citygirl62

My husband and I have booked another transatlantic cruise in April 2022.  It's the third time we've booked a cruise because the last two were canceled; one by us and the other one by the industry.  I had to ask if I could double up my Cruise Next credits which was allowed.  I'm not a betting person so I can't say if this will actually be a go.  I never used to think about being stranded in the middle of the Atlantic if I came down with a virus but it's starting to be a factor now, even without Covid.  

I have until December to get a refund and in that time I'm checking VRBO villas in the south of Italy to decide whether cruising will be just another type of vacation instead or the preferred one.  

We haven't been on many cruises so far but the ones we have been on, we tip over and above the gratuities already charged.  We do the same when we go to all inclusive resorts.  Partly, it's because we do get better service, let's call it an incentive.  And partly it's because we both know these people work really hard with long hours away from their families for extended periods of time.  I think better service really boils down to HOW you treat the recipient.  Making a big production over your generosity usually doesn't work.  Discretion does.  Being gracious goes a long way, even if you don't tip.

3 hours ago, blcruising said:

Think about the folks who don't want the beverage package, but enjoy an occasional drink here and there. A non- import vodka, such as Tito's, is priced at a rip-off level of $14.95. And then they add a cryptic, overpriced, $3 "service charge"/"gratuity". It's an easy decision for us. We forego all alcohol on our NCL cruises. Actually, we forego all of their ridiculous overpriced onboard offerings. We drink in the ports of call, take independent tours, etc. Our onboard spend on NCL only is zero. On other cruiselines, it is different. We don't find the pricing as extreme, even though we expect to pay a premium.

$3 tip for a $15 drink is 20% which is pretty standard.  What do you tip when on land?

If you go to a restaurant that has a "two for one" special, how much do you tip on?  The actual price of the meal or the hypothetical price?  The wait staff is still bringing you two appetizers, two main courses, etc. etc.  Their work is not halved because of a special offer. 

If you only drink 5 drinks a day, don't get the UBP and just pay the 20% gratuity on the actual quantity you drank at the end of the cruise.  However, most people DO drink more than 5 drinks when on the UBP. It's akin to an all-you-can-eat buffet where people eat far more food when they aren't paying for it.

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

I believe the average salary for a server in Florida, including tips, is around 25K.  In high-priced restaurants it is double or more.  So don't think the minimum wage is actually what they receive, as they received with their salary and tips about the same as servers in Canada do.

 

FWIW, there was a restaurant chain that decided to go non-tipping.  They raised the servers salaries twenty percent and raised the price of the food the same.  Not only were their customers upset, but the servers were as well, because they were making more money when they were getting tips.  They went back to the tipping policy in all but ten locations and everyone was happy again.  Just proves that one should look at the entire picture of what a server makes and not just the 2.13 an hour in determining what is fair.

Most customers would be very unhappy if all servers were paid a living wage, not just minimum wage, by their employers.  That $18 plate of pasta would cost $30 and the $12 burger would cost $20.  Most large hotel chains are unionized, at least here in Canada, which is why a croissant and coffee for breakfast costs maybe $15.  

My example shows that Kentucky is one of the states that allows employers to subsidize their employees wage by using tip credits to pay them a minimum wage.  If business is slow and the server doesn't get tips, the employer has to pay them the minimum of 7.25 hr.  If service is slamming, the server has to submit their tips so the employer can top up the hrly rate to the minimum. 

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

That's pretty standard in the US for tipped employees.  When in Rome...

I was looking at hourly rates for servers in Kentucky specifically because I know servers in restaurants where we have our condo in Florida make more than double that an hour.  I think the last time someone made 2.13 hour in Canada would have been around 1965!

On 6/16/2019 at 9:59 PM, rkelly21 said:

It is customary in the U.S. to tip the waiter and bartender if they do their job right. The bartender normally kicks back a portion of his tips to the waiter/waitress  if drinks were ordered through them.  The bartender generally tips the bar helper if there is one a small amount also.The rest of the employees are considered in the cost of overhead and priced into the cost of the meal. It's that simple. General rule is 20% for good service however I always tip more if service is excellent. Unfortunately some restaurants, hotels and cruise lines use these tips to offset their labor costs which has nothing to do with serving the customer.

My husband used to work in restaurants and bars.  He was very good at his job and made a LOT of money in tips.  He tipped the busboys who worked his tables and they hustled to clean and set up tables quicker. He tipped the bartenders and they were quick with drinks.  He did that even though it wasn't SOP.  When you work in a restaurant you are part of a big process.  He never tipped cooks or chefs because they make much better money that wait staff.  He walked out of restaurants if he found out the owner made servers pool their tips and would take a cut.

We drive to Florida a lot and always stop in a restaurant in Lexington Kentucky because they play cool jazz, have comfy banquette tables and an incredible waiter.  We were shocked to learn his base pay was $2.13 hr!!  I couldn't believe that and checked it out when we got home and it's true.  Kentucky is allowed to pay any where from 2.13 hr to 7.25 hr for a tipped employee.  It just made me wonder just how much workers on a ship get paid.  

