CaptnG

The last cruise we took on ncl there was a woman wearing a sequin jumpsuit one night. She looked fantastic and everyone was complimenting her. It’s definitely acceptable to wear whatever you want on ncl and feel comfortable.

Although, there was a ton of people that dressed up in all white on the night of the glow party so you might bring something for that.

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You are I’m sure right.. you’ll have to forgive my inaccuracies, I’m local so I’m just going off the first road sign mileage estimate [emoji5]

However! I take back what I said before, and I’m now advocating that everyone take the train instead of bus or car.

http://m.511.alaska.gov/m.alaska511/routeSummary/index?highwayName=Seward+Highway

There’s a big road project happening all summer that will lead to very lengthy delays on that section of the highway. The train is a great experience and would be far more pleasurable than spending hours stuck on the road.

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I normally love the “adult game shows” on cruises too, but the Breakaway held all of them in the atrium instead of a theater. There was never enough room, and unless you arrive quite early you’re stuck standing and unable to see around people.

Otherwise we loved the ship, especially the outdoor space along the waterfront.

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Our boys 9 and 11 enjoyed the natural history museum and absolutely loved the intrepid museum. The Intrepid is a retired aircraft carrier, and it has an actual space shuttle housed there, and a submarine and one of the Concords. It’s located right next to pier 88 where NCL sails from. We were able to go there first and then board our ship.

If you go to the Empire State Building I highly recommend buying skip the line tickets in advance, and we walked right into the elevator, while those with normal tickets were in line for hours. I’ve heard that the view from the top of the rock is just as good without the wait, but we decided on the Empire State Building.

I’m taking my mom in October this year, so I’ll be following for other suggestions!

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I haven’t been on either ship so I’m not sure if this would be especially helpful, but I’ll chime in anyway [emoji4]

We took the Harmony of the seas a couple years ago, and I thought it was a great ship. I’m a big fan of the amount of deck space on the harmony, seemed like you could always find a group of open chairs together, and lots of pools to choose from. Entertainment spaces were far superior to those on the ncl breakaway, venues could accommodate the crowds, as opposed to ncl breakaway where most of the game shows and things were held in the atrium and most were forced to stand. I’m also a big fan of the aqua show on HoS. When the shows aren’t happening there’s some neat little nooks hidden on the back of the ship near the theater space where you can catch a great view of the sunset, often without anyone else around.

Ncl breakaway was a super fun ship, they had the best dance parties and I enjoyed the freestyle dining. Not going to much into it since the Epic is quite different from Breakaway, but I did enjoy the more laid back style on NCL as opposed to the formal nights and more traditional style of RCC.

I’d check out some you tube videos from Morgan at Very unofficial travel guides. He’s got a whole series of videos on both the Epic and Harmony of the seas.

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Yep, I asked a simple question then it turned into this. I keep following for the entertainment.

I am sorry for my part in the train wreck this thread has become... [emoji85] I did try to answer your question. Should have kept my thoughts on tipping to myself I guess.. [emoji87]

What I don’t understand is why so many people that don’t believe in tipping would click on a thread about when to tip.. if you don’t tip, then you likely don’t have any advice about when to tip.

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I agree with your reply. I find it disingenuous to claim, as the poster you are replying to keeps reminding us, to be advocating for better wages for the service staff while enriching himself by pocketing the tips the very people he is claiming to be helping would otherwise be getting. Such constant railing against the tipping culture, and repeated bravado about not participating, strikes me as extremely self centered. And morally bankrupt as well. I find his posts offensive and callous.

Thanks, I appreciate your support. However, I really don’t mean to change the topic of the thread, it seems people find enough issues to debate about on cc without me adding my 2 cents.

I was drawn to this thread because they asked about tipping up front, and while I see how it sounds like a good idea.. I agree with most that it’s completely unnecessary.

However, I enjoy tipping the room steward and bartenders (we usually do buffet, or I’d include the wait staff) throughout the cruise because I feel like it is something that I would enjoy were I the one cleaning the room or serving the drink. Who doesn’t like putting a few bucks in their pocket every day? Why wait until the very end.. seems like an outdated tradition.

