midwest 852

What I am saying is that Carnival's FAQ states the DSC is divided between the "housekeeping team", the "dining team" and the "alternative services". What positions, and how many, are in each of those "teams" determines how much of each passenger's DSC the individual crew gets. The crew gets the "full amount", but the pie is split more times than just the one cabin steward or two waiters you see.

 

Well, Hawaii's minimum wage is $9.25 and Michigan is $8.90. Both states require 1.5 times base pay for excess of 40 hours, so I don't see too much variance between states, unless there is something like what the POA crew have, where their collective bargaining agreement sets overtime at 1.25 of base. Collective bargaining agreements can always override a local law, since it is considered to be an agreement between both parties to accept a different pay scale. Heck, when the Norwegian US flag ships first started out in Hawaii, the deck and engine crews' union agreement called for an overtime rate $0.65 less than the base rate, and this was legal as a CBA. The POA crew are also required to pay Hawaii state tax, the highest in the country, and then try to reclaim it against the state taxes in their state of residence. You also have to realize that the $4000/month, is only for 8 months a year, so while it's not a poverty level job, it is still a minimum wage job, where you have to stay away from home for months at a time, live in a cabin with three strangers that is only about twice the size of a federal prison cell, and are not free to go do whatever you want to when you are off work.

I get what your saying i guess i look at it different. i see $4000.00 a month for 8 months paying no taxes. I work 3 months that all goes to taxes & being in a cabin even if its small its free.

Not sure what lines you have been sailing on, but I can guarantee that cabin stewards are not making anywhere close to $5400/month, regardless of how the cruise line says the DSC is distributed. Even the US crew on the POA, making Hawaiian minimum wage plus time and a quarter overtime, only make about $4000/month. They make a fine income for their home countries, but nowhere near what you say.

When you do the math it comes out about $5400 so are you saying that staff is not getting the full amount? The US crew has to pay taxes on there income but $4000 a month is a good wage. Not sure about your state but here in Michigan there’s lots of jobs that work 12 hour shifts & weekends/holidays for less pay.

On the Amsterdam May 2016 Ak. cruise they arranged a bridge tour for us and the extended family of 6.

We are traveling in a large group on Zaandam this summer. Because of booking issues, I will be sleeping in a room that is currently assigned to someone else in our party.My son is assigned to his uncle's room, but will now be in our room.

 

I understand that we can go to the purser's office and get things switched around, but what exactly do they switch there? I've already got all of my son's charges linked to my credit card. Will that just change who is holding which room key? Does it change how packages are linked and such?

Dont switch anything until you get onboard go to pursers desk ask for extra cabin keys for the room that you will be sleeping in that way you will still get your explore 4. (Hal dont care where you sleep).

The problem is going to be that land tour someone is going to be left out.

Please explain a little more - HAL keep a running account on thousands of passengers and this tipping amount designation follows a passenger on every other HAL ship from now until eternity and is located at every service point in the entire ship?

I also wondered about that?

John Heald Carnival Brand Ambassor has posted on his face book page that they do not post a list of passengers that remove gratuities. And they do not know how much they will receive until the following pay peroid.

He did say that if a guest has a complaint it maybe posted for the steward to correct.

So we have a Neptune suite and an inside room for our preteen boys. I'm assuming we can all check in together?

 

 

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You cannot book a room for children the room must have a adult.

So the adult listed in the suite checks in at suite checkin the other adult the in general checkin.

When on board you can ask for extra keys for both rooms.

We have seen the Pinncle for breakfast deny entry to a couple one listed in a Neptune Suite the other not.

We have never had this problem before, does anyone know what is the largest table they have in the MDR on the Eurodam?

We travel with family usally around 8 of us this year we have 14 (4 children).

