nautihog

 

The attitude of the original poster reminds me of my first wife....the others remind me my wife now.

 

:)

What happened to numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5? :confused:

I think some of you are giving tiessa a bit more grief that she deserves. She is giving an opinion and also giving reasons for that opinion. That, I think is the reason that this forum is called Cruise Critic. It appears to me that some have become so loyal to a particular cruise line that they feel it is necessary to defend them if someone else offers an opinion or a perspective. That is the reason that I sought out this fourm and I appreciate those who give their opinions as it helps me. If someone had a bad time on a particular cruise, I would like to know about it. If someone is criticised for making a report, that may prevent others from doing so in the future.

Thanks for your report, tiessa. You have saved me from taking another damn tour bus trip, which most of the time are BS anyway. (One pit stop in 4 hours? Jesus!) I think I will just sit on the ship, swat Zika carrying mosquitoes and sip chardonnay.

This does not sound encouraging. We board the Coral Princess in 20 days for a partial transit of the Panama Canal. This does not sound like the Princess I have known from the past. I would think (hope?) that Princess will put forth an extra effort to eliminate the problems by then. As I write this the Coral Princess is enroute to Oranjestad, Aruba. I would think (hope) they got things working again.

Newbie? Hell, I wished I looked like a newbie. I have only been on 8 cruises and three of them were on MSTS ships. You have not cruised until you have been on MSTS. (Military Sea Transportation Service...MATS + Military Air Transportation Service)

There are times that I go places where I keep a hotel room key on a lanyard which is tucked under my shirt. Damn convenient. sometimes I will keep the cardkey in my pocket, but having a lanyard gives me a choice so I always bring one. I am not worried what anyone thinks.

My suggestion is to bring one and use it when it is convenient and tuck it in when you leave the ship.

BTW: Don't worry that when off the ship that locals will know you're a tourist. They will spot you from a mile away.

Wearing a shirt or anything else from another cruise line will get nasty looks form the crew.:p

This one will too.

This is insane. "To punch or not to punch, that is the question." Alright. I will buy into this insanity. Do they give you a lanyard or do you have to get one myself? If they don't give you one, can you buy one onboard? If you buy one onboard, is there a gratuity added and if there is do leave an extra tip for good service? Can you smuggle your own on board? If you get caught, will you get called to the "naughty room?" :confused:

'20/20' Inquirer Ballot Results

Here's what ABCNEWS.com readers had to say about tipping.

Is tipping out of control?

Yes: 86%

No: 14%

I started this mess. And yes. Some people (not all) give big tips b ecause it gives them a since of power.

why are the crews wages our concern ??

They shouldn't be. Those who have low positions on the ship are from 3rd world countries and even though there wages a small compared to our standards, they make a lot more money working on the ship than they would make at home. I don't think any of them have been forced to work on the ships. And, I do believe they should have decent working conditions. I would not use a cruise line if I believed the employees worked in bad conditions or were mistreated

Anyway, if it makes someone feel good, powerful or god-like to give big tips then I am happy for them. My only complaint is that the whole concept is out of control. Service charges, pre-paid gratuities, tips for extra service. It's getting like Vegas.

This tipping thing has got out of hand. It has been 15 years since we were on our last cruise. We have only been on 5 cruises. Back then we all gave our tips in envelopes at the end of the cruise. There was usually a recommendation and that is what we gave. As far as service it was always very good. I just don't think anyone should tip for what is considered superior service as it all should be superior. I realize there may be exceptional circumstances when you may ask for something that would be out of the ordinary and perhaps that would be an appropriate time to give something extra.

But, it seems like people are going insane with this tipping. I recall that the waitstaff on the ships had very coveted jobs and were paid much better than where they came from. I just will not go on a cruise and worry about what the waitstaff are making. I selected the pre-paid gratuities so that these people do get what i would guess is an appropriate amount. Tip the bartender for a drink that already has a gratuity added? This is crazy. Tip upon tip upon tip.

I do realize that many get some kind of a warm and wonderful feeling when they give extra big tips. I have friends that do this and I know that they seem to get some kind of high doing it. Perhaps it's a sense of power or they need to feel as if they are so wonderful.

Like I said, I am on pre-gratuity for our next cruise next month, and will probably give out a few envelopes with $10.00 or maybe $15.00 extra. I should not have to do this and the whole idea of the pre-gratuity thing is to insure that the waitstaff get paid. But I will do it.

Others I have talked to feel the same way. It has gotten kind of crazy. Some now want to give the pre-gratuity another name. Soon we will have a surcharge upon a tip plus added tax. Maybe it is already here.