Gratuity is not a given. Just because the cruise line states it is automatic that does not mean you cannot go to the purser desk and change (increase or decrease) your gratuity.
The degree of service determines what kind of gratutity is given. I do this in restaurants at home and in ships on the ocean. Sometimes if we have a particularily good crew member,we make sure that person gets an extra reward.
Originally posted by Raymore:
Gratuity is not a given. Just because the cruise line states it is automatic that does not mean you cannot go to the purser desk and change (increase or decrease) your gratuity.
Raymore,
on NCL you cannot change the service charge. Of course you can try walking off the ship without paying your bill, but that can't be a good way to deal with it, can it.
AHHH!!! Clicking on this thread is a pavlovian response to me- I know I don't want to see what it says, but I can't help myself.
Tipping less than the minimum is bad karma. There can be no instance where anyone should, in good conscience, reduce a minimum tip. Even if some insolent cabin steward stood there sneering at you, then picked up your bags and hauled them across the room, you would have to feel so sympathetic for him- having to work 10 months straight (2 months of which are just to pay back his RT airfare and broker fee), 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week, living with 2 other people in a cabin that makes any of ours look palatial, being frowned upon for speaking your own language with people from your own country (that are hopefully friends of yours), surrounded by coworkers from dozens of nations (great for the cruise lines, who have quotas from each country, and who do not have to put up with any national bloc of workers who might attempt to strike- they learned that one the hard way), living with a 50% chance that you will not see daylight for days on end, dealing with passengers who would try the patience of any US worker (witness POA).... all for a couple of bucks a day, "PLUS TIPS," which is such a joke! Mandatory gratuity is just another way of saying "part of your ticket price," except that people think they can opt out.
My wife and I just returned form our honeymoon on the Pride of Aloha (NCL). Not quite sure what all the complaints are about. The food was excellent in the buffets and the restaurants. Our room steward, celia, was a dream and bent over backwards for us. We always had clean towels, sheets glasses, etc. There was no $10 gratuity charge on our voyage. I have seen it in the past but I guess they removed it because of the complaints. We did not have one complaint the entire trip and had the time of our lives. We are going back next year for our first anniversary. Highly recommend the pride of aloha. p.s. We did see a few cabins on our floor during the week that had toilet overflow problems. My guess is it had more to do with people throwing things in that they shouldn't than with ship problems. These people were promptly moved to other rooms.
That is so good to hear! You're right, that overflowing toilets usually are the result of passengers putting something in they shouldn't (or at least too much of the usual in). I'm glad to know that you experienced good service, food, etc. There's hope!
well, HALLELUIA!! Walleye, you have no idea what a breath of fresh air your post was. I have been reading - or should I say experiencing - this entire thread, all its ups, downs and angst for the past half hour.
I have been considering a cruise on the Aloha and am very relieved to see the scales balanced somewhat by your positive experience. THANKYOU!!
Incidentally, I read that all cruises departing from Hawaiian ports are run by NCL; they have an exclusive with the government.
Tom, thanks for restoring peace, much appreciated. The barbs can get to be a bit much at times.
Rose
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September '05 Veendam to Alaska
January '06 Volendam to S. Caribbean
May '06 Volendam to Alaska
July '06 Tahitian Princess Honolulu to Papeete
From what I can see, Americans do not have what it takes to work on ships. Because the pay is low it's hard to staff a ship with quality people who have good work ethics. The Americans go to the ship looking for fun and adventure, and working hard is not a priority. I worked on the foreign flagged vessels where the crew comes from all over the world, and their priority is to work hard to make money, and get promotions. I was one of only about twenty Americans on the ships where I worked. I was an officer with a good paying position a single cabin, and access to all areas of the ship at all times, so for me life on ships was good. The stories I heard from my friends was the Americans on Pride of Aloha had bad attitudes and it showed. I'll admit there were times when I had a bad attitude too but I never let it show, or affect my job performance. The key to survival for me was drinking, and meeting girls, passengers and crew. But my work always came first just like the rest of the international crew. Here is what I heard was going on, and this came from my friends who went to the American flagged vessels. There were reports of rape, fighting, gangbanging,drug use and graffiti. It came to a point where they had to close the crew bar to restrict drinking, and the FBI was called in to investigate these claims. I've been out of touch so I do not know if this has changed or not. I was suppose to go to POA and was not looking forward to it. Living on a ship may seem glamorous, but most of the crew are treated as if they were indentured servants. The travel is great, the friendships are true and everyone got along on the foreign flagged ships. I hear it was not so on the American ships. So in a nutshell, that's it.
Baloney! You're an excellent example, I hope, of a quality American with good work ethics.
There are plenty of quality Americans to man these American ships. We'll just have to give NCL America time to find them, and weed out those without good work ethics.
With a Union involved, that will take some time. Don't expect miracles overnight. It's impossible to judge the work ethics of any worker via a job interview. You must put them to work to judge it.
There are plenty of quality Americans to man these American ships. We'll just have to give NCL America time to find them, and weed out those without good work ethics.
It will definitely take some time. I think the whole NCL corporation needs a little help. I went to Piney Point, MD for training and the whole problem starts there.
I'm glad to know that you experienced good service, food, etc. There's hope! 
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