Tipping on Norwegan breakaway and other Newby questions

[cruisenurse2]

Hello

So I booked on this ship for next March to Western Caribbean. I asked TA if I could add the tip and pay prior to sailing. He told me that on this line you pay at the end ?Does this sound correct? If you get the drink package but cant get Starbucks on board, Does NCL have a coffee shop where I can get a cup  of really good expresso? Please bear with me as I am new to this line.

 

regards

cruisenurse2

[LittleMissMagic]

There is an option to pre-pay gratuities. You'll find that it's an option to add to your reservation on the website (along with specialty dining, excursions, etc.).

 

Which ship are you sailing on? NCL has a partnership with Starbucks, and you should be able to find them on most ships now (and on all ships by the end of 2022). Starbucks is included in the Premium Beverage Package (you'll need to upgrade to the Premium from the Deluxe Beverage Package that is included with "Free At Sea" promotions). They also have a little Starbucks cart on Great Stirrup Cay which is included in your the premium beverage package.

[Jim The Lizard]

54 minutes ago, cruisenurse2 said:

Hello

So I booked on this ship for next March to Western Caribbean. I asked TA if I could add the tip and pay prior to sailing. He told me that on this line you pay at the end ?Does this sound correct? If you get the drink package but cant get Starbucks on board, Does NCL have a coffee shop where I can get a cup  of really good expresso? Please bear with me as I am new to this line.

 

regards

cruisenurse2

They take Starbucks gift cards but can't redeem or add Starbucks stars.  I always load up on some gift cards before I go. 

 

You can prepay your gratuities before you board.  Go to your app or reservation at NCL.com.  

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, LittleMissMagic said:

There is an option to pre-pay gratuities. You'll find that it's an option to add to your reservation on the website (along with specialty dining, excursions, etc.).

 

Which ship are you sailing on? NCL has a partnership with Starbucks, and you should be able to find them on most ships now (and on all ships by the end of 2022). Starbucks is included in the Premium Beverage Package (you'll need to upgrade to the Premium from the Deluxe Beverage Package that is included with "Free At Sea" promotions). They also have a little Starbucks cart on Great Stirrup Cay which is included in your the premium beverage 

Edited July 12, 2022 by YVRteacher
Sorry-I posted incorrect information and can’t delete.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, LittleMissMagic said:

Starbucks is included in the Premium Beverage Package (you'll need to upgrade to the Premium from the Deluxe Beverage Package that is included with "Free At Sea" promotions). They also have a little Starbucks cart on Great Stirrup Cay which is included in your the premium beverage package.

Just to try to avoid some confusion, the package that you get with free at sea is the premium package. The package that you can upgrade to and includes Starbucks is the Premium Plus.

[coastcat]

11 hours ago, Jim The Lizard said:

They take Starbucks gift cards but can't redeem or add Starbucks stars.  I always load up on some gift cards before I go. 

 

You can prepay your gratuities before you board.  Go to your app or reservation at NCL.com.  

You do earn stars! If you’re participating in a Star Dash which does not require purchasing specific items, purchases onboard count just as they do for other licensed locations. I’ve completed Star Dashes while aboard Bliss and Joy. 
 

You can purchase Starbucks onboard using a gift card or the phone/Apple Watch app. 
 

Just to expand on the previous post:

 

Premium Beverage Package = This is the beverage package included in the Free At Sea pricing. It does NOT include any specialty coffees. 
 

Premium Plus Beverage Package = This is the upgraded version, currently priced at $29 per day plus 20% gratuity (so it’s $243.60 per person for a 7-day cruise). This package includes specialty coffees from anywhere on the ship including Starbucks.
 

You can also order non-Starbucks espressos at some of the bars and at restaurants. I think they use Starbucks coffee beans but the drinks are sold by NCL so you can’t use your Starbucks card. 
 

Even I can’t drink $35 worth of espresso drinks every day, so I just load up my Starbucks card. 
 

Regarding the service charge, you can prepay or let it be added to your shipboard account. It’s the same price either way. 

Edited July 12, 2022 by coastcat

[Jim The Lizard]

Just now, coastcat said:

You do earn stars! If you’re participating in a Star Dash which does not require purchasing specific items, purchases onboard count just as they do for other licensed locations. I’ve completed Star Dashes while aboard Bliss and Joy. 
 

