fshagan

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

This is a website that has compiled links. It was quite a large project on emigration that has run its course, so some info may be outdated. It is all in German, but a few links go to English language sites: https://www.auswanderung-rlp.de/das-projekt/weblinks.html

Thanks for the link to the German website. Google Chrome is able to translate it so I have a better idea of the resources it covers.

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

Not sure what the ratio is but Viva Cruises will in all likelihood still have a large proportion of Germans and also some Europeans on board. As far as I know Viva Cruises is bi-lingual rather than dedicating some itinerary dates to the international market.

 

Until a few years ago I had no idea just how many Americans have either direct German ancestors or marry into that ancestry. You know, you may trace your family and everyone is Irish/English/French/Polish or whatever and then you meet the love of your life whose grandparents came from a tiny village in the Palatinate (which is the second half in the state name Rhineland-Palatinate).

About 49 million Americans self identify as fully German or have partial German ancestry, making Germans the largest self-reported ancestry group in the USA. But I think that's actually a low estimate because many don't identify as German. The first and second world wars suppressed a lot of the enthusiasm for our American parents and grandparents to claim German heritage, so a lot of Americans are surprised when they do genealogy. The most common mistake is that they are Dutch or English, based on where ships departed ... but the largest single migration in the 1700s was from the Palatinate. Even Jamestown in the 1600s had German immigrants along with the English.

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

There are dedicated local amateur historians in the Rhineland and elsewhere, some have gone to great lengths writing brochures or entire books on the topic. Alexander Emmerich is a professional historian renowned for his books on North America and especially the Germans emigrating to the US. He wrote a biography on John Jacob Astor.

Thanks for those tips! A quick search showed only the Astor biography in English, but I'll keep an eye out for other English translations. We plan to do a land-based "roots trip" vacation in the future to see some of the places where we believe our ancestors originated.

On 3/13/2024 at 1:41 PM, notamermaid said:

First river cruise and on Viva Cruises sounds unusual. Are you in Europe? Viva Cruises have recently been targeting the North American market but are far from a household name there yet.

 

notamermaid

No, we're Americans. We found Viva and a few other lines we had not heard of before on YouTube. One YouTube creator we follow moved to Germany a few years back, and he went on Viva's Tiara and liked it. We decided we wanted to go on either the Viva One or Viva Two. We decided on the cruise dates based on when we could get good business class fares. We also looked at others, like Nicko but decided Viva was probably a better fit.

Like most Americans, we have German ancestors and we've always wanted to visit. This will give us a taste of Germany for later visits (I hope) and allow us to meet people from Europe on-board instead of just our fellow Americans and Canadians.

We booked a Basel to Amsterdam cruise on Viva Cruises on the Viva One starting 17 Sep. It's our first river cruise so we are really looking forward to it! Hoping the water levels stay good all summer until then.

9 hours ago, MedCruise_2022 said:

The “AllTrips Premier” with Allianz Travel while providing good coverage for medical and transportation/evacuation emergencies, will only cover $2,000 for Trip Cancellation.

Hence, reading from the various inputs in this group, we are inclined to buy the NCL BookSafe Travel Protection—as additional coverage especially for “Enhanced Cancellation Protection” and for any medical needs while on the ship.
Or is the NCL Travel Protection still necessary?
For context, we are both seniors (H- 72 yo with Medicare and Supplemental Insurance; W- 68 yo with Medicare Advantage Plan with some international health coverage).

The $2,000 coverage is for the non-refundable fare costs, basically the fare price. Your port fees and taxes, prepaid gratuities / service charges, etc. will be refunded by NCL if you cancel regardless of why you cancel.

Look at your NCL price breakdown ... we find about half of our payment to NCL is refundable (we pre-pay the onboard service charges). Take a look at the non-refundable costs and you can then determine if you need additional insurance. Also, it may be cheaper to contact Allianz and see if they can provide a rider with more than $2000 coverage.

