Pandamonia

Funny, I manage to go on many holidays but it's the only ones where American companies are involved im expected to pay the staff instead of the company employing them. Rest of the world manages to provide service as good as if not better than American run companies without the need for tips. Actually MOST PEOPLE don't tip at all. America isn't MOST people. It's one country who has invented the worlds worst system in hospitality. There is nothing special about American food, service or experiences so tipping has resulted in nothing additional that I get from places where tips are not expected at all.

Im even more looking forward to cancel tips on Royal and not be expected to pay them on P&O. How long until Royal expects 20$ a day tips and you have to make your own bed? Clean your own toilet? this cruise line is going down hill faster than its decline in food quality.

Ive seen some crazy deals lately on P&O inside cabins so i guess this might apply to balcony cabins best or above?. Personally i just dont know what i will fancy doing in 2023 let alone 2025 for the sake of 5% doesnt seem worth it. P&O is already so much cheaper than Royal so im already saving a lot versus who i normally cruise with. I cant believe the cost of our December Arvia 2 weeks in the Caribbean versus royals pricing.

is there any real savings by booking this far ahead?

I said the same about the food and speciality sucking on Wonder. Hibatchi and Izumi were the only highlights with a little of hooked being good too. But overall Royals food standards suck and their prices are not reflective of the standard delivered at all. If the food is just as bad on Anthem i wont be booking Royal again.

Yes compared to the casinos ive been to in the UK. No 00 on Roulette Split Aces and play each hand separately not limited to 1 card Rubbish side bets, here there is a poker hand type side bet pays 9/1 and honestly all the money ive ever won in the UK has been off that side bet. Casinos at sea ive seen are the worst odds ive ever seen. These small changes push the odds in favour of the house by a few percent in some instances. Casinos on ships ive always seen them as amusement so im baffled when i see people betting big on them.

I often wonder who pays 20k for a suite on a floating budget hotel (which is what cruise ships are) You essentially pay 20k for the almost same experience someone who paid $600 gets.

If he was a decent gambler he wouldn't be gambling on a cruise ship with the worst odds in the world. He clearly just has more money than imagination.

I know someone who went with her pinnacle grandma as her "carer" and ended up as Pinnacle status. No idea how this happened as i was under the impression it cut off at Diamond Plus.

And the Caribbean isnt their only market though is it.

Well in fairness to the OP. When they had that experience i would just round up and call it a disaster cruise. These 3 and 4 day booze cruises are a blatant cash grab and a terrible idea other than maximum revenue. They have a very bad reputation every time they do them and eventually they always stop because of the inherent problems caused such as: Staff burnout Trashed rooms Trashed ships excessive drinking bad reviews and brand tarnishing Eventual lawsuits The issue is that people can go wild for 3 or 4 days which causes all of the above. It also lowers the entry price point dragging unsavoury clientele on to the ship who would normally not be able to spend 7 or 14 days on a ship. The problem is that Royals C Suite are like crack heads addicted to easy money. Every idea that increases revenue per person per day must be a good one.... until it isnt and the damage is done. Royal has enjoyed a rather unique position in the market for a while due to its ship classes but others have caught up and will soon compete far more for the same clients. Add in the days of easy money are over Royal might find its self with a ton of debt and a load of empty rooms. Its already sailing with empty inside cabins on many cruises rather than discount them. This is always a sure fire sign of hidden issues with passenger numbers

Maybe i just dont agree with some of the people on this forum such as you and others like you which seem to think Royal can do no wrong and its the person booking the holidays fault. Fact is this. Food can suck. Service can suck Royal can price gauge pretty bad whilst also delivering terrible experiences and poor value Some staff SUCK. Some ships suck. (old, tatty rooms, dirty) Some itineraries suck How royal deals with some things suck. Singers can REALLY suck and dont get me started on some of the comedians. Even the headline acts can suck. Royal is in control of ALL of the above. None of these are the persons fault who booked. Experiences will vary on the same ship and it does not make it the persons fault. Royal has a responsibility to deliver consistent quality and service and they often fail but still expect to be paid the same as if they didnt. Maybe if the average Royal customer had a higher standard of taste and expectation then royal wouldnt have felt it could get away with ever constant fall in standards in the MDR or think it can get away with charging 200$ to sit on a cabana on deck for a day. (some of you suckers over the pond are paying it... because on Euro sailings they are empty!) Fact is that Royal clientele used to look down on the average carnival passenger... well they aint looking down any more.... Royal is the new carnival.

