Pride of Aloha Gratuities

[Hoosierheadhunter]

Anybody back from the June 19 or June 26 sailing of the Pride of Aloha?

What was the ever changing gratuity situation on these cruises. . .surcharge to cruise bill or daily tipping?

 

Hoosierheadhunter

[Chillin']

We are heading out on the POAmerica on Tues. (1st cruise) and are confused about the tipping situation. NCL told me they have a service charge of $10 per day, but that it is not a tip. How do you tip if it is freestyle?

[KeystoneCruiser]

Chillin: Join the rest of us in the most confusing aspect of NCL cruising: to tip or not to tip in addition to the service charge. Basically the service charge is taking the place of the tip. Using a system that is more confusing than Einstein's theory of relativity, the Service Charge is somehow given to the crew.

 

NCL says that no additional tipping is necessary, but you can if you wish. With different waiters each night it is difficult. About the only people that you can outright tip because they have been the same all week is your room stewards.

 

Here is the official word from NCL's own mouth:

What about Tipping?

 

SERVICE CHARGE

A fixed service charge of $10 per person, per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12, a $5 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of three. Our crew is encouraged to work together as a service team and is compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that the service charge supports. It is our earnest wish that you enjoy your Freestyle Cruise experience and that our entire crew in all areas of the ship will provide you with the standard of service for which NCL is known. Therefore, if you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any issues in a timely manner before the cruise is over.

 

Both NCL and NCL America have a structured guest satisfaction program on board designed to handle any concerns raised by our guests relating to the service or on board product quickly and efficiently. In almost all cases we are able to come up with a satisfactory solution to any issues which are raised and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise vacation. In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfaction program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone’s complete satisfaction.

 

GRATUITIES

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on NCL America or Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for service that is generally rendered to all guests.

 

However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile", and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

 

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. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

[johnql]

...there is no required or recommended tipping on NCL America or Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for service that is generally rendered to all guests.

 

However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile", and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

I don't understand why it's confusing. This passage clarifies the policy entirely, at least for me. Plus, it doesn't change how I have always tipped in the past - that is, leaving the recommended tip in place and then tipping additional in cash when the service warrants it. The only difference now is that they call it a "service charge" and it can't be removed or reduced (something that I have never had to do).

[Chillin']

Thanks Keystone Cruiser! So basically everyone is covered except in specialty restaurants, bar, spa, etc., and for those we want to give extra because of excellent service. Is that correct?

[micheleg]

Color me crazy..but...isn't a 15% gratuity added to each bar tab? Are they expecting you to tip again everytime you receive a drink from a different server (like at the pool)? Also, on Celebrity a 15% gratuity is also added to Spa tabs. Is that true on NCL as well?

 

If we find a bar that we like and hang out there the entire cruise and have a special bartender, then yes...we do additionally tip at the end of the cruise. Likewise with a butler or concierge, or someone who gives an outstanding spa treatment (unless the 15% is not included on NCL).

 

The wording in the NCL Guidelines is very confusing. Does or doesn't the $10 per person per day cover your waiters (Specialty and Regular Dining Room), assistant waiters (Specialty and Regular Dining Room), and cabin stewards?

 

I'd like to get this all straight so I can have my tip budget complete by April 2006! :eek:

 

Thanks!

Michele:)

[johnql]

Color me crazy..but...isn't a 15% gratuity added to each bar tab? Are they expecting you to tip again everytime you receive a drink from a different server (like at the pool)? Also, on Celebrity a 15% gratuity is also added to Spa tabs. Is that true on NCL as well?

 

The wording in the NCL Guidelines is very confusing. Does or doesn't the $10 per person per day cover your waiters (Specialty and Regular Dining Room), assistant waiters (Specialty and Regular Dining Room), and cabin stewards?

You need to distinguish between NCL and NCL America, which runs the two ships in Hawaii (Pride of Aloha and Pride of America). On NCL, the 15% gratuity for bar bills is automatically added on, just like on other cruise lines. No need to tip anything additional if you don't feel it's warranted. However, on NCLA, the tip line on bar bills is left blank. Nothing is added automatically. You need to fill in your tip, just as you would in a land-based restaurant.

 

My understanding is that the $10 service charge covers ALL of the staff that you would normally tip (not including bar bills).

[Host CMLA]

The wording in the NCL Guidelines is very confusing. Does or doesn't the $10 per person per day cover your waiters (Specialty and Regular Dining Room), assistant waiters (Specialty and Regular Dining Room), and cabin stewards?

