Tipping

We are cruising for the first time in April. It will be my husband, my two children and myself. My kids are 7 and 3. My 7 year old is very picky, so he will probably be living off of goldfish and poptarts that we are bringing with us. Where exactly do the tips go to? I am the type of person that can not walk away from a table or a person that gave me good service without tipping them then and there. How do I request to recieve some of our gratuties back once on the boat? I would mainly like some of the tips for my kids to come back so I can specifically give them to our room attendant and the childcare givers. Since that is where my childrens gratuties should mainly go. Plus by allocating these funds directly to these specific areas, we are more assured that our children will be taken extra care of and our room will be tidy. Does this make sense? We already plan on tipping a little extra at dinner every night, our room person and the childcare...however I feel like $12 a day for my kids to be split among mainly kitchen staff is ridiculous. Especially we will not be on the boat long for 3 of the days since we have booked all day excursions.

Thank you!

We are cruising for the first time in April. It will be my husband, my two children and myself. My kids are 7 and 3. My 7 year old is very picky, so he will probably be living off of goldfish and poptarts that we are bringing with us. Where exactly do the tips go to? I am the type of person that can not walk away from a table or a person that gave me good service without tipping them then and there. How do I request to recieve some of our gratuties back once on the boat? I would mainly like some of the tips for my kids to come back so I can specifically give them to our room attendant and the childcare givers. Since that is where my childrens gratuties should mainly go. Plus by allocating these funds directly to these specific areas, we are more assured that our children will be taken extra care of and our room will be tidy. Does this make sense? We already plan on tipping a little extra at dinner every night, our room person and the childcare...however I feel like $12 a day for my kids to be split among mainly kitchen staff is ridiculous. Especially we will not be on the boat long for 3 of the days since we have booked all day excursions.

 

Thank you!

You need to understand that you are not charged for tips...the $12 pp/pd is a service charge. It supports employee incentive programs but does not get simply handed out to the crew as "tips".

If you have service issues, you must report them to guest services where they will try to resolve the issue to your satisfaction. If the problem resolution procedure cannot resolve the issue, you can then ask that a portion of your service charge be withheld as a result.

You should also know that if this is done, no employess are permitted to accept tips from you. Any tips you would offer would have to be turned in and the employees are very good about this as not doing so is a cause for termination.

Leave the service charge in place and tip extra where you feel appropriate (although tipping isn't required). You will get good service...don't worry.

So this $12 per person service fee is for incentives for their employees? That makes no sense? So I have to tip as much as I would regularly? I usually always tip 20% of our bill, if not more. But honestly I can not afford to go that crazy on tips. I had not planned on going and complaining about service. I was hoping to retain 40-50 dollars back to split between the daycare givers and the room staff.

So this $12 per person service fee is for incentives for their employees? That makes no sense? So I have to tip as much as I would regularly? I usually always tip 20% of our bill, if not more. But honestly I can not afford to go that crazy on tips. I had not planned on going and complaining about service. I was hoping to retain 40-50 dollars back to split between the daycare givers and the room staff.

No, no. You do not have to tip another penny...and none is expected. Leave the service charge alone and nothing more is expected of you. You will get great service. Reference day care, I don't believe they are covered by the service charge...others can confirm...so tipping them may be appropriate. The service charge system works great. It is just the way the cruise line industry has structured pricing now. If...and only if....you wish to tip a little extra for the extra wonderful crew you will meet, that's up to you.....not expected and certainly not required.

It funds the crew's salary, incentives and benefits. It's not a tip...it's the primary component of the wages of the room stewards, dining room and buffet wait staff and behind the scenes support staff for those services. If you don't have a legitimate and unresolved service complaint then you should just leave the service charge in place. Reducing it "just because" is not appropriate.

You don't have to give anything additional to your room steward, unless you feel they've provided outstanding service, in which case a tip may be warranted...but it's totally at your discretion.

You're not obligated to tip the Kid's Club staff either, although many passengers...maybe most passengers...do.

The kids club workers are not part of the DSC.

Please do more research on this. Please reconsider.

I just took this from Norwegian's web site under Frequently Asked Questions:

"Our Crew is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including restaurant staff, stateroom stewards, and the behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charges supports.

A charge of $12 per person per day will automatically be added to your onboard account."

