*~ Cruising (travel by Waterways) megathread ~*

coylemj

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

What are the nicest villages and towns on the Shannon between Carrick and Lanesborough? We are thinking of staying in Dromod & Roosky. Any others?

Come on mods, inland waterways cruising in Ireland needs a separate thread.

Bundling every query about the Shannon, Barrow and the Erne into this megathread makes no sense.

Sycamore Tree

coylemj wrote: »

Come on mods, inland waterways cruising in Ireland needs a separate thread.

Bundling every query about the Shannon, Barrow and the Erne into this megathread makes no sense.

I have to agree. I really don't want to read about cruise ships - I could not think of a worse holiday.

fitzparker

coylemj wrote: »

The normal procedure for checking in that they will give you a time slot which may or may not depend on your deck number. There may not be a facilty to deposit your bag if you arrive early because the place where you will be checking in (usually a warehouse very close to the ship) may be very busy with departing passengers collecting their bags.



Onboad is totally cashless, even in the shops. You will get a guest card when you check in and you charge everything to your account which you settle on the last day or the night before. You can chose to leave a cash tip for your room cleaner and you can give a tip on the last evening to the waiter(ess) who served you dinner in the dining room but that's it. The'suggested' tip that you mention would be per person.



ALl MSC ships have 'speciality' resturants such as Japanese or Texas steakhouses or the like which you can book and you pay extra. If you stick to the breakfast and lunch buffets and have dinner in the main dining room, you don't have to book or pay a cent extra, other than for wine if it's not included in your drinks package.



Excursions booked onboard are relatively expensive and they will even try to extract an exhorbitant fare from you to drop you downtown and will often exaggerate the distance to get you to buy a bus ticket from them the night before. Do some research on each port and see if you can explore independently but be aware of personal security at all times.



I Googled 'msc seaside', this was the first hit....

https://www.msccruises.ie/en-ie/Discover-MSC/Cruise-Ships/MSC-Seaside.aspx

Thanks for the help all, we have the delux drinks package so we can basically drink anything/anywhere without a cost. but should we bring a few do $ with us to tip each barperson or does the gratuity cover this?

Regarding the casino, I presume this is cashless also, so would I be right in saying you pay with the card for roulette and they give you chips then?

I will research excursions as we would like to do one on each port so will see what companies are best and how they compare to booking through MSC.

Thoie

fitzparker wrote: »

Thanks for the help all, we have the delux drinks package so we can basically drink anything/anywhere without a cost. but should we bring a few do $ with us to tip each barperson or does the gratuity cover this?

Regarding the casino, I presume this is cashless also, so would I be right in saying you pay with the card for roulette and they give you chips then?

I will research excursions as we would like to do one on each port so will see what companies are best and how they compare to booking through MSC.

There's usually a gratuity built in to the drinks package, but some people tip extra per drink as well. You can do this either with cash, or if they present you with a receipt to sign for the drink you can write in an extra tip there which will come from your account.

I'm not sure about table games in the casino, but the slot machines are cash. There's usually a cashiers desk where you get chips/cash out - I'm sure they'll take your money in lots of different ways

Stone Deaf 4evr

Regarding the Drinks packages - on Royal Caribbean, it works out at 55 dollars a day, for two people, that adds up to a not insubstantial 770. has anyone here gone for it? did you find it worthwhile? we last cruised with them back in 2006, and we racked up a bar bill of 400 or so for the week and tbh we were on honeymoon and certainly embraced the partying. Thinking of going next year.

angeldelight

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Regarding the Drinks packages - on Royal Caribbean, it works out at 55 dollars a day, for two people, that adds up to a not insubstantial 770. has anyone here gone for it? did you find it worthwhile? we last cruised with them back in 2006, and we racked up a bar bill of 400 or so for the week and tbh we were on honeymoon and certainly embraced the partying. Thinking of going next year.

We haven’t as it wouldn’t be worth it for us but even moderate drinking could make it worth while - if you have a few specialty coffees during the day, bottles of water, some sodas they all are included too

Yellowledbetter

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Regarding the Drinks packages - on Royal Caribbean, it works out at 55 dollars a day, for two people, that adds up to a not insubstantial 770. has anyone here gone for it? did you find it worthwhile? we last cruised with them back in 2006, and we racked up a bar bill of 400 or so for the week and tbh we were on honeymoon and certainly embraced the partying. Thinking of going next year.

