graphicguy

They never add in the free room and board crew receives. That alone would easily double their salary. Plus, I remember a statement some time ago, that depending on where the crew’s home is located, they don’t pay taxes, either. I know people who LOVE DCL. I know others, like yourself, who state their fares have made them look elsewhere to spend their cruise dollars.

Oh…I had worked in the service industry in my youth. My tenure with those who treated me poorly was very brief. Given the amount of crew who are on multiple contracts with NCL, I can only surmise they like working for them. Me too. If I tip a bartender or waitstaff, I prefer they keep the entire tip. That said, I also know that without bar backs, relief help, etc, they would not be able to offer the good service I’m tipping them for.

Great point. Always able to get in right before the show starts (don’t go AFTER the show starts….you won’t be able to see to find a seat, plus it’s rude). There really isn’t a bad seat in the theater!

Yeah….I usually check my portfolio every night I’m on board. So, with or without receipts, what I’ve spent is fresh in my memory. The bartender who did not give me the receipt to sign, didn’t do it on purpose. He was slammed and trying to take care of a bar full of people (and doing a great job). I wasn’t hanging at the bar. I’m sure he would have printed out a new receipt if I had asked. Nothing nefarious by the bartender or NCL.

Have had the same happen to me..ordered an unincluded drink. No receipt offered so nothing to sign.

I think it’s more the fact that a bottle of something like Buffalo Trace is tougher to get. I don’t know who their distributor is, but some of those brands are hard to find. I live a couple hours from the Buffalo Trace distillery and I can’t find it. The distributors could be raising prices on certain brands because of lack of availability.

That invoice has weird charges like $30.48? As you say, you ordered a bottle of wine, but that's only one time, correct? There's some sort of glitch in their system that caused this. Since you were in the Haven, have you tried calling the Haven Concierge Land Line? Not sure if they can help, but worth a shot. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I always check my bill with the Concierge at least 2X during the cruise, and definitely the day before disembarkation.

Yep. If the tie dye shirt has a collar and is in good condition and the jeans are clean and not tattered. Love that about NCL!

Just to reiterate what others have said, it's sort of a phantom perk. I was instructed to go to the Cruise Next desk for all "concierge" requests. But, once I did that, they only gave me a "Sapphire" pin and instructed me to go to the Box Office and Specialty Restaurant Desk for those reservations, respectively. Was I given priority with my reservations? I don't know. Didn't seem to matter. But, I was given priority embarkation. But, that has nothing to do with the "concierge". On the flip side, the Diamond Lounge concierge on Royal was a huge help in making arrangements, taking care of billing issues, etc.

Pretty cut and dry. Still fascinates me why some just don’t look this up with NCL directly. Personal experience, which is echoed by others in this thread, I tip $1/drink to my favorite bartenders throughout the ship. It’s none of my business, but my favorite bartender on the last Breakaway cruise was outside Syd Norman’s. He put the tips in his pocket. But, If he was busy, and required a bar back or extra bartender, I noticed he put the tip in a jar behind the bar. He said he split those tips with those who were helping him. DSC goes to housekeeping, food venues, etc. I still tip extra to my room steward as s/he busts their tale for me. Same with food venues. I tip extra at the end of the cruise to MDR waitstaff and give a little extra to SD wait staff whenever I dine there. Some like to know how much. So, here goes….(based on 7 day cruise) -Room steward….$50/week pp. In other words, solo is $50. Couple is $100. Kids add from there, depending on how many in the cabin -MDR wait staff…$20pp/per week -SD….$10-$20 per meal depending on how many courses/drinks We/I have during the meal (in addition to the 20%, which to me is the minimum I tip in nice restaurants on land). -Bartenders on the ship….$1/drink. $2/drink if it’s a “concoction” that takes a while (thinking the “smoky” drinks I order in the Haven Bar). -Concierges (HAVEN)… $50/pp -Butler (HAVEN)…if I use them (which is rare) $25/pp What those folks do with their tips/DSC is really none of my business. Hope that helps.

You’re probably correct. I’m making my way to the nearest bar while the Plebes are still at the gate. j/k!

sorry…thought you were in the Haven! Irritating to stand in line to take care of an issue that is their fault!

COOL! That's exactly how I climbed that ladder....booking cruises that offered 2X, sometimes 3X points. I did that with Celebrity, during the restart. They were offering multiple points for cruises. Hit Elite with them with only 4 cruises by doing that. In turn, that made me Diamond on Royal. And, with MSC, did a status match (their program to match elite statuses with other cruise lines) to their highest Diamond Level. Yet, I've only sailed with them 2X.

Again, I would have turned that over to the Concierge and let them deal with it. Clearly an error, and something the Haven Concierges are there to rectify. Their billing is so convoluted on cruise ships, I almost expect there to be errors whenever I cruise, unfortunately.

