Service Charges..... Tipping????

[alwayssingin]

I have just made final payment for our Christmas Cruise. We have never sailed with NCL before, and while I was scanning the paper work, I noticed the "Service Charges" blurb. So I inquired with the Consultant I was making the payment with as to wether this is a mandatory charge, or optional. We last sailed with RCI, and the tipping was automatically added to the room charges. If you wanted to tip in cash, you could go to the front desk and have the charge removed from your account. Is it the same with NCL? If it is not, then why is this cost not incorporated into the price of the fare? I am feeling a little sticker shock with the fact that we may have an additional $432 to come up with. It has been 5 years since our last cruise, am I out of touch??

 

Thanks for the clarification!!!

 

It appears to me that your question is simply "Does service charge = tipping?" The easy answer is yes. If you have problems, you are free to speak to the people at the front desk about removing or reducing them, but it's not recommended.

 

If you are in a suite or villa and take advantage of concierge or butler, those tips are not included in the service charge.

 

Drinks ordered from any bar have a 15% gratuity added to them.

 

You are always free to tip individuals extra if you'd like.

 

Hope that helps!

[greenstuff]

If you check this post out the poster was just on the Oasis in May and was charged $11 day DSC. It is amazing how many people think this charge is unique to NCL and are shocked when they find out about it.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1273404

[NMLady]

... It seems like, whenever we have a thread like this, what starts out as some kind of principled objection to the daily service charge eventually comes down to the amount of $$ involved, especially when there are three or four people traveling as a family. The logic goes something like: "Gee, that comes to 'an additional $432,' and that's a lot of money!" ...

 

 

Hubby and I are booked on 3 back-to-back cruises for a total of 33 days. Our DSC total is $792 which is indeed a lot of money. In fact, NCL required us to prepay it with our final payment. I think they were afraid we'd balk at that final total. But nope, we'd never withdraw that DSC since it goes

to so many different people, all of whom work hard.

 

If I have a complaint about any of the service I deal with it at the front desk since to remove the DSC would remove it from everyone, not just the offending party.

 

Besides, if we were staying in a hotel and eating 2 or 3 meals a day in a restaurant the tips for the maids and waiter/waitress would probably come to close to the same amount ($24 for both of us), so I don't see a problem with the charge. At least we don't also have a daily resort fee which more and more hotels are charging.

[brfan]

If you check this post out the poster was just on the Oasis in May and was charged $11 day DSC. It is amazing how many people think this charge is unique to NCL and are shocked when they find out about it.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1273404

 

Sounds like an error, since Royal doesn't have autotips (you have to fill out a form and ask that they charge the daily amount to your account). I'm guessing this person stayed in a suite as the daily recommended amount on Royal is $9.75.

[salty dingo]

Yes, you are out of touch.

Your cruise consultant should have clearly imformed you of that cost.

 

I do believe the service charge should be incorporated into the fare. I guess one case you could make for leaving it the way it is would be that you have to pay the fare sooner and you can pay the tip later.

 

Another argument could be that people are accustomed to paying the gratuity at the end of the cruise and this is less disruptive to repeat cruisers.

 

My only suggestion would be to assess your financial situation and if the additional $432 is going to be a problem maybe you can make other plans which are less expensive.

 

The only other comment I can make is that the service charge absolutely should not be subject to removal, for precisely the reason the OP stated - that people who are pressed financially to afford the cruise may choose to remove it simply because they cannot afford to pay it. This is unacceptable. The DSC is part of the cost of the cruise and if you cannot afford it then it is not the right vacation choice.

[RichNY]

Hubby and I are booked on 3 back-to-back cruises for a total of 33 days. Our DSC total is $792 which is indeed a lot of money. In fact, NCL required us to prepay it with our final payment. I think they were afraid we'd balk at that final total. But nope, we'd never withdraw that DSC since it goes

to so many different people, all of whom work hard.

 

If I have a complaint about any of the service I deal with it at the front desk since to remove the DSC would remove it from everyone, not just the offending party.

 

Besides, if we were staying in a hotel and eating 2 or 3 meals a day in a restaurant the tips for the maids and waiter/waitress would probably come to close to the same amount ($24 for both of us), so I don't see a problem with the charge. At least we don't also have a daily resort fee which more and more hotels are charging.