You can purchase Starbucks onboard using a gift card or the phone/Apple Watch app. 
 

Just to expand on the previous post:

 

Premium Beverage Package = This is the beverage package included in the Free At Sea pricing. It does NOT include any specialty coffees. 
 

Premium Plus Beverage Package = This is the upgraded version, currently priced at $29 per day plus 20% gratuity (so it’s $243.60 per person for a 7-day cruise). This package includes specialty coffees from anywhere on the ship including Starbucks. You can order espressos at some of the bars and at restaurants. 
 

Even I can’t drink $35 worth of espresso drinks every day, so I just load up my Starbucks card. 
 

Regarding the service charge, you can prepay or let it be added to your shipboard account. It’s the same price either way. 

Wow, that's great!  I sailed Encore in February and didn't get any stars for my gift card purchases.  And I used my Apple Watch Starbucks app!  Thx for correcting me, and I will make sure to get those stars on Prima!  

[coastcat]

Just now, Jim The Lizard said:

Wow, that's great!  I sailed Encore in February and didn't get any stars for my gift card purchases.  And I used my Apple Watch Starbucks app!  Thx for correcting me, and I will make sure to get those stars on Prima!  

That’s weird, you should have earned stars! I was on Encore in August and got stars. According to my transaction history, I earned 23.3 stars aboard Bliss this May. And yup, I’m loading up for Prima, although I’ll be in a Studio and thus get free espresso drinks in the Studio Lounge. Still need the occasional London Fog tea latte… 🥤

[Jim The Lizard]

11 minutes ago, coastcat said:

That’s weird, you should have earned stars! I was on Encore in August and got stars. According to my transaction history, I earned 23.3 stars aboard Bliss this May. And yup, I’m loading up for Prima, although I’ll be in a Studio and thus get free espresso drinks in the Studio Lounge. Still need the occasional London Fog tea latte… 🥤

I appreciate you responding because I'll be monitoring it in my future sailings.  I really was told I didn't earn any while onboard this last trip.  I think I just chalked it up to "another" casualty of a changing world!  

[MoCruiseFan]

15 hours ago, cruisenurse2 said:

Hello

So I booked on this ship for next March to Western Caribbean. I asked TA if I could add the tip and pay prior to sailing. He told me that on this line you pay at the end ?Does this sound correct? If you get the drink package but cant get Starbucks on board, Does NCL have a coffee shop where I can get a cup  of really good expresso? Please bear with me as I am new to this line.

 

regards

cruisenurse2

1st there are no 'tips' to pre-pay.

2nd you cam pre-pay the DSC (Daily Service Charge) if you so choose.  IT is a matter of personal preference.

3rd as far as tipping the ONLY correct answer is to tip whomever you want, however much you want, at any time you want.

[2 Fun Guys]

18 hours ago, cruisenurse2 said:

So I booked on this ship for next March to Western Caribbean.

Just curious - which sailing on the Breakaway? We are going March 5th!

[BirdTravels]

18 hours ago, cruisenurse2 said:

Hello

So I booked on this ship for next March to Western Caribbean. I asked TA if I could add the tip and pay prior to sailing. He told me that on this line you pay at the end ?Does this sound correct? If you get the drink package but cant get Starbucks on board, Does NCL have a coffee shop where I can get a cup  of really good expresso? Please bear with me as I am new to this line.

 

regards

cruisenurse2

When you log on to your MyNCL aa count and pull up the cruise, there is an option under the Summary tab to pre pay your daily grats. 
 

Tou can order espresso at most restaurants, the “really good” is debatable. 

[complawyer]

i always order a cappuccino after breakfast and dinner. it's about $2.95. you can order in any of the specialty restaurants (except i dont think teppanyaki), and in the mdr's

[cruisenurse2]

Hi Everyone 

Thank you for your warm welcome. I am going to go on the March 5,2023 voyage to the Western Caribbean. 

 

Sincerely

cruisenurse2

[cruiseny4life]

On 7/11/2022 at 11:30 PM, cruisenurse2 said:

Hello

So I booked on this ship for next March to Western Caribbean. I asked TA if I could add the tip and pay prior to sailing. He told me that on this line you pay at the end ?Does this sound correct? If you get the drink package but cant get Starbucks on board, Does NCL have a coffee shop where I can get a cup  of really good expresso? Please bear with me as I am new to this line.

