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Gratudies


camper49
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Gratuities are NOT required when sailing on NCL.

 

What about Gratuities?

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 18% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 18% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

There IS a daily service charge, but that is different than a gratuity. Details are spelled out in the FAQ on NCL's website.

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What is the choice promo service charge?
If you are being charged "choice promo service charge" that is the 18% gratuity on the SDP or UBP that were picked in the promotion. If this is what you were asking about, it has nothing to do with the DSC, which you will be charged daily.
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If you are being charged "choice promo service charge" that is the 18% gratuity on the SDP or UBP that were picked in the promotion. If this is what you were asking about, it has nothing to do with the DSC, which you will be charged daily.

Still confused...new to ncl...promtions look good..we will choose the beverage pkg and the specialty dining...sooo tips/gratituties...how does that work?

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Still confused...new to ncl...promtions look good..we will choose the beverage pkg and the specialty dining...sooo tips/gratituties...how does that work?
If you pick the beverage and dining packages, you will be charged on your invoice (to be paid on your final payment) 18% of the total cost of those packages. For example: The beverage package for a 7 day cruise would cost $553 per person, so you would pay the 18% gratuity on that which would be $94.54 per person if you picked that as your perk.

 

If you have any other questions, please be a little more specific.

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I can't seem to find any info on the break down of the daily service charge in a suite- what amount of the $16.99/day is allocated to what people?

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

 

What difference could that possibly make? You pay your cruise fare without a break down of how that money is allocated, right?

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I can't seem to find any info on the break down of the daily service charge in a suite- what amount of the $16.99/day is allocated to what people?

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

The important piece is to know who is NOT included.... such as Butler, Conceirge, Spa staff, Splash Academy staff.

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It is irrelevant as the DSC has nothing at all to do with tips.

 

I am sure some people would agree and many would disagree.

 

In the past, people would TIP their room steward, waiter, etc for services during the cruise. That practice has somewhat gone away and now they have a daily service charge. For most cruisers, this has replaced the tips.

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I'm probably looking at this from a more "European " point of view and just for the record I really don't mind spending my money or tipping people, however

When we first started to cruise (many years ago) we were given envelopes for individual staff members and suggested amounts to put in those envelopes which I did and everybody seemed happy . Plus there was 17 or 18 % added to each drink for gratuity. Which in my book means a tip and I was quite happy to pay it

A few years later cruise lines introduced (For the customers own convenience) Auto gratuities , so the same amounts as I was putting in the envelopes was added to my on board account. Good idea I thought, saves me carrying all these dollars around the world and of cause there's still the 17 or 18 % being added to each drink I purchase, which I was still quite happy to pay .

Then I was able to actually prepay the Gratuities with my final balance prior to departure. What another great idea I thought so I did that . I don't have to carry dollars or run up a big bill on my on board account. But don't forget the 17 or 18 % still being added to each drink I purchase. Which I was still happy to pay.

Now it seems the the Gratuities are called a Daily Service Charge and that seem to change the whole concept . It doesn't seem to be a gratuity any more , it seems to be something else and now there seems to be a need to pay tips on top. Plus of course theres the 17 or 18 % still being added to each drink, which I am still happy to pay.

How many times do you have to tip people ?

 

Or am I missing something

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How much per day per person?

I like to tip everybody.:D

Limo driver $10.

Stevedore $2 per bag.

Breakfast or lunch server $3 - $5

Diner server $5- $10

Bartender $1 per drink

Room steward $40 -$60

Edited by biker@sea
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What difference could that possibly make? You pay your cruise fare without a break down of how that money is allocated, right?

We like to give the staff extra for a job well done but we do want to know how much NCL is supposedly allocating to each position. I agree with the OP that the NCL policies can be confusing with all of the different lingo used- service charge, gratuity, tip...

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We like to give the staff extra for a job well done but we do want to know how much NCL is supposedly allocating to each position. I agree with the OP that the NCL policies can be confusing with all of the different lingo used- service charge, gratuity, tip...

I don't know about confusing. NCL addresses gratuities in one FAQ and the Service Charge in another. They aren't the same thing...no confusion necessary.

 

That aside, I do get that you want to know how much each crew member earns...I just don't understand why or even what difference it could possibly make. We tip people all of the time without knowing a thing about their salaries...base the gratuity off of the service, not off of some perception about their earnings.

