ROOM SERVICE - Convenience Fee + 18% Gratuity

We have been waiting for some more first hand information in regards to room service changes and now we have some.

The first review from the getaway by LSUalum has been posted here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192062

We also have someone (KeithJenner) on board the Getaway right now willing to answer questions here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=46163562&posted=1#post46163562

The NCL website has been updated and in the FAQ section (Money Matters) you can now see question and answer;

Is Norwegian Cruise Line now charging for room service?

Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced an enhanced room service menu that is debuting on board Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway. The new menu offers an expanded selection for breakfast, in addition to a wider variety of options available 24 hours. Individual items on the menu remain available on a complimentary basis and a convenience charge of up to $7.95 will be added to each order placed (Room Service orders placed by guests sailing in Suites and The Haven will not attract a charge)*. Room service is one of up to 29 dining options offered across the fleet, and guests continue to be able to enjoy a wide array of complimentary choices onboard 24 hours a day.

*Prices subject to change

So according to the website the convenience fee is no longer a test but is debuting on the BA & GA. Other ship web pages have also been updated and indicate that room service is subject to a convenience fee. From the review above we learn that not only have they instituted a 'convenience charge' but that charge is now subject to an 18% gratuity charge. :eek:

I imagine due to claims of double dipping in reference to the new 18% added to the specialty restaurants changes have been made to the FAQ section in regards to the DSC service charge;

Why is there a service charge?

The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports. How much is the charge? Onboard Service Charges are additional.

A month ago when we paid the DSC it included all wait staff, coffee shop staff, ship wide pizza delivery and room service personnel. Now all these people are supposedly removed from the DSC and being paid by the new 18% automatic gratuity. So why the need for increases to the DSC especially as high as the 25% increase imposed on suite guests?

If all these positions are not removed from the DSC then that is double dipping and in my opinion in the case of room service they are triple dipping.

• They have clearly stated in their FAQ in regards to the service charge that complimentary restaurant staff is included in the DSC. Dip #!
  
• In their explanation of room service they make a point of saying that the food is complimentary but subject to the convenience charge. Dip #2
  
• Now as reported in the first Getaway review from someone subject to the 'test' the fee was subject to an 18% gratuity Dip #3
  

We now pay an increased DSC fee. The services of some of those covered by the DSC are subject to additional service fees. And to add insult to injury those secondary fees are now subject to a gratuity.

In my opinion when you charge a gratuity for services and then charge a service fee on those services and then an additonal 18% on the second fee....that is TRIPLE DIPPING.

**to note** I do not want to debate the DSC is not a gratuity debate. The DSC was put in place to replace the old way of providing gratuities. NCL themselves call the DSC a gratuity. If you need further proof please visit ncl.com ..front page shows their latest promotion..one of the options is "Free gratuities" ..so lets not cloud the issues here.

Whether you order room service or not, or agree or disagree about fees for the service I would think most would agree that double or triple dipping is wrong. The way NCL goes about making changes is completely unprofessional, especially for a company of their size. The spin they try and put on the wording of these changes is an insult to the intelligence of their customer base. The removal of the Asian restaurants and Noodles Bars from fee based venues to complimentary is just a small bone they have thrown at us. They are not giving up much. These were venues that were almost always empty, wasted space in prime locations on the ships. Make them free and folks will say okay to all the other changes. Well I think these changes reek of greed on the part of the company. Most of these are made to appear that they are for the benefit of the employees. If this were true why have they never come out and said that? The changes are being made for their bottom line. I realize the purpose of a business is to make money but they should not be gouging their customers with a new fee every time they turn around to do so. They do not need to be sneaky and deceptive in doing so. They should not be alienating their customers, whether they are brand new or loyal repeat customers.

When will it end? I don't think this is the end for extra charges. I think there is more to come. If you refer back to the above quote for What is a service charge?, it ends with this disclaimer; Onboard Service Charges are additional

Notice the plural..so far we have a service charge for room service. What is next??

Rochelle

What's next ? We might as well signed over a blank charge a/k/a blank preauthorized credit card charge slip, and let whoever filled in the total as all "inclusive".

Does anyone have the list of the enhanced In-Room Dining menu items? I might be alone on this but I don't mind paying the fee if it means I can order better items than the older list. I guess living in Vegas I'm just used to our high IRD prices and higher delivery fees.

You are a little misleading in your post, Rochelle. The 18 percent gratuity is only for beverages and for special occasion plates. I am not nagging, just clarifying!

The other items do not have an 18% gratuity added. It is seen clearly at the bottom of the RS menu that Triptolemus has posted via Keith Jenner who is on Geatway right now.

There has always been the gratuity on non-complimentary beverages.

You are a little misleading in your post, Rochelle. The 18 percent gratuity is only for beverages and for special occasion plates. I am not nagging, just clarifying!

 

The other items do not have an 18% gratuity added. It is seen clearly at the bottom of the RS menu that Triptolemus has posted via Keith Jenner who is on Geatway right now.

 

There has always been the gratuity on non-complimentary beverages.

