dmwnc1959

3 minutes ago, MJC said:

As someone else mentioned, keep in mind that Acapulco and San Juan del Sur have been nixed from many itineraries this year. SJdS was nixed from ours this coming April and we do not have a replacement port, just another sea day. Something to keep in mind.

Trust me, they could cancel every single port of call between California and the Panama Canal (or vice versa) and I would be happy. The stops you’ve mentioned are just ‘enjoy an empty ship’ day for me. I’d much rather be sitting on a sheltered deck chair somewhere reading a good book than spending 2 to 3 hours roundtrip on a tour bus. Puerto Vallarta and to a lesser degree Cabo San Lucas are really about the only ones that interest me. There are maps of the two different itineraries I’m considering back on Post #1 of this thread, let me know what you think? 

On 2/13/2024 at 4:14 PM, Tranquility Base said:

I would check on the Aussie forum to see if they have been returned.

In June last year whilst in Dubai those loungers were replaced with chairs.

This posted over on the Aussie and NZ Cruisers Forum by @arxcards currently on the ship. 
 

4 minutes ago, cheersforbeers said:

Loony Tunes. That’s all folks! 

Sort of similar appearance, and similar in its ending salutations, but it’s from ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’. 

😉

35 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Why not do yourself a favor and beam yourself up out of these fencing matches.

Your position on this subject is perfectly valid and you should not be having to defend it against other CC members who are unrelenting in tearing apart the views of others if they disagree.

And it's not that the other folks are wrong in what they say, just a different take.

Peace be with you...

Yup, time to leave this disaster and move on other controversies like jeans in the MDR on formal night. Thanks for all the fish! 
 

🖖

(me, wondering if anyone will get this reference)

6 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

And you're correct. I, and the vast majority, do not think about the faceless people behind the scenes while we're enjoying ourselves onboard. We don't because we pay the OSC and know that we're doing right by them, hopefully leading to them getting paid a fair wage.

 

Lastly, your math is wonky to me.

I don't know how you get this 40% and, anyway, I asked why you group those 20% gratuities with the OSC.

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

…it appears that you don't value them like the vast majority of people that sail with NCL.

I’ve already mentioned that I would never remove the OSC/DSC. It’s carved in stone as part of my budget.
 

And by paying the OSC/DSC I therefore apparently don’t ever have to think about the behind-the-scenes workers or worry or tip extra knowing I am doing right by them and that NCL is taking good care of them by making sure that all of my service charge contributions supplement their salary into a fair wage. Yay! That’s good. No need to ever tip extra! 
 

As for the 40% that’s a figure I came up with by combining the 20% already added gratuities to what CC members were saying they generously tipped extra on top of that for specialty dining (based on the total cost of the meal) for every meal. 
 

And the reason I’m grouping those two types of charges and fees together is that they all amount to tips and gratuities, regardless of what fancy terminology NCL applies. 
 

🍺 Cheers 

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

And while you say that you "completely understand there are probably hundreds of behind the scenes workers that work hard for us", from your posts it appears that you don't value them like the vast majority of people that sail with NCL.

Kind of you to speak for the ‘vast majority’ and to make assumptions of my values. We all value and respect the behind the scenes workers (especially when we are on the ship), just as much as the passengers that value them and respect them and wants to bring candy bars and fruit cakes instead of cash. And it’s while we are on the ship when it matters, because for the other 11 months of the year these wonderful and amazing people (whom we have never met) really never enter our thoughts. 
 

And I can guarantee you that when people are actually cruising on the ship (‘valueing’ the behind the scenes workers), sitting at a bar ordering drinks having a good time lost in all of the excitement and revelry, and at the dining table making exquisite selections off of the upscale dining menu, they’re not even thinking about all of the faceless people behind the scenes washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms making sure and worrying that they are paid well.

It is possible to value something, to value someone, without always having to put a price tag on it.
 

And the reason I’m lumping drink packages and specialty dining packages in a single statement is because those two are most likely the biggest packages people buy, especially when they comment specifically on how much they tip extra for each drink and how much they tip extra for each meal at specialty restaurants. It’s those 20% already added gratuities turning into 40% that I bring up. People can and do drink and buy specialty dining packages at the same time on the same cruise. 
 

Nonetheless, thank you for understanding that if I do nothing extra, which in reality doing anything extra is totally unnecessary, that my experience should be just as good without the extra expense. And that’s the way it should be. 
 

😎

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

First of all, it's OSC, not DSC!

