First time cruise questions about POH

[garden bfly]

I will be on the POH in June with a group of 8. None of us has cruised before, so I have a few questions. I apologize if they're really obvious, but I really have no idea to expect from the cruise. Any help/advice would be great.

 

1. As a group of 8, will we have to/be able to make reservations for the main dining room?

2. What beverages are available at no extra charge served with dinner?

3. I understand the whole $10 service charge thing, but what about tipping for room service? If so, how much?

4. I've read a lot of conflicting info on the boards about this--do you normally tip the excursion operators for excursions booked through ncl? If so, how much is considered appropriate?

 

Thanks for any help! I've already picked up a lot of info and pointers from reading these boards.

[KeystoneCruiser]

 

1. As a group of 8, will we have to/be able to make reservations for the main dining room?

2. What beverages are available at no extra charge served with dinner?

3. I understand the whole $10 service charge thing, but what about tipping for room service? If so, how much?

4. I've read a lot of conflicting info on the boards about this--do you normally tip the excursion operators for excursions booked through ncl? If so, how much is considered appropriate?

 

 

1.) As a group of 8 you can make reservations in the main dining rooms. They limit the times for groups to before 6:15 or after 8:30 and not group reservations are not allowed during the prime dining hours of 6:15-8:30 p.m. In the specialty restaurants, you can make group reservations for any times that they have left.

 

2.) Coffee, Hot Tea, Iced Tea, milk, lemonade, tap water. Alcohol, bottled water and soda cost extra all the time.

 

3.) Never used room service, can't help with this one.

 

4.) It is customary to tip all bus drivers/tour guides on all excursions. In general $1.00 a person for a normal tour is generally the rule. If it is a private tour or longer tour, more should be given.

 

Hope this helps.

[debinnh]

Unless they have changed (and I'll find out soon!) you could get capaccino or espresso after dinner for free in the dining rooms too.

 

Room service depends on how much you order (how many meals). I usually do a buck or two per person, same as I would in a hotel if they just drop off the food. If it is a big meal and they set up the table for you, then I would tip more.

 

Most tours will tell you if tipping is appropriate, but saying so outright or by posting signs in the vehicle. If they don't say and there are no signs, then tips are usually not necesary, but if you really enjoyed yourself due to a guide or driver/pilot/captain then by all means give them something to express your gratitude. If they say they accept tips, I tip for excursions according to the cost and the size of the group and how long the trip was and how many people are splitting the tip. For a 2 or three hour bus tour with a full bus, I would tip about $2 pp if the driver alone is the tour guide, a buck more if the guide and driver have to split it. For an 8 hour tour, I might give the guide $5pp and the driver $2pp. If they are really good keeping our attention most of the trip, we might go as high as $10pp to split. For a more intimate tour, such as a helicopter ride worth $250 and just 4 to 6 pax, I might do $10 pp even though it was only an hour or so, if they did a good job.

[garden bfly]

Thanks for all of the helpful info! It sounds like tour tipping is quite variable, and it also seems like it could add up to be a significant expense. I guess we'll just have to figure it out as we go along.

[garden bfly]

One more question: When we get on board the first day, exactly how should we go about getting dinner reservations in the main dining area for our group of 8? Do we have to go somewhere specific on the ship? Or is it something that we can do on the phone?

[debinnh]

Go to any restaurant and ask where to find the Maitre'D. He/she should help you make those arrangements.