Smitheroo

What was the Acchile Laurel incident?

Oh, okay.

lol, I had the same reaction One thing to keep in mind though- the room stewards didnt decide amongst themselves they were only doing 1 room clean a day. They were told by their employer and from what I've heard (which may or may not be true) the amount of rooms they were responsible for doubled. Its quite possible your room steward could be in your room more than once. Its your decision the amount extra, if any , you tip. But you are tipping the room steward, not NCL. And I dont think NCL is going to adjust their way of operating because the room stewards arent getting tipped as much. What will change the way they do things is when they no longer can get room stewards. We are seeing it all around us in the non-cruise world. My personal reason for tipping room stewards extra is just to say thank you, I'm happy you are willing to do this kind of work. I also love how my two experiences so far with room stewards didnt involve them with their hand out pointing out the "additional tip" line. (which I realize doesnt exist as there is no receipt to sign)

Yeah, I did buy an extra product lol

I just let my travel partner deal wth the bar lol and btw, I do think there are situation with drinks that deserve the "additonal tip". For example: I have paid the drinks gratuities. But I'm sitting in the Atrium and a crew member passes by and asks me "woud you like another drink" I say yes, that would be nice, merlot please and he/she takes my empty glass and brings the new one That service should be given recognition in the form of a small, extra tip. But if someone doesnt agree with me, that's their business.

Thank you for your reasonable response. No, I dont care if there is an additional tip line . Just dont make an effort to point it out to me. I can read. Hand me the receipt, ask me to sign it and I can see the line that says "additional tip". But you are right, the ship is cashless so there should be a way to provide an extra tip like this. Too bad there is no additional tip line for the room stewards. Its cash or nothing for them. Well, there's the hero cards. Yeah I know how effective that kind of recognition can be. I did work at one time.

The last line said by someone with a strong sense of self esteem. We are all different. I have no problems ignoring tip jars on counters of fast food places or even the tip line on the cash register at Panera's. Different situations cause different responses. Yes, I wish I could respond the same way in all situations, This is a forum which means discussion. I have no problem with someone having an opinion different than mine. What I do have a problem with is when it is obvious that person hasnt even read my post or else is misunderstanding it, then turns what is his problem (lack of comprehension) and uses it against me. Ignoring that type of response can be tough.

You have reminded me about the reason why I tip my room steward extr which is to thank her (its always been females so far) for be willing to do the work that she does. I can imagine what they have to deal with it.

You make an excellent point. The problem is that not everyone has the same degree of self confidence. I agree that if everyone keeps giving in they will keep expecting that. Since I dont need salon services that much I'm not going to remake myself . I just wont use spa services. So they hurt themselves in the long run with my approach as well. I feel the same with the "additional tip" line for specialty dining. The food is good, the setting is nice but I'll just continue eating in the main dining room.

Yeah at the risk of being lambasted by some people, I think that's kind of tacky. No, I'm not perpetually aggrieved, yes I can have an opinion. I think its a tacky method. I like how NCL does it.

I gave my room steward Carlene $40 for the 7 nights. I get very anxious about tipping. I know its not necessary to tip xtra My purpose is not exactly to thank her for service given to me but as a general thank you for doing what she does. Without room stewards there would be no cruises. This is just my personal feeling. I probably wouldnt increase that double if the cruise was 15 nights. Maybe I would increase it to $50 or $60 This would be in keeping with my thanking her for what she does, not for actual service to me (unless she really went out of her way to accommodate a request of mine) You just have to do what you think is right.

I think they stopped allowing visitors long before 9/11. A friend thought maybe around 1980 but I was wondering if anyone knew for sure. Her inlaws did as you are describing. I didnt do that, I toured mostly transatlantic ships. I was never on a traditional cruise ship before last February 2023.

thank you so much for your understanding of what I was trying to convey in my post. I felt like I was fighting (for lack of a better word) a losing battle. I suspect many didnt even know what they were discussing as it was mostly men (may even have been all men) They can charge whatever they want at the spa and salon and ask for additional tips all they want I wont go there again. I agree with you, some people want the services and I guess have no problem with the price and that's fine. The reason I tried it was a ridiculous one, silly me but I wont do that again. Thanks for making me feel a bit better

Ok, I was mainly talking about effective coverage date of medical insurance. I get what you mean by effective date of trip cancellation. That makes sense. I thought the person responding to my post want his medical coverage insurance was non refundable. Could have been my error or we were talking apples and oranges. Also, I've been looking at separate coverage for each.

I guess it would work in the right situation, sure is cheap enough.

Has anyone seen Bill miller on one of NCL's cruises? He grew up in Hoboken NJ across from the NYC docks. He has become an expert on ocean liners and cruise ships. I saw him at a lecture on the Queen Mary 2 . It was so interesting! I'd love to see him again. One question I would ask is when did cruise lines stop allowing visitors to come on board ship prior to sailing? A friend says her in-laws were still visiting cruise ships in port about 1980. Anyone know?

