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Costa did allow removal of service charge


bts378
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[ The service charge which you speak of. Surely the staff & crew are paid a pittance and rely on this service charge to up their wages. In so doing giving Costa more profits.

Is the service charge at the end of the cruise per person or per cabin??

We are new to costa and are trying to find as much info as possible.

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I love how the person simply clears up that Yes its possible for some to have the charge removed and so many give the same story "oh it shouldn't be done" the staff works so hard for the money blah blah blah

 

This question gets asked by newbies every few weeks myself included at one point, and the answers given are usually NO or WHY WOULD YOU when the fact is Americans CAN have them removed/lowered. My question to the Euro/Aussie people who say it can't be. Have you tried? I'm not saying you have to do it, just wondering have you even asked the person behind the desk if its possible to have them removed/lowered while onboard before telling someone else NO. I'd bet 99% don't even ask just go by what the printed documents say.

 

NO it is 100% correct that europeans cannot remove their tips. In May we had terrible waitstaff to start with so I asked to half the amount for that day and was told no they would "fix" the problem and give us another table with a better waiter but we could NOT remove our tips even for the day. I then said to remove them altogether and was told no can do becuase we are on EU contracts!

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It all boils down to the individual comfort. I do not like tipping in any circumstance. This service industry depends on the customer to pay their workers a decent wage. This is not right. You take the job with your eyes wide open. When on a cruise, the staff is underpaid or does not have a salary at all. Why, because the cruise line can get away with it. We go in for a 7 or 14 day cruise and will probably never see them again. This is not the same as going into the same restaurant and seeing the same waiters and bar staff.

 

The staffs are like puppets and actors they smile and work hard to insure your pleasures are all met. And they are very good at their job. Sometimes I sense that their attentions too automatic and artificial. And they will be the same for the people getting on after you. Smiles and smiles. Yes, they work hard, but face it folks, they choose to be on a cruise ship for any reason what so ever. We never fill out the comment card. If that is the way the tips are distributed then that is their problems not mine. Think about how the cruise would be if they had a decent wage and we tipped according to their services. This would be great.

 

But we all take different paths in life and taking a job on a cruise ship is their choice. I do not have to analyze why they take it or if this is a better life than what they have or if they are sending every cent home to their family. This is their business and not ours. We can be examining their motives till we are blue in the face. It is their lives.

I know I will probably be shot down by this post but I respect all approaches to this topic and admire your right to voice your opinions. And because, some of us have to save for a while for these wonderful cruises, we should appreciate all comments and not judge anyone for their attitude towards this testy and sensitive subject.

It is a done deal. Tipping is here to stay. So Deal with the best way you can. That too is O.K.

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[ The service charge which you speak of. Surely the staff & crew are paid a pittance and rely on this service charge to up their wages. In so doing giving Costa more profits.

Is the service charge at the end of the cruise per person or per cabin??

We are new to costa and are trying to find as much info as possible.

 

per person.

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  • 8 years later...
It can only be removed by Ameriacan and I beleive Canadian passengers. Europenas can not have itr removed and Australians have to pay it up front with their cruise price.

Ron

Hi Ron, what about other nationalities?

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This thread is from 2010. I imagine things may have changed since then.
The gratuities are called daily service charges on Costa. I wonder what has changed on Costa.

Does Costa still allow Americans and Canadians to remove the DSC, while Europeans can't; and Australians have it included in the price paid upfront?

Quite strange and discriminatory.

Is it also true that German courts have ruled against it ?

Edited by drsel
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on the costa atlantica april 24 you could remove the service charge by producing your passport before 2200 hours on the last night of the cruise. i was with a couple when they did have them removed from their account
I believe you, but have the Costa policies changed since April 24, 2010? And it this allowed only for Americans and Canadians?
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The service charge is shared by the staff, (contrary to what some people tell you) al levels of the crew that serve us apart from bar staff and Casino have a portion, bar staff get some from the 15% and Casino staff are paid members of a different Company.

 

Now this is from a source un-connected with Costa but creditable.

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It all boils down to the individual comfort. I do not like tipping in any circumstance. This service industry depends on the customer to pay their workers a decent wage. This is not right. You take the job with your eyes wide open. When on a cruise, the staff is underpaid or does not have a salary at all. Why, because the cruise line can get away with it. We go in for a 7 or 14 day cruise and will probably never see them again. This is not the same as going into the same restaurant and seeing the same waiters and bar staff.

 

 

The staffs are like puppets and actors they smile and work hard to insure your pleasures are all met. And they are very good at their job. Sometimes I sense that their attentions too automatic and artificial. And they will be the same for the people getting on after you. Smiles and smiles. Yes, they work hard, but face it folks, they choose to be on a cruise ship for any reason what so ever. We never fill out the comment card. If that is the way the tips are distributed then that is their problems not mine. Think about how the cruise would be if they had a decent wage and we tipped according to their services. This would be great.

 

But we all take different paths in life and taking a job on a cruise ship is their choice. I do not have to analyze why they take it or if this is a better life than what they have or if they are sending every cent home to their family. This is their business and not ours. We can be examining their motives till we are blue in the face. It is their lives.

I know I will probably be shot down by this post but I respect all approaches to this topic and admire your right to voice your opinions. And because, some of us have to save for a while for these wonderful cruises, we should appreciate all comments and not judge anyone for their attitude towards this testy and sensitive subject.

It is a done deal. Tipping is here to stay. So Deal with the best way you can. That too is O.K.