I don't know what would be worse. Experiencing the cruise the OP posted about.... Or being stuck on a ship with some of the people on this thread.

Do not bother on ship. they ask for married status. called up and they didn't even want proof of living together. You need to have completed their first cruise though it says on website. Might be an issue or not.

I guess royals pricing is one way. Charge more for less and when we give less don't refund... Imagine the fuel savings over the year whilst they cut the ports short due to engine problem.

People seriously think the casino is a place to make a profit? 🤣 I always thought they be light entertainment as best.

What pros? Touchless systems are a gimmick. If you dont touch the lift controls then you will touch something else equally dirty..... Hand rails drinks handled by bar staff chairs drinks dispensers food serving spoons tables Any surface can be made anti bacterial and anti viral by a simple nano coating. I have one. The cruise lines were not interested or bothered. If you think they care about your health.. they dont... they just care about $$$ Touchless controls are a cheap gimmick to fool dumb people in to thinking they are safer

So far Royals greedy pricing has pushed me to: Try different cruise lines Not buy drinks packages not pay for excursions complain more when things are not as good as promised be less fussy about destinations and itinerary. book more inside cabin GTY Royals financial results clearly show there is no growth other than price inflation and that will quickly run out of steam in the current economic environment. These kind of behaviours are the desperate attempt from CEO's to claw every point of margin to report to the stockmarket. The issue they now face is that i will never revert back to the high spending loyal cruiser that i was before these insane prices and as people are squeezed through high rates on debt and higher unemployment and inflation in cost of living there will be more people whos behaviour changes too. So royal might have dynamic pricing but people also have dynamic spending and i wont be spending more with royal ill be spending much less for a very long time.

Well you arent really depriving another guest of that drink though are you.. but when you bribe the staff to give you the best table near the window someone else is disadvantaged by your willy waving dollar dollar bill bribery. I just get this image in my head of some **** in the movies buying things that arent for sale. Except in this case its 3 USD bills being given to a worker from the 3rd world.

So you basically pay the staff to sell you a table that doesnt belong to them? Lol.

People pay up to $160 to go to a water park. Wow, prices have really lost the plot in the states. All i keep reading is how much debt is increasing in the US consumer and rates are going up and up but people are paying 160$ to go on some water slides lol. Feels like 2007 all over again.

No waiters walking around most of the time and the ones that do just pay zero attention. Massive groups of people at every bar trying to get a drink because there is little to no table service by the pool or most of the bars. On Wonder the waiter told everyone to hold off on the drinks order because the Tepenyaki chef was waiting to get started and he didnt want to delay him so we all had to wait for the usual song and dance routine to finish before we could get a drink. We all sat in disbelief... The reason its hard to pinpoint a problem with a cruise line is because its inconsistent between ships. Zero service for me is the service above the most basic level of service expected so to answer the smart arse about the towels and trash that is what i consider to be zero service. Passing a bottle from the fridge to the bar is not service. Taking my drink order at the sunbed and bringing me a cocktail that is well made is service.

I have a version of this with 4 USB ports on. Best plug ever.

The really clever ones that work anywhere in the world on any plug and have USBs on them also. Check amazon

P&O are already on 1 per day but they also got rid of the stupid tips completely and the prices are reasonable at the bar and the service no worse than royals. I cannot contemplate why Royal think a daily tip charge is acceptable whilst now providing half the service than before.