DSC No Longer Includes Staff in Speciality / Fee Dining

[14ersco]

NCL has updated their web site FAQ's on the DSC by now saying only complimentary restaurant staff are part of of the DSC.

 

So does NCL wants us to believe that when we see a waiter in a specialty restaurant they are not part of the DSC, but when we see the same waiter working in the buffet they are part of the DSC? :rolleyes:

 

http://www.ncl.com/faq#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.

 

Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

[smeyer418]

it doesn't include room service either which has now a fee added as well. No tips for room service anymore.

[TrumpyNor]

NCL has updated their web site FAQ's on the DSC by now saying only complimentary restaurant staff are part of of the DSC.

 

So does NCL wants us to believe that when we see a waiter in a specialty restaurant they are not part of the DSC, but when we see the same waiter working in the buffet they are part of the DSC? :rolleyes:

 

Why can that not be the case??? Except for waitstaff at Cagney's and/or Haven restaurant staff on ships that have that, the waiters from specialty restaurants do indeed work breakfast shift and/or lunch shift in one of the complimentary restaurant. They probably receive just a certain percentage of the DSC that waiters who only work in complimentary restaurants get. And then for their dinner service at a specialty restaurant they receive 18% gratuity of anything sold - including the cover charge. Why is that so hard to believe....?

[smeyer418]

http://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

 

Why is there a service charge?

... Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. .

 

 

They use crews from other lines as part of the team? They mean on other lines not from other lines. Poorly written.

[meglet]

I have not regularly tipped at specialty restaurants because I assumed that since the maitre d' knows your cabin number when you come for dinner, that your evening meal portion of the DSC was "earmarked" for the staff that served you in that specialty restaurant. So where is that portion of the DSC going now if a passenger is eating every night in a specialty.

[backsbanny]

it goes to corporate for your convenience!!!

[sixesandeights]

I have not regularly tipped at specialty restaurants because I assumed that since the maitre d' knows your cabin number when you come for dinner, that your evening meal portion of the DSC was "earmarked" for the staff that served you in that specialty restaurant. So where is that portion of the DSC going now if a passenger is eating every night in a specialty.

 

This is 100% the crux of the issue. For some reason this very very simple logic seem to escape a few people. This gratuity is a double dip any way you look at it. The servers in the specialties do the same job as the MDR (except with fewer people). You are now tipping two waiters (one totally unseen) when you eat in a specialty. If you eat in a specialty each night of the cruise you have been bilked that extra money. It is 100% a money grab by NCL put in place because so many people can not make this simple connection.

 

6&8

[KanataKruiser]

I only eat in the specialty restaurants. I was always told part of my DSC went to the staff. I will gladly tip the specialty staff but then you must remove the oart of the DSC going to the MDR staff as I don't use it. I don't worl for free and I don't expect the wait staff to do so either but you just can't just cease to direct my DSC money to the wait staff and not expect me to react. I will adjust the DSC accordingly & tip the wait staff (and I assure you it will be far more than the DSC ever got them). Personally, at this point I am all for ditching the DSC altogether and tipping my stewart and wait staff directly. I won't do this out of concern for the behind the scenes workers... I remember some years ago when I cruised Carnival (yes, I have seen the light since). They were very transparent in their DSC and told you exactly what amount went to which category of personel. I would be lovely if they told me 3$ goes to behind the scenes folks. I would reduce my DSC to 3$ and tip direclty. Yes I am dreaming.

[hypercafe]

Between tips, service charges and convicence charges NCL is making it far too confusing to cruise on their ships. If the crew is a team why not just pay them what the great team is worth, include it in the price of the trip and be done with it. On my last trip on the Breakaway the crew was so busy because of the large number of people on the ship service was very bad. No one deserved a tip as a tip is for good service.

 

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[daffodiliaz]

I have not regularly tipped at specialty restaurants because I assumed that since the maitre d' knows your cabin number when you come for dinner, that your evening meal portion of the DSC was "earmarked" for the staff that served you in that specialty restaurant. So where is that portion of the DSC going now if a passenger is eating every night in a specialty.

 

And, likewise, what if you purchase the UDP and the 18% was tacked onto the purchase, but you don't eat at a specialty every single night? Does the missed night's 18% go straight to FDR's pocket?

