Opting out of paying Daily Service Charge

[mdwcruises]

To remove and give the cash equivalents to the servers will be my plan going forward.   

[KateQ22003]

19 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

No, you’re wrong again. I’ve sailed NCL enough and so have you to know that the DSC is prepaid tips. They don’t refer to them as “tips” . I have my two bookings pdf’s  in front of me. Tips are referred to as Daily service charge right on your booking statement. I don’t get what you don’t understand. 

NCL doesn't call them gratuities; this is a travel site. As a matter of fact, NCL's site says there is no required or recommended tipping. NCL calls the charge a service charge, and their own site says that the DSC "supports" salary and incentive programs. Just to be clear, I would never remove the DSC. I can't imagine a reason to. That being said, I make sure to tip those that make my trip special, knowing that they may or may not ever see a dime from my DSC.

[newmexicoNita]

21 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

Or, another option.  For the cruise lines to pay a living wage.  You know, take responsibility for the souls they take in to their employ and ask them to leave their families for months at a time to do our laundry, clean up our mess and make us feel like we're old money when most of us had to save two years for a cruise.

that is pretty unworkable considering a living wage in one country is very different from another country and remember you are going to pay it one way or the other. The method cruise line use is very realistic. The salaries maybe should be raised but all in all a living wage salary is not something that applies to cruise lines. Who decides a living wage for someone from Mexico as compared to someone from Asia? 

[newmexicoNita]

21 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

No, you’re wrong again. I’ve sailed NCL enough and so have you to know that the DSC is prepaid tips. They don’t refer to them as “tips” . I have my two bookings pdf’s  in front of me. Tips are referred to as Daily service charge right on your booking statement. I don’t get what you don’t understand. 

you are completely right on this one. Whether you call it a tip, a gratuity or DSC it is the same.  I don't understand how anyone could argue with you on this. 

[tallnthensome]

Just now, newmexicoNita said:

you are completely right on this one. Whether you call it a tip, a gratuity or DSC it is the same.  I don't understand how anyone could argue with you on this. 

Thank you, me neither! 

[Sam Ting]

28 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

you are completely right on this one. Whether you call it a tip, a gratuity or DSC it is the same.  I don't understand how anyone could argue with you on this. 

Service charges and tips are not the same thing. 

[imacruiser99]

21 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

This is completely false. A service charge is not a gratuity. If it was, they would call it a gratuity and not a service charge. If they call it a gratuity, then all of the money has to be distributed to the staff. It is not. It is a service charge just like what the resorts charge when they charge a resort fee.

If you are considering DSC as the same as resort fees, your analogy is incorrect again.  Resort fees are per room where as DSC is a per person charge.  Just because it is a flat rate for every booked cabin/passenger and not a percentage of the amount you paid for the cabin does not alter it's purpose.  Not all gratuities paid are percentage based.

[ColeThornton]

10 minutes ago, Sam Ting said:

Service charges and tips are not the same thing. 

 

A bazillion people disagree with you.  They will disagree with you the next time this thread recycles and the time after that and so on and so forth.

 

It's irrelevant in the long run.  Pay it or don't.  No one's business except the guest and their conscience.

[liverpoollad]

Whether you tip or not, I am not into the "you must pay tips for the hard workers on board"

I have just watched a programme on life in Hong Kong, also in the past India, Philippines & other countries &

if I had the choice of working on a cruise ship with no tips to the sheer hard work & living conditions they have

in these places, I would pick a cruise ship every time.

My wife & I do pay tips in case anyone wonders & we are from Europe.

[bkrickles1]

I've been thinking about this a little since my post yesterday and while I don't condone removing the DSC, I still don't like how it's done, how vague it is and how the promise that this method would enhance service is not truly fulfilled.

Thinking of my cruises on NCL and RCCL since the change was made away from the "envelopes", my personal experiences have been quite good but I do see and hear from others that may be some things have changed for the worse as far as attention to detail is concerned. Cabin stewards seem to be stretched thin or there aren't as many people walking around the various venues taking drink orders. 

I guess my only personal gripe would be, if you're collecting extra money for gratuities for everyone, then why, for example, do you have to take away a traditionally free amenity, like room service. It's not something that me or my people use frequently, but it was nice and, quite frankly, sometimes fun to have it available. I would never pay for it otherwise, as I am ok with going to the buffet or elsewhere for a snack but it was an expected feature that should be included for free. And, of course, the person delivering the room service always got a nice tip!

I've also read that they are doing away with towel animals, unless you request them. We had them last July on the Escape without asking so I'm not sure if this is an actual thing but others on the forum have said it is so.

I don't give a rats you know what about towel animals (my daughter loved them when she was younger) but why is it necessary to take away stuff that's done by the staff that are supposedly being rewarded by the DSC? And it does seem to put a smile on most peoples faces when they get to their cabins in the evening and see what's waiting for them.

