Service Charges on NCL

[Out to sea!]

as I stated in post #397....every cruiseline that I could find other than NCL made it pretty clear the service charge IS a tip. Gratuity=tip

 

 

 

April 14th, 2014, 09:39 AM

Traveller20074

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Dec 2008

Posts: 1,617

 

 

here's Carnival's policy

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the tipping policy onboard?

Service Gratuities

For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $10.00 per guest, per day (our recommended guideline) as follows:

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services

$ 1.00 Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to other kitchen and hotel service staff

For Cruises-To-Nowhere, gratuities of $10 per guest, per day must be prepaid.

Our Staff is totally committed to exceed your expectations in every way possible. If you are not satisfied with the service you receive, we encourage you to contact the Guest Services desk while onboard. This will allow us to address your concerns in a timely and appropriate fashion. At your discretion, you may adjust the gratuities at any time while onboard. Gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.

For beverage purchases, fifteen percent of the bill is automatically added to the Sail & Sign charge. Room Service staff may be tipped as service is rendered. Tipping your Maître d’ is at your discretion, based upon the service you receive.

NOTE: BARBADOS CRUISES

All gratuities are pre-paid and automatically added during the booking process for Barbados itineraries.

 

 

here's Oceana's policy.

 

funny how vague NCL is on this "service charge" thing on their website. Everyone else calls it a tip, from what I can tell.

 

How much you choose to tip is a personal matter and completely at your discretion. For your convenience, gratuities of $12.50 per guest, per day are automatically added to your shipboard account. An additional $4.00 per guest, per day will be added for guests occupying Penthouse, Vista or Owner's Suites where Butler Service is provided. Naturally, guests may adjust gratuities at their sole discretion.

 

 

Here's Princess

 

 

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.

 

 

Royal Caribbean

 

 

As of March 1, 2013, Royal Caribbean will automatically add a $12.00 USD gratuity ($14.25 USD for Suite guests) to each guest’s onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis. This gratuity is shared by Dining Services staff, stateroom Attendants other Housekeeping Services Personnel that work to enhance your cruise. The daily automatic gratuity amounts are recommended and are based on customary industry standards

 

 

 

 

gra·tu·i·ty

 

 

/grəˈt(y)o͞oitē/

 

 

noun

 

noun: gratuity; plural noun: gratuities

 

 

 

1.

 

 

 

a tip given to a waiter, taxicab driver, etc.

__________________

 

If you want to worry about what other cruise lines do, sail on those lines (and they expect those monies as well no matter what word they call it). If you sail on NCL, you do what NCL expects.

[isdoo]

It's only one way.

 

NCL has a FAQ where they CLEARLY differentiate between a gratuity and the service charge.

 

The bar/spa/etc examples you keep bringing up are gratuities, they are optional (btw), and are given to the employee named on the receipt that you sign. No different than including the tip on your bill on land. That money goes to the employee and not to NCL.

 

However...we are discussing service charges, NOT tips. So back to topic, the service charge is contractually billed (per the Guest Ticket Contract) and it goes to NCL...never to a named employee. The money belongs to NCL, who can distribute it according to their discretion (as outlined in the FAQ).

 

NCL never refers to the Service Charge as a tip. That is nothing more than message board urban legand with no basis in fact.

 

So who get's the tip/gratuity on the UBP?

 

There is no employee there?

 

Why is the 15% / 18% compulsory as a tip, whereas the 15% service charge can be removed.

 

Yet, you say that the 15% can be removed? How can it?

 

Doesn't make sense, does it?

[time2cruise1]

So who get's the tip/gratuity on the UBP?

 

 

 

There is no employee there?

 

 

 

Why is the 15% / 18% compulsory as a tip, whereas the 15% service charge can be removed.

 

 

 

Yet, you say that the 15% can be removed? How can it?

 

 

 

Doesn't make sense, does it?

 

 

Makes perfect sense. The same employes that get the 15% on all bar checks. That is the reason they ring up all UBP drinks showing a 15% in order to get their share of the UBP 15%. Those charges are zeroed out on your account but captured to make sure the crew get their appropriate share.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[Traveller20074]

If you want to worry about what other cruise lines do, sail on those lines (and they expect those monies as well no matter what word they call it). If you sail on NCL, you do what NCL expects.