 

 

What is NCL's criteria for prepaying the DSC ????

[mistyPA]

I have just made final payment for our Christmas Cruise. We have never sailed with NCL before, and while I was scanning the paper work, I noticed the "Service Charges" blurb. So I inquired with the Consultant I was making the payment with as to wether this is a mandatory charge, or optional. We last sailed with RCI, and the tipping was automatically added to the room charges. If you wanted to tip in cash, you could go to the front desk and have the charge removed from your account. Is it the same with NCL? If it is not, then why is this cost not incorporated into the price of the fare? I am feeling a little sticker shock with the fact that we may have an additional $432 to come up with. It has been 5 years since our last cruise, am I out of touch??

 

Thanks for the clarification!!!

 

When you cruised 5 yrs ago, you probably offered up a tip, which if you followed the tip recommendations from the cruise line would be comparable to what you are going to pay on your upcoming cruise. I think people get overwhelmed when they are told the amount will be automatically charged to their account. Of course, you could opt out and make your own separate tips, but you would probably find that you would end up tipping out a similar amount. After all these people work hard.

 

The way I look at it is we are going out for dinner...the meals are $20 per person and each will get a drink and possibly appetizer or dessert...final tab is $100, but I know I am going to add 15-20% on top of that depending on the type of restaurant and the service...If you told me up front that dinner would cost $20 more I may complain a little, but I don't seem to be bothered as much by the tip as much when I think I am coming up with the idea and choosing the amount. Fact is, I am not coming up with the idea and I really am not choosing the amount...the only choice I make is that I am going out to dinner and what I am going to eat...the rest is assumed.

[DKP1999]

 

Now, that is funny!

[sottovoce]

Hubby and I are booked on 3 back-to-back cruises for a total of 33 days. Our DSC total is $792 which is indeed a lot of money. In fact, NCL required us to prepay it with our final payment. I think they were afraid we'd balk at that final total. But nope, we'd never withdraw that DSC since it goes to so many different people, all of whom work hard.

Well said, NMLady. And I'm happy to see NCL doing that. We'll now see the cheapskates start coming out of the woodwork and questioning it.

 

The DSC for a seven-day cruise is $84, or $168 for two. If you take two kids on a two-week cruise, all of a sudden that $168 becomes $672 and we get the usual posting here about "how do I get the DSC removed?" But there are twice as many people being served for twice the length of time, so four times the $168 is the appropriate amount. If a couple goes out to dinner four times, don't they tip four times as much as for one dinner out? Or do they say: "We've already been here three times this month, so this time we're not leaving a tip?";)

[sparks1093]

DW and I just had a dinner that cost $40 each (not including drinks). That's a $6 tip, each. Throw in two other meals and steward services and $12 each per day looks pretty good. (And FWIW DW said the meal was comparable to what we had on the Sky.)

[erdoran]

Well, until NCL and other cruise lines stop saying the DSC is optional, discretionary and can be removed people WILL remove it. It's as much psychological as it is financial! How can anyone understand what is so wrong with removing it without further information?

 

Cruise Critic is an excellent educational resource (if you can tune out the free-flying insults!) for helping people understanding what the DSC REALLY is, and that, right or wrong, the cruise industry has a business model which requires the pax to compensate a large percentage of their staff. I (and probably many, many other cruisers) HATE this, and would vastly prefer to just have the DSC added to my fare at the time of booking as a line item, separated, untaxed and noncommissionable the way port charges and other taxes are. Although I have never removed a DSC before coming to CC, it took reading and participating in DSC discussions before I "got it" and got on board with the CC way of thinking.

 

So, the reality of cruising is (according to CC) that the DSC is really a mandatory part of the cost of cruising, and you shouldn't remove or reduce it the way you can a tip in a restaurant with poor service. That makes the tickets $12/day more expensive, and when pricing a cruise that just needs to be considered.

 

The other thing is - you know how people get so worked up about little things? The cruise wasn't perfect, one person gave mediocre service, their dinner was overdone, the pool was crowded, there were chair hogs & the pool attendant did nothing, their steward didn't refill the ice bucket? Granted, all are departures from perfection BUT in the scheme of things, compared to the overall cruise experience? NOTHING! Yet the littlest thing gets so blown out of proportion on cruises, whereas if it happened in a land-based resort perhaps an individual tip would be reduced? Perhaps the positioning of the DSC as a TIP (or gratuity--what is the difference?) and the large cumulative amount is a setup for exactly this--I am tipping $$$$ therefore there must be perfection!

