How does the UBP work, and what's with the service charge?

[macandlucy]

They could charge tips after the fact, so that everyone pays for the service they actually receive. That makes more sense to me as a consumer. Bottom line, for me, is that I am paying a service charge, in advance, for service on 100 drinks (just using a round number there) for a service I may or may not use.

 

I agree that it is my decision as to whether or not I believe there's value in an $11 dollars per day tips charge. But for me, again, speaking for myself here, as a consumer, I would prefer to pay for service on things I actually receive service for, like daily stateroom charges for example, which I definitely do get service for, daily; and I would love it if NCL, or any other cruise line who charges tips on packages, would have the tips charged on a per-use basis. Just my opinion, and I can appreciate that others may have a different one than me.

[bonesj0nes]

Did you receive a quote in writing before paying the deposit, and then after putting down your deposit, they sent you the booking confirmation committing you to pay a higher quote? That should not have happened. Or did you book over the phone? Or online?

 

You can see for yourself how NCL handles it by doing a mock booking on their site. They don't exactly announce the extra service charge in big blinking letters/numbers at the top of the screen, either. They do not mention the service charge when they present the list of promo codes for you to choose from. But once you select a cabin, and they can calculate the price of your booking, the "CHOICE PROMO SRVC CHRG" appears in the Summary of Charges, and if you click on "View Details" you can see it broken down by passenger.

 

Yes, we were quoted X amount on the "confirm purchase" page, and then the actual charge was $187 higher.

[bonesj0nes]

If you do a mock booking on ncl.com you'll see the fees are very clearly added onto the displayed total long before you get to the final booking pages.

 

When I booked our cruise through a TA he was very clear about the added gratuities fee as he listed the component charges in our total.

 

Sounds like your TA f'd up and is trying to dance around the matter instead of manning up and admitting fault.

 

My wife spoke with them this morning and they're definitely trying to pin it on NCL, but I plan to argue again. I don't have an issue with the fees - if they had been included on our initial quote then I would have booked without blinking, but I'm upset that they didn't give us the full price prior to booking.

[hawkeyetlse]

But for me, again, speaking for myself here, as a consumer, I would prefer to pay for service on things I actually receive service for, like daily stateroom charges for example, which I definitely do get service for, daily

But your daily stateroom charges are also a flat rate for the entire cruise… If you decide to laze around in the cabin all day one day, and the steward doesn't make up the room, or if you end up sleeping in someone else's cabin for some reason… or if you never eat lunch on board on port days, you still pay the full service charge for those days. (Actually, you are free to pay less, and by your logic, maybe you should…)

[macandlucy]

What corporate formula are you trying to figure out? How NCL determines which servers get the 18% beverage gratuity and how much? Or are you wondering if the 18% really goes to the servers? Either way, does it really matter? One either want the UBP and thinks it is of value or they don't. Why worry ourselves with all these details? $11 a day for unlimited beverages is a great deal for me and will be sad if the promos ever disappear.

 

 

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I think I said this upthread, but basically what I was curious about is, what happens to the tips I prepaid if don't actually order up to the service charge of use the $160 odd dollars of tips I prepaid. Does the entire amount go to the servers, or do the servers only get the money for the drinks they actually served? if that's the case, does NCL keep the rest? That's it. No one knows, so that's the answer to my question. Thanks to all who replied.

 

None of what I said should be taken as an admonition of NCL, the servers, or its drink package policy. My suggestion is that tips get charged on a per use basis, because I think that's a more fair way to do it, but hey, it's just a suggestion. :)

[macandlucy]

But your daily stateroom charges are also a flat rate for the entire cruise… If you decide to laze around in the cabin all day one day, and the steward doesn't make up the room, or if you end up sleeping in someone else's cabin for some reason… or if you never eat lunch on board on port days, you still pay the full service charge for those days. (Actually, you are free to pay less, and by your logic, maybe you should…)

 

I have no objection to DSC at all because I am paying for a service I actually get.

 

From the hypotheticals you gave, it seems that the objection stems from the fact that it's up to me how much I drink, so it's entirely up to me how much service I get from my service charges. So, to maximize my value, I'd need to drink an awful lot. Which would end up costing NCL more money in alcohol and mix, and that's probably not good for the corporate bottom line.

 

I like to pay for what I get and not what I don't. I don't think that that is too crazy of a concept.

[hawkeyetlse]

My wife spoke with them this morning and they're definitely trying to pin it on NCL, but I plan to argue again. I don't have an issue with the fees - if they had been included on our initial quote then I would have booked without blinking, but I'm upset that they didn't give us the full price prior to booking.

I completely agree that the total quote should not change after you click on "confirm booking", and they should say thank you for pointing this out we will get right on it :rolleyes: but what are you going to argue for beyond that? Do you want to cancel the booking? Do you think they should pay NCL the $187 on your behalf?

