Our 10 days on Nieuw Statendam

[consmarci]

As we approach Fort Lauderdale for our arrival after a 10 day cruise, we reflect on our cruise and are so pleased with HAL and our experience. We encountered the most wonderful crew, delicious food, and a beautiful ship. Our room steward, Sugi, only had 7 cabins to attend to. We were in an inside spa cabin and had Club Orange. The Club Orange experience was wonderful and we would definitely do it again. Our waiter, Sue, was a delight, as was every crew member in the club orange restaurant.  We never ate in the main dining room. Not a meal went by where Reza, the maitre de didn't stop by to say hello and make sure we were happy. We also went to the spa daily for the thalassotherapy pool and what a treat that was. The casino was fun, the few shows we saw were enjoyable, but we were sad that there wasn't a movie on deck nightly. Only 2 nights of the 10. It is one of our favorite parts of cruising. One comedian was not good, the other was terrific. We felt so sad for the one that we didn't enjoy (no laughter...our opinion, as someone may have enjoyed him). Not his crowd, I suppose. We ate in Canaleto one evening...pretty fantastic. We ate in Dutch Cafe once...it was fine. Enjoyed pizza, salads and the Dive in burgers. Happy to answer questions. We'd return in a heartbeat if we could. There were many cruisers on for multiple cruises and how lovely that would be. The ever controversial people who took off the gratuities baffled us. I don't get it...the crew works so hard and to sail and not reward their hard work seems a shame. These crew leave their families and are always "on" for the passengers, tipping is deserved in our opinion. We are so lucky to have enjoyed cruising again. Hubby is preparing his cash for extra handshakes this evening. I'm surprised with Covid that handshakes occur, but he did ask ahead and the old pass the cash handshake of gratitude still stands. He will Purell after...I will make sure! 

[0106]

I cannot believe people remove the crew gratuities.  I’m think that should be built into the fare.  Everyone on the ship works so hard to see we have a pleasant experience.  We always walk around with our “extra” tips before the cruise ends seeking our favorite servers and we always tip our room steward and main dining room servers.  My husband has handed a tip to the maintenance people.  Of course, I put myself through college tending bar so I know the importance of tips.

[consmarci]

Just met a guy on a B2B2B2B and he took tips off all 4. I made my feelings known, but he bragged about being on free casino cruises, free casino money, free drinks and no gratuities. SMH. As a shareholder, I think they should be required, built into fare or not allowed to be removed without documented issues warranting the removal. 

[St Pete Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, consmarci said:

Just met a guy on a B2B2B2B and he took tips off all 4. I made my feelings known, but he bragged about being on free casino cruises, free casino money, free drinks and no gratuities. SMH. As a shareholder, I think they should be required, built into fare or not allowed to be removed without documented issues warranting the removal. 

That may be a new low in miserly conduct.  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 hours ago, consmarci said:

As we approach Fort Lauderdale for our arrival after a 10 day cruise, we reflect on our cruise and are so pleased with HAL and our experience. We encountered the most wonderful crew, delicious food, and a beautiful ship. Our room steward, Sugi, only had 7 cabins to attend to. We were in an inside spa cabin and had Club Orange. The Club Orange experience was wonderful and we would definitely do it again. Our waiter, Sue, was a delight, as was every crew member in the club orange restaurant.  We never ate in the main dining room. Not a meal went by where Reza, the maitre de didn't stop by to say hello and make sure we were happy. We also went to the spa daily for the thalassotherapy pool and what a treat that was. The casino was fun, the few shows we saw were enjoyable, but we were sad that there wasn't a movie on deck nightly. Only 2 nights of the 10. It is one of our favorite parts of cruising. One comedian was not good, the other was terrific. We felt so sad for the one that we didn't enjoy (no laughter...our opinion, as someone may have enjoyed him). Not his crowd, I suppose. We ate in Canaleto one evening...pretty fantastic. We ate in Dutch Cafe once...it was fine. Enjoyed pizza, salads and the Dive in burgers. Happy to answer questions. We'd return in a heartbeat if we could. There were many cruisers on for multiple cruises and how lovely that would be. The ever controversial people who took off the gratuities baffled us. I don't get it...the crew works so hard and to sail and not reward their hard work seems a shame. These crew leave their families and are always "on" for the passengers, tipping is deserved in our opinion. We are so lucky to have enjoyed cruising again. Hubby is preparing his cash for extra handshakes this evening. I'm surprised with Covid that handshakes occur, but he did ask ahead and the old pass the cash handshake of gratitude still stands. He will Purell after...I will make sure! 

