Tipping on NCL

[PoAMHoneymoon]

Hi.

 

Is there any way to bypass the $10pp/day and then tip at your own discretion? Can you eaily get out of this system or do they make a big deal? The only reason bieng I would rather give the tip money to those indivduals around me who are doing a good job rather then a pot of tip for everyone.

 

What does NCL allow?

 

Thanks

 

Shawn

[shoreguy]

As a rule no. The fact is how are you going to be able to do this with freestyle? Carry a role of small bills 7X24. You many never see the same service person more the once.

 

Do you give the staff in the buffet a dollar each every bus person time you use it - they share in the pool. Each meal you would need to provide the wait staff a small tip to have the same effect.

 

If you do opt out of the pool your cabin staff will be asked to turn in any cash to the pool. It would not be fair for them to a equal share of the pool and your cash when you did not contribute to the pool.

 

In fact Freestyle would crash and fail without the pooled tips. Not like a traditional cruise where you can bring an envelope the last night. Without the pool most passengers would simply stiff the staff.

 

$10 is very little for all services you get from the staff. If you want to reward an individual for going the extra mile a little cash on top of the pool is the norm.

 

The offical policy

 

In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfaction program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone’s complete satisfaction.

[SweetEmi]

I can't find it right now, but something I read about the Pride of Aloha and I'm sure this pertains to the Pride of America is that the $10 a day is a Resort fee similar to what you pay on land Hotels. The employees are trained and paid to give good service without necessarily being supplemented by tips. However, you can tip extra for extra services.

 

I do think I remember that if you have a real problem, you can still go to Reception and try to get some of it reduced...Wish I could find that again..

 

FOUND IT! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=263775 Go here and then to the dailies and then under "Service Charge"

 

 

Emi

[ejnsb]

I agree with shoreguy. The daily fee covers the basics - room steward and dining room staff- please don't try to have this removed from your bill - you can do it but you're just stiffing the people that worked hard for you all week. We tipped the room steward extra several times through the week and all restaurant and cocktail waiters as we were served. We were treated wonderfully by everyone.

[SweetEmi]

Now...not to get into a disagreement with anyone or anything, but the Pride of Aloha and the Pride of America are different entities from the rest of NCL's fleet. I would never take off the $10 a day either (on any of the ships) but I also tip in addition to that for some like the room stewards and waiters/waitresses that give especially good service.

 

So, in a way it is the same but in a way it is different. That $10 does not go in to a big pool that is split amoungst the service people like it is on the rest of NCLs ships.

 

Emi

[Tomct]

Hi.

 

Is there any way to bypass the $10pp/day and then tip at your own discretion? Can you eaily get out of this system or do they make a big deal? The only reason bieng I would rather give the tip money to those indivduals around me who are doing a good job rather then a pot of tip for everyone.

 

What does NCL allow?

 

Thanks

 

Shawn

 

As an addendum to Shoreguy's explanation, there is a lot going on behind the scenes in regard to the tipping, as it is my understanding that your comment cards may also lead to better shares of the tip pool. I also understand that good comments help each department toward earning awards for each cruise in a competitive rating system. I know one steward told me how they were rewarded with a special dinner one week for having the best rating that cruise. So non participation in the standard tipping policy would also have an impact on things we are not aware of, and therefore generally difficult to get out of.

 

We tend to to what many others do, as we always tip our cabin stewards well, as they perform great service, and work very hard, in a rather boring atmosphere (Note - we found that when we took advantage of the Dawn's fill-a-laundry bag deal, it was our cabin stewards who washed, dryed, and folded our clothes, so we try not to do that anymore). We usually tip extra at the Specialty Restaurants, as the waitstaff there just seems to perform at a higher level. The tip varies depending on service, of course. The Concierge is not part of the tip pool, so when we have one available to us, we tip according to the service level provided. We don't do much room service, but they also are not part of the tip pool.

[BellaOnline]

We definitely consider the built in tip a "base tip" that thanks our cabin crew etc. for doing such a great job. We then gave an ADDITIONAL tip to people we felt went above and beyond. I can't imagine the cabin person doing such an awful job that I was going to skimp them their $1/$2 daily tip, for example - and if they did, I would take that up with the customer service desk. As far as waitstaff goes, compared to the tip you would leave at any nice restaurant, they are getting shortchanged as far as I'm concerned with the base tip :) For alcohol you buy at bars, you sign for those and can easily tack on higher tips if you wish.

[Carolyn1950]

I would not have even thought of pre-tipping our room steward had I not been a member of this board.. We pretipped in Oct. and could have not had better and more attentive service.. It made a world of difference..

 

We tipped him before our cruise, during the cruise and when the cruise was over.. Nelson, our steward, was over the top with excellent service..

