor. Each purchase shows in the currency of the country you are in and the store will ask if you would like them to change it to your currency - sounds helpful but it just costs you extra. The answer is always "no thank you". The same applies to us on the ship as X will generously offer to convert our account from $ to £. Just make sure you use a card that does not charge a currency transaction/ conversion fee - there are lots to choose from.