Also, Medicare Supplemental Plans C, D, F, G, M, & N cover 80% of emergency care costs in foreign countries, with a lifetime maximum of $50,000 for my Plan G. It is a reimbursement type plan, and doesn't cover things like repatriation of remains, medical evacuation, etc. We always buy travel medical even though we have that coverage. But it's good to know that coverage exists.

On 2/13/2024 at 5:48 PM, Turtles06 said:

No, it doesn’t really “change the scope of the change.”  This was not an expedition cruise with landings on the Continent. It was a “drive by” (scenic cruising), with Paradise Bay (which is stunningly beautiful) being a highlight. (Big cruise ships don’t have “stops” in Antarctica.) The new itinerary, as I understand it, will not have scenic cruising off the Continent; that would be a huge change from the original. I don’t blame people on board for being upset.  

Would it be comparable to missing cruising in Glacier Bay on an Alaskan cruise then?

9 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

@Armatage Welcome to Cruise Critic!

One thing to keep in mind when choosing third-party tours... Yes, they are typically cheaper BUT when you opt for a ship-sponsored tour they will hold the ship for the tour group if for some reason that tour is delayed or hindered in some manner (traffic, accident...etc.) With a third party tour they likely will NOT wait for you and it's up to you to get yourself to the next port.

While inconvenient, this isn't as huge a deal in Hawai'i. Americans don't need a passport and inter-island flights are inexpensive.

You still don't want to miss the boat, but it's not nearly as bad as it would be in a foreign country.

On 2/1/2024 at 11:39 PM, MSUjohn said:

 

I might have bought a dime bag or two in the 1990s.....just maybe.

 

A dime bag did not have a fixed quantity like let's say an eighth (of an ounce) but rather cost $10.00 and the better you knew the guy the better your sack was.

I actually couldn't remember so I did a quick Google search. In my mind, a dime bag usually got you about an eighth or 3.5 grams, but Google said one gram. But I may have been confused by the other measurement we used, a "lid" (the amount that would fill the lid of a Prince Albert tobacco tin).

On 2/2/2024 at 1:13 PM, tommccabe79 said:

 

From another article on the topic: The seized packages weighed 71.9 kilograms, or about 158 pounds, the affidavit said.

 

That's a lot of bags! 

Good lord! That's a lot of cannabis!

I'm trying to remember, but when "dealing" was set at more than an ounce, the cops told us (my big brothers anyway) that if you can hold all the loose weed in two hands cupped together that would weigh about an ounce. 158 pounds would be 2,528 ounces.

100 "bags"? What kind of a measurement is that? They are supposed to quote a weight in kilos, and tell us how much the street value is which is always a LOT more than what you would pay. At least, that's what my older brothers told me.

"Dime bags" are the closest I can think of, but I don't think anyone has used that measurement since the 1970s. My older brothers told me they only contained about a gram or so and you could roll a joint with it but not much more, they said. 100 "dime bags" would be about 100 grams, about 3.5 ounces. That is still a lot for two people according to my older brothers. Over the "personal use" limit the old laws had (my older brothers said this too).

I mean, that just what my older brothers said.

2 minutes ago, kayell said:

How does the staff of the ship know how much cash the crew receives from certain passengers? Or would this mean a percentage comes off their pay?

If you're talking about cash tips they are extra and not put in the tip pool, and NCL allows their employees to receive cash tips. They are not penalized for getting cash tips.

This response has a former NCL engineer explain exactly how the service charge money is given to employees through their paycheck. Not the percentage of the money or amounts given to each position, but how paying or not paying the DSC (or OSC) can affect the crew. But that applies to the service fee and not any cash tips you hand out.

I'm linking this to try and be helpful. I believe the poster because I had a job with almost this exact, per-pay period adjustment to wages based on certain company indicators. NCL could easily do this with DSC / OSC.

17 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I remember finding an envelope with instructions to place money in it to show appreciation for the housecleaners.  This was in DC in the mid-70s.  

Yes, it was common in the late 60s and through the 70s and 80s when I was traveling for work. I still tip housekeeping most of the time, especially on a multi-day stay.

