dmwnc1959

One thing I do plan on doing the first couple of days (which are sea days) on the ship is to walk around a LOT, especially around the Promenade Deck and up on the Sun Deck (Deck 14 forward) to get a feel for the ship. I know when we transit the canal it’s going to be a very long day, so the shelter and shade provided by the Promenade Deck will come in handy. I think one of the most interesting parts of the transit will be when we are in the locks - seeing the mules up close, waiving to the canal lock crew, getting up close and personal with the lock walls, watching the opening and closing of the lock gates, and just taking it all in. I’ve done small boat transits of river navigation locks and found that to be incredibly fascinating, so the Panama Canal will no doubt be amazing!

Sigh. I’m pretty sure that’s also a matter of where you decide to eat your pasta in London? It’s like I can get a cheeseburger from any fast food dive or fine dining restaurant in town and the prices differ as much as the weather in March. And, if I were go into any restaurant in town and the gratuities, crew appreciation, and other additional charges were already included, I wouldn’t tip extra there either. As Princess Cruises has stated: “Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests… are pooled… and distributed to crew members who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise… including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.” You do you. No extra tips from me other than what’s already included and covered. 😎

Which they do receive in the form of Crew Appreciation, 18% surcharges on drinks and specialty dining packages, and bonuses (per PCL) from being recognized in writing from passengers. Cruise lines have included these things for a reason. And not all of us feel the need or are obligated to tip extra. It’s your right to tip, bribe, or whatever, just like it’s my right to not. To each their own.

Too long, didn’t read, don’t care. I’m still not tipping extra if the Crew Appreciation and 18% service charge are already included. Not gonna happen. You are more than welcome to make up the difference in their salaries, I’m not. 😎

Pretty much exactly my thoughts exactly. 😎

Multiply that dollar amount by several cruises a month, and then again over the length of their contract, and I’m guessing these crew members are making a pretty tidy sum. 🤑

Also, don’t forget to fill out one of the crew appreciation comment cards, specifically naming them individually. Include their full name if you can, and their duty station or service detail, and include glowing details of how wonderful they were. This will increase the chances that they’ll be included to a greater degree on those combined bonuses and Crew Appreciation tips.

I think this a point that I’ve been trying to make, where service should always be first-rate. Not just good, average, or median. Service should always be friendly, timely, accommodating, and dutiful. I shouldn’t have to, or be expected to tip for ‘good service’. As some have mentioned, if I had special needs or special requests that go outside of the norm, or expect expedited service, then sure bribe your server with a tip.

🥰 🥰 🥰 You are a legend. 👍🏻

Someone has to. This forum is all they have. 😉

That’s not even close to what I said, maybe you should go back and read it. I said that I shouldn’t be expected to tip extra just because you do. PartyBarbie. 😎

Same for me. Nothing.

I understand that each person cruises with different levels of expectations, different requirements to enjoy their vacation, and different styles in which they are accustomed to traveling. An affluent well-to-do husband and wife in luxurious accommodations, a family from a socio-economic middle-class on their first cruise, or a senior citizen traveling solo in an inside cabin all have different needs and demands on how they utilize the crew. Those incidences you’ve listed in which you may see fit to tip extra, none apply to me. And may not apply to a lot of people. Well, except the ‘bag-of-laundry day’ on an extended cruise. If my room ‘Stewart’ can hook me up with something extra that’ll deserve a tip. But I don’t ask for extras at bars or dining venues, and my inside cabin doesn’t get complementary full breakfast service. Like you said: ‘It’s not a requirement to tip extra.’ I’ll go a step further and add that it shouldn’t be expected for the rest of us to do so because others are setting a standard of expectation by the crew for tips. 😎

If an 18% service charge is added on top of the cost of the specialty dining, that is in my mind the TIP. I don’t care who’s getting it, I don’t care how it’s being distributed, I just know that it’s the TIP. If I’m wrong, so be it. But I can guarantee you that I’m not tipping on top of being charged additional with an 18% service charge. If the crew appreciation is Princess Cruises way of me supplementing the entire crew’s income, then there is no reason for me to tip extra for them just doing their job. “All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees. The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crew members fleet-wide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.”