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I don't know about confusing. NCL addresses gratuities in one FAQ and the Service Charge in another. They aren't the same thing...no confusion necessary.

 

That aside, I do get that you want to know how much each crew member earns...I just don't understand why or even what difference it could possibly make. We tip people all of the time without knowing a thing about their salaries...base the gratuity off of the service, not off of some perception about their earnings.

 

Because a "service charge" where I come from is a tip. This is the ambiguity that I refer to. For example we usually give the stateroom attendant $40-50 for the week but since I am paying this service charge I want to know how much of that the attendant is "supposedly" receiving. You are correct that it probably won't change the amount given but if we are paying this additional charge we are certainly entitled to know. This information is public on other lines.

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Because a "service charge" where I come from is a tip. This is the ambiguity that I refer to. For example we usually give the stateroom attendant $40-50 for the week but since I am paying this service charge I want to know how much of that the attendant is "supposedly" receiving. You are correct that it probably won't change the amount given but if we are paying this additional charge we are certainly entitled to know. This information is public on other lines.

Any ambiguity resulting from a "where I come from" is an issue for that individual...not for the company to resolve.

 

The stateroom attendants receive a salary. The service charge supports (pays a part of) that amount. Additionally, the stateroom steward can receive additional compensation from various incentive programs tied to their job performance. The service charge also supports (pays a part of) that amount as well. Being that different workers will receive different incentive amounts as a result of their differing performance levels, one can easily see that it is impossible to simply state exactly how much any given person will receive on any given week.

 

Better to not worry so much about how they are paid....that is really between them and their employer. Part of your fare pays the Captain's salary...yet nobody seems to worry about how much...right?

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Any ambiguity resulting from a "where I come from" is an issue for that individual...not for the company to resolve.

 

The stateroom attendants receive a salary. The service charge supports (pays a part of) that amount. Additionally, the stateroom steward can receive additional compensation from various incentive programs tied to their job performance. The service charge also supports (pays a part of) that amount as well. Being that different workers will receive different incentive amounts as a result of their differing performance levels, one can easily see that it is impossible to simply state exactly how much any given person will receive on any given week.

 

Better to not worry so much about how they are paid....that is really between them and their employer. Part of your fare pays the Captain's salary...yet nobody seems to worry about how much...right?

Right because it is "part of the fare" as you said not an additional amount added on. I have to respectfully disagree that it is not between "them and the employer" when we are being charged an additional $238 on top of an already expensive fare. I appreciate the friendly debate and the info you have provided but not being berated for simply asking where my money is going.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

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Right because it is "part of the fare" as you said not an additional amount added on. I have to respectfully disagree that it is not between "them and the employer" when we are being charged an additional $238 on top of an already expensive fare. I appreciate the friendly debate and the info you have provided but not being berated for simply asking where my money is going.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

I wouldn't berate you for simply asking where the money was going. (Because getting a breakdown everytime we pay something is perfectly normal). I would, however, do so if you refused to understand that how NCL (or any other company) divides up and distributes their money really isn't our concern. I'm just happy that it hasn't gotten to that point!

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Let's do the math. The ships have about 3000 crew members. Lets assume a low percent gets some of the DSC (lets go with 1/3 or 1000). Lets round the DSC up 10$15 a day. So you have $15 a day divided among 1000 crew members, which comes to 1½¢ a day to each crew member. On a seven day cruise that is about 11¢ form each person in your cabin. So your DSC gives about 88¢ to your cabin steward for the week if there are two of you in the cabin. I really do not think 88¢ a week is even worth considering when you decide what to tip.

 

 

 

There are a number of problems with your maths.

 

Firstly, there are nothing like 3,000 crew on any NCL ship. That's more than the number of passengers on most of them. The Escape has about 1,700 crew.

 

Then you seem to have made 11c x 2 equal 88c.

 

You are also allocating the DSC amongst all the staff that are in the DSC pool, so by your workings you are tipping your room steward just a few cents, but you are also allocating the same amount to the room steward looking after the room two floors below yours, and the one next to that. To put it another way, you may only be giving your steward a few cents, but so is every other passenger, most of whom never come across them.

 

The effective amount of your DSC which could be said to relate to your room steward (assuming we are just allocating the proportion of your DSC that goes to that department to your own steward) is many times more than 22c or 88c.

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