Gayle V

This is one of the big unanswered questions right now. If they are holding some seats for walk-ins' date=' I am more apt to try DD in the future.[/quote']

 

They currently hold some excursion reservations for booking once on board, so it seems likely they will at least do that. But to hold for walk ins, doesn't seem likely.

Funny how some think telling us they don't like DD or will cancel, or won't sail Q will have some kind of effect on other cruisers. Guess what, it only means something to you and has no bearing on what others will/won't do.

If what others say, makes no impression on you, why are you reading their comments?

Perhaps you meant to say, why are we telling you this? It's because you are not the only person reading this. It only seems that way as you read your computer screen.

The question was asked, and the topic was put up for discussion. That is the purpose of the boards. To voice our opinions. And perhaps, the cruise lines really do read this stuff. They have responded to things said here, often enough to support the idea. Actually they have said so, in so many words, at times on board. If they hear what is said, they may consider it.

With all these dynamic dining threads the last few weeks, I've come to realize that many many CC'ers value their dining experience as a determining factor as to whether they will ever sail RCL again. I can only assume that dining is the #1 factor of cruising for them. Is this true? For those of you who have posted that the change to Dynamic Dining will be the end to your cruising RCL, I would love to read why dining is your #1 criteria? If that's the case, shouldn't you be sailing Oceana (supposed to be the foodie ships, best food on any cruiseline) or any other cruiseline more known for it's excellent dining?

 

I ask the above because I cruise primarily for the destinations, the amenities of the ships, price/value vs. land vacations, site seeing, relaxation, meeting new people or having that time with my significant other, but primarily to get away from my work reality and the absolute rat's race of life/work while feeling the ocean breeze and watching the seas go by. MDR vs. Dynamic is so very low on the list of what's important for cruising for me personally.

All those things you mention as important to you are important to others also. You already know that. What you are forgetting is that while you will enjoy DD, the people who already know that they don't even like MTD, and don't want to make all those reservations so far in advance, (plus all the other negatives of DD that have been mentioned repeatedly), for the most part, these people can still get all those things you mentioned, on other cruise lines, where we can still get the kind of dining experience that suits us better.

To us relaxation is better acheived when I don't have to organize, pre schedule and worry about every step of the vacation.

To us, getting to know new people is more easily done, sharing a table for the week, in the main dining room

The destinations, excursions, site seeing, and getting away from our jobs are, of course, not exclusive to Royal. So why not do those things on a ship that also provides the dining experience we've come to prefer.

As for price, if that were the top decision maker we'd be always choose Carnival (which BTW, does provide a very similar experience to Royal. only the shows making the difference, IMHO)

True, Oasis and Allure are stand outs in ship amenities, but having done one, and about to the other, I can say, those amenities won't make up for such a drastic change from the traditional cruise dining experience. All this scheduling is a big negative, and is exactly the opposite of what hooked us on cruising to begin with. If we really want the Oasis class ship amenities, I will give them some thought, but honestly only the shows make those ships stand out to me. Considering, I've never even bothered to climb a rock wall, zip a line, ice skate on a ship, etc, even after cruising with many of those things a few times.

So wouldn't it be foolish to book RCI when we can get what we know we want, booking elsewhere. Especially as has been pointed out, this DD has not been rolled out yet.

Most repeat cruisers tend to do as we do, and always have a cruise on the books. We are getting near to our Oasis cruise, so it really is time to choose the next one. That's a lot of money and other considerations, riding on whatever we choose. So while all this remains rather uncertain (about which ships and when) and, until we can be certain of having the experience we want, Royal cruises won't even make the short list.

So it's not a matter of "taking our ball and going", it's obviously a matter of intelligent, prudent decision making.

It is removable as people want to do the same thing, give cash personally. There are the same heated arguments about removing it on the NCL board.

Really? The one time we considered booking the Epic, we were told otherwise. We were told that their fee is just that, a service fee, and that it was not optional. But then, their phone people may be just as accurate (read that as totally unreliable) with their information as Royal's are.

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

And I agree, tips should be given, not taken, but it amounts to the same thing, as long as you have the option to remove them following poor service. The alternative is for Royal to just call it a "fee" and not a gratuity. From what I understand, that is what Norwegian does. The fee is NOT removable.