I was talking to some people I met on my last cruise, who normally tip at the end, and they agreed that it seems better all around and decided to adopt the habit of tipping throughout.

I technically do tip in advance, because starting the first night of the cruise when we leave for dinner I leave 5$ and a thank you note for our cabin steward. We give the bartenders $1 per drink, I know we’re not tipping just to be pampered because I watched a guy tipping 20$ every round and he was served at the same time as us. So I don’t think we get something extra for it, I do it because I appreciate how amazing the staff always seem to treat everyone onboard. I also feel they’re not making what they’re worth, so I try and give a little more when I can. If you’re only tipping because you want them to treat you like a celebrity..then you should probably just book the haven suites.

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That's true but its vacation so the calories don't count. ;)

Cheers [emoji482] to that my friend!

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I'm sorry but tipping is not a necessity, because the labor laws have push the system this way. If people stop tipping, the laws would be changed. The free market is a great thing, it always finds a balance point.

 

 

 

If it was only what the law says, women would never have the right to vote, equal rights never would have happen, slavery could still be in place. All these things have been changed because the laws and the way we do things has changed. Tipping as it stands now, could and should be removed from the American norm. It should be as defined a reward above and beyond, not a standard.[/

 

 

 

I disagree, I think it’s better to try and effect change by actively participating in the political system. If you think it’s not ok to pay someone below minimum wage you can certainly make your opinions known without punishing the employees.

However, not trying to hijack the thread, and I understand that your probably not going to change your opinion about this subject and neither am I so no need to debate. I only brought it up because I feel that many times people are unaware of the circumstances that service employees face.

 

Cheers!

 

 

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It is my opinion that tipping is an out of date practice. It is my opinion, based on working in an hospitality environment, that the practice is outdated, embarrassing and patronising. Yes, all my opinions but I thought they might be helpful to you, particularly in Europe. I am entitled to my opinion.

 

My initial post produced one response which was racist (now taken down, I note). It showed that, although we all speak the same language, our cultures are very different.

Tipping in America is basically a necessity because the labor laws encourage employers to pay below minimum wage to people in service industries that generally receive gratuity. In fact, if you pay for your meal with a credit card most places will tax the servers for at least 10% of your tab. So if you don’t tip and pay with a credit or debit card your server paid to wait on you. I’m not trying to disparage your opinion, just clarifying the differences in the US and why it’s important to tip here.

I personally would prefer the European mentality of paying a living wage to employees and making tipping a thing of the past, but we don’t appear to be headed that way anytime soon.

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I’m excited about the benefits for the environment. It seems to be a trend I’ve noticed happening at a few bars and restaurants. However, I love having a straw in my drink! At home we have reusable straws.. but I don’t want to be responsible for a straw while I’m on vacation.. Cleaning it, remembering it, storing it between drinks.. too much effort. I think the ideal solution in my mind would be for them to switch to the plastic biodegradable straws (paper straws dissolve too quickly)

And then only provide on request or if you get a frozen drink. I agree that saving money has to be a big motivation for the change.

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Mudslide is my go to afternoon treat [emoji39]

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You sound just like me before our cruise on the Breakaway out of New York last February. I had the same questions.

We got a room at the kimpton ink48 was a block from the ship and the intrepid, morning we left they held our bags, and we walked over. Got to have a private tour of the intrepid at 10:00, and enjoy almost every exhibit there. As I recall we didn’t leave until 1:00, I know we watched the 12:30 kamikaze show and that lasted a few minutes, then gift shop time and walk back to hotel. Grabbed bags walked the block to the ship, had tags on and immediately dropped luggage. By the time we arrived there was no line at security so we got through there very quickly. Seemed like we walked quite a ways down to find our line to check in, but we only had a few folks before us so once we were there we only had to wait a moment. Got checked in very quickly, they took photos and gave us our ship cards. Everything was perfect until they warned us that food service was about to stop in preparation for the muster drill [emoji51] we hadn’t had lunch yet.. I think it was about 1:40 at this point and food stopped at 2:00.