[NMLady]

What is NCL's criteria for prepaying the DSC ????

 

I don't know. It might be 30 days. When we booked the first 2 cruises it was one booking for a total of 19 days and no prepayment was necessary.

But when we added a 14 day cruise to it, making a total of 33 days, NCL told our TA to include the gratuities for all three cruises on the bill.

[RichNY]

Thanks for the answer I really appreciate it..I guess it will remain a NCL mystery.

 

BTW- have a great cruise(cruises).:D..Last year we did the Jewel repo Dover to NYC...fantastic..

[mistyPA]

Sounds like an error, since Royal doesn't have autotips (you have to fill out a form and ask that they charge the daily amount to your account). I'm guessing this person stayed in a suite as the daily recommended amount on Royal is $9.75.

 

Ok...I was the person who posted about Oasis in May and yes they did autocharge us...we DID NOT have to ask this to be done...it was automatically done. In fact, if we so chose we could have the charge dropped...that DID require filling out a form. No, I did not stay in a suite. I do not recall if the daily charge was $9.75 or $11...for some reason $11 is what I am remembering...though I could be remembering wrong - won't be the first or last time that happens.

 

However, I am remembering that we were autocharged. I believe we paid upfront with the booking of the cruise. Perhaps it was because we chose anytime dining. I believe they DO autocharge for an anytime dining option as there are many venues to eat.

 

Also, have sailed Princess several times and they do autocharge...thinking $10 per day...but again I could be remembering the dollar amount wrong. As with RCL, you could have the charge dropped, but that also required filling out a paper.

 

I do not believe in dropping this charge as I fully understand that this supplements the staff's income, as a tip does in so many jobs. If I stayed in a hotel somewhere, I would tip the person cleaning the room...I would tip at the different places I chose to dine...I figure $12 per day is probably less than what I would pay if I had to eat 2 meals per day in a restaurant and if I tipped the hotel cleaning person...

[Dale]

:) I'll buy the shovel. Who wants to dig the hole? :)

[mistyPA]

Ok...I was the person who posted about Oasis in May and yes they did autocharge us...we DID NOT have to ask this to be done...it was automatically done. In fact, if we so chose we could have the charge dropped...that DID require filling out a form. No, I did not stay in a suite. I do not recall if the daily charge was $9.75 or $11...for some reason $11 is what I am remembering...though I could be remembering wrong - won't be the first or last time that happens.

 

However, I am remembering that we were autocharged. I believe we paid upfront with the booking of the cruise. Perhaps it was because we chose anytime dining. I believe they DO autocharge for an anytime dining option as there are many venues to eat.

 

Also, have sailed Princess several times and they do autocharge...thinking $10 per day...but again I could be remembering the dollar amount wrong. As with RCL, you could have the charge dropped, but that also required filling out a paper.

 

I do not believe in dropping this charge as I fully understand that this supplements the staff's income, as a tip does in so many jobs. If I stayed in a hotel somewhere, I would tip the person cleaning the room...I would tip at the different places I chose to dine...I figure $12 per day is probably less than what I would pay if I had to eat 2 meals per day in a restaurant and if I tipped the hotel cleaning person...

 

Ok...I checked on the Oasis cruise 5/1/10 - inside cabin...they did autocharge us $9.75 per day. We paid with the booking of the cruise. There was a line item that gave the option of prepaying or having it charged to the account daily. I opted to prepay it. It was clearly stated that the charge would come UNLESS we filled out a paper to have the daily charged removed.

 

And this statement comes from Princess FAQ page...

 

Question: What are the tipping guidelines for my cruise?

Answer: During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. Many more crew support those who serve you directly. To save you the worry of who to tip and how much, Princess makes it easier for you to reward excellent service by automatically adding a discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $11 USD for suites and mini-suites and $10.50 USD for all other staterooms per person per day (including children) to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others. Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.

Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.

A 15% charge is automatically added to your bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff.