 

When I am gambling I tip the staff that brings my diet coke tho I always purchase a drink sticker.. There is no tip added to the coke card..

And in the clubs I tip the staff that brings the coke too.

 

In researching other cruise lines, NCL is very fair with the 10 a day policy.. When you add up the other cruise lines tip requirement, it was much more than 10 a day..

[immargaret]

There is no tip added to the coke card..

 

Actually there is a 15% tip added to the original purchase of the coke card but I also tip ($1 cash) when I have a coke delivered to me any where on the ship. If I stop by the bar and pick up the drink myself then I don't usually give the bar tender anything.

 

In the past you could pre-order the coke card on-line and not pay the 15% tip, but this is no longer true.

[kwadley]

We just came off the Sun on Sunday. In the blue binder that is in the cabin (the one that explains different services, etc.) there is a phrase that says that the $10 per person per day is NOT adjustable but if there is a service related problem they will do what they can to resolve the problem. They were pretty darn definite about the tip amount NOT being adjustable. Don't know if this is new or not as this was my first cruise with NCL since 2002. Hope this helps a little.

[jeffinhburg]

Do I have this right, then, that if you do not adjust, extra tips to individuals are not pooled, but rather kept by the individuals? That was not my understanding a few years ago, but I hope it's right.

[smeyer418]

extra tips are not pooled from what has been reported and the crew has confirmed.

[tbonegroup]

It just make me cringe when the issue of tipping comes up . I think the automatic tipping charged to your room is perfect .If you want to go above and beyond that then that is even better .

If you can afford to cruise then you can afford to tip . The crew are away for extended periods from their families and make our lives very comfortable while we spend time with our loved ones in luxury by their standards [and ours ] . We are all privileged to be able to take these vacations no matter how hard we all work for them and we should be gracious. And I know that the majority of us are .

[Cosmopolitan]

extra tips are not pooled from what has been reported and the crew has confirmed.

 

I agree, confirmed to us also:)

[jeffinhburg]

I know what you mean by hating when the subject of tipping comes up, but it could be that the original poster just wasn't aware how difficult it would be to tip fairly with a freestyle system. Just to be clear, I was trying to figure out how to get the intended recipients of the tips the most, not trying to be cheap. I think most of the posts on this thread have been in that spirit. I don't remember having a cruise where there wasn't someone (or several) who went far beyond what should be expected of employees and deserved extra, beyond the standard amounts -- wanted to see if they actually keep the extra. Hopefully, they also share with the others (waiter -> buspeople -> kitchen, etc.), but I know sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. As a kid working in a restaurant, there was one waitress I liked to work with - she shared her tips, knowing I would clear her tables fast so that she could make more. Alright, she was cute, too. :)

 

It just make me cringe when the issue of tipping comes up . I think the automatic tipping charged to your room is perfect .If you want to go above and beyond that then that is even better .

If you can afford to cruise then you can afford to tip . The crew are away for extended periods from their families and make our lives very comfortable while we spend time with our loved ones in luxury by their standards [and ours ] . We are all privileged to be able to take these vacations no matter how hard we all work for them and we should be gracious. And I know that the majority of us are .

[Janearl]

If you pre tip your room stewart how much do you tip him. I know what to do after the cruise. Do you pre tip the conceige too.

[tbonegroup]

Just to add to my previous post

 

I do understand the question on this thread was to clarify the tipping procedure and not to try and get out of it . It is always a sensitive subject .

[CRUZIN TOM]

I just received my docs yesterday, It states about the service charge in the second to the last sentence. " In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfation program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone's complete satisfaction." Page 11 of the Welcome aboard pamplet.:)

[shoreguy]

I just received my docs yesterday, It states about the service charge in the second to the last sentence. " In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfation program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone's complete satisfaction." Page 11 of the Welcome aboard pamplet.:)

 

That is identical to the details posted on NCL's website

 

http://www.ncl.com/more/fp_mi_w2n.htm#18

[jeffinhburg]

Interesting docs quote, Tom. It appears that they have had trouble with people reducing the amount without problems to account for it, or with problems NCL didn't know about. I find it hard to believe many people would reduce the tips - odd. Unless something absolutely horrible happened, I would feel more than a little awkward about doing that. The amounts they take already are well below the tips I think most of the employees should hope to receive. OTOH, without being able to reduce it, or having hurdles placed to doing so, makes it sound almost too much like a mandatory surcharge.

[jeffinhburg]

Oops - double post.

[AZ_Roy]

Interesting docs quote, Tom. It appears that they have had trouble with people reducing the amount without problems to account for it, or with problems NCL didn't know about. I find it hard to believe many people would reduce the tips - odd. Unless something absolutely horrible happened, I would feel more than a little awkward about doing that. The amounts they take already are well below the tips I think most of the employees should hope to receive. OTOH, without being able to reduce it, or having hurdles placed to doing so, makes it sound almost too much like a mandatory surcharge.