We paid around €700 for 2 drinks packages on the Oasis for our Honeymoon in 2015,we reckoned it had paid for itself by lunch time on the 4th day so for us it was worth it. Going on the Symphony in September and we got 2 deluxe drinks packages as part of the deal this time,doubt we’ll hammer it as mush this time but was nice to get them for free this time

Thoie

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Regarding the Drinks packages - on Royal Caribbean, it works out at 55 dollars a day, for two people, that adds up to a not insubstantial 770. has anyone here gone for it? did you find it worthwhile? we last cruised with them back in 2006, and we racked up a bar bill of 400 or so for the week and tbh we were on honeymoon and certainly embraced the partying. Thinking of going next year.

I've cut down on drinking a lot over the last few years (old age catching up with me), and find I don't drink nearly enough to make it worthwhile these days. I get better use out of the refreshment package or coffee cards and just buy my alcoholic drinks singly. If you have a lot of port days and you're off the ship all day, that cuts down on the drinking time too. Would you drink 5+ cocktails each every evening?

Stone Deaf 4evr

Thoie wrote: »

I've cut down on drinking a lot over the last few years (old age catching up with me), and find I don't drink nearly enough to make it worthwhile these days. I get better use out of the refreshment package or coffee cards and just buy my alcoholic drinks singly. If you have a lot of port days and you're off the ship all day, that cuts down on the drinking time too. Would you drink 5+ cocktails each every evening?

Maybe not 5 every evening, but I could probably see myself having 2 fancy Coffees, a cocktail or two by the pool and then one or two drinks in the evening.

marieholmfan

fitzparker wrote: »

Thanks for the help all, we have the delux drinks package so we can basically drink anything/anywhere without a cost. but should we bring a few do $ with us to tip each barperson or does the gratuity cover this.

Obviously not.

marieholmfan

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

I have to agree. I really don't want to read about cruise ships - I could not think of a worse holiday.

But you can buy an all you can drink package.

marieholmfan

coylemj wrote: »

Come on mods, inland waterways cruising in Ireland needs a separate thread.

Bundling every query about the Shannon, Barrow and the Erne into this megathread makes no sense.

no the cruise ship crap should be nuked. This is a thread about Irish inland waterways.

Stone Deaf 4evr

marieholmfan wrote: »

Obviously not.

Royal Caribbean drinks package covers the gratuity as well.

Mc-BigE

marieholmfan wrote: »

no the cruise ship crap should be nuked. This is a thread about Irish inland waterways.

agreed, regarding two separate threads

but ease off on the negativity regarding cruise ship holidays, people are coming on here for advice on types of holidays and not to be told their holiday (which they have probably paid a lot of money for already before sailing) is "crap"

each to their own i suppose regarding cruising on a big ship , verses small boat.
but the last time i looked, cruise ships travel by waterways too (see title of thread)

but yes, two separate threads would be the way to go i think.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Righty,

bit the bullet last night and booked Oasis of the Seas for next june, I didnt opt for the prepaid gratuities as it would have added nearly €400 onto the cost of the trip! back on our honeymoon, we did the prepaid, which was handy, but now we have 2 young kids, so I don't think we'll be taking advantage of the Main Dining room very much, and drinks can be tipped for as we go. I'm just wondering, what do people give in general to the people who service your cabin?

coylemj

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Righty,

bit the bullet last night and booked Oasis of the Seas for next june, I didnt opt for the prepaid gratuities as it would have added nearly €400 onto the cost of the trip! back on our honeymoon, we did the prepaid, which was handy, but now we have 2 young kids, so I don't think we'll be taking advantage of the Main Dining room very much, and drinks can be tipped for as we go. I'm just wondering, what do people give in general to the people who service your cabin?

Are you confusing 'prepaid gratuities' with a drinks package? Nobody tips €400 on a cruise. If you pay for drinks as you go (you sign a chit and it goes on your cabin bill), the server's tip is included, there's no tipping for drinks.

Tip for the people who service your cabin? You can give a general tip when checking out and it's shared amongst all of the crew so some people don't leave any tip in the cabin for the cleaners.

If you won't be in the main dining room, you'll be eating a lot of pizza in the buffet and have a lot less choice. Dinner in the main dining room is included in the fare.

Stone Deaf 4evr

coylemj wrote: »

Are you confusing 'prepaid gratuities' with a drinks package? Nobody tips €400 on a cruise. If you pay for drinks as you go (you sign a chit and it goes on your cabin bill), the server's tip is included, there's no tipping for drinks.

