mabones Posted February 6, 2018 #1 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Does MSC Seaside have an option to prepay the Daily Service Charges like other cruise lines do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallnthensome Posted February 6, 2018 #2 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Does MSC Seaside have an option to prepay the Daily Service Charges like other cruise lines do?I've also asked this question in the past. The answer was yes and only by calling customer service. It's not an option on their website ..... which in stupid and inconvenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mabones Posted February 6, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted February 6, 2018 I've also asked this question in the past. The answer was yes and only by calling customer service. It's not an option on their website ..... which in stupid and inconvenient. Thank you. I'm finding that as well. What is the Daily Service Charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisergal1208 Posted February 6, 2018 #4 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Thank you. I'm finding that as well. What is the Daily Service Charge? $12.50pp/pd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirvegetables Posted February 7, 2018 #5 Share Posted February 7, 2018 $12.50pp/pd I don't want to start a firestorm by asking this- but does anyone know if you can decline to pay the daily charges like you can on other cruise lines? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisergal1208 Posted February 7, 2018 #6 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I don't want to start a firestorm by asking this- but does anyone know if you can decline to pay the daily charges like you can on other cruise lines? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Well you just lit the 🔥. I would ask, why would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirvegetables Posted February 7, 2018 #7 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Well you just lit the [emoji91]. I would ask, why would you? Good try but [emoji97][emoji97] Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisergal1208 Posted February 7, 2018 #8 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Good try but [emoji97][emoji97] Sent from my iPhone using Forums :') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ODECCIT Posted February 7, 2018 #9 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I don't want to start a firestorm by asking this- but does anyone know if you can decline to pay the daily charges like you can on other cruise lines? Sent from my iPhone using Forums You can reduce them or completely removed them by filling out the form at guest relation counter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianmike Posted February 7, 2018 #10 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Well you just lit the 🔥. I would ask, why would you? I'll bite lol. There is a myth that removing the daily service charge hurts the crew. Cruise lines do nothing to stop this myth, they actually like the myth. In the olden days the DSC was divided among a set number of crew members and was easy to quantify. Cruise lines like the DSC as it increases revenue without raising prices. The cruise lines also like the DSC, because they can claim most of a crew's pay is from tips (DSC, which must be voluntary or it can't be coded as tips) which means should a crew member get hurt and go on workman's comp the cruise line only has to pay the salary and not the "tips." In many cases the cruise lines only are are on the hook for approx. $50 a month in workman's comp owed to a injured employee. There have been several lawsuits about this very issue. Here's a copy of a Seafarers Agreement where the crew member will make less than $50 per month. https://www.lipcon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Seafarers-Agreement-Carnival-Cruise-Lines.pdf Accounting gimmicks allow cruise lines to claim that the majority of many crew member's pay is from gratuities. Nowadays the DSC is used as just another a fee just as hotels charge resort fees. Cruise lines have been gradually raising their DSC and gratuities and yet the crew has not seen a commensurate raises. That's because the crew's pay is not based on the fickle whims of whether people do, or do not remove their DSC. Crew pay is based on a complex incentive pay scale. You want to help the crew? Write a glowing review about a crew member on a comment card. I have never removed the DSC, because I look at it as the cost of the cruise, but if a cruise line seriously mistreated me I would not hesitate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseguyinorl Posted February 7, 2018 #11 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Not sure if it will expand to the Seaside, but the Divina has started something new. You have to get the form to reduce or remove gratuities from your room steward. That way you can look them in the eye to say you are sorry you are taking money away from them. :o Bret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ODECCIT Posted February 7, 2018 #12 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Not sure if it will expand to the Seaside, but the Divina has started something new. You have to get the form to reduce or remove gratuities from your room steward. That way you can look them in the eye to say you are sorry you are taking money away from them. :o Bret When did it started? Back in January forms were available at guest service desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallnthensome Posted February 7, 2018 #13 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I don't want to start a firestorm by asking this- but does anyone know if you can decline to pay the daily charges like you can on other cruise lines? