Gratuities going up...minimally

[mpk218]

Mud ... agreed ;) Doesnt anyone read these things before they go to print....

 

Im out

[Pia1913]

Mud ... agreed ;) Doesnt anyone read these things before they go to print....

 

Im out

 

That's a whole other program, "Shark." ;)

[Lil'red]

I just got off the phone with Norwegian Customer Servive and the butler/others for the Haven is not included in the $14.95. Still expected to tip them on top of the DSC. So I will prepay at $12 and then leave a tip for the butler and others compensatory of their service.

[luvtheships]

Also , just for the sake of poking the Bear .. Look what NCL calls the "service charge " ( gratuity ) :eek:

 

So there it is in definitive form..... Ncl says the dsc IS the gratuity.

 

 

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[Beaver1975]

I have four Ncl cruises booked. My husband and I both received an email referencing the reservation number and date, for the March and April cruises. We did not receive one for the September or 2016. Those are far enough out that they may not have gotten to them yet.

 

I received a notice referencing my January 2016 cruise but not one for my October 2015 cruise. 2016 is in a suite and October is not.

[luvtheships]

Excellent, though why they couldn't be more clear from the start is baffling... :rolleyes:

 

They probably have been reading cc posts for too long. Lol

 

Cc posters are notorious for not being clear and concise in posting..... And we all know Ncl reads these posts...... They have become just like the posters.....

 

Bad... Incomplete info.... And they hit send too fast also!!!

 

 

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[Beaver1975]

So there it is in definitive form..... Ncl says the dsc IS the gratuity.

 

 

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Nope, MPK was referring to the word discretionary. :D

 

I guess now we have to use the acronym DDSC. ;)

Edited February 13, 2015 by Beaver1975

[pateng]

I agree with lil'red. If the 14.95 suite gratuities fee does not include the butler and concierge then what does it cover as the butler and concierge are the extra perks associated with the suites. In this case, the service charge should be the same for all rooms with additional tips going directly to the butler and concierge.

[Beaver1975]

I agree with lil'red. If the 14.95 suite gratuities fee does not include the butler and concierge then what does it cover as the butler and concierge are the extra perks associated with the suites. In this case, the service charge should be the same for all rooms with additional tips going directly to the butler and concierge.

 

Stewards that service suites do not have as many total rooms as those who do not service suites.

 

Larger room = more service required.

 

Also, there are many that come here ans say that they never used the butler or concierge, so why should I tip them? Yet the butler and concierge usually afford these people some level of service.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Beaver1975

[hawkeyetlse]

I guess not we have to use the acronym DDSC. ;)

I was going to suggest the same thing! Put that silly debate to rest once and for all. Not that anything ever gets a rest around here… :rolleyes:

[fstuff1]

According to NCL corporate in MIAMI ( 5 minutes ago). The New DSC does NOT cover the butler and concierge . The wording in the release is confusing and they are in the process of correcting it ..

 

For what its worth .. ;)

 

oh boy.. NCL better be prepared for the backlash if they cant answer this question:

 

"what does the extra $2 cover then?"

[LorraineP]

Just paid my DSC. Came out to $168 for a 7 night cruise in a Haven suite.

[Pikaia]

oh boy.. NCL better be prepared for the backlash if they cant answer this question:

 

"what does the extra $2 cover then?"

I'd explain it by invoking staffing ratios. Suites take longer to clean, so each cabin steward has fewer cabins. Also, the staffing ratio is clearly higher in the restaurant that serves suite passengers breakfast and lunch.

 

That $2 per person per day is totally worth it, even factoring in extra grats for butler and concierge.

[mpk218]

I'd explain it by invoking staffing ratios. Suites take longer to clean, so each cabin steward has fewer cabins. Also, the staffing ratio is clearly higher in the restaurant that serves suite passengers breakfast and lunch.

 

That $2 per person per day is totally worth it, even factoring in extra grats for butler and concierge.

 

yep , thats all that $2 is for .. The suites are a bit more work and I completely agree with the increase..

[fstuff1]

I'd explain it by invoking staffing ratios. Suites take longer to clean, so each cabin steward has fewer cabins. Also, the staffing ratio is clearly higher in the restaurant that serves suite passengers breakfast and lunch.

 

That $2 per person per day is totally worth it, even factoring in extra grats for butler and concierge.

 

perfect explanation.

too bad they didn't explain it when they released the new tipping charges.

 

its far cheaper (customer service time/goodwill) not to leave customers guessing than to explain it afterwards.

 

 

they should have hired you. :)

[mypleasure]

As was pointed out earlier in this thread, the fact that the butler and concierge are even mentioned in this email could be taken to mean that they are now included.

