dmwnc1959

1 minute ago, Asawi said:

I don't know, but I'm guessing kitchen staff (all restaurants and buffet), cleaning staff (not just room stewards), all "behind the scenes" staff...

Curious. Is that something I was doing before, is that where my money was going before? Just intrigued. Like 30 years ago when I was cruising and personally tipping the restaurant staff individually (waiter, busboy, Maitre’D), passing off to each of them individually that little white envelope, that money was being divvied up behind the scenes.? And that’s what they’re doing now basically just paying off all the behind-the-scenes staff? No sarcasm intended, but I really didn’t realize I was supplementing everybody’s income. I think I’ve been hoodwinked. 

24 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

You could have accomplished the same thing without the $20.  We do the same thing without forking over the $20 and still maintain friendly interactions with cabin stewards when we see them.  If we need ice or coffee or extra towels for the room we call his extension and they are there waiting for us when we get back to the room. 

 

All of these services are part of what you are tipping for in the basic DSC.  I do not see any logical reason to tip extra.  None of it is over and above what you would expect in the normal course of your cruise.

BINGO 😎

15 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

"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." - NCL

Legitimate question here, not even trying to be a Mr. Smarty-pants. I’m just trying to understand NCL’s Daily Service Charge.
 

If the 20% gratuities surcharge are already added into the beverage packages for the bartenders and in the specialty dining packages for those waitstaff, where is my Daily Service Charge going?

So in my case, is my $500 DSC mainly going to the room steward and staff in the buffet/other complimentary eateries? There’s a real chance on the 25-night cruise I might eat the MDR maybe five or six times. As I had mentioned in another post I expressed my curiosity if I’m paying all the managers and contracted people’s salaries.
 

Is the DSC basically just a combined old-school tipping policy rolled into one, i.e. for the cabin steward and non-Specialty Dining waitstaff? Inquiring minds want to know. 😁

8 hours ago, complawyer said:

what i do not understand, (and maybe it's just my interpretation of your posts) is why the undercurrent of hostility permeating your posts.

All caps lock would be hostile. Attempting to convey adamant or strong feelings by italicizing text or using bold text for emphasis are just that - strong feelings. Not hostility.
 

It seems a lot more people on here advocate extra tipping than not. People do budget very carefully and save very carefully for vacations, and if NCL says tips are included it’s just that, no extra tipping should ever be expected. At all. But when people here trumpet throwing out cash to everyone that smiles their way, is simply doing their job, or is being polite, it becomes an absolute standard. It becomes a ‘keeping up with the Jones’ type of mentality from both the passengers and from the crew. It becomes an expectation.

Mine is an attempt at a point-counterpoint to all of the posts ‘nickel and diming’ my budget $1 here (10-20x a day), 5$ there (for every meal), another $25 or $50 to this person or that person here and there that remembers my name. That snowballs into hundreds and hundreds upon hundreds of extra dollars that I’m spending on something that’s already included.
 

There’s zero reason anyone should feel impressed by social influencers or by social standards into extra tipping to the point it becomes the new standard. And that’s the point I’m trying to convey.
 

My apologies if it distressed you. 
 

😁

3 minutes ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

If you think it is excessive then simply turn down the free drinks and pay for the unlimited bar as well as paying the 20%.  That should make you feel a lot better!

Short of having to be a functioning alcoholic I don’t think the ‘free’ FAS unlimited bar would even be a regular viable choice for me. On my last couple of cruises I barely got the unlimited soda and specialty coffee package. Not sure that I’m even going to get use of the alcohol part of the FAS to make it worth my while, but I can give it my best shot! 🤣 

15 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

Whether you choose to tip or not, If someone gives you great service, fill out a hero card for them.  This is how they are able to tap into that some of that DSC $$$, in addition to promotions/raises.

THIS!!! ^ ^ ^ 

40 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

FWIW: The $20 covers many more people than your cabin steward. It covers all of the restaurant workers for complimentary restaurants (waiters, busboys, dishwashers, galley staff), forward facing and behind the scenes cruise staff, and many more that help make your cruise memorable. So,,, you steward gets a tiny bit of the $20/day. 