As for giving more to those people who take good care of you, well I explained in my previous post, how that can still be done. And in those situations, I venture to guess that if the auto tips are in place, the crew members that are given extra, are likely able to keep it.

When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

Oh by the way, for this part of the question, the answer is "Yes, you do". I have been in many nice establishments where there was a washroom attendant who you were expected to tip.

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

I agreed with your thoughts, and felt the same back when the auto tipping first was implemented. Those folks were (past tense) paid adequately by the cruise line. In the past, the staff hired into those not-tipped-at-that-time positions were hired with the understanding that the base pay they receive was all that they would get. And so the base pay was likely enough for them to consider it adequate compensation for the work they did.

Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Today, for the cruise you intend to go on, these people, are hired with the understanding that they will be receiving a portion of their pay in the form of tips. Thus they accept a lower base pay. (Whether or not the base pay was altered, I don't know. It could have been lowered, or merely allowed to stay the same and decrease in value as salaries tend to do if not increased to meet inflation.) Either way they are working with the expectation of their usual compensation, as all employees everywhere do.

Also, (while I have no personal info on this) it has been reported on these boards, that those workers who's tips have been removed from the auto tip pool, are required to turn over the tips you hand them in person. How this is supposed to be achieved, I have no idea. But as I said in my previous post, removing your tips does tend to put those workers with whom interact, in a rather uncomfortable position. So while I can see that you really want show your appreciation of their efforts to your own particular cabin steward and wait staff, in reality, what you are doing is not going to be the benefit to them you had hoped. Possibly the contrary.

And you are free to do as you please,if you find it simpler then leave your tips on. And i am free to do as i please.I will remove mind and pay my tips in cash.You say there is a problem to remove the tips.Royal says you can remove them.No one can charge money to your account unless you agree to it.I don't see it as trouble,as soon as i board i will have them removed.Have a great next cruise.:)

You misunderstand. I don't mean trouble, like they would ever stop you. I mean you have to go, wait in (a sometimes very long) line and ask to have it done. (And like I said, they do ask why, even though you can easily say "just because." ) What I'm saying, is : To what purpose would you want to? I'm assuming you don't intend to stiff them, because doing the tipping in person was mentioned as your goal. So I just don't see what else it would accomplish ?

BTW you might ask others here who might have more personal experience doing this, if it is actually possible to do it for the whole week with one stop at the desk, as you intend. On one of our cruises with another line, our table mates were told they needed to make the request on a daily basis, which did seem to be rather unreasonable.

I bought the luggage tags too, and they work great, but just covering them with clear packing tape, then folding and stapling worked great too.

She should, but chances are she won't need it.

FWIW, I would still encourage the folks to get the passport. If you need reasons why, just ask, or do a search. Been talked about lots.

My favorite reason is this one: While you can buy insurance, or Choice Air, to be sure you don't miss ship, remember this: While it's possible to cruise with just a BC and government issued ID, if your flight is late, and you miss your ship, you can fly to catch up with your ship at it's first stop, if you have a passport. But if you do not have a passport, and you miss that ship, your vacation is instantly over.

My fondest wish would be that RCI could find a way to keep the MDR (for those that love it) and do DD for those looking for a new experience.

I'm hoping Royal reads your post and realizes that's the best way to make everyone happy and keep their long time customers.

Why I would prefer traditional main dining room experience:

Top reason: Meeting new table mates each cruise AND GETTING TO KNOW THEM through the rest of the week. We have often made friends of our table mates, made plans to get together to go to the show, or have drinks later. Sometime we arranged excursions together. One couple we even ended up cruising together again.

No making reservations.

No need to be shown to my table each night. Our table is ready and waiting for us every night.

Same waiters each night, who have my water with lemon and hubby's wine ready as soon as we show.

I like the different food themes, but also having "always available items" for when the food is too strange.

Having the timing of our dining match up to the timing of the traditional main show. No worry about getting done on time.

Love the elegant atmosphere the MDR has always had.

We plan on doing our own tipping,what are the suggested gratuities per day.For Room Attendant,Dining room server,and assistance server.Could not find this enfo on the Royal wed site.all i can find is that they take the money for my convenience.:mad:

Hello Caribbean Sailor.

