First time on NCL, I have some questions

[gwe21]

So we are not new to cruising, but this is the first time on NCL.

 

We are booked on the Dawn, March 1st.

 

I had some questions, a few things have me confused and I wanted to clarify so I know what to expect.

 

1> Service Charge... Im assuming this is gratuities. Is this a mandatory fee you get charged at the end of your cruise? Can you change the amount? Normally we remove the gratuities and pay cash as we go along for excellent service.

 

2>Dining. Are you assigned a dining room? Or do you have to make reservations for each night? I know on Carnival you are assigned a time and dining room and that is where you go each night. Im guessing this is different on NCL?

 

3>Entertainment and Shows.. I also read you have to make reservations for the shows?

 

I know it is freestyle cruising, but I am not sure what that actually entails. We purchased the UBP for the 4 of us.

[mrobstad]

I'm unsure about the gratuity, and you can choose your dining room. I've only been on the newer ships, so I do book my entertainment in advance, and I pretty much only dine in the speciality restaurants.

 

 

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[skyfire53]

You can remove all or part of the gratuities if you wish, but tipping as you go doesnt make sure all of the people behind the scenes get paid as well...and, being as you are not assigned to a dining room and dont have the same server every night, it is much easier to have the DSC pay them. That being said, you can eat in any dining venue you wish any night and at any time that dining room is open. unlike Carnival, people dont all show up at the same time to eat, so normally, you dont have to be in a long line waiting to be seated at your assigned table. You can sit by yourselves or ask to join others if that option is available....some are pay and some are not.

As for the shows, on the smaller ships, you don't make reservations, and most of the time, you dont really need them for the other ships either. If there is a particular show you really dont want to miss on the big ships, yes make a reservation if you know when you want to see it. My DD and I sailed on Epic last year and had no trouble getting in to see the shows without a reservation. Just enjoy, its a lot more relaxed. There is not a manditory formal night either...there is a dress up or not night so you can dress up if you wish...its just do what you want when you want to do it...there is one dining venue that is open 24 hrs for comfort food as well that is a no pay venue.

[Dorhead1230]

So we are not new to cruising, but this is the first time on NCL.

 

We are booked on the Dawn, March 1st.

 

I had some questions, a few things have me confused and I wanted to clarify so I know what to expect.

 

1> Service Charge... Im assuming this is gratuities. Is this a mandatory fee you get charged at the end of your cruise? Can you change the amount? Normally we remove the gratuities and pay cash as we go along for excellent service.

The service charge is $12 per person, per day. You may pay this in advance if you like, or else it is added to your on-board account. It is possible to adjust it at guest services. We have found it easier to leave it alone, as you're not assigned a dining room or server and, as previously mentioned, it allows all people involved in service to be compensated accordingly.

 

2>Dining. Are you assigned a dining room? Or do you have to make reservations for each night? I know on Carnival you are assigned a time and dining room and that is where you go each night. Im guessing this is different on NCL? You will not be assigned a dining room. The Dawn has an aft dining room that is considered the more "formal" of the two, and a more casual mid-ship dining room. There is also a buffet and a 24-hour casual sit-down restaurant (from which you can also order take-out). You do not need reservations for these venues. If you want to try any of the specialty restaurants (with an up-charge), you will probably want to make reservations. We had no problems doing this once on the ship. The only specialty that tends to fill up more quickly is Teppanyaki because the seating capacity is pretty limited.

 

3>Entertainment and Shows.. I also read you have to make reservations for the shows? No reservations needed on the Dawn. There will be a different show in the theater each night, with an early and a later performance.

 

I know it is freestyle cruising, but I am not sure what that actually entails. We purchased the UBP for the 4 of us. "Freestyle" mainly means there's no real requirements as far as what to do and when. You will not have to have set dining times or locations, and will not have to dine with people other than your traveling companions. Dress is as casual or formal as you like. There will be a "dress up or not" night, and you'll see people ranging from not dressed up at all to tuxes and gowns. Only the aft main dining room, Le Bistro, and Cagney's require long pants; otherwise, more casual attire is acceptable in all other locations.

[BrPanthers99]

It's not worth trying to change the $12 per day. I've been on ships where you tip each person, paying the $12 is so much easier. No one is looking for tips, although I gave the room steward an extra 40 for two rooms because he was fantastic and he was really really happy. Just go with it and enjoy.

 

 

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[neighbour_lady44]

Another quick point we have found we have sailed on both Carnival and NCL.

 

When leaving the ship on the final day, you pick when you want to leave on NCL. There are no huge line ups. It shocked us as we were always jammed into an elevator trying to get off a Carnival ship...not NCL. You have the choice of taking your own luggage or leaving it out the night before to pick up on the pier.

 

The Excursions process is very quick and easy when you have booked through NCL. They sure have this no waiting thing organized vs Carnival.

 

Just my thoughts

[caribbeancruising5]

So we are not new to cruising, but this is the first time on NCL.

 

We are booked on the Dawn, March 1st.

 

I had some questions, a few things have me confused and I wanted to clarify so I know what to expect.

 

1> Service Charge... Im assuming this is gratuities. Is this a mandatory fee you get charged at the end of your cruise? Can you change the amount? Normally we remove the gratuities and pay cash as we go along for excellent service.

 

2>Dining. Are you assigned a dining room? Or do you have to make reservations for each night? I know on Carnival you are assigned a time and dining room and that is where you go each night. Im guessing this is different on NCL?

 

3>Entertainment and Shows.. I also read you have to make reservations for the shows?

 

I know it is freestyle cruising, but I am not sure what that actually entails. We purchased the UBP for the 4 of us.

 

Hi-

 

Let me start of by saying that NCL is amazing and you are going to have a great time!