They’ll call the different priorities for boarding. As an example they’ll call for Haven Guests to board. If a “non-Haven” card holder tries to board at the same time, they will be told to wait. Same goes for Platinum. The key card will show whether or not you’re Platinum (and they check the key cards during boarding). Not sure about this, but I think Latitudes levels are assigned AFTER the qualifying cruise has been taken. So, if it’s a first time NCL cruiser, they will become Bronze AFTER their first cruise is completed. They will board with their assigned group after Latitudes Guests (starting with Group #1).

BTW….my favorite show on the ship (they were all very good) was the band in Syd Norman’s. And yes, you have to get there early (like an hour early) to get a seat.

So, the priority boarding goes, in order… 1. Haven 2. Mobility impaired 3. Ambassador 4. (I think) Diamond, Sapphire and Platinum 5. Gold, Bronze, Silver 6. General Boarding starting with the assigned #1 (assigned at check in) Not sure what you mean by getting Platinum Benefits. They are granted. You have to use them (like showing up for the Latitudes Cocktail Party). Some, like the Specialty Dinners will have a coupon you can use that should be in your cabin. You have to give the restaurant the coupon when you arrive to dine. Same goes for Laundry. There will be a coupon in your cabin you can use to get that perk. Is it realistic to get the perks? Yeah…absolutely. Some, like behind the scenes tours, “Wines around the World”, etc aren’t available yet since the COVID restart. But, most perks are available.

Gary…thanks so much for this. Great review, as always.

Like all cruising…”it depends”. I’ve seen less Latitudes members on Spring Break cruises as the higher level Latitudes people know to stay away from those. Same goes for shorter length cruises. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cruise with 50% upper level Latitudes. But, the only way you’ll know is to ask one of the officers on the sailing or the “Cruise Next” Desk. I’m Sapphire and get priority boarding (after Haven, Ambassadors and Mobility impaired). I also get 2 Specialty Dining, some free laundry, and some other minor things I don’t recall.

Something’s not right. Haven Restaurant doesn’t even have prices posted. 20% of zero is zero. Unless you had drinks/wines not included in FAS while in the Haven Restaurant/Bar. The Concierge should have been able to resolve it, though!

As we've already established, our tastes are the same. I agree with you fully. Eden is such a special area on the Edge ships, it is my favorite. Beautiful large window views. Great restaurants, including the Cafe around the back of the bar (go to for breakfast). Excellent entertainment while having cocktails at the bar.

Yeah...that's an error on the bartender's part. I don't think they have a specific key in for Buffalo Trace, but it isn't, nor or Bulliet and upcharge. I do think NCL is revamping their drink packages, and there is some confusion on the front lines what is and isn't extra charge.

Aside from arguing semantics, I wonder if there's a business model where a "no frills" cruise line could exist? Almost like some of the airlines like Spirit and Frontier offer? Seems like a few here are asking exactly for that. You would pay a low fare that gets you on the ship and sailing. But, everything is extra. It would be like a hotel. Drinks would be extra (charged by the drink). Food is extra. You want to go to a show on board you'd pay an admission fee. Handling your luggage would be extra. The cabins would be basic...only interior rooms. You want cabins on a better part of the ship, you have to pay extra. Tips of course would be extra. If you wanted room service, you'd tip. If you got a drink at one of the bars, you'd tip. There would be a charge for the buffet. You'd tip those who would bring you a drink or clears your table. There would be another charge for dining in the MDR and you'd have to leave a tip for your servers. You'd tip your room steward. It sounds like some of the folks here want that sort of experience. Maybe there's a business model there. Wouldn't be for me, but a couple of people in here might like it. Don't like the name of the service fees or tips? Go totally a la carte for everything. You don't want to pay a service fee or tip? You don't get the service that would be provided to those who did pay the service fee.

The Celebrity Edge is probably my favorite cruise ship. It's just wonderful. Couldn't agree more about EDEN. Ate there 3 times (over two EDGE cruises). Loved it each time. Plus, listening to the entertainment in the EDEN Bar was a treat I always looked forward to every night. Probably have a soft spot for the EDGE as it was the first cruise I took after the restart. Capt Kate was very visible throughout the trip and interface at length with the guests. She is a delight . I look forward to my next EDGE cruise, although I don't know when that will be. Celebrity was offering GREAT deals for a while. I suspected they would not be able to sustain those prices. It appears they are racing them, as I expected.

Ship Security scanning luggage..."Madam/Sir, we have to inspect your luggage. It appears you're have what looks like Flamingo in one of the bags?" "It's my floaty". "Please come with us to the 'naughty room' for further inspection" LOL!