 

 

I certainly read it as such and thought they were now included. This needs clarification by NCL not by people putting their own spin on it. I will continue to tip butler, concierge and suite room steward extra anyway but how much extra depends on the true answer to this point.

[mypleasure]

I'd explain it by invoking staffing ratios. Suites take longer to clean, so each cabin steward has fewer cabins. Also, the staffing ratio is clearly higher in the restaurant that serves suite passengers breakfast and lunch.

 

That $2 per person per day is totally worth it, even factoring in extra grats for butler and concierge.

 

 

I agree. The suite my sister and I shared on Spirit recently was at least 2 times the size of a normal balcony cabin. He also had to deal with one of us using the sofa bed every morning and evening. That alone was worth more than 2 times his share from the $12 per day charge as we felt it was extra work for him every day. I gave an appropriate sum for this.

 

The staff in Cagneys knew after Day 1 that we like a lot of coffee and that I needed a glass with 1 inch of water, no ice, to dissolve a medication. It was always provided no need to ask. They were taken care of as they certainly took care of us.

[Linda the Book Lover]

I just got off the phone with Norwegian Customer Servive and the butler/others for the Haven is not included in the $14.95. Still expected to tip them on top of the DSC. So I will prepay at $12 and then leave a tip for the butler and others compensatory of their service.

 

I telephoned as well because the email my DH and I both had a different interpretation of this portion of the email. "Norwegian Cruise Line is adjusting its daily service charges' date=' effective for all sailings that depart on or after March 1, 2015."[/i'] I understood it to mean if you do not pay in advance before March 1st you will be charged the new per person rate. The NCL representative confirmed you would have to pay before March 1st to receive the lower rate.

 

The representative told me the butler and the concierge are not included in the DSC. I also asked if the gratuity charged to passengers when purchasing on the ship would increase on my cruise and his response was no.

 

I have pre-paid my DSC.

[onthebalcony]

Got an email from NCL about the gratuity rate increase. I called Reservations Department noted on the email at 800-327-7030 and was automatically told to press 1 for a free $100 gift card. I had no other options. So I pressed 1. It was not NCL but a company representing them. I was going to get the offer until I was transferred from person to person and told about extra charges. I hung up and they called me back saying I was being charged for shipping of gift card, etc. I called the number again in the email and was told to press 1. We immediately called our credit card and had to cancel our present card number and new cards will be issued! I called NCL about this and was told it is the correct number for Reservations. I called the number again after talking with NCL and it went into the correct department! So BEWARE!!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Got an email from NCL about the gratuity rate increase. I called Reservations Department noted on the email at 800-327-7030 and was automatically told to press 1 for a free $100 gift card. I had no other options. So I pressed 1. It was not NCL but a company representing them. I was going to get the offer until I was transferred from person to person and told about extra charges. I hung up and they called me back saying I was being charged for shipping of gift card, etc. I called the number again in the email and was told to press 1. We immediately called our credit card and had to cancel our present card number and new cards will be issued! I called NCL about this and was told it is the correct number for Reservations. I called the number again after talking with NCL and it went into the correct department! So BEWARE!!

 

I called the same number in the email and did reach NCL reservations selected 2 for Latitudes member and then the phone tree went on with other selection numbers.

 

Please do not reply to this email. For additional questions or concerns, please contact our Reservations Department at 800-327-7030 for further assistance.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Norwegian Cruise Line increases gratuity

by Tom Stieghorst / February 12, 2015

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Norwegian-Cruise-Line-increases-gratuity

[kgs277869]

I'll be cruising in May with 2 grandchildren, ages 2 and 6. Do we have to pay full gratuities for them also? Thanks

[debnjoe1438]

Excuse me if this has been asked and answered. How does the new DSC compare with other cruise lines?

 

 

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[emcelh]

I certainly read it as such and thought they were now included. This needs clarification by NCL not by people putting their own spin on it. I will continue to tip butler, concierge and suite room steward extra anyway but how much extra depends on the true answer to this point.

 

That's how we're thinking too. If the extra $2 is going to the steward, and that seems to be what most people are thinking now, we'll take that into account when determing how much extra to give.

 

We usually stay in aft penthouses on the Jewel class ships, so the maximum number of suites 1 steward would have is 4. They might take a bit longer to clean and there are usually plates left from the snacks the butler delivers to remove, which is why we always gave the cabin steward a cash tip anyway.

[ColinIllinois]

I'll be cruising in May with 2 grandchildren, ages 2 and 6. Do we have to pay full gratuities for them also? Thanks

 

 

3 years or older.

 

http://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge