Tips/Gratuities

[NLH Arizona]

Don't make your bets more than you can afford to lose because you won't get the details from me.

 

I can't recall any time you have accepted the facts I post even when I have furnished positive proof.

You have never furnished facts, all you have ever said is that you know or because crew members have told you. I think we all know how some crew members are very good at telling some what they want to hear. If you don't want to pay the DSC or HSC on NCL or HAL that is your business, just as it is others' business that they want to and understand why they are paying it.

[cruzsnooze]

If NCL and all the other cruise lines would let their customers know exactly where their gratuity is going it would end the controversy. When a company is secretive I feel that I'm being scammed. It doesn't bother me what anyone thinks about my way of tipping in cash to those who serve me and removing the daily amount which goes where? I believe I get excellent service which I might get anyway and it ALWAYS is received with a smile and thank you which one would expect.

The point most of you missed and didn't address was the double tipping. When I have a specialty dinner package for all 7 nights it includes the gratuity. I don't care to tip twice for the service, one for the main dining room meal which wasn't used and again for the specialty restaurant. There's also the fact that I paid for 2 dinners, one in the main dining room and the other in the form of an up charge for the specialty.

[Até]

There is no advantage to NCL to "pay their staff" with tips to avoid taxes.

...

The split between wages and tips has no benefit to the cruise line. It does for some of the workers, depending on their home country's tax rules.

 

I agree with what you say. I didn't mean to imply there was a direct benefit to NCL.

[NLH Arizona]

If NCL and all the other cruise lines would let their customers know exactly where their gratuity is going it would end the controversy. When a company is secretive I feel that I'm being scammed. It doesn't bother me what anyone thinks about my way of tipping in cash to those who serve me and removing the daily amount which goes where? I believe I get excellent service which I might get anyway and it ALWAYS is received with a smile and thank you which one would expect.

First off, I don't think anyone would know that you don't pay the DSC or comment on it, if you didn't tell them in what looks like an effort to have others follow suit. Secondly, do you know how your local grocery store employees are compensated or the gas station down the street or the clerk in the department store, are they paid straight salary or is it salary plus incentive or is it no salary and just comission?. My guess would be if you ask them, they would tell you it isn't any of your business. Hopefully, NCL will roll the DSC into the fares for all countries and then we won't have to be having these discussions, even though they still are not going to tell you how their crew is paid.

[cruzsnooze]

First off, I don't think anyone would know that you don't pay the DSC or comment on it, if you didn't tell them in what looks like an effort to have others follow suit. Secondly, do you know how your local grocery store employees are compensated or the gas station down the street or the clerk in the department store, are they paid straight salary or is it salary plus incentive or is it no salary and just comission?. My guess would be if you ask them, they would tell you it isn't any of your business. Hopefully, NCL will roll the DSC into the fares for all countries and then we won't have to be having these discussions, even though they still are not going to tell you how their crew is paid.

You really missed the boat here. Nobody is talking about how the crew is paid, we're discussing gratuity, a discretionary tip that NCL allows to be removed. It is a suggested tip not a mandatory with no comparison to my grocery store in the USA. It is my business to know if the TIP I give goes into NCL's pocket or the service member I give it to because that influences my decision when to tip and how much to tip.

[NLH Arizona]

You really missed the boat here. Nobody is talking about how the crew is paid, we're discussing gratuity, a discretionary tip that NCL allows to be removed. It is a suggested tip not a mandatory with no comparison to my grocery store in the USA. It is my business to know if the TIP I give goes into NCL's pocket or the service member I give it to because that influences my decision when to tip and how much to tip.

I'm certainly not missing any point, I understand how businesses' work; they all take money in to pay their employees, NCL does it through the DSC (along with money from our fares) and grocery stores do it through selling their products.

[ray98]

DSC is a Gratuity, according to NCL's own promotional materials.

 

When they give FREE GRATUITIES, you receive free Discretionary Service Charge.

 

The only question is, "is a tip a gratuity?"

 

 

Exactly.....of course it is a tip. Same thing.

[IrieBajan54]

When was the last time you stood in a hot, steamy laundry room for 12 hours straight, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, loading 10,000 napkins a day into drying machines (on small ships, double on big ships), every day, before you move on to sheets, then towels, then dirty underwear.

 

This post is one of those bleeding heart pity persuaders. I have done the Behind the Scenes tour on several ships. I did not experience a hot steamy laundry room on any of them.

[sanger727]

If NCL and all the other cruise lines would let their customers know exactly where their gratuity is going it would end the controversy. When a company is secretive I feel that I'm being scammed. It doesn't bother me what anyone thinks about my way of tipping in cash to those who serve me and removing the daily amount which goes where? I believe I get excellent service which I might get anyway and it ALWAYS is received with a smile and thank you which one would expect.

