Pride of Aloha Questions

[Hoosierheadhunter]

My wife and I are in the final stages of planning for our July 17th sailing of the Pride of Aloha. I understand that NCL America recently eliminated the $10/person/day service charge in favor of daily tipping. I would imagine that $7/day for the cabin steward would be appropriate. Anybody with any suggestions on what would be appropriate in the dining halls for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? How about the specialty restaurants? Also, do any of you past travelers know if there is a self service laundromat on board? I think that NCL has a policy that says no alcohol can be brought on board? Is that enforced? And can you bring your own softdrinks on board?

 

Hoosierheadhunter

[sunshine 229]

because this is freestlye you won't have the same waiter all through which makes things more difficult. My suggestion would be to think about what you would expect to pay for a similar meal in a restaurant and then tip 15% ( or whatever your regular restaurant ratio would be) to the waiter that serves you at each meal.

Of course it will be a pain to do this each time and have appropriate change ready. This is one of the reasons why the fixed service charge was a good idea for a freestyle dinning experience. Too bad NCL tried to make it mandatory and then was not able to give good service on the first several weeks of this cruise.

 

I wonder if you asked NCL if they would agree to do an automatic ( but not mandatory) tip charge for you? Of course then they would have the task opf trying to figure out who served you:confused:

 

It is a bit of a quandry.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Hoosierheadhunter: I was on the Aloha last August.

 

Yes, they eliminated the $10 per day charge for cruises during 2004 on the Aloha only due to problems, but from others have posted, it has been re-instated. Or at least put on your bill automatically with you having the option of removing it like you used to be able to do on all NCL ships. I would check to see which way it is. If they offer the automatic tipping, I would take advantage of it because of the different people who serve you.

 

There is no customer laundry on board. You can send stuff out, but it will cost you.

 

As far as meals: you will find that the shore excursion times make it almost impossisble to eat in the main dining rooms for breakfast and will be going to the buffet for that meal. (no tipping there). Most lunches will be off ship due to the shore excursions. That just leaves dinner. Unless you request the same waiter every night and go to the same restaurant every night, you will have different waiters each night and therefore, it is very hard to individually tip.

 

As far as pop is concerned, it is my understanding that you can bring unopened canned or bottled pop on board. My daughter tried to bring the leftovers of her kid's meal, including a cup of pop in Maui and was told she would have to throw it away before going through security. It used to be that NCL did not allow alcohol to be brought on board, but it appears they have lessened this stipulation.

[Hoosierheadhunter]

Keystone Cruiser,

 

I read a review on this forum from a gentleman that described his trip of June 5th, 2005. It sounds like NCL America has recently eliminated the service charge. He stated:

 

"NCL used to charge a $10 per person, per day service fee (can't call them tips on the American flagged ships) but the crew wasn't getting that money as cash - it was going to other crew benefits - so they asked for it to stop. Now, you tip as you go - like in a restaurant - Nothing is added automatically to any bill (including bar bills) so be prepared to have cash on hand. We left $15 for the dinner tip figuring that would have been the minimum we'd leave for service and food that good at a restaurant."

 

I agree the $10/day would be the way to go, but it sounds like that is not an option anymore. Thanks for your comments, though. Sorry to hear there is not self serve laundromat.

 

Hoosierheadhunter (but my heart is in Pennsylvania!)

[brittany21]

We just booked a trip for Feb 26 200g and our TA told us that the 10 per day charge is still in effect.

[KeystoneCruiser]

From the NCL website:

 

What about Tipping?

SERVICE CHARGE

A fixed service charge of $10 per person, per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12, a $5 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of three. Our crew is encouraged to work together as a service team and is compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that the service charge supports. It is our earnest wish that you enjoy your Freestyle Cruise experience and that our entire crew in all areas of the ship will provide you with the standard of service for which NCL is known. Therefore, if you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any issues in a timely manner before the cruise is over.

 

Both NCL and NCL America have a structured guest satisfaction program on board designed to handle any concerns raised by our guests relating to the service or on board product quickly and efficiently. In almost all cases we are able to come up with a satisfactory solution to any issues which are raised and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise vacation. In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfaction program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone’s complete satisfaction.

 

GRATUITIES

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on NCL America or Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for service that is generally rendered to all guests.

 

However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile", and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

 

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

 

 

 

Like Brittany said, I am pretty sure that the Service Charge/Tip (don't open that can of worms....lol) is back in place on the Aloha and I know it is on all other NCL ships.

[Hoosierheadhunter]

Let's hope the website info is current. The end of cruise surcharge sure sounds like the convenient way to go and means you less cash to take with you. Thanks to all who have responded. When I return on the 26th, I'll let the forum know what we experienced with the tipping situation. We are also staying at the Waikiki Hilton for 3 days before the ship sails. According to their website, they have a 24 hour laundromat. If somebody has stayed there prior to their cruise, I would be greatful if you could confirm. Mahalo,

 

Hoosierheadhunter

[KeystoneCruiser]

Have a great cruise, Hawaii is wonderful.

[azpt]

How strict are they with bringing alcohol on board??

[SA Traveler]

We were on the 6/12 sailing and the service charge was not in effect. We tipped as we went for meals - sometimes in cash and sometimes adding it to the bar bill if we had wine. We tipped the cabin steward in cash at the end of the cruise. By the time we left our cabin on debarkation day the TV was already running the "Welcome Aboard" speech from the cruise director for those embarking on the 19th. Sounded like the same recorded speech we had on the 12th - he was saying no service charge and passengers should tip in cash. I would advise taking the cash - just to be safe.

[KeystoneCruiser]

How strict are they with bringing alcohol on board??

 

Wine is fine, but anything else will be confiscated when you board and returned to you the last night of the cruise. (they will open your luggage and take the alcohol if their x-ray machine finds it in your luggage.)