Opting out of paying Daily Service Charge

[dogs4fun]

I know of only one couple who elected to have the gratuities removed - it was, I was told, fairly straightforward by filling out the necessary paperwork. They preferred to tip individually to their room steward, waiter, bartender, etc. To each his own - I don't feel it necessary to judge.

BTW - this was a few years ago so I don't know if things have since changed.

Edited June 9, 2019 by dogs4fun

[cybergremlin]

On 6/8/2019 at 12:27 PM, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

I have just booked on the Epic next month and booked through NCL UK. They asked me did I want to pre-pay the Daily Service Charge or sort it out on board. NCL however did say that the charge was discretionary and that you could go to guest services on the first day, complete a form and then there would be no charge on your account at the end. I believe that the idea is if you prefer to tip individuals yourself. This is not an attempt to not pay the hard working staff, but all I am trying to establish is if this practice actually works and if anybody has successfully had the discretionary DSC waived from their account. Any help would be appreciated

 

Hey John, I am one of the mythological people who will admit to removing the DSG on both the cruises we did with NCL before it was changed to an all inclusive price. You just need to go to guest services on the last day/night and ask for it to be removed/lowered and it gives you the option to say why.

I personally believe NCL have made a mistake in now separating it again , it now makes it more complicated to compare prices between other cruise companies & it will also mean more "brits & Aussies" and probably half the people on this thread can remove it again.

[Barb Nahoumi]

We always prepay the DSC, then don't have to worry about it .  If we want to tip someone extra for extraordinary service, we do it.

[june123]

Just pay the DSC and enjoy your cruise x

Edited June 9, 2019 by june123

[FranknBeans]

15 hours ago, erdoran said:

Omg talk about overreacting! This is why folks don’t ask some questions here. It’s been posted repeatedly that all crew get a minimum living wage and only if DSC goes above a certain unknown level do they get more.  Removing your DSC won’t steal food from staffs mouths. 

 

 Removing your DSC won’t steal food from staffs mouths.  And what planet re you from.

All that pax need to do is use the search engine. This question has been beaten to death

[FranknBeans]

1 hour ago, cybergremlin said:

 

Hey John, I am one of the mythological people who will admit to removing the DSG on both the cruises we did with NCL before it was changed to an all inclusive price. You just need to go to guest services on the last day/night and ask for it to be removed/lowered and it gives you the option to say why.

I personally believe NCL have made a mistake in now separating it again , it now makes it more complicated to compare prices between other cruise companies & it will also mean more "brits & Aussies" and probably half the people on this thread can remove it again.

Really!

[smplybcause]

22 hours ago, rkelly21 said:

Yes. I do it all the time. I tip generously those hard workers who do things for me. Most folks don't realize the workers you see don't get that much of the tip. It's spread out to the behind the scenes folks as well as managers, etc. I consider that portion overhead and only wish to reward those you have helped me. By the way it works wonders if you tip a good bartender up front.

 

Bartenders are not covered by the DSC.

[adam_s_allen]

12 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Bartenders are not covered by the DSC.

In fact I thinks it’s impossible to not tip the bartenders. How much of the automatic gratuity they get is a different question.

[coloradocruiselover88]

On 6/8/2019 at 5:32 AM, sjbdtz said:

 

Yes, try Google Search for DSC.   This has been discussed 1,000,000 times, and all are indexed on Google.  

 

 

I don't understand your need to reply this way.  This forum is to help each other, best not to respond with answers like this.  I know the DSC has been discussed to death but the OP may be new and have no clue.

[fondtravel]

If there are prior threads addressing a similar topic, it may be useful to point them out to the OP so that he or she can search for them in order to get more perspective on the question.

 

But I agree that this doesn’t mean that a question or issue shouldn’t be brought up just because it’s come up before. With time, there may be new or different perspectives on the same or similar issues from different posters.

[rkelly21]

10 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

and you are !00% sure of this, even though no one else actually knows how the pool works? I would have to say, I am convinced you do not know. As for UK bookings, I am very much aware the system is a bit different in the UK> We are not telling me or anyone else something we do not already know. 

The only real thing that changed is the 10 hour max work day and they get around that with small breaks.

Get to know a few of the crew members real close and they will open up if they trust you. Otherwise they lose their jobs. Off at the next port. If you get into the crew bar you will see what I mean.

Edited June 9, 2019 by rkelly21

[rkelly21]

13 hours ago, Birdie And Sue said:

 

 

He can't.

I can only go by word of many crew members personal experiences. They all get a base salary and are only rewarded if they get complementary letters from the passengers expressing their great service. Be sure to always leave a note at the front desk for those who took care of you.

Edited June 9, 2019 by rkelly21
Just tryng to teach the newbies.

[NLH Arizona]

12 minutes ago, rkelly21 said:

I can only go by word of many crew members personal experiences. They all get a base salary and are only rewarded if they get complementary letters from the passengers expressing their great service. Be sure to always leave a note at the front desk for those who took care of you.

Hope you tipped them extra.

[esm54687]

2 hours ago, smplybcause said:

 

Bartenders are not covered by the DSC.

They get part of the 20% of the PBP or the 20% added when ordering without it..... conversely, room stewards and laundry staff etc do not get the PBP or SDP gratuity....... so bringing bartenders into the DSC conversation is confusing. 

Edited June 9, 2019 by esm54687

[Outerdog]

1 minute ago, esm54687 said:

Yes they are..... part of the 20% of the PBP or the 20% added when ordering without it

 

Neither of those are DSC.

[esm54687]

4 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

Neither of those are DSC.

You are correct..... I was in the middle of editing my post to further clarify my post and CC froze on me. 