Like the others have said, it is policy to automatically add the tips to either:

1. Your booking statement. This is if you are doing My Time Dining. Or if you simply request it, so as to have this payment completed before you go.

OR

2. Your cabin account. This is if you are doing traditional dining. (Those are the only two choices of dining by the way. I'm not sure which "family" dining would be.

In order to do you own tipping, you will actually have to go to the guest services desk and request to have them removed. They do tend to ask you "why" you want to do this. Just so you know. The crew member also is called upon to explain why his tips were removed, putting him in an awkward position. It also leaves him wondering why himself, and as the others implied, he'll spend the rest of the week suspecting that you intend to stiff him. I'm not saying you'll get worse service, or nasty pranks, as they suggested, but I know, I wouldn't want to leave anyone feeling bad like that.

FWIW, we find it simpler and easier to just leave the tips on the cabin account. I have never had bad service, certainly never bad enough that I would feel motivated to remove them.

On the contrary, we usually feel our cabin steward and servers deserve more. While, we really cannot afford lots more, I will still put a little extra in an envelope, with a note saying, that "This is just a little additional tip to say thank you for all you've done to make our vacation wonderful." or something to that effect. ....The point of the note, is to make certain it is recognized by him, that I did indeed leave the tips in place, and that this little tips is not the whole amount.

(Last cruise I accidentally repacked the envelopes and notes that I had ready, and ended up just palming a little cash to a couple wait staff fellows, saying essentially the same thing, with small emphasis on the word "extra". They thanked us profusely.) Honestly, the staff seem even more grateful for this additional tip, than they used to be for the in person tips that we always used to give, even though those were always just a bit more than standard also.

Why go through the trouble to remove the auto tip, with that route's built in potential for misunderstanding, just to make more work for yourself.

Don't forget that insurance is for a heck of a lot more than just missing the ship at the first port. It also covers missed ship on the islands, and medical costs if you get sick or injured, or even if you need to get back home mid cruise. It covers cancellation in many cases. So much more.

Yes. The website says it is.

 

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Then I think that they will have plenty of business from the "Formal means Formal" passengers. Unfortunate, unless Royal sends away the under dressed folk, right from the start, there will be nothing stopping the "Formal means whatever rags I want it to mean" folks from booking and showing up, and thus dumbing down the experience. If all these, "I can wear what I want, where ever I want" folk, book the Formal Venue, and are allowed in, there won't be room for others who want the true formal l experience.

I do predict the difficulty with dressing formal on the first and last evenings, being used to manipulate the data. Giving the "I can do whatever I wanna do" folks something to point at, and thus declare that casual is OK in that venue also.

Here's where it was added to Navigator. Have to believe Explorer would be the same when completed. The RCI website will show it as well on the Navigator deck plans page.

I curious, what used to be there? before the refurb?

Why do people that don't pay for insurance, feel they are entitled to the same benefits as those that pay for it when a situation arises.

My thoughts exactly. Sure it's sad about his partner, but everyone who cancels has a story to tell. Why should he get any kind of refund (over and above the usual) when he didn't buy the insurance. Meanwhile all the rest of us are dishing out hundreds of dollars for every trip we book.

Kudos to Princess for going over and above. But it's unfortunate. Because not only are they getting slammed for this, they are now going to have lots of other people, who didn't buy the insurance, expecting similar handouts when things go wrong. It's not fair to them, and it's not fair to the rest of us who paid for it.

If the room is sufficiently used, and meets the expected revenues, they will keep the rules.

Theron

Just a simple question, isn't this formal restaurant one of the free ones?

IMHO: At this stage I think everything is up to opinions but from what I think DD will be very little difference from MTD now. You can ask to be with other folks at large tables and you will probably get your way. Once you "like" a group you will probably be able to show up at the same time wherever you decide to meet.......just a thought. But, like you, I'm waiting to see. It is too early to panic ;)

Unfortunately. you are probably right, in that DD will be just like MTD, which I really disliked the one time we tried it.

We too, will not book with Royal again, until they shake this one out. Really, with so very many dining rooms on these new ships, why not have one traditional one, for all those who already hate MTD and don't want to completely walk away from Royal. Think about it, if DD is going to be as wonderful as it's cheerleaders say, then just one small to moderate sized dining room will do. And if it turns out that far to many people want to book the traditional room, well then that just means DD is a loser after all.

