fshagan

We are on regular part-B Medicare, and our Supplement (plan G) insurance does cover medical out of country, with a lifetime maximum of $50k.

We get medical coverage anyway because the plan G coverage does not cover "repatriation of remains" or "medical evacuation" specifically, and I like to have higher medical coverage than $50k.

You don't have the same legal protections for postal mail as you do for email - not that those legal protections actually help with spam email, but at least they are there. The spammers just move off-shore and send email from a foreign country. But postal mail - not the same thing.

If NCL won't take you off their mailing list, I only know of one other option. You can sign up for the direct marketing association's suppression list at dmachoice.org, but there is a fee. It suppresses most marketing bulk mail for 10 years. Then you have to re-register.

There is no legal requirement that they must stop sending you postal mail, as far as I have been able to tell. Bulk mail is profitable for the Postal Service so the government is not keen to reduce it.

10 hours ago, BostonGal35 said:

the water that comes out of the tap is literally pumped in from the ocean.  it is then processed (called desalinization) to remove most of the salt.   that said trace amounts still remain (you cant taste it) but that's one reason why people get bloaty (alcohol and teh salt in the food are the other two reasons).  its actually pretty fascinating how they do it, you can see/hear about it on a behind the scenes tour.  the sea water is also used for laundry adn anything else requiring water on board.

The tap water is also chlorinated. At the buffet and bars (two places you can fill up a bottle) the water is carbon filtered to take away the chlorine.

On 2/17/2023 at 6:06 PM, gkbiiii said:

The chairman of NCL stated this, in their shareholder's meeting: the average (not you personally) guest cabin, generates 40% additional of their fare paid.  Everything on an NCL vessel is geared to this.  It is fleetwide and Prima is the apex to the mastery, & evolution of this corporate ideal. 

This isn't that surprising. My May Alaska 7 day cruise has a fare of $690 each (exclusive of taxes, which don't count as revenue). 40% of that would be an additional $276 in spending. If I had taken the FAS drink package, it would have added $140, plus another $36 for my FAS specialty meals for an automatic $176 additional spend. That only leaves $100 for me to spend on other things on board. That's not a stretch at all.

On 3/2/2023 at 9:22 AM, Oakman58 said:

 

The only thing cruise critic members can do is spend their money with other cruise lines.  Since my last cruise on the Bliss, I've cruised with Carnival which was an excellent cruise and Princess which was a cruise for the dead and in a sucky balcony cabin that was not my cup of tea.  This June I'll be cruising again with Holland in Alaska and in December with RCL in the Caribbean.

All of those still have the DSC or equivalent added on at the end of the cruise, at various prices. If that's what's really bothering you there are cruise lines that do not have any kind of DSC, like Virgin Voyages, Oceania, etc. As to reduced services, RCL has already reduced housekeeping to once per day; I expect most of the others to follow suit.

One good thing about the separate charges for the DSC is that it is fully refundable if you have to cancel or miss your cruise. If they were rolled into the fare you would lose it based on the cancellation schedule (or, have to insure that amount if you take out trip insurance). But that's about the only good thing about it.

1 hour ago, ISABELLA said:

I thought NCL is not allowing to bring water on board.

You're right. You can't bring your own water on board. You can bring an empty drink bottle to be filled at the buffet, bars or in your stateroom. Or buy their packaged water (in cartons instead of plastic bottles).

2 hours ago, DZ77 said:

If we bring a refillable water bottle, how many locations are there on the ship where you can refill it with tap water?

If you want filtered water without chlorine taste, at the buffet. They require you to dispense the water into a glass, then into your bottle, to avoid you putting the bottle under the dispenser. You can ask a bartender to fill it for you also. The water in these venues is charcoal filtered, whereas the water from your tap in the cabin will have chlorine in it.

15 hours ago, bjlaac said:

I walk out of every restaurant without leaving a tip for the cooks and dishwashers, in fact I've never heard of anyone tipping someone other than the waiter or hotel made.

If you are in the US, the wait person will "tip-out" a portion of the tip you give them to at least the hostess and the busser. Sometimes the restaurant will have a different system set up, but that's the system in most restaurants.

The recent refurbishment of the Norwegian Spirit was fantastic, and plussed the adult areas with a large H20 area, eliminating the kid's splash zone area. While it's not strictly "adults only" I'm thinking that families will gravitate to the ships with play areas, water slides, etc.

Do you see that as a trend, especially for the smaller ships that can't compete race tracks and water slides?