The information goes on to say that ALL guests 3 years old and older will be charged.

It is my understand that the Daily Service Charge does not include any of the Children's Programs. I would check with Guest Services about that.

The DSC is all that's needed for your room steward and all your wait staff on the ship. No tipping is necessary, including any specialty restaurants. Folks not covered in the DSC include butler, concierge and kid's club staff. Bar staff are excluded too, but a 15% tip is added to bar bills.

This is a cost of your cruise and should be left in place unless you have significant issues with the service provided. In that case, contact a supervisor or Hotel Manager to resolve your issues first.

If you use the search function for "DSC" or "service charge" you will find thread after thread on this issue, including some pretty heated discussions (you've been warned...this is a hot topic)

I definitely plan on tipping the daycare staff, especially if they are doing a wonderful job with my children. They are the ones that are going to make or break my vacation. I guess that is my point, my kids are not going to be eating or using the food services very often...so $12 a day is kind of a lot. My son has OCD with food so we have to bring poptarts, fruit snacks and other acceptable foods that are being allowed on board for him. He will probably only eat breakfast, and that will be pancakes only. My daughter is 3...enough said there right? I was debating on traveling between NCL and Carnival. Carnival allows you to adjust the tips and allocate them to the proper employees you feel should recieve them. I guess I should call NCL and see what their exact policy is. I am wondering what our cruise fare pays for if it doesnt go towards the employees. Sorry...this cruise stuff is all new to me:) Honestly, if they do not allow me to adjust then I will leave the fees as is, and not tip anymore to anyone, except the daycare employees. If they allow me to adjust, I will probably end up tipping even more then it would of been with my service charges. A waitress that does not feed or wait on my child should not get $12 from them, vs a daycare giver that has been entertaining my child and taking care of the most important thing in my life.

Regardless of semantics, it is a tip and a well deserved one. Think about all that get's done behind the scenes.....it's more than just servers and the obvious. Adults as well as kids benefit from their work....

I definitely plan on tipping the daycare staff, especially if they are doing a wonderful job with my children. They are the ones that are going to make or break my vacation. I guess that is my point, my kids are not going to be eating or using the food services very often...so $12 a day is kind of a lot. My son has OCD with food so we have to bring poptarts, fruit snacks and other acceptable foods that are being allowed on board for him. He will probably only eat breakfast, and that will be pancakes only. My daughter is 3...enough said there right? I was debating on traveling between NCL and Carnival. Carnival allows you to adjust the tips and allocate them to the proper employees you feel should recieve them. I guess I should call NCL and see what their exact policy is. I am wondering what our cruise fare pays for if it doesnt go towards the employees. Sorry...this cruise stuff is all new to me:) Honestly, if they do not allow me to adjust then I will leave the fees as is, and not tip anymore to anyone, except the daycare employees. If they allow me to adjust, I will probably end up tipping even more then it would of been with my service charges. A waitress that does not feed or wait on my child should not get $12 from them, vs a daycare giver that has been entertaining my child and taking care of the most important thing in my life.

I understand the point you're trying to make, but the DSC is part of the cost of cruising on NCL. It's like a resort fee at hotels. Can you complain enough to get it adjusted off? Sure. However, I would suggest you either do what you said - leave it in place and tip your kid's club staff - or choose a different cruise line with a fee policy more in line with what you want to do.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip. We always do on NCL. The staff is great.

Thanks for the advice! We are stuck with NCL now since we are all booked and paid for. So we will see how it goes. I think the problem is that being American it is beat into our head that we have to tip tip tip all the time, and I always feel horrible for not being gracious when tipping. I have stayed at a lot of top notch hotels and never had to pay anymore more then the hotel rooms and taxes. I guess we will see how it goes:)

Thanks for the advice! We are stuck with NCL now since we are all booked and paid for. So we will see how it goes. I think the problem is that being American it is beat into our head that we have to tip tip tip all the time, and I always feel horrible for not being gracious when tipping. I have stayed at a lot of top notch hotels and never had to pay anymore more then the hotel rooms and taxes. I guess we will see how it goes:)

I've never run across a business hotel charging a resort fee, and I travel for business quite a bit. I always seem to get it at destination resorts or tourist areas like in Las Vegas.