 

 

the point was to say that the service charge (as NCL calls it) IS a tip.

To call it anything else, is nuts.

 

ALL the other cruiselines call it a gratuity.

 

 

I'm not WORRIED about anything. It just seems so clear to me that it's a TIP.

 

and, THIS doesn't make sense. If the service charge ISN'T a tip, then why do they tell you you don't HAVE to? THAT is confusing.

 

What about Tipping?

 

 

Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

from cruisecritic's insiders guide to tipping

 

 

 

First of all, it's important to understand that, technically speaking, no tip is ever required. A tip is a voluntary expression of thanks. The gratuities distributed onboard the modern cruise ship, however, are not just tips. There are exceptions, but most cruise lines pay the men and women who serve their passengers an extremely low base wage (by Western standards). On nearly all big-ship mainstream lines, the service crewmembers are dependent on the generosity of travelers for the vast majority of their salary. Luxury cruise lines often have no-tipping policies. In these cases, the gratuities are built into the fares.

 

Part of the difficulty with tipping is the English language. Where other tongues have two words for tip, English has only one. The French draw a distinction between service and pourboire. The first is the unavoidable cost of being waited on; the second is an expression of thanks for exemplary service.

 

It is only somewhat recently that cruise lines began placing automatic service charges on shipboard accounts. They did this for two reasons. The first reason was the rising number of Europeans traveling on cruise ships. Europeans are accustomed to having a service charge added to their bills at first-class hotels. It is not in their culture to tip further. Likewise, it is not the custom in Japan to tip at all. As cruise lines attracted passengers from countries where tipping is not customary, they added service charges to guarantee their employees' compensation.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Traveller20074

[Traveller20074]

From the NCL pdf on their website

 

 

 

Service Charges: • Simplified system eliminates the traditional last night rush to distribute tipping envelopes to dining staff and cabin stewards; • Service charges are automatically added to each guest’s onboard account; • Guests have the option of leaving an additional gratuity for exceptional service or can choose to deduct the service charge from their bill.

# # #

[Traveller20074]

It doesn't matter what any other cruise calls it or how they handle. NCL's written policy clearly distinguishes the service charge from tips (gratuities)...that's why NCL has separate FAQs for the service charge and tipping.

 

Your post is no more correct or relevant today than it was when you originally made it.

 

 

 

this is from NCL's pdf on their website

 

the service charge IS a tip.

 

 

Service Charges: • Simplified system eliminates the traditional last night rush to distribute tipping envelopes to dining staff and cabin stewards; • Service charges are automatically added to each guest’s onboard account; • Guests have the option of leaving an additional gratuity for exceptional service or can choose to deduct the service charge from their bill.

# # #

Edited April 23, 2014 by Host Mama
removed names and phone numbers

[Out to sea!]

the point was to say that the service charge (as NCL calls it) IS a tip.

To call it anything else, is nuts.

 

ALL the other cruiselines call it a gratuity.

 

 

I'm not WORRIED about anything. It just seems so clear to me that it's a TIP.

 

and, THIS doesn't make sense. If the service charge ISN'T a tip, then why do they tell you you don't HAVE to? THAT is confusing.

 

What about Tipping?

 

 

Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

from cruisecritic's insiders guide to tipping

 

 

 

First of all, it's important to understand that, technically speaking, no tip is ever required. A tip is a voluntary expression of thanks. The gratuities distributed onboard the modern cruise ship, however, are not just tips. There are exceptions, but most cruise lines pay the men and women who serve their passengers an extremely low base wage (by Western standards). On nearly all big-ship mainstream lines, the service crewmembers are dependent on the generosity of travelers for the vast majority of their salary. Luxury cruise lines often have no-tipping policies. In these cases, the gratuities are built into the fares.

 

Part of the difficulty with tipping is the English language. Where other tongues have two words for tip, English has only one. The French draw a distinction between service and pourboire. The first is the unavoidable cost of being waited on; the second is an expression of thanks for exemplary service.