I'm not following well but if the problem is tying up your money the amount is usually not that significant (except in cases of a family or expensive cruise, I'm always small amounts) Maybe that's not what you meant.

No, they live in Ontario. I may have misunderstood them. The first couple might have meant they are not covered if they go out of province (network) by choice to obtain medical care. I thought she meant that if she went out of the province for any reason. In other words, live in Ontario but going to visit family in Manitoba you woudl need a travel insurance plan. That's what I thought to be outrageous. The topic came up concerning posts I made about a trip to Alaska which is mostly outside of Canada. Details are important lol. The other couple may have misunderstood my question and thought I was referring to cruising. Anyway, I have asked them for clarification.

Now that is very interesting about coverage by province. The two people I asked both live in Ontario. but both were talking in terms of travel. One couple said they cant travel because of this (which is why I concluded what I did, but the context of the conversation was travel, not what you are describing) They are quite elderly and its just too expensive for them. The other couple, still seniors, but not as elderly said "yes that is true, we have a travel plan" In neither case were we discussing bordering areas of a province. That is a different situation. I will ask them to see what they say.

yes, but why would one choose this? What could be the situation where this type of coverage would be the choice

the date you provide that you want coverage for. I dont know if you can make it before the cruise- like if you are traveling a few days before the cruise. I didnt because that isnt my situation. My cruise starts 1/12/24 and my effective date of coverage is 1/12/24. I dont know the details about any other situation than the effective date of coverage is first day of cruise. That would be a question for an agent.But I am confident that 1st day of cruise would be eligible to be 1st day of effective coverage.

I atttached a cut and paste from GeoBlue Voyager Choice Plan to your other comment. You can cancel any time before your effective date of coverage. So if you book on 1/1/24 but the cruise doesnt begin until 8/1/24 you can cancel up until 8/1/24 which is your effective date of coverage. This only makes sense. Why would you not be able to cancel during a period of time before your coverage starts? You can do it any way your want to, its your decision but I wanted to point out that you can cancel before the cruise happens.

here you go- Geo BLue Voyager CHoice plan vCancellation of Coverage Any date prior to Your Effective date of Coverage, You may request a full refund of premium from Us. Cancellation of coverage must be in writing or received telephonically or electronically by Us from the Eligible Participant. No refunds of premium shall be paid to You: • after Your coverage Effective Date: or • If You have departed on your Trip: or • If any claims have been filed with Us. In these circumstances, the premium charged is fully earned and is non-refundableCancellation of Coverage Any date prior to Your Effective date of Coverage, You may request a full refund of premium from Us. Cancellation of coverage must be in writing or received telephonically or electronically by Us from the Eligible Participant. No refunds of premium shall be paid to You: • after Your coverage Effective Date: or • If You have departed on your Trip: or • If any claims have been filed with Us. In these circumstances, the premium charged is fully earned and is non-refundable

Some policies allow you to adjust dates for the situation you are describing. I understand what you are saying but have to ask: in the scenario you give where you are booked months/years ahead and you cancel the cruise, or it is cancelled for you by the cruise line, then you are out the money you paid for your medical travel insurance? If you die in the meantime you are out the money for insurance for a cruise you have not yet taken? I dont think so but a point I will research. And if you cancel the cruise because you dont have a clean lookback that isnt usually a "covered reason" for cancellation unless you have cancel for any reason. To me it seems the safest to purchase the insurance when you first book as it is not that expensive (subjective I know) so you are not tying up a lot of money for a long time. I'm going to look into this, good point. GeoBlue comes to mind as one I read where dates can be changed

Have you actually had salon services and are familiar with the receipt you sign? I'm thinking probably not from the way you are describing your thought process. Maybe the word "blatant" was a bit much. Lets reword it to "request for additional tip" I do consider it blatant when they push it at you and request you sign it, and adding "there is a line additional tip" if you wish. Since when does a server ask for a tip? Ok, they havent actually demanded an "additional tip" but they have suggested it. And I am referring to "additional" tip, not the 20 required service charge. (tip) Now back up and re-read my post. 1) I was not complaining about the price of the services. (you didnt say that but someone else suggeted I was) 2) I was not complaining about the 20% required service charge, which is another word for tip. It is required and I accept that 3) What I dont like is the line "additional tip" brought to my attention. I can read it but I dont need to be reminded. Maybe you are chock full of self confidence but not everyone is and might find this intimidating. Some might say that is the clients problem if they dont have the guts to decline making an "additional" tip. Does your room steward come up to you and say "if you want to make an additional tip I have some envelopes you can put the money in?" Of course not . Maybe people who work in a salon think they are more deserving than people who clean your cabin? I hope my explanation has made it clearer what I am referring to by "additional" tip.