 

Finally, someone with common sense. Do some of these folks realize that Japan and a very few other countries do not accept tips. To the Japanese tipping is a form of begging. You cannot tip in Japan as they will refuse it. It's called "losing face". The cruise lines, like all service industries, should be paying their employees a fair wage. Instead, they are paying substandard wages and expect their customers to make up the difference via "tips". Can anyone imagine if Walmart or Boeing expected their customers to tip their employees for just doing their jobs? Also, Walmart and Boeing would probably have no employees if the wages were substandard where an employee had to solicit tips every day. It has somehow become shameful or an embarrassment to refuse to pay these extra charges on board cruise ships. Just listen to some of the accusatory comments from a few on this forum. I think that the Japanese have it right as most Japanese I have interacted with seem to be happy and productive workers in lieu of any kind of gratuity.

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The bottom line about tipping is that one way or another we will have to pay something towards the crews wages.

 

Costa's compulsory service charge could be quite as easy be put on to the cruise price which is the fairest way but then others think is should not, a tip is a reward for going that extra mile.

 

Also to bear in mind is the level of wages at home were most of the crew come from, while 70 euros a week is nothing to me to some it is above a weeks wages.

 

I would like to se the end of tipping and it added to the cruise price, but funny enough while my wife and I don't mind the compulsory service charge we often also tip again when the crew member looks after us.

 

Horses for courses I say

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The bottom line about tipping is that one way or another we will have to pay something towards the crews wages.

 

Costa's compulsory service charge could be quite as easy be put on to the cruise price which is the fairest way but then others think is should not, a tip is a reward for going that extra mile.

 

Also to bear in mind is the level of wages at home were most of the crew come from, while 70 euros a week is nothing to me to some it is above a weeks wages.

 

I would like to se the end of tipping and it added to the cruise price, but funny enough while my wife and I don't mind the compulsory service charge we often also tip again when the crew member looks after us.

 

Horses for courses I say

The reason for not adding the daily service charges to the cruise fare is to keep the cruise fare low and hence reduce the taxes paid by the cruise line to the government.

Also, any service charges received indirectly by the crew are tax free for them. Additional tips in cash are anyway tax-free.

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I beg to differ, as the service charge goes onto your on-board account and would be shown up as a Company income.

 

Tips are partly taxed in many Counties including the UK.

Then, what's the reason for not adding the daily service charges to the cruise fare upfront, like they do in Australia and Germany?
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Then, what's the reason for not adding the daily service charges to the cruise fare upfront, like they do in Australia and Germany?

 

Simple; to allow them to advertise the absolute lowest and most enticing entry-level cruise fare. In any markets where they are allowed to present the pricing in this way, they will; people love a 'bargain' headline rate. Then the (increasingly rife) add-ons allow Costa to squeeze out a healthy profit margin.

 

Surely any of us here would be lying if we said the very low pricepoint wasn't one of our primary reasons for sailing Costa?! We might be aware of their 'tricks', and know to factor in the daily service charge to our budgets, but whatever Costa are doing it must be working for their bottom line on the whole...

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Why is it discrimination. There are different prices for Costa cruises in other countries, we in the UK often pay the same in sterling as others do in euros. We pay for water the US get it for free, depending on the laws in those Countries.

 

Simple if the

Itinerary & the price suits you then book it, if you don't like the service charge being added don't go.







Costa's prices are by far the lowest, but they certainly do not suit everybody, so why do they book them then continually moan about poor food, bad staff extra charges & the like.





We have done over 300 days with Costa, not all of them great, but getting 90% right most of the time sends us back.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 10 months later...

This is a very old thread so you probably wont read this, they dont charge gratuities in cruises in aud but they are technicaly not included in the cruise fare either so it not possible to remove something that isn’t there. If an Aussie cruises on a ship that is not in AUD with princess yes tips get added as a daily charge on princess but you can request them to be removed,  sounds like all your princess cruises have been in aud and you have not up to this post anyway experience the added gratuity.

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In

9 hours ago, JennyMD said:

This is a very old thread so you probably wont read this, they dont charge gratuities in cruises in aud but they are technicaly not included in the cruise fare either so it not possible to remove something that isn’t there. If an Aussie cruises on a ship that is not in AUD with princess yes tips get added as a daily charge on princess but you can request them to be removed,  sounds like all your princess cruises have been in aud and you have not up to this post anyway experience the added gratuity.

You are right about Princess, but Costa gratuities are MANDATORY & cant be removed under any circumstances whatsoever.

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On 5/11/2010 at 6:47 AM, G.M.T. said:

It can only be removed by Ameriacan and I beleive Canadian passengers. Europenas can not have itr removed and Australians have to pay it up front with their cruise price.

 

Ron

 

 

Not true - I am Australian and it was added to my account.  i did not pay upfront.  I believe we only pay upfront on sailings from Australia on any line.

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GMT is the Costa expert and I believe what GMT says is true.

What was the fare you paid? From that we can judge if the service charges were included in your fare upfront.

Did you check with guest services if the gratuities could be adjusted?

 

 

 

 

 

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In
You are right about Princess, but Costa gratuities are MANDATORY & cant be removed under any circumstances whatsoever.
Costa service charges cannot be removed, unless the prepaid Cruise fare includes service charges (Germany, Australia, and a few other countries mentioned earlier) in which case the cruise fare would be that much pricier.

Sent from my Lenovo K8 Note using Tapatalk

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Costa France will be bundling gratuities in the price as of December, I was told it is being gradually changed in most markets. As far as I know the US market will not be changing, for exactly the reason ShipsInBergen says. After some bad experiences, I am very cautious about booking with US agents with their low-ball quotes.

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