Pratique

The fixed price restaurants might vary per sailing, check the planner for "sales." The a-la-carte prices were the ones mentioned above.

In theory, yes. Royal is counting on people willing to pay any amount to avoid the MDR and WJ as the variety and quality in those venues declines. That is why I eat in the specialty venues and then go stuff myself in the WJ, or take food back to the cabin for a midnight snack, so I can "feel" as if I am getting my money's worth. 😃 Fine with me if the specialty venues are less than full, makes for a better experience. EDIT to add: I've been pricing out Disney Wish and it makes RC look like a bargain.

It's more than that in a suite. Fresh ice, fresh bath and pool towels, a copy of the Compass, clearing out plates, cups and silverware we used in the room during the day, and the turndown, among other things.

I'm not sure we know who is quitting, who is continuing, and who is joining. We don't have that level of data. My point is that people will stomp their feet if they have to pay extra for pizza but if that actually happens will they really make a stink about it on CC or just accept it? Or rationalize how it saves them money because they are only paying for what they eat? And why be upset about the pizza but not about the housekeeping? I suppose people new to cruising won't know the thousand cuts that have already occurred, and either they will enjoy the first experience and come back for more or they will be one-and-done. There are more than a few old timers on CC who have proclaimed that they are leaving or at least reducing the number of cruises they take on Royal. And then there are those who are just happy to be on the ship (including me, for now at least). But I always expected to eventually phase out cruise vacations before all these changes hit because all good things must end. Right now the cruise industry seems to be enjoying the post-pandemic surge, but it is just a surge and eventually the pendulum swings back. If and when they eliminate twice daily housekeeping from the suites then I will be upset because those suites are expensive and I pay for them because I want to be pampered while on vacation. If I was in a cheap inside cabin then I wouldn't care so much. Or a cabin in the woods.

I've said this before but I believe there are many things Royal could eliminate and there would be folks here rationalizing how it is a good thing. Apparently once a day housekeeping is the best thing since sliced bread but the idea of up-charging for pizza is way over the line. So maybe I was wrong.

I would like that too but the world doesn't work that way. Imagine if auto mechanics were tipped positions and the customer got to decide how much they got paid. They would be shorted all the time. There is also a disparity in how the service industry compensates the tipped workers who are the ones generating revenue for the business but the business does not reward them for their hard work and instead relies on the customer to do it. No wonder turnover is so high. Recently there is growing backlash to tipping culture. People are getting tired of being asked to tip up to 50% for things that were not tipped in the past, like take-out meals. We were just at an Angels game last month in a suite. The server presented us with a tablet to add a tip and it had an option for 120% (presented as a dollar amount not a percentage) which my mother mistakenly hit and it could not be undone, she had to dispute it with the credit card company. It's getting out of control IMHO.

They prefer it because they are only paid $2 an hour. I presume it varies but my sister waited tables at a chain restaurant that required her to put 8% of her sales into the tip pool regardless of how much she received in tips. She got to keep whatever was left. If guests shorted her on the tips then it came out of her pocket. And there was this game where if she passed some of her cash tips to the seater or bus boy then they would give her tables preference. It was ugly especially when foreign guests who are not used to tipping would run up big checks and leave paltry (or no) tips.

The airlines and hotels hold back inventory using similar thinking to make sure they still have seats/rooms to sell (or use for re-bookings) on short notice and to increase revenue. They probably teach this stuff in business school. Will it backfire? Probably not but even if it does they will be able to adjust without going bankrupt. Not sure why customers expect these companies to be more generous? They are all seeking to maximize profit. At least Royal is open about what they are doing.

It has been reported that vigilante groups in Port-au-Prince are pushing back on the gangs with limited success. There are many Haitians who want peace and stability but sadly the country has been unable to achieve lasting stability since colonial times and that is unlikely to significantly change anytime soon. The international community is looking for someone to lead a coalition to restore the government but no one wants to touch the situation right now. Again, for perspective, the U.S. embassy has identified a handful of neighborhoods in the capital where kidnappings have been prevalent. The State Department travel warning exists because law enforcement has been ineffective and the embassy has limited resources to assist U.S. citizens. Labadee has private security. It may not be perfect but it is something, which is more than nothing. Criminals tend to target the weakest points and furthermore the gangs in Haiti have not proven that they are sophisticated or organized enough to effectively attack the cruise port. They can kidnap one or two people at a time from vulnerable locations and not face any legal or organizational consequences except perhaps from rival gangs. I still would not try to convince anyone to go to Labadee and if one is cynical about the cruise line's commitment to guest safety then definitely don't go.