How is that misleading, read the review Rochelle referenced

Also received a nasty surprise once we boarded the ship that room service is now $4.95+18% gratuity no matter what time of the day you order. Our room steward was also unaware and he checked and they just changed it for our cruise. More on nickle and diming by NCL later.

You are a little misleading in your post, Rochelle. The 18 percent gratuity is only for beverages and for special occasion plates. I am not nagging, just clarifying!

 

The other items do not have an 18% gratuity added. It is seen clearly at the bottom of the RS menu that Triptolemus has posted via Keith Jenner who is on Geatway right now.

 

There has always been the gratuity on non-complimentary beverages.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192062

This thread would appear to contradict that. The 18% seems to be being added on to every order, 'complimentary' or not.:(

So, a convenience fee and a gratuity fee. What other fee's can NCL charge to get into our wallets?

Now that these are people that have just come off the cruise, will some still not believe what is happening?????

I hope they have coffee stations set up on the different floors. No one will be paying those prices for coffee in the mornings.

I am glad the person sent the food back, I hope more people followed their lead. I said it from day 1 that I would double up my order so I didn't have to order twice.

My 2 pots of coffee will become 4 so I can clean out the 2 pots and use them the rest of the week. They will only get me once.

In fact I am tempted to go out and buy 2 carafes and not pay NCL once

 

If all these positions are not removed from the DSC then that is double dipping and in my opinion in the case of room service they are triple dipping.

 

 

 

• 
   
  
• They have clearly stated in their FAQ in regards to the service charge that complimentary restaurant staff is included in the DSC. Dip #!
   
  
• In their explanation of room service they make a point of saying that the food is complimentary but subject to the convenience charge. Dip #2
   
  
• Now as reported in the first Getaway review from someone subject to the 'test' the fee was subject to an 18% gratuity Dip #3
   
  

Dip #1: Room service is not a restaurant. It is the opposite of a restaurant. The value of room service resides entirely in the fact that you get to avoid going to a restaurant.

Dip #2: That is what the current test menus say.

Dip #3: That is not what the current test menus say.

I also wonder if the convenience charge is waived if you order only special occasion items (and bar beverages). That would be the kind of pricing that we see for room service in land hotels: a charge per item plus a delivery fee. And the reason why 99% of land hotel guests never ever order room service.

I have no problem with a room service fee. I always was amazed you could get room service for free (in most cases).

I also have no problem with increasing the auto daily gratuity.

I draw the line on the "double dipping" of gratuity. You pay the auto daily gratuity, you pay the cover charge, and now you also pay a gratuity based on the cover charge in addition to the 2 other fees at the restaurant. Its wrong to do that. Its just the principle.

When you pay for the UBP, they make you pay a good bit of gratuity added on to the bill. Would it not be just as crazy to order a glass of wine at Cagneys and they charge you another gratuity on the glass of wine? You already paid for the wine and the gratuity, so of course you should not be forced to pay another gratuity. Same idea.

I have seen the quality of the specialty restaurants (food and atmosphere) slide over the years and the fee increased. Now with these extra charges, it just would limit my spending and not booking as many specialty restaurants. I also think families are being priced out of specialty restaurants. I cant imagine how expensive it would be for a family of 4 or five to pay all of their gratuities for the day, pay a cover charge, and then pay 18% for everyone on top of the cover charge. Then if the kids get a glass of Pepsi there would be another charge and another gratuity. Huge price to take everyone for one night at Cagneys :eek:.

A meal at a restaurant is now becoming close to the price of an excursion :eek:.

This is sort of relevant to the discussion.

Just noticed that when you try to make a booking at a specialty restaurant that NCL has (to the best of my knowledge) changed the language at that point of sale. It now says:

"An 18% gratuity and specialty service charge will be added at checkout for Specialty Dining."

Pretty sure they initially said there'd be an "auto-gratuity" added. Now it's being called a "gratuity and service charge."

I think this means that the person who actually serves you in a specialty may or may not receive the "auto-gratuity" you sign for. "Service charge" gives NCL much more control over where the money ends up.

How is that misleading, read the review Rochelle referenced

Also received a nasty surprise once we boarded the ship that room service is now $4.95+18% gratuity no matter what time of the day you order. Our room steward was also unaware and he checked and they just changed it for our cruise. More on nickle and diming by NCL later.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192062

This thread would appear to contradict that. The 18% seems to be being added on to every order, 'complimentary' or not.:(

I have not read the threads that were linked in the posts on this thread yet. Not saying that it is not possible that NCL is not adding a service fee plus 18% gratuity on the fee, BUT...I have read the brand new menu posted recently in a new thread, and it states at the bottom:

"An 18% gratuity and beverage service charge will be added to your check for non-complimentry beverage and special occasion items".

It seems pretty clear that an order of complimentry eggs and coffee would incur the 4.95 or 7.95 service charge, while an order which included fee item would incur the service charge plus an 18% gratuity on the total of the for fee items, not 18% on the service charge itself.

How is that misleading, read the review Rochelle referenced

Also received a nasty surprise once we boarded the ship that room service is now $4.95+18% gratuity no matter what time of the day you order. Our room steward was also unaware and he checked and they just changed it for our cruise. More on nickle and diming by NCL later.