As a tipping american I had to get used to some of this too. When I went to Europe I remember tipping a cab driver and my local buddy admonishing me for it. :)

To answer your question, you can have the tips (DSC) adjusted, up, down or whatever at the customer service desk. You do not need to give them a reason for the adjustment. Any reason you give them they will just use to argue with you about the adjustment. If tipping in person is your preference, by all means to that and adjust the DSC as you see fit. It is your money and your choice.

Keep in mind the kids club personnel are paid well and DO NOT get a piece of the DSC tip. Neither do the concierge or butlers, but I don't think you are in a suite so you don't have to worry about them.

To answer your question, you can have the tips (DSC) adjusted, up, down or whatever at the customer service desk. You do not need to give them a reason for the adjustment. Any reason you give them they will just use to argue with you about the adjustment. If tipping in person is your preference, by all means to that and adjust the DSC as you see fit. It is your money and your choice.

 

Keep in mind the kids club personnel are paid well and DO NOT get a piece of the DSC tip. Neither do the concierge or butlers, but I don't think you are in a suite so you don't have to worry about them.

There is a big difference between what CAN be done and what is right to do. Your posts on this topic are always contrary to the views of nearly all others. You're entitied to your view and also to post it, but what you're suggesting is no different, in my opinion, to using valet parking at a restaurant and then telling them that you don't want pay the fee when you pick up your car.

There is a big difference between what CAN be done and what is right to do. Your posts on this topic are always contrary to the views of nearly all others. You're entitied to your view and also to post it, but what you're suggesting is no different, in my opinion, to using valet parking at a restaurant and then telling them that you don't want pay the fee when you pick up your car.

My answer was not intended to lecture or sway the OP in any direction. I was merely providing facts. Not my 'view'. So many on here confuse facts with their opinion and a question does not get an honest answer.

njrover0216 - since you've not cruised before, you cannot imagine the attention your children will receive on board the ship from the crew, but they will be showered with it. Even if they don't eat much, they will still be serviced. Please reserve judgement until you are there. Most of us wish the DSC would be covered in the cruise fare, but there are several reasons it can't/won't, but it really is part of the cost of cruising - just like transportation to the port, possibly parking, hotel the night before, food before getting on the ship, etc.

I definitely plan on tipping the daycare staff, especially if they are doing a wonderful job with my children. They are the ones that are going to make or break my vacation. I guess that is my point, my kids are not going to be eating or using the food services very often...so $12 a day is kind of a lot. My son has OCD with food so we have to bring poptarts, fruit snacks and other acceptable foods that are being allowed on board for him. He will probably only eat breakfast, and that will be pancakes only. My daughter is 3...enough said there right? I was debating on traveling between NCL and Carnival. Carnival allows you to adjust the tips and allocate them to the proper employees you feel should recieve them. I guess I should call NCL and see what their exact policy is. I am wondering what our cruise fare pays for if it doesnt go towards the employees. Sorry...this cruise stuff is all new to me:) Honestly, if they do not allow me to adjust then I will leave the fees as is, and not tip anymore to anyone, except the daycare employees. If they allow me to adjust, I will probably end up tipping even more then it would of been with my service charges. A waitress that does not feed or wait on my child should not get $12 from them, vs a daycare giver that has been entertaining my child and taking care of the most important thing in my life.

You're saying that a waitress who does not feed or wait on you child, should not then get $12 from them. The waitress DOESN'T the $12. Again, the $12 a day service charge is divided among the hundreds of ship employees, most of them behind the scenes workers that you will never see, but who still contribute greatly to you having a wonderful cruise. The waitress is just one of many among whom this $12 is divided. The best way to think of this is just go ahead and add this total service charge amount up, add it to the total package price of the cruise (just as you do port fees, taxes, etc) and then accept that price as the actual cruise cost. And then just keep the rest of your money in you pocket if you wish. Nothing further in tips required. Other cruise line have similar charges, but maybe you can find one with a process that more resembles cruises of long past where you just tip individuals as you go along. Hope you do find a cruise you will be comfortable with.

I love CC! It really says something about the people on this site and that cruise regularly, that there is such an appreciation for the staff on the ships (and in the terminals, baggage handlers, etc.). I have rarely had anything less than exceptional service and it is easy to see the hard work/long hours the staff puts in during each cruise. It seems some of them never sleep!

