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About the Daily Service Charge


JosephMusk
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Hello,

 

I am from Brazil and my family and I bought 4 cabins for the cruise MSC Divina that goes to Caribbean (departure day 01/25 from Miami). After the purchase we found out that we will have to pay a service fee of $ 12,50 per person per day.

 

Without wishing to enter into the moral question of whether it is right to pay the service fee or not (because this is a personal matter), I would like to know if it is possible not to pay this fee on board and if there is a need to justify the reason, and if they can refuse to withdraw the fee and etc.

 

Thank you in advance!

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I believe thats your gratuity/service charge which is split between the dining staff, cabin stewards, etc. This is customary ....Of course you have the choice to adjust at guest services...but these are monies the people who serve you and service your rooms rely on for their income

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I believe thats your gratuity/service charge which is split between the dining staff, cabin stewards, etc. This is customary ....Of course you have the choice to adjust at guest services...but these are monies the people who serve you and service your rooms rely on for their income

 

I know. I'm not saying that I won't be paying it. But we're in seven adults, and at our country tipping almost doesn't exist. Anyway, I'll pay it. Even if it's a lot on our currency (it's almost half of the minimum wage).

 

 

I'm just asking in case someone that will travel with me don't want to pay it.

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I understand.... To us American's who mostly Cruise on the North American/Carribean area lines.... we are accustomed to this extra charge. Having traveled Internationally I can understand passengers, who reside outside US, are not accustomed to paying such a large % or amount extra each day for services provided as most times those fees are factored/included into the price you pay for a meal or service

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I am from the Philippines and i understand where u are coming from but to be blunt it will be a very rude gesture not to tip, this the same as saying the people that served you on board did something very bad for you not to tip. In the US any restaurant its a 15% of your bill for tip just in case you will go to any restaurant in the US

 

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I am from the Philippines and i understand where u are coming from but to be blunt it will be a very rude gesture not to tip, this the same as saying the people that served you on board did something very bad for you not to tip. In the US any restaurant its a 15% of your bill for tip just in case you will go to any restaurant in the US

 

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Are you saying that every restaurants in the US adds 15% to the bill? Where do you live in the US? The only time I have seen the added gratuities is when the group is over X number of people. 15% is where we start on the tip and that is adjusted up or down accordingly. There was been times I left $0 tips because the service warranted it so.

 

We are from the US and we tip. However, I do not feel it is my place to tell a person s/he should tip because it is rude if they do not. If they are comfortable to not tip, because that is their custom, then so be it.

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I know. I'm not saying that I won't be paying it. But we're in seven adults, and at our country tipping almost doesn't exist. Anyway, I'll pay it. Even if it's a lot on our currency (it's almost half of the minimum wage).

 

 

I'm just asking in case someone that will travel with me don't want to pay it.

 

Even better, MSC is applying a Service Charge, this is not a tip. This is money that you pay the cruise line for services received on a flat-rate, per day basis. It is not a variable amount you are voluntarily giving to a specific person as a reward. As a matter of fact, MSC even asks that you don't tip individual staff members.

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In the US the pricing structure in certain industries is based on the expectation of a tip. In most of the rest of the world it is built in. So by tipping in a customary amount you are not paying more, just differently.

 

Removing the service charge means you are under-paying for the cruise, and it is the hardworking crew that is bearing the deficit.

 

It is a stupid system, but you should think of the service charge as part of the cost and pay it, assuming reasonably decent service.

 

 

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Even better, MSC is applying a Service Charge, this is not a tip. This is money that you pay the cruise line for services received on a flat-rate, per day basis. It is not a variable amount you are voluntarily giving to a specific person as a reward. As a matter of fact, MSC even asks that you don't tip individual staff members.

 

They can call it what the want, service charge, gratuities, we all know what it is. Money to cover / compensate the low wages cruise lines pay to their employees. Thats why they don´t really care if you remove them. If it was really a service charge, then it would be included on the initial cruise fare, and there would be no way around it.

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They can call it what the want, service charge, gratuities, we all know what it is. Money to cover / compensate the low wages cruise lines pay to their employees. Thats why they don´t really care if you remove them. If it was really a service charge, then it would be included on the initial cruise fare, and there would be no way around it.
You apparently don't know the difference in the two. It would be helpful for you to educate yourself on the topic.
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They DO care if you remove them. Disgruntled crew is hardly good for business. On every trip I’ve ever been I’ve seen customer service pushing back in a major way against requests to remove.

 

 

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You apparently don't know the difference in the two. It would be helpful for you to educate yourself on the topic.

 

It would be helpful for you to educate us who apparently do not know the difference. That would be helpful, unlike your comment.

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They DO care if you remove them. Disgruntled crew is hardly good for business. On every trip I’ve ever been I’ve seen customer service pushing back in a major way against requests to remove.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I haven´t seen any pushback, but then again I haven´t sailed as many cruises as you.

 

I agree unhappy crew is not good. But then it would be up to cruise lines to raise their wages, not to rely on passengers who might or might not pay the service charge knowing it might upset their staff.

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It would be helpful for you to educate us who apparently do not know the difference. That would be helpful, unlike your comment.

