the penguins

Sorry no pre tipping involved. The deal is "you bring us 2 footstools, we give you 💲10." Payment by result but they have never failed to deliver😂

Regardless of age or any other issue the most important issue is how do you use the balcony. On sea days we relax on ours for around 4 hours a day sitting on chairs with high backs that recline and with room for footstools (💲10 tip on day 1 gets us 2 of these) and a decent size table. Whilst we are on the balcony the rest of our cabin stays at the temperature we have set i.e the air con stays on. In addition one person can sit on the balcony whilst the curtains/drapes remain closed, very useful if one of you is a late riser. We have total control over when we do or don't open the balcony doors, especially important on port days. None of the above possible with an Infinity Balcony.

We never said anyone tries to confuse us. It's just we try to be helpful by having the exact money ready only to find we haven't. Depending on the store and the number of people in the line the results range from laughter to a good deal of cursing (for example in a sandwich shop in New York at the height of the morning rush). PS lots of our friends in the UK use sheets with duvets.

Perhaps X or at least it's advertising department is beginning to agree with you. The latest TV advert in the UK doesn't feature the infinity balconies at all.

Your Captains Club status will also affect the maths (sorry math). If you are Elite+ speciality teas, coffees etc are free, plus 2 hours free drinks every day and free water during those 2 hours. Cruise only has saved us around £740 (💲900) on a 14 night TA in 2023 on Reflection.

You are correct. The problem is that RCI don't seem to have issued specfic instructions and ships interprete the rules differently. Hence the advice to check on board before you buy the card and only proceed with the purchase if you happy with how you will be charged. Our last Royal cruise was on Independence and their interpretation was small 1 punch, large 2 punches. They refunded the cost of the card.

The only confusion is caused by all stores (except possibly Starbucks ) in the USA adding the tax at the till. Every other country you quoted adds the tax to the ticketed item. When you pick up an item in the UK and the ticket says £2, even though it may have 20% tax, that tax is included so £2 is what you pay. Fortunately the increase in use of credit cards has at least reduced the lines at the check out as we Brits frantically search for the extra change in an unfamiliar currency to complete our purchases. Incidentally that to is a problem as we are used to Bank Notes being in different sizes and colours whereas the 💲's are all identical. I should add that as honorary Americans (our grandson is a born and bred Texan) we love visiting and the "differences" just add to the fun.

Any currency. Far cheaper to tip in any unspent Euros than change them back. Top up with 💲if neccrsary

Jim Kennedy is another outstanding speaker. He filled the theatre with passengers sitting on the stairs and standing at the rear. His subject - the history of the American Space Programme throughout the Moon Landing period. Each talk preceded by a showing of private videos featuring various astronauts. A great guy, very approachable and a regular on the early morning "walk around the deck" sessions.

For some reason the shampoo works better than the body wash.

No charge if you are using non-refundable OBC.

"Seattle's Best" is made by, drum roll please, Starbucks.

It only works if you have the small sized drinks otherwise it's actually cheaper to pay as you go. Of course, as others have said, wether it's 2 punches or 1 for a large depends on the ship etc- check before you buy. Also on our next Anthem sailing we were considering the soft drinks package but the terms state " not valid in any Starbucks licenced venue". Perhaps we will settle for our 4 free Diamond Drinks a day and pay for anything else.

Our friends just came off Anthem, got theirs every night.

Too much completion unless or until the other major players agree to do the same.

Plus, pre vaccines and modern meds the only way to control flu was my mass quarantining. To stem the tide of "Spanish" flu, which actually started in the USA, the authorities sealed off entire towns in the USA. The death rate in that outbreak was in the millions - more in 1919 than in the whole of WW1. Annual flu jabs and modern meds have continued to keep flu under control and hopefully Covid will gradually decrease in the same way. Keeping up with the vaccines will greatly speed up the process and continue to reduce the death rates.

All the original posters comments are correct except the last. The practice of adding taxes etc is illegal in a lot of countries including the UK and right across Europe. Everything that is not optional must be included in the price. The adding of taxes is why you see so many bemused tourists at checkout in American stores.

Why bother? The shampoo in the cabin works just great.

Coffee benefit only of value if you don't book with the AI prices.

Somehow I deleted the middle part of my message. We cover 20 numbers without over lapping. The following is an example , not a specific recommendation, but just to illustrate the method. Always better to play on a wheel with only 1 zero. Chip 1: covers 1,2,4 and 5 Chip 2: covers 7,8,10 and 11 Chip 3: covers 14,15,17 and 18 Chip 4 covers 19,20,22 and 23 Chip 5 covers 26,27,29 and 30. Each chip goes in the centre of the 4 numbers, i.e. on the diagonal. As we said just fun with little risk of a big loss and no chance of a big profit. Never chase loses, keep winnings in a separate pile, walk away when original chips have been played. If you have promotional chips i. e. ones bought with non refundable OBC you can't use them on the outer part of the board i.e. odds/evens, red/black etc. Nor can you change them for cash but winnings are real money. Have fun

Sorry you have misunderstood or I explained badly. My 💲5 bet covers 20 numbers (we cover 4 numbers with each chip. A win on any of my 20 numbers pays 💲8. We play for fun.

Interesting thought but it doesn't match the facts. Dinning room waiters/assistant waiters. On our 2 b2b in May ( on Celebrity but I believe the system is the same on Royal) we had Any Time Dining. First cruise had 1800 passengers second around 800 ( in fact we had more crew than passengers). We had the same table of 6 for both cruises. On the first cruise our waiter had our table, the table of 8 next to us and a 2. On the second cruise I noticed the table for 8 was not used. I asked the host about it and she said she had to balance the passengers across the room do that each waiter got a fair share of the tips. Cabin Steward: we had the same cabin but on the second cruise he had less cabins and the cabins were more spread out which made his job a little more difficult. Again this was due to balancing the workload so each steward got the same proportion of the tips. Dinning room tips: on board you can (well on Celebrity and therefore I assume on Royal) still get the split between the Waiter and Assistant Waiter with the balance split amongst the rest.

Why single out Royal? All their main competitors have the same system. Will the system change? Well Celebrity (and therefore I assume Royal) cruises sold in Australia and New Zealand Celebrity sell their cruises as "no tips required". Basic prices are just increased. Onboard prices are also increased to cover the tips which results in those prices being rounded up. Much the same as in the UK and Europe where it is illegal to have the port fees and taxes added separately i.e. any cost that must be paid has to included in the basic price, so again the prices are rounded. The total remains basically the same. Also explains why when a European port is missed Celebrity is reluctant (and on our May cruise point blank refused) to refund the port fees. In the UK the only major cruise line to include the tips (sold as tipping not required) is P and O - owned by Carnival.

I am sorry it doesn't give the name of the guy in the laundry or the person who washes your actual plates. You claimed Royal doesn't declare the amount that is shared - clearly they do. Sorry your not happy.

It's always good to compare apples with apples. Take the cost of your cruise and add the tips. Now compare that cost to as close a cruise as you can find on a line that doesn't require tips. Now it's your choice as to which you book.