NCL gratuities for Australians

[ozblue_7]

I’m considering a Japan cruise with NCL and thought I had read that NCL now included gratuities in the cruise price for all cruises when bought in Australia.

 

Now I can’t find confirmation of it anywhere. Can any recent NCL cruisers confirm this for me?

[MicCanberra]

Hi, We have numerous NCL cruises booked, some booked via  Aussie TA, some not. All of them are for cruises overseas and do not have the service charges ( not called gratuities) included. You can prepay them though if you wish.  

[MicCanberra]

Note: While gratuities on cruises bought from Australia are supposed to be included,  NCL have never called them gratuities as they are service charges (even though we know they are the same thing in reality) and therefore only have them included when they cruise in Australian waters.

[rkmw]

11 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Note: While gratuities on cruises bought from Australia are supposed to be included,  NCL have never called them gratuities as they are service charges (even though we know they are the same thing in reality) and therefore only have them included when they cruise in Australian waters.

Not true about booking with an Australian agent for gratuities to be included 

 

if you book with Princess for a ship going  to or from the US gratuities are not included and the currency is USD ……if the Princess ship is going to or from Asia the gratuities are included and the currency is AUD, wonder why the differences 

[deliane]

I just did a dummy booking on the Australian website for an Alaskan cruise and there was this at the bottom of the total - Government taxes, port expenses & fees, and discretionary onboard service charges are additional. Service charges are included.. 

 

Clicking through to the terms and conditions it says this applies for bookings after 1 July 2022.

 

For Bookings Made on or after 1st July 2022

Onboard service charges relating to services provided by stateroom attendants and dining room staff are included in your voyage fare.

This fee will be shared between those staff members, including the restaurant staff, Stateroom stewards and other behind-the-scenes staff who have provided services to enhance your overall cruise experience.

Certain staff positions (e.g., beverage service, concierge, butler and youth counsellors) do not benefit from this shared service charge because they provide services to only some Guests, and not all. If you have received excellent service from any of these staff members, you may wish to acknowledge them on an individual basis. If you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please let the staff at our service desk on-board (the "Guest Services Desk") know right away, so we can address any issues in a timely manner.

For all spa and salon services, beverage purchases, specialty restaurant dining and entertainment-based dining, there will be an additional 20% service charge added to the total cost of the service.

For Bookings made on or before 30th June 2022

The service charge (also known as 'gratuities') is not automatically added into your cruise fare price, however it can be prepaid on a per Guest per day basis (for Guests three years and older). If a Guest does not elect to prepay the service charge it will be payable onboard the cruise. (For Australian & New Zealand guests on departures sailing from Australia and New Zealand ports, service charges are included in the cruise fare).

Edited April 27, 2023 by deliane

[MMDown Under]

3 minutes ago, deliane said:

I just did a dummy booking on the Australian website for an Alaskan cruise and there was this at the bottom of the total - Government taxes, port expenses & fees, and discretionary onboard service charges are additional. Service charges are included.. 

 

Clicking through to the terms and conditions it says this applies for bookings after 1 July 2022.

 

For Bookings Made on or after 1st July 2022

Onboard service charges relating to services provided by stateroom attendants and dining room staff are included in your voyage fare.

This fee will be shared between those staff members, including the restaurant staff, Stateroom stewards and other behind-the-scenes staff who have provided services to enhance your overall cruise experience.

Certain staff positions (e.g., beverage service, concierge, butler and youth counsellors) do not benefit from this shared service charge because they provide services to only some Guests, and not all. If you have received excellent service from any of these staff members, you may wish to acknowledge them on an individual basis. If you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please let the staff at our service desk on-board (the "Guest Services Desk") know right away, so we can address any issues in a timely manner.

For all spa and salon services, beverage purchases, specialty restaurant dining and entertainment-based dining, there will be an additional 20% service charge added to the total cost of the service.

For Bookings made on or before 30th June 2022

The service charge (also known as 'gratuities') is not automatically added into your cruise fare price, however it can be prepaid on a per Guest per day basis (for Guests three years and older). If a Guest does not elect to prepay the service charge it will be payable onboard the cruise. (For Australian & New Zealand guests on departures sailing from Australia and New Zealand ports, service charges are included in the cruise fare).

