NCL gratuities Fee ?

[thunter1224]

What is the price per day for gratuities on NCL. ?

[LHT28]

It is a DSC

 

You can check in the FAQ page at NCL website or ask on the NCL forum

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

[thunter1224]

Thank You ..I did check it on NCL.com .and if I am reading it right . There is NO set fee for daily gratuities on NCL..

[taglovestocruise]

It seems pretty clear..

For all ships excluding Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun (3-5 night sailings departing from Port Canaveral) and Norwegian Joy

 

• $17.50 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites
  

 

• $14.50 USD per person per day for all other stateroom types
  

 

 

Norwegian Sky All-Inclusive and Norwegian Sun All-Inclusive (Port Canaveral sailings only)

 

• $22.99 USD per person per day for Suites
  

 

• $19.99 USD per person per day for all other stateroom types
  

 

 

And kudos to NCL for not allowing service charges to be removed onboard.

[NLH Arizona]

Thank You ..I did check it on NCL.com .and if I am reading it right . There is NO set fee for daily gratuities on NCL..

Clearly on NCL's website: https://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

[Langley Cruisers]

And kudos to NCL for not allowing service charges to be removed onboard.

 

The link provided states the service charge can be adjusted - last sentence.

 

"If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?

Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges."

[zqvol]

What is the price per day for gratuities on NCL. ?

 

NCL does not charge gratuities, they have a mandatory daily service charge.

 

 

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 20% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 20% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 20% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#tipping

 

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.

 

How much are the service charges?

$17.50 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suite

$14.50 USD per person per day for all other stateroom types

 

 

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

[MicCanberra]

The link provided states the service charge can be adjusted - last sentence.

 

"If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?

Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges."

This is true and you can write to NCL and apply to have the charges reduced or removed along with your reasons why. This can be a long and time consuming effort, over 6 weeks.

[Langley Cruisers]

This is true and you can write to NCL and apply to have the charges reduced or removed along with your reasons why. This can be a long and time consuming effort, over 6 weeks.

 

Understood, thank you. :)

[donaldsc]

Thank You ..I did check it on NCL.com .and if I am reading it right . There is NO set fee for daily gratuities on NCL..

 

Check this - https://www.ncl.com/cruise-faq/service-charge

 

I just typed "ncl daily service charge" into Google and clicked on the very first hit.

 

DON

[thunter1224]

I am happy to pay the gratuities they charge.. These people work their butts off. and the money covers so many people from your main cabin steward to the waiting staff , to the people that clean up when someone gets seasick .

[GrJ Berkshire]

Why if it is almost mandatory is it not put in the cruise fare to start with and distributed equally to al staff within higher rates of pay. This nineteenth century master / servant approach of extras on top is just a marketing ploy to keep the initial fare artificially low

[Texas Tillie]

Why if it is almost mandatory is it not put in the cruise fare to start with and distributed equally to al staff within higher rates of pay. This nineteenth century master / servant approach of extras on top is just a marketing ploy to keep the initial fare artificially low

 

Tax laws in the flag country of the ship and the country of the crew member. On those lines that include gratuities the pay to the crew has to cover the added taxes so that they are equal to lines that use tipping. That causes the fare to be even higher than just an extra $12 to $15/day for the gratuity.

[GrJ Berkshire]

What a nonsense !! All this is doing is encouraging a Black economy of payment outside tax. Just like the problem we now have with apple, Starbucks, Facebook , amazon and Google of serious tax avoidance, this is morally doubtful and anyway should you not pay the taxes, nobody should be out of this.

[leaveitallbehind]

What a nonsense !! All this is doing is encouraging a Black economy of payment outside tax. Just like the problem we now have with apple, Starbucks, Facebook , amazon and Google of serious tax avoidance, this is morally doubtful and anyway should you not pay the taxes, nobody should be out of this.

 

Wow! Feel better now?

[Texas Tillie]

What a nonsense !! All this is doing is encouraging a Black economy of payment outside tax. Just like the problem we now have with apple, Starbucks, Facebook , amazon and Google of serious tax avoidance, this is morally doubtful and anyway should you not pay the taxes, nobody should be out of this.

 

This is not avoiding any taxes. The Philippines especially has tax laws that tax wages but not tips. If they wanted more money the Philippine legislature could change the laws. You know how many Philippinos there are on cruise ships, ask them what they prefer. Perhaps you should consider not commenting on that which you have no knowledge.

[leaveitallbehind]

This is not avoiding any taxes. The Philippines especially has tax laws that tax wages but not tips. If they wanted more money the Philippine legislature could change the laws. You know how many Philippinos there are on cruise ships, ask them what they prefer. Perhaps you should consider not commenting on that which you have no knowledge.

 

As I understand it, you are correct. Maybe chengkp75 will happen upon this thread to provide his expertise to help set GrJ Berkshire straight on the facts.

[sloopsailor]

Why if it is almost mandatory is it not put in the cruise fare to start with and distributed equally to al staff within higher rates of pay. This nineteenth century master / servant approach of extras on top is just a marketing ploy to keep the initial fare artificially low

 

 

What a nonsense !! All this is doing is encouraging a Black economy of payment outside tax. Just like the problem we now have with apple, Starbucks, Facebook , amazon and Google of serious tax avoidance, this is morally doubtful and anyway should you not pay the taxes, nobody should be out of this.

 

 

I read your post and took a guess at where you were from. One quick look at your location and I was right. So predictable! :rolleyes:

 

The "nonsense" is your attitude.