One thing I am absolutely not going to do is pay the entire crew’s wages. If bar managers, assistant bar managers, housekeeper chiefs, housekeeper’s managers, and food and beverage managers are getting my money I’ll remove the DSC immediately and tip who I want to. If the cruise lines can’t pay a living wage for those folks you’ve mentioned it’s not my job to do it either. And I’m not tipping anyone and everyone that smiles in my direction or does their job. Our tipping culture and the guilt of obligation to do so is getting WAY out of hand. 

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Try it and see how the service improves.

I’ll make sure to report back. 😉 In the mean time, maybe I can start another thread on how I can bring candy or fruit cakes as a show of my appreciation and see how that goes. 🤣 

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

That was for two so divide it in half.

My cruise is 25-nights, in a Solo Inside cabin. So, even with no butler or concierge to ‘reward’ and a room ‘Stewart’ I may not see but once a day, the total cost end results for me tipping under those guidelines that you follow would still easily add several hundred dollars on top of the $1100 I’m already being billed.
 

I’m just 1 of 2000 on the ship, and most likely the easiest to take care of: no special cabin needs, no special dietary requests, not a frequent bar visitor, and very, very low maintenance. So there’s no real reason that they get to know me, my likes and dislikes, or what makes my day. And I’m fine with that.
 

And with the 20% service charges/tips already added to my drinks and SDP, I personally see no reason to tip another 20% on top of that. 

5 minutes ago, complawyer said:

bottom line!!!! ncl requires NO EXTRA TIPPING!!  consequently you are under no obligation to do so.

And that’s good enough for me. 😁

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

First of all, the service charge goes to far more people than the steward.  For example, waiters in the mdr, people cleaning tables in the buffet, etc.  We usually tip approximately $10 per day for the steward, more if they are truly outstanding.  We also leave $3-$5 per meal in any restaurant.  $1 per drink order.

Even as a solo this adds well over $700+ to my cruise ON TOP OFF the $1100 I’m already being charged in DSC and dining/drink package gratuities. Yeah, that’s absolutely not even happening. For me personally, that’s excessive. 😳

3 hours ago, icft said:

I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything more either. I didn't say anything to indicate I did. The point is tips are for service provided. If a job has evolved such that the position holder provides less service and value to a customer then the tip should be smaller.

 

29 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

Each person should do as he sees fit.  However using the lame excuse that one has paid the DSC as a reason not to tip is being extremely cheap and more than a tad rationalizing.

25 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

There is no suggested amount to tip anyone. The ONLY valid answer to tipping is to tip whoever you want any time you want any amount you want.  What oterhs choose to fo is none of anylne else's business and it is not at all relevant...

It’s statements like these that seemingly contradict themselves.
 

With all due respect, and not to nit-pick, but as a solo if I have pre-paid $500 in DSC, been pre-charged $565 gratuities on my beverage package and 2-dinner package, $51 in gratuities on a 7-meal SDP, and then decide all of that (over $1100.00 in gratuities) is fine I’m being ‘extremely cheap’ (based on the first quoted statement) yet it’s a decision I’ve made (based on your second quoted statement). 
 

I don’t want to come off as ‘cheap’ to my room steward, but I don’t want to shell out money if I’m making their job exponentially easier as a self-described neat freak. 
 

😁

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Leave your DSC alone. Tip extra to others if you wish. (We normally give our room steward a generous tip). 

Never even really thought about this, even on my last cruise, where I prepaid the tips. Just out of curiosity - and a serious question - as a solo traveler (booked in a Category IT inside solo on Norw. Jade) and doing a 25-night repositioning from Florida to Alaska, how much extra would you suggest I tip the room steward? I am most definitely NOT a messy person, pretty much always keep my room very nice and tidy, and basically just looking at turn-down service and changing out towels. Definitely not looking at stiffing the room steward.

1 minute ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

As they are still taking bookings and will do for another month + it would only be a rough guide.   They would also have to do a 3 way question

Staying in Seward

Going to Anchorage City

Going to Anchorage Airport

 

And probably "still not decided"!!

Thank you! I know that I am probably way overthinking this whole thing, and that I am still over a year away from even getting on the ship. But I do like planning/knowing some aspects of the cruise down to the last detail, and this Whittier post-cruise transfer is one of them.
 

Over the next several months everything from the $1000 of onboard Specialty Dining, Photo packages, and tips (for the cc bonus points), flight to TPA, pre-cruise hotel, and new clothes will be purchased. Plus lots of fun planning the port of call sightseeing trips! For a cruise this long, for me, it’s a LOT to take ALL of this in, especially in regards to the transfers - better to be prepared than overwhelmed at the last minute. 
 