Tip for the people who service your cabin? You can give a general tip when checking out and it's shared amongst all of the crew so some people don't leave any tip in the cabin for the cleaners.

If you won't be in the main dining room, you'll be eating a lot of pizza in the buffet and have a lot less choice. Dinner in the main dining room is included in the fare.

No, when I cruised with them (royal caribbean) back in 2006, we had the option (as we do now) for prepaying gratuities - this is the tip to the table waiter, the head waiter, the cabin attendant and the head cabin attendant. These are calculated per head - so 2 adults and 2 kids is 4 sets of gratuities.
I just think its a bit much to expect the kids to have to tip anyone.

I don't know what cruise line you've been on, but on the 2 trips I rook with Royal, Caribbean, the Buffet dishes of the day were essentially the same as what you get in the main dining room, alongside other casual options, so I never felt like I was missing out.

coylemj

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

I don't know what cruise line you've been on, but on the 2 trips I rook with Royal, Caribbean, the Buffet dishes of the day were essentially the same as what you get in the main dining room, alongside other casual options, so I never felt like I was missing out.

RCL and MSC and in both cases the food in the evening buffet was nothing like what was on the menu in the dining room.

Thoie

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

No, when I cruised with them (royal caribbean) back in 2006, we had the option (as we do now) for prepaying gratuities - this is the tip to the table waiter, the head waiter, the cabin attendant and the head cabin attendant. These are calculated per head - so 2 adults and 2 kids is 4 sets of gratuities.
I just think its a bit much to expect the kids to have to tip anyone.

I don't know what cruise line you've been on, but on the 2 trips I rook with Royal, Caribbean, the Buffet dishes of the day were essentially the same as what you get in the main dining room, alongside other casual options, so I never felt like I was missing out.

If you don't prepay, the "gratuities" will be added to your bill every day, so that €400 will turn up on your account while you're on board anyway. You can ask to have these removed at customer services, but it's not generally the done thing. As wrong as I think it is, the gratuities are a large part of their wages. The kids are far more likely to make a mess that the cabin steward has to clean (or even just taking longer to clean around their extra stuff).

finbarrk

On the one cruise I was on, (MSC), the main dining room was far superior to the buffet restaurant.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Just got my cruise documentation, below is the guidelines for what they expect tips to be. Its quite pricey - works out at USD 18.90 per head per day - a not insubstantial USD 529.2!


10. Tipping – So that you can thank those who have made your cruise holiday better than you could have imagined, we've developed these gratuity guidelines:
Suite attendant: USD 7.25 a day per guest
Stateroom attendant: USD 5.00 a day per guest
Dining Room Waiter: USD 3.75 a day per guest
Assistant Waiter: USD 2.15 a day per guest
Head Waiter: USD 0.75 a day per guest
Note: These gratuities apply to guests of all ages.
Tips for other service personnel are at your discretion. A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to your bar bill or wine bill when you are served.

Envelopes for tips will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Tips may be paid in the following ways:
Pre paid by asking for them to be added to your reservation by your reservation agent.
Added to your onboard SeaPass account.
Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

Thoie

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Just got my cruise documentation, below is the guidelines for what they expect tips to be. Its quite pricey - works out at USD 18.90 per head per day - a not insubstantial USD 529.2!


10. Tipping – So that you can thank those who have made your cruise holiday better than you could have imagined, we've developed these gratuity guidelines:
Suite attendant: USD 7.25 a day per guest
Stateroom attendant: USD 5.00 a day per guest
Dining Room Waiter: USD 3.75 a day per guest
Assistant Waiter: USD 2.15 a day per guest
Head Waiter: USD 0.75 a day per guest
Note: These gratuities apply to guests of all ages.
Tips for other service personnel are at your discretion. A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to your bar bill or wine bill when you are served.

Envelopes for tips will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Tips may be paid in the following ways:
Pre paid by asking for them to be added to your reservation by your reservation agent.
Added to your onboard SeaPass account.
Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

Yeah, I'd much prefer if they just included it in the price of the cruise so you can see it up front. While they call it a tip, or a gratuity or a million other things, there's nothing really voluntary about it.

You've double counted there though - you either have a suite attendant or a stateroom attendant, so it's only one of those. If you're in a "normal" cabin, the tips would be $11.65 per person per day (though something in the back of my mind says they've gone up a bit). At $11.65 pp pd that's still $326 for 4 of you for a week, still not a small chunk of change. If it's Royal, I think it's $14.50 pp pd, so $406 (€350).

coylemj

Thoie wrote: »

Yeah, I'd much prefer if they just included it in the price of the cruise so you can see it up front. While they call it a tip, or a gratuity or a million other things, there's nothing really voluntary about it.