Disembarking was even faster.. we self carried our luggage and walked off the ship and through customs without stopping in a single line. Not sure how we got so lucky considering the other stories I’ve read here.

Hope you have a fantastic trip!

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What is being left out of the discussion is that some folks who find themselves thinking they need to bribe service personnel also believe (erroneously or not) that they don't possess the interpersonal communications skills helpful in winning crew members over within the first few sentences of introduction at first meeting.

I think you meant civility is what’s being left out from this discussion. Why equate leaving a tip with a lack of interpersonal communication skills? Or as some are saying a bribe?

We also left the music playing for our steward because he mentioned he liked a song we were playing one night and found out it’s not allowed for them to listen to personal music while working. Do you assume my motivation was to keep him cleaning our room longer? Sometimes people like to give more than the minimum. I personally feel like the crew are under paid for the amount of work they do and so I try to give a little extra. I also feel teachers are unpaid, giving them money could be considered a bribe, or insulting.. so I help out with extra supplies and support. It’s got nothing to do with wanting something extra, or an excuse to be antisocial, it’s simply expressing gratitude for a job well done. Now can we please stop attacking one another.

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As some have asked for an update here ya go:

We decided to fully embrace the randomness of our booking type and put in a low bid for a balcony upgrade (just to add more unpredictability to the pot). Our bid was accepted and we ended up with a family balcony on the *drumroll*..........9th floor!

Fantastic! Sounds like it’s all worked out perfectly [emoji4]

I was wondering when you received the invite to bid on an upgrade? I’m booked in a Gty inside room this October and would love an opportunity to bid, but I wasn’t sure they’d offer it to my category.

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Best deal I ever got was a balcony room for the price of the inside room, it was our first cruise! We called and booked immediately cause it felt like a great deal.. next morning I get a call from Princess explaining the deal we booked wasn’t actually available and that the deal listed was an error that should never have been posted to their website. It was supposed to be an upgraded balcony category, not an upgrade from inside to balcony. They tried really hard to bully me saying they couldn’t honor the deal as I booked it, but I just kept insisting (for like the next month) that they had already confirmed my reservations and I had no intention of letting them change it. Persistence paid off and we sailed on the Sun Princess in a balcony cabin! No idea what the prices were way back in 2003, but I know we saved a ton!

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Gosh, these tipping threads always seem so intense..

I usually leave the room Steward about $5 per day (usually sail with our kids and get two connected rooms). Not sure that it gets me anything special, but it feels right to us. Guess I could just leave a big tip at the end instead, but I like the way we do it so why change.

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Received something in the mail from them last week stating beginning prices at $149,000. Website says: $255K. Here is the website. https://storylines.com/ship/

 

Ship looks beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

Thought it was also interesting to read about the tax benefits.

 

Are you eligible for significant tax incentive due to living a life at sea? In some cases your whole annual cost of living with us could be covered by the tax breaks. Check out this link here for more.

 

 

 

Have also met Mario. Nice guy.

Thanks, I did look at their site and that’s where I discovered the monthly fees. Seems like it would be pretty expensive when you combine the expenses, but still a fun way to enjoy retirement.

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To be clear, I am under no impression that I booked a "high category." I am fully aware that I saved money by booking a GTY room. I am completely fine with an inside cabin (I actually prefer them as I enjoy the total darkness), I just prefer the higher levels. When booking, I was under the impression that by booking a GTY room I was giving up the ability to select where on the deck I would end up (again completely okay with giving up that choice). What I misunderstood was how their categories worked and I could end up on a lower deck. First time booking on a cruise line other than Carnival. My question as been answered, family inside categories are considered an upgrade I guess and there is nothing to fix. I do wish the person I spoke with actually answered the question I asked (regarding DECKS, not CATEGORIES). Will any of this make or break our vacation, nope, we will still have a great time even with being in our cheapy cheap room.

