complawyer

browneyedgirl68. you're missing at least 50% of the haven experience by not utilizing the butler. remember he's there for you and other haven guests. imho, you're doing yourself a massive disservice by not using this perk to its fullest extent as an aside "rock on van morrison"

when 1st meeting the butler, i ask him/her each morning to bring a pot of coffee, pot of decaf and pot of hot water for tea. along with sweet rolls, muffins and croissants. of course, gummy bears and peanut m&ms are a must. if i ask nicely, he'll bring me a 6 pack of coke, and a couple of bottles of heineken for the fridge the butler will bring you almost anything that is available on the ship. if you want a meal from the specialty dining rooms, and wish to stay in your cabin, he can arrange a white dinner table in your suite. breakfast and lunch are in moderno and cagney's respectfully. you can arrange with your butler or the concierge to escort you priority off the ship, and depending on the time you get back, the butler is usually waiting at the dock to escort you back on, bypassing the crowd. it also doesnt hurt on your 1st full day if your having breakfast in moderno, to introduce yourself to the maitre'd and maybe slip him a $20. ive done this nearly everytime we've sailed, and they cant do enough for us. he even got my wife and i into cagneys one night for dinner when it was allegedly full with no more reservations available, dont even be intimidated by the butler, he's there to help and make your cruise that much ore enjoyable and stree free

fyi, we're booked into a 2bedroom suite on a back2back july 27th through aug 15. my reservation indicates triple latitude points, so we're getting 57 points total. just enough to squeak me into diamond, although as ive posted before, the diamond perks dont really help me anymore than being sapphire. that being said, however, im not turning them down

amberle3. other then they're outrageously overpriced, (and im aware it's part of the costs of doing business) i find that on a great many of these ncl excursions, you get rushed through the sight. with this limited time, most of the stops are disappointments. just a few moments to take a picture, then rush back on the bus! last year we took (imho) an incredible cruise from southampton to copenhagen. even though it involved a 3 hr bus ride back and forth from le harve, one of the ports was paris, and on my bucket list was seeing the eiffel tower. feeling romantic at the time, i booked the lunch cruise on the seine river. while i got to actually see the tower, my wife was disappointed in the entire excursion. i know we only had a few short hours, but if youve never been to paris, it's to be savored, not viewed from a bus window. the cruise before that, our guide rushed us through jerusalem. with over 3000 years of history, it's another city to be explored and savored. i realize that time is of the essence on these excursions, but both costs around $300 per person. sorry, and i know it's not their fault, but i just didnt feel like tipping these people. by the way, i always tip at least 20% even if the service is bad. ive also talked to a number of wait-people on ncl cruises, and by and large they say most people do not tip any extra money. the staff seems over joyed when they do receive an extra cash tip, and trust me, they remember it and you

ziggyuk. no apologies necessary, i wasnt in the least bit offended, i noticed just now that you are from the u.k. so i assume that you really cant relate to the vietnam war. by the same token, we sent 1000's of troops over to help you during wwII. how would you have felt if you were on an excursion somewhere in germany, and the guide made comments about how the german people suffered and sacrificed during the war. by the way most of my parents relatives were killed in *** concentration camps, but at this time i hold no animosity towards either the german people or the vietnamese. as a final note, and then i hope we can put this discussion to rest, the note about the 45 was strictly to emphasize my anger over this excursion. think about it ! (1) where could i possibly get any type of firearm on a cruise? (2) even if by some slim chance i could actually get one, how would i know i would come across a tour guide like the one i had (3) why would i place my wife, grandson and myself in any type of jeopardy by having a hand gun in a foreign country. the very last place i'd want to end up is in a saigon jail. anyway, hopefully "nuff" said on this topic. if we're ever on the same cruise, i insist on buying you dinner and the 1st drink. sail safely and happily

i dont want/need to get into a debate with you about this. while i usually agree with your posts, this time youre 100% wrong. you cannot tell someone else how to feel. were you a vet? if so, i can respect your comment, if not the old cliche applies.. dont talk the talk if you cant walk the walk. the 45 comment was extremely necessary. lets agree to disagree and drop any further discussion about this as i accept it's way, way way, off topic.

