Gregswife

I said in the other tipping post that the suggested tip for our room steward was around $140 and we gave her more. In our minds, she earned it. Before sailing, she was actually in our cabin just chatting when they announced the lifeboat drill. We groaned about how much we hated those (it was really hot) and she went and pulled the drapes over the balcony door and the window and told us to just stay in our cabin and be very quiet, which we did. We also asked for extra glasses and she brought us those Carnival Souvenoir drink glasses that you get to take home. We had mentioned that we were celebrating our anniversary and she left us a card in our cabin. We wanted for nothing - it was almost as if she knew what we wanted before we did. Okay, I know that she shouldn't have helped us skip out on the drill, but we really appreciated it. Wish we would come across her again on another cruise.

Jackie, hope you get a chance to go down to the Public Market and watch them throw fish while you are Seattle. Also, a stroll down Fisherman's Pier makes for a nice time.

Welcome aboard Andrea. Look forward to getting to know you better...

Cheryl, I figured that Wayne was just tall. Greg is 6'1" and I am 5'6" and he always looks quite a bit taller than me in pics - just not such a height difference as in your pics. You 2 look very cute together.

Great pics Cheryl. Looks like you had a good time. Is hubby very tall (I thought that sounded nicer than asking if you were short!!!)?

Spotfin, welcome to the friendliest forum on the net. Glad to have you on board and look forward to chatting with you....

Congratulations. Doesn't that make the trip seem so much closer and much more real???? Why, I think I can hear the sound of dancing feet all the way here in Denver!!!!

Joan and Joe, St Thomas, like most of the islands in the caribbean, is a great place to buy jewelry, but it doesn't sound like you want to push your way through 10,000 people to do any shopping. I woud definitely check out St. John though...

Getting to know your service person is a good idea, and also fun to learn about different cultures. This can be done at dinner, but for a cabin steward that you actually lay eyes on 1 time in 7 days, it is a little harder. When we checked into our stateroom this last time, the previous occupant's trash was still in the wastebasket. We should have realized that it was an omen of things to come. He gave the same attention to the cabin while we were staying in it as he had before our embarkation. We did receive a bottle of champagne from the captain along with his apologies though....

Although the guaranteed tips may insure that good employees stay with the cruise line, in some cases, I think it gives some the incentitive to let things slide and only give the minimal amount of service, as they will be getting paid the same anyway. We have never carried the full amount of tips onbaord and had to keep it in the safe. We use the ATM machine and also, on Carnival, you can cash a check if you have an American Express card, so we have always done that also. When we feel that we have received excellent service, we tip above the recommended amount and I think that those who receive it, have gone the extra mile to take care of their guests. As i said before, we tipped our room stewardess $250 when the recommended amount for the 2 of us was $140, but she earned it. I will always request that our tips be given to the ship's employees on the last night, in cash, instead of being pre-paid. I realize there is an abundance of opinions on the matter and everyone should do what they are comfortable with.

Our last cruise was the only one that we pre-paid and we have decided not to do that anymore. I think the attention to our cabin needs was much lower than when we tip at the end. We have always found that in the case of tips being distributed the last night of the cruise, we have always been treated like royalty but with the new method, many things were found lacking. Also, the last night of the cruise was the only time we ate in the formal dining room. We had decided ahead of time not to take any formal wear nor dress clothes and spend our vacation in shorts and eating at out leisure instead of a scheduled time. Anyway, because of the prepay, we ended up tipping the waiter and busboy for a full weeks worth of service for one meal. I know they say you can go to the pursers desk and have the tips adjusted but have you ever seen the line there on the last night of sailing???? Trip before last, we gave our cabin stewardess $250 because she went above and beyond in every aspect of the term, but last time, I think he hardly deserved the standard tip that the cruise line charged at the onset of the trip. The remedy to that is that we will always hand out tips on the last evening of sailing in the future.

Joe and Pat, welcome to the best forum that I have ever found. The people here will certainly make you feel right at home, as they have done with me. Look forward to hearing what you have to say....

ever think it is greg and not the tux :grin: hmmm either way its good to hear Okay, Joey, I will admit that he definitely has something to do with it, as I get the same feeling when I hear the garage door go up because I know he is home (yeah, I know it's corny - the kids are always making fun of us!!!). But I do stand by my statement about a man in a tux - it is certainly a sight to behold. I think God invented the tux just to make any man look hot!!!!

From a woman's point of view, I think a man in a tuxedo is absolutely a breathtaking sight. Even after all these of marriage, it really makes my heart race when Greg dons his.

Congrats - and I hope you have a wonderful anniversary at sea.

Well, I haven't before as I just joined but I certainly will from now on...

I am a "housewife".

Hi. I a newbie too. I've only been here a few days, but I can already tell you, this is a great forum. Welcome aboard.

I know it is a long way off, but as I explained in an earlier post, due to the fact that one of our friends who will be traveling with us is undergoing radiation and it will be some time before she feels up to travel. Just wondering if any of you other Crazies were looking into this cruise....

We always pack an alarm clock - not that we ever want to get up early and they do have wake-up calls, but we just like knowing what time it is. We also take along an extension cord as there are very few outlets in the cabins.

I wanted to thank you all for the warm welcome. I am such a blabber mouth, you may be sorry for saying you hope I post often....

I was going to post the exact same question as Mickie. I am anxiously awaiting the answer, as I hate not knowing everything that is going on!!!!