Newbie here. Please bare with me as this will be our first cruise. (Royal Caribbean’s 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise)
Questions –
Cost – Yikes, for a family of four it’s huge (Air fare and Cruise) for us. Now if it were just the wife and myself not a problem but double that and it’s a hefty amount. We are looking at 2 separate cabins (one for two teenage girls and one for mom and dad), to get the best possible price obviously we are looking at two inside cabins. As much as we’d like to be able to see out we just can’t justify the cost. Any thoughts here????
Tips, - I’m really concerned about this one…….Are they a percentage of the cruise cost or a fixed dollar amount? I read where if you tip on the first day you will get better service. Is there truth to this and if so how much? How much do you tip your waiter vs. the cabin steward or others? I want to tip adequate and not been seen by the servers as being cheap…..
Alcohol – I have also read that alcohol bills (bar tabs) can be astronomical at the end of a cruise. Is it permitted to carry on a liquor bottle and keep in your room for happy hour occasions? Or can you suggest a good way to drink aboard but not go broke in doing so?
And lastly the age old question of sea sickness. I myself am not prone to it and cant imagine myself getting sick. However, the missus is a bit different. While not terribly bothered by motion sickness she has felt it before a time or two. Any suggestions on medicines, cabin placement or activities to alleviate it?
Hi dhornick and welcome to Cruise-Chat. You might consider booking a suite, I haven't done the cost comparison, but you might try. Usually the fare for 3rd and 4th are much less when you book 1 room. Plus you would have the luxury of a balcony, which in my opinion, is the best way to go. However, I do understand the cost completely. We use the automatic tipping which is $10/per person per day. At the end of the cruise, if someone has done an outstanding job (which they usually do) we tip extra. They will give you envelopes on the last night. We tip the bar staff as we go, but it is not required as they add 15% gratuity to your bill automatically. I really don't know about tipping up front, we've never done it and never had bad service. You're not supposed to bring alcohol on board. You can bring wine, but they charge a corkage fee. There are lots of posts about sneaking it on in Listerine bottles, etc., but if they find it, they will confiscate it. You will get it back at the end of the cruise. If you purchase a soda card at the beginning of the cruise, all of your fountain sodas are free (not the cans). There is always coffee, tea, and water (not bottled) that is free. In the morning, some juices are free and in the afternoon there's some type of punch that will be free. For alcoholic beverages, don't buy the glasses and you'll save some money. Our last cruise, our bar bill was about $800 which included wine in the dining room. I'd have a margarita every afternoon, a cocktail before dinner, wine with dinner, and a few cocktails in the casino after dinner. My husband had rum punches, or buckets of beer during the day, a cocktail before dinner, a beer or two with dinner, and a beer or two after dinner. We were also on a 10 day cruise, so it averaged $40/day per person. I would also have a double Baileys each evening (at least 1). So, if you stick with beer and wine or at least the bar alcohol, it wont be too bad.
Ginger is the natural cure for sea sickness, they have tablets and candy at health food stores. They also have patches, wrist bands, Bonine, and Dramamine. I doubt you will need any of these, but if your wife has motion sickness, she may. They also say if you eat a green apple when you start to feel queasy it will cure it.
Originally posted by dhornick:
Newbie here. Please bare with me as this will be our first cruise. (Royal Caribbean’s 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise)
Questions –
Cost – Yikes, for a family of four it’s huge (Air fare and Cruise) for us. Now if it were just the wife and myself not a problem but double that and it’s a hefty amount. We are looking at 2 separate cabins (one for two teenage girls and one for mom and dad), to get the best possible price obviously we are looking at two inside cabins. As much as we’d like to be able to see out we just can’t justify the cost. Any thoughts here????
Not really, if you were 5 I'd suggest looking in to a family suite. Although keep in mind if the 4 of you share a cabin the cost of your third and fourth are significantly cheaper (possibly less than the cost per person if you got the inside).
Quote:
Tips, - I’m really concerned about this one…….Are they a percentage of the cruise cost or a fixed dollar amount? I read where if you tip on the first day you will get better service. Is there truth to this and if so how much? How much do you tip your waiter vs. the cabin steward or others? I want to tip adequate and not been seen by the servers as being cheap…..