amberle3 as an aside,, what turned me off to tipping, was ncl's 1st southeast asia tour. it was between dec 2016 thru jan 2017. one of the ports was cu chi, in vietnam. location of the 25th infantry division. i wanted to show both my wife and my grandson where i was 50 years ago. the tour guide must have been in his early 40's. throughout his talk, he kept referring to the "american war". He advised that his people could forgive but never "forget" dont consider he wasnt even born in 1975 when the "american" war was finally over, so there was nothing he had to forget. also, it was generous for him to say we were forgiven, especially since the last 50+ years, we've pumped billions of dollars into the vietnam economy. the final straw was just before the end of the tour, they showed a short movie, (consider the old black and white newsreels) this was almost a propaganda film for the viet cong. i was so pissed i walked out after about 5 mintes, my grandson who was about 16 at the time walked out also. granted, i may have a slanted opinion of that particular excursion, but i was livid. after we got back to the ship, i asked to see the shore excursion manager, told him about the tour guide. they needed to do a better job of vetting i also told him if i would have had a 45, i might have blown the guys head off. sorry for the length of this post. on board, we tip almost anyone performing any type of service for us, on a daily basis. this tour guide, not a chance in h**l

i dont see your point, but i'm well aware that the tours are contracted out, and that neither the guide nor the driver are employed by ncl. if it was an exceptional tour/guide.i will pop for between $10-20. i have been on tours where the passengers only tip a couple of dollars. that being said, however, if there are 50 people on the bus, and they each pony up $10, that's apretty decent haul, especially if its onlya tour of a few hours

snorklinbarb. we stayed at the hilton doubletree. i found it on booking. com. prices were reasonable. but i definitely wanted to spend time in venice without worrying about ncl. aslo found the hotel by myself, as well as the shuttle service. from marco polo airport to this hotel, we merely got a cab after getting our luggage. i refuse to rely on ncl for anything other than making sure my cabin is booked.

no, last summer, i got montenegro, croatia, italy, norway, curacao, aruba. the hits just keep on coming. my wife always asks why thehell do you keep buying these shirts. i feel like a walking billboard for ncl.

we did a similar cruise last summer. while it's true paris is a few hours away from the port at le harve, i booked the lunch cruise on the seine for my wife and i. it wasnt overwhelming, but i've always wanted to se the eiffel tower. on the bus trip coming back, we were able to take a nap so all in all it wasnt that bad. There are a lot of ports that are not close to the major cities. rome, florence, tel aviv all require time on a bus. in places like rome, florence, hamburg, amsterdam, brussels, dubruvnik, naples etc, we took the excursion brochure, rented a cab and showed the driver exactly where we wanted to go. there were 3 of us splitting the cab care and it worked out great. i would say at least 75% of the time we hire a cab in naples, ncl no longer had the excursion to the amalfi coast, so we got a cab. it was amazing and breathtaking.

at least she's not out of a job, but unfortunately, she sells t-shirts and shell pictures by the sea shore just doesnt have the same sense of alliteration, and i can take my own pictures, and how can anyone pass up the great deals on t-shirts when the tradewinds has its monstrous t-shirt sale aboard ship (also LOL)

if you go on google, you can ask the same question and it will usually give you some recommendations. i realize that you're traveling with a group, and it may be cost prohibitive, but i think you're denying yourself a great opportunity by not spending a few days in venice. we did that last year, as on my bucket list, i always wanted to take a gondola ride. we stayed 3 days, and booked a shuttle directly from our hotel to trieste. i think it was slightly over $100. we spent a night in trieste (which is also an amazing place to visit) and the hotel had a special desk set up for people sailing with ncl. you just signed in and voila, the next day bright and early there was a shuttle bus to take us directly to the pier

julig22. ok, we can sympathize with a homeless crab, but what about she sells seashells by the seashore? is that poor girl now out of a job?

ok, if we're ever on the same cruise, the 1st drink is on me so we can sympathize about the crab

WOW!!! ok you win, cant argue with your analysis. i hereafter vow to never remove a seashell from the beach, or anywhere else for that matter.so how do you account for the many stores that actually sell the shells?