But if the numbers are 'guidelines' and one of the options is to pay by cash in supplied envelopes, doesn't that suggest that you can tip as little or as much as you like - potentially tipping nothing and nobody?

Thoie

coylemj wrote: »

But if the numbers are 'guidelines' and one of the options is to pay by cash in supplied envelopes, doesn't that suggest that you can tip as little or as much as you like - potentially tipping nothing and nobody?

It does, and you can, but the wider picture is that they unfortunately use the US model of "not really paying people" and the "tips" are a large part of their wages. Which shouldn't be the customer's problem (and is why I'd prefer the total cost to be rolled up into the fare, and have the crew paid properly).

You have to go out of your way to request that the tips be removed, and when you do it's noted, and assumed that you're removing them because of bad service, even if you explain that's not what's happening. So the staff end up getting punished twice - they lose out on money, but also lose out on the performance reviews too (which then impacts the amount they earn).

Stone Deaf 4evr

Thoie wrote: »

It does, and you can, but the wider picture is that they unfortunately use the US model of "not really paying people" and the "tips" are a large part of their wages. Which shouldn't be the customer's problem (and is why I'd prefer the total cost to be rolled up into the fare, and have the crew paid properly).

You have to go out of your way to request that the tips be removed, and when you do it's noted, and assumed that you're removing them because of bad service, even if you explain that's not what's happening. So the staff end up getting punished twice - they lose out on money, but also lose out on the performance reviews too (which then impacts the amount they earn).

I wouldnt dream of ignoring the tip - to be fair to the cabin attendants, they do put in the effort, and the little folded towel animals are always nice to see.

I wonder how many cabins each person is responsible for - surely its in the region of 20 or so? if they were to get 70 from each of them for the weeks work, thats not a bad shake.

coylemj

The main objection I have with that tipping 'system' is that is it selective in who gets the money. I see no mention of the guy who mops up the drinks people spill on the decks by the pool or the girl who has to peel slices of pizza off the floor in the buffet.

Then there's the engine room staff, the cooks, the washer uppers, the people on reception who have to sort you out when your card stops working....

I agree this is the US system of expecting customers to subsidise low wages.

LiamaDelta

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Righty,

bit the bullet last night and booked Oasis of the Seas for next june, I didnt opt for the prepaid gratuities as it would have added nearly €400 onto the cost of the trip! back on our honeymoon, we did the prepaid, which was handy, but now we have 2 young kids, so I don't think we'll be taking advantage of the Main Dining room very much, and drinks can be tipped for as we go. I'm just wondering, what do people give in general to the people who service your cabin?

Can I ask, did you book directly with RCI or through a travel agent?

Stone Deaf 4evr

LiamaDelta wrote: »

Can I ask, did you book directly with RCI or through a travel agent?

We did a fair bit of faffing around tbh.

theres a good few family members going, some of whom have young kids, we initially wanted to try and get connecting cabins, so if the desire arose, an adult could take turns heading to bed early / babysitting. However, Royal Caribbeans website sends any 'out of the ordinary' request to a phone number, which puts you in contact with a travel agent located in Houston Texas. They were helpful, but they couldn't take advantage of the current offer where you can get your flights from Dublin to Barcelona included for just €1 per person.

So, to sum up - we all gathered round a laptop, and made our bookings one after another on the Royal Caribbean website (the dot ie version), we couldn't get connecting cabins, so that's that plan scuppered, but we were able to all get cabins within a few doors of each other on the same deck, which is pretty handy.

coylemj

We booked connecting cabins once - can't remember if it was RCL or MSC. They accepted the booking and allocated us a pair of connecting cabins - we got the cabin numbers with the booking confirmation and were able to see on the ship's map that we had a pair of connected cabins. However the confirmation came with the caveat that if a group involving passengers with a high level of dependency made a booking after us and asked for connecting cabins, we could get bumped to an unlinked pair of cabins.

In other words, you can book connecting cabins but there's no guarantee that you will get them. As it happened, we got the cabins which were allocated on the booking so all was well.

waxmelts2000

Having been to Cobh today and seeing the cruise liner in, my partner and I were saying maybe it's something to look at as a holiday next year. Who is best to go with to book the cruise? Looking at sunshine and 5-7 days to see if we like it! We are mid 40's enjoy our few drinks not ready for pipe and slippers just yet!