More newbie questions, various topics

[Eytbol8]

Hi all! So we are new to NCL and we have more newbie questions J. I have skimmed though the first 10-12 pages here, as I know someone might suggest that. I am new to NCL and this will be our first suite and our first larger family cruise. 11 of us in total, 1 handicap accessible family suite (hubby is in wheelchair), 2 of the 2-bedrooms suites, and one connecting mini-suite. We will be on the Star March 29th for the 7-day Mexican Riviera. With 11 of us, we all have different questions and preferences of course J!

1. Water on board: so I have read some say to bring bottled water if you are a big water drinker and other say not to. Personal choice I know. Is there water always available at dispensers of some sort throughout the ship to get water from?

2. Casino: Do you use cash at the casinos? If not, how do you pay at the casino?

3. Service fees/Tipping: Are the Butler and Concierge staff part of the auto $12/per person, per day? We prepaid and we will tip above for service, so wanted to confirm if they are within that as well.

4. Movies: Do they play movies anywhere on the ship during the day?

5. Suites: What Amenities are included within the suites?

6. Pools & Puddle Jumpers: Are kids allowed to be in the pool with puddle jumpers (arm bands)?

7. Slides: Are adults allowed to slide down with a kid or is it one person down the slide at a time?

8. Sail away: Is there a sail away party? If so, what time and where is the best viewing area? We can’t be right down in the front because hubby is a shorty in his wheelchair (think eye to butt level – lol) and won’t see a thing.

9. UBP: Does the UBP include margaritas and/or other mixed drinks? What about the drink of the day?

10. Bar service: What is bar service? I have read people referencing that they have had bar service set-up in their staterooms when they arrive – what is that?

11. Service: What is the different type of service(s) you get from the Butler, Concierge, and Room Stewart?

12. Characters: I know some of the ships have Characters for photo ops. Does the Star have any?

13. Connecting stateroom: We have a 2-bedroom suite with a connecting mini-suite, but on 2 separate reservations. Will the three people (1 being my 77 year old grandma) in the mini-suite be able to board with us?

Thanks in advance for all your responses and helping out this newbie family! Much appreciated.

[Ilovesailing]

Sorry to tell u that your only allowed five questions per posts. lol

[Eytbol8]

Sorry to tell u that your only allowed five questions per posts. lol

 

oh, my bad. I will edit and do a part two and three another time perhaps. And here I was saving all my questions for one time - eek. Thank you!

Edited October 28, 2014 by Eytbol8

[garycarla]

A search on the term "butler" will give you LOTS of stuff to read about suites, tips, etc.

 

You will also find many threads about those that do NOT pay for a suite do not get perks from a suite. A mini suite is not suite, but just another cabin. They MIGHT allow you to inlcude those people in certain perks. I would get that reservation CONNECTED.

 

Boarding is no problem.

 

Eating lunch and breakfast at Cagneys might be. For many of that, this is the best perk.

 

UBP - lots of threads about that already.

[Shellbelle28]

oh, my bad. I will edit and do a part two and three another time perhaps. And here I was saving all my questions for one time - eek. Thank you!

 

Don't you worry about doing that! I think you were being teased :)

[Ilovesailing]

lol means laughing out loud.

[Eytbol8]

Oh my - thank you! Too funny, I know what LOL is, but I panicked when I thought I was breaking some posting laws - haha! Whew!

[Shellbelle28]

Oh my - thank you! Too funny, I know what LOL is, but I panicked when I thought I was breaking some posting laws - haha! Whew!

 

But 13 questions is kind of unlucky. :D

[Eytbol8]

But 13 questions is kind of unlucky. :D

 

oh - good point...maybe I should add a couple more ;)! Nah, I better stop before I bug others - haha!

[herdingdogmom]

Have a great time on your cruise. Answers to some of the questions in green below.

 

We will be on the Star March 29th for the 7-day Mexican Riviera. With 11 of us, we all have different questions and preferences of course J!

1. Water on board: so I have read some say to bring bottled water if you are a big water drinker and other say not to. Personal choice I know. Is there water always available at dispensers of some sort throughout the ship to get water from? There are water dispensers, ice, glasses in the buffet. You can also get a glass of water at the bars.

3. Service fees/Tipping: Are the Butler and Concierge staff part of the auto $12/per person, per day? No the Butler, Concierge and kids club staff are not included in the $12 DSC.

4. Movies: Do they play movies anywhere on the ship during the day? Often, they show a movie in the afternoon on sea days. It will be listed in the daily newsletter.

8. Sail away: Is there a sail away party? Yes on the pool deck.

12. Characters: I know some of the ships have Characters for photo ops. Does the Star have any? I haven't seen any cartoon characters on the Star.

Edited October 28, 2014 by herdingdogmom

[cb at sea]

Water is readily available...any bar or eating venue, and in your cabin!!!