 

You continue to miss the point.

NOBODY here knows precisely where the OSC goes but, obviously, it has a much wider purpose than just additional wages to the people you interact with. So, some people or something is being shortchanged if the OSC is removed.

The people behind the scenes are, at least as important as the people you interact with in making your vacation the best it can be. 

Believe me, I understand that the OSC is a lot of $$.

I'm sailing for 10 days in April and my OSC is $600.

The reason it doesn't bother me is that I don't grind on all the individual costs and fees. I look at the all in cost and determine value compared to other options. For me, all in, NCL gives me and my family the most value for the $$$.

If I were to remove the OSC, I'd be hard pressed to hand out that much in tips to servers, bartenders or cabin stewards, so I would absolutely "save a few bucks". 

So, that would lead many on here to believe that the people that remove their OSC are a little "cheap" and inconsiderate of all the behind the scenes crew that work so hard for us. And, I'm guessing, those same people don't do a lot of tipping throughout their sailing.

I have never and would never remove the OSC and I choose to do some tipping over and above because it makes us happy to do it and there are some perceived perks.

But, I totally understand those that don't do anything extra. It's totally unnecessary and, in theory, your experience should be just as good without the extra expense.

52 Days till Getaway!!

 

From months of recent tipping threads DSC appears to be the most frequently used, even if OSC and DSC are not interchange terms. From what I’ve read the OSC is billed daily, so it may be why Daily Service Charge is the most used?
 

And, with all due respect, what is of value to you and your family may not be of value to everyone else. Or to someone traveling solo. I think that is the point which continues to be missed. Everyone keeps bundling passengers as if we are all the same - with the same needs, the same wants, the same expectations, and the same  everything. 

As I had mentioned in another post for my specific case I did do a detailed breakdown of the DSC/OSC, and what CC members suggested adding on top of that as additional tips to bar staff, restaurant staff, and my room steward. That’s when the $500 DSC/OSC turned into $1000 just for tips…for a single person, traveling solo, in an Inside Solo stateroom. 

And I too actually do a detailed breakdown of cruises, what the total costs offers and includes, and then decide from there based on what’s important to me. I too look at the all-in costs. And if NCL tells me:

1) “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”, and that guest should not feel obligated (guilted) into tipping extra, I’ll take them for their word. 

2) And if there is a 20% gratuity already added for all beverage purchases, and a 20% gratuity already added to specialty restaurant dining…

3) …that 20% doesn’t need to turn into 40%. And that’s my right.

I completely understand there are probably hundreds of behind the scenes workers in all of the bars and restaurants, cleaners, and non-contracted staff that work hard for us, especially on a long cruise. And that’s what the OSC/DSC is supposed to cover (?), along with ALL the already added 20% gratuities. If extra tipping makes you and your family happy that’s great. But I shouldn’t be criticized unfairly if I don’t want to, peer-pressure guilted to do so, or held accountable to make up their wages. 

😎

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

If you think that is too much, then take shorter cruises.

I didn’t say that, you did. Quit putting words in people’s mouth. I’m merely countering your broad, sweeping claim with the FACT that a “few bucks” isn’t $500 or $1000. And not everyone stays in The Haven and showers their Butlers and Concierge with hundreds of dollars. A lot of people book inside cabins, budget, can still afford to cruise, all the while not seeing the need to tip everyone that’s already been tipped, or who smiles at them or remembers their name. 
 

You have absolutely zero idea why people remove the DSC, but it’s easier for people on here to throw out the claim that those people are just being ‘cheap’ or are wanting to ‘save a few bucks’. You have zero idea what people do after they have removed the DSC, and if they have decided to tip their restaurant servers individually, tip their room steward handsomely, or tip the people that they want to tip. Sure this may still go back into a tipping pool, but to falsely accuse passengers of being cheap simply to make yourself feel better is beyond laughable.

6 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I wonder if I could tip the grill guy to get me a burger that isn't over-cooked to the point of being nearly inedible?  

Sounds like you’ve been on Princess Cruises too, I’ve read that the burgers in the Salty Dog are virtual hockey pucks! We really need a Guy Fiero’s burger joint, but I’m not cruising Carnival just to get one, sorry. 🤣 😉

6 hours ago, icft said:

Just as a point of information and not contention, I think your concern with tips going to "everyone" is a bit misplaced...

