allure of the seas
 

Hi all! My name is brian and am very new to this site! I had asked a few questions but wasn"t able to retrieve answers. Most likely my fault. Can anyone tell me which restaurants on the allure charge and how much approx. Also which do not. Im not too worried about costs but we have almost 60 ppl coming and was hoping to pass on some info. Its mine and my wifes third cruise ( first two were carnival and loved them ) and just wanna get a feel for what to expect on RCI. Any help would be so great! Cheers to all as you all seem so willing to help. Safe travels to all! Sincerely Brian.

Look at my post here and you'll see a file attached which lists the dining options. Since then they have increased the prices by $5 for some places, and also changed the format for Rita's. Rita's now is a $3 cover charge, plus an all ala-carte menu. I believe Izuma is a $5 cover and ala-carte menu. The cover charges include any waiter tips.

Brian, I think you'll love Allure of the Seas, and that it will compare very well to your prior cruises. Don't forget that you can reserve show times, specialty restaurants, and more in advance, on Royal Caribbean's web site. Then, when you check in for your cruise and you're given your room key/boarding pass/etc, everything you've reserved will be encoded on the card. When it's time to go to the activity you've reserved, staff members at the door of the venue just scan your card and you're in.

You can also make reservations once on the Allure, but note that many people will have reserved before you online. Also, if you decide to go to a show without a reservation, they let those folks in about 10 minutes prior to show time, assuming there are seats available.

Being part of a big group can be fun, in that you can do things on your own or in small clusters during the day, and come together in the evening for dinner in the same area of the dining room.

When is your cruise?

Dave, thanks for more updates on the dining. You're right, I might need reading glasses to see the page you attached. Printing it out helped a little.

Brian,
When is your cruise? My family is heading out on Aug. 14th on the Allure to the Western Caribbean. Can't wait, it's our first cruise! :D

Allure of the seas
 

Hi there! We set sail on aug 28 for 7 days but we are staying in fla for 1 day before and 3 after! Congrats on your first cruise. This our third and have so far had great experiences. I truly believe you will be addicted! Have a great trip and would love to hear what you think upon your return!

Thanks Sandy! We cant wait and every time we come back from a cruise we are already thinking of where next! Your advice was very help full as we only have 2 under our belt.
we set sail on aug 28/11 for a 7 day western. Can you tell me the gratuity policy and how its paid? seemed a little confusing on RCI site. Also, it says you can prepay online. i think it said approx 88 $ per week. to me that doesn't sound like enough for the people that make our cruise so enjoyable.

Brian, gratuities for non-suite guests are suggested at $11.65 per person, per day. This includes children. That total covers your waiter, assistant waiter, Head Waiter, and room steward.

You can pre-pay the gratuities along with your final payment for your cruise. There are some circumstances under which you are required to pre-pay the gratuities. Since you're with a group, if your group coordinator has requested "round robin" seating at dinner, where your group members are able to sit at any of your group's tables and not necessarily the same table each night, that requires pre-payment. If you choose the flexible dining program where you go to the dining room at a different time each night and sit at a different table, that also requires gratuity pre-payment.

Tips to bar staff at 15% are included on the bill with each drink you order.

If you don't pre-pay the gratuities, you have two options on the ship. You can go to the Guest Relations Desk within the first couple of days onboard, and ask that your tips be put onto your onboard account. Otherwise, you can pay tips in cash on the last full day of your cruise. Your room steward will give you envelopes and a list of suggested tips. You put the tip into the appropriately labeled envelope, and hand each envelope to the appropriate person. To my mind, it's much easier to either pre-pay or add tips to your onboard account.

The amount of the gratuity is a "suggestion" but of course, you're always free to give more money to anyone you think has gone above and beyond. Many people on this board suggest giving some additional cash to your room steward on the first day of the cruise, which, they say, ensures extraordinary service during the cruise.

I've read the $3 cover charge for Rita's doesn't include gratuity.

While it wasn't clear in the beginning, you are right! They will add a 15% gratuity to the bill. Look at the bottom of the Seafood Shack menu here. The Rita's menu doesn't mention the tip but it might be noted elsewhere. If they are doing it at the Seafood Shack they are doing it at Rita's. :mad:

I don't like this at all. Did you notice also on the Sea Shack at the bottom it says an additional tax may be added at certain ports or itineraries.