skudy

Oh man, first world problem.

thanks for all the posts. It sounds like I should keep my expectations low. I will, but I'll also hope for the best.

We held 10" turtles in March...

/quote]

Perfect. We will be there in March and add this to our list of ideas we may check out.

 

What did you think of it in March?

That's great to know. My 14 year old daughter wants to joint the 15+ group when we go in March. She'll be 3 months shy of 15. Fingers crossed.

I'm also going to St. Maarten and St. Kitts in March. We will have to see how things are in 6 months. Fingers crossed for a safe and speedy recovery to all the residents down there.

Great info. Thank you all very much!

Would the rules be different for Canadian residents (or anyone booking through a Canadian IP address)? In other words, maybe there is some Canadian law that doesn't allow cruise lines to force customers to pay a mandatory gratuities?

 

I can't fathom a company allowing somebody to make a purchase only to reveal (after paying) that there are additional mandatory charges. However, this seems to be the case on the Canadian site as there is absolutely no mention of service charges on their Canadian site or throughout the entire booking process.

I want to clarify that I have no problem paying the service charge. However, as consumer, I want to go into my purchase knowing all of the terms and conditions that bind me to the contract I am about to enter into with NCL when I book my cruise - which of course includes knowledge of service charges and fees. Hence this thread and my quest for clarification.

 

The link provided above does not work for me. It redirects me to https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/faq%2523service-charge which does not contain any information about service charges.

 

Am I correct then in assuming that since there is no mention of a service charge on their site or during the booking process, that I'm under no obligation to pay the service charge? Of course, I would pay it, but I find it odd (and perhaps even illegal?) that there is no mention of it during the booking process or on their website.

Thank you for the replies so far.

 

Can somebody provide a link to this information? I can't find it. I have tried 2 different browsers and 2 different devices.

 

For example, when I search NCL.com for service charges, it shows a link to this page https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/faq#service-charge but the page comes up completely blank for me other than the navigation menus. Again, I'm viewing from Canada, so i get redirected to /ca/en.

 

In addition, isn't it odd that I can go through the entire booking process up to the point of paying for my cruise and there is not a single mention of service charges or gratuities? I've even read the fine print.

Hi. I'm about to book an NCL cruise. I am booking 2 rooms for my family of 5. I understand there is a service charge or gratuity fee of around $14USD per person per day.

 

However, I can't find any official information about this on NCL's website. All information on service charges seems to be removed from NCL's website.

 

In fact, I went through the entire booking process up to the point of entering my credit card, and there was not a single mention of service charge, gratuities or tipping. This seems odd that there wouldn't be any mention of quite a significant fee at the time of booking (perhaps even illegal???).

Does anyone know what's going on here? For what it's worth, I'm in Canada. Not sure if others in other countries get the same results as me.

When are you going to be in Seattle? You can book something now, but make sure its refundable, and then you can cancel if a better deal comes along.

 

Yes, Pike Place is in downtown, but its on a hill.

[quote name='hpecorari']And your children are getting a discount (reduced fee) cruising as well.....as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th passengers they are not paying full price like you and your husband are.

Harriet[/QUOTE]

Indeed. How else could we afford the upgrade to the Owner's Suite? :eek: I'm kidding of course. Just trying to break up the surly mood with a bit of humor, which this thread needs.

It's not just you... There are numerous people in this thread and on this forum that CHOOSE to adjust their DSC, and encourage others to do the same, when they know full well that it is taking money away from people who have very little say in the money that they receive.

 

If you asked in earnest and have capitulated on shorting those that are serving you on vacation, then good for you and I apologize for any comments I may have made that offended you. As for those that routinely short-change by cutting their DSC, I offer no such apologies.

 

Thanks Spark! I do intend to pay the full amount. Just thought that maybe kids paid like half price or something, and that maybe I could direct where my tip went to. In all likelihood, I will give the kids club staff a tip above and beyond the service charge.

Thanks to all you who were able to clarify this for me. I now understand the difference between a service fee and a tip.

 

As for those who expressed sentiment about me being "cheap" and challenging me on why kids should get a break... Like SoringFalcon and others...

 

So while yes, your kids are small, they still take the same amount of support and their sheets still need washed, their plates still need cleaned etc.

 

As you probably know, our society generally makes concessions for kids (and seniors and military and...). In fact, its the norm and not the exception.

 

As an example, I took my kids to see a movie last night:

- Their bums occupied a full seat, yet they paid a reduced price.

- On the way their, we took the bus. They paid a reduced fare.

- We had dinner out. They ordered off the kids menu. Their $5.99 burger cost me $10.99 for the same burger... yes I measured. Mine didn't come with a free drink and ice cream either.