 

The point most of you missed and didn't address was the double tipping. When I have a specialty dinner package for all 7 nights it includes the gratuity. I don't care to tip twice for the service, one for the main dining room meal which wasn't used and again for the specialty restaurant. There's also the fact that I paid for 2 dinners, one in the main dining room and the other in the form of an up charge for the specialty.

 

 

 

So, I'm assuming you either purchased the 7 day SDP or got 3 as a promo and purchased the 4 SDP.

 

Let's just say it was the 7 SDP which costs $129 plus $23 in gratuity. For 7 nights of 3+ course meals. Comes out to $21.75 pp pd including tip (btw, the per night tip pp is $3). And in your mind that's double paying and double tipping? Have to disagree, that's taking into mind if the cost you already paid in terms of the included dinner and DSC and simply adding a surcharge on top of it for the upgraded menu/ambiance.

 

 

 

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[Peachypooh]

So I know that tips/gratuities are prepaid, but is there anything that you take small bills for? Are there any tips that you still give on the ship or off?

 

 

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I can only say what I do. I pre-pay the daily service charge. Then before I cruise I go to the bank and get around $100-$200 worth of small bills. This takes care of the shuttle driver at the airport, the porters at the cruise terminal, room service, a few dollars left on top of what already was paid for the dining package and drink package. It also takes care of trinkets worth a few dollars that we buy on shore excursions and also a snack bought onshore. In addition we tip the room steward extra. If I don't have enough small bills to equal what we want to tip I get a larger bill out of my wallet and add it to what is left. I would say I am a middle of the road tipper. I don't remove the service charge and leave nothing for other things but then even though I leave the service charge I do not give hundreds of dollars extra to the service people either. I think I am fair.

Everyone should do what is in their budget/ sense of fairness.

[CruiseGal999]

I'm certainly not missing any point, I understand how businesses' work; they all take money in to pay their employees, NCL does it through the DSC (along with money from our fares) and grocery stores do it through selling their products.

 

Let's not forget, most grocery store employees are UNION. VERY good compensation for stocking shelves and cashing customers out.

[CruiseGal999]

Thank you for finding that image, I knew it was out there somewhere. I looked back at my old invoices and they stated "Prepaid service charges". I don't know why NCL continues to try to obfuscate this issue.

 

Is it because if/when they call it a 'Service Charge', then NCL gets to keep a portion of it? As an Administrative fee?

[NLH Arizona]

Is it because if/when they call it a 'Service Charge', then NCL gets to keep a portion of it? As an Administrative fee?

How much do they keep as an administrative fee?

[CruiseGal999]

I really think you have this reversed, but the cloud of corporate deception prevails. I believe NCL accounting treats the DSC as a tips rather than including it in taxable salary for employee pay purposes. Otherwise NCL would never offer the possibility of refunding the gratuity, as legally a tip is discretionary.

 

The only 'tip' that a person gets tax free is cash that goes into their hand and then their pocket. Tips/DSC/Gratuities, whatever corps. call them, and these monies that get paid to the corp., they are taxed.

 

When you go to a restaurant, and put your tip on your credit card receipt, that is traceable income and the wait staff gets taxed on it. It would have to be the same with cruise lines.

[swedish weave]

You have never furnished facts, all you have ever said is that you know or because crew members have told you. I think we all know how some crew members are very good at telling some what they want to hear. If you don't want to pay the DSC or HSC on NCL or HAL that is your business, just as it is others' business that they want to and understand why they are paying it.

 

I see no reason to furnish informaton to someone who argues about all the information I post.

 

I will also add that the things I do for crew members are never going to be posted by me especially on forums where so many are haunting the posts to start arguments.

[swedish weave]

How much do they keep as an administrative fee?

 

This question can be answered by your friends at NCL.

 

Refer to a comment that is attriburred to Mr Del Rio that was reported on a public forum.

Edited July 16, 2017 by swedish weave
Added comment

[fshagan]

How about someone who helps crew members with financial advice?

 

I think that qualifies! At least for those that the adviser has dealt with (I suspect the employment contracts differ for management and officers, etc.)

[fshagan]

The only 'tip' that a person gets tax free is cash that goes into their hand and then their pocket. Tips/DSC/Gratuities, whatever corps. call them, and these monies that get paid to the corp., they are taxed.

 

When you go to a restaurant, and put your tip on your credit card receipt, that is traceable income and the wait staff gets taxed on it. It would have to be the same with cruise lines.

