MoCruiseFan

I just put the card in my pocket

Tip who you want to tip, tip them when you want to tip them, tip them however much you want to tip them. Thee is no right, wrong, or suggested amount or method of tipping. https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#what-about-gratuities Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 20% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 20% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 20% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining. End of discussion.

LOL

YEP

You can get through to live person at the gift card number (FYI these cards are actually issued by Discover). Just keep pressing buttons on the voice mail system. Do NOT enter your card number when prompted. Eventually it will send you to a live person. I highly doubt you will get an of the fess refunded. Many have reported this or a similar issue.

Of course they do...

Never heard of it.

There are no daily 'gratuities'. There is a DSC (daily service charge). Tipping is 100% optional and there is no right or wrong time/place/amount to tip. It is a purely a matter of personal choice.

FIFY???

To address ashtree's (the OP) question, I have heard of no changes to the smoking areas on the Epic.

Lots and lots of people who use vape pens instead of tobacco products to smoke take great joy in ignoring the rules that apply to them as is expressed by their cavalier use of those said pens anywhere they darn well please.

I hope you have a fantastic time on NCL and come back to cruise many times!

All smoking rules apply to vaping seeing as they are all but the same thing with the exception of vaping being even more dangerous to both the user and surrounding people.

Pants are required in all public areas. Some will allow short pants some only long, but you must wear pants (thank God)_.

There are no daily gratuities on NCL. However if you have OBC that is refundable (no matter the source) you can us it to offset the DSC. Nonrefundble, not so much.

It only obfuscates it to the tin foil hat wearers and people who are looking for an excuse to remove the DSC or not tip anyone. Tip whatever you want to tip any time you choose to do so. There is no need to explain or attempt to justify how you tip. Personally i could not care less what anyone else does as far as tipping.

Nothing at all to be confused about. As was stated before, the ONLY correct answer to tipping is to tip whomever you want, however much you want, at any time you want. End of stort. Kindly move long please.

And you are ASSujing that it doesn't.

BYE! Don't let the cabin door hit you in the butt on the way out!

LOL interest. Even on a 15 day haven cruise we are talking less than $10 if you pre-pay a full year in advance. If $10 is going to break you, perhaps you should not be cruising in the first place!

You do not HAVE TO bid anything. If you choose to bid the minimum amount (usually) is determined by the cabin type you are currently in and the cabin type you are bidding on. On my cruise the minimum bid was anywhere from $25 - $1500 per person for the first two people.

So now "scam" means "I did not understand the program/offer fully and did not read the details thus what I ASSumed was the case was not".

So basically non-refundable OBC that can only be used in the casino?

Having sailed enough NCL cruises to be a Sapphire latitude member, I have NEVER had any experience with "unruly" kids on any cruise. The one cruise I did take on the WalMart of the seas line was horrible though. The rugrats there (and their drunk inattentive parents) pretty much ruined the cruise for all others. You will be OK on NCL.

Go to NCL.com and click the Casino At Sea link under explore