[beerman2]

10 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I mostly just read these threads without making too many comments...but that was just funny!  I love British humor.  My mother is a Brit and I grew up speaking the "King's English" and lord help me if I ever slipped up.  At 51 years young, I still get corrected sometimes 😁.

 

But to your point, I think that you can easily have the DSC removed by completing the form at guest services.  I have often seen long lines on embarkation day at GS and wondered what everyone was doing.  Maybe they were our Brit and Aussie friends.  Like others have said, I would prefer this charge to be wrapped up into the fare as well.  I really don't care how much of my overall fare goes to gratuities for behind the scenes folks who make my cruise great...Give me a price and I will pay it.  The fact the NCL makes the DSC seem optional is confusing for our friends of cultural backgrounds where "tipping" is not customary.  I found this out in Barcelona once when I tipped our waiter.  He said "no" because the price listed on the menu already included the gratuity.  So much easier that way!

The price of the cruise with DCS is shown before booking. Everything is itemized under details and is completely spelled out. 

 

Sorry but if pax don't review/look at booking details it's on them. Cruiselines don't hide the gratuities, DCS, or whatever anyone wants to call it.

 

Don't understand how some can't/don't see total purchase.

 

Those that ask about removing something (DSC) are perceived to be tightwads, frugal, or just plain cheap whether true or not.

 

Is prepaying gratuities/DCS the best option , who knows, however it's the cruiselines choice. And it definitely beats the heck out of the envelope system used years ago.

[smplybcause]

3 hours ago, esm54687 said:

They get part of the 20% of the PBP or the 20% added when ordering without it..... conversely, room stewards and laundry staff etc do not get the PBP or SDP gratuity....... so bringing bartenders into the DSC conversation is confusing. 

 

I didn't bring them into the conversation, I quoted someone who said they remove DSC and tip those they see and that tipping bartenders gets faster service and pointed out that bartenders are not part of DSC. 

[graphicguy]

9 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

The price of the cruise with DCS is shown before booking. Everything is itemized under details and is completely spelled out. 

 

Sorry but if pax don't review/look at booking details it's on them. Cruiselines don't hide the gratuities, DCS, or whatever anyone wants to call it.

 

Don't understand how some can't/don't see total purchase.

 

Those that ask about removing something (DSC) are perceived to be tightwads, frugal, or just plain cheap whether true or not.

 

Is prepaying gratuities/DCS the best option , who knows, however it's the cruiselines choice. And it definitely beats the heck out of the envelope system used years ago.

Smartest post in the thread.

 

 

[casofilia]

Take the ship tour, especially if you get the free one because you are Platinum or Platinum Plus.   Just about everyone you see on that tour you would NEVER see during your cruise so couldn't tip them.  They, mainly the kitchen staff and the laundry staff, benefit from the DSC.

[DominicAUS]

Whilst I understand that tipping isn’t a big in the UK or here in AU shouldn’t make a difference. Cruising has always had tips and this culture. If you don’t like or want to do this maybe cruising isn’t the holiday for you. Just because you don’t tip back home does that mean you don’t tip when visiting the US?

When I visit other countries or different holiday types. I like to read and understand what is expected of me. If I don’t like then move on. 

Pay the charge, if you can’t afford the $200 or so each. Go to an all inclusive 

[cybergremlin]

14 hours ago, FranknBeans said:

Really!

 

Not sure which part your referring too but yes to all

 

[rachiem]

John, as CyberGremlin states;

Just go down to guest services early on the last evening and ask for the form to remove them. You can't miss the place to do it....just follow the queue!

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

12 hours ago, beerman2 said:

The price of the cruise with DCS is shown before booking. Everything is itemized under details and is completely spelled out. 

 

Sorry but if pax don't review/look at booking details it's on them. Cruiselines don't hide the gratuities, DCS, or whatever anyone wants to call it.

 

Don't understand how some can't/don't see total purchase.

 

Those that ask about removing something (DSC) are perceived to be tightwads, frugal, or just plain cheap whether true or not.

 

Is prepaying gratuities/DCS the best option , who knows, however it's the cruiselines choice. And it definitely beats the heck out of the envelope system used years ago.

I'm not sure about that:  Here's a snip of a price breakdown for a mock booking I just did on NCL's site.  As you can see, there is no mention of the DSC in the price details.  I think this is what gets confusing for some people.  Especially those who are not familiar with how NCL does this.  I was not familiar with how it worked the first time I booked and was surprised when I got an e-mail from my TA about additional balance due after I had already paid in full.  The TA explained that it was for the DCS.  Of course I paid it and never thought about asking for it back once I got on board.  ON the other hand, I also did a mock booking for the same type of room and similar itinerary on Celebrity.  I find their pricing details to be far more broken down and explicit.  I prefer the Celebrity way but I've grown used to the NCL way.  But that's just me.

 

 

Celebrity Mock Booking:

NCL Mock Booking:

Edited June 10, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[Peachypooh]

Just to clarify I always prepay the DSC and then tip my steward, butler and concierge.

For me it feels like the way to go so I do it.

Just a question....years ago with the envelope system just the steward and dining

crew were tipped. The laundry, dishwashers, cooks, etc. were never seen and never

tipped. I am in no way advocating for removing the DSC but just noting that those that

remove it are just doing what used to be done by removing it and tipping steward, etc.

My take on this is that do people really tip their steward if they remove the DSC and

if they do since NCL knows that they might have tipped do they make the stewards

 cough it up and redistribute it? So are those that remove and tip separate just

spinning their wheels or making it awkward for the stewards if they end up  getingt no tip

and NCL thinks they do?