We all do our own thing during the day but like to have dinner together. I really dont like having 2 tables but may have to. :confused:

thanks

We are looking at the 14 day Alaska trip for 2018. We did it in 2014 and loved it. I was surprised to see that Sitka and Icy Straight were listed as tender ports. I thought there were new docks eliminating the need for tenders. Our daughter is a full time wheelchair user

and we were quite excited thinking the trip did not involve the use of tenders. Anyone know the status? I called HA and was pretty much read what is on the website.

2016 Icy Straight has the new dock. We also docked in Sitka

I don't see how it is fraudulent because the single probably paid the supplemental charges.

 

What it does mess up is the cabin stewards tips. The steward now cleaning the single room is doing

Double work for no extra pay.

 

If you remove the tips on the other cabin ., now that steward is out.

 

I hope you leave tips on one.. and add full tips on the other

 

 

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Tips are pooled so it makes no difference in money.

It's no problem. The extra key is not used as I.D. has no name on it can't be used for purchase's. it is only a room key.

Have always got them after we are onboard.

Never paid for Pinnacle dinner came free with explore 4. But they have always delivered to the PS for us on the Westerdam, Oosterdam, Amsterdam & the Maasdam last cruise May 2016.

With less than 15% of the US population smoking today with less than that percentage cruising, having the Seaview Bar and Casino available should be enough area. I have sat in the Seaview Bar area because of lack of seating elsewhere on deck and noticed that there were less than six people smoking.

 

I think the major concern for most passengers is use on balconies. I guess it will take a fire on board a HAL ship like the Star Princess to change the policy. And that will be driven by the underwriter.

May I ask where you got the number of less than 15% from?

The terms and conditions of the Explore 4 package state you can only order one drink at a time and no sharing. What ship were you on that allowed you to order 3 drinks at once and also order for your room partner? Was this just a friendly bar-tender or was this a change in the conditions? Were you given anything in writing regarding the change?

 

I will be on the Maasdam soon with Explore 4 and would love to be able to order 2 or 3 drinks at once.:cool:

We were on the Maasdam in June. I would take both of our cards and get 4 drinks at a time never a problem or room charge. Dont know if it matters I never got 4 alcohol beverages at once.

The 14 day Maasdam sailing visits Anchorage as a port and shuttles you into town. I am looking for a rental car agency near the drop-off point. Is anyone able to help?

Avis has a downtown office about 2 blocks from the drop off.

FYI they close at 5pm.

Once again this thread is confusing my question, are you talking about self disembark where you carry your own luggage OR self assist where you require a wheelchair and assistance to disembark. I have an very early flight and we overnight in BCN before disembarking. Someone told me to check post 30, which DID NOT answer the question. So here it is again, SIMPLE question

When I carry my own luggage off, can I disembark before everyone else.

PS We can handle our TWO suitcases

Yes 1st off the ship is self assist.

Do you have to be the first off to use this service? Our flight leaving Seattle is not until 12:45 p.m.

You get off 2nd. 1st is self assist then luggage direct. They will give you a "luggage direct" pass that you show at the gangway to get off.

On all of my cruise's ending in Seattle on 6 different HAL ships your luggage tags are colored then on the morning of departure on the TV it will tell you what time your color is ready for departure. The one and only announcement was the

"Ship was clear for self assist".

I think some passenger with wheel chairs & walkers get confused and think they need to arrive early for their departure because they need extra time. This just created a bottle neck when staff tells them it's not their color please step aside.

We were there in June we rented from Avis at the airport. As long as there's no plane in they will pick you up at the ship. I know they have a down town office you should check with them they may offer a pick up service also.

All sandwich delis make made to order sandwiches. Subway isn't doing anything special there. They do it cheaply, with inferior quality, and are what I would consider the "McDonalds" of sandwiches. I don't eat there. If HAL brought back made to order sandwiches with the poor quality of Subway, would everyone here be happy and eat it? I wouldn't! If they took out the Dive In and replaced it with McDs, would you eat it? Not me!

