Helpful To Newbies - After 5,000 postings

[Cosmopolitan]

 

So, what can I share after reading these boards after making 5,000 posts, and does anyone care?

 

I hope all of this helps folks. Enjoy your cruise.

 

While you may mean WELL...we here on CC do NOT tell the posters to "search" as many do not have the time to search...we give them answers...when available.

 

Robes in cabins?....request from your cabin steward when you board.

 

LOWTYD...yes to smoking on balconies/in cabins and port side of ship.

 

Ask away folks...some of us will answer your questions no matter how many times they are asked

[thlady]

Thanks so much, Cosmopolitan, I'll ask the cabin steward for a robe. Saves me from packing one and my suitcase is already stuffed for tomorrow's sailing. I'm practicing trying to pack lighter as we are headed to Europe next year. Not working so well as I like choices. But I did manage to cut out one small suitcase. Taking only 3 pairs of shoes rather than my usual 5. LOL!

[boobooboyee]

"Robes in cabins?....request from your cabin steward when you board."

 

I don't know if it is just because we had a balcony (on Spirit), but there were 2 robes hanging in our closet when we got there....

[Planer's Edge]

"Robes in cabins?....request from your cabin steward when you board."

 

I don't know if it is just because we had a balcony (on Spirit), but there were 2 robes hanging in our closet when we got there....

 

Aren't robes a standard part of Freestyle 2.0 in balcony cabins?

 

PE

[Beebob1]

Very informative, thank for making the list :D

[garycarla]

While you may mean WELL...we here on CC do NOT tell the posters to "search" as many do not have the time to search...we give them answers...when available....

 

You are right. Many do not know how, are unable or do not want to search. And, like you I often provide answers to questions that are asked weekly, or sometimes daily. But, in order to HELP others, I also invite or inform them of the search options. After all, there may be better answers out there for them than the currently active members can provide.

 

And, as we all know, some posters stop in here and expect an answer within minutes. They need to know right now and do not even come back to read the answer that are given.

 

Just providing more options. And, again, I always, or at least 98% of the time provide the answer and do NOT tell them to just go search. Next time you see me tell somebody to go search and not answer the question, you are welcome to blindfold me and send me walking the plank off the side of your favorite ship.

[Tokaybean]

Thankyou garycarla!!

You have made an informative and printable report that the cruiselines should have on their websites.

It's great; wish I'd seen it a long time ago. It would have answered many of my basic questions all in one place. Very nice and did I mention printable for future reference?

[NCL DancerMom]

Like everyone else said - Thanks! Nicely Done!

[nlt46]

You certainly did a nice job with the information. I have noticed with the search feature... if you use too many words, etc. , it will say that the search feature is temporally down, while in reality, it is not. Just try to search in very few words. That is just something I have found out in my too many hours spent on these boards. Nancy

[Cowdengelly]

A great big thank you from Scotland! You have already added to the enjoyment we expect on our back2back cruises on the Jade in Feb/March.

[WinnieinWA]

Nicely done! You forgot to mention if the hot dogs were any good and if hair conditioner is provided? LOLOL :p

[tiggerfan616]

GC I will echo the sentiments of the others, very nicely done.

You hit alot of the basic and repeated questions.

[Cosmopolitan]

You are right. Many do not know how, are unable or do not want to search. And, like you I often provide answers to questions that are asked weekly, or sometimes daily. But, in order to HELP others, I also invite or inform them of the search options. After all, there may be better answers out there for them than the currently active members can provide.

 

And, as we all know, some posters stop in here and expect an answer within minutes. They need to know right now and do not even come back to read the answer that are given.

 

Just providing more options. And, again, I always, or at least 98% of the time provide the answer and do NOT tell them to just go search. Next time you see me tell somebody to go search and not answer the question, you are welcome to blindfold me and send me walking the plank off the side of your favorite ship.

 

I disagree..you know that I have always "called you out" on your "search engine" advice and impatience with questions.

 

Currently active cruisers CAN provide the BEST information!

I never respond "do a search" many do not have the time for a "search". Hence the reason that they come to CC.

 

Happy Holidays :-)

[hazeleyes]

Good job.

[inblue]

wow, tipping IS required? do they force you to pay $10pp/day by putting it on your room bill? how is it done? i don't like being told how much i should tip, if the service is good i will do my fair share. i will check my papers in the fine print, but your info would be greatly appreciated.

[fieldmom35215]

Try here:

http://jade08.sellie.de/Menus/thumbpage0.html

 

 

WOW, not only were the FAQ's very helpful, but the I found the menus to be a great add. Thanks! I never knew those existed. It is so good to actually see the menus ahead of time. Everyone complains about the food, but it looks pretty inviting to me. Hey, it's lunchtime SOMEwhere.

Again, thanks for being so helpful. This is why I'm glad I happened upon this site.

[4 cruisers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmopolitan

While you may mean WELL...we here on CC do NOT tell the posters to "search" as many do not have the time to search...we give them answers...when available....

 

I HATE being told to search! Lets face it, the search engine is down more than its up!:rolleyes: Plus answers DO often change!