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Ha! They make it hard enough to PAY the service charges let alone find away to remove them easily! I'm guessing you could stand in line at the desk on board for an hour or two and do it. Hate to say it but with more people wanting to remove service charges for no reason, it might be THE reason that service on board is getting worse. I hate when people ask this question, no offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amajaa Posted February 7, 2018 #14 Share Posted February 7, 2018 If you don’t prepay your gratuities do they come off your on board account? Can I ask please what is the difference between prepaying and paying on board? Is it just you might lose or gain by the exchange rate difference or is there a set monetary difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmukid87 Posted February 7, 2018 #15 Share Posted February 7, 2018 If you don’t prepay your gratuities do they come off your on board account? Can I ask please what is the difference between prepaying and paying on board? Is it just you might lose or gain by the exchange rate difference or is there a set monetary difference? There is no difference. If you wait until you are onboard it can come off of any accrued on board credit, though. I will also add that the daily service charge is only $6.25/pp/pd for children over 2 years and is free for children under 2 years. This is saving us a big chunk over some other mainstream lines that charge full price for everyone, regardless of age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amajaa Posted February 7, 2018 #16 Share Posted February 7, 2018 There is no difference. If you wait until you are onboard it can come off of any accrued on board credit, though. I will also add that the daily service charge is only $6.25/pp/pd for children over 2 years and is free for children under 2 years. This is saving us a big chunk over some other mainstream lines that charge full price for everyone, regardless of age. Thanks. We normally cruise with P & O they don’t charge for children at all until they are 12 and adults are only £6 pppn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omarchs Posted February 7, 2018 #17 Share Posted February 7, 2018 There is no difference. If you wait until you are onboard it can come off of any accrued on board credit, though. I will also add that the daily service charge is only $6.25/pp/pd for children over 2 years and is free for children under 2 years. This is saving us a big chunk over some other mainstream lines that charge full price for everyone, regardless of age. Has anyone had experience where their onboard credit could be applied for the daily service charge? There have numerous conflicting comments about being able to use it. Some have even gone to the casino and cashed out their onboard since they indicated it couldn’t be applied. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisergal1208 Posted February 7, 2018 #18 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Has anyone had experience where their onboard credit could be applied for the daily service charge? There have numerous conflicting comments about being able to use it. Some have even gone to the casino and cashed out their onboard since they indicated it couldn’t be applied. Thanks! When we printed out our statement, all charges were being off set by any shipboard Credit. We had both agent and ship credit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korpo024 Posted February 14, 2018 #19 Share Posted February 14, 2018 I don't want to start a firestorm by asking this- but does anyone know if you can decline to pay the daily charges like you can on other cruise lines? Sent from my iPhone using Forums YES you can! And I wonder why more people don't do that.....the whole cruise critic website is full of complaints against MSC, but the same people pay these tips....for us Europeans this is so stupid! If you get bad service, you do not tip! Every discussion about this theme, people use all kinds of arguments only to let the world see how good they are in paying tips (although the service is bad..)