 

regards

cruisenurse2

You're going to be sailing at roughly the same time the tips, or DSC, or gratuities, or whatever you'd like to call it will possibly be raised. This year, April 1st was the date. If you want to save some money, pay the tips ahead of time since it's possible they will go up in price. You'll receive warning of this beforehand, so hang on to your cash if you'd like. 

 

My husband and I always give NCL an interest-free loan of all fees that we can possibly pay ahead of time, including the tips. The only tips we can't pay ahead of time are to our butler and concierge since we have to tip them on the big ole boat.

[complawyer]

i hope cruisenurse 2 doesnt get confused. at the risk of sounding repetitious , nurse, ncl includes "daily gratuities onto every sailing, for every person in a cabin. they range (i think from 15-20) per day per person)

 

the only way these can be waived is to go to guest services and "DEMAND" they be taken off the bill the day before the cruise ends. of course, if you do this, you will (at least in theory) be depriving the crew of there share

 

ncl rationalizes these charges as being divided among their many staff people, so everybody gets a fair share (they are to frigging cheap to pay a fair and decent wage) so we all get soaked for these "gratuities). you can pay them upfront, or they will be added to your entire tab at the end of the cruise.

 

Tips, however, are a completely different animal. a tip is exactly that. the money goes to whoever you want it to go to.  if you get a drink, give the bartender a buck or two. if you get decent service from a waiter or waitress, regardless of the venue, leave a few bucks. (just like you would do if you  were on land in a restaurant) if youre in a haven, give the butler and concierge a larger tip if their service was exceptional. i always tip my cabin steward $20 at the beginning of the cruise $20 inthe middle and $20 at the end. 

 

just be aware that regardless of who and how much you tip, you'll still be charged  the daily gratuity  at the end of the cruise. so dont confuse the terms. 

[PATRLR]

On 7/12/2022 at 3:07 PM, MoCruiseFan said:

1st there are no 'tips' to pre-pay.

2nd you cam pre-pay the DSC (Daily Service Charge) if you so choose.  IT is a matter of personal preference.

3rd as far as tipping the ONLY correct answer is to tip whomever you want, however much you want, at any time you want.

 

9 minutes ago, complawyer said:

i hope cruisenurse 2 doesnt get confused. at the risk of sounding repetitious , nurse, ncl includes "daily gratuities onto every sailing, for every person in a cabin. they range (i think from 15-20) per day per person)

 

Tips, however, are a completely different animal. a tip is exactly that. the money goes to whoever you want it to go to.  if you get a drink, give the bartender a buck or two. if you get decent service from a waiter or waitress, regardless of the venue, leave a few bucks. (just like you would do if you  were on land in a restaurant) if youre in a haven, give the butler and concierge a larger tip if their service was exceptional. i always tip my cabin steward $20 at the beginning of the cruise $20 inthe middle and $20 at the end. 

 

just be aware that regardless of who and how much you tip, you'll still be charged  the daily gratuity  at the end of the cruise. so dont confuse the terms. 

 

I suspect @cruisenurse2 is really confused now.  

To Nurse, most people consider the Daily Service Charge to be the "tips" that are customary in the service industry.  There is no need to tip additional as @complawyerand @MoCruiseFan describe.  Nothing wrong with doing so, but, not expected in the way a tip at a US restaurant is expected after a meal.

 

[MsMidge]

45 minutes ago, complawyer said:

i hope cruisenurse 2 doesnt get confused. at the risk of sounding repetitious , nurse, ncl includes "daily gratuities onto every sailing, for every person in a cabin. they range (i think from 15-20) per day per person)

 

the only way these can be waived is to go to guest services and "DEMAND" they be taken off the bill the day before the cruise ends. of course, if you do this, you will (at least in theory) be depriving the crew of there share

 

ncl rationalizes these charges as being divided among their many staff people, so everybody gets a fair share (they are to frigging cheap to pay a fair and decent wage) so we all get soaked for these "gratuities). you can pay them upfront, or they will be added to your entire tab at the end of the cruise.

