ams cruiser

12 hours ago, Daniel A said:

When I have guests from out of town coming to NY for the first time, I take them on the Circle Line Harbor Lights cruise.  It is either $41or $56 (depending on your choice of location on the ship.)  The cruise runs about two hours and starts at 7PM and leaves from near the Intrepid Museum.  It's a beautiful cruise that sails around the southern tip of Manhattan and during the cruise, the lights in the buildings of the financial district start coming on and the ship stops in the middle of NY Harbor right in front of the Statue of Liberty which is lit up in the evening dark.  It is truly a magical sightseeing trip. 

 

https://www.circleline.com/sightseeing-cruises/harbor-lights

 

Sounds beautiful!  We flew home today, so I’m going to put it on my list for next time!

Just wanted to report in about our Broadway experience this week.  Went to the South Seaport TKTS office on Tuesday.  Chose Seaport because they open at 11a.m., an hour earlier than Times Square.  TKTS very organized - sent someone out to answer questions about 10 minutes before opening, and opened right on time.  List of available tickets were on display in the window.

Purchased “Beautiful” tickets for that evening, and scored third row left orchestra aisle seats for 40% off.  The seats were fantastic, and we loved the musical, which closes on the 17th.

i was surprised “Come From Away” wasn’t available, because it had appeared on the TKTS app many times over the weeks I checked.  I had been planning on buying Wednesday matinee tickets. The young woman told me that they hadn’t had these tickets as often recently. So before the TKTS office opened, I bought discount tickets online for Wednesday night (discount tickets weren’t available for the matinee) from Playbill.com. Got great seats, 3rd row left mezzanine for $99 plus $13 service charge.  Yes, I hated to pay the fee, but our time in NYC was so limited, and our plans that day were all in lower Manhattan.

”Come From Away” was absolutely fantastic!  A great ensemble production with rapid fire dialogue, and activity.  There is no intermission, and the time flew by.  We found the musical incredibly moving, especially since we had just gotten off of our Canadian cruise, talking with people in Nova Scotia, who told us that the play was spot-on. Everyone was on their feet during the uplifting finale.

So happy we saw both musicals!

And we found a great Japanese restaurant, Ootoya, nearby.  Food is excellent, reminiscent of what I’ve had in Japan, and their online reviews are glowing. They open at 5:30, and are packed within 15 minutes or so.  The best way to get in is to be there when they open, but starting at 5:30, you can join an online waiting list.  Afterwards, it was a 5-10 walk to the theaters.

Just wanted to report that the ferry was a perfect option.  Bought tickets on the app ($2.75) and took the short walk over to the ferry dock.  The ferry came within a few minutes and it was a nice ride to Wall St.

The best part was we avoided the crowds waiting for car/taxi services.

Thanks to everyone who suggested this route!

6 hours ago, mking8288 said:

"NYC Ferry" App - iOS and Android.  Please read some of the comments about App issues & check the schedule (i.e. weekend - South Brooklyn, stopping at Red Hook)  It's known to crash & freeze sometimes ... just as easy to buy them on the spot at the terminal's ticketing kiosk.  

 

 

 

 

Thanks, everyone.  Purchasing tickets on the app, and the ferry ride were as easy as could be.   We were so happy to be able to bypass the crowds, and take the short walk to the ferry dock, which came a few minutes later.

On 10/12/2019 at 11:51 PM, MJSailors said:

ams cruiser

     I would.check the ferry schedule.if you plan on disembarking the ship at 10 am. 

NYC is not SF. You may have a bit of a wait after 10:00. 

      

 

Thanks for the suggestion!  I have a screenshot of today’s schedule saved on my phone.  We’re just waiting for our turn to disembark, and hoping that finding our luggage and customs goes smoothly.  

Just wondering if if they have Global Entry at the Brooklyn Terminal, or if that is just for airports.  We’ll find out in another 90 minutes, or so.