We reduced our “Service Charge” on the Wind last year and again on the Star last week. NCL did not ask anything more that for us to fill out a short form with a space for a paragraph explaining why we were making the reduction.

 

Roy

 

When you consider that there are about 2200 passengers on the Star and 1100 crew with probably 800-900 of the crew that are eligible for the tip pool. If all 2200 passengers paid the $10/day “Service Charge” that comes to $176,000 for the pool. Add to that the 15% mandatory gratuity on drinks and any extra tips given to favorite crew members and you probably get a lot more than that (It is my understanding that any extra money a crew member gets has to be turned in to be added to the pool as well.)

 

 

That give each eligible crew member a weekly tip of over $200 or more on average. I paid for my cruise and I work hard for my money and I will not be told that I MUST pay a specific “Service Charge” after I have already paid for the cruise. I am not cheep, and I have no problem with someone seeking a tip, but I refuse to be told how much that tip will be, that is MY choice and not theirs.

 

 

Nothing against people that choose to tip more if they feel the need, I just don't feel that same need and I do appreciate the ability to alter MY tip with little or no hassle.

[beachchick]

It just make me cringe when the issue of tipping comes up . I think the automatic tipping charged to your room is perfect .If you want to go above and beyond that then that is even better .

If you can afford to cruise then you can afford to tip . The crew are away for extended periods from their families and make our lives very comfortable while we spend time with our loved ones in luxury by their standards [and ours ] . We are all privileged to be able to take these vacations no matter how hard we all work for them and we should be gracious. And I know that the majority of us are .

 

I'm new to NCL, but not to cruising so I have no problem with the "tip" being called a Resort Fee. Fine with me--less to worry about later. Tipping is just part of the cruise experience.

 

But I have never agreed with the idea that if we can afford to cruise, we can afford to tip, or the idea that we should tip generously because the staff is away from their family and work hard, or the idea that we should tip because we are blessed with the ability to cruise.

 

Now before you jump all over me (so to speak), let me explain why. The reason is that this logic applies to virtually every aspect of life. Many, many people take jobs where they are away from their families; most people work very hard for their money (I'd venture to say, just about all of us); and we are also blessed to be able to afford to buy clothes, food, and various other items. So, am I supposed to tip every person who is working a job away from home? or who works very hard for their money? or who is in a service industry (like the ticket takers at Disney or the person who sells me my morning muffin, for example)? As a matter of fact, I see more and more "tip" jars in places I would not have expected them. And isn't a tip supposed to be a discrectionary item in most cases? (I don't consider it a discrectionary item in cruising; I plan it right into the budget. But that's our choice.)

 

And I really disagree with the admonishment that "if you can afford to cruise, you can afford to...fill in the blank" (tip, buy fancy formal wear, pay the onboard markup for wine, etc., etc.). I've never believed that I should judge what someone else can or cannot afford nor how they choose to budget and spend their money.

 

The reason we should happily pay the Resort Fee or pay tips (or pay the Resort Fee and tip extra for "above and beyond") is because that is how the cruise industry works. Many people resent it and consider that the cruise lines should charge us more and pay their staff a higher wage in the first place. That's actually a valid argument, IMO. Then we could simply tip for extra service as we choose. But until or if that day comes, we should tip as expected. I do not, however, think we should be "guilted" (or try to guilt others) into doing it with admonishments about why it should be done.

 

As always, JMO.

 

beachchick

[shoreguy]

Many people resent it and consider that the cruise lines should charge us more and pay their staff a higher wage in the first place. That's actually a valid argument, IMO. Then we could simply tip for extra service as we choose. But until or if that day comes, we should tip as expected. I do not, however, think we should be "guilted" (or try to guilt others) into doing it with admonishments about why it should be done.

 

As always, JMO.

 

beachchick

 

And that is exactly what is happening on NCLA - US workers. reasonable wages, overtime, and paid vacation - tipping is only for those that go the extra mile. The resort fee on NCLA is not a tip pool.

[SailAways]

The more that is posted about tipping, the more apparent it is that the pure pleasure of tipping has been completely forgotten.

 

It certainly is always your choice as to whether you will tip additionally, or at all, as far as that goes.

 

Personally, we find it pleasurable to tip. If we have enjoyed a service, and have received special treatment, we do not feel "obligated" to tip, it simply seems the proper thing to do, and as stated, we enjoy being able to do so.

 

If we have ever not received at least good service, we will either forgo the tip, or leave a nominal one.

I do not mean a demeaning penny - that is an unnecessary slap in the face.

 

The tipping issue is an individual choice. If you desire to tip, do so.

If not, don't - no one is going to chop of the "tip" of your fingers.

If you are satisfied with your decision, surely, no harm is done.