Thank you. Thank goodness gratuities are included in cruise fares paid in Australia!  Gratuities for 3 plus!  Enough to turn you off cruising. . 

[arxcards]

23 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Thank you. Thank goodness gratuities are included in cruise fares paid in Australia!  Gratuities for 3 plus!  Enough to turn you off cruising. . 

Yes, I prefer it that way too, but what's the difference? Because they are included in the fare, the upfront fare is more expensive.

 

It works better for the cruise lines to have those service charges included at the time of booking and is not about Australian laws. In general, Australian's are renown for having their service charges removed at the service desk during the cruise, and that is no longer possible when it is part of the fare.

 

[MMDown Under]

Just now, arxcards said:

Yes, I prefer it that way too, but what's the difference? Because they are included in the fare, the upfront fare is more expensive.

 

It works better for the cruise lines to have those service charges included at the time of booking and is not about Australian laws. In general, Australian's are renown for having their service charges removed at the service desk during the cruise, and that is no longer possible when it is part of the fare.

 

I would never dream of having service charges removed.  But I hate the feeling giving tips gives me.  It is not a fair system and feels condescending to me. Happy to give gifts and treat crew well by cleaning up after myself in my cabin.  

[MMDown Under]

15 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Yes, I prefer it that way too, but what's the difference? Because they are included in the fare, the upfront fare is more expensive.

 

It works better for the cruise lines to have those service charges included at the time of booking and is not about Australian laws. In general, Australian's are renown for having their service charges removed at the service desk during the cruise, and that is no longer possible when it is part of the fare.

 

The difference is I don’t feel bad when I pay cruise fare to cruise line!

[MicCanberra]

4 hours ago, rkmw said:

Not true about booking with an Australian agent for gratuities to be included 

 

if you book with Princess for a ship going  to or from the US gratuities are not included and the currency is USD ……if the Princess ship is going to or from Asia the gratuities are included and the currency is AUD, wonder why the differences 

I was talking about NCL, but in any case it is generally  for cruises in and out of Australia 

[MMDown Under]

57 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I was talking about NCL, but in any case it is generally  for cruises in and out of Australia 

I wonder why it doesn’t hold true for

cruise ships departing Aus for USA?  

[ozblue_7]

Thanks for the replies. I bit  the bullet and booked for March 2024 as it was a really good price compared to NCL site.

 

My confirmation states new bookings after 5/1/23 will have service charge (gratuities) included in the fare. 

[arxcards]

4 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I would never dream of having service charges removed.  But I hate the feeling giving tips gives me.  It is not a fair system and feels condescending to me. Happy to give gifts and treat crew well by cleaning up after myself in my cabin.  

All good, but it doesn't go directly to the crew. The money is taken out of your account as a service charge, so the condescending bit just isn't there. I prefer it our way too, but having the service charges done separately would never turn me off cruising. After all, it was the norm when we started cruising.

[MMDown Under]

4 minutes ago, arxcards said:

All good, but it doesn't go directly to the crew. The money is taken out of your account as a service charge, so the condescending bit just isn't there. I prefer it our way too, but having the service charges done separately would never turn me off cruising. After all, it was the norm when we started cruising.

Oh yes we put cash in envelopes and gave it to relevant crew as directed!

[MMDown Under]

18 minutes ago, arxcards said:

All good, but it doesn't go directly to the crew. The money is taken out of your account as a service charge, so the condescending bit just isn't there. I prefer it our way too, but having the service charges done separately would never turn me off cruising. After all, it was the norm when we started cruising.

Where does it go?  Added to crew’s pay?

[MicCanberra]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I wonder why it doesn’t hold true for

cruise ships departing Aus for USA?  

Because they are not returning to Australian waters

[arxcards]

28 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Where does it go?  Added to crew’s pay?

Yes, just the way it does by paying up front. 

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

Yes, just the way it does by paying up front. 

As we say Geoff, AWS ….Automatic Wage Subsidy.