Auto Gratuity At Specialty Restaurant Implemented

[SteveH2508]

This stinks of crossed wires; misunderstandings and broken websites.

 

18% is the new beverage gratuity.

I cannot believe that they would update the UK website before the US one.

 

I am in the wait-and-see camp for the moment - besides - at present I have no dog in this fight - nothing booked and looking less likely by the minute given the gouging that seems to have started with the new regime.

[jaja]

Very confusing because the DSC does not cover the butler and concierge and the wait staff who serve the specialty restaurants are the same wait staff that serve in the MDR's as they just rotate.

 

Harriet

 

YES!!!....the servers ARE already covered in DSC as they rotate....so IN PRINCIPAL. ..this (if true) is totally out of line...

(this is not to say many of us do not tip extra..!...as I said...IN PRINCIPAL it is wrong)

[LMaxwell]

In the past several weeks, NCL workers have (supposedly) received the following:

 

. 8% increase in DSC;

. 20% increase (from 15 to 18 percent) in auto-gratuities for bar service;

. an unknown total increase on bar gratuities (even before the 3% jump) due to many more passengers having UBP due to the Choice promo -- the expectation being that NCL is going to pay workers the auto-gratuities on these otherwise "free" beverages; and finally

. 18% on cost of specialty dining (not an increase, because till now there wasn't an expectation of gratuity for specialty dining, as it had been covered by DSC).

 

 

Who here really believes that ALL this extra moolah is going find its way into workers' pockets rather than NCL's bottom line?

 

 

I don't believe it is all going to workers. NCL takes some for crew welfare fund. How much? No one knows. Is it all provided back to the crew? No one knows.

 

But more concerning is this, copied verbatim from the Guest Ticket Contract

 

"Certain members of Carrier’s crew are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that are funded in part by the service charge paid by each Guest. The charge , which is automatically

added to your onboard account and subject to adjustment at your discretion, is intended to reward service provided in all departments and job categories and is distributed to employees according to Carrier's evaluation of job performance. A portion of the service charge collected by Carrier is also used for fleet-wide crew welfare programs"

 

Bolding added by me for emphasis. So DSC is already intended to reward services in all departments (does this even mean just guest facing services, or secondary hotel functions that would never be a tipped position anywhere else such as laundry and maintenance functions).

 

HOWEVER, the DSC is distributed based on NCL's own evaluation of the job performance. By what criteria does NCL measure someones job performance? If NCL judges someones performance as below par and does not give them the full amount possible, where does THAT money then go? Into the general welfare fund? Into NCL bottom line? How much do they dock someone? 5%? 50%? 95%?

 

I don't really like the idea of a tipped wage being dependent on the companies evaluation of how the services I received were. What if I think services were excellent and I pay the DSC thinking I got great service but the company disagrees and withholds money from the worker? I think I should be the barometer of services received, and tip accordingly. Thankfully the DSC can be adjusted at my discretion as is stated in the very same Guest Ticket Contract and I can tip cash accordingly, just like I did before these automatic charge nonsense started.

 

Adding an 18% gratuity on top of a pool of people already included in the gratuity pool is nothing more than an 18% rise in costs.

[kato92]

Just off the Pearl yesterday. Ate in specialty restaurants prebooked and booked on board NO gratuity added to any meal.

[LrgPizza]

But then why would the UK site say there is an added 18% gratuity for the UDP?

 

http://www.ncl.co.uk/already-booked/gifts-and-more/#ultimate-dining

 

Dining packages are non-refundable and must be purchased for the whole cruise. It can be purchased for children 13 years of age and older and adults.

 

Please note that we charge 18$ gratuity and on cruises from/to Spain and Italy we are required to charge an additional VAT.

 

For guests that are Platinum Latitude Members there will be a discount of $20.00 off standard Ultimate Dining Package.

 

Harriet

I'm thinking that was accidentally typed there when it just belongs right below it in UBP. I just went on my NCL and put the UDP into my cart, and there was not 18% gratuity added to the price like there is with UBP, so what is said on that UK site isn't happening (at least in the US).

[cliffd64]

Just off the Pearl yesterday. Ate in specialty restaurants prebooked and booked on board NO gratuity added to any meal.

 

Thanks for that... Appreciate your response :)

[hpecorari]

I'm thinking that was accidentally typed there when it just belongs right below it in UBP. I just went on my NCL and put the UDP into my cart, and there was not 18% gratuity added to the price like there is with UBP, so what is said on that UK site isn't happening (at least in the US).

 

Yea, I did that too.....didn't show up here in the States.

 

Guess we'll just have to wait until someone either replies that's on the ship or is able to send a copy of their bill once they're home.

 

Of course, NCL can always reply here and state the facts for the record.

 

Harriet

[sixesandeights]

We eat at specialties a lot on NCL...if they start charging 18% then I will be adjusting my DSC which I have never done in the past. I understand that DSC covers more then just the Waiters, but I will tip people once....not twice. I hope this was a misunderstanding on the OP's part.

 

6&8

[NH Cruisers]

lovemybutler must really like this post.

[Philob]

We were on the Pride of America last week (3/7/15-3/14/15) and were not charged an additional 18% on the charges, but when the ship was in port, we were charged taxes on the surcharge.

