graphicguy

I admire the crew on all cruise lines. They work long hours, with very little time off, with the exception of the months they take off after a contract. That said, regardless of cruise line, I find most crew (especially cabin stewards and restaurant/bar staff) are very adept at evoking some guest responses to elicit more tips. Nothing wrong with that and if it nets them more Benjamins, I say "go for it". But, I don't think NCL (or a ny other cruise line) would be particularly happy with crew complaining to guests about their wages or work load. Plus, I think much is exaggerated. I don't think I've ever encountered someone that's on their first contract. But, I mostly sail the new(ish) ships, where experienced staff is placed. Every crew I've enoucntered have multiples of contracts under their belt, and always say they will return if offered another. My belief....if the pay is poor, working conditions are terrible, then why keep coming back signing up for more contracts?

You’re on the wrong cruise line. I did have a lecture on my Alaska cruises on NCL that were done by a Naturalist who was familiar with the area. But, that’s the only lecture I’ve recalled on NCL. There are some of the other cruise lines that specialize in that sort of thing. Viking comes immediately to mind. But, NCL is known for their Broadway caliber shows and music in venues like Syd Normans or Cavern Club. They also have rotating entertainment throughout the ship. Some have dueling pianos…some are solo musicians who pop up everywhere. I know they have some comedians and main show performers who show up at different venues, too. And, aside from the Spirit or Jewel class ships, they are big ships that you have to walk a good ways for dining and entertainment. As far as room service breakfasts, I would have made a trek to Customer Service to rectify the situation of missing/wrong orders. Good luck in your search.

Those charges would be the same. It’s more of a marketing issue. If they would include the service charges in the fare, they perceive they would be at a disadvantage because most people only look at the advertised fare, and not the “out of pocket” (which includes service charges). NCL’s competition would have a field day by having lower advertised fares as a result. I tell people who ask my advice about cruising all the time….”look at the out of pocket, not just the fare”. Any line item may be more or less when booking a cruise on ANY cruise line. It’s the total out of pocket that matters.

Quick search regarding this topic found this… So, in other words, wait staff, cabin stewards, and behind the scenes staff that provide hotel services split the onboard gratuities/service charges. It covers a wide range of staff, both seen and unseen. “If you are paying gratuities you may want to know how they are broken down and split between the staff members. What is this? Stateroom attendants receive approximately 25% of cruise gratuities paid by guests. Dining room staff receive 43% and the remaining 32% is split between other hotel services.”

Exactly! That’s why it makes no sense to remove tips. They have the surveys. That’s why I don’t believe Waiters, Room Stewards, Cooks, Laundry Personnel know who removes tips. I also don’t believe it’s 10%. If it were that high, that would affect the cruise lines’ compensation analytics. I have never had a problem that I reported to Customer Service go unresolved.

So, this makes no sense. If housekeeping, laundry services, cooks etc knew who removed their tips, there would be no impetus to offer them good service, clean linens, a clean bathroom, hot food served in a timely manner, etc.

I can’t see that as something housekeeping supervisors would know. Perhaps if someone in accounting tracked that, they might know. But, that would be on the corporate level. When you go to Customer Service to remove gratuities, they may ask if there was some sort of issue that they’ll try to resolve. But, to just wholesale remove tips for no good reason other than you want to, I doubt they track that.

I’d bet a dollar to a doughnut no crew (aside from some front office personnel) would have any idea who does or doesn’t remove tips. They receive a lump sum when paid. I can’t see ANY way they would have a listing or visibility of who does/doesn’t remove tips. Now, if you’re saying they have an idea of those who leave additional gratuities in cash at the end of the cruise, maybe s/he might have more insight.

Weird….the Alaska coupons were in my account yesterday, but now they’re gone. Called my TA. She said it’s an NCL “thing” and nothing she could do. Called NCL customer service and said perhaps I had two accounts (I don’t). They also said they had been seeing lots of glitches with this promo. They said to check back in a couple of days to see if they show up again. Sounds like if they don’t show up again, I’m SOL. I was going to book. C’est la Vie1

I sailed the Encore in October to Alaska the week after @rsato (above). It was probably one of my top 3 cruises. I think we were lucky, as the weather was sunny. Temps were in the 50ºs during the day. They did dip down to freezing at night, but still not bad. Shops were still open, but all were talking about shutting down. I know one tour guide said our tour was the last of the season. Did see the Northern Lights, but it was cold sitting on the balcony in the middle of the night. Worthwhile, though! Fares are good at that time, too. Encore, with the huge Observation Lounge and the large windows was perfect for sailing Alaska. Wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I don’t mind cooler/colder weather, though.

Thanks, Jim. NCL has been advertising "50% off all cruises" for a while. Just wondering if this promo is anything different? I just got hosed on an MSC cruise (by MSC). Was just in Alaska this past Fall. Wondering what it would be like in the Spring?

Just spoke to my TA. She's checking into it for me. But, she doesn't think they're combinable. She's really good at sifting through these so called "promotions". Will update here when I find out for certain.

Yes…email…..along with my 10% off on an April cruise.

OK…so, NCL’s 50% off ANY cruise has another 50% off an Alaska Pearl, Spirit or Sun cruise? Me thinks I’ll have my TA book a suite on one of these.

So, is this on top of the promo advertised at CC (see banner) for 50% off ANY NCL cruise?