10 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

What is interesting about tipping vs DSC is that the DSC has been around since at least 2002 according to a post I found on Cruise Critic from 2012 .  I googled "when did DSC replace tipping on cruise ships". The very first article I came to was a thread from cruise critic in 2012.  There were just as many diverse opinions as there are now.  The more things change the more they stay the same.

That sounds about right. Our first cruise was on Disney in 2000 and they had the envelope system. You had recommended amounts per day per position tipped. I don't recall how many envelopes, but I recall the dining staff having four or five envelopes. Then you had two envelopes for the cabin stewards. So you had at least six envelopes for six different people. The assistant cabin steward envelope had a recommended tip of .50 per person per day .... so, .50 x 2 x 7 .... and you put the $7 in that envelope. Then you went to next envelope, and it was 1.50 pppd, so 1.50 x 2 x 7, and you put $21 in that envelope. Repeat for each remaining envelope. (These amounts are just for illustration; I can't recall the actual amounts).

We started with NCL in 2010 so the DSC was in place then. And I thought it was absolutely brilliant. No more envelopes! Everyone must be estatic!

6 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

The daily service charge I left as is.

That is all you need to do. There is no need or expectation to tip anything extra. 

2 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

I'm no tax accountant, but I'm pretty confident that if an American citizen makes an income on the high seas, the IRS is going to want their cut. As for other countries, who knows?

 

I researched this before the pandemic when I was still in the tax game, so it may have changed by now. But American employees on cruise ships have withholding on their paychecks and have to file their tax return every year. Same as most working people in this country.

The United States taxes all income earned world-wide. It's based on your "tax home", not the location where you earn it. Some other countries only tax income earned within their borders. This tax scheme is based on where you earn, not where your "tax home" is. I believe the UK and the Philippines are two of the countries that don't tax income earned outside of their countries.

9 hours ago, junieh said:

We do pay the full DSC, I wouldn't even dream of having it removed or reduced as the way I see it, it is a part of the cost of the cruise. But tipping on top of paying the gratuities is not a concept that we are very much used to 🙂

You can stop worrying and do like most of us do - pay the DSC and enjoy your cruise! The DSC takes care of all the people you need to worry about if you are just a regular cruiser. Bar bills, spa bills, etc automatically add the tip at the time of purchase. NCL says in their FAQ that the suite concierge, suite butler, and youth program staff are not part of the tip pool, so you would tip them separately if you use them.

Sorry you had such a bad experience, and on what many would consider a true "bucket list" cruise!

On that type of cruise, where the ports are everything, the short port times and bungled tendering would be the most frustrating to me. NCL has some ridiculously short port times on some itineraries, and there's no excuse for the horrible time tendering.

6 hours ago, HabitualLineStepper said:

NCL charges one of the highest service charges in the industry. Have you noticed any improved service? What are your thoughts?

No, we haven't experienced improved service for the higher daily service charge. But we haven't seen the problems reported frequently on forums for all the lines we follow. So we've been lucky.

That being said, I don't care how they divide up the fare price. I compare cruises often and sometimes NCL is cheaper overall when you calculate the total cost. And that's what I focus on when choosing a cruise, regardless of the line.

If it will cost me $5,000 total to go on a 7 day cruise with a line that has $12 service charges, but NCL has a similar cruise that will cost me $4,500 with their $20 service charge, then I choose NCL. If port fees and taxes are lower on another line, but the overall total cost is cheaper on NCL, then I will choose NCL. I don't even think of what the service charges, port fees and taxes are; I look at the total price.

(Price is just one of my criteria, and I don't always go on the cheapest cruise - but I never consider how the total price is composed. I simply don't care.)

6 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

What's your opinion on using cabin tap water vs. buffet dispensers?

I would expect the same water unless the buffet uses additional filtering.

Otherwise, it should be sourced from the same supply.

It's the same water, but the water at the buffet is carbon filtered. That removes the chlorine taste.

