ray98

It doesn't take very long to spend $200 on alcohol on a cruise ship when many drinks approach $10 each. I could spend $200 myself during the week just at dinner with my normal drink prior and one during the meal if I didn't touch a drop the rest of the cruise.

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As opposed to the know it all who ignores facts and thinks his opinions trump those said facts? :rolleyes:

LOL....'facts'. No.....marketing.

The cruise line business is booming since its transition into the mass market. Bottom line, they are now catering to demographics who aren't commonly found in situations where they are surrounded by a multitude of servers who rely on tips. There are segments of the population where that is the norm which just happens to be what was once the main customer base on cruise vacations. Things changed. They all want to avoid the new customer getting 'sticker shock' when they find their family of 4 is going to cough up $50+ per day in 'tips'.

They worked to find a way to make this more inclusive as simply part of the fare since they were certainly not going to back away from that method of compensating the employees. That is when the marketers came into play toying with the names of the program and pushing for automatically billed gratuities. NCL just decided 'service charge' was more palatable for their customer base to ensure their employees are compensated.

All the programs put the compensation of the employee on the customer....they all are based on near identical industry standards when it comes to the amount of compensation.....they just have a different name.

Touche. I personally would like to tip with cash and not pay those DSC. But I am concerned that cancelling the DSC so often would get me blacklisted on some invisible list that may or may not exist. I like handing over the money in person as this is more the cultural norm in the states.

The problem with that is the cruise industry has changed. For example, the days of having the same dining room waitstaff for an entire cruise that you tipped at the end is over for many. Now you are served by a variety of teams. Unless you have the customer tip in cash at the end of every meal like you would at a land based restaurant the only way to compensate everyone is with pooled funds.

Just do it yourself....all the info and research you need is out there unless you are just into hand holding.

I always carry $50 in ones.....never needed more.

LOL....such an outrage. Someone should've made that tropical storm turn the other way.

There are plenty of bad reviews published.

No.

As above....demand is high right now.....that is the key factor in pricing.

Change the comforter? They use a duvet covers for that very reason, that is the part that is washed same as a pillow case. It is the entire purpose it exists.

LOL....some people will still argue even though online reservations are changing and customer service is confirming the change. I guess some just have to the the 'insider'.

This thread is proof of the power marketing has over people. Endless debates over terms when it is obvious to anyone with common sense it is the exact same thing proportioned in the exact same ways at the rest of the cruise industry.

You go on this line and your $14 a day is a 'Service Gratuity(tips)', the next is an 'Automatic Daily Gratuity', and the next is a 'Service Charge'. All are used to compensate employees who provide service which is the historical way of payment. Then sit back and watch some know it all come and argue how they aren't the same thing.

i just returned from the gem saturday.. i paid 294 dollars for tips to ncl... does that mean that next time i can cancel the tips and give the waiter(i always ask for the same waiter for dinner the whole week) eat at buffet the rest of the time. $150 and the cabin steward $150 tip?

There are many more workers other than those two who have a hand in the overall experience you are provided who are compensated solely by gratuities.

LOL.....no. The proximity of a public bathroom to my cabin is the least of my concerns.

Yep, but you'll get the same old folks who will argue that and point you to the doublespeak on the NCL website.

Yup....all NCL is doing is making people think it is a mandatory charge and not a voluntary function.

We started with envelopes and recommended amounts....that moved to 'we will make it easier and just charge those amounts to your account'....now it is a 'service charge'.

Much of the change started when freestyle type dining was invented. The day of handing the same waitstaff an envelope at the end of the cruise was largely a bygone. The only way to handle a group of customers being randomly served by a large group of servers is a pooled tipping policy unless you want the customers leaving the tip on the table at the end of the meal which a cruise ship isn't prepared for.

lol......service charge = tip = gratuities. Same thing, different wording.

Taxes and port fees are refunded.

In my opinion they are simply sub par compared to other destinations. Lots of people don't do group excursions and like to get out an explore on the fly. Those options are limited at both ports, you are stuck in a tourist trap area with an unlimited supply of pushy vendors. After the first couple of trips I no longer have an interest in either port.

Plenty of time.

No.

You can't live your life afraid of everything. Those showers are probably cleaner than the shower in most peoples homes.

Yes....I have one that stays in my suitcase.

Not really a deal, it is listed at $909 for an inside right now vs their $999. Book with any number of travel agents on the internet and you would get at least $175-200 OBC vs their $100. The room would have to be nearly $200 just to break even plus they are hitting you with a $20 booking fee.

I have been looking myself. The 'experience' selections certainly complicate things trying to figure out what is included and what isn't.