Again, my understanding of the DSC being implemented, was to make sure everyone behind and in front of the scenes got taken care of properly and in turn that would improve the overall experience of the cruisers.

Well, I'm not positive that everyone is being taken care of and, for sure, service is not better. I'm not saying it's worse but it's definitely not better and little things are being changed constantly and usually to the detriment of the cruiser.

The cruise lines are printing money. I'd like to think that they are smart enough to find a better way of doing things and then forums like this one wouldn't exist.

Encore 1/19/2020......................................................................DSC pre paid! lmao!!

[Sam Ting]

11 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

I've been thinking about this a little since my post yesterday and while I don't condone removing the DSC, I still don't like how it's done, how vague it is and how the promise that this method would enhance service is not truly fulfilled.

Thinking of my cruises on NCL and RCCL since the change was made away from the "envelopes", my personal experiences have been quite good but I do see and hear from others that may be some things have changed for the worse as far as attention to detail is concerned. Cabin stewards seem to be stretched thin or there aren't as many people walking around the various venues taking drink orders. 

I guess my only personal gripe would be, if you're collecting extra money for gratuities for everyone, then why, for example, do you have to take away a traditionally free amenity, like room service. It's not something that me or my people use frequently, but it was nice and, quite frankly, sometimes fun to have it available. I would never pay for it otherwise, as I am ok with going to the buffet or elsewhere for a snack but it was an expected feature that should be included for free. And, of course, the person delivering the room service always got a nice tip!

I've also read that they are doing away with towel animals, unless you request them. We had them last July on the Escape without asking so I'm not sure if this is an actual thing but others on the forum have said it is so.

I don't give a rats you know what about towel animals (my daughter loved them when she was younger) but why is it necessary to take away stuff that's done by the staff that are supposedly being rewarded by the DSC? And it does seem to put a smile on most peoples faces when they get to their cabins in the evening and see what's waiting for them.

Again, my understanding of the DSC being implemented, was to make sure everyone behind and in front of the scenes got taken care of properly and in turn that would improve the overall experience of the cruisers.

Well, I'm not positive that everyone is being taken care of and, for sure, service is not better. I'm not saying it's worse but it's definitely not better and little things are being changed constantly and usually to the detriment of the cruiser.

The cruise lines are printing money. I'd like to think that they are smart enough to find a better way of doing things and then forums like this one wouldn't exist.

Encore 1/19/2020......................................................................DSC pre paid! lmao!!

They did find a smarter way. They have some passengers convinced it’s their responsibility to subsidize their back of the house labor costs leading to greater profits!

 

As as far as I’m concerned, the fare includes room and board (which naturally include clean sheets and dishes)

[lanceholt]

I have seen thousands of these threads seems like, and they are all very similar.  Bottom line is if you don't want to pay that fee, then speak to someone who can take it off and give them the reason.  Carping about it online is not going to change anything, nor is discussing the subject ad nauseum.  IF you don't like how cruise lines are doing something then don't cruise, no one is forcing you to cruise.  Find yourself a reason to board the ship happy or don't go if you cannot.  

 

[gaabbee]

I'm going to throw a wrench into this conversation because why not. I worked for NCL 8 years ago. Lets say the service charge was $13 pppd. For a full cruise on my ship that's about $191,000. We had 900 crew. That's $212 per week per person. (not everyone gets the DSC) In my paychecks the DSC averaged around $120-150 every 2 weeks. Now they did throw us parties and extra activities but I never thought the math added up.....

[picsa]

13 minutes ago, lanceholt said:

IF you don't like how cruise lines are doing something then don't cruise, no one is forcing you to cruise. 

 

But they do like how cruise lines are doing something - offering the option to pay the DSC or don't pay the DSC.

 

It is just you and many others don't like that they have taken the second option, so perhaps you should stop cruising with companies that offer the choice and only cruise with companies that have a mandatory DSC.

Edited August 2, 2019 by picsa

[HuliHuli]

In the end, money is fungible to the cruise line.  As "for profit" businesses, cruise lines are constantly balancing incomes (fares, service charges, gratuities, on-board sales, etc.) and expenditures (staff wages, materials, food, fuel, etc.) to produce a profit for their business and shareholders.  No matter the label put on it, a DSC is just another part of the income equation that the cruise line can apply to their cost equation as they deem best for their business.  Personally, I prefer cash in an envelope in the hands of staff that provide exceptional service.  At least that way, there is less of a chance the cruise line can get their hands on it to use it for other purposes.

[cottagers2000]

29 minutes ago, lanceholt said:

I have seen thousands of these threads seems like, and they are all very similar.  Bottom line is if you don't want to pay that fee, then speak to someone who can take it off and give them the reason.  Carping about it online is not going to change anything, nor is discussing the subject ad nauseum.  IF you don't like how cruise lines are doing something then don't cruise, no one is forcing you to cruise.  Find yourself a reason to board the ship happy or don't go if you cannot.  

