Luvcrusn

Shaking my head in wonderment! 🤯

Generally a gratuity is paid on the food bill. When there's a delivery fee on food (like Grub Hub or Uber Eats) the gratuity is paid as a percentage of the food cost.

18% of what? Certainly shouldn't be 18% of the service fee!

We, like you, don't need a TA to hold our hand when making a reservation and have use the same agency for the past15 years. The cruise I booked with them last week for 2024 had a fare difference that was $3090 less than quoted by X (or done by us online on the X site for the identical cabin) and also got an additional $375 in OBC-R for an Aqua Class cabin. Usually the difference is about $800-$1000. This price difference is ridiculous!

I mentioned several of them in my conversation yesterday with the person from LLP's office that responded to my email.

FYI we were on Equinox 3 weeks ago and there was an excellent speaker from NASA. Funny you should mention that LOL.

We booked a X cruise for 2024 with our TA and priced it through X as well. The pricing was for an Aqua Class cabin (the same cabin booked). The TA rate was $3090 less than booking it direct with X. Both were refundable deposits, both included Classic BP, WIFI, and gratuities and $400 OBC from X. The TA additionally included 10% of the cruise fare back as OBC-R in addition to another loyalty OBC-R from the TA.

The prime verandahs that are on the slant off the hump have verandahs that are larger, however the cabins themselves are the same size.

I am so sorry for your loss. As always your positive attitude shines through. Prayers and wishes for strength for you and your family.

I sent an email to LLP yesterday as well and received a call back today. I expressed that while I understand the exponential rate increases post-Covid, the additional nickel and diming once onboard (i.e. new room service fee and second lobster charge combined with the noticeable cutbacks in OVC lunch, dinner and afternoon tea offerings) were not compatible with X's expected level of service. The person I spoke with listened and said that customer feedback was valued, recorded and considered. She didn't offer any excuses. We'll see.

But...one must get dressed to go there eliminating the advantage of multi tasking (eating and dressing) to get to an early excursion.

On Equinox in December there were no burgers in the OVC, just at Mast Grill. Yes, there was a sandwich station but it was greatly reduced from all of our previous cruises on any X ship. The pizza was like always. No grilled steaks.

We were on Equinox in December and few passengers wore masks, maybe about 5% We did wear them in elevators, theater etc. and noone commented. Only a few of the staff wore them, although some did. Our stateroom attendant didn't most days that we saw him, however I returned to the cabin one day while he was doing a cleaning during the cruise and he was masked up. There were no announcements made regarding covid cases. I did talk to one couple at the pool daily whose friend had 102 degree fever but I don't think they reported it to medical and just stayed in his cabin. His wife was out and about however as were their friends.

We had them on Equinox 12/12/2022-12/22/1022. However there was also as @albimentioned a lot of pork and less expensive cuts than previously available.

AquaClass Exclusive Restaurant: Blu Expanded room service breakfast menu available† AquaClass Features Located close to The Spa Floor-to-ceiling sliding-glass doors King-sized bed** Exclusive eXhale® bedding Plentiful storage space Spacious sitting area with sofa Enhanced air filtration system *Additional charges apply † $9.95 service fee and 18% gratuity may apply **Bed as large or larger than average standard international king-size bed Yup, they tout the expanded menu and then say they are going to charge $9.95+ for the privilege! Really?!!! Considering the outrageous fares they are currently charging for Aqua they have one large nerve!!!🤬

Or they want to charge $9.95 + gratuity each time we exercise the privilege.🤬 When we have an early shore excursion is was so convenient to order room service breakfast while getting dressed.

My most cherished moments on a cruise are having an early hot coffee and buttery croissant on the balcony in the early morning followed by a light breakfast of eggs and fruit, wrapped in my robe and watching the ocean. It's one of the reasons we usually book at least concierge or Aqua for their expanded room service menu.

When we have no rooms available in a category they are free.🤣

Ask for chocolate to be swirled around the glass.

Make sure you do it more than 30 days before if possible.

That does seem a fair comparison. We took our grandkids to Disney the week before our last cruise. But Disney doesn't offer discounts through travel agents of 50%.

We only sail Aqua class when the price differential is small. We do enjoy the ambiance and service in Blu, but if the difference is large we'd rather eat in specialty restaurants a few nights and can certainly enjoy the MDR. The pricing lately has gone up exponentially so the nickel and diming makes no sense. All it does is antagonize long time loyal customers who are accustomed to a certain level of service and amenities from X. Charge for the product and stop playing pickpocket once we're aboard!!!

My DH also rented a scooter from Scootaround that was waiting at our stateroom. Good luck. If it goes as well as his did you'll be in good shape! We took a Lyft from our hotel and that made it easy to manage luggage.

I cannot speak to Constellation and Tampa, however last month my DH needed wheelchair assistance from curb to cabin and cabin to curb on Equinox in Ft. Lauderdale due to a back problem. It was absolutely flawless and we couldn't have asked for anything more. Good luck. Our experience was that X was very attuned to his needs (and mine).