 

Tips, however, are a completely different animal. a tip is exactly that. the money goes to whoever you want it to go to.  if you get a drink, give the bartender a buck or two. if you get decent service from a waiter or waitress, regardless of the venue, leave a few bucks. (just like you would do if you  were on land in a restaurant) if youre in a haven, give the butler and concierge a larger tip if their service was exceptional. i always tip my cabin steward $20 at the beginning of the cruise $20 inthe middle and $20 at the end. 

 

just be aware that regardless of who and how much you tip, you'll still be charged  the daily gratuity  at the end of the cruise. so dont confuse the terms. 

Your assuming the DSC affects the crew in any way at all.  I have heard from crew that their pay does not change from week to week anymore.,  Years ago, it was always different depending on how many tips they got, but now not so much.  I believe this line, like the others are using the funds to subsidize their obligations.   Why else would they not be at all transparent or make it removable at all?  

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, MsMidge said:

Your assuming the DSC affects the crew in any way at all.  I have heard from crew that their pay does not change from week to week anymore.,  Years ago, it was always different depending on how many tips they got, but now not so much.  I believe this line, like the others are using the funds to subsidize their obligations.   Why else would they not be at all transparent or make it removable at all?  

I've heard similar, or that the cruise line pays out a bonus to crew members using the DSC. Thus far it has all been heresy, so I continue to fund the DSC with my pre-paid interest free loan to NCL. If I ever have reason to believe it truly is used to subsidize obligations or for a bonus, then I will march my fat butt down to the concierge and demand it be taken off my account (and stop pre-paying, obviously). 

[MsMidge]

Thats probably why they call it a daily service charge and not a daily gratuity charge.  I think they can do whatever they want with the money that way, and if anyone still complains they are being deceived they can always claim you can remove it if you dont like it.

[cruiseny4life]

So I decided to go to the pig's mouth (NCL) to see what they say about the DSC/tips/gratuities..blah, blah, blah it's all the same so far as I'm concerned.

 

It specifically states that NCL uses the service charge to compensate for crew "salary and incentive programs." Not necessarily gratuities or tips as we think of them. Perhaps I need to rethink my "blah, blah, blah" statement above!

 

And so, staff don't actually receive tips or gratuities from the DSC. Now I'm thinking I'll go have an argument with the concierge about having the DSC removed since it doesn't supplement a salary, but rather provides NCL with a way to pay the salary of their crew. Would someone please prove me wrong? I don't want to be that guy.

 

[complawyer]

i just didnt want cruise nurse to be confused since she asked about "tips" and not the daily service charge. if the crew isnt getting any of this money, wouldnt  you think that ncl i s making enough off all of us, not to stick us with this charge also?

[LGinPA]

I'm new to cruising and I'm confused about tipping. 

 

I think I understand that the DSC I see on my NCL account, that I can pre-pay, covers general services like the cabin steward and maids.  

 

But what about wait staff and bartenders?  There seemed to be a difference of opinion here.  Is it expected that we tip additional, or done only for exceptional service?

 

We'll be in Euro countries, so would it be better that we have €  ? It seems strange to leave US$ for staff that may not be able to use it. 

[cruiseny4life]

6 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

I'm new to cruising and I'm confused about tipping. 

 

I think I understand that the DSC I see on my NCL account, that I can pre-pay, covers general services like the cabin steward and maids.  

 

But what about wait staff and bartenders?  There seemed to be a difference of opinion here.  Is it expected that we tip additional, or done only for exceptional service?

 

We'll be in Euro countries, so would it be better that we have €  ? It seems strange to leave US$ for staff that may not be able to use it. 

Your daily service charge covers all tips, for everyone, except bartenders and those who bring you a drink. If you choose the Free at Sea beverage package, then gratuity for bartenders and drink servers is added to your bill. If you choose Free at Sea dining package, then gratuity for your specialty dining server(s) is added. 

 

Unless you are in the Haven or use the kids club (might be another area or two I'm forgetting), you do not have to tip anyone, anything additional. You can choose to if you'd like and/or receive exceptional service. If you do, I'd suggest you leave the tip in cash so there's no possible way frankie boy can get his hands on the money. 

 

I have no opinion on type of currency. 

[cruiseny4life]

Also, let me suggest a YouTuber named Gary Bembridge. His channel, Tips for Travelers, is not sensationalized, doesn't have adults acting like giddy nine year olds, and contains great advice. Here's a specific video on tipping: