Anyone ever removed the auto tip

[momtoabowhead]

My Aunt removed the tips on a cruise last summer for her and her two sons. Most of our family was mortified. She flat out told the desk clerk she couldn't afford it. As a result there room was no longer taken care of - they didn't make it up at all the rest of the cruise. And she agreed to that simply to avoid the cost. It was a three day cruise, her charge would have been 90 dollars. I found it quite tasteless.

 

So, yes I have seen it done and yes she was treated differently as a result. This was on the Carnival Sensation.

[lee101224]

Good luck with that. Be sure to report back regarding the hoops you had to jump through to save a few bucks. Make sure you also comment on the level of service received throughout the remainder of your cruise.

 

Exactly my point Scott , are we saying that if anyone did remove it they would receive lower levels of service ?

 

It's a strange scenario as I could be removing it , but planning on giving my steward twice as much personally , but he would have to earn it , but then shunning me he could end up with nothing !

 

As for others comments on what I would do with it being freestyle , I would tip each individual daily depending on the service , this would increase the service levels even higher as there all trying to get that little bit more rather than the expected amount , surely you see my point here ?!

[lee101224]

My Aunt removed the tips on a cruise last summer for her and her two sons. Most of our family was mortified. She flat out told the desk clerk she couldn't afford it. As a result there room was no longer taken care of - they didn't make it up at all the rest of the cruise. And she agreed to that simply to avoid the cost. It was a three day cruise, her charge would have been 90 dollars. I found it quite tasteless.

 

So, yes I have seen it done and yes she was treated differently as a result. This was on the Carnival Sensation.

 

Thanks for that , exactly the sort of info I was looking for .

[valleyvillage]

Does everyone realize that if you remove the DSC you will be asked to justify your action? And if you proceed, your room Steward will be notified and must then turn over any cash to the DSC pool.

 

If the justification for removing the DSC is construed to mean you received less than stellar service, the front desk will note that in the staff record.

[DMH15]

OP, no never done it. Never would. If I did experience an isolated problem my resolution would NOT be to hurt others for the sake of one. I would speak to management, fill out surveys, maybe even follow up in writing after I got home.

 

I love to travel and I research my trip. It's like the old adage "when in Rome...". So, I read my contract, follow the local customs as far as dress and behavior. That's merely showing respect for my hosts and those who welcome me in turn with respect.

 

No. Happy to comply. No removals.

[Scott2.0]

Exactly my point Scott , are we saying that if anyone did remove it they would receive lower levels of service ?

 

It's a strange scenario as I could be removing it , but planning on giving my steward twice as much personally , but he would have to earn it , but then shunning me he could end up with nothing !

 

As for others comments on what I would do with it being freestyle , I would tip each individual daily depending on the service , this would increase the service levels even higher as there all trying to get that little bit more rather than the expected amount , surely you see my point here ?!

 

You still act like it's optional. It's not. You better be prepared with a very good, specific reason as to how the service has failed. Realize that also, the crew member responsible for your area of complaint will be reprimanded.

 

Once again, this is not a tip/gratuity. The only reason it's a separate line item from your fare is to market the fares to look more competitive, and because all mainstream lines price this way. It would be no different than if our fares had separate line items for fuel, food, DSC, entertainment, etc.

[lee101224]

Does everyone realize that if you remove the DSC you will be asked to justify your action? And if you proceed, your room Steward will be notified and must then turn over any cash to the DSC pool.

 

If the justification for removing the DSC is construed to mean you received less than stellar service, the front desk will note that in the staff record.

 

No I didn't know they are forced to turn over any personal cash , seems very harsh !

[Buford T Justiice]

I have never removed or reduced the dsc and I'm happy I don't have to track workers down later in the cruise to tip them, I don't have to over analyze who, I give how much to, and I don't have a need to carry cash.

 

We used to give the room stewards extra but when we added little Buford to the tip pool, we thought that $36 per day was enough for two adults and a minor.

