First time cruiser on NCL, any advice on avoiding crowds when getting a drink?

[Smitheroo]

I just sailed on the Norwegian Joy and we never waited more than a few minutes to get our drinks

[CWMixer]

We’ve gladly tipped $1/drink at start of a cruise, then occasionally up to $5 based on subsequent service. We feel good doing it, the waiters and bartenders appear to appreciate it: win/win.  
Never have we had to wait >5 minutes, and most often we are asked/served before the current drinks are empty.

As an aside; our tip is folded under the key card, not laid on the bar or tray.  Sometimes the tip is pocketed, sometimes it’s put in a drawer or on the tray.  Either way, it’s none of our business, and we feel good that we’ve expressed our appreciation for the services of others in a way that makes sense to us.

[trivia addict]

1 hour ago, Smitheroo said:

I just sailed on the Norwegian Joy and we never waited more than a few minutes to get our drinks

You were probably on our cruise. We got off from the Joy yesterday (2/24)

Like you, we never waited long for a drink on this full ship. And as someone else said, if your bar looks crowded, just move a few feet down to the next one.

We also bring a roll of dollar bills with us and tip a dollar a drink. ( sometimes more if we are sitting for a long time at the bar). 
We know how hard the servers work, and feel they can use the extra money. We also during quiet times will chat with our servers.

That will often translate into better service because you are now recognized as someone they know. But again, this is not expected and you are not pressured for any extra tip.

 

[Ixtoras]

As others have said above, 15-30 minutes seems a bit of an exaggeration.  (Though I'm sure some poor soul has waited that long for a drink).  On the Escape, most of the time we got served immediately.  I don't think we ever had to wait more than 5 minutes, and that was at the atrium bar during one of the bigger events they had there. 

 

Personally, we often frequented the Mojito bar on the Escape.  It is "smaller" than the other breakaway class ships, and doesn't seem to see as much traffic as others. The bartenders there were great as well and immediately remembered what we'd had previously and asked if we'd like it again.  Lots of rum and mojito options.

 

Tobacco Road / Maltings is the whisky bar, and was also usually very quick service - and they have an outdoor extension right outside the door.  With good weather, the couches along the waterfront there also get cocktail service.  Both the indoor and outdoor cocktail staff were also very good.

 

The district brewhouse is mostly beer, but the service was always good.  Z and Signey were the bartenders we saw the most and the were both great.

 

Spice H20 and the Pool Deck bar can get busy on busy sea days, but there's also a few servers strolling around, and you won't even need to leave your lounger.  Tip, there is an upstairs and downstairs pool bar, so if one is busy, try the other.

 

And finally, small tip - if all else fails - way up on deck 18, The Vibe beach club bar actually extends out to the public sundeck on the Port side.  On our cruise it was almost always open, never busy, and there's two hot tubs up there that most people seem to forget about. 

 

That said, there's literally 10 or more bars on the ship so if one is extremely busy, its not far to the next one.

 

We do tend to bring some extra singles in order to tip when we get good service.   After a day or so of bar crawling, you'll find one that you like and settle in there.   

[JohnyMcCruiser]

I'm looking very much forward to our cruise and all these responses have put to rest my original concern!  Can't wait to try the raspberry guava mojito 🤤

[BirdTravels]

58 minutes ago, JohnyMcCruiser said:

I'm looking very much forward to our cruise and all these responses have put to rest my original concern!  Can't wait to try the raspberry guava mojito 🤤

Last minute suggestions... 

 

Sit at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar and start and the top of the Mojito menu and work your way down. At the bottom, go to the top and repeat.

 

At the district brew house, they have a very large selection of beer in bottles and cans (along with a lot of beer on tap). If you work your way through the beer selections, you could get your name up on the leader board as trying the most different beers on your cruise. Great piano music at night

 

There will be complimentary dinner shows in the Supper Club. The food is mass produced, but may be an interesting alterative to the main dining room. Make reservations at The Social (Deck 6 mid-ship) as soon as you embark. 