I definitely plan on tipping the daycare staff, especially if they are doing a wonderful job with my children. They are the ones that are going to make or break my vacation. I guess that is my point, my kids are not going to be eating or using the food services very often...so $12 a day is kind of a lot. My son has OCD with food so we have to bring poptarts, fruit snacks and other acceptable foods that are being allowed on board for him. He will probably only eat breakfast, and that will be pancakes only. My daughter is 3...enough said there right? I was debating on traveling between NCL and Carnival. Carnival allows you to adjust the tips and allocate them to the proper employees you feel should recieve them. I guess I should call NCL and see what their exact policy is. I am wondering what our cruise fare pays for if it doesnt go towards the employees. Sorry...this cruise stuff is all new to me:) Honestly, if they do not allow me to adjust then I will leave the fees as is, and not tip anymore to anyone, except the daycare employees. If they allow me to adjust, I will probably end up tipping even more then it would of been with my service charges. A waitress that does not feed or wait on my child should not get $12 from them, vs a daycare giver that has been entertaining my child and taking care of the most important thing in my life.

You are forgetting that the largest share of the Daily Service Charge goes to your cabin steward who cleans your cabin, changes towels and sheets, including those used by your 3 year old, cleans the bathroom, which is also used by your 3 year old. Some of the DSC is shared by all waiters/waitresses, not just one.

And the remainder is shared by some of the behind the scenes crew members who help make your cruise enjoyable.

I think you can call it whatever you want but in my eyes it is considered a tip

i always feel you can leave more of a tip if you are satisfied with service. Unfortunately you end up "tipping" someone who doesnt deserve it if the service is bad

Rarely have I ever received bad service on all of my NCL sailings. However, there have been a few memorable moments that left me rather annoyed but all in all the service is great.

OP, leave the Daily Service Charge in place. Once you get to the ship and see the amazing service you are going to receive, you will change your mind. While you may think your kids are not receiving services, they are indeed.

In the cause of saving us all a lot time posting the same old pro/con arguments I have done my FQA ver. 1.3 on the DSC. First thing to honestly ask yourself is are you trying to avoid it as I am cheap or do I just not understand why they have a DSC for tipping.

Some here will claim this information should not be shared as it is teaching people how to get out of them, I take the view you will anyway if you’re this cheap no matter what, so let’s not waste time.

Note: I pay the DSC and add some cash at the end when I find service to be above expected norms.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First two things from the NCL website so you have some base understanding for the discussion.

© Service Charges: Certain members of Carrier’s crew are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that are funded in part by the service charge paid by each Guest. The charge , which is automatically added to your onboard account and subject to adjustment at your discretion, is intended to reward service provided in all departments and job categories and is distributed to employees 07/2011 according to Carrier's evaluation of job performance. A portion of the service charge collected by Carrier is also used for fleet-wide crew welfare programs.

The last line I have major issues with is the “A portion of the service charge collected by Carrier is also used for fleet-wide crew welfare programs.” A tip or DSC is to reward for performance NCL by diverting part of it for welfare programs is cheating the crew members of a portion of their reward while the same time passing a cost of “crew welfare: on to us. No business I have ever bought from or knowledge of has line item or hidden fee for “crew welfare” or called it a DSC/Tip.

2nd in this link on FAQ http://www2.ncl.com/faq#n19262 titled “If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?”

"Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges."

The end of the 2nd statement I and others feel creates much confusion as it clearly says "Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges." once again leading you to think you can.

From these two above statements issues arise here and many minds that NCL clearly states "subject to adjustment at your discretion" & "Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges." yet it is then claimed by some here on CC this not what it really means but is a legal loophole, so NCL is not legally obligated to consider the DSC as wages and have tax issues.

Yet again the majority of vocal CC posters weight in with you should not think you can. My belief after reading the above from NCL is this all becomes more a moral and ethical view than policy, rule or law. Some people can live with that, I personally choose to not to live life cheating others just because I can.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So with the DSC background defined as clearly as mud by NCL themselves, here we go.

Yes they can be removed; bottom line you go the service desk ask them to remove it, insist they remove it; they will ask why and want a reason. By firmly stating you do not believe in tipping and demanding it be removed they will remove it.

If you give any other excuse they will try to get you to not remove it, explain the reasoning for DSC and why tipping is not the proper method and fix your issue/problem.