On 6/8/2019 at 10:33 AM, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

I made it particularly clear in my opening post, that I was not looking to "cheap out" as you put it, whatever that means, merely asking for anybody to advise is it as easy as NCL suggest that it is to request not to be billed for the DSC. Why would they call it discretionary if it wasn't. ?

From all the replies, there has only been Keith (from the UK) who has come close to answering the question. All the remaining replies are from USA members. Is everybody afraid to admit they may have done the same in case they are castigated by comments on here or have passengers signed the form not been members of Cruise Critic?

My first question is why would you want to get out of paying tips to all the workers on board who are there to make your cruise the best it can be?  All tipping to a certain extent is discretionary.  You decide whether an experience, whether on land or sea, is deserving of a tip. 

My personal experience is that most people who inquire about getting out of paying a gratuity are actually planning to bring it to fruition.  Like this little scenario that played out in front of me at the service desk once when a man and woman said they wanted to cancel all gratuities because they had brought their own sheets and towels, made the bed themselves and generally tidied up. 

We always tip extra whether on board or in a resort for good service, even at all-inclusives. With the exception of some egregious circumstances (and I'm not referring to the lack of towel animals or itinerary changes) my philosophy is if you can't afford to tip then don't go on a cruise.  Full stop.

And just to be perfectly clear, I'm British but have lived for many years in Canada and I know that Brits generally don't tip.  It gets a little tiresome when some British people I've met who've traveled all over (not referring to you) still like to use that old chestnut about not being used to tipping.  When in Rome.

We did the TA on the Star in April.  The first couple of days out of Miami the pool was quite 'refreshing' meaning the temperature of a lake in Ontario.  On the third day heading north east to the Azores it was much more comfortable, around 82 degrees.  I'm not sure if they heated it or the sun did it.  The hot tubs were HOT.  Too hot to be comfortable (for me) and that didn't change for the whole cruise.

On 4/5/2019 at 8:48 PM, SeaShark said:

 

Don't we actually have plastic straws because they have a lower environmental impact that the paper straws we used to use? Didn't we "start somewhere" by moving from biodegradable paper to plastic?

 

 

I don't believe the introduction of plastic straws was ever associated with a lower environmental impact.  It was during an era when ease of use and a ready supply was paramount.  

I ordered a 300-count of biodegradable straws online.  They cost me 35 bucks.  We'll bring about 150 on our 15 day TA since I mostly drink wine, champagne or martinis.  My husband drinks things like wine, cranberry and vodka or beer.  We like to drink silly drinks now and then like daiquiris or frozen margaritas which definitely need straws.  I'll give a lot away since I don't like the idea of people bringing plastic straws.  Straws really do escape the recycling efforts of plastics because they don't always make it into recycling facilities because of their weight or lack thereof and escape.  

As an aside, for women who worry about lip wrinkles:  I know a mother and daughter, in their sixties and early forties, respectively, who have NEVER used straws and they both have full unwrinkled lips.  

I'm bringing biodegradable straws on board.  They are made from corn starch and look and feel like plastic straws.  I found out about them when investigating an eco resort in Mexico.  They aren't cheap but they are better than trying to drink out of a metal straw or a paper straw that disintegrates before you finish your drink.  I gave them to people caught unawares at the resort.  I didn't give them to the a**holes that were yelling at the bartenders.  I thought I'd keep them around but they degraded in the cupboard!  At least I know they work.

There are places on a ship where children should not be allowed and that is sitting at a bar.  I don't have a problem with kids sitting at a table with their parents.  It sounds to me that the parents were more than a wee bit drunk: the mother calling a drunk person fat and the father losing his cool and getting involved in a fight.  My experiences with drunks is to de-escalate the situation not to add fuel to the fire.  I feel sorry for that kid.  Having to spend time with two drunk parents whose late-to-the-party attempts to protect their child ended up in a brawl.  Quite a 'how I spent my vacation' moment having it culminate in your dad's perp walk off the ship.

When I took my grand daughter on a cruise I would have liked to have gone into a lounge but I didn't because I had my grand daughter with me.  I would have liked to have maybe three margaritas on the pool deck but I didn't because I had my grand daughter with me.  She was my responsibility, not some anonymous bartender or some teetotaling parent whom I assumed would watch out for my kid.  If you want to relive your keg days on a ship, don't take your children.

12 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

If you do end up waiting until you are on board to resolve the issue, it wouldn't be at Guest Services, so you likely won't have to wait three hours. On embarkation day, they will have a special, separate desk set up just for restaurant reservations.

Thanks for the tip.  I will keep trying to add the last reservation before we go.

"Free Drinks Package" is better than sticker shock at the end of the cruise.  Plus you'd be surprised at how many people try to avoid giving tips for service.  Even at all inclusive resorts we tip wait and service staff generously.

The worst thing I remember on a cruise was when I was waiting in line at Guest Services for a replacement ID card I'd lost and the couple in front of me were trying to reverse out the tips charges for the WHOLE trip because they bought an extra set of sheets, made their own bed and tidied up!  I was flabbergasted.

