Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Princess raises gratuity fees
Once again a major cruise company announced a plan to raise their fees. Starting in 2016, Princess will charge a gratuity fee of $12.95 per person, per day. Passengers staying in a suite will be charged $13.50. As with their current policy, Princess will allow passengers to remove or lower their fee while on board.
Raising fees and essentially mandating certain tip rates, is ultimately a bait and switch. The cruise lines want to keep preaching value, yet keep adding these backend costs that are not reflected in the sale price.
Fortunately there is growing movement on the upscale lines to remove all tipping. We hope that catches on with the mid-tier and lower-tier lines as well. There are other ways to incent the ship staff without tipping. Right now it is just a tool for cruise lines to nickel and dime customers and skim off of their employees' wages.
Raising fees and essentially mandating certain tip rates, is ultimately a bait and switch. The cruise lines want to keep preaching value, yet keep adding these backend costs that are not reflected in the sale price.
Fortunately there is growing movement on the upscale lines to remove all tipping. We hope that catches on with the mid-tier and lower-tier lines as well. There are other ways to incent the ship staff without tipping. Right now it is just a tool for cruise lines to nickel and dime customers and skim off of their employees' wages.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Norovirus hits Star Princess
For the second time this year, there was a norovirus outbreak on the Star Princess. According to Travel Mole 61 passengers on the ship's trip to Hawaii were impacted.
The good news is that the vast majority of the ship's 2,590 passengers were not infected. Princess is taking all the steps to disinfect the ship and prevent further outbreaks. The last outbreak on the Star Princess occurred in May.
The good news is that the vast majority of the ship's 2,590 passengers were not infected. Princess is taking all the steps to disinfect the ship and prevent further outbreaks. The last outbreak on the Star Princess occurred in May.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Cruise Hive's cool video tour of Costa NeoRomantica
Cruise Hive found this great drone footage of the Costa NeoRomantica. It gives you angles and views you typically don't see in cruise videos.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Very unOfficial Travel Guides on NCL Getaway
Very unOfficial Travel Guides always has some interesting takes and reviews. The video above is no exception as a vegetarian heads to NCL Getaway's Brazialian Churrascaria. It is not just food though, as the video does work in some helpful suggestions, a few laughs and some looks at the Getaway. To learn more about the ship, check out the rest of the videos Very unOfficial Travel Guide made from the Getaway.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Cruise Needs' Tweets of the Week
Q9 Check out our #CruiseSmile sweepstakes calendar http://t.co/PyTSghsz1Q. Which cruise would you most want to win? #CruiseMonth
— CLIA (@CruiseFacts) September 30, 2015A12: We ring in #CruiseMonth with a big #CruiseSmile! pic.twitter.com/r8igIZXTEb
— Cruise Norwegian (@CruiseNorwegian) September 30, 2015Trade dive bars for sandbars. You never know who you'll meet in #GrandCayman. pic.twitter.com/H4ntZifrlh
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) September 29, 2015Cloudy mornings make for stunning sunrises at sea! #FunjetFamily #CoNexion2015 #CruiseLikeANorwegian pic.twitter.com/Lb6E3xfKZo
— Sandy Ezzell (@sandyezzell) October 1, 2015when you order nothing on the #DisneyCruise pic.twitter.com/FqIC41jnzf
— Lexi Collishaw (@tlexxtrexx) October 2, 2015Thursday, October 1, 2015
Hurricane Joaquin cruise update
As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Joaquin continued its path towards the Bahamas. The wind and related rain forced cruise companies to adjust itineraries. According to Cruise Log, the following ships adjusted or changed their plans due to the storm:
- The Carnival Pride will skip its scheduled stop at the company's private island Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas Thursday.
- The Carnival Valor will skip its scheduled Thursday stop in Grand Turk.
- The Norwegian Getaway will skip its Friday stop in Nassau.
As the storm moves through the region, other ships may be impacted. Always remember to check in with your cruise line regarding schedule changes.
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