[bonesj0nes]

I completely agree that the total quote should not change after you click on "confirm booking", and they should say thank you for pointing this out we will get right on it :rolleyes: but what are you going to argue for beyond that? Do you want to cancel the booking? Do you think they should pay NCL the $187 on your behalf?

 

I may cancel depending on their attitude - I haven't spoken to them myself yet. It's the principle of being misleading that I don't agree with. I don't know if they'll pay on our behalf but I might suggest they lower whatever their fee is by $187.

[Moby0215]

I think I said this upthread, but basically what I was curious about is, what happens to the tips I prepaid if don't actually order up to the service charge of use the $160 odd dollars of tips I prepaid. Does the entire amount go to the servers, or do the servers only get the money for the drinks they actually served? if that's the case, does NCL keep the rest? That's it. No one knows, so that's the answer to my question. Thanks to all who replied.

 

 

 

None of what I said should be taken as an admonition of NCL, the servers, or its drink package policy. My suggestion is that tips get charged on a per use basis, because I think that's a more fair way to do it, but hey, it's just a suggestion. :)

 

 

If you want to be charged tips on a per use basis as you put it then you could always not choose the UBP as a package and just pay per drink. It's the same for the SDP and the DSC as someone else already pointed out. It's not all that unheard of to have a service charge on the package total price. It's actually more convenient, this way everything is paid in advance and one does not need to tip extra if one does not want to.

 

 

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[jackson bernard]

I think I said this upthread, but basically what I was curious about is, what happens to the tips I prepaid if don't actually order up to the service charge of use the $160 odd dollars of tips I prepaid. Does the entire amount go to the servers, or do the servers only get the money for the drinks they actually served? if that's the case, does NCL keep the rest? That's it. No one knows, so that's the answer to my question. Thanks to all who replied.

 

 

 

None of what I said should be taken as an admonition of NCL, the servers, or its drink package policy. My suggestion is that tips get charged on a per use basis, because I think that's a more fair way to do it, but hey, it's just a suggestion. :)

 

 

What makes you think the servers are getting any of it and not just a set salary?

[macandlucy]

What makes you think the servers are getting any of it and not just a set salary?

 

Well, add that to my original question, I guess, as a (remote) possibility. I do think it's a reasonable assumption to assume that tips are paid to service personnel, since that is the pretty much the definition of a service charge. But I am new to NCL, so who knows.

 

As it stands right now, one is getting excellent value from this promo if a heavy drinker.

 

If you don't drink much, but the tips are included, still a great value.

 

If you drink only a little and have to prepay tips, the value is less.

 

If they charge tips only on drinks you order it becomes an excellent value for light drinkers and less of a value for heavy drinkers.

 

The absolute ideal, from a consumer point of view, would be to allow pax to choose between prepaid tips or pay after the fact with the drink package when booking.

[Moby0215]

Well, add that to my original question, I guess, as a (remote) possibility. I do think it's a reasonable assumption to assume that tips are paid to service personnel, since that is the pretty much the definition of a service charge. But I am new to NCL, so who knows.

 

 

 

As it stands right now, one is getting excellent value from this promo if a heavy drinker.

 

 

 

If you don't drink much, but the tips are included, still a great value.

 

 

 

If you drink only a little and have to prepay tips, the value is less.

 

 

 

If they charge tips only on drinks you order it becomes an excellent value for light drinkers and less of a value for heavy drinkers.

 

 

 

The absolute ideal, from a consumer point of view, would be to allow pax to choose between prepaid tips or pay after the fact with the drink package when booking.

 

 

I really don't see why this is such a big issue. If you do not feel that the UBP is that much of a value to you then why not just pick a different promo? Just keep in mind that if you choose the SDP then you will still have the same issue as that will have service charges applied based on the original package price.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

macandlucy, you have this completely and thoroughly figured out, and then some. :) And yet it still seems like you are unsure if you should take the UBP perk or not. It doesn't matter where the tips go, and it really doesn't matter what the absolute ideal from the consumer's point of view would be. None of that is on the table.

 

The only thing that matters is: How much do you want to drink during your cruise?

[jdemps]

Want to make friends with other cruisers and bar tenders? Print and bring this

 

http://www.grantmkt.net/star/NCL_UBP_Favorite_beverages.pdf

 

lol - i doubt this list would make you "friends" with any bartender - those drinks are very labor intensive and a pain in the butt to make!

[ano]

However... the service was not worth tipping for. Not once, the entire week, was I offered a drink... not once!

WOW...really, I need to get my own drinks. I'm used to wait staff at the pool hounding me for drinks??

 

Funny, now how when drinks are free they stop getting in your face to offer drinks to you every chance they get. We kinda liked that.

 

Also, when deciding, its not only the break-even price that count, there is also the opportunity cost of the other offers your not getting. For our recent cruise it would be $325 in tips, but also another $300 we would lose by not taking the $75 per port excursion offer, so we would need to drink $625 to break even.

Edited November 10, 2015 by ano