Real Nikon Lover wrote:
........... The drink packages use to be inclusive now they are stifling.,,,
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Real Nikon Lover...
You said: The drink packages used to be inclusive now they are stifling....
You are "correct" to a great degree, but in history, alcoholic drinks, as a general rule, have usually been a 'paid-for item'....... I am currently 77 and cruised since I was 15 YOA...
Me, Personally, I have "no problem" with an add-on TIP for something 'delivered' to me by a server...
What I have a problem with is the fact the cruise company adds $ 16/day per person, for each and every guest... as a "NON-Specific" dollar amount to your room charge and labels it "Crew Appreciation" with absolutely NO details as to WHO the Crew is... What the amount to each Crew is... and if.. In Fact, the crew actually gets the dollar amount.....
We, my wife and I, just did a 67-day cruise in the Baltic, and around into the Mediterranean Sea... Our Total dollar amount for "Crew Appreciation" was going to be about $2,150 bucks... and then... You felt 'guilty' if you did not leave a 'little something extra' for certain employees...... Just saying...
Sooooo, As a long-time cruiser on this specific company, I went to the front desk, and told them to 'take the charges off...' I told the staff, and wrote on my 'waiver form'.. that I was going to "handle crew appreciation' on a case-by-case basis' and I would pick and choose to whom I gave my money to, and I would choose how much I would give them......
That "Worked" and the staff never disagreed with me... They just had me 'sign the waiver' form.
In fact... I explained to one of the staff members, "I have already paid for my cruise" and I have "No written and/or contractual obligation to pay anymore"...... "Crew Appreciation" was not in my 'purchased agreement'
We, my wife, and I have sailed over 500 nights in the last 7 years with this one company and, in fact, I actually own stock in this company...... and that is the way it works for us.
IMHO.
Cheers
Goldstar46
George Veazey
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