[erdoran]

It's a dead horse for the CC regulars but let's remember there are new people joining all the time who DON'T KNOW as much as CC regulars, and to whom the whole DSC does come as a surprise...and yes, $400 or $796 IS sticker shock, as OP stated! There is nothing wrong with asking about it, having the explanation about what the DSC really is and how it is probably less than they would tip if they were dining out for all those meals, staying in a fancy resort, etc......

 

How else do people "get it" about the DSC except by doing their homework/research, and CC is one place to do just that. So please put away the popcorn, bury the dead horses, and just explain to those who have the decency to ask rather than trying to remove the DSC. After all, isn't that the goal of the rather vocal posters about DSC, to have people understand that it is part of their fare and as optional as port charges and taxes are?

[negc]

Ok...I was the person who posted about Oasis in May and yes they did autocharge us...we DID NOT have to ask this to be done...it was automatically done. In fact, if we so chose we could have the charge dropped...that DID require filling out a form. No, I did not stay in a suite. I do not recall if the daily charge was $9.75 or $11...for some reason $11 is what I am remembering...though I could be remembering wrong - won't be the first or last time that happens.

 

However, I am remembering that we were autocharged. I believe we paid upfront with the booking of the cruise. Perhaps it was because we chose anytime dining. I believe they DO autocharge for an anytime dining option as there are many venues to eat.

 

.

 

The reason that you were "autocharged" is exactly because you booked My Time Dining on the Oasis. Otherwise, unless you are not booking your cruise in the US, you have control over how you will pay your tips. You can, IF YOU CHOOSE, elect to prepay your tips, or yddou can, once you are onboard, sign a form which authorizes RCI to add your tips to your onboard account. If you choose neither of those options and do nothing, at the end of the cruise tip in cash, in whatever amounts you feel are appropriate. The tipping process on RCI is quite a bit different from the process used by NCL but since NCL has Freestyle Dining, it is necessary that they automatically apply what they choose to call a "daily service charge" to insure that the people who wait on you and maintain your stateroom are properly compensated.:)

[njhorseman]

Ok...I was the person who posted about Oasis in May and yes they did autocharge us...we DID NOT have to ask this to be done...it was automatically done. In fact, if we so chose we could have the charge dropped...that DID require filling out a form. No, I did not stay in a suite. I do not recall if the daily charge was $9.75 or $11...for some reason $11 is what I am remembering...though I could be remembering wrong - won't be the first or last time that happens.

 

However, I am remembering that we were autocharged. I believe we paid upfront with the booking of the cruise. Perhaps it was because we chose anytime dining. I believe they DO autocharge for an anytime dining option as there are many venues to eat.

 

Also, have sailed Princess several times and they do autocharge...thinking $10 per day...but again I could be remembering the dollar amount wrong. As with RCL, you could have the charge dropped, but that also required filling out a paper.

 

I do not believe in dropping this charge as I fully understand that this supplements the staff's income, as a tip does in so many jobs. If I stayed in a hotel somewhere, I would tip the person cleaning the room...I would tip at the different places I chose to dine...I figure $12 per day is probably less than what I would pay if I had to eat 2 meals per day in a restaurant and if I tipped the hotel cleaning person...

 

The charge is $9.75. The confusion is arising from your use of the word "autocharged". That is normally used here for when the cruise line automatically adds the charge to your onboard account. You prepaid your gratuities, with your cruise fare, they weren't "autocharged" to your onboard account...and yes, Royal Caribbean requires prepayment when you choose "anytime" dining.

[mistyPA]

The charge is $9.75. The confusion is arising from your use of the word "autocharged". That is normally used here for when the cruise line automatically adds the charge to your onboard account. You prepaid your gratuities, with your cruise fare, they weren't "autocharged" to your onboard account...and yes, Royal Caribbean requires prepayment when you choose "anytime" dining.

 

No...Because we chose My time dining...the charge was going to be there. The option was to either prepay it or have it charged to your account daily. You DID NOT have to prepay...it could be charged to your account because when I was booking the cruise I forgot to have it prepaid on my parent's reservation, however, in the paperwork that came prior to the cruise, it was clearly stated that the room would be charged $9.75 per person daily because we chose MY TIME DINING. It further stated...that if you chose to have the charge removed you should fill out paperwork at the beginning of the cruise to have the charge removed. So, yes, my parents were charged the $9.75 daily via a line item on the bill that stated daily charge.

