According to a letter to employees leaked to cruise line crew website Crew Center, Norwegian Cruise Line plans to cut room-cleaning service from twice a day to once a day, for all cabin categories below suite level.
The website reports that the new policy will be introduced on the Norwegian Epic on January 8 and rolled out across the fleet by March 31.
NCL reportedly said in the letter that the reduction in service will have a positive impact on environmental sustainability by conserving water, energy and the use of chemicals and is "in line with standard practices in the cruise and hotel industries."
The news comes shortly after NCL announced an increase in gratuities to levels never before seen. Beginning with bookings made on or after January 1, Haven and suite guests will be charged $25 per day, up from $20. All other guests will be charged $20 per day, up from $18 for club balcony suite guests and $16 for all other cabin categories.
Going forward, NCL will eliminate the "stateroom steward" and "junior stateroom steward" positions, replacing them with one "stateroom attendant" title. On their next contract, those previously in the position of "junior stateroom steward" will receive a salary increase while stateroom stewards will actually be paid less than currently.
Norwegian guests who booked before January 1 can still pay their gratuities at the previous rates if they prepay their service charges before their sail date. Prepaid charges can be added up to 24 hours before sailing.
After a painful and costly pandemic shutdown, the cruise industry roared back to life in 2022. Demand is strong, but lines that are now saddled with more debt at higher interest rates, and continue to struggle to achieve profitability.
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