 

Nope, not the way it works. In the US, and most western countries, all income is taxed, including tips. In the US, every waiter or waitress has to claim all tips, cash or not, or they are breaking the law. On payroll day, their check has two lines on it, wage income at their hourly rate and tips. Withholding for income tax, social security tax, medicare tax and any state taxes (depending on state) are calculated on the total of wages and tips. Then, if the server has taken cash tips home each night, the amount of "tip out" is deducted from the net total, and the server then receives the net amount. The IRS uses a formula, and if they audit a waitress or waiter, and they see that tip income is less than a percentage (I think 8% of their total), then they are assessed that amount and penalized for not reporting it. Some (most?) servers break the law, but that is their business. The law is clear.

 

Some countries do not tax tip income. The Philippines is one such country, so the Filipino can have "wages" on one line, and "tips" on another line, and the Philippine Income Tax is taken only out of the "wages" line, and not the "tips" line. Their tax agency has a reason to do this, perhaps to encourage unskilled workers to take relatively high paying jobs in the service industry overseas (or on ships!)

 

We tend to approach the issue of wages, working conditions, working hours, etc. from a 21st century western perspective, but the issues are different for people outside of our culture.

[NLH Arizona]

I see no reason to furnish informaton to someone who argues about all the information I post.

 

I will also add that the things I do for crew members are never going to be posted by me especially on forums where so many are haunting the posts to start arguments.

You have never furnished proof in the first place, just your opinion based on what some unnamed source has told you, so no one is holding their breath waiting for your facts. If you ever want to post facts, with backup, possibly people will believe what you are posting, but until then there is no need to take what you are saying as proof. Edited July 16, 2017 by NLH Arizona

[NLH Arizona]

This question can be answered by your friends at NCL.

 

Refer to a comment that is attriburred to Mr Del Rio that was reported on a public forum.

And what friends have I ever said that I had? I've never said I pry into anyone's private financial business or pry into their personal life or profess to know what type of presents they want or brag about having friends on the crew, etc. I've never said that I treat anyone as a friend, just as a professional. And accusing someone of something that is not true, is just you deflecting because there is no proof.

 

So someone says that Mr. Del Rio said something and you take that as gospel....I take it as hearsay!

 

Probably time for you to go to another cruise line's threads and try to convince them that your opinion is fact.

Edited July 16, 2017 by NLH Arizona

[swedish weave]

You have never furnished proof in the first place, just your opinion based on what some unnamed source has told you, so no one is holding their breath waiting for your facts. If you ever want to post facts, with backup, possibly people will believe what you are posting, but until then there is no need to take what you are saying as proof.

 

Holding your breath for that could be serious.

 

How you perceive my posts is your choice.

 

I don't post information for your convenience, so maybe the ignore function would be advisable saw

[barb65]

On our recent Escape cruise, the bartender at Cagney's was the greatest! One evening, I ordered a Mango Meltdown. Two nights later, I sat down at the bar and the same bartender says to me, "Miss Barbara, would you like another Mango Meltdown?" before I could even tell him what I wanted. What a memory! Did I tip him? Of course I did! Not only did he remember my name, but also what I was drinking two nights prior!

Edited July 16, 2017 by barb65
added information

[triptolemus]

Holding your breath for that could be serious.

 

In one post you say that you "post facts" and in the next you indicate that someone shouldn't hold their breath waiting to you to post facts.

 

Which is it?

[cruzsnooze]

On our recent Escape cruise, the bartender at Cagney's was the greatest! One evening, I ordered a Mango Meltdown. Two nights later, I sat down at the bar and the same bartender says to me, "Miss Barbara, would you like another Mango Meltdown?" before I could even tell him what I wanted. What a memory! Did I tip him? Of course I did! Not only did he remember my name, but also what I was drinking two nights prior!

It's your prerogative to tip, no one is saying not to tip, we're discussing where the money actually goes and how does corp dole it out. The service you had to me is normal, not above and beyond, crew are supposed to be very attentive. By flattering you had they are able to sell more, which is the goal. Alcohol is one of the three highest revenues on the ship, the other reported as fares, and excursions.

[cruzsnooze]

So, I'm assuming you either purchased the 7 day SDP or got 3 as a promo and purchased the 4 SDP.

 

Let's just say it was the 7 SDP which costs $129 plus $23 in gratuity. For 7 nights of 3+ course meals. Comes out to $21.75 pp pd including tip (btw, the per night tip pp is $3). And in your mind that's double paying and double tipping? Have to disagree, that's taking into mind if the cost you already paid in terms of the included dinner and DSC and simply adding a surcharge on top of it for the upgraded menu/ambiance.

 

 

 

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It was a seven night cruise with a seven night specialty dinner. It's NOT in mind that I have paid for two dinners, one eaten and one left uneaten in the main dining room. My fare had all meals for the main dining room included which I didn't use on any of the 7 nights. I don't subscribe to your way of thinking that is wasn't double dipping on NCL's part. We will have to agree to disagree on our different point of view. The only opinion in this instance that really matters is mine since I'm in the drivers seat when it when to comes to how I see fit to tip only once for the dinner service.