[SeaShark]

Not exactly true , as I could walk up , say I don't want to pay these and they. Would be removed ..... Can't do that with the Ticket price, taxes , etc !

 

NOT that easy....

 

From the NCL website:

If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?

Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

 

 

Like I said before, this is handled on a service issue basis. First, you have to report the bad service...identifying the offending employees involved. Second, NCL will attempt to resolve this issue through the structured guest satisfaction program. If that totally fails to achieve a resolution, as a last resort, you can adjust a portion of your DSC for that one day.

 

Unless you are willing to go through this 5 times (min) a day...Breakfast, Room Clean Up, Lunch, Dinner, and Room Turn Down...you're only adjusting a portion, not the whole day's charge. You would then have to repeat this every day for the rest of the cruise to adjust off the whole charge.

 

And FWIW, once you make ANY adjustment to the DSC, all employees serving you are notified of that fact and are REQUIRED to turn in ANY cash gratiuties received from you...which NCL promptly uses to pay off your adjusted charges.

 

 

Why go through all that hassle just to end up in the same place?

 

 

$12 DSC

• $2.40 for Breakfast Waiter, Asst Waiter, Busboy, and Kitchen Staff
  
• $2.40 for Room Steward and Asst Steward to clean up your room in the morning
  
• $2.40 for Lunch Waiter, Asst Waiter, Busboy, and Kitchen Staff
  
• $2.40 for Dinner Waiter, Asst Waiter, Busboy, and Kitchen Staff
  
• $2.40 for Room Steward and Asst Steward to make up/turn down your room for the evening
  

 

That's a LOT of service at only $2.40 a pop....you'll spend more than double that just to play 1 hand of blackjack!

[valleyvillage]

I have never removed or reduced the dsc and I'm happy I don't have to track workers down later in the cruise to tip them, I don't have to over analyze who, I give how much to, and I don't have a need to carry cash.

 

We used to give the room stewards extra but when we added little Buford to the tip pool, we thought that $36 per day was enough for two adults and a minor.

[SeaShark]

Something EVERYONE should read...especially those who don't understand the purposes of tipped service employees.

Business_Considerations_Tipping_final.pdf

[momtoabowhead]

 

I'll bite. How do you feel about tipping extra? My first cruise I was young, dumb and wasted. I didn't tip anyone above and beyond.

 

Our last cruise we tipped our porters and gave our room steward 20 bucks for a three day cruise. I thought extra was in order but had no idea what was expected or appropriate.

 

What do YOU tip different crew members?

[genealogyfan]

A couple years ago I took a 3 day cruise on Royal Caribbean by myself. I didn't eat at the sit down restaurants, went to the buffet restaurants instead. I didn't think I should pay tips to waiters I never saw, so I went to the desk at customer service and asked them to remove the automatic tip and said I wanted to pay the cabin steward directly. Then they gave me an envelope to pay the cabin steward directly

[momtoabowhead]

A couple years ago I took a 3 day cruise on Royal Caribbean by myself. I didn't eat at the sit down restaurants, went to the buffet restaurants instead. I didn't think I should pay tips to waiters I never saw, so I went to the desk at customer service and asked them to remove the automatic tip and said I wanted to pay the cabin steward directly. Then they gave me an envelope to pay the cabin steward directly

 

Curious - how much did you choose to tip? Did you tip table bussers in the lido? Did you tip anyone else on board?

 

If you don't want to answer, that's okay. Just curious.

[NJsharon]

Yes I have removed the automated 'tip' in the past (or rather hubby did) & we still got the same service!

 

Running & hiding from the mob now!

[SeaShark]

A couple years ago I took a 3 day cruise on Royal Caribbean by myself. I didn't eat at the sit down restaurants, went to the buffet restaurants instead. I didn't think I should pay tips to waiters I never saw, so I went to the desk at customer service and asked them to remove the automatic tip and said I wanted to pay the cabin steward directly. Then they gave me an envelope to pay the cabin steward directly

 

Thats all well and good, but...

