Tips included on NCL?

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GloBug

Guest
My SIL and I were discussing our upcoming cruises - we will both be in Alaska at the same time but on different cruise lines - I'll be on the Celebrity Infinity, and she'll be on the NCL Norwegian Star. We were talking about tipping, and I told her to bring some $2 bills. She told me that ALL tipping is included, and she won't need to tip any baggage handlers, any one bringing her room service, etc.

I don't see NCL on the tip calculator, so I do believe her that regular "end of the cruise" tips are included in the cost of the cruise. But as this is her first cruise that isn't on a Mississippi River Boat, I'm wondering if she might be misunderstanding something...

Or am I???
 
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ute_fan

Guest
How NCL currently works is that there is an optional $10 per person per day charge added to your room charge to cover tips, or $70 per person for a 7 day cruise. Due to the freetsyle dining, you don't have the same wait staff on a daily basis, so the typical means of handing out tips at the end of the cruise doesn't work very efficiently. Supposedly this charge is going to become mandatory, as it was originally set up on the POA, but there has been so much trouble with the POA that I don't know if they're going ahead with that plan.

Having said that, we tipped extra for the cabin stewards on our Alaska trip on the NCL Sun, as they did a great job for the 4 of us. We also ended up requesting the same waiter each night, and tipped them a little extra, also.

Your sister needs to understand, however, that the tips weren't included in her original cruise price, but will be charged to her shipboard account.
 
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boxer

Guest
All tips are added to your charge card each day at a rate of $10 per day per person. When you order a drink the tip is also added to the bil. They only time you may need money to tip is if you want to tip extra at the end of the cruise to your cabin steward, if you thought they did a good job. Also, I think (I did) you have to tip if you get room service.
 
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GloBug

Guest
Thanks, Boxer. That's what I'm trying to figure out for my SIL. I'm telling her you have to tip separately for room service, the guys who handle your luggage, etc, and she insists it's all covered in her tips at the end of the cruise.

But I haven't cruised NCL (yet), so I'm asking the experts - you guys!
 
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ute_fan

Guest
I don't think the tips for the porters are covered in the $10 a day charge. I don't think they're considered "ship employees" and thus wouldn't be covered. On our 1st cruise, we made sure we had $1 per bag to tip the porters.

The $10 per day should cover the wait staff, maitre d, etc. and your room staff. We just chose to give them a little extra because we though the service was so good.
 
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Anonymous User

Guest
We were on the Star to Alaska this past August . As stated before the 10.00 a day charge is billed to your sail away card,a 140.00 for the two of us for 7 days. Well worth it,they keep the Star spotless,we tipped extra to one waiter who we got almost every morning in Versailles dining room because of great service,usually 2 dollars extra a day, our room steward got a extra 20 the last day of cruise,he made me a towel animal every night,and we had room service 3 times,2 dollar tip we gave for them to haul our food up! So be nice and tip they work real hard for you pay them respect as well! They will give it back to you a hundredfold!
 
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newmexicoNita

Guest
From your comments I figure you are talking about Alaska next year. The tips will be automatic by then, but will not include room service or porters or any one aside from what you would think of like room steward, wait staff, bar servier and the like. You may also want to tip a little extra so do bring those $1 and $5 bills with you.

NMNita
 
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