...and nobody will ever know if they REALLY payed the service charge...the say they did on the web, but did they really? If you read the complaints from these people, you just cannot believe that they did....:confused::'):mad:;p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayceeP Posted February 14, 2018 #20 Share Posted February 14, 2018 I have mixed feelings. No problem tipping but not sure why there should be this expectation that I have to and it's offensive to ask about it. Having said that, on our last cruise I gave all of our servers and our room cleaner $20 in addition to whatever few dollars they got out of the daily gratuity. Cruise fares should just be advertised as an all in price and people maybe won't feel like they are getting nickel and dimed with extra fees. $50/day for a family of 4 in 2 cabins to subsidize wages is a bit excessive IMO. It would be interesting to know what % of the daily gratuity goes to ship employees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Beamafar Posted February 14, 2018 #21 Share Posted February 14, 2018 If you don’t prepay your gratuities do they come off your on board account? Can I ask please what is the difference between prepaying and paying on board? Is it just you might lose or gain by the exchange rate difference or is there a set monetary difference? One of the benefits of paying onboard is that MSC awards points for onboard spend - 100 for every $/€150. While pre-paid items also qualify for points, you're splitting the 2 amounts - prepaid and onboard, so, if one falls short of a multiple of the 150 amount, you can't add it to the other to make it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Beamafar Posted February 14, 2018 #22 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Has anyone had experience where their onboard credit could be applied for the daily service charge? There have numerous conflicting comments about being able to use it. Some have even gone to the casino and cashed out their onboard since they indicated it couldn’t be applied. OBC can certainly be offset against the daily service charge. The only discussion I've come across about OBC being cashed out in the casino was in relation to having any unused not being refunded by MSC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcpagejr Posted February 15, 2018 #23 Share Posted February 15, 2018 YES you can! And I wonder why more people don't do that.....the whole cruise critic website is full of complaints against MSC, but the same people pay these tips....for us Europeans this is so stupid! If you get bad service, you do not tip!Every discussion about this theme, people use all kinds of arguments only to let the world see how good they are in paying tips (although the service is bad..)...and nobody will ever know if they REALLY payed the service charge...the say they did on the web, but did they really? If you read the complaints from these people, you just cannot believe that they did....:confused::'):mad:;p Whats your definition of bad service?? Unless its consistently bad for the whole cruise...this shouldn't be an issue!! Also, don't forget....assuming you had a bad dining experience for the WHOLE cruise....but your room steward was fantastic... your taking $$ from him/her unless you make sure to pay them seperately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcpagejr Posted February 15, 2018 #24 Share Posted February 15, 2018 I have mixed feelings. No problem tipping but not sure why there should be this expectation that I have to and it's offensive to ask about it. Having said that, on our last cruise I gave all of our servers and our room cleaner $20 in addition to whatever few dollars they got out of the daily gratuity. Cruise fares should just be advertised as an all in price and people maybe won't feel like they are getting nickel and dimed with extra fees. $50/day for a family of 4 in 2 cabins to subsidize wages is a bit excessive IMO. It would be interesting to know what % of the daily gratuity goes to ship employees. Lets be real here...EVERYONE knows daily gratuity/service charges are in addition to your cruise fare for ALL the mainline cruise companies. It amazes me how people play "dumb" on this topic!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayceeP Posted February 15, 2018 #25 Share Posted February 15, 2018 Lets be real here...EVERYONE knows daily gratuity/service charges are in addition to your cruise fare for ALL the mainline cruise companies. It amazes me how people play "dumb" on this topic!! Playing dumb? No one is playing dumb. I am simply stating that some people get frustrated paying their vacation, in full, months in advance only to find hundreds of dollars of additional charges during the trip. Also, in reference to your comment about playing dumb, MSC is not particularly clear about daily gratuities. If you are a new cruiser and simply go on the website, it is not exactly easy to find out about additional fees and many new cruisers would likely expect that once their booking is paid for, that's it. There is no mention of additional gratuities during the booking process nor is it easy to find this information on the website. It is there. I know it is. But, you have to search and dig for it before you can find it. Again, for the awesome perfect cruise people on this website. No problem. For someone who is new, how can you just say "oh, you're playing dumb." Go and search "daily gratuity" on the MSC website and tell me how many search results you get? Here, I'll make it simple: ZERO. Try "daily service fee." I'll make it simple again. ZERO results when searching on the MSC website. You can't say this isn't by design. Why wouldn't a cruise line want to talk about all the extra fees like daily gratuities, drinks (no menu prices on the website), specialty food etc that is not included during the booking process? Because all this stuff adds about $1000 to the cost of your vacation, that's why. This information is all segmented so it's therefore harder to get an aggregate number on costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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