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A disappointed first time cruiser from Oz with NCL

Pride of America Cruise Review to Hawaii

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 9

Overall rating:

1 out of 5
Pride of America

7 Night Hawaii (Honolulu Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 01, 2017

Ship: Pride of America

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

I didn't mind prepaid gratuities - I was surprised with a standard 18% gratuity on all beverages - possibly disappointed with an expectation of a further gratuity on all beverages - day tour guides even outlined the difference between a "bad gratuity and a good one" - then a daily service fee per day per person of US $15 per day - enjoyed the islands BUT gratuity overload. First cruise with NCL after 3 wonderful cruises with Royal Carribeean. Paid the bill - did not complain - will NEVER cruise with them again!. Where are the negative stars?

Embarkation

1 out of 5
I didn't mind prepaid gratuities - I was surprised with a standard 18% gratuity on all beverages - possibly disappointed with an expectation of a further gratuity on all beverages - day tour guides even outlined the difference between a "bad gratuity and a good one" - then a daily service fee per day per person of US $15 per day - enjoyed the islands BUT gratuity overload. First cruise with NCL after 3 wonderful cruises with Royal Carribeean. Paid the bill - did not complain - will NEVER cruise with them again!. Where are the negative stars?

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

Ship tip

I didn't mind prepaid gratuities - I was surprised with a standard 18% gratuity on all beverages - possibly disappointed with an expectation of a further gratuity on all beverages - day tour guides even outlined the difference between a "bad gratuity and a good one" - then a daily service fee per day per person of US $15 per day - enjoyed the islands BUT gratuity overload. First cruise with NCL after 3 wonderful cruises with Royal Carribeean. Paid the bill - did not complain - will NEVER cruise with them again!. Where are the negative stars?

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Ports of call

Honolulu, Oahu

1 out of 5

Kahului, Maui

1 out of 5

Hilo, Hawaii

1 out of 5

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

1 out of 5

Nawiliwili, Kauai

1 out of 5

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
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6 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     3 months ago

Thanks for sharing
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andreaahlers    7 years ago

ALL cruise lines charge an extra gratuity on all upcharge beverages (even a soda). If you purchase an all inclusive drink package, you will be charged an extra beverage gratuity fee on the entire package. If you are on a ship such as the NCL Sky that includes beverages, the daily gratuity rate is greatly elevated to include both your drinks and service gratuities. When I go to a restaurant and order a drink I usually leave a 20% tip, so 18% is no big deal. The difference is most cruise lines (Princess for example) don't give you a detailed itemized list of charges. Sometimes they don't even tell you up front how much an item will cost, I have signed a blank receipt before for a mixed drink. NCL is very upfront with you about the charges, which is exactly why I WILL cruise with them again.
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66gt350ps    7 years ago

Gratuity is shared with all low paid staff. They all work for us on board. Not our sevants. I do not mind the change but do notify customer service if I ever have aprobkem awith a staff member. Extremely rare. You can always tip extra to staff directly when you feel like it.
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pdenham    7 years ago

Royal Caribbean includes the 18% gratuity in the prices. NCL has lower drinks prices but adds 18%. In the end, both are charging about the same. You could say NCL is more open/transparent about charges
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twangster    7 years ago

RC also charges 18% gratify on all drinks. Unfortunate that gratuities ruined your cruise but that's cruising the days.
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jacmac    7 years ago

Royal Caribbean (and pretty much every cruise line) has the same gratuity structure.
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