Few first timer questions

I'm leaving for my first cruise a week from today on the Norwegian Sky and have a few questions.

1) How late are things open on the ship - bars, casinos, etc. Are casinos open all night and if not what time do they close? My husband has trouble sleeping sometimes and is hoping there will be something to do if can't sleep other than keep me awake in that tiny room haha.

2) I have heard about them taking pictures on the boat and selling them to you. How does this work? We have had family request we buy one of these as I don't think we've given them a picture of us since our wedding 5 years ago. Is there one when you first walk on the ship? Are there certain places where you can go at any time and get a picture taken. I know there is a really expensive professional one but I'm really just looking for how the cheaper ones work - the when, wheres and hows so we don't miss it.

3) Finally, where all do we need to actually tip cash? I've heard you should tip the porters (I think that's what their called?) who take your luggage. What about when ordering drinks in a bar and is there any tipping out of the ordinary I need to be aware of on the islands? We are stopping at Freeport, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

Thanks!

I'm leaving for my first cruise a week from today on the Norwegian Sky and have a few questions.

 

1) How late are things open on the ship - bars, casinos, etc. Are casinos open all night and if not what time do they close? My husband has trouble sleeping sometimes and is hoping there will be something to do if can't sleep other than keep me awake in that tiny room haha.

 

2) I have heard about them taking pictures on the boat and selling them to you. How does this work? We have had family request we buy one of these as I don't think we've given them a picture of us since our wedding 5 years ago. Is there one when you first walk on the ship? Are there certain places where you can go at any time and get a picture taken. I know there is a really expensive professional one but I'm really just looking for how the cheaper ones work - the when, wheres and hows so we don't miss it.

 

3) Finally, where all do we need to actually tip cash? I've heard you should tip the porters (I think that's what their called?) who take your luggage. What about when ordering drinks in a bar and is there any tipping out of the ordinary I need to be aware of on the islands? We are stopping at Freeport, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

 

Thanks!

Ok here goes;

There is usually a 24 hour coffee shop/cafeteria open on the ship. This is for people who don't sleep or like to get late night snacks. There are ship photographers onboard who taken random pics; or you can schedule a time to have pics taken. They sell the pictures; you can buy a 8x10; or you can order a cd disc with all the pics from your cruise.. As for tips; it is up to you if and how much. When you order a drink onboard; soda, beer, etc; 18% is automatically added to your bill. you can tip the baggage porters, you can tip wait staff, you can tip your room steward; it is up to you. If you feel someone on the ship has done something special for you; then tip them. NCL add a service charge to your bill at the end of the cruise. The service charge covers, wait staff, room steward, and some other people.

We tip bartenders, our steward, and some waitstaff, but you really don't have to. Tip you porter, how much depends on the pier.

We tip bartenders, our steward, and some waitstaff, but you really don't have to. Tip you porter, how much depends on the pier.

I've never seen a grumpy porter yet at any of the ports from which we've sailed. Porters have all been very nice. However......I always tip a $5 bill to the porters. We usually have 3 or 4 bags we are checking with them. They all seem quite happy with that...and our bags have always made it on board.

I've never seen a grumpy porter yet at any of the ports from which we've sailed. Porters have all been very nice. However......I always tip a $5 bill to the porters. We usually have 3 or 4 bags we are checking with them. They all seem quite happy with that...and our bags have always made it on board.

I have. The porter we had in Tampa essentially demanded a tip before he would touch our bags. No biggie - I was about it get the money out anyway, but he wasn't too friendly, frankly.

I'm leaving for my first cruise a week from today on the Norwegian Sky and have a few questions.

 

 

 

1) How late are things open on the ship - bars, casinos, etc. Are casinos open all night and if not what time do they close? My husband has trouble sleeping sometimes and is hoping there will be something to do if can't sleep other than keep me awake in that tiny room haha.

 

 

 

2) I have heard about them taking pictures on the boat and selling them to you. How does this work? We have had family request we buy one of these as I don't think we've given them a picture of us since our wedding 5 years ago. Is there one when you first walk on the ship? Are there certain places where you can go at any time and get a picture taken. I know there is a really expensive professional one but I'm really just looking for how the cheaper ones work - the when, wheres and hows so we don't miss it.

 

 

 

3) Finally, where all do we need to actually tip cash? I've heard you should tip the porters (I think that's what their called?) who take your luggage. What about when ordering drinks in a bar and is there any tipping out of the ordinary I need to be aware of on the islands? We are stopping at Freeport, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

 

 

 

Thanks!

1) there will be someplace for him to go. If anything he can just go walk around. There is a 24 hour eatery of some type. And I believe the casino is open pretty late.

2) there are pictures taken at embarkation, pictures taken in the atrium during usual dinner hours, pictures taken when you get off the ship going into port. You will not want for pictures. Just make sure you go to the photo gallery every day and choose the pics you may want to buy and put them in your drawer at the photo gallery. Then at the end of the cruise you can go through all of them and buy the ones you want. Sometimes they sell packages. I thin 10 for $129 or something like that. Or you can buy one print at a time.

3). Tip your porters. I believe usual and customary is $2/bag. When you get on the ship your DSC will cover most of your tips and that will be charged automatically to your card. But we have tipped our room steward extra and I usually add an extra $1 here or there on a bar ticket if we have good service from a bar tender. I have also tipped extra in the MDR for good service. But it is all up to you.

Have a great cruise.

Every ship, it seems, has scads of photographers. They will do a photo when you first board the ship (in the terminal, actually). They may go on shore excursions with you, or offer photos taken at each port's pier. And they're out in force around dinner time, taking photos at your table, with various backdrops on formal night (if the line has such a thing). All of the photos appear on walls in the photo center within a day or so. You don't have to buy them, but they hope you do. You can pay a relatively outrageous price for one, or get a better deal the more you buy. We usually buy at least a couple of them.

Typical porter tip is a dollar a bag or so. All onboard tips are added in to your cabin account - either to the cost of a drink, or a daily fee for the room steward(ess) and wait staff. You can cancel these if you want to tip them yourself, although most people just leave them on and maybe tip certain people a little extra as desired.