It seems that many of the comments here can be classified either as "I am very concerned" or "I am not particularly concerned." We all have different comfort levels. I think that if one is inclined to avoid Labadee then there is always the option to cancel or change plans. If that results in a financial penalty, then one can raise the issue about the travel warning with Royal and see if they will make an exception, but otherwise those are the terms agreed to when the cruise was purchased. As far as the insurance, the only people who can definitively answer that question are at the insurance company because every policy is different, and even then they may say that it depends on your coverage and the nature of the prospective claim. I would not trust any advice given here about insurance even if someone has a copy of the policy to review because it would be nothing more than an unofficial interpretation. Also, emergency medical evacuations from Labadee nearly always come via air from the Dominican Republic or in exceptional cases from Puerto Rico or Turks and Caicos, which may affect the policy differently than if the evacuation occured within Haiti.

Labadee is not specifically mentioned within the travel advisory but is discussed generally in the safety and security section of the country information page for Haiti. To put things in perspective, the State Department notes that tourists travel to Haiti at their own risk with Labadee being the exception. The recent travel advisory was issued because the U.S. embassy has very limited resources to assist U.S. citizens who are in Haiti. Cruise passengers at Labadee do not formally enter the country and are the responsibility of the cruise line, not the embassy. If someone does not want to travel to Labadee then I would not try and talk them into it. Personally, I have felt safe there because it is a secured environment. I was on one cruise years ago where the channel was temporarily blocked by some fishing boats and I assume that some arrangement (most likely handled locally) was made to clear them away. Sketchy, yes, but I trust that the captain would not have entered if it was unsafe to do so.

Does it surprise you that Royal is still sailing to Labadee?

Spirit is still flying to Cap-Haitian.

Yes we have ordered to go in the past. I was on Oasis in June and this was most definitely not true. We were very disappointed by the selection of food in the SL. Mostly cookies and fruit, very little in the way of hot food. Major cutbacks have occurred.

Yeah us too.

In June I parked in the overflow lot and I paid when I entered. It was $210 to park outside next to an abandoned warehouse.

We once offered our stateroom attendant, who we bonded with during the cruise, some frequent flyer miles so she could fly her family from Trinidad to Walt Disney World. She was deeply touched by the offer but ultimately declined because there were too many other financial and logistical obstacles in her path. It was a rare circumstance to make a personal connection with the crew like that. Of course, she got some extra cash. But the gesture was meaningful to her, and the next time we were on that ship she recognized us in the corridor and went out of her way to say hello even though she was not our attendant. Everyone has a different way of approaching this situation. Do what you think is best.

Post #1 poses two questions. First, whether it is OK to give candy to crew. The OP answers his own question by saying his sister does it. Second, whether others do the same. Most of the posts have been responsive to the second question. It is a survey question. If this is intended to be an echo chamber with only "yes I do" answers and nothing to the contrary, then it's not clear to me how that is helpful to the OP or anyone else who may be interested in this topic.

Nearly always the crew will accept the gift graciously even if they don't want it. However, once I witnessed someone giving a handful of change to a porter at an airport and the porter threw the coins onto the ground in disgust. Certainly not a common occurrence though. I recently saw the new Indiana Jones movie where the university gives Indy a retirement gift, which he hands off to a homeless person on the street a few minutes after graciously thanking everyone for it. From time to time I see Pinnacle guests handing out packaged food or bottled drinks to the crew and I watch the crew reactions, which vary from enthusiastic to appreciative but somewhat indifferent. Unless a crew member expresses an interest in something particular that is difficult for them to get on their own, I think that cash is probably the best the way to go.

In a suite you still get twice daily housekeeping and they will deliver the paper Compass in the evening. If you see a paper Compass in your suite when you arrive then you will get one each day, otherwise ask the attendant or concierge. I also saw copies in the Diamond Lounge.

I believe that at one point they stopped giving out the crystal blocks but reversed that decision.

Small ships?

Good to know. On Oasis I was able to connect to the sound bar via Bluetooth to play music off of my phone. I didn't try casting to the TV so not sure if it is possible yet.

Wasn't it always possible to ask the attendant to service the room once a day? Before the policy change? Or just hang the do not disturb sign out all day long? I know that the attendants are sometimes uncomfortable being asked to skip a service because they don't want to get in trouble with their supervisors, but if you make the request clear they will oblige. We often sail in a loft suite on Oasis class so we get two attendants twice a day. They are in and out fairly quickly and are always available nearby to get us something if we need it. It is a real luxury to be waited on like this and one of the reasons we enjoy cruise vacations instead of going to a hotel. If we are in a non-suite I would at least like the option to select once or twice a day servicing, but it seems unlikely that such an option will ever become available. But who knows what the future holds.

Yes, it is on the left hand side of this photo.