Here's the coverage map for Starlink Maritime. Not sure what corporate customers pay for a ship the size of a cruise ship, but the price for boats is $5,000 equipment and $5,000 a month. I suspect both hardware and monthly fees would be higher for cruise ships. Their website is at https://www.starlink.com/maritime

4 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

Interesting.  That’s informative.

I’ve never really understood how this works. Are the “gratuities/tips” we pay on the specialty dining and FAS drink package treated differently?  Could you ask that they be removed?  They seem like part of the cruise fare when paying. 
I’ve always just viewed it all as fungible and the true cost of the cruise is buried in various charges, fees, taxes, tariffs, requests, demands, hopes and dreams. If the bottom number is ok, I book the cruise.

The crew is working much harder than I am onboard and I have no intention of trying to beat the bartender out of a $2 tip for my Manhattan.  

I agree with you on the total cost of the cruise being all the costs; it doesn't bother me to pay gratuities separately as long as I know what they are up front, and the cruise lines have made that easy with the daily charges. But, they do hide it from you during booking, so it is bad that new cruisers unfamiliar with the custom are surprised by the fees.

As far as I know, the tip added for drinks and specialty dining would be called "service charges" here in the US, as you cannot remove them. They are not a discretionary amount given to the bartender or server like when you tip extra in cash (or on land, when you tip a bartender or server in a restaurant).

NCL uses the gratuities in part to encourage the team to "work together" for your satisfaction. It reminds of the "group project" you had to do in high school where two or three members do all the work, and the other two or three in the group either pull you down or ride on your coattails. I think it's a lousy management style, but it's what NCL has chosen to maintain service levels. While I don't like it, I will say the service from those in the DSC pool that I interact with has always been fantastic on NCL.

On 1/2/2023 at 8:10 PM, ldtr said:

 

It would be a service charge  and considered to be wages if it did not comply with  Rev Rul. 29-252 which was affirmed  in IRS bulletin  2012-26  in Rev Rul. 2012-18.  However if it does then it would be considered to be  tips and not considered to be wages.

 

The key difference is that the daily amount is not mandatory, along with having to meet some other rules.

 

Also according to FASB Codification 605-4545, if they were not considered to be a tip and were in fact considered to be a service charge they would have to be included as part of the companies gross revenue.  Yet 10Q and 10K filing do not reflect that for any of the major cruise holding companies and the size of the amount collected would certainly be material to those filings.

Cruise lines (generally) do not pay any corporate income tax on shipboard revenue, so, while the accounting practices still have to conform to SEC rules (for US-based cruise lines), there is little incentive for the cruise lines to categorize items differently for "tax purposes".

Easy Google search for not paying corporate income tax brings this up as the first result: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/most-cruise-lines-don-t-pay-taxes-u-s-just-n1172496

On 12/30/2022 at 3:23 PM, Cruise5life said:

Is this an actual look into what crew actually make ?   

The POA has to pay minimum wage; if they have to abide by Hawaiian law, that's at least $12 an hour, with overtime. That's because it's a US flagged cruise ship. All the other NCL ships fly a foreign flag.

For insight into the wages paid to crew on other ships, search YouTube for videos from many former crew members, or you can use the website glassdoor.com to look up the wages for NCL, RCL and Carnival jobs.

Your T/A can check for you.

People have said that they sometimes get the difference in price in on board credit, or at least some on board credit. In your case I'm not sure that would apply because it is a different category of cabin you are looking at that is cheaper.

Are you sure the inside stateroom isn't going to charge you a single surcharge. All prices, except for the studios, are based on per-person, double occupancy required. So comparing the advertised rate for a studio verses an inside cabin (with the 2 person requirement) isn't an apples to apples price comparison. NCL does, on occasion, have cruises where they waive the single supplement, so have your T/A check.

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Others have stated that the crew can keep the extra tips as long as the passenger has not reduced/removed the DSC.

They have. But I don't think anyone really knows for sure. I just put what NCL says on their website that answers the questions for me.

On 12/11/2022 at 8:24 AM, rabidstoat said:

Apologies for asking something I'm certain has been asked before but I'm on the Joy and the Internet is struggling making searches hard.

 

If I leave my room steward an extra cash tip for being a great Steward does he get to keep it himself? What if I give my favorite bartender a cash tip at the end of the cruise, do they keep it or does it get pooled? 

Here's what NCL says at https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-about-gratuities

"While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them."

To me, that sounds like they are permitted to accept cash gratuities and keep them - which I view as an essential part of "accepting" the cash. Others will argue that they can accept them, but not keep them.

Take your pick.