[dwjoe]

It's a dead horse for the CC regulars but let's remember there are new people joining all the time who DON'T KNOW as much as CC regulars, and to whom the whole DSC does come as a surprise...

 

How else do people "get it" about the DSC except by doing their homework/research, and CC is one place to do just that. ... After all, isn't that the goal of the rather vocal posters about DSC, to have people understand that it is part of their fare and as optional as port charges and taxes are?

<applause>

 

A politely worded explanation will do much to encourage people to sail your favorite cruise line.

[njhorseman]

No...Because we chose My time dining...the charge was going to be there. The option was to either prepay it or have it charged to your account daily. You DID NOT have to prepay...it could be charged to your account because when I was booking the cruise I forgot to have it prepaid on my parent's reservation, however, in the paperwork that came prior to the cruise, it was clearly stated that the room would be charged $9.75 per person daily because we chose MY TIME DINING. It further stated...that if you chose to have the charge removed you should fill out paperwork at the beginning of the cruise to have the charge removed. So, yes, my parents were charged the $9.75 daily via a line item on the bill that stated daily charge.

 

Royal Caribbean' states that the "My Time" gratuities must be prepaid. I can't vouch for what happened with your parents' reservations.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/home.do;jsessionid=0000MTyNcRrh_A2HolndvGGrcps:13hldcctq?#/?detail=700&wl=0

 

Prepaid Gratuity will be automatically added to this reservation. Prepaid gratuities are required when you select My Time Dining. This gratuity is calculated for everyone in your reservation at a variable rate, depending on the length of cruise.

 

You made conflicting statements in your posts. In one sentence you said you were autocharged. then in the next you said you prepaid the gratuities:

 

"However, I am remembering that we were autocharged. I believe we paid upfront with the booking of the cruise. "

[sottovoce]

It's a dead horse for the CC regulars but let's remember there are new people joining all the time who DON'T KNOW as much as CC regulars, and to whom the whole DSC does come as a surprise...and yes, $400 or $796 IS sticker shock, as OP stated! There is nothing wrong with asking about it, having the explanation about what the DSC really is and how it is probably less than they would tip if they were dining out for all those meals, staying in a fancy resort, etc......

 

How else do people "get it" about the DSC except by doing their homework/research, and CC is one place to do just that. So please put away the popcorn, bury the dead horses, and just explain to those who have the decency to ask rather than trying to remove the DSC. After all, isn't that the goal of the rather vocal posters about DSC, to have people understand that it is part of their fare and as optional as port charges and taxes are?

I'm not sure what you're griping about. Explaining the DSC is what we do every time this subject is raised. The problem is that too many of the people starting the thread don't respond by simply saying "oh, now I understand--no problem," they come back with a zillion contrived reasons why they still don't want to pay it.

 

I guess I will never understand how someone can book a two-week cruise for four people and not expect to pay many hundreds of dollars in gratuities. Don't these people ever eat in a restaurant? Don't they know to tip the housekeeper in a hotel when they vacation? Why would they think it's any different on a cruise ship?

[salty dingo]

Don't these people ever eat in a restaurant? Don't they know to tip the housekeeper in a hotel when they vacation? Why would they think it's any different on a cruise ship?

When DW and I eat out, we always tip: poor service would get maybe 10% and superior service might get 20%. I used to always tip 15% but I think that a bit higher rate is now the norm.

 

That's for people who care.

 

I have a DD who worked as a waitress in a well-known chain steakhouse. This was a "bar and grill" type place and not fine dining. She would tell stories about a couple who would come in an order all sorts of stuff, send stuff back, and stay a long time and have several drinks, and then leave with no tip.

 

That's a really lousy person, there! Even if you just hated the waitress, leaving zero tip is about the same as spitting in her face!

[dwjoe]

I guess I will never understand how someone can book a two-week cruise for four people and not expect to pay many hundreds of dollars in gratuities. Don't these people ever eat in a restaurant? Don't they know to tip the housekeeper in a hotel when they vacation? Why would they think it's any different on a cruise ship?

Because they don't know? And came on CC to find out more? :)

 

Each inquiry comes from a separate individual ... stereotyping them makes about as much sense as any other stereotype. i.e., none.