Yes, the $10 a day covers the wait staff in the specialty restaurants as well as the wait staff in the regular dining rooms. I think it's just more common for someone to add a tip for the wait person in a specialty restaurant. But you don't have to. The $10 also covers the buffet workers and the behind the scenes people that you never see. What's not covered is room service. You should still tip a dollar or two when they deliver.

[Hoosierheadhunter]

I initially started this thread because I read in two other threads, a review of the POA 6/05/05 and 6/12/05 that NCLA stopped the $10/per day/per guest surcharge because the staff wasn't seeing that money and asked them to do it. Can someone confirm that the current policy is the auto surcharge. If that is the case, it sounds like you are for the most part covered. If not, then I think you need to plan to have about $10/day per person to tip the staff each and every day.

 

HH

[Shore Girl]

I initially started this thread because I read in two other threads, a review of the POA 6/05/05 and 6/12/05 that NCLA stopped the $10/per day/per guest surcharge because the staff wasn't seeing that money and asked them to do it. Can someone confirm that the current policy is the auto surcharge. If that is the case, it sounds like you are for the most part covered. If not, then I think you need to plan to have about $10/day per person to tip the staff each and every day.

 

HH

 

Well, I thought the reason NCL stopped the automatic charge b/c of the "horrible" or lack of service that "haunted" the ship during the early days:confused:

[Host CMLA]

Well, I thought the reason NCL stopped the automatic charge b/c of the "horrible" or lack of service that "haunted" the ship during the early days:confused:

Yes, the $10 per person per day was eliminated only on the POAloha because they were having service issues. There has always been a plan in place for the staff to see the $10. On other NCL ships, it was after every cruise and given as tips. On the America ships, it was called something else and given at the end of the employees contract during the months that that person wasn't working. It equated to getting a paycheck year round even though you only worked say nine months. I don't completely understand the NCLA policy but somehow the ship's staff was always supposed to get the money and when the auto money was stopped, the staff started getting tips. Seems like a tax nightmare to me because you have to report tips and people who make tips make a lower standard wage, etc.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Hoosierhead is looking for one answer here and he is not getting it: Is the automatic $10 a day "charge" back in place on the Aloha? I was one of the ones last year that got it waived, but I read someone's review earlier this year that it was back in place since service has improved.

 

Are there any recent Aloha cruisers who could answer this please??

 

Johnql: What I meant by confusing was on the POA, where it is more of a vacation pay (as Cecilla explained) than a tip. I think we all feel the same way, we don't want to stiff hard working crew members, but at the same time we don't want to pay twice for the same thing.

[Hoosierheadhunter]

Shore Girl. The Pride of Aloha did eliminate the surcharge last year due to service issues. The current policy is really confusing in a review of the 6/05/05 sailing, Birdcat wrote:

 

"NCL used to charge a $10 per person, per day service fee (can't call them tips on the American flagged ships) but the crew wasn't getting that money as cash - it was going to other crew benefits - so they asked for it to stop. Now, you tip as you go - like in a restaurant - Nothing is added automatically to any bill (including bar bills) so be prepared to have cash on hand."

This was also confirmed by SA Traveler in a review of the 6/12/05 sailing.

 

 

HH

[EmJakeBubbie]

so what do expect? automatic per person daily charge of $10 to on board account? ... I like to tip; however, if service charge is mandatory, then my tip is paid, right? Thought I had things figured out, but this thread makes me wonder if NCL has changed that mandatory service charge thing? I don't care how they do it, I just want to know what to expect, y'know. tnx.

[Host CMLA]

so what do expect? automatic per person daily charge of $10 to on board account? ... I like to tip; however' date=' if [i']service charge[/i] is mandatory, then my tip is paid, right? Thought I had things figured out, but this thread makes me wonder if NCL has changed that mandatory service charge thing? I don't care how they do it, I just want to know what to expect, y'know. tnx.

Someone named birdcat and another named SA traveler seem to have said that the $10 mandatory service charge has not been reinstated so you should tip as you go. But this is only for NCLAmerica ships. It you're cruising on any other ship except the Pride of Aloha, the service charge is in place and it's distributed to the crew on a weekly basis as tips. Haven't heard yet what things are like on the POAmerica.

[johnql]

Johnql: What I meant by confusing was on the POA, where it is more of a vacation pay (as Cecilla explained) than a tip. I think we all feel the same way, we don't want to stiff hard working crew members, but at the same time we don't want to pay twice for the same thing.

Agreed.