NCL uses chlorine to sanitize the water just like many municipalities. My town does not, and uses a "less stinky" sanitation method. I can taste the chlorine in the tap water. Water from the buffet tastes pretty good. You can also let the water from the tap "sit out" for a few hours and let the chlorine degrade naturally. (I still like the carbon filtered water from the buffet better than this solution).

38 minutes ago, sonoma03 said:

If Celebrity doesn't honor the set dining time, is there any way for me to reserve a time in advance?  I don't see a way to do it in the app.  When I go to the Web site and try to reserve, it says "Dining time already set" and won't let me make a reservation.  Do I have to switch to anytime dining?

Because of earlier issues with the anytime style dining on the Infinity before the pandemic, we were hesitant to try Celebrity again. But we just took a cruise on the Apex, sister ship to the Edge, last month and we were pleasantly surprised. We never had to wait longer than 5 minutes to be seated, no matter when we went to dinner. That was typically around 8 after the first show, but twice we went earlier with the same fast service.

The four dining rooms are close to each other; two on one deck and two right below. You can peak over the rail of the nice staircase leading down the lower two to see if they have a line. We just picked the one with the smallest line (and once or twice 3 of them didn't have any lines).

On 11/28/2023 at 7:41 AM, graphicguy said:

I know our European brothers and sisters don't seem to understand this, but I just returned from a 1 month trip to Spain, France and Italy.  I can tell you point blank, the hotels varied in cost day to day based on their occupancy rates on any given day.  They weren't static by any stretch.  I think their laws are focused mainly on fixed cost goods (like department store wares).

Rates are higher for tourists too. My daughter lived in Ireland and when we visited, and planned to stay a few nights in Kilkenny, her "local" price was about half what I was quoted as an American just minutes before.

10 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

As ridiculous as these offers are i am sure that if they were really against the law then there would have been already several lawsuits of consumer protection organizations against NCL.

 

I read up on the laws and regulations from the FTC a few years back, and you would think it is illegal. Here's what a legal resource company says about it:

From: this legal article. While they cite several retailers who lost suits including Penny's, Justice stores, Ann Taylor and Loft outlet stores, they don't list a case with any company outside of retail.

I suspect cruise lines get away with it because of the nature of their inventory. A blouse is a blouse, but a cabin on a cruise ship has many variables (length of cruise, ports visited, time of year, etc.) It might be harder to prove what normal pricing is when you bring the suit.

23 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

Yeah, it's only been going on since the day cruising began. So deceptive, unless you can read.

 

Yes, they have been using deceptive pricing since the beginning. Salesmen have also been lying since the beginning too.

The length of time they have been lying doesn't matter.

19 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

I'm getting a bit frustrated at NCL's marketing policies, which are with no doubt infractions to several false advertising laws in EU. Their -40, -50% promotions that are always "ending soon" have actually never ever ended.

 

They are also just faking their "normal" prices by adding "discounts" to bring the new price to what were normal prices before they started doing this trick precovid. -40% off on a falsely inflated price briging the real discount to more or less -0% comparing to precovid prices (adjusted for inflation in the sector).

 

Shameful practices.

I had read that this is illegal in the UK - you have to have the rates at a certain level, being sold actively, for a certain time period before you can publish a sale that is a percentage off. I'm surprised to hear it isn't illegal in the EU. Because of the weak way our laws in the states are structured they can get away with lying like this.

The whole pricing scheme is deceptive, starting with quoting a fare for one person but requiring double occupancy. They should have to quote the price to actually use the product, including taxes, fees and gratuities. The only line I know that does that is Virgin (unless they have changed recently).

9 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

 

To get rid of the chlorine taste, leave the water sitting for 30 minutes, in an open container. The chlorine will evaporate.

That is a good tip, but I have to wait a lot longer than 30 minutes for all the chlorine taste to be gone! I've never timed it to pinpoint when I can no longer taste it, but I know 2 hours isn't enough. Overnight is enough. I may be more sensitive to it than others because my municipality doesn't use chlorine, so I'm not used to it at all.