 
Very well thought out and very well written! THANK YOU!!! 👍 👍 👍

😁

2 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

They do offer a Starbucks package for $12.95 a day. For a cruise with a lot of sea days I figured it would be worth it so I booked it for my next two cruises. I am going to keep track of how much I really drink and see if it's worth it.

I looked at adding the Starbucks Package this evening, and at nearly $390 it’s better for me if I just pay as I go along - I might get one specialty coffee every other day - and that’s a much better option. I did find a Starbucks menu posted by @BirdTravels on another thread…

17 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Is that the old Sun Princess or the old old Sun Princess? We have sat on the (recently retired) Sun Princess one too. Not very comfy.

That would have been the (1995) Sun Princess. I sailed on her and sister Dawn Princess several times in the Caribbean and Alaska. They were GREAT ships, lots of great memories too. And I’ve got these really really wonderful cutaway posters that I was able to snag back in those days when I was a travel agent…😁

😁

7 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I suspect that they hold a stash of spare life jackets.

Indeed, exactly what they were used for on the old Sun Princess as well. 😁

3 hours ago, arxcards said:

Drum roll, the deck chairs confirmed, of which most already had mentioned. Prom deck, port side:

 

 

if you get there early and lay along it, you can be 100% reclined and in need of a chiropractor in the next port 😉

 

YAY!!! Great pictures 👍 of the deck chairs, THANK YOU! And that bench sort of reminds me of something I remember seeing on the old Sun Princess many years ago, it wasn’t comfortable then either. 🤣
 

 😁

Just dawned upon me 😳 that (if I am reading this correctly) it DOES NOT include specialty coffees? Was price comparing NCL packages with those of Princess Cruises (which does include specialty coffees). Does Norwegian Jade have a coffee bar other than in the atrium where i can get specialty coffees? 😁 

14 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

We do the same and the priority service makes me think that not so many people do this.  People can be four deep at the bar but the bartender will give us a smile and a nod and start making what we usually ask for. 

Does this work at the burger grill too, because I’m all in if it does. 🤣 (adds the grill guys to my tip list). 😉

1 hour ago, Greenpea2 said:

My only advice is to tip them, unless they have been pretty much absent and done just the minimum, and/or have not in any way seemed helpful or friendly.

 

You do you.

😁

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Won't happen.  Too many just looking for a way to opt out and save a few dollars.  This whole argument to cancel the DSC and tip those i want is just an excuse to save a few bucks.

Personally I would never cancel the Daily Service Charge, albeit it’s still sitting in my NCL basket of online goodies along with a 7-meal SDP, Premium Plus photo package, and 🍪 2 dozen cookies. 🥰 And before anyone gets upset about the cookies, that’s $59 including the 20% gratuity and specialty service charge that somebody is getting. A drop in the bucket compared to the DSC and all of the fun CC member ‘recommended’ 😉 extra tipping that I could do on a 25-night cruise.  

And I’m not sure I’d call several hundred dollars “a few bucks”. I did do some quick math earlier that if I hypothetically ever decided to turn my $500 DCS into direct tips to only my room ‘Stewart’ and only to the non-specialty dining waitstaff that actually served me (based on some of the generalized monetary contributions my fellow CC members used), I’d save absolutely nothing. I also wouldn’t be padding everyone’s income. 
 

Based on that, it would cost me nearly double to have both the DSC as well as tip on top of that. 
 

😁

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

Enjoy your 25 days of sailing ( while i envy you the days), i think my wife and i would be ready to slit each other throats if we were confined together for that long  LOL.

 

Bon Voyage!

That’s the BEST part about traveling solo - I’m my own best company and everything is a unanimous decision. 😉 Note to self: remember to download a book or two onto the iPad for those 9 glorious sea days. 🌎

✌️

17 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Our only sea day today, and there is the usual Alfredo’s pop-up in Sabatini's. There is nothing new about it, except the cover charge for anyone without a package. On a shorty, I doubt we will see Salty Dog, but will see if I can get hold of a menu.

THANK YOU! For the past few weeks I’ve been following Coral Princess on Marine Traffic, she sure cut it close to land on your sail-away. Those short cruises look fantastic! Wish we had similar coastal cruises here that didn’t require going to a distant foreign port. 
 

Screen shot of QM2 in Sydney today 

https://webcamsydney.com

https://www.earthtv.com/en/webcam/sydney-opera-house/weather-clip

On 2/13/2024 at 6:58 PM, arxcards said:

Alfredos on each sea day lunch in Sabbatinis.

Salty Dog in an area of the buffet, not sure of frequency or hours. Will be back aboard on 26th. Will check on deck chairs then if you don't get an answer sooner.