 

We love Pincho's Tapas Bar. We think it as some of the best food on the ship, but it does cost money or a dining credit. 

[phillygwm]

On 2/25/2023 at 10:52 AM, JohnyMcCruiser said:

Are there any tips as to where the best places are to get drinks (I love whiskey and my wife loves mixed drinks) that won't be super busy?  Will they let us get two drinks per person to avoid having to stand in line so much? 

Others have said it:  Not every bar will be busy at every moment.  If you're on the pool deck at sailaway, yeah, it's gonna be crowded.  I would dare say that there will be a "quiet" bar somewhere, at any given time.  That will vary based on time of day and what's going on in the vicinity.

 

You will be allowed two drinks per person.  As for tipping, you do you.  If you find yourself gravitating to a certain bar or two, a favorite bartender will certainly appreciate you throwing something his/her way.  But it's not mandatory and not expected.  Personally, I don't tip every time I get a drink but if I'm in one place for an extended period, I generally will.

[Erekosse]

We were on the Escape in December and frequented Cellars and Tobacco Road. We never had to wait more than a few minutes. By mid-week, the primary bartender in Cellars new our names and would have our preferred wine pouring when he saw us coming his way.

 

We did do some tipping along the way, starting with $1 or 2. We went a little higher based on good service at Cellars and Tobacco Road once we figured out that those were going to be our usual haunts for the trip.

[vswan]

Loved the district brew house, but we are beer drinkers. I generally tipped $1 or so per drink, but felt it was a great investment.  Could always get an unopened beer or two for our balcony.

 

We've been on many cruise lines. I generally tip a $1 or $2 in the casino the first day per drink and they always were there to serve me immediately when I sat down after the first day. At times I didn't have $1s and dropped a $5. Great service all around.

 

[cruiseny4life]

On 2/25/2023 at 3:28 PM, JohnyMcCruiser said:

One more question, but how do you tip?  Is there a line item where you can add tip and sign your name or do I need to start saving enough 1 dollar bills to make my wife raise an eyebrow?

One thing I haven't noticed mention is adding a tip to the receipt. This is possible, but I caution you against it. Here's why:

 

On our September cruise, I spoke with two bartenders (who shall remain nameless) about tips. They actually brought it up as I was about to add a tip to the receipt. They asked me to not do that as they do not see those tips. It's not like being cashed out at a land-based place at the end of the night. 

Now, it's possible both bartenders were telling me a story so they would get more tips in cash. There's a theory that all cash tips must be turned in, but then again, maybe not. Of course a bartender could "hide" a tip too. Tons and tons o if's, and's, but's, and who knows what's true vs. what's not true.

 

Since I do prefer my bartender receive the tip, I just hand them cash at the end of the cruise. I never tip per drink. But hey, if you want to, feel free! I've never had bad service. In fact, I've received some of the best service from bartenders on cruises before they even knew they'd receive a tip. 

 

On the last full day of the cruise, I wander around to the bars and give tips to those bartenders I truly appreciated. Usually it's only two or three bartenders, ship wide. Then again, I've been on cruises where I provided no tips to bartenders. Both methods are correct. 

[Panhandle Couple]

Lots of good answers here.

 

I will be on the same cruise, but have sailed NCL 4 times in last 13 months. 

 

My take....

Use the first 2 days to wander and find a bar that is to your liking.  Not all are busy at the same time.  If you like a bar, and the bartender, ask them what hours they work.  They usually (outside of pool bar when busy) will tell you.  

 

We have tipped several ways.  Wait until the last day and generously tip the 2 or so bartenders that we really liked.  Tip as you go (generally as we leave for that session) if you like them.  Tipping just to get quick service then walking away and never coming back seems pointless to me. 

 

Each cruise we seem to find 1 or 2 bartenders that have worked for NCL 9 or more years.  They are great to talk to, and really have sailed around the world.  They can fill you in on ports, ships, excursions, etc.  And also just good stories of their life.