 

No, it would not be helpful for me, it would only be helpful for you as it would just save you from the time and effort of locating the information yourself.

 

Nobody spoon fed me, and nobody should spoon feed you either. As an adult, I see the two different terms used. I realize there must be a business or legal reason to use two terms instead of just one (which would seem to be easier). I took it upon myself to research and LEARN the difference. Once I understood, then I was able to see the issue in a whole new light from an informed perspective. I had the information, I wasn't guessing or relying on the guesses of others.

 

I think you (and everyone else) should do the same. Or not. It is up to you on whether you want to know, or if you want to be ignorant on the relevant facts.

 

Perhaps if you had done the research, you would be able to comment from an informed perspective instead of just trying to be snarky.

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You can go to guest services and have the service charge removed, they might ask why or may not, but they will do it for you if you wish.

Depending on your country of booking MSC is allowed to ask why or not. I also don´t think all nationalities can just skip the service charge. Maybe meanwhile, before definitely not.

 

Just look at the wording in the Brazil MSC catalogue, JosephMusk.

 

By the way, I guess one reason why MSC loves US pax so much that they give them free water in the MDR and free drinks vouchers in Fantastica, is because other than many Europeans and Asians they are not running to the reception after boarding to cancel the service charge :')

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I am from the Philippines and i understand where u are coming from but to be blunt it will be a very rude gesture not to tip, this the same as saying the people that served you on board did something very bad for you not to tip.

Great stuff ;p You Pinoys never ever tip anybody and you tell other people how they should behave. On a cruise ship from Europe! So brillant, best greetings from Malaysia to you and don´t forget to pay always your famous travel tax :halo:

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Here you go !

The IRS defines tips as:

  • Cash received directly from customers;
  • Extra money from customers through electronic payment, including credit cards, debit cards and gift cards;
  • The value of any non-cash perquisites, such as tickets or other items of worth; and
  • Amounts received from other employees paid out through tip pools or tip splitting, or other formal or informal tip-sharing arrangements.

Tips differ from service charges in that they are made without pressure or coercion; the customer has the unrestricted right to determine the amount; the payment doesn't result from negotiation or employer policy; and the customer generally has the right to determine who receives the payment.

Examples of service charges include:

  • Automatic gratuities (usually 18 percent or more) attached to large dining parties;
  • Banquet event fees;
  • Cruise-trip package fees;
  • Hotel room service charges; and
  • Bottle service charges by nightclubs and restaurants

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The next part of that IRS item is also interesting including

 

"Generally, service charges are reported as non-tip wages paid to the employee. Some employers keep a portion of the service charges. Only the amounts distributed to employees are non-tip wages."

 

MSC are a bit of an odd-ball in this department

(My opinion is actually in most departments but that is another story)

 

They call the daily charge a service charge and suggests

it has to be paid unless you have a specific problem with the service.

 

In the UK and EU I believe that they cannot enforce that

as you legally only HAVE to pay what is on your invoice.

 

If you have booked in another country the rules may differ

 

Its time they were always added to the cruise price for everybody, that would save me having to read on here how in the US you could book for $1 deposit cancel without loss before final payment , take advantage of any lower price. get$$$ OBC and promotions after booking such as included gratuities. They call it a business plan I call it discrimination.

It would also save CC having to store the thousands and thousands of posts on this subject.

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Without going into a conversation on wether the crew should be paid more by the cruise line or not, let’s look at it this way...if you travel to a hotel with a resort fee, can you Decide wether to pay that or not? Unless I’m mistaken, the answer is no, you suck it up and pay even if you do not use the pool, internet, etc OR you book a hotel that does not incur a resort fee. The overall cost of your cruise fee includes the daily service charge/tips, whatever you want to call them. You can’t remove the port fees, can you? You can’t remove the additional taxes from your fare, can you? In my opinion, it would be easier if the fare you paid up front included all of these fees, including the DSC, but that would make the cost APPEAR higher and would scare most cruisers away. I understand tipping is non existent in many cultures, but for those who have cruised MSC before, is there no DSC on the other ships that cruise out of Europe for example? I’m confused why this is such a hot button topic to anyone who has cruised on main line US cruises before.

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If I asked a member of the crew where a certain thing was, say the casino, and they told me how to get there - they are doing their job. If I asked a member of the crew where the the casino was and they took me, then to me they are going beyond just their jobs and deserve recognition. It is called old fashioned 'customer service'. That is the difference these days. Would the crew on MSC tell you or take you?

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If I asked a member of the crew where a certain thing was, say the casino, and they told me how to get there - they are doing their job. If I asked a member of the crew where the the casino was and they took me, then to me they are going beyond just their jobs and deserve recognition. It is called old fashioned 'customer service'. That is the difference these days. Would the crew on MSC tell you or take you?

 

Is this MSC only, or all cruise lines? I thought crew members who we see out in the public (aside from officers and entertainment group) are supposed to stay in their designated area.

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To tag onto this subject, do all categories pay the same daily charge or does YC pay more because of the Butlers? thanks

 

 

The last time I was in the YC we did not pay more for the butler, concierge, etc. and were told they were included in the daily charge (unlike NCL where they are not).

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