 

Your unlimited is somewhat limited.

Looking forward to any new updates on the Specialty Dining pop-ups and promenade deck chairs (oooh, pictures too please! 😁). If you’re -also able to take some pictures of the current menus from Alfredo’s and Salty Dog it would be greatly appreciated! I’m guessing that the menus really don’t change much between her Down Under deployments to that of the Panama Canal season. Have a great cruise!!!

39 minutes ago, complawyer said:

dmwnc1959.

 

sorry buddy, im to old to get distressed over something as minor as exchanging of posts on  this sight,

with others who disagree. i kind of chuckle that  you seem so self-righteous about your position

 

i was just commenting, that it appeared to me that your posts seemed to be overly hostile, and unnecessarily  so  i also apologized if i misinterpreted.

 

some people tip, others choose not to do so. you have made your position abundantly clear.

 

OK, dont tip. I get your point!  With a few 1000 of your closest friends on board with  you, I'm positive not one of them will care that you dont tip.. one of my favorite quotes goes as follows " the likelihood of someone being right, increases in direct proportion to the intensity with which someone is trying to prove them wrong.  

if the shoe fits .. et al!

Me, self-righteous? 😇 If you knew me like my friends know me they’d laugh so hard at that label until beer poured out of their nostrils. 🍺🤣

But, as someone mentioned earlier on in this thread, there is no right or wrong when it comes to extra tipping (above and beyond what the Daily Service Charge and all of the mandatory added gratuities to packages already cover), there are just opinions. Strong as they may be. And those opinions as well as our real-world practices are as different as we (collectively, the members of Cruise Critic) are. Our cultures, behaviors, upbringing, social backgrounds, jobs, and all of the various factors that impact our daily lives play a part in how, and with whom, we spend our money. 
 

It’s been refreshing and stimulating reading all of these posts, and it’s time to get back to my planning for this grand adventure. I’ve got the maps, spreadsheets, screen-grabs, check-off lists, and cruise calendar over on the computer table and hanging on the walls. Even watched Norwegian Jade leaving out of Tampa yesterday on the Live Cams to determine cruising time between the dock and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (its two hours). 😉

And to end with one of my favorite quotes…

”Live Long and Prosper” 🖖

23 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Let's put it this way. If some of these workers did not get a piece of the DSC, NCL probably would have to pay them higher salaries to attract staff. To pay these additional wages, they would raise the cruise fare.

I believe the fare plus the DSC & other mandated fees or gratuities (yes, for optional buys) are part of the package delivered to you for your total payment. View it as reasonable - or not and don't buy in.

Ask yourself if the value is there or not and act in your own best interests.

If NCL decides to raise the DSC instead of the cruise fare, what's the diff (other than you could drop the DSC - I'll assume most passengers will not). Adding fees is also a marketing ploy, so that they can advertise a lower cruise price.

If the cruise lines want to raise cruise prices or the DSC to increase crew wages that’s their call, and that’s fine by me, but they are still walking a very fine line (despite reported record bookings) post-COVID shutdown to drive customers away.
 

Cruise lines have always touted that cruises are the best value for the money. I’m not going to dispute that, since the appearance of an ‘all-in-one-package’ can be deceptively convenient. And at this point in time I’m more than fine with only pre-paying the DSC. No more. That’s what NCL has said is fine with them too. 
 

If I wasn’t before already, and thanks to a lot of posts here, I am firmly on the viewpoint - misguided or not - that my:

1) prepaid Daily Service Charges (in addition to my steward is apparently also used for all of the ‘behind the scenes staff’); 

2) along with the 20% gratuities already added for the bar staff on the drinks package;

3) plus the 20% gratuities already added on my Specialty Dining Package for that waitstaff;

4) PLUS that of 2000+ other people (some who are just throwing out gobs of cash left and right) on one cruise is IMHO more than enough.

That may change later when I’m two weeks into a 25-night cruise, but I’ll make that decision only then. 
 

There will be more sailings on that ship after I disembark, and a LOT more passengers coming week, after week, after week paying into their ‘added monthly salary pots’ for their employment contracts long after I’m gone. I’m quite sure that these folks are wonderful, and that they’ll make my cruise memorable, exciting, and amazing, but they do that week-in and week-out for everyone. And that’s their job. 😎

12 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

No, it is  a pre-paid gratuity.

Another one? I thought I was doing that with the pre-paid DSC? 🤨

🤨