Grrr. Very frustrating.  I've been on the phone 3 times in the last two days trying to make reservations for our specialty dining since the website is freezing, duplicating the reservations or charging me when there should be no charge.  I finally made 7 reservations with the help of an advisor but that last one is proving a struggle.  She suggested I either book another reservation for a restaurant I'm not really interested in or wait until I get on board and go to guest services.  The last thing I want to do is spend 3 hours in line to make one reservation.  We'd like to go to the Teppanyaki restaurant once toward the end of the cruise.

On 1/10/2019 at 7:41 AM, erdoran said:

But the "chair hog police" can be just as bad.  I had the NERVE to get up from my poolside chair to get in the pool; 10 mins later someone took over my chair and told me "you aren't using your chair".  Ummm.....I'm at the pool, I got in the pool.....

 

Or went to the buffet to bring lunch BACK to my chair and had to fight off the chair police....

 

Or was (horrors) holding chairs for two family members, got told "you can't save chairs" and the police took over - five minutes later here come my family members.  I stupidly gave up my chair to them for doing such a bad job saving chairs.... (and these were on an upper deck, there was nothing remotely close to the pool)

 

Don't get me wrong, I am NOT a fan of chair hogs either, but there is a difference between a towel sitting on a chair all day, and someone legitimately using a chair who gets up for 10 or so mins to get food, go to the bathroom, use the pool, etc, etc.  At least be selective about taking over someone else's spot!

If you're actually there you're not really a chair hog.  It's unrealistic to assume every chair not being occupied has been sitting empty for hours and hours.  I think you can usually tell if someone's in the pool.  The towel looks lived in, a drink might be on the ground under the chair.  

I remove towels, paperbacks, that are holding chairs that are obviously unused for hours.  I do it in resorts as well since it's not exclusive to cruise ships.  I either shrug my shoulders and get back to my novel or tell a fib and say nothing was on this chair when I occupied it. 

We used to go to a really cute little hotel in Treasure Island Florida and there was this elderly German couple who would always hog the two best chairs near the pool.  They'd get up at 5:30 to put their stuff on them but wouldn't appear until 2 pm. They would get really upset if their stuff had been moved.  They'd complain to the owners who would be sympathetic but wouldn't do anything either.

NCL packages available for purchase show that you can buy bottles of wine but not spirits.  I'm planning on buying a couple of bottles of prosecco and rose wines for us to consume on the balcony.  Even with the 15.00 corkage fee charged to ALL bottles of wine brought on board, it is still preferable to paying for bottles on NCL's wine list.  The cheapest wine they have is about 32.00 a bottle and yet to buy it in a liquor store it's about four bucks!  I'd rather buy my favourites and pay the fee. It's not much different than their prices.  

31 minutes ago, TrpngBilly said:

No. Liquor is not available for pre-order and you can't buy a bottle on board and bring it to your stateroom either.  You can bring as many sealed bottles of wine or champagne on board with you but there will be a corkage fee; $15 for 750ml bottles and $30 for 1,500ml bottles.  You can also order wine through NCL but not sure if a corkage applies to it.

Is there a corkage fee for bottles you only plan on opening and consuming in your cabin?

Does anyone know whether O'Sheehan's has HP sauce for their fish and chips?  Seems a travesty if an Irish pub DOESN'T have it.  No ketchup for me, thanks.  Plus do they have malt vinegar?

I am sorry to disagree. But, you sound like a propagandist for a cause of whose goals you are not fully aware.

You can disagree as is your right but you sound like a conspiracy theorist who sees lies and deception everywhere.

Too expensive for NCL to replace. Don't you people see it? They want to ultimately pass on the cost of straws to you, the consumerist. It's all about the money and PR.

The point I'm making is that we can be proactive in regards to dealing with large corporations finally making a stand regarding ocean debris. We are one or two people on board a ship that has 3000+ people on it. Multiply that by a hundred thousand people who travel on ships all over the world EVERY week. It matters that we try to reduce ocean debris.

I don't care if you see it as dumping the cost onto us or even if that is all they are doing. Why are we waiting for someone else to make the decision for us? The bottom line is that it matters. If you enjoy cruising on our oceans you have a choice, find an alternative or continue to rail against the decision because you perceive it as a service reduction without financial compensation.

If cruise companies stop giving us straws they will find us alternatives or we can do it ourselves. Is that such a paradigm shift that your life will be altered forever? I bring lots of stuff with me that is available on board like hair products, etc. Composting straws isn't that much of a big deal to me.

When I was visiting Boulder, CO I noticed that there were recyclable stiff straws (not to mention cups) that SEEMED like plastic but would biodegrade. That would work for the frozen drinks, I'm sure!

A few years ago my husband and I went to an ecological resort in Playa del Carmen. Because they had all sorts of animals on the property, straws were strictly forbidden. I did my homework and found a US company that makes biodegradable straws out of cornstarch. They look exactly like plastic straws but will biodegrade within weeks on land and less in the ocean. I took a box of 500 straws. We were the most popular people on the resort!

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Wow! I am impressed with the changes. She looks calm and relaxed without all that folderol. We are sailing her on a TA next April. I am so looking forward to it.

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