 

I'd make a similar analogy for the pizza, but from what I've heard about HAL pizza, Dominos might actually be an improvement. ;)

I would eat at both of them. After you return from your 1st HAL cruise please post a review

I am a glass half full person, and I usually have a good time and yes, if I have to I will make my own sandwiches if need be.

 

Hmm - let me see....I booked a cruise not to cook and I am going to make my own sandwiches?

 

As to your last line - if we had accepted what we cannot change, then you would only be permitted to bring one bottle of wine on HAL when they changed the Wine policy. The wine policy would NOT have been extended nor would a corkage fee be permitted. It was the postings on this board and the emails sent to Seattle that got the wine policy amended.

 

There is a BIG difference between acceptance of what you could possibly change and the wisdom to know the difference.

 

JMO - and, since a Hotel Director agreed with me on a sailing, I say let your feelings be known. If HAL doesn't know, they can't fix it (if they want to).

Kazu well said

Pre made sandwiches do not even make the radar for us. We don't care. From our perspective it is very small nit. Hardly worth concerning ourselves with. There is always something else.

 

Sure we prefer a sandwich bar but it is hardly the end of the world nor is it one of our considerations in selecting a cruise line. We are just thankful that we have the health and the resources to travel/cruise. Why sweat the small stuff....and this is definitely small stuff.

I agree it's not the end of the world! But I enjoy a good sandwich not a soggy pre-made thing that Hal is offering.

This maybe small stuff to you but to me it effects my enjoyment of a vacation.

We are 5 star on Hal and have seen many changes but for me the food is biggest. I'm a simple eater nothing to fancy & in the past I could alway find something to eat but the past 2 years it's getting very hard my fall back food in the MDR was always a baked potato but on my last cruise I couldn't eat it!

I think now I would look at different cruise lines, in the past I never considered it.

My first cruise line was Carnival, then Disney with the kids, on to HAL which I thought would be it for me but I guess I'll keep a open mind.

Another thing I noticed about the Pre-made sandwich's the first couple of days you have more choices.

Bellman & Concierge met us in May 2016 on the Maasdam. Bellman took carry-on's Concierge escorted to suite. Usually for us it's just the Concierge once it was the shore side check in staff.

Is there a,way to find a list of what is available to watch on DVD? We depart late September on Maasdam to Australia.

I think they are same on all the ships that have dvd's still someone have a copy from different ship also. I would bring mine from home (not blue ray).

Are there sandwich fixings to make your own? Bread, meats, cheeses, spreads, etc... ?

Yes you can but you need to go to multi stations and the bread choices are better at breakfast, more cheeses at dinner, salad bar for lettuce, tomato, onion, olives. Dive In for condiments.

On our recent Maasdam cruise the premade-sandwiches were gross. Bread soggy, the stuff they put on it & the bead they used we couldn't choke down. I saw two ladies opening the sandwiches picking thru them to identify what was in the bag because signs were not correct then putting them back. (Yes the staff knew they were re-folding bags)!

There were 6 of us we all enjoy sandwiches we did order club sandwich from room service but for a change we started making our own in the cabin.

At breakfast: we got bread, boiled eggs, ham, bacon, cheeses

From the salad bar we got: tomatoes, lettuce, olives, chicken

Going and getting all this and making your own is like being at home and NOT my idea of a vacation! Lucky for us we had plates, a toaster & silverware in room.

We received a call & were invited to tour the ship. We had 1st time cruisers so we went.

Then it became clear about the pre-made sandwich.

8 a.m. the bread/rolls for the sandwiches were on lido serving trays that were not full stacked on big carts that were not covered. 2 cooks (not official title) had about 20 pcs of bread spread out assembling them & stacking. Passing by on our way out another crew member joined them to bag them and placed in baskets. So there were 3 sometime 4 crew working on the sandwiches but at a slow time not the lunch rush.

Well as it goes the person of our group in charge of getting bread forgot! We were all laughing so we had to explain to the Chef (very embarrassing)!

He told us just call he would make what we wanted