Thanks. Hope you’re well!

I’m here. Hanging back at the NCL boards. MSC cruise I had booked had a glitch in their booking system and my booking didn’t register. They came back and told my TA (I have the actual email MSC sent to my TA) that I’d have to rebook…”AT A HIGHER FARE. Thanks, but no thanks. Was looking forward to the Seaside cruise in May. Now, I’m just left with a sour taste regarding MSC. Anyway, hope things are well.

That being the case, it’s going to take a very long while for STARLINK to be fully deployed. Plus, Musk’s recent operational prowess has proven to be quite erratic and subpar. But, as you say, time (a long time) will tell.

Socks maybe. No underwear if sold on board that I’ve ever seen, though. But, I’ve never specifically looked, either. Best advice is to go to a close to the pier dept store (taxi?) before boarding.

I found the Diamond Lounge Concierge very helpful on my last Royal Cruise. He took care of my billing snafus and did some dining reservations for me. That kept me out of the crazy customer service lines. But, I do agree about the food they had there. Kind of like leftovers. But, all I wanted was coffee in the a.m. and some sodas after coming back from excursions. So, purpose served. You don’t have to take the FREE AT SEA packages. NCL will not charge the $20 tips/PD for the unlimited drinks nor the tips on the specialty dining packages if you don’t want to include the FREE AT SEA. Like was said, there are some vehement opinions about new ships of all cruise lines. Some don’t like Prima. They either prefer the Jewel or “Away” class ships. Same goes for the EDGE class on Celebrity and the Oasis class of the Royal ships. Some like them, some don’t. And, whoever a new ship is launched, those expecting more of the same as before, end up being disappointed. That’s why I look in the threads for reviews, not in the review section. Weird but I get more good info here, than I do in the review sections. Sorry to hear about STARLINK, but not surprised. Every time any of the cruise lines update their WiFi, there’s a lot of ballyhoo….until a ship full of people try to use it, and then reality sets in. It’s probably better than what was available 10 years ago, but still not great.

I love that JW. Also loving your reveiw.

VIBE passes are something that can’t even be bought on any of the other cruise lines (to my knowledge). After reading Syd’s review of the Prima, I’m really looking for a good deal on sailing her. That’s slim Pickens right now, though. My last cruise on the Breakaway- 7day to New England/Nova Scotia in October was my all time cheapest. ~$800 fare for a Club Balcony including DSC, tips a load of free laundry, Free at Sea, $150 OBC. And, that was for a solo. Got another LeBistro dinner, a bottle of wine and another $200 from AMEX Platinum for paying for it with their card. Got another 2 SDP dinners and wine as well as a 2nd free laundry bag for being Sapphire. Got another $75 from my TA for the booking. I know I bought “stuff” at the gift shop just to use up the last of my OBC. Most expensive was also on the Breakaway, but in the Haven….well before the shutdown. I know it was nearly $5K (for me and the then GF). But, that also included about $700 OBC, drink package, 4 SDPs, etc. The best VALUE was probably on Celebrity. This was on the EDGE right after they restarted (when Capt Kate was still at her helm). It was in the retreat in a Sky Suite. Again, as a solo, it was around $3,500 fare. But, AMEX Platinum kicked in $300 OBC. My TA kicked in $300 OBC. Celebrity gave me $600 OBC as a promo. AND, the real kicker was there was a $1,000 price reduction after I booked. I ended up with ~$2,200 OBC. The Retreat includes all tips, drink package, etc (but no Speciality Dining). Surprisingly, I’ve sailed Carnival a few times but they’ve never been the cheapest cruise I’ve taken. Neither has MSC. Royal has always been somewhere in the middle, but offer the fewest perks (until you reach Diamond level). They seem to be struggling to get their act together since the restart, too. I think it’s because I lack the decorum required and don’t know how to dress when I sail Royal!

Probably shouldn’t shove your way to the head of ANY dining venue to show your sail card. Do I get priority seating because of my status once I get to the front of the line? I dunno. Maybe? If I do, they don’t make a “thing” about it. They just seat me. However, I have received the pager when waiting for the NOODLES venue. I heard the hostess tell the folks in front of me it was a 30 minute wait. For me, who got to the hostess desk right after, I was given a pager which went off about 5 minutes later. Was it because of status? Was it because of my charming wit and personality? Not sure. It just happened.

Been looking for the Platinum/Sapphire “concierge” for years. Still haven’t found him/her. And, it’s NOT the concierges in the HAVEN. As far as perks, had a “crew dinner” one time with a “kids club” manager. Nice lady. I got the feeling it was a “treat” for her to eat in the guest restaurants. But, it certainly isn’t a “perk” I’d seek out. Making reservations far in advance isn’t a “thing” for me, either. That kind of flies in the face of FREESTYLE. I dine wherever is open, whenever I get hungry. So, as schedules change, all the preparing weeks in advance for dining means nothing. The laundry perk is nice. But, out of all of the listed perks, that’s the only one I truly value. The rest is all “fluff”!

I always cruise the line that offers me the best value (at the time I want to sail, on a ship I’m interested in sailing on, and an itinerary I find interesting). Bottom line, I like to cruise. The cruise line I cruise is secondary. Getting status just means I probably have a cruise addiction, and that I need help!