There are a handful of employees for whom I will write specific and glowing reviews.  Overall, we had a fantastic experience.

That being said, I will also include a few observations for some things that could be improved, with a couple of questions/suggestions.  

”Rude and nasty” never accomplishes anything! 😊

7 hours ago, Thrak said:

I've been told by numerous crew that they would rather receive a good comment card than get a tip. They say the comment cards directly affect their position and perks. I've gone so far as to put in the card, comment on the survey, and send a separate note to customer relations for a few who were really above and beyond the norm.

I planned to write comment cards for our stewards and wait staff. I had heard they can make a difference.  But all three of them told me separately that the evaluation that will be emailed to guests is what really makes the difference.  They said not to worry about the card, because the other evaluation is what counts.

I’m definitely going to do the online survey, but will probably do the comment cards as well, just to make sure!

12 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

You should never be hesitant to ask a question.  That is what this site is supposed to be for.

 

Totally agree with the value of the comment cards.  These are the most important thing you can do for the staff.

 

Since we go on 3 or 4 cruises a year, and depending on the service, we do tip extra but only if we receive good service.  I think that a consideration is the length of the cruise.  Our typical cruise is 14 to 16 days, thus you have more time to interact and become familiar with the staff than on a 3 or 7 day cruise.  You would be surprised how many people we have tipped in the past, approach us on subsequent cruises and remember details such as favorite drinks, meals, etc.  This familiarity has been very beneficial to us in our travels.  We have relied on crew suggestions in many of our ports and had meals in restaurants we would have never found on our own.  One Head Waiter outlined an out of the way itinerary in an out of the way country for our son and his wife.  It was an excellent and safe suggestion that we all appreciated.  

 

So again, tipping extra works for us but it is a choice, not a requirement. 

 

Typically we tip the room steward $20 per week, sometimes more if they are over the top good, but we also have no problem tipping nothing extra if they are just barely doing their job.  If we have the same waiters every night, which we routinely end up with, we usually tip the waiter $20 to $40 per week and if we have much interaction with the assistant waiter, $20 - some of this is because we have some dietary requirements that cause waiters extra work.   If we have much to do with a Head Waiter, $20-$50 per week, but lately there has been less and less interaction with them and if this is the case we don't tip anything extra.  Room Service depends on what we have ordered - $1 for a bucket of ice, $2 to $5 for something extensive.  And while we hate the 18% automatically added to the bar bill (why are we tipping someone if they are rude/inattentive/lazy), we have no problem tipping a little extra - $1 to $5 per day if we have the same bartender or waiter everyday.  The best people to tip are those who never get one - my wife likes hot toast in the morning with specialty bread and doesn't mind waiting for it to be done fresh.  I like a hot fresh and crispy waffle and don't mind waiting.  Thus the person making toast and the one making waffles usually gets a $5 once a week, especially if when they see us coming they start making what we want without being asked.  It is a small amount for us but they REALLY appreciate even that.

 

Again, tipping extra is purely a personal decision and an extra hundred or two per cruise in additional tips isn't an issue for us.  Remember that you have already tipped via the auto gratuity and there is no requirement to provide extra.  A smile and thank you also goes a long way.

 

Friends that we cruise with take a large bag of individually wrapped specialty chocolates and give them to crew members they appreciate.  They are like the pied pipers of cruising - crew members look for reasons to interact and get a chocolate.  

 

Hope your cruise was fantastic - really that is all that matters.

 

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed reply!  I really appreciate your perspective, and it gave me a lot to think about.

I joined Cruise Critic long before I took my first cruise, and it took me even longer to work up the courage to start asking for advice.  But I have learned so much from reading these boards.  Thanks for your good wishes and encouragement.  We have had a fabulous  cruise!

13 hours ago, steelers36 said:

If we have exceptional Steward or Wait Team in the DR, I always make sure to fill out a comment card from Passenger Services and I also mention them in my cruise review that Princess sends out.  We don't hang out at the bars nor drink a lot - I think the 18% automatic add-on to every beverage purchase is enough.  For Steward and Waiter(s), I often tip some extra at end of trip.