[asubaru]

Why can that not be the case??? Except for waitstaff at Cagney's and/or Haven restaurant staff on ships that have that, the waiters from specialty restaurants do indeed work breakfast shift and/or lunch shift in one of the complimentary restaurant. They probably receive just a certain percentage of the DSC that waiters who only work in complimentary restaurants get. And then for their dinner service at a specialty restaurant they receive 18% gratuity of anything sold - including the cover charge. Why is that so hard to believe....?

 

Because I don't believe for one nano second that the crew is benefiting from all the DSC, convenience fees and 18% gratuities charges.

[14ersco]

Why can that not be the case??? Except for waitstaff at Cagney's and/or Haven restaurant staff on ships that have that, the waiters from specialty restaurants do indeed work breakfast shift and/or lunch shift in one of the complimentary restaurant. They probably receive just a certain percentage of the DSC that waiters who only work in complimentary restaurants get. And then for their dinner service at a specialty restaurant they receive 18% gratuity of anything sold - including the cover charge. Why is that so hard to believe....?

 

Why, because the staff are on long term contracts.

 

NCL wants us to believe that whenever they made this change in the past few weeks from all restaurant staff, no matter the venue worked, were part of the DSC to now saying only complimentary restaurant staff or only the time the staff are in the complimentary restaurant are part of the DSC.

 

So did all of these long term staff contracts get changed to reflect this change in the DSC? Or do the staff who rotate restaurant locations continue with their current contract and share of the DSC, plus the new mandatory 18% gratuity in the fee restaurants? Or is NCL now pocketing either the DSC they are not paying the wait staff in the fee restaurants or the 18% mandatory gratuity?

[punkincc]

NCL has updated their web site FAQ's on the DSC by now saying only complimentary restaurant staff are part of of the DSC.

 

So does NCL wants us to believe that when we see a waiter in a specialty restaurant they are not part of the DSC, but when we see the same waiter working in the buffet they are part of the DSC? :rolleyes:

 

http://www.ncl.com/faq#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.

 

Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

 

 

Read the Service Charge statement from the website again. It says that "complimentry restaurant staff" are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports. Keep in mind that the term "complimentry staff" applies to anyone who is working in there. This is how I see it working:

 

"Joe" works 2 meals a day in the MDR ( he is complimentry restaurant staff for those meals ) and then works the dinner shift in Cagneys, (he is specialty staff for that meal.)

 

"Frank" works all three meals in complimentry venues. So Frank's wages are made up of base pay, plus a share of the DSC based on his performance.

 

"Joe" on the other hand, gets his base pay, plus a share of the DSC, plus a share of the 18% pool. And he is probably more highly compensated than Frank because of his higher skill set and presumably better performance since he was chosen to be a specialty dinner waiter.

 

I don't think for one minute any of these waiter's compensation is tied to specific people they serve in any venue (unless you are handing someone cash). It all goes into the pool, and periodically they get a performance eval and based on that they get x $$ bonus or "incentive" which is divided up and paid out to them over some time period. If they work hard and excel, maybe next time they will get more from the incentive pool. Works just like the money earmarked by your company for raises and bonuses. It all goes into a pot and gets allocated based on performance.

 

This makes sense to me, but we'll never know exactly how it's done beyond the statement they have made on the website. You can drive yourself batty trying to make sense of exactly where your DSC $$s are going and what happens if you eat "here" rather than "there". And yes, if you buy a UDP you darn well better utilize it, cause you are not going to get refunded a portion of the price plus the 18% because you decided to eat in the MDRs or O'Sheehans a couple nights.

 

So I will let NCL worry about how they divide up the DSC pools and the 18% pools.

[sjbdtz]

This is 100% the crux of the issue. For some reason this very very simple logic seem to escape a few people. This gratuity is a double dip any way you look at it. The servers in the specialties do the same job as the MDR (except with fewer people). You are now tipping two waiters (one totally unseen) when you eat in a specialty. If you eat in a specialty each night of the cruise you have been bilked that extra money. It is 100% a money grab by NCL put in place because so many people can not make this simple connection.

 

6&8

 

And yet everybody seems fine with the 'double-dipping' of the food costs.... after all, you're paying in your fare for the food in the MDR, and then paying a surcharge for the food in the specialty. :rolleyes:

 

Because I don't believe for one nano second that the crew is benefiting from all the DSC, convenience fees and 18% gratuities charges.