Tips are a set amount based on the length of the cruise and number of people in your party. Exact amounts depend on the line, but you will receive a sheet with the recommended amounts during your cruise, tip amounts typically aren't that expensive.
Quote:
Alcohol – I have also read that alcohol bills (bar tabs) can be astronomical at the end of a cruise. Is it permitted to carry on a liquor bottle and keep in your room for happy hour occasions? Or can you suggest a good way to drink aboard but not go broke in doing so?
Cruise line rules forbid passengers from bringing alcohol onboard. You can find Royal Caribbean's policy here That's not to say people don't sneak alcohol onboard, but those are the rules, break them at your own risk.
Quote:
And lastly the age old question of sea sickness. I myself am not prone to it and cant imagine myself getting sick. However, the missus is a bit different. While not terribly bothered by motion sickness she has felt it before a time or two. Any suggestions on medicines, cabin placement or activities to alleviate it?
Rule of thumb with cabin placement, cabins in the center or the ship particularly on the lower decks experience the least amount of movement when the ship pitches (movement is front to back). Not much you can do for rolling (movement is side to side). To illustrate this hold a pen with two of your fingers in the middle of the pen. With your other hand move the tip of the pen up and down, you'll notice that the ends of the pen move the most, while the center moves the least. A ship is the same.
Have your family speak with your doctor about a perscription for a motion sickness patch. They work well and are covered by many health insurance plans.
Finally, do you have a travel agent? The knowledge and experience of an agent who specializes in cruises would be invaluable to you in your situation. In additon to being able to answer all your questions, they could work with you to ensure that the cruise and itinerary you're looking at meets you and your families desires both in price and amenities. Plus they can offer you the same deals that the cruise lines or even the online mega travel sites offer, and they don't charge service fees like the mega travel sites offer.
Cruise line reps are very helpful as well, however remember they represent just the one cruise line. After speaking with a travel agent that specializes in cruises, you may find that another line (or even another ship) will fill your need best...
My family and I booked a 7 day, inside cabin. All four in the same cabin. It will be cozy but really none of us plan on spending much time in the cabin. It will be a step up from a tent, thats for certain. Saved a bit doing it that way. Also you might look off season to keep the prices down.
As far as bar tabs its about the same cost as most chain restaurants, maybe a little less.
TIPS: The tip is a standard amount. If you go to the website for your cruise line, they probably have a minimum tip listed for each person per day. The last night you will receive an envelope to put the tips in or you can charge it to your credit card. I read on this website a couple times, where people paid a tip the first day they were on the ship to their maid and waiter/waitress which was in addition to what they paid the last day on ship. The reason being, they thought it got them better service during the cruise. I think the cruise employees are all outstanding and probably will give you the same service whether you pre-tip or not.
We had three people (2 high schoolers and an adult) in an inside cabin, it was crowded, but doable. All we did in the cabin was sleep and shower. If you want to play cards, read, etc, there are lots of places on the ship where you can go that has more room.
We brought over the counter dramamine along and the presciption patch. My son used a dramamine the first day otherwise we never needed it. I saw several people wearing the patch on our ship. The patch is most effective if applied before you need it.
Enjoy your cruise, it is a stress free way to vacation.
One advantage of having two cabins is having two bathrooms. With two teenaged daughters, that would be a great perk.
We had an inside cabin for both of our Royal Caribbean cruises. It was absolutely fine both times...and we'd had ocean view cabins on other cruises prior to these. One thing I love about the Royal Caribbean ships is that there are many public areas from which you can enjoy a wonderful ocean view, both from inside the ship and from outer decks.
But, if you don't mind the four of you sharing a cabin, I'd look into the "large oceanview stateroom." This category is about 50 square feet larger than a standard oceanview or interior (inside) stateroom. The girls would have to use a sofabed and/or upper bunk, and you'd have less privacy, but it can save you some $.
I doubt that they would even let two teenage girls have a cabin by themselves. They are very strict about that. I know several people who have cruised with four to a room - it's crowded, but it can be done.
I'd suggest getting the RCCL credit card and earning ship board credit. That way you won't be so concerned about tips and a few drinks and you can enjoy the cruise.
Also, "Newbie here. Please bare with me" I think you'd want us to bear with you ;o))
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