 

The "taxes on the surcharge" is a Hawaiian thing. Hawaii charges a "general excise tax" on all levels from mfg to wholesaler to retailer to final consumer on just about everything including services. If you were a contractor doing a remodel you would charge the excise tax on the whole job.

[cage keeper]

Something wrong here. It just does not make sense that the servers who are a part of the DSC are also getting an additional 18%. Tipping in specialty restaurants has always been at the discretion of the the cruiser.

 

Harriet

 

That's what I am thinking. If they auto add the daily service charge and you eat in the specialty dining every night you are paying double. I too worked in the service industry for many years and tip well above. But I do like to make that decision myself.

[hawkeyetlse]

I would be shocked if they added the new fee without anouncing it in some way. Exp right after they added a dollar to the normal DSC and they told everyone about that.

They raised the drink prices without any announcement (but we all knew from that interview with FDR that it was happening). They raised the auto-tip on bar sales from 15% to 18% with absolutely no announcement. The changes in the UBP were not announced, even though for once they were in the customer's favor. They just change the rules and quietly update the website and marketing materials.

 

It would not shock me in the least if they starting adding 18% to the specialty cover charges without acknowledging the change.

[sjbdtz]

Could some be confusing the 18% that is added on for their drinks if they don't have the UBP....thinking it's for the meal?

 

Harriet

 

 

I'm in this camp too. They probably ordered a bottle of wine, and had auto-grats for that, and assumed it was for the cover charge.

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Could some be confusing the 18% that is added on for their drinks if they don't have the UBP....thinking it's for the meal?

 

Harriet

 

No, it is defintely for the cover dinner venues. Says so right on the Freestyle (it is just in an incredibly small print way down at the bottom, you know like hidden in plain sight, lol). Saw it and thought it was an error but this guy I was playing cards with told me he got hit with it and had a fit!

[backsbanny]

i miss kevin sheenah

mr del rio already increased everything gratuities dsc the prices for cruises for 2016 have skyrocketed..this guy makes a big mistake..i know a lot of loyal ncl fans..nobody is happy currently with all these changes and its heard from some of the crew that bar prices are coming up just like rcl did it...Mr del rio should understand that he ncl is not regent..if the prices come as close as celebrity for example then its an easy decision for me regardless how much i love ncl

[swedish weave]

No, it is defintely for the cover dinner venues. Says so right on the Freestyle (it is just in an incredibly small print way down at the bottom, you know like hidden in plain sight, lol). Saw it and thought it was an error but this guy I was playing cards with told me he got hit with it and had a fit!

 

OP --

thanks for getting this discussion back on track. Entirely too much speculation being posted and many are ignoring your first hand knowledge. It has also been posted that the same info you gave us is on the UK website.

 

My question is if this is going system wide ???

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Something wrong here. It just does not make sense that the servers who are a part of the DSC are also getting an additional 18%. Tipping in specialty restaurants has always been at the discretion of the the cruiser.

 

Harriet

 

I have not read through all of the posts yet here, just going down the line, so not sure if it has dawned on anyone, but I don't think that extra 18% is going to the waitstaff in the specialties! Think it is either going to NCL or perhaps into the entire pool which would mean that the increase in our DSC and this should give them a significant increase in salary. Again, I'm skeptical if they will ever see a dime of it. Haven't chatted with anyone about this on board yet, it was like 2AM when the guy told me about his being charged it, but I'm sure as the week goes by I will talk with some servers, and/of officers, to determine really who is getting in.

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

I gotta think the 18% refers to any beverages purchased...can the OP confirm the amount of the gratuity and the amount of the overall bill? that would help clarify...

 

I am confirming that I see written in the Freestyle that 18% will be automatically added to the per person fee for the specialties. This was on yesterday's FD and I see it again on today's. I do not have Sunday's since I threw it away!

 

I also believe that if you are comped a dinner (either through Platinum or CAS or whatever) that you will not see any charge. I will find out tomorrow since we are having our Platinum dinner at LeBistro tomorrow. Tonight I will be eating a comped dinner from CAS at Cagney's and will see how that works.

[denatravels]

But then why would the UK site say there is an added 18% gratuity for the UDP?

 

 

 

http://www.ncl.co.uk/already-booked/gifts-and-more/#ultimate-dining

 

 

 

Dining packages are non-refundable and must be purchased for the whole cruise. It can be purchased for children 13 years of age and older and adults.

 

 

 

Please note that we charge 18$ gratuity and on cruises from/to Spain and Italy we are required to charge an additional VAT.

 

 

 

For guests that are Platinum Latitude Members there will be a discount of $20.00 off standard Ultimate Dining Package.

 

 

 

Harriet

 

 

I followed your link and couldn't find that anywhere. It does say that dining cover charges are subject to change.

[mking8288]

We shall see next week, going on the BA and there's a 2nd. CC'er sailing with live satellite internet access, so it might be a matter of time before we all get some of these confusing info about DSC & gratuities, tips, service charges, add-ons, etc. sorted out - it will take a while if NCL corporate doesn't proactively recognized the fuzzy message being radiated out on this form & #cough, # cough, that other "major" social media that we don't #promote here.

 

FYI - A.S., the new COO will be tweeting "live" (likely filtered ??) tomorrow supposingly to take Q&A (selectively respond ??) so if anybody has time & can do so at that time, feel free to join in & pose your questions.