SPacificbound

Knock yourself out if you are getting a kick out of hounding me with your impression of what I said.

You missed the initial post. If you bothered to read it you would see there is nothing about "tipping prior to service".

Chefandthedancer, that is a beautiful picture you posted. We have done 4 crossings on Queen Mary 2, you will want to do some reading on the Cunard forum.

Try to take mostly small bills, $1, $5, & $10, so you can pay as close to the price as possible. The change you get will likely be coins and you can't do much with them.

I like the Loc-Tite and they come in different sizes depending on what you want to take. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Loctote+Flak+Sack

I hope the cast is removed and you and your wife have a wonderful relaxing cruise.

I hope this all works out for you and you have a wonderful cruise!

We have never had to wait more than a few minutes. We usually aim for about 1:00PM.

We were gifted a RC gift certificate for Christmas one year, and that was nice.

We have done a lot of private excursions, either with others on our roll call or just for us. I look for reputable companies who have very good reviews and a history of good service. We occasionally do a ship's tour but not often. If you go to your roll call there may be others on your cruise who are already putting excursions together.

What a terrible experience for your family. I hope you will follow through as recommended. I am sorry you had this experience.

There is nothing in my post that says we give the gratuity before service. That would be ridiculous, and is not what I said. There is no reason for you to be insulting.

It is not a bribe, it is appreciation.

I prefer to pay up front, then it's done. These tips are divided up, and some goes to people who you will never see. We always give a good bartender a little extra on the first day, and then a little here and there and we have a good bartender for the remaining time on the ship. If you feel your cabin attendant has gone above and beyond, it is nice to give them something extra towards the end of the cruise.

You will know a good bartender when you get there. They are paying attention, happy to take your order, bring you back the right drink, Bingo.