MichiganFisherman

Inside cabins make sea sickness worse. Getting fresh air and being able to see where the sea meets the horizon makes sea sickness less so .... 

1 hour ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

We have always been consistently told by the crew that the one thing that is really beneficial to them is to be mentioned in a follow-up survey or letter for exceptional service.  This helps them get their next contract which is what they really strive and hope for.

Some of us fill out the survey AND tip standard ..... crazy idea isn't it? You can do both if you care so much .

1 hour ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

We have always been consistently told by the crew that the one thing that is really beneficial to them is to be mentioned in a follow-up survey or letter for exceptional service.  This helps them get their next contract which is what they really strive and hope for.

Some of us fill out the survey AND tip standard ..... crazy idea isn't it? You can do both if you care so much .

I'm missing what the big deal is here ? Ships have maintenance and plumbing problems all the time . Would you rather they do it while the ship is asleep or awake at 7AM? 

18 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Can't make that blanket statement.  It all depends upon the comparison of ship to ship, date to date and cabin to cabin.  And of course a bottom line comparison after factoring in Cheers, airfare, specialty dining discounts, etc.  

It used to be that way but not anymore. NCL is all I used to sail but not anymore as they've become the worst value at sea . You can add all the things the NCL Free at Sea brings to Carnival bookings at it will still be way less than NCL. My 12 day to Europe on the Pride is $3500 with balcony. An 11 day with an almost identical itinerary on NCL is almost $11000. If I add Cheers its $5500. Does that look close?  7 day NCL out of Hawaii on the POA is $7600 with Free at Sea. I booked princess 16 day Hawaii, over twice the length of trip on NCL, with Drink package, tips, WIFI and $400 OBC for $6500. $1200 more for 7 days on NCL vs 16 on Princess. NCL pricing is the worst value of all the lines now vs when I said them on the Bliss and Escape. My 15 day Panama Canal cruise on the Bliss a couple years ago was $5600. Now it's $12000. A total ripoff and no other line has increased pricing like NCL. I'm booking Princess and Celebrity for half. 

7 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

 I pay 4 times more then most passengers and do I get 4 times the service from entertainment? How about revenue departments? Does the dining crew give me four times the food or service? I paid enough and am being gouged because I can afford it! 

Nice try but no one is asking you to pay more but it's your sole decison to pay less with the same expectations in service as those paying a standard.  You can't spin what you already admitted. The staff didn't ask you to spend all your money on other things as you are asking them to accept less .....period. Only you would claim to be gouged while claiming to spend 4 times more by choice. Makes no sense ....

Can you change your online booking for the MDR to one or the other, fixed or open? 

8 hours ago, kona_wahine said:

I saw a sale on another cruise line where the 2nd guest is free. 3&4 are free, free drinks, free dining, free excursions, etc etc, and it came out close to $8000 for a standard balcony room. 🤣🤣🤣🤣. What a great sale! 

Probably NCL.

I understand the original poster's concerns and have the same concerns  myself. I booked the 16 day round trip to Hawaii for August 2023 with my 13 and 15 year old daughters. They are seasoned cruisers and the wife and I have sailed Princess before but not with them. We too are hoping there are some fun activities for them as well. They don't require much attention but the sea days there and back from Hawaii could end up being long ones. We chose this due to the destination. 

27 minutes ago, ski ww said:

Sea days do not save fuel, you burn more fuel cruising then spending a day in port. 

But then more people aboard equals more spending on food, drinks, shopping, and the casino. You never know, maybe the OP is on to something. 

1 hour ago, caribill said:

Apparently it is not the price of the cruise that is a major feature of the black Friday sale, it is the $100 deposit.

Not even sure of that..... I booked our 16 day day Hawaii Cruise for my family of four  during the Love Boat sale and the deposit was only $200 total for four people. I'm not sure what, if any, this Black Friday sale brings .... Might be the worst BF sale I've seen of any cruiseline in a while . 

2 hours ago, b7440 said:

Where can you find a lust of what is covered under which plan?

The internet and Google 

Use the port of call forums for this 

Check out the ports of call forum for port info.

They can make price adjustments but you're way past final payment and weeks before sailing. The line generally drops prices last minute to fill cabins and no way in heck are they giving every person on board a refund last minute  ..... I wouldn't even expect them to.

They can make price adjustments but you're way past final payment and weeks before sailing. The line generally drops prices last minute to fill cabins and no way in heck are they giving every person on board a refund last minute  ..... I wouldn't even expect them to.

3 hours ago, dog said:

Did better booking early. My Royal Princess cruise went up $454, From what I am paying.

We're you booked under the Love Boat sale or even before then? 

Keeping it short and sweet...... My 16 day Hawaii cruise for August 2023 for my family of four with Princess Plus went up $5 but without the $100 OBC each for the four of us from the Love Boat sale. Nothing to see here for the Black Friday sale for us today.... Maybe you'll have better luck .

Use the search function for this widely discussed topic. 

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I think your original comments may have erroneously led us to think you wanted to drop the gratuities in order to make a long cruise more affordable.  

That is the plan when they state that the cost of the tips on longer cruises makes it expensive and they ask if they can adjust it to zero. There is so other way to read what is obvious. 

What does the question have to do with Norwegian Cruise Line? 

Use the Hawaii forum for information. 

Florida departures forum as this is asked almost every day in there since its flight related , not HAL. 

1 hour ago, Doug R. said:

If you are worried about tipping costs during a longer cruise, perhaps you cannot afford to take that longer cruise.

 

^^^^ This ^^^^

Why? Are you already planning on removing your tips before you even cruise to save money at the workers expense while expecting great personal service?