 

It is only somewhat recently that cruise lines began placing automatic service charges on shipboard accounts. They did this for two reasons. The first reason was the rising number of Europeans traveling on cruise ships. Europeans are accustomed to having a service charge added to their bills at first-class hotels. It is not in their culture to tip further. Likewise, it is not the custom in Japan to tip at all. As cruise lines attracted passengers from countries where tipping is not customary, they added service charges to guarantee their employees' compensation.

 

So NCL is "nuts" to call a service charge a service charge? Seems to me NCL is not the one who is "nuts". Plenty of people here understand the distinction. Only those who want to walk around with their eyes shut hollering "tip", "tip", "tip" are the ones who don't get it. There is no confusion unless it is self induced (or more likely used as an excuse). :rolleyes:

[sjbdtz]

the point was to say that the service charge (as NCL calls it) IS a tip.

To call it anything else, is nuts.

 

ALL the other cruiselines call it a gratuity.

That's because THEIRS ARE.

 

I'm not WORRIED about anything. It just seems so clear to me that it's a TIP. It could be clear to you that the earth is a square, but it doesn't make it so.

 

and, THIS doesn't make sense. If the service charge ISN'T a tip, then why do they tell you you don't HAVE to? THAT is confusing. You don't have to tip...because unlike other cruise lines, NCL pays its employees a fair wage, thanks to the innovative Service Charge.

 

What about Tipping?

 

 

Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

from cruisecritic's insiders guide to tipping

 

 

 

First of all, it's important to understand that, technically speaking, no tip is ever required. A tip is a voluntary expression of thanks. The gratuities distributed onboard the modern cruise ship, however, are not just tips. There are exceptions, but most cruise lines pay the men and women who serve their passengers an extremely low base wage (by Western standards). On nearly all big-ship mainstream lines, the service crewmembers are dependent on the generosity of travelers for the vast majority of their salary. Luxury cruise lines often have no-tipping policies. In these cases, the gratuities are built into the fares.

 

Part of the difficulty with tipping is the English language. Where other tongues have two words for tip, English has only one. The French draw a distinction between service and pourboire. The first is the unavoidable cost of being waited on; the second is an expression of thanks for exemplary service.

 

It is only somewhat recently that cruise lines began placing automatic service charges on shipboard accounts. They did this for two reasons. The first reason was the rising number of Europeans traveling on cruise ships. Europeans are accustomed to having a service charge added to their bills at first-class hotels. It is not in their culture to tip further. Likewise, it is not the custom in Japan to tip at all. As cruise lines attracted passengers from countries where tipping is not customary, they added service charges to guarantee their employees' compensation.

 

 

Different day....

 

 

.

[njhorseman]

this is from NCL's pdf on their website

 

the service charge IS a tip.

 

 

Service Charges: • Simplified system eliminates the traditional last night rush to distribute tipping envelopes to dining staff and cabin stewards; • Service charges are automatically added to each guest’s onboard account; • Guests have the option of leaving an additional gratuity for exceptional service or can choose to deduct the service charge from their bill.

# # #

 

 

Nope...you're misreading it. Just because it eliminates "the rush to distribute tipping envelopes" doesn't make it a tip. It's part of the crew's salary. It's no different if there was no service charge and the same amount of money was built into the base fare. That's not a tip either even though it also would eliminate the rush to distribute envelopes. Either method replaces tipping.

 

 

The only tip is what you may choose to hand directly to a crew member. The service charge goes to the cruise line and is distributed to the crew not as you wish, but as the cruise line wishes. That's a key element that distinguishes a service charge from a tip. Service charges go to the company for distribution as they see fit and in a manner over which you have no control. Tips go directly from you to the employee.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Host Mama
removed names and phone numbers

[LMaxwell]

 

Nope...you're misreading it. Just because it eliminates "the rush to distribute tipping envelopes" doesn't make it a tip. It's part of the crew's salary. It's no different if there was no service charge and the same amount of money was built into the base fare. That's not a tip either even though it also would eliminate the rush to distribute envelopes. Either method replaces tipping.

 

 

 

 

Salary is the fixed portion of payment agreed upon by the cruise line and employee. The amount garnered from the DSC is variable on the amount of passengers and amount that participate in DSC. Therefore it is not their salary; it is part of their compensation package and is variable.

 

A variable amount of monies rendered for services is...a tip.