[Essiesmom]

Actually, this has been addressed recently by chengkp7

 

 

chengkp75

10,000+ Club

#11

Maine 13,237 Posts Joined Feb 2013

Posted Today, 04:38 AM

Originally posted by CruiserBruce

Bar waiters are on a different contract from restaurant and cabin staff. AsI understand it, bar waiters are on a contract that is far more based on tips.Room stewards and restaurant staff get a small salary plus tips.

I was going to go into a one time, long winded explanation about DSC (Idon't call it gratuity or tips, since it isn't, regardless of what the cruiseline says), but decided on just a few facts. Bruce is correct, bar waiters arenot in the DSC pool, they are paid the gratuity placed on each bar tab.

 

Housekeeping, waitstaff, and some back of house functions (galley, laundry,depends on the individual line) are part of the DSC pool.

 

Things have changed since 10 years ago. When the Manila Labor Convention of2006 came into force in 2013, much about the conditions of cruise ship workerschanged. Before this, those in the DSC pool relied on the DSC for 90% of theircompensation, with no guarantee of a minimum wage.

 

Since MLC, there is a minimum monthly wage for all seafarers worldwide of$617/month, for a 40 hour work week. All work over 40 hours per week must bepaid at 125% of the minimum wage. Now, do crew in the DSC pool actually see anhourly wage and overtime? No. The cruise lines use a complex calculation tofigure out how much this minimum wage and the required overtime hours comes outto in total dollars. They then break this down into a base monthly salary andan "incentive package" based on the DSC from the passengers. This isclearly stated in their employment contract, along with the clear statementthat if passengers remove or reduce the automatic DSC, their compensation canbe reduced as well. Now, that seems to be pretty similar to what they weregetting before MLC, but the big change is that minimum wage. The base salariestend to be below the monthly minimum, so if all the DSC were removed, the crewwould not be making the minimum wage. MLC requires the cruise line, in thatcase, to step up and make good the balance, up to the minimum monthly. I didsome figures before about the wages based on MLC, and entry level DSC crew makeabout $1100-$1300/month, but reductions in DSC can drive that down to the $617figure. So, where DSC made up about 90% of their compensation before MLC, itnow drops to about 50%.

 

Does this mean the cruise line is keeping the DSC, or any part of it? No.The portion of the wage actually paid from the DSC collected from thepassengers is still 90% of their compensation, but if the passengers removeenough of it, the cruise line has to make up the difference.

 

And remember, even if you remove the auto DSC, and pay an exorbitant amountin cash, the mere fact that you removed the DSC is noted in the weekly purser'sreport, and this raises a red flag with Housekeeping and Food & Beverage toquestion the staff involved with your cabin and table service as to why the DSCwas removed. This is the whole reason the cruise lines use the DSC, to promote"self policing" team mentality (one crew messes up, we all sufferfrom reduced wage), and to shift the blame for reduced wage from the cruiseline to the passenger.

 

Sorry, got longer than I wanted

This is from post #11 on this much longer thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642113

[leaveitallbehind]

Actually, this has been addressed recently by chengkp7

 

This is from post #11 on this much longer thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642113

 

Thanks for tracking this down! I remember the thread as well.

 

If they are interested in learning the facts, perhaps GrJ Berkshire will read this information.

[Essiesmom]

Thanks for tracking this down! I remember the thread as well.

 

If they are interested in learning the facts, perhaps GrJ Berkshire will read this information.

 

 

It is to be hoped. EM

[sloopsailor]

Thanks for tracking this down! I remember the thread as well.

 

If they are interested in learning the facts, perhaps GrJ Berkshire will read this information.

 

Won't make a difference at all. When a mind is closed, nothing gets in. And based on the wording of his postings, that mind is as solidly closed as a cruise ship's fire door during a fire.

[GrJ Berkshire]

I have read these responses. We have only gravelled on Regent of the US cruise lines, all inclusive, no tips, very happy crew, many very longstanding for this line, no concern re tips. So much easier, less messy. I do not have a closed mind , I just prefer a less complicated approach, in a fair world all payments should be taxed. This to me is just another example of where the US tipping culture has got out of control. People should be salaried at a fair level for the job they do and not have extras added on, untaxed, if they are out of pocket by these corporate rules pay them more, put the price upfront so you know the real cost not 90% from one source then 10% from another.

I stand by this European model of economics.

[sloopsailor]

I stand by this European model of economics.

 

Your "European model of economics" is completely unrelated to the economic model of the countries the staff are from. You have no right to impose your values on how those countries operate. They are allowed to operate how they want without your judgmental implications that they are operating incoorectly.

 

Besides, if you want American based cruise lines to operate per your preferences, then purchase the companies and change their policies to meet them. Otherwise, you have no say on their business decisions.

 

I hate these tiresome "My way is the only correct way" posts. :rolleyes:

Edited June 15, 2018 by sloopsailor

[leaveitallbehind]

Your "European model of economics" is completely unrelated to the economic model of the countries the staff are from. You have no right to impose your values on how those countries operate. They are allowed to operate how they want without your judgmental implications that they are operating incoorectly.

 

Besides, if you want American based cruise lines to operate per your preferences, then purchase the companies and change their policies to meet them. Otherwise, you have no say on their business decisions.

 

I hate these tiresome "My way is the only correct way" posts. :rolleyes:

 

...which is something that he likely does not understand based on the ongoing argument presented.