Anything you want! Almost...

One of the best things about cruising, for me anyway, is the ability to pretty much do what I want when I want.

Eating, for example. Ahh, food. Pretty food! Loads of fattening goo! Plates of healthy sprouts! Food in a fancy dining room! Food in an outdoor cafe! Food in a relaxing spa! Food delivered to your room in the morning! Food delivered to your room at 3AM! Pool Barbeques! Midnight Buffets! One thing is for certain, you will NOT go hungry on a cruise ship as there are seven restaurants/cafes onboard BotS, not to mention 24 hour room service.

And drinking. A Tanqueray & Tonic at the Schooner! A Pinot Noir at the Lobby Bar! A sip or two of a Chocolate Martini in the Starquest Bar! A Corona in the Scorecard! A bottle of Dom Perignon at the Champagne Bar! Sheesh, I'm feeling a bit woozy. Suffice it to say you will not go thirsty, either. There are eleven bars.

Of course there are exceptions to doing anything you want, when you want…

First, you MUST do the Life Boat Drill. This normally occurs about one hour before the ship sets sail for the first time. When you go into your stateroom for the first time you will notice bright orange life vests on the bed. Take note of the lifeboat station, called “Muster Station” (it will be there with your vest) since you will need to remember this when the captain blows the ship’s horn signaling the start of the drill. When you hear this, head directly to your cabin, put on your life vest, and then proceed to your muster station. The crew takes roll call at this event, so you must be there. Muster takes about half an hour start to finish, and can be quite funny, really, especially if you have visited one of the many bars on board before the muster.


Once the crew is satisfied that everyone knows what do in case of emergency the captain will blow the "All Clear" horn very loudly. This is the signal that you are dismissed and can return your life vest to your cabin QUICKLY in order to be topside for the sail away out of Venice.

Second, you must tip while onboard this cruise line. Not that you must pass out money the whole time you are cruising, but tip you must. For bar and specialty drinks, a 15% tip is added to the price and put on your sea pass account so no cash exchanges hands. For room service delivery, it is customary to tip $1 or $2 in cash when your order is delivered, depending on what you ordered. You can tip in US or Euros. The order is free unless you have ordered a soft drink in a can, an alcoholic beverage, or a specialty coffee and then you will be billed accordingly. A note about room service – it is wonderful. Order a full, hot breakfast in the morning, a plate of cookies and regular coffee in the afternoon, and a cheese and fruit plate while you’re dressing for dinner, a hamburger at 2AM after you have discoed the night away. Room Service will phone you just a few minutes before they knock on your door. In the morning, that call is a great wakeup!

Your personal attendants also get a tip at the end of the cruise. You can pre-pay by charging them to your shipboard account, or pay them in cash using envelopes provided by the cruise line. We usually pre-pay and then hand out some extra on the last night to those who have gone above and beyond in serving us, like the Schooner Bartender on all our previous cruises!

The cruise line has guidelines for tipping that go like this:

Cabin Attendant – the person that cleans your room, gets you fresh towels, etc. $3.50 per person per day, or $24.50 for the cruise. (Suite Attendants get more - $5.75 or $40.25 for the cruise.)

Dining Room Waiter – this person will serve you every night in the main dining room. He/She will really get to know you, and you’ll probably look forward to seeing him/her each evening. $3.50 a day or $24.50 for the cruise. If you want 2 lobsters for dinner, he’ll get them. If you don’t like what you ordered, he will happily bring you something else. If you want nothing for dessert, he will bring you that, too.


Assistant Waiter in the dining room – this person will take care of your beverages, and assists the waiter and you in all sorts of ways in the course of the week. $2 or $14 for the cruise.

Head Waiter – this person is not often seen, but is working hard nonetheless. If you do not like your table, see the Head Waiter. If you would like to order a special wine, see the Head Waiter. If your dining experience is not up to par, see your Head Waiter. He/She will make sure that your dinner is wonderful. $.75 or $5.25 for the cruise. So, in total, count on at least $68.25 in tips for your personal servers, $84 if you have a Suite.

The third thing, and this is the WORST, you can't bring your cabin attendants or waiters home with you.