 

RCCL had tips for you to remove, NCL does not....service charges are NOT tips.

 

RCCL uses the envelope system, NCL does not.

 

RCCL does not have Freestyle Dining, NCL does and it requires a different approach than "traditional dining".

 

 

What does a RCCL cruise have to do with THIS topic anyway??

[genealogyfan]

honestly don't remember how much I tipped but I'm usually generous on tipping.

 

I handed the cabin steward the envelope directly - it was at the end of the cruise - probably the day before we docked (it was only a 3 day cruise).

 

He was the only one I gave a tip too.

 

I was answering the question about removing an automatic tip/service charge - not what cruise line it was.

[time2cruise1]

Interesting words , and glad to see a fellow reader with the back bone to speak up .

 

FACT the world of cruising is changing and as more and more young generations come into the world , the more ships will have to adapt . TIPPING will be one of those things that changes .

 

As stated I ALLWAYS tip for good service , but I can't get away with saying to one of my customers , I charged £50 per day for my services , but expect another £50 tip to make up my wage ! Madness !

 

To answer your original question you can line up with many other Brits the last night to remove the service charge. I understand it is not the norm at home. Watch it every cruise. On the other hand if any of those that benefit from the service charge made 50£ a week not a a day they would be delighted even without your service charge. The fact is the make less them 50£ a month without the contribution of the service charge. I know that the fact a business does not pay a living wage may be foreign to you but that is the way it works at sea on an internationally flagged ship. Remove the service charge but keep in mind the money you are taking is from people that will never make enought to enjoy a cruise of their own.

[emcelh]

Interesting words , and glad to see a fellow reader with the back bone to speak up .

 

FACT the world of cruising is changing and as more and more young generations come into the world , the more ships will have to adapt . TIPPING will be one of those things that changes .

 

As stated I ALLWAYS tip for good service , but I can't get away with saying to one of my customers , I charged £50 per day for my services , but expect another £50 tip to make up my wage ! Madness !

 

If the service charge was equal to the cruise fare it would be madness. It isn't.

I know that laws in the UK have changed since I last visited but I remember restaurants always adding a service charge to the bill. I don't see how this is different and I'm sure, when the minimum wage was increased, prices increased to cover it. One way or another we pay.

[lovesublime]

Really? So someone's aunt removed the service charge and her room was never cleaned up after the fact? It seems that paying the cruise fare would entitle 'paying' guests to some basic services-such as having the cabin cleaned.

 

 

When we first started cruising, we always left auto tips, gratuities, daily service charge or whatever you call it in tact. We still do that. We just don't tip extra to the cruise line employees we encounter anymore. We used to. The whole tipping, service charge thing has become a major turn off. Frankly, we've NEVER had extraordinary service on ANY cruise line we've been on.

[che5904]

No I didn't know they are forced to turn over any personal cash , seems very harsh !

 

No not really harsh. Tips are pooled in a lot of work places and is quite common practice in countries that have a tipping custom. If you are visiting a country that embrace the tipping custom, please do not think if you leave $10 on the table for a tip that your server will be keeping that entire amount themselves (some places do, some don't), some it will be pooled and split among everyone on that shift from dishwashers to hostess'.

 

But you still seem to be confusing tipping and the DSC. Tipping is cash given to employees individually that are either pooled or kept by an individual. Tipping/gratuity is also cash that can be added to the end of a bill like the bar tab or spa and again can be either pooled or kept by an individual.

 

The DSC is not a cash amount distributed in whole among employees (read NCL's quote below). It is a separate line charge for your cruise fare. I agree with some, it is kept separate to keep the basic rate down to stay competetitive but also IMO to allow easy accounting since this money is dedicated only to a certain group of staff. To save getting into complicated bookkeeping explanations as to why it can't be included as the fare, I will just say simplistically, so the employees can get the whole amount dedicated to them.