[spoiledbyvilla]

We stayed in a suite and had another couple down a few floors and we all were able to board together AND do everything else together. We asked in advance that they also be given a key to our suite and that seemed to make it OK for them to eat at Cagney's and get priority boarding, etc. Just take the non-suite passengers with you to priority boarding and ask that they get a key to one of your suites. You may have to get a bit pushy, although we didn't. We just explained that our suite would allow those two people to be with us but we didn't want to feel crowded. That's often the case with suites that there is a hide-a-bed or something like that so technically you could put other in your suite... but it's not much fun if you're crammed in.

 

The main difference between all the staff is: Steward will clean your room, Butler will bring you snacks or room service, Concierge will make reservations for you for anything that requires a reservation. Depending on the butler, concierge, steward, these roles may vary. On the pearl, our concierge visited 2 to 3 times a day, gave us a "house" phone that we could use to call him whenever we wanted, got us in to the main dining room immediately when there was a line, made arrangements for us to go on a tour of the bridge, etc. But a lot of that is optional and might not be offered. For instance, the people on our cruise with small children were not included in the bridge tour. Also our cabin steward did a lot more for us than just clean the room but the butler did almost nothing except bring us snacks once a day.

 

We were in a villa and did have complete bar service set up in our stateroom. I don't know if this is done for every suite. I've read that the villa is provided with champagne for a sail away (we were) but the other suites get wine instead.

 

Expect to tip the butler, steward and concierge in addition to the $12 per day. That $12 mostly goes to the dining staff. Do a search on this board for guidelines on amount to tip. I don't remember how much we tipped but think we went overboard for the concierge because he was fantastic and did so much for us. Others have said the butler did more, so it's something you'll have to gauge when the time comes.

 

Enjoy!!!

[Sauer-kraut]

Expect to tip the butler, steward and concierge in addition to the $12 per day. That $12 mostly goes to the dining staff. Enjoy!!!

 

This is incorrect. The steward IS included in the $12 discretionary service charge. Only the butler, concierge and kid's club staff are not included in the pool.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Sauer-kraut

[ClarkBHM]

2. Casino: Do you use cash at the casinos? If not, how do you pay at the casino?

I do because it makes it easier for me to track how much I'm losing. There is an ATM in the casino if you need cash.

 

Pools & Puddle Jumpers: Are kids allowed to be in the pool with puddle jumpers (arm bands)?[/size]

My kids wore small life jackets and they worked fine. I imagine that puddle jumpers will be ok. They will have to be potty trained though as you can't wear swim diapers in the pool.

7. Slides: Are adults allowed to slide down with a kid or is it one person down the slide at a time?

With my five and three year old kids, it was not only allowed, but it was required. The kids weren't allowed to go down by themselves.

 

8. Sail away: Is there a sail away party? If so, what time and where is the best viewing area? We can’t be right down in the front because hubby is a shorty in his wheelchair (think eye to butt level – lol) and won’t see a thing.

I would imagine that any of the upper decks are fine, but you should also consider the balcony of your 2-br suite so that you don't have to worry about the views.

 

Thanks in advance for all your responses and helping out this newbie family! Much appreciated.

 

Hope that helps!

[cruiser1955a]

The casino operates like any land-based casino. You play cash in the slots and receive a paper voucher when you cash out. You can continue playing with the voucher, or cash it in at the cashier. For table games, you pay cash for chips.

 

I've read that NCL Getaway now uses a casino card for slot machines, similar to what Carnival does. You put cash in the slots, then use your card to cash out of the slot machine. You can then take the card to the cashier to cash out your card. The card is separate from your "ship card" (at least it is on Carnival).

[Eytbol8]

Thanks to all for your replies - very, very helpful :).

 

1 final question please. We will have the UBPs and when you purchase you are already charged 15% gratuity. Is it standard/customary to provide additional tip when getting drinks or only extra/additional tip warranted based on service? What have others done? I know they work for tips and don’t want to cheat anyone - was not sure if that initial gratuity really goes to them or they expect tip at the time of service as well. Thanks.

[nets33]

 

1 final question please. We will have the UBPs and when you purchase you are already charged 15% gratuity. Is it standard/customary to provide additional tip when getting drinks or only extra/additional tip warranted based on service? What have others done? I know they work for tips and don’t want to cheat anyone - was not sure if that initial gratuity really goes to them or they expect tip at the time of service as well. Thanks.

 

Extra tips are appreciated by the staff if you have a bartender or server that you feel goes above and beyond for you but it is not necessary. DH and I usually find one (or more) staff members that go above and beyond and call us by name and we enjoy giving an extra $1 or $2 (or more).

[mjkacmom]

Thanks to all for your replies - very, very helpful :).

 

1 final question please. We will have the UBPs and when you purchase you are already charged 15% gratuity. Is it standard/customary to provide additional tip when getting drinks or only extra/additional tip warranted based on service? What have others done? I know they work for tips and don’t want to cheat anyone - was not sure if that initial gratuity really goes to them or they expect tip at the time of service as well. Thanks.

 

As on land, it is almost always beneficial to tip them extra. We did.