😁

2 minutes ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

@dmwnc1959

 

There have been parallels drawn with Seward and the Jewel being there in April this year.   One thing to remember is that the Jewel is going to Seward FROM Japan and so all the passengers will not be debarking; there will be lots B2B.to Vancouver   This may be true (B2Bs) for your cruise too so you may not be looking at a 2000 turn round.

 

However I feel certain that, as NCL has arranged transfers from Seward to Anchorage this year "before the season", they will do the same from Whittier in 2025.

 

HOWEVER the Seward to Anchorage Airport transfer has ALREADY sold out; 58 days prior to arrival.  I suggest you keep a weather eye on your cruise shore excursions and book as soon as the Whittier to Anchorage Airport transfer appears.

I’m not sure I can wrap my head around the fact that NCL doesn’t or hasn’t taken a mandatory survey to determine which passengers are debarking in Seward and to ensure that every single one of them has a transfer option available. Or maybe they do this onboard prior to the end of your cruise? No customer left behind!
 

I do believe I’ve read that there will be some B2B cruisers heading back down the Inside Passage to Vancouver at the end of my repositioning cruise. This will also have to be a known number. That was my concern at the very beginning of this thread on how they’re going to transfer 1500-2000 people from Whittier to Anchorage. 
 

There’s no doubt I’ll have my return flight booked within six months of the cruise starting, so that when transfers do become available I have my flight information available for input into the website. 
 

😁

Is there somewhere on the NCL website that shows how much the Whittier - Anchorage transfers cost, and what the recommended flight departure times are post-cruise? 😁

10 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Oops didn’t see the other answers before I posted. 😳

Got it in the mail today! It’s very cool that the BofA app tracks how much I still need to reach the $1000. Don’t think I’ll have any problem at all reaching that in a single NCL app purchase.  😉

1 hour ago, uneamie said:

$49....I'll pass and live without cookies. Maybe I will pack a few of my homemades

There are a LOT of things on the ship I’ll pass on that cost way more than the cookies. 🤣 If you’re packing homemades, I’m packing Golden Oreos with double stuff, Keebler Coconut Dreams, and 3-4 different types of Pepperidge Farms. I’ll need a new carry-on!!! 🎉

😎

Just now, Sailing12Away said:

Yup, you'll be fine. Someone else is cooking, cleaning, making you drinks, and giving you something shiny or sparkly to look at.

For 3+ weeks at that! I still can’t even 🤯 wrap my head around being on a cruise ship for that long. The crazy part is trying to pack for both 🥵 and 🥶 weather in a single suitcase. Layers, yes, but this is going to take some real thinking through and praying for a mid-cruise laundry special. 

6 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

We were on the Jade a few years back. It was only our 2nd NCL trip at that time, and our first trip in the Haven. Any bad memories I have about that trip were more related to the level of service we got from our butler as we had certain expectations about what sailing in the Haven was 'supposed' to be like, and we weren't getting that at all. 

 

Having now been on a few more other NCL ships, I wouldn't say it was our favorite, but the right itinerary at the right price point and in the right cabin we certainly would sail on her again.

So - me, being in an inside cabin on the bottom of the ship with zero expectations - I’m pretty sure I will be fine? 😉 Haven’t been in suites for a very, very long time, just isn’t worth it to me anymore as a solo, I’m just renting the space. 😁 Norwegian Jade is sounding pretty good. 

1 minute ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Yes. And you get triple points.

YAY!!! 🎉 THANKS! 

Just wanted to verify that if I purchase various items for my cruise off of the NCL website - i.e. Specialty Dining Packages, Photo Packages, Pre-paid Service Charges, etc. - these all count towards the $1000 to be spent within the first 90 days for the 25,000 points? 

9 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

That's me! On the Spirit.

Now with all of this data it makes sense to have the smaller ship pull in first to WE (Ward East side of the pier) and then the larger ship into WW (Ward West side of the pier), with the larger ship leaving first. At least it’ll make for some good shipspotting pictures! 
 

8 minutes ago, jean-lynd said:

If you go to claalaska.com you can see where every ship is scheduled to dock in every port in Alaska. I hope this helps!

I do see on the 2024 schedule below where two NCL ships can be at Ward Cove at the same time. 👍