[bakerintn]

wow, tipping IS required? do they force you to pay $10pp/day by putting it on your room bill? how is it done? i don't like being told how much i should tip, if the service is good i will do my fair share. i will check my papers in the fine print, but your info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Yes, a service charge per person / per day is added to your onboard account. It is $10 pp/pd now and up to $12 pp/pd in 2009. Children are half of that.

 

Here is the NCL wording about that from their website's FAQ:

Gratuities

Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

NCL Service Charge

On all NCL ships payment of Pre- Paid Service Fee is required. A fixed Service Charge of $10 per person, per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12, a $5 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account: there is no charge for children under the age of three. (A fixed Service Charge of $12 per person, per day will be effective on January 1, 2009)

Our crew is encouraged to work together as a service team and compensated by a combination of salary and incentive program that the Service Charge supports. It is our earnest wish that you enjoy your Freestyle Cruise experience and that our entire crew in all areas of the ship will provide you with the standard of service for which NCL is known. Therefore, if you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise; please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any issues in a timely manner before the cruise is over.

Both NCL and NCL America have a structured guest satisfaction program on board designed to handle any concerns raised by our guests relating to the service or on board product quickly and efficiently. In almost all cases we are able to come up with a satisfactory solution to any issues which are raised and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise holiday. In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issues through our guest satisfaction program; guests will be able to adjust the Service Charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced.

Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone's complete satisfaction.

[inblue]

thank you for the update. i see this as a hidden service fee, nothing else. i've called NCL and was told that at the check-in you can request the "service fee" to be taken off your room bill. if you don't, people get stuck with it. that's a cheap shot and just another way to make money on unsuspected tourists. i don't like it. ok, i'm done rumbling :-)

[gkrnjlr]

Excellent thread! Thank you!

 

Can anyone give a little more detail on #23 I think it was......putting down a deposit of $250 for a future sailing and being given a $100 OBC on the current sailing. What's the catch or what is the fine print on this?

 

Also - to the discussion of "do a search...." I am glad to see that some people are the type to answer the question instead of telling me to do a search. Sometimes if I do a search I will find threads that will have some info that I need in them OR they won't even be helpful. BUT I usually get stuck having to read through 9 page threads! Ugh!

 

Thanks for this informative thread and thanks to everyone helping!

[ImpulsivePuppy]

Wow. :)

[carrielovesnclx3]

you told me to look on your FAQ page to find out a ROLL CALL for the cruise im going on, but i cant seem to find where it is. if you can message me or something it would be helpful :]

[WhansaMi]

thank you for the update. i see this as a hidden service fee, nothing else. i've called NCL and was told that at the check-in you can request the "service fee" to be taken off your room bill. if you don't, people get stuck with it. that's a cheap shot and just another way to make money on unsuspected tourists. i don't like it. ok, i'm done rumbling :-)

 

You do understand that, by taking this off, you are taking the money directly out of the hands of all the service providers on the ship? This is not money taken from NCL stockholders. The crew makes a very minimal wage; tips make up the bulk of their income. Since NCL (as well as most other cruiselines) are based in countries other than the US, there is no minimum wage law to which they are accountable.

 

In addition, given freestyle dining, it isn't as though you can "funnel" your tips towards your waiters/waitresses. Even if you carry around a bunch of ones to hand out to whoever is your servers, this will not provide any revenue for those people behind the scenes: the dishwashers, the people who clean the bed linens, the porters, etc.

 

All cruiselines do this. I just include it in the cost of my cruise when evaluating the price. If you are annoyed with the company, make your displeasure known in some other way. But, please consider not taking the gratuties off of your bill until toward the end of the trip, when you have a chance to evaluate the service the crew has provided you. Perhaps you will feel they have earned it.

 

Sheila

[runner26.2]

you told me to look on your FAQ page to find out a ROLL CALL for the cruise im going on, but i cant seem to find where it is. if you can message me or something it would be helpful :]

 

 

here is the link to the ROLL CALL. You can find it on the main forum page, just scroll down and you will see and entire section on ROLL CALL's for various cruise lines.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=110

[waiting2retire]

Thank you so much for putting together this FAQ sheet! As a first time cruiser with NCL, there are a lot of points I would not have even thought about being different from other lines.

 

When doing the online checkin for HAL cruises, credit card information is provided online, and I was concerned that I couldn't find where to add this information on NCL's online checkin forms. Then I found this reference in your OP:

 

 

When you board, you will be required to put something down to secure your onboard credit account, which can be set up per person. Credit card is the very best way. Debit card has some problems tied to HOLDS. If you have lots in your checking account, no problem there. Cash is fine too. I would still tie a credit card to the account if using cash. That way the last minute charges can be placed there instead of standing in line on the last day,which can be a royal pain.

Can you please verify when you register your credit card? Is it at the checkin counter prior to boarding the ship? I can't imagine NCL would want all of their passengers trooping down (or up :D) to the front desk on the first day of the cruise to do this.

 

Thanks very much!

 

Bonnie