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Pre pay gratuities norwegian cruise line?

Moore2917

By Moore2917,
in First Time Cruisers

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ScottC4746

ScottC4746

Posted
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Hi,

I'm new to cruising and have been told not to pre pay gratuities? If I don't prepay what is the usual way of tipping, would this be following each meal served or just at the end of the cruise via envelopes ect? Sorry I just don't know what is best? Also with regards to the tours my children are 15,16 and 7 would it be better to book a taxi from the port and have free time in each area? We are cruising into Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes and marseille?

Thanks so much any advice would be apprecited

Lisa Moore

 

My very trusted TA advised me to wait until during you cruise and order them. Otherwise the cruise line holds that money and no interest earned. The only downside would be if they decide to increase the tip amounts before you pay on board.

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spookwife

spookwife

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Do people that prepay the tips, also pay in full when they book a cruise? I assume that would be easier too.

 

you only have to pay in full when you book a certain number of days before the cruise starts. otherwise you just put a deposit down and can pay as you go a little bit at a time or pay it off in one lump sum at Final payment due date.

 

one of the other comments asked about 'how to pre pay' if it is not part of the listed costs.

 

very easy. you can choose to add them at any point during the waiting period before Final payment is due. same with pre ordering things like specialty dining( most lines make you prepay for those up front as well) and any extra like a drinks package, or a gift/goodie to be in the cabin like bubbly or cupcakes or even flowers.

 

you can either do it online on the website or you can call directly/through your TA to add them.

 

we are ones who pre pay everything we intend to get.. gratuities, specialty dining, drinks packages, etc. like others, we consider this part for the bottom line cost of the cruise so want as much as possible paid off up front. Maybe because we seldom get any OBC worth anything, I dunno. otherwise I would wait until on board to pay for a few things. that way our on board bill is often close to zero.

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NMLady

NMLady

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My very trusted TA advised me to wait until during you cruise and order them. Otherwise the cruise line holds that money and no interest earned. The only downside would be if they decide to increase the tip amounts before you pay on board.

 

What are you ordering???

 

What kind of interest do you get that you are concerned about not getting interest? Prepaid gratuities are paid with final payment 90 days before cruise.

At the most you are losing 4 months interest (90 days plus another month's billing period). Our prepaid gratuities for 2 people for a 14 day cruise are roughly $400 which means we lose about $1 in interest at 1% per annum and very few savings accounts pay that much.

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NMLady

NMLady

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Do people that prepay the tips, also pay in full when they book a cruise? I assume that would be easier too.

 

We prepay tips at usual final payment time. That is when we pay in full, at the scheduled final payment time, usually 90 days before our cruise.

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Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

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Do people that prepay the tips, also pay in full when they book a cruise? I assume that would be easier too.

 

 

I don't know if there's a correlation between prepaying tips and paying in full when booking. Both are simply a matter of personal preference. I've paid in full at time of booking and I've also waited until final payment date. Anymore the amount of interest you can earn from a savings account doesn't amount to much, so it doesn't make a lot of difference. Though some people are downright militant about not wanting the cruise line to have a penny more of their money a second earlier than necessary. :p I usually prepay my gratuities because I like to get it out of the way and not see it on my account.

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Host Walt

Host Walt

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Keep in mind that some lines will let you pay your gratuities using on-board credits you may have. If you prepay your tips and you don't use all of your OBC, you might lose the unspent amount.

 

What we always do is tell the cruise check-in people that we want the gratuities to be charged to our shipboard account.

 

It's always best to check the policies for your cruise line before committing to prepaying tips.

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scapel

scapel

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Posted (edited)
Do people that prepay the tips, also pay in full when they book a cruise? I assume that would be easier too.

 

When I book a cruise I only pay a down payment. I buy the medical trip cancellation insurance at that time since I understand that if you do that rather than buying at time of rest of cruise payment it covers pre-existing conditions. I have never paid entire amount when booking unless it is the day when final payment is due. I always try to pay gratuities from on board credits or pre-pay when paying final deposit. I have never ended up with money left over in ONB account. Always find ways to spend it.

Edited by scapel
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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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My very trusted TA advised me to wait until during you cruise and order them. Otherwise the cruise line holds that money and no interest earned. The only downside would be if they decide to increase the tip amounts before you pay on board.

 

Your TA is worried about lost interest? Remind you TA that you have to pay tax on that extra 6¢. See what your TA has to say about that.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

Posted
Posted
Hi,

I'm new to cruising and have been told not to pre pay gratuities? If I don't prepay what is the usual way of tipping, would this be following each meal served or just at the end of the cruise via envelopes ect? Sorry I just don't know what is best? Also with regards to the tours my children are 15,16 and 7 would it be better to book a taxi from the port and have free time in each area? We are cruising into Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes and marseille?

Thanks so much any advice would be apprecited

Lisa Moore

 

It is your cruise, you do as you wish. We prefer to pre pay our tips as it is easier to budget for on board expenses and you do not get the large bill at the end of the cruise. :D

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scapel

scapel

Posted
Posted (edited)
Do people that prepay the tips, also pay in full when they book a cruise? I assume that would be easier too.

 

I usually book a cruise quite a long time ahead of time of departure so I can get the cabin I like. I put up a deposit, but do not pay in full until final payment date. I buy the insurance when I make the deposit, but only make final payment on the due date. I pre-pay the gratuities since it is too much trouble to figure out who is owed what in tips. The cabin steward and the dining room waiters are the primary, but there may be an assistant cabin steward. Sometimes there is a butler, a cabin attendant and an assistant cabin attendant and then an assistant waiter in the dining room. Too many people to keep up with. If you feel at the end that you did not get up to par service you can ask guest relations to credit one of those if you have a problem. I will usually spend all my ONB credits so no need to use them for tips.

Edited by scapel
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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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I usually book a cruise quite a long time ahead of time of departure so I can get the cabin I like. I put up a deposit, but do not pay in full until final payment date. I buy the insurance when I make the deposit, but only make final payment on the due date. I pre-pay the gratuities since it is too much trouble to figure out who is owed what in tips. The cabin steward and the dining room waiters are the primary, but there may be an assistant cabin steward. Sometimes there is a butler, a cabin attendant and an assistant cabin attendant and then an assistant waiter in the dining room. Too many people to keep up with. If you feel at the end that you did not get up to par service you can ask guest relations to credit one of those if you have a problem. I will usually spend all my ONB credits so no need to use them for tips.

 

The butler is not included in the daily service charge.

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Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

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I don't know that I've ever seen an official statement from NCL as to why the DSC is higher for suites, but I've often seen people say it's at least in part due to the size of the rooms. The butler is not included--NCL's site specifically calls that out.

 

If I'm interpreting scapel's post correctly, a clarification: you cannot reduce your DSC on board at Guest Services if you booked in the U.S. You have to get a form and send it in after the cruise. I don't have experience with that, but have read the refunds take several weeks.

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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Really, why then do suites and such that have butlers have the higher gratuities than the regular cabins?

 

From NCL FAQs ...

 

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 18% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 18% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

 

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#tipping

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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Okay, I presumed that like other lines like Celebrity, that it would include the butler as well.:o

 

For suite prices, it should!! :eek:

Save

 

I believe that you will find that NCL does a lot of things differently than the other lines.

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scapel

scapel

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Posted
I believe you'll find Cheers is on Carnival. :)

 

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 18% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 18% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

Thanks for the information.

I think Mic was just using the term "Cheers" as some Aussies use to say goodbye in a nice way. I hope "cheers" is on all ships.

There are other cruise lines that have the above recommendations.

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