Not sure what you have against floor 5, but I wanted to share one really big plus we discovered on our last cruise in a room on deck 5... you don’t have to wait for an elevator when you get back from port. (Assuming all are able to walk a flight of stairs).

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Well.. it’s a long train trip from Seward to anchorage, but it’s only 80 ish miles by car. Could try to rent a car in Seward and drive all the way to Denali. It’s definitely doable, and you’re unlikely to get lost since the road basically directs you that way. Not like driving in the states where you need to find the off ramp, basically the same road from Seward to Denali, just keep driving straight.. what I’m not sure about is if there’s a place in Seward renting cars you can drop in Fairbanks or anchorage.

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I read about a new boat that’s selling condos on their ship, believe it was called storylines. Sounds fantastic, even has a shared kitchen where you can cook your own meals if you choose, and your healthcare is included. However, after a little more digging I discovered that they charge an extra 10k ish per month per “condo” and quickly lost interest.. too rich for my blood!

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I wish there was more information from folks on the extra amounts they leave for room stewards, or anyone else. I feel like the daily gratuities just aren’t enough and always give more. We usually tip $1 extra per drink to the servers and 5$ per day for the steward plus extra at the end depending on service think (We left an extra 80$ at the end of our last 14 night cruise). I’ve seen people tipping a lot more than that, but I’d like to get an idea of the average.

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We don't get super long breaks. We get a few days at Thanksgiving, the 2 weeks around Christmas/New Years, and then a week in the spring (which changes every year). However, my husband's job doesn't allow him to take those times as his vacations every year. Yes, it would be great if he could be off for the holidays like others, but that doesn't happen. He has to pick his vacation every year in November, quite often the school calendar isn't even out by then for the following year.

 

 

 

 

 

And quite honestly, as I said before, our teachers have never had a problem since he does his work that he misses. They know that for some people, doing these things are important. Our family went through a lot over a few years, and we wanted to have some time away and with our son. It just happened that my husband had to take his vacation NOT during a regular holiday.

This is our exact situation, husband works for the railroad and the vacation calendar comes out in November. He’s half way up the seniority list after 10 years, and still can’t get close to scoring Christmas Or Spring break off (kids will likely be grown before he can). We could vacation in summer but have always avoided it because we live in a very cold winter state, so winter is when you wanna escape to the Caribbean. Not during our gorgeous summers

However, my oldest starts Jr high next fall, so we’re probably just going to have to reconsider taking him out for extended vacations just because of the increased workloads.

Think I might be the ultimate offender on this thread [emoji23] I’ve taken my kids out of school several times to have frivolous family fun, I’ve left my children to vacation with my husband, and I’ve also left my kids and husband at home to vacation with friends. And I have zero guilt.

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The only thing I don’t like about the exclusives for suites is the prime deck space that you lose. Wasn’t something I noticed when I first started cruising, but they seem to be the trend for newer ships.

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Finally home today! Had a fantastic voyage, most fun cruise ever thanks to a great group of friends met on board!

We took the red eye out of Alaska and finally arrived in New York around 3 pm the day before our cruise. We were able to walk from the port authority bus station, but it was a bit of a haul, still easier than finding a taxi that could accommodate our 8 pieces of luggage [emoji51]. We checked right into our room, 2 queens, had a nice view uptown. Room was clean and big enough (especially in New York) I liked the bathroom, except they use a frosted glass pocket door and I prefer it when you have a bit more privacy in the bathroom. We were too hungry and sleepy to explore much, so we ordered food to the room and went to sleep. Woke up with a view of the Breakaway, very exciting! Hotel is so close to the port and the intrepid museum we left our bags at the front desk and went to see the intrepid. Came back around noon to grab our bags and walked back to the Breakaway which is barely a block away. I was disappointed that the hotel didn’t have a little shop to buy water from, but that’s probably a New York thing cause it wasn’t available at the place we stayed after the cruise either. Overall I would recommend this hotel. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

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