Thanks for your nice review. 

[AFNavigator]

1 hour ago, consmarci said:

Just met a guy on a B2B2B2B and he took tips off all 4. I made my feelings known, but he bragged about being on free casino cruises, free casino money, free drinks and no gratuities. SMH. As a shareholder, I think they should be required, built into fare or not allowed to be removed without documented issues warranting the removal. 

I wish they would just roll the gratuity price into the base fare so there is nothing to remove.  If people want go above and reward exemplary service, they can still do so.  Rolling the gratuity into the base fare would prevent these low-life cruisers from stiffing the hard working crew.  It also would give a more true up-front cost when shopping for cruises.  I believe that's the way most European cruise lines operate...tips are included in the base fare.

 

If a person is such a cheapskate that he brags about removing the gratuity, he probably has no place being on the ship in the first place.  What a lovely human being...not!

[Mary229]

I appreciate your report from the NS.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your comments.

[DaveOKC]

I fully agree with all the comments against removing the Crew Incentive fee.  The crew works so hard to earn them it is not right to remove them without some really significant reason (other than just being cheap).  I like seeing HAL doing more and more free Crew Incentives perks with your booking, at least this way the crew gets their due.

 

 

[FlorenceItaly]

I do not think the cruise lines should allow removal!

[nimi17]

10 hours ago, consmarci said:

Just met a guy on a B2B2B2B and he took tips off all 4. I made my feelings known, but he bragged about being on free casino cruises, free casino money, free drinks and no gratuities. SMH. As a shareholder, I think they should be required, built into fare or not allowed to be removed without documented issues warranting the removal. 

Wowww, I’m sorry but that is absolutely disgusting! I started cruising with HAL last October and, including the one coming this weekend, all have been “free” casino cruises but my husband and I always brought plenty of cash for extra tipping! 
 

Practically all of the crew we have interacted with went without work for about two years because of the pandemic. Taking off gratuities alone when everyone works so hard to make us happy is already atrocious—but to brag about it? That guy needs to get blacklisted. Shame on him.

[MisterMatthew]

Thank you for the review!

Glad you had an amazing time.  :)

[Saphire]

I agree, nimi17. We always tip extra, but on our cruise 2 weeks ago we brought even more for the hard working staff. I often thought of them over the past few years and how so many were without employment. And here we are, so very fortunate to be able to cruise.

 

Those that take off gratuities...ask some of your crew members how the last two years have been.

 

[rkacruiser]

21 hours ago, consmarci said:

Just met a guy on a B2B2B2B and he took tips off all 4. I made my feelings known, but he bragged about being on free casino cruises, free casino money, free drinks and no gratuities.

 

There are jerks among us.  

[mr. godfredo]

Thanks for the post as we will be boarding the NS on March 27th for a 10 day to the Southern Carrib. We are really looking forward to our cruise as we had a lot of cancellations during the pandemic. We also have a cabana and butler reserved for HMC. 

Speaking of the tipping, I agree that not tipping the hard working crew is absolutely horrible and bragging about it is even worse. The crew is what helps make the experience of cruising so special.

 

If anyone has any idea what a good tip amount would be for the butler on HMC, I would appreciate it. 

[allinthesameboat]

On 3/15/2022 at 11:32 PM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Gratuities. 

Gratuities are included in the cruise fare @ $15.50 per day. The term HAL uses is crew appreciation. I don't see the need to add any tips unless the service is beyond the general expectations. If you are really impressed with a crew member the best thing you can do for them is to name them in the HAL survey. They can get promotions or other perks if they receive many good reviews.

[DaveOKC]

While tips are included in the Crew Incentive fees, you certainly can tip a bit extra, especially if that crew member has gone above and beyond the norm.  They really appreciate it.  

 

We always provide a small tip ($5-10 for room service) and $1-2 extra for drinks.  Amazing how much faster service becomes and how quickly the servers know who the tippers are.  My brother is just off a cruise on the NS and he told me that after giving these small tips, the bar servers often had their drinks ready for them when they walked up.  On the other hand, a fellow traveler he knows who was with him but never tips was amazed how much better his service was!  Just human nature!  I learned this in Vegas years ago - tip the servers and you will get all the drinks you can handle, don't and you become invisible!

