This cheerleader is just feeling...let down

[Medtech2]

Thanks for checking in with the report.

I am not a NCL cheerleader and was expecting to read about bad things. The let downs seem par for the course that could happen on any cruise.

 

A down pour that caused luggage to get wet.

Not allowed to bring cheese on board

No substitutions in the UBP

No deals on upgrades

 

IMHO this is pretty typical stuff and would have little impact on the cruise itself. The OP mentioned about NCL changes that were blogged about too much. None of these complaints have anything to do with NCL changes over the past 2 years.

 

Not trolling but was bracing for catastrophe ;)

Looking forward to the full review

Those were irritations but the letdown was mostly the attitude of the crew. Tired, stressed, not willing to do what previously would have been no problem, such as subbing a cheaper liquor, etc. Excuses but no real apology from the HD. The public dressing down of the waiters I witnessed.

 

This all stems from crew cutbacks and corporate policies....

[bjlaac]

There was a thread on the subject of the gratuities and what goes into the crew's income. It may not have been on an NCL thread. There was a poster that worked for a cruise line, not sure which one. He was very well informed about how the gratuities affect the crew income.

 

I tried to find the thread, but could not. I can't quote exactly what he said, but it was something to the effect that the crew are guaranteed a certain minimum income and that once the gratuities reach a certain level the income of the crew is increased.

 

In my opinion, paying the gratuities up front is better than what the river cruise lines do, where you have to stuff 2 or 3 envelopes at the end of the cruise.

 

I remember the thread and discussion and if memory serves me correct still too many unanswered questions about tipping and daily service charges for me. I agree that its much easier than stuffing envelopes but that makes it so much more invisible to the point its expected rather than earned by the crew.

 

I would not give it a second thought if it was just a way of collecting on the crews behalf and passing 100% to them the way it use to be when the cruise industry first started prepaid gratuities. But over the years the terminology turned from prepaid gratuities to DSC that went to the NCLs of the world. There's a reason it changed and I'm not comfortable with it.

 

Either way now I expect excellent service with no excuses because I've prepaid their tips regardless of what NCL or any other cruise line calls it.