Well I don't know who these other posters are looking at on formal nights, but on all our cruises, even the Carnival ones, a clear majority of the men wore suit and tie. At minimum, 65% .(except the Windjammer one of course) Maybe only another 5 to 10 percent in tuxes. And the more casual fellows were mostly at early seating. Those eating later, were usually more nicely dressed. For the ladies, you see a majority wearing black and some silver color outfits. Black flowy, palazzo type pants, or long skirts with a sparkly top, is a common outfit. Many in ankle length dresses. (certainly more long lengths, as opposed to knee length.) Lots of the younger gals wore some extremely short prom type dresses, with very high heels, nicely done hair dos. The famous, "little black dress" does nicely if accessorized to look dressy. (Black hose, heels, and your showiest bling) Do not think "sun dress", as that would not fit the bill.

It is true, the shorter the cruise, the more casual outfits you will see. But the only reason you see Khakis and polos on formal night is that so many posters on this boards keep talking new cruisers into showing up in less than appropriate clothing on formal night.

If you ask certain questions, like this one, on this board, you can't be certain that the info you get is what you need to hear, or what these posters want you to think. Think about it honestly; your host for this cruise is Royal Caribbean, and they have designated a "Formal Night". Unfortunately lots of posters here try to read that to mean: "How sloppy can I get before they throw me out of the dining room night?" Royal pretty clearly says what they would like you to wear. "Formal". Anyone who says Khaki pants are formal wear is feeding you a line of bull, and everyone knows it.

As a matter of record, fishtaco was quoting from the RC documents from a Quantum cruise in December.

Yes, that is what I was referring to also. "Coat and a collared shirt" is Royal's definition of formal. (Even if it's not mine.) If only Royal will insist on that, then formal lovers, like myself, will be happy. Unfortunately, in recent years they have let almost any kind of dress into the dining room on formal nights.

Let me be clearer here: While I agree, that this description (coat and a collared shirt), is not classic "black tie", it IS Royal's version of "formal".

Unfortunately, there seems to be an effort being made to focus on that. Essentially, and indirectly, insisting that anything that is not a tuxedo, is therefore not formal. Laying that groundwork sets them up for stating: that Royal is not requiring "formal wear" in the Grande. Thus they get to push for the generalization, that you do not have to dress formally there. The goal being to further degrade the level of dress, to the point of convincing other cruisers into showing up at the Grand in khakis and polos, or worse. These posters seem to hope it happens often enough that Royal just gives up on the entire concept of a formal only venue.

I'm hoping Royal stands by their rule, and turns all inappropriately dressed people away.

Definitely eager to read all about the dry dock changes.... Thanks in advance..

Get real.....they were being SARCASTIC!!!! Geez Louise.....

You seem to be of the opinion that the post in question was clearly sarcastic. But you should note that the statement was read as written, and taken at face value, by at least three people on this thread. So the humor in the post was not nearly as obvious as you suppose.

So perhaps it was sarcastic, not merely wrong and misleading. Perhaps not. The true nature of it remains ambiguous. Whether it was an attempt at humor via more Carnival bashing, or actual misinformation; either way, the only thing certain, is that it was not helpful.

You say you've done the Monarch before, and not the Enchantment. We've done all three, and the Majesty is so much like the Monarch that it felt like being on the exact same ship. Go with the Enchantment.

No, offering multiple options is. If you can't get into the restaurant of choice, you won't starve (a word that is NEVER heard on a cruise ship). You simply have to choose one of the other venues onboard. These restaurants are in addition to the others that are already offered, such as the Windjammer, Chops Grille, and Johnny Rockets. It's the same thing that happens when I don't like what's on the menu in the MDR. It also opens doors for well-known chefs, like Jamie Oliver, to showcase their menus.

 

If the mega ships hadn't brought me back to the cruising world, Dynamic Dining would have! After my last cruise, my attitude was more "been there, done that." This is where the success is: in turning a familiar old product into something new and exciting that will attract, not just one specific group, but many.

I still don't see how lots of options that I can't necessarily get into at a decent time, constitutes a success in any way. Especially compared to always having a table and time and waiters that I could count on, providing several meal options in a different theme each night. Simply "not starving" is an exceptionally low bar to set, if that's the criteria for success also.