 

Some of you actually tried to make me feel cheap and ashamed me for asking this question. Please spare me the "how dare you ask" attitude. This is not an unreasonable question to ask! In fact, the very purpose of this forum is to ask questions, help fellow travellers, and share advice. Not to make people feel like dirt for asking a question. This is, after all, the "community" section of the site. My definition of community includes respect and courtesy.

 

I do appreciate the earnest answers from those genuinely trying to help answer my question.

I checked Priceline. There are 2 ways to do things. One is to bid.. which you have done with no luck. The other is where they show you hotels and a price.

 

Hotwire works a little different. You don't bid. They tell you an area (such as LAX or San Pedro). After you pick it they show you hotels without the names. They list the price.

 

Priceline offers a service pretty much identical to Hotwire now, its called "Express Deals". So if you're going to give Hotwire a try, might as well use Express Deals too. I am looking at a Vancouver hotel right now and its about $10 cheaper on Express Deals, and I'm pretty sure its the same hotel based on the lists at HotelDealsRevealed.com.

 

I generally don't use either site unless I'm saving 20% or so. Not worth the risk of not knowing what hotel and not being able to cancel, etc.

We are looking at possibly doing a cruise from San Francisco, USA to Auckland, New Zealand on Cunard.

 

I have never been to San Francisco before, and I was wondering what is the weather like normally in San Francisco in February??? :confused:

 

I guess going by what I have seen on TV, its going to be cool to cold there??.

 

San Francisco can be mixed. In SF City (proper) it us usally a bit chilly. A medium to light jacket required. Go south an hour and you could be needing sunscreen. The hills in Marin are usually windy.

What is the protocol for tipping for kids? I will be with 3 youngsters plus my spouse. We really don't want to tip $60 per day, and I would really like some of that money to go to the kids club staff.

I also just looked on Hotwire and it had a 5 star hotel with an 85% rating approval for $209.00 a night. It went on to state that the last person that booked this particular hotel got the "Pan Pacific". Now if I could get the hotel at that rate, I would definitely "Book it". Can you confirm that this hotel is - - walking distance to Stanley Park. What other sights might we take in during our stay here?

 

The Pan Pacific is definitely one of my favorite hotels in Vancouver, but its not the best. I would, however, recommend using Hotwire or Priceline to book. You can get an idea of what hotel you will get here: http://hoteldealsrevealed.com/hotelinventory/hotwire/bc/vancouver

I think any of the hotels in the downtown west zone are fine that are 4 stars or better.

 

Be careful. Vancouver has some very scuzzy areas of town that turn very bad very quickly. You'll know when you made a wrong turn. The Pacific Central train station area is pretty bad. If you're referring to the CP station in the heart of downtown, this is a pretty good location.

 

Congratulations on the retirement. May is a beautiful time of year, but bring a rain jacket.

I absolutely live the low depth of field with the lights in the background. Very well done.

I love low depth of field. The lights in the background are gorgeous. Very well done.

The Victoria Clipper is the ferry you need (here's the link). On the day your cruise arrives in Seattle, there are three ferries leaving for Victoria. We've taken the Clipper, and it's a beautiful trip. That way you won't have to miss out on the last night of your already-paid-for cruise, and you won't have to spring for another night's hotel in Victoria.

 

yes, the clipper is by far the easiest and most convenient as it goes from downtown to downtown is just around 3 hours. Your other options are:

 

flying - Horizon air is a good choice if you have Alaska Miles, but this is from SEA to YYJ which is a hassle. Kenmore Air offers direct flights from Lake Union to Inner Harbour, but very expensive.

 

ferry -- the other ferries that service Victoria are from Vancouver, Port Angeles, and the Anacortes ferry. All of these are a hassle without a car.

 

So really, unless you find a deal on Kenmore Air, the Clipper really is the way to go.

Do you know how to rebid on Priceline without having to wait 24 hours? There is a little loophole, so you can start bidding low and work your way up. This article describes Priceline rebidding.

 

I use Hotwire rates to guide my bidding. E.g. say I see a hotel I want for $100 on Hotwire, the max I will go is maybe $90 on Priceline. But I will start off much lower than that (say $60) and work my way up using the rebidding steps above.

Whichever one Priceline gives me, because its cheap. :rolleyes:

We are heading on an Alaskan cruise in late september. Has anyone done this with kids? Will they find enough things to do when we are not in port?

 

They will want to spend a lot of time by the pool but I'm going to guess that it will be much too cold. Anyone know the water temperature of the pools on this boat?

 

Thanks for the tips and advice.

Always fun to have people familiar with a particular ship chime in and educate those of of who have not sailed on her yet. My family and I are going to be aboard the Sun in 09/2014 so we have lots of time. I am assembling a tip letter for all of the people sailing and am looking for those tips and "secrets" exclusive to the Sun. Have done this with other ships and it is always fun - and most of the time very valuable information to have! Any tips anyone? ;)

 

We're on the sun Sep 22, 2014. Same cruise as you?