Iimmie:

The actual menu shows that the 18% is only on the drinks and party platters. I wasn't arguing, just pointing out the statement on the actual menu.

If we are going to complain, let's make sure we are complaining about the correct thing.

I have not read the threads that were linked in the posts on this thread yet. Not saying that it is not possible that NCL is not adding a service fee plus 18% gratuity on the fee, BUT...I have read the brand new menu posted recently in a new thread, and it states at the bottom:

 

"An 18% gratuity and beverage service charge will be added to your check for non-complimentry beverage and special occasion items".

 

It seems pretty clear that an order of complimentry eggs and coffee would incur the 4.95 or 7.95 service charge, while an order which included fee item would incur the service charge plus an 18% gratuity on the total of the for fee items, not 18% on the service charge itself.

What the menu says and what is happening in actuality, seem to be two different things. NCL are getting themselves a track record of writing one lot of ambiguous nonsense and then doing something different.

I have not read the threads that were linked in the posts on this thread yet. Not saying that it is not possible that NCL is not adding a service fee plus 18% gratuity on the fee, BUT...I have read the brand new menu posted recently in a new thread, and it states at the bottom:

 

"An 18% gratuity and beverage service charge will be added to your check for non-complimentry beverage and special occasion items".

 

It seems pretty clear that an order of complimentry eggs and coffee would incur the 4.95 or 7.95 service charge, while an order which included fee item would incur the service charge plus an 18% gratuity on the total of the for fee items, not 18% on the service charge itself.

Special occasion items are the party platters, not the eggs, etc.

I am not defending NCL

But when we argue the wrong set of perceived facts the entire conversation becomes ridiculous!

I already decided 10 bucks for lousy coffee is not worth it, I will either buy a coffee pot and make my own (The 4 cup version just won't cut it) or 2 carafes

I already decided 10 bucks for lousy coffee is not worth it, I will either buy a coffee pot and make my own (The 4 cup version just won't cut it) or 2 carafes

Aren't there coffee makers in cabins? We don't drink coffee, but I specifically remember hiding ours on our cruises.

There's no coffee makers in family ov which is what we book. I dont like balconies.

Special occasion items are the party platters, not the eggs, etc.

I am not defending NCL

But when we argue the wrong set of perceived facts the entire conversation becomes ridiculous!

Ah yes, I was thinking anything with a fee attached, but it does specify the party platters. And I agree, too soon to know if those early reports of both service fee and 18% added for just regular orders are just someone misunderstanding what they read on a menu, or if in fact it is "here we go again" with NCL stating one thing and doing another. I sincerely hope not, because an auto grat of 18% tacked onto complimentry items which have already incurred a "convenience fee" would be ridiculous.

Is Norwegian Cruise Line now charging for room service?

Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced an enhanced room service menu that is debuting on board Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway. The new menu offers an expanded selection for breakfast, in addition to a wider variety of options available 24 hours. Individual items on the menu remain available on a complimentary basis and a convenience charge of up to $7.95 will be added to each order placed (Room Service orders placed by guests sailing in Suites and The Haven will not attract a charge)*. Room service is one of up to 29 dining options offered across the fleet, and guests continue to be able to enjoy a wide array of complimentary choices onboard 24 hours a day.

*Prices subject to change

 

 

 

Rochelle

So based on the quote above it appears that the free room service to guests in Suites and the Haven is subject to change. If I am tipping my butler, why do I need to pay a convenience charge? NCL needs to re-think this move.

if they implement this on haven the charge is going to be higher just like the dsc

So, a convenience fee and a gratuity fee. What other fee's can NCL charge to get into our wallets?

Well, NCL says the food is free. So it is only three charges to get free food. Your cruise fare. A convenience fee. And a mandatory gratuity. So count your lucky stars the food is free.

You are a little misleading in your post, Rochelle. The 18 percent gratuity is only for beverages and for special occasion plates. I am not nagging, just clarifying!

 

The other items do not have an 18% gratuity added. It is seen clearly at the bottom of the RS menu that Triptolemus has posted via Keith Jenner who is on Geatway right now.

 

There has always been the gratuity on non-complimentary beverages.

Dr. Nora.

I was not being misleading. In a couple of posts after this one you mention basing things on the facts, which I believe I have. The only facts we have so far about what is actually happening in regards to the !8% on room service can be found in the review I referenced in post #1. LSUalum posted that they were charged the convenience fee + 18%. They were asked for clarification on that. They confirmed they had no fee items when they ordered room service and that they were indeed charged 18% on the service charge. He did not pay it and sent the order back. You could ask him for more clarification, I just don't know what more they could give.

Rochelle

Thanks for clarifying these charges..

I'm really Thankful I got a suite because according to this thread I won't be charged for Room service, correct?

Also since I got the Unlimited Beverage package & dining package as promos, I won't be charged an 18% gratuity at the restaurants.....I hope

Unfortunately, I might be thinking of changing cruise lines if they keep up with this nickle & diming cr*p.