 

Here is something to think about.  We book almost exclusively Inside cabins.  That means the percentages I will mention are much lower for the cost of Balconies and higher (even though the daily gratuity rate increases with the highest categories).  Typically, we are paying >$100 net-net (bottom line after our TA fare discount and OBC's factored in).  Our next cruise is under $100/day/pp (unusual good deal).  One we are looking at is ~$115.  I would say generally, we have been at or under $115 in recent times. 

 

Auto-Gratuities are $14.50/pp/day.  So that works out to 14.5% at $100 and just over 12.5% at $115.  The Gratuities cover mainly room steward and wait/dining staff.  If I was to consider the percentage based on Princess' published fare with no TA discount and no OBC for FCD's, promo's and CCL stock, then the rate could be under 10%.  I realize these are rough numbers, but it gives some perspective I think.

 

So, the stewards and wait staff work hard and I don't mind topping up the auto-gratuity with some extra when it is deserved.

 

 

Very thoughtful analysis.  Thanks for sharing this!

6 hours ago, Reader0108598 said:

 

Thanks!

23 hours ago, Thrak said:

I always tip every crew member with whom I interact a minimum of $1,000 per day. Riiiiiiiiiight. You will receive all kinds of replies here. Don't believe them all. As long as you leave the auto gratuities in place the crew will be satisfied. Tip what you like or don't tip at all. The crew won't beat you up.

Good to know!

22 hours ago, piper28 said:

This is something that's just really all over the board.  Some people like to tip (or claim to) a lot extra, some people will tip some extra, and some will be content with just the auto gratuities.  (And then of course you get those that want those removed).

 

Personally, I think it's hard to guide anyone what they should tip.  If you leave the auto gratuities on, you've met any real obligation that you have to the crew.  Beyond that, it's an entirely personal decision.

 

Typically, on a 7 day cruise, *if* I tip extra, I tend to do about $20 for the steward, $20 for our main waiter, and $10 for the junior.  Lately we've tended to tip some to the head waiter too because my wife's had some food allergies and we've had a lot more interaction with them - I wouldn't ever consider tipping the head waiter if it wasn't for this.  I think I've once in 22 cruises or so tipped a bartender extra.  And to be honest, on a 14 day cruise, I don't necessarily double those amounts, although I probably should.  

 

And by all means, I don't always tip extra.  I'd say cabin steward is almost always an extra tip for me.  For all that I've seen people complain about having bad stewards, I honestly don't know that I've ever been dissatisfied with my steward.  (I'll probably regret saying that with my luck 🙂 ).  If I'm in anytime dining and jump around a lot to different waiters, I probably wouldn't tip extra there.  I think had one cruise with traditional dining where I didn't tip the wait staff extra.   That pair was never quite where it was worth asking to be moved, but also always just seemed to be a little off in their service.

 

But ultimately, it's your money, tip what you feel comfortable with.  You're not going to offend the crew because you only tipped a little extra, they're not going to complain with *anything* extra they get.

Thank you for your perspective, and sound advice! We had exceptional service from our steward, as well as excellent dining room service.  Although assigned dining isn’t always convenient, we enjoyed getting to know our waiters (and neighboring dining mates.)

11 minutes ago, weedpindle said:

Room stewards and bar staff get to keep all extra tips. Dining room personnel must turn all tips in to the fleet wide pool.

Interesting!  We did traditional dining for the most part, so we got to know our servers.  

1 hour ago, skynight said:

What we have done.

Cabin Steward - For a 10 night cruise US$50. We just took this Caribbean Princess 10 day Canada cruise in August.

Its been many years since we had traditional dining. When we did we provided our waiter with an amount similar to the cabin steward. The ass't waiter about 60% of that amount. Don't remember ever tipping the head waiter.