 

From NCL

"The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports."

 

So as you can see, unlike a tip it is not given to employees as only cash.

 

So no I haven't removed the DSC and I won't. If I have a service issue on board I will take it to higher powers to hopefully get it rectified. I will turn a 'style card' in on any employee great or bad so that individual employee will get commended or reprimanded for their service. I will not punish 100's of other employees for one or more bad staff. Why blame a whole team of employees for a bad apple. And I will individually (above the DSC) tip employees that I feel have given me extra touches to enhance my vacation. And whether they keep that or pool it is not my business or my concern but I have at least shown my appreciation.

[nikimouse]

I always tip in full. I had a bad expirience at an orlando dinner show when I didnt have enough for the full tip and the waiter turned nasty! lol

Ive worked as a waitress when I was a teenager, I got great tips!!! I didnt realise we had to pool them together and share ( dont rememeber ever getting a share of anyone elses :confused: ) so I kept all the tips to myself and the waitresses got bitchy so I left lol I only worked there a month and I couldnt imagine doing the job that the wonderful crew onboard do and getting paid so little, so I might actually start tipping extra because they deserve it. Same cant be said for that waiter at the dinner show I dont care if he gets fired because he was damb rude.

please dont flame me because I do tip even though Im a Brit :)

I just think of the service charge as being similar to a room tax or service charges at a hotel - something you should have to pay and I dont think you should be able to remove it.

my brothers friend removed his charges from a carnival cruise and nothing happened they were not rude to him, he removed it, paid the rest of the bill and left the ship. end of. his choice to do so, but he didnt realise that wages are subsidised by tips because in the UK they are not.

[stephenandrew]

I have a question. Why do you think NCL does not use the DSC approach for butlers and the concierge in the Haven area? Instead of charging $12/day/passenger as the DSC, NCL could charge, say, $20/day/passenger if you stayed in the Haven as a way of compensating the Butlers and Concierge. Seems to me that would be a more consistent way of handling this. I personally prefer paying a DSC--I have always found the service on the cruise lines to be very good, and for me a DSC just simplifies things, and the amount charged seems more than reasonable given the service provided.

[che5904]

I have a question. Why do you think NCL does not use the DSC approach for butlers and the concierge in the Haven area? Instead of charging $12/day/passenger as the DSC, NCL could charge, say, $20/day/passenger if you stayed in the Haven as a way of compensating the Butlers and Concierge. Seems to me that would be a more consistent way of handling this. I personally prefer paying a DSC--I have always found the service on the cruise lines to be very good, and for me a DSC just simplifies things, and the amount charged seems more than reasonable given the service provided.

 

The DSC (not being a tip in the true sense of the word) is used in part to create teamwork in employees with their incentive programs. No teamwork is required with butlers like other staff on board. As well the DSC is only for those employees everyone on the ship uses (cleaning of cabins and eating). Butlers, consierges, kid's crew, spa, bar service is only used by those who partake in those services.

 

I wouldn't want to pay more for the suite passengers to have a butler.

 

*Edit sorry missed the part that said "those that stayed in the Haven" only would be paying this. Probably an accounting nightmare would be my guess.

[sparks1093]

I have a question. Why do you think NCL does not use the DSC approach for butlers and the concierge in the Haven area? Instead of charging $12/day/passenger as the DSC, NCL could charge, say, $20/day/passenger if you stayed in the Haven as a way of compensating the Butlers and Concierge. Seems to me that would be a more consistent way of handling this. I personally prefer paying a DSC--I have always found the service on the cruise lines to be very good, and for me a DSC just simplifies things, and the amount charged seems more than reasonable given the service provided.

 

I think their FAQ is clear:

 

"Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered."

 

I could be wrong but I don't think that the butlers and conierges participate in the DSC.