 

 

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, allinthesameboat said:

On 3/15/2022 at 11:32 PM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

 

Gratuities are included in the cruise fare @ $15.50 per day.

At best, this is a poor way to phrase what I think (hope) you are trying to say. Gratuities are NOT included in the cruise fare at all. They are charged on board at the rate of $15.50 (or higher, if in a suite) per day. 
Someone could read your phrasing and misunderstand that the gratuities were paid when they finished paying for the cruise (their 'fare'). 

Please be careful how you write things, as there is no facial expression, or other context with which to add clarity. 

[0106]

I always give an additional tip to my stateroom attendant, main dining room server and assistant, favorite bartenders and servers for their extraordinary service during the cruise.  Everyone who has ever worked in the service industry knows the importance of tip income.

[Laminator]

2 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

While tips are included in the Crew Incentive fees, you certainly can tip a bit extra, especially if that crew member has gone above and beyond the norm.  They really appreciate it.  

 

We always provide a small tip ($5-10 for room service) and $1-2 extra for drinks.  Amazing how much faster service becomes and how quickly the servers know who the tippers are.  My brother is just off a cruise on the NS and he told me that after giving these small tips, the bar servers often had their drinks ready for them when they walked up.  On the other hand, a fellow traveler he knows who was with him but never tips was amazed how much better his service was!  Just human nature!  I learned this in Vegas years ago - tip the servers and you will get all the drinks you can handle, don't and you become invisible!

 

 

And if they are on your next cruise they remember you. 

[DENIE]

2 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

While tips are included in the Crew Incentive fees, you certainly can tip a bit extra, especially if that crew member has gone above and beyond the norm.  They really appreciate it.  

 

We always provide a small tip ($5-10 for room service) and $1-2 extra for drinks.  Amazing how much faster service becomes and how quickly the servers know who the tippers are.  My brother is just off a cruise on the NS and he told me that after giving these small tips, the bar servers often had their drinks ready for them when they walked up.  On the other hand, a fellow traveler he knows who was with him but never tips was amazed how much better his service was!  Just human nature!  I learned this in Vegas years ago - tip the servers and you will get all the drinks you can handle, don't and you become invisible!

 

 

DaveOKC - totally agree!

We do something similar.  We also leave extra for our cabin steward, servers, and favorite bartenders a day into the cruise, at around midpoint, and at the end.  We were on a Celebrity cruise several years ago and purchased the upgraded beverage package from a bar staff member at the bar we planned to hang out at.  We understood that when this happens, they get the commissions for the sale.  From day 1, he always found us before we found him, gave us amazing service, made sure our martinis were properly made.  Our glass was never empty in this bar!  We still left additional $ for servers around the ship.  Always had great service.

 

We also find it helps to ask the staff about themselves and where they are from (not when they are really busy, though).  They are so nice, and appreciate kindness too!

 

Sorry, didn't mean to get off-topic.  Thanks so much to the OP for posting this.  We are going on our first HAL cruise in a number of years this December. Great post!

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by DENIE

[rkacruiser]

17 minutes ago, Laminator said:

And if they are on your next cruise they remember you. 

 

I do believe this is very true.  Who doesn't remember someone who does something kind for them?  

[nimi17]

3 hours ago, allinthesameboat said:

Gratuities are included in the cruise fare @ $15.50 per day. The term HAL uses is crew appreciation. I don't see the need to add any tips unless the service is beyond the general expectations. If you are really impressed with a crew member the best thing you can do for them is to name them in the HAL survey. They can get promotions or other perks if they receive many good reviews.

I agree! On my first trip, I provided feedback post-cruise, but on the most recent trip, I used the HAL navigator app to provide feedback during the cruise.

 

Our cabin steward on the NS, Mo, very much appreciated the glowing review and positive feedback. He said that all of the managers get a morning digest of sorts with feedback regarding the crew that is shared ship-wide. 

[Laminator]

1 hour ago, nimi17 said:

I agree! On my first trip, I provided feedback post-cruise, but on the most recent trip, I used the HAL navigator app to provide feedback during the cruise.

 

Our cabin steward on the NS, Mo, very much appreciated the glowing review and positive feedback. He said that all of the managers get a morning digest of sorts with feedback regarding the crew that is shared ship-wide. 

Nothing says you can't do both. Tip and leave great feedback!