You should expect you will be called cheap, uncaring and lots of other things here on CC. In the line on the ship you may well find others staring, glowered, making comments on your decency or where you were born. You may feel like a heal, but you can do it.

Many on CC feel if you’re going to do this do it the first day so the crew knows you’re cheap, heartless and may ignore you while they pay attention to those of us who pay the fee and deserve their attention.

It is also claimed you will have a scarlet mark entered next to your name; another claim/report is a list goes around to all staff and your room steward with your names and cabin on it. Also it will be pointed out if removing any part of the DSC and you then tip cash the person you tipped is required to report it and it just goes back to this fund anyway, so why bother

No good reason you come can come up with to remove it is accepted here. If you have an issue on the ship the proper method of recourse is you go the service desk or call the hotel director @ x8888 and they will do their best to fix it. This is correct way to show your displeasure, not cheating the hard working staff.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now here are some of the CC reasons to leave the tip and tip well.

You’re contributing to the whole crew who works so hard, many of the crew who you never see to tip any other way. Think about their family’s wellbeing, how will they survive if everyone did this? These are the people who do the jobs, us rich Americans never would and do for 13 hrs a day all for so little pay, far below our minimum wage laws. They do it for you 7 days a week, 10 months a year, all separate from their families and homes. So now just because you can, you’re cheating them of a better life by being a cheapskate.

The DSC of $12 is less than you tip for the same value when on another type of vacation. It will be pointed out that other lines suggest higher tipping than NCL’s $12. Yet other’s will say the inside cheaper cabins should tip less than the balconies and mini suites and that is not fair. Other lines do suggest tips be higher based on cabin choice. Other lines only just suggest tips and you leave an envelope at the end, but they also if choosing a” freestyle like” dinning choice require you to prepay it.

This is the crew's pay. With the exception of a SERIOUS lapse, there is no reason why you should feel entitled to remove the crew's pay. End of story. This is not ancillary income for them. It's their core compensation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last if your trip is so problematic you feel you need compensation you have other recourses you can pursue. Noise, food quality/variety or any other non-service related issue falls under DSC removal but is a cruise line issue. The hotel director has the authorization to handle this, when you get back you can also write detailing your issues to guest services. Many myself included have found when something is really wrong NCL is willing to provide recourse via “as a gesture of goodwill cruise credits, valid towards the cruise fare only on a future voyage”. This amount was at times greater than the DSC fee was.

Last my feeling if you’re trying just to get out of paying the DSC; You knew about the fee's when you booked and could have choose some other cruise line so just pay it and shut up or do not sail NCL.

We are cruising for the first time in April. It will be my husband, my two children and myself. My kids are 7 and 3. My 7 year old is very picky, so he will probably be living off of goldfish and poptarts that we are bringing with us. Where exactly do the tips go to? I am the type of person that can not walk away from a table or a person that gave me good service without tipping them then and there. How do I request to recieve some of our gratuties back once on the boat? I would mainly like some of the tips for my kids to come back so I can specifically give them to our room attendant and the childcare givers. Since that is where my childrens gratuties should mainly go. Plus by allocating these funds directly to these specific areas, we are more assured that our children will be taken extra care of and our room will be tidy. Does this make sense? We already plan on tipping a little extra at dinner every night, our room person and the childcare...however I feel like $12 a day for my kids to be split among mainly kitchen staff is ridiculous. Especially we will not be on the boat long for 3 of the days since we have booked all day excursions.

 

Thank you!

Can someone pass me the popcorn, please? Thanks! :D

I always just leave the tip in place. When cruise lines first started adding the tip automatically to the account (whatever name they want to use to justify that - DSC, Tip, Autogratuity - it's all the same) I used to remove it because I enjoyed giving the evelopes out. I stopped doing that when the waiter told me that he had to turn in the money to be split when that happens. This was EONS ago when they first started adding it to the on board account, so I don't know what they do or don't do now. I just leave it alone. My steward get $10 on the first day (extra from us) and then more from there depending on the service. The bar tip is automatically added, so unless it's the same server every day (last year the same pool server served me just about every day, remembered what I liked, and greeted me by name) I will give extra. We give extra in the specialty restaurants, and I have never tipped the kids' club staff. Honestly, never even thought to do this! So, in short, just leave it alone. It's easier for them (and you) to do it this way.