 

The gratuities aka service charge is a $12 per person per day charge that will automatically be charged to your onboard account daily or you can pre pay them before the cruise. You can though, at the end of your cruise go to the guest service desk and tell them you would like to tip accordingly on your own and they will knock off the service charges from your bill and you can tip with cash.

 

The dining is very simple- go to eat where you want when you want there are no assigned dining rooms you can go eat anywhere! The main dining rooms, the buffet, specialty restaurants (xtra charge), and other food venues. It is great. You never have to rush to make your reservation on time and there is never a wait to eat.

 

The entertainment is just fabulous!- Acrobats, singers, dancers, everything you could want!

I am not sure about the Dawn but on the last cruise I went on (the Breakaway) you can make reservations for the shows you would like- 7pm and 9pm are the usual showtimes. You could do this on the stateroom tv. The last 2 cruises before that (Gem & Sun) there were no reservations at all for the show and you just go to whatever show at whatever time you want (open seating)and I kind of preferred it this way.

 

Freestyle cruising is just amazing. You get a planner every day of millions of activities to do or you can do nothing at all. You can eat where you want, sit where you want, and sit with whoever you want. You do whatever makes you happy. If you feel like sitting down and being served at the main dining room you can go there, if you feel like a quick bite to eat you can go to the buffet or go to the burger joint by the pool for example. It is a wonderful way to vacation.

 

Have a great time and I hope I have helped :)

Edited February 1, 2015 by caribbeancruising5

[Iluvcruising2]

We were on the NCL Jade for the first time last year and we had a blast.

 

We were also unsure what to expect with Freestyle cruising. We also feared that the restaurants, especially complimentary ones, would be too crowded so we were mentally prepared for long waits. Turned out to be very easy and we didn't have to wait at all.

 

Around the ship, there were these useful electronic boards showing you what was busy. On that cruise, the only difficulty was getting a seat at Teppanyaki, due to the very limited capacity.

[YOUTUBE]4L3l1rfAnTE[/YOUTUBE]

 

We liked to eat early (about 6pm), so we would make reservations on the day and never had a problem.

 

On certain days, we ate a bit later, around 7pm, and even then we hardly had to wait.

 

I enjoyed the MDR food. I was told the Jade just took on new menus a couple of months before our cruise. Here is a video of MDR food.

[YOUTUBE]xOimIZW3xEw[/YOUTUBE]

 

No reservations required for shows. We always managed to get good seats by going about 10 minutes before the show started.

 

Hope this is helpful.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Iluvcruising2

[newmexicoNita]

So we are not new to cruising, but this is the first time on NCL.

 

We are booked on the Dawn, March 1st.

 

I had some questions, a few things have me confused and I wanted to clarify so I know what to expect.

 

1> Service Charge... Im assuming this is gratuities. Is this a mandatory fee you get charged at the end of your cruise? Can you change the amount? Normally we remove the gratuities and pay cash as we go along for excellent service.

 

2>Dining. Are you assigned a dining room? Or do you have to make reservations for each night? I know on Carnival you are assigned a time and dining room and that is where you go each night. Im guessing this is different on NCL?

 

3>Entertainment and Shows.. I also read you have to make reservations for the shows?

 

I know it is freestyle cruising, but I am not sure what that actually entails. We purchased the UBP for the 4 of us.

 

1-yes, you can remove the service charge and tip individually, but it is a crappy idea for many reasons: you have to give a reason for doing this and you probably have no idea how many people, behind the scenes depend on our gratuities as part of their income. Many passengers add to the daily service charge by tipping cabin steward, a favorite wait person, bar person, etc additionally.

 

2-no, you do not make reservations per night unless you choose to. It is rare there is a long wait for the dining room unless you choose to eat between 7pm and about 8pm. If you know what time you want to eat for certain, you can make a reservation early each day. BTW, be sure and try at least one of the specialty dining rooms. They are worth the extra charge.

 

3-no, you do not make reservations for the shows. The exception are some of the shows on the newer, large ships, but not the Dawn.

 

Free style simply gives you the option to do what you want when you want and dress the way you feel comfortable within reason. You can choose where you want to eat, what time, you can choose to dress up a few nights or choose to go casual each night.

Edited February 1, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[oracer]

Question, if you have the specialty plan and yes, will pay the $12 per person account, is it customary to pay the waiter at the specialty restaurant as well? Is that double dipping?

[mrobstad]

You do not have to tip in the specialities, but I often leave a token amount, like $5 (I'm a solo).

 

 

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[newmexicoNita]

Question, if you have the specialty plan and yes, will pay the $12 per person account, is it customary to pay the waiter at the specialty restaurant as well? Is that double dipping?

 

This is very much a matter of opinion and your choice.We do not get the UDP but do eat in the specialty dining rooms about 1/2 the time and yes, we usually give an extra tip because the service is usually above and beyond. There have been a few times I have been sorry we did give extra. There is no rule and you do not have to feel obligated to add a few $$S. We do usually leave $5 for the two of us.

Edited February 1, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[muffy168]

Great reviews and comments on here!!!! :} Haven't found whether shorts and jeans are allowed in the MDR. Recent cruisers , me teenage son would appreciate knowing this before our cruise in two weeks. Thanks so much!!

[nets33]

Great reviews and comments on here!!!! :} Haven't found whether shorts and jeans are allowed in the MDR. Recent cruisers , me teenage son would appreciate knowing this before our cruise in two weeks. Thanks so much!!

 

Shorts are OK in the more casual of the MDR (mid-ship). I've seen jeans in both of the MDR's.

 

If you're going to Le Bistro they do ask for a dressier appearance (khaki's and polo shirt would be fine).