 

Who cares what you 'believe'? What are the facts? If you don't know the facts, and you can't readily determine the facts, then wouldn't the most reasonable course of action be to accept what you are told are the facts - by those who do know?

 

NCL says that the DSC is used for crew compensation & crew welfare. In the absence of credible conflicting information (such as thousands of crew refusing the work....or NCL facing an inability to staff their ships), then I'm willing to accept that their statement is accurate and that is why I maintain the DSC in place.

 

 

Stephen

 

.

[SAILPRO]

I have not regularly tipped at specialty restaurants because I assumed that since the maitre d' knows your cabin number when you come for dinner, that your evening meal portion of the DSC was "earmarked" for the staff that served you in that specialty restaurant. So where is that portion of the DSC going now if a passenger is eating every night in a specialty.

 

It's against our policy to tell you. :D

[USNUZULOOSE]

I hate to ask, but what is DSC?

[LMaxwell]

I hate to ask, but what is DSC?

 

Daily Service Charge

 

Direct from Guest Ticket Contract:

 

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 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

[USNUZULOOSE]

Thank You for explaining.

[rochelle_s]

Why can that not be the case??? Except for waitstaff at Cagney's and/or Haven restaurant staff on ships that have that, the waiters from specialty restaurants do indeed work breakfast shift and/or lunch shift in one of the complimentary restaurant. They probably receive just a certain percentage of the DSC that waiters who only work in complimentary restaurants get. And then for their dinner service at a specialty restaurant they receive 18% gratuity of anything sold - including the cover charge. Why is that so hard to believe....?

 

What if the restaurant is basically empty? Who pays their wages then?

 

 

Rochelle

[littlelulu01]

I thought it interesting on my local radio this morning to hear that the land based restaurant industry may be going the opposite way, at least in Seattle. Ivar's, a well known Seattle seafood restaurant did away with tipping starting today. They raised their prices 21%, increased everyone's wages to $15/hr. This is in reaction to the increased minimum wage but they did ask their employees if they wanted it and they were overwhelmingly in favor. Now all employees get the same wage. Ivar's said they are not sure how it will work out but will be interesting to see if what NCL used to have with the DSC will work on land.

[kac911]

NCL has updated their web site FAQ's on the DSC by now saying only complimentary restaurant staff are part of of the DSC.

 

So does NCL wants us to believe that when we see a waiter in a specialty restaurant they are not part of the DSC, but when we see the same waiter working in the buffet they are part of the DSC? :rolleyes:

 

http://www.ncl.com/faq#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.

 

Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

 

So are the rest getting a huge raise then? They no longer have to share with the specialty servers AND the fee went up so seems like there should be a lot more money going to them.

[shapatack0]

I thought it interesting on my local radio this morning to hear that the land based restaurant industry may be going the opposite way, at least in Seattle. Ivar's, a well known Seattle seafood restaurant did away with tipping starting today. They raised their prices 21%, increased everyone's wages to $15/hr. This is in reaction to the increased minimum wage but they did ask their employees if they wanted it and they were overwhelmingly in favor. Now all employees get the same wage. Ivar's said they are not sure how it will work out but will be interesting to see if what NCL used to have with the DSC will work on land.

 

This is great. Transparent pricing helps markets function more efficiently and everyone wins. Hidden fees make the market more inefficient and only result in short term gains for those imposing them.

[boaterette]

I thought it interesting on my local radio this morning to hear that the land based restaurant industry may be going the opposite way, at least in Seattle. Ivar's, a well known Seattle seafood restaurant did away with tipping starting today. They raised their prices 21%, increased everyone's wages to $15/hr. This is in reaction to the increased minimum wage but they did ask their employees if they wanted it and they were overwhelmingly in favor. Now all employees get the same wage. Ivar's said they are not sure how it will work out but will be interesting to see if what NCL used to have with the DSC will work on land.

 

I don't know how well that is going to work. My niece is a waitress and she clears 300 or more per shift which is 6 hours. She would loose a great part of her income if forced to do this. The restaurant would have to pay her over 50 per hour.

[js]

Hi.

I'm reading through the threads but maybe I missed it, if I have the UDP already, will the tip be included on my bill or is this now separate. I use to tip cash but want to know how to be prepared.

Thank you.