Leaderboard

John you are so right with regard to tipping. Aussies DO NOT tip. We asked our server in Sydney if he didnt mind telling us how much a server typically earns per hour and he told us AUS$27 per hour and that was a couple of years ago. They get a decent wage and don't need to rely on tips. South Africa pays a little less per hour but tipping is at your discretion and never above 10%, also when you are seated for dinner it is expected that you will be at your table for at least 2 hours id not more to enjoy the dining experience..... it's seems like it's only North America that has the "quick in and out" mentality at restaurants, with low hourly rates for servers, therefore servers expect high tips and turn over tables as fast as possible to make a livable income. With all our world travel we always make sure that we are tipping according to the culture that we are visiting.

I know - and it has been hard to get further info...hoping they can get back in operation soon.

I just read on Carnival's Facebook page they are not gracing our cabins with towel animals any longer (unless requested) due to someone being offended by one of them.. Can you please check this out and verify if it is true or just an inane rumor? Thank you.