Unfortunately, none of those few examples you’ve listed will apply to me. Being ‘new’ but returning to Princess Cruises in more than a decade no one will recognize me, and I eat only what’s listed on menus - I’m fine with the expansive variety - without putting the waitstaff through hoops. I am a very, very low-maintenance passenger (cabin stewards love this), don’t expect the crew to become life-long friends, don’t have butlers, there are no special dietary needs, and keep mostly to my introverted self. What I do expect is that someone in a (not even trying to be rude or dismissive) service industry job (who is already getting crew appreciation from 2000-4000 passengers) will perform their duties without being bribed extra to do so. I’m not trying to be a hardliner, just wanting someone to fulfill their employment position or trade specialty duties without having to provide a bonus reward tip for the fundamentals afforded to every passenger. It shouldn’t be too much to ask. But, yeah, if I drop an exploding can of soda in my cabin they’ll get an extra tip.

Trust me it was a very difficult decision! I looked at everything from the new islands that I’d be visiting to the port loads on what other ships would be docked with us. Love shipspotting! However, some of my old West Coast stomping grounds tugged on the heart strings of the 35-year old sentimental inside of me and won over the 65-year old aging adventurous that is now me. Like the legendary Tony Bennett sang, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”. 🥰

I most definitely looked at doing the back-to-back Norwegian Jade TPA-Panama City-Miami. The idea of going to the Panama Canal twice was nearly irresistible. My biggest problem was that the 22-day B2B was just too port intensive with Caribbean islands for my taste. Otherwise I’d been all of that. 😁

Just a few screen grabs of her transiting through the Miraflores and Gatun Locks today…😁

Curious as to how the disembarkation and re-embarkation goes at Pier 35S for cruise ships stopping in San Francisco for the day as a port of call (coastal repositioning cruises, etc.). There doesn’t appear to be a telescoping ramp like at embarkation cruise terminals, so I’m guessing ships use their absolute lowest deck for walk-offs like you would in most any port of call? And is the interior of the pier just a vast empty warehouse with the cruise line using a small fraction of the very forward part for guests coming and going? Don’t suppose anyone has pictures? 😁

Not meaning to start a tipping debate, but I’m wondering what the standard of service is on Princess Cruises and at what point I’d notice if someone goes ‘above and beyond the call of duty’? Or am I just tipping everyone extra all the time just for the sake of not being considered ‘cheap’. I don’t stay at land resorts and the hotels I stay at aren’t considered luxury brands (i.e. run of the mill Holiday Inn Express, etc.). When comparing the two cruises that I’m currently booked on - Coral Princess and Norwegian Jade - the per diem costs come out to about the same. However one is 16-nights and the other is 25-nights. Princess Cruises includes the tips whereas the NCL daily OSC is purchased separate from the cruise fair. But the final costs all equal out. I’m guessing that if Princess Cruises tells me that the Crew Appreciation is included, I’ll take their word for that, and the crew won’t treat me any different than if I had tipped extra on top of that.

I thought tips were included in the upgraded Princess packages? NCL has the Onboard Service Charge (which I need to buy extra) and it’s not included in the cruise fair. Why do I need to tip extra on Princess if the Crew Appreciation is included?

That’s the same thing I’m doing. Not even interested in being upgraded, I’m more than fine with the inside cabin that I have. Plan on using the card to buy the online packages and goodies, crew appreciation, pay off the balance of the cruise, as well as buy shore excursions when they become available. I’m looking +40,000 points easily, which equates to a $400 statement credit - which is nothing to sneeze at some of us! 🤣😉

This is comforting! Despite what some may assume is my online persona, I’m not that cranky old man shaking his fist at the sky or yelling at kids to ‘get off my lawn’. 😉 But I’ve only cruised the first week of December for the last bunch of cruises specifically to avoid kids. And that’s worked pretty well.

This was/is a concern of mine for the Norwegian Jade repositioning from Tampa, and having loads of spring breakers and kids. The cruise isn’t sold in segments (it’s one 25-night cruise) or bookable as 15-nights or 21-nights like the Norwegian Encore. This would make it seem less likely to have folks disembarking on Day 16/18 in LA or SF since they’d miss Alaska and also need to request permission for ‘early departure’ from the cruise. I’ve never cruised in April, so this is a leap of faith that the longer 25-night cruise will have a more ‘aged’ passenger demographic. 😉