On 12/11/2022 at 10:50 AM, Coreysgrl06 said:

I read years ago that the staff in the kids club don’t get to share the gratuity. Does anyone know if that’s still true? Last cruise we went on we gave the kids club staff a separate tip. I understand if no one has the answer. Just curious 

They don't share in the DSC - see https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-about-gratuities:

"Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 20% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 20% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 20% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining."

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

English can be quite easy especially when you're torturing it to say what you want it to mean.

English is hard enough that the US 1st District appeals court had to get involved between management and truckers over the lack of an "Oxford comma" - https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/15/health/oxford-comma-maine-court-case-trnd/index.html

Management lost, for want of a comma, and had to pay millions in overtime.

Luckily, the stakes here is just arguing on an Internet forum, and not the actual pay the employees receive.

I sometimes use a travel agent that gives me Marriott points, and they have a $100 change / cancel fee. So any change for a drop in price has to take that into account.

For the OP, your country will have different laws and regulations than what I see in the US. That makes it confusing if you try and book in another country. There may be things normally included in the Irish booking that are not included in the US booking, so take any advice from someone out of your country with a grain of salt.

On 11/25/2022 at 3:56 AM, chengkp75 said:

This is also from the viewpoint of a US entertainer, whose status and conditions on the ship were worlds away from the majority of crew, and whose whole life outlook and expectations are different from the crew.  I find it very interesting that the majority of "rants" like this one come from first world crew.

I've noticed this too. It reminds me of the Revolutionary War, where British soldiers were shocked at how well the Americans lived, and couldn't understand why they were committing treason - their families back in England as loyal subjects were decidedly worse than the Americans. The YT videos I've seen of crew from the Philippines and other places have a completely different tone that doesn't have any of the outrage Jay expressed (I follow Jay on YT because he's a pretty good vlogger, and like him, but I do agree with your assessment.)

The dining and drink packages can be refused, and you avoid the grats on them. We typically take the dining option and pay the grats, which are not very much. But we don't drink very  often so we always refuse the drink package. Our next cruise we selected to get the free wifi, shore excursion credit, and meals.

17 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Other than complimenting my pre-k art work, I'm not sure what you're asking...unless you were just giving me an A+ on the assignment, and not asking a question. 

I said: "One per stateroom. But I believe it's "per port", so you take the $50 off NCL excursions in each port. "

You said:  "It is not per port. Please be sure to actually review the terms and conditions before answering: "

Kinda snippy.

I then quoted your source:

""The first guest may redeem the promotion of $50 Shore Excursion Credit on more than one shore excursion per port."

It is indeed "per port". It's the actual language in your source. Get it? Please be sure to actually review the terms and conditions before criticizing others.

On 11/20/2022 at 5:08 PM, New2cruise2022 said:

Cucumber water. Fancy. 

Funny!

For bottled water drinkers, the tap in the cabins have chlorinated water. I find the taste objectionable since my tap water at home is not chlorinated. That being said, the filtered water in the buffet, restaurants and bars tastes fine to me. I suspect someone could use a Brita or other activated carbon filter to take the pool water taste out of the cabin water. We always buy the packaged water for our cruises.

3 hours ago, nadure said:

After 15 cruises in NCL, I find myself in the following situation: on November 16, 2022 I booked a cruise. My credit card was immediately debited and the 2 coupons accepted. A few moments later I am informed that there is a problem with my coupons. I consult the CRUISENEXT service and its response is as follows:
"Thank you for reaching back out to the CruiseNext Department. Upon checking, we see that CruiseNext Deposit (CND) numbers 116xxxxx and 116xxxxx are active and available for use. The CNDs have a book and sail by date of 12/31/2023 and are a value of 193 GBP each."
Who to believe?
Since NCL canceled my reservation, but did not refund me. As I cannot contact them by telephone I try in vain to find an E-mail.

WHO CAN HELP ME?

I'm not sure how the credit card transactions work in the UK, but here in the US it can take several days to a couple of weeks for a credit to be processed. You can sometimes see that the charge is pending online when you log into the credit card account.

If that's not the way it works in the UK, I would contact my credit card company and have them investigate.

On 11/17/2022 at 7:57 AM, phillygwm said:

There must be tens of thousands of Latitudes members.  But I believe this only went out to people at a certain level.  I'm Sapphire and have it but I went into the profile I setup for my niece, who is Silver, and she didn't.

I'm Gold and have the coupon, so maybe that's where it starts. I also have a cruise currently booked in May; I'm wondering if they are extending to people who already have a cruise booked too.