one important reminder (i think) if you're going to print off your luggage tags from your home computer, i would use a heavier grade stock paper. regular copy paper may not survive. i sometimes use high grade photo paper. also, if whether im flying in a few days early, or going to the ship directly from the airport, i dont put the tags on until almost the last minute. at the hotel, whenever the cab/shuttle picks us up, at the airport, when all our bags have been collected off the carousel.

ok, i am also concerned about ecosystems, but im not a card carrying enviornmentelist, but how does picking up a shell on the beach (assuming it is no longer inhabited) have any effect on any ecosystem?

also, issue probably speaks for itself, if you're playing any table games, and doing well, tip your dealer. and if you order a drink, tip a buck to the cocktail waitress that brings it.

tonit964. i guess she didnt realize that a starfish is a salt water creature and probably wouldnt survive in a tub filed with freshwater. and in most tropical locations, dont you see dried starfish hanging on the walls for sale? and wouldnt the cabin steward have noticed when he/she came in to clean the room? i would think that if she found the starfish on land, most likely it was already dead. if not, all tings being equal, it was probably dead by the time she got home

i dont know, years ago my daughter went to turks caico and brought back 2 conch shells. (and this was probably 30 or so years ago. to be sure that there were no uninvited critters still living inside, i put the shells in my back yard for a few days, soaking in bleach. then took them out and left them on the lawn. i assume ants came and devoured the rest. after a week or so, i rinsed them off again, and place them in my aquarium, where they reside to this day. ive always though that taking unique shells from a foreign beach was something everyone does. well, guess its true, you doi learn something new everyday

laudergayle. well, as i said, even though the dsc is supposed to cover tips, the staff on the ship that i tip, are performing a service for me (i know it's their job to do so), but at least it boils down to 1 on 1 service. on a bus crowded with 50 or so of my closest friends, (1) i've already paid an outrageous fee for the tour) (2) most of the places we've been to, the guide just drones on and on, so i usually fall asleep (3) if they're not droning, most of them seem to be rushing you through the area. we were in morocco a few years back, and the guide rushed us through the souk, so you couldnt really focus, much less browse or take in the atmosphere, last year, they rushed us through jerusalem, and more specifically, did you ever notice that on some tours the guide steers you to a specific designated shop or store? Personally, i'm convinced that they're getting a kick-back. consider the stop with a bus load of tourists, what a bonanza for the shop keeper! as for the driver, meh! since there is absolutely no interaction i dont feel any need to leave him a tip. btw, this is not all-inclusive. we've been on many shore excursions, where the guide was helpful, informative and very knowledgeable about the sights. if i do tip at the end, it's usually around $10.

how petty!

it also depends on how long your cruise is and who you expect to tip. $10 for sure to the baggage handler on the dock. for 3 meals a day anywhere from $5-$10 dollars per meal. We dont tip as much for breakfast as at dinner, and a little bit more if we're eating at a specialty restaurant. $1-2 for your bartender. $100+ to the butler if your'e in a suite or haven. $50 or more (again if you're in a suite or a haven) to the concierge, contingent on often you use his/her services. $20 at the beginning, another $20 at the middle and $20 or more at the end of the cruise to your cabin steward, $5-20 to anyone else on the staff who performs a service for you. if we're eating in the buffet, i usually tip $1-2 to the person making my omlet and/or the crepes. that about covers it for the ship. if at all possible, we try and book cabs in many of the ports, as opposed to paying the ridiculous prices for the ncl shore excursions, so we usually factot in a tip for the driver. oddly enough, if we're on an ncl booked excursion, i dont tip either the bus driver or the tour guide (go figure) additional tips, if you're staying at a hotel before/after the cruise, to the bellcap, and maybe the person who checks you in. i imagine, that i'll get a lot of flack from people who dont feel it's necessary to tip, since the dsc is rolled into your cruise fare. i've said this before in a prior post. if you wish to tip, feel free to do so, if not, then don't. it's really no one else's business. again, if we're fortunate enough to be sailing in a suite or haven, i usually give the maitre'd a $20 oor so periodically throughout the cruise. you may not believe it, but it goes a long, long way to make your meals easier. btw, sorry for the length of tis post, but i hope it helps

i think its between $2.50 -$3.00 per can. if you just want a glass of coke, i think it's free