Hope this is helpful.

Yes, it is very helpful.  Thank you!

40 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I usually just make 2 envelopes.  Used to be 4 (waiter & asst waiter before they changed dining times and I went to anytime dining):

□ head waiter $10 per week as he's paid better but I'm on a special diet

□ steward $20 per week

□ room service $5 per delivery

 

Thank you!

40 minutes ago, franktown said:

I

I believed you were sincere when you asked the question and thats why I answered.  It's a topic that has been discussed for years and some people have very strong opinions.  Just do what will make you feel right.

Thank you, again!  I appreciate your kindness.

This is very helpful!  These are the kind of directions I could have used in some of the ports this week! 😊

7 minutes ago, The Mikado said:

We tipped our waiter/asst waiter $50 each for 10-day Alaska and the same for our cabin steward. Plus the auto-gratuities. 

Thank you.  It helps give me some perspective!

25 minutes ago, franktown said:

I tipped our room steward a extra $40 on my 7 day Regal cruise.  I do anytime dining and only 2 nights had the same waiter.  Did have the same assistant waiter multiple times and gave him 20 the last evening.  Never have tipped the head waiter.  I probably would if he provided me with the special service.

There are no guidelines and no right or wrong.  Just a personal choice.

Thank you! I appreciate your response!

23 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

Yes, you can buy as many tickets for as many people as you like. Using the app will save you lots of time, as there's only one ticket vending machine at the Red Hook stop.

You show it as you board...the crew is polite and helpful.

Also, look at the schedule on the app...the ferry is more frequent earlier in the morning. There will be long waits in between ferries after the morning rush hour.

Thank you so much!  I think we’ll be disembarking at around 10:00, which is still considered rush hour in the SF Bay Area!

I’ll check the app for the schedule.

Some of us are not experienced cruisers, and come here to ask for advice, not to start controversy.

if if I could have found  links to previous discussions, I would have read them instead of posting.

Believe me when I say that I never discuss religion or politics!

I posted this under “east coast departures” a few days ago, but haven’t had any responses, so thought I’d try here.

We’re planning on taking the Brooklyn Ferry to Wall St. Monday morning, and were advised to buy tickets through the app to avoid standing in line.

Can I buy tickets for 4 people on my app, or does each person have to buy his own?  Do you just show the electronic ticket to a ticket agent on board, or do you have to scan it somewhere (4 times?) when you board?

I appreciate any insight/information!  (We’ll be at sea shortly, so I’m hoping we have a decent internet connection.)

My Caribbean Princess cruise ends on Monday, and I would like to give tips to our wonderful steward and waiters, in addition to the automatic gratuities already on our account.

i know tipping is a controversial subject and I was reluctant to bring it up, but I wasn’t able to find previous threads to read.  (It’s hard for me to navigate the Cruise Critic site on my iPhone, and my internet connection has been spotty at times.)

The last cruise we took was a couple of years ago, but I can’t remember how much extra we gave each person.

I know it’s a personal decision, and completely voluntary, but am hoping to get a ballpark idea of what to give our hardworking steward, waiter, and waiter’s assistant.  Also, for those people who choose to tip extra, do you tip the head waiter, if your only contact with him has been him greeting you as you walked into the dining room?

We are having the balcony breakfast, and am also wondering about tips for that service.

I’m  hoping to prepare envelopes during our at final sea day tomorrow. (I’m also hoping I can get an internet connection tomorrow.)

Thank you for any guidance! (If I don’t respond to replies, it will be because I can’t get online!)

Greetings from Halifax, Nova Scotia!

We we’re advised that we could save time at the Brooklyn terminal, by purchasing our ferry tickets online. 

Can I purchase tickets for a group of four on the app, or does each person have to do it separately?

Thank you!

23 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My 2 best friends from HS whom I am still in contact with are now living in Berkeley.

I grew up in Berkeley, and returned to the Bay Area after finishing college.