 

There is no need to give any reason for requesting the daily service charge to be credited to your account. It is a simple matter of going to guest services and asking for the service charge adjustment form. They ask for a signature and $105 for a weeks cruise per person is credited to your account

[newmexicoNita]

1 hour ago, Sam Ting said:

Service charges and tips are not the same thing. 

used in this case they are exactly the same thing. The DSC is meant to replace tipping. I don't understand  why this is so hard for some to comprehend. We used to have the envelope method, now we have the automatic DSC method. It mainly replaced the old fashion way as so many passengers were not leaving tips at all or very small ones. 

[MotownVoice]

8 hours ago, HAPPINESS IS said:

An even better option (...) to acknowledge that the souls who are employed by the cruise lines (...) be rewarded for their hard work.

Yes.  And the way that works is that the cruise lines offer a cruise that people pay to take, and then they hire the people to facilitate that cruise. 

Not hire the people at half of a decent salary and then guilt the passengers who paid the ticket in to paying the rest of their debts.

God if that were moral then you people are all responsible for my next months gas bill. 

[Sam Ting]

14 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

used in this case they are exactly the same thing. The DSC is meant to replace tipping. I don't understand  why this is so hard for some to comprehend. We used to have the envelope method, now we have the automatic DSC method. It mainly replaced the old fashion way as so many passengers were not leaving tips at all or very small ones. 

Sorry you are wrong. They are not the same thing at all. Seems to me the DSC took the money out of the pockets of the people who served you and gave it to the company to subsidize back of the house wages. 

[ColeThornton]

You're wrong.

 

Nope, you're wrong.

 

You're wrong.

 

Nope, you're wrong.

 

You're wrong.

 

Nope, you're wrong.

 

Have I changed your mind yet?

 

Nope, have I changed your mind yet?

 

Okay, see you for next weeks thread on tipping.

[lanceholt]

1 minute ago, ColeThornton said:

You're wrong.

 

Nope, you're wrong.

 

You're wrong.

 

Nope, you're wrong.

 

You're wrong.

 

Nope, you're wrong.

 

Have I changed your mind yet?

 

Nope, have I changed your mind yet?

 

Okay, see you for next weeks thread on tipping.

You're a funny person.  Whatever it is called, and whoever wants to leave it on or take it off doesn't matter.  Just do what you want, but PLEASE END THE INSANITY OF THE DSC THREADS.   

[bkrickles1]

13 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

used in this case they are exactly the same thing. The DSC is meant to replace tipping. I don't understand  why this is so hard for some to comprehend. We used to have the envelope method, now we have the automatic DSC method. It mainly replaced the old fashion way as so many passengers were not leaving tips at all or very small ones. 

With all due respect, and I truly mean that as you definitely have more experience cruising than I do, are you sure the entire DSC is going to the crew as tips/gratuities?

Because, if it's not, then it's not the same thing.

Even if 90% is going to the crew, and I don't believe for a moment that they are receiving that much, it's just not the same thing.

And I know I'm only guessing here, but I bet they're getting closer to 50% of that DSC money we contribute.

When I handed cash or an envelope to someone, I knew they were getting 100% of that money.

Please correct me if I'm dead wrong but I don't know how anyone could possibly know how the money is split.

I mean, it is a lot of money. If there's 4000 passengers and 2000 crew, that's approximately $400,000 being collected for a 7 day cruise and that would be $200 per crew member (and I'm sure officers and others are not included in this) per week.

I just don't think the numbers add up.

[GA Dave]

I heard they are adding baggage fees next month (ducks and runs for cover).

 

 

 

 

 

[newmexicoNita]

7 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

With all due respect, and I truly mean that as you definitely have more experience cruising than I do, are you sure the entire DSC is going to the crew as tips/gratuities?

Because, if it's not, then it's not the same thing.

Even if 90% is going to the crew, and I don't believe for a moment that they are receiving that much, it's just not the same thing.

And I know I'm only guessing here, but I bet they're getting closer to 50% of that DSC money we contribute.

When I handed cash or an envelope to someone, I knew they were getting 100% of that money.

Please correct me if I'm dead wrong but I don't know how anyone could possibly know how the money is split.

I mean, it is a lot of money. If there's 4000 passengers and 2000 crew, that's approximately $400,000 being collected for a 7 day cruise and that would be $200 per crew member (and I'm sure officers and others are not included in this) per week.

I just don't think the numbers add up.

Technically you are correct about where the DSC goes or let's say no one really knows, regardless what they claim, but most of us realize whatever you call it, the DSC replaces the old fashion tipping policy. 

[PTC DAWG]

Cheapskates are easy to spot.  I’ll say that.