DebbieCruises

We have been on 40 NCL cruises, and since we started sailing in suites 15 ago, we have always received our luggage tags in the mail a few weeks before we sail, including our last cruise October 2023.

Yes, they do on NCL, too. Someone said that Haven servers only work in the Haven, which is untrue. I have met and been served by the same people in the Haven restaurant in many other restaurants on the ship during the cruise. (The Haven bartenders I do think may be assigned only to the Haven bar though.) I have been told by several staff over the years that they do not receive any tip money from the DSC pool. Yet, I have always been reluctant to remove the DSC payment from our account. Maybe it's time to finally do that and just go back to handing out cash. My hesitation has always been the "behind the scenes" workers never getting their due. But it appears no one is but NCL Corporate anyway.😔

😍🤩🤭☺️

It was in the mid 1990's when we first started cruising on the SS Norway. Should I say it! 🤔 oh, why not.. those were the days...aaahhhh! 😂🤣 But I still love it just as much now, too!!

Our cruise is not for another ten months, so probably not filling up too fast yet, but I get your point. I just was making the point that that NCL has an excellent marketing department and plays word games (quite successfully) to fool everyone into paying more and more and more and believing it's just the way way "it should be" by putting it in the FAQ page or frequent reposts. I know I'm kinda old and been sailing a long time, but when we started, we paid tips of $3.50 pp per day in little envelopes at the end of the cruise on the SS Norway. Now we pay $20 pp (or $25 pp in the Haven) per day DSC, plus 20% for the beverage package, plus the 20% for the dining package charges. Oh, yes, we always paid an extra $ or so tip for a drink plus the $3 or $4 charge for the drinks, as well as the extra tips paid to the room stewards and others, but now... we pay soooo much more for the cabin to begin with, as well as everything else and still they want us to pay more and more and more tips, gratuities, daily service charges, or whatever terminology they decide to use this year. Yes, we do continue to tip, and we appreciate the service beyond measure or we wouldn't keep cruising, but it does make me wonder. We love to cruise in spite of the fees. I wonder what the next term they will use for tip/gratuity will be. Let me get my thesaursus.

I wanted to, but decided I need to cool down a bit before speaking to anyone else. I actually saved the letter. My husband keeps telling me to just get over it, but geesh!! It's the principle of the thing.

Yes, NCL has an excellent marketing department. Just look at how the price goes UP with each new fabulous sale they have. The cruise I have booked for next fall has increased in price with each and every sale since I booked it. But is that what NCL is telling us? They tell us what they want us to believe. It is our choice to accept their terms. I do accept them, but with my eyes wide open. I know they need to make money just like any other company. I just wish they could stop with the word games.

We just all need to carry one of these with us at all times and use it often and never sparingly.

You are right, of course. I was confusing the 20% gratuity with the DSC. I guess since we pre-pay the 20% gratuity, we are supposed to forget it has already been added. It's almost as if the servers might actually not get get that gratuity after all and that might be why they expect it to be paid at the time of service once again.🤔 Oh, but that's a whole other discussion.

I guess what threw me, was the fact that we had upgraded to the FAS Plus (for the first time), and had already paid the inflated... ahem... increased amount for additional tip money. We were given the letter to remind us to give out extra tip money to the concierge, butler, and beverage service people the day before we disembarked. (Oh, and yes, we had already tipped extra to those we thought had gone above and beyond during the week, but it just struck me wrong, to see the beverage service included, too.) I know the butler and concierge do not benefit from the $25 daily service charge, but since when have the beverage servers been excluded?

I was confused about the "Beverage Service" being included in this when I read it. What does the 20% gratutity charge on the beverage package cover? Are we expected to get our own drinks and the 20% is for the privilege of drinking their liquor? Sarcasm aside... I was stunned when I read that the night before we disembarked in a letter delivered from the concierge on our cruise on the Getaway in November. I even took the letter to the service desk for further explanaton and was told that, of course, I should "just know I should always be tipping extra for every drink when it is served."😵

Thank you. I thought I had totally remembered it incorrectly. That would be $2058 for our 21 days. They have the Premium Plus Beverage Package just by itself listed for nearly $7000 for the two of us for the 21 days on the website.😲 I was shocked to say the least! I guess I will give them a call and see if I can get the FAS+ over the phone. I have been checking on-line for the last few days unsuccessfully. It's good to know it's not just me though. Thanks again!

Is it a Bonvoy AmEx card? I just checked and can't find an offer from NCL.

How much is it per day? I have been trying to figure out the cost for our 21-day next fall.

Hi, JanELK! Here's the link to the last page of the thread, too. Please join us! We have 8 spots left for our Meet & Greet which will be on the first sea day. Please post if you want to be added and we'll give you all the details.

Thanks for your suggestions.I think we are going to book Flagship group. I'm sure we'll enjoy the wine and cheese along with the sites. We just found "A Small Light" on HULU. We'll start watching it tonight. I appreciate your help!

Thank you, Mrs. Dukes! I hope we'll have good weather that day.🤞

I jus found the Flagship tour. It looks great! But I have a couple questions. I hope you can answer for me. How far was it from the ship to the place where they start the canal trip? Did you meet in front of the Anne Frank house or the Central Station site? Did you walk from the ship or take a taxi? Thanks!

Does anyone just list their needs/wants/preferences with the precruise concierge? We have cruised in the Haven for years and thought that was the expectation. The butler always seems to have received the information before we ever board the ship.

Thank you, MSUjohn! I appreciate the response.

Is it possible to play Pokemon Go on the NCL ships?

Thanks, I will. I hope so much he has a great time!

Where is the best place to meet them? In the singles gatherings?

We are taking our grandson on a cruise in December on the Encore to celebrate his graduation from Tennessee Tech. Although we are thrilled to know we'll get to spend a week with him, I know he would enjoy being around some people his own age during the cruise, too. Is the singles group more for an older group or will he find other single 20-somethings to meet there? Does anyone have any suggestions for what he might enjoy during the week with people nearer his own age? He tends to be a bit shy, but still would love to make a few new friends while on board, I'm sure. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might offer.

Yes, we will fly into LGA and the Manhattan cruise port is where the Breakaway will be the next morning (I hope.) $35-$40 seems much more reasonable than the $70 he suggested. Of course, he first offered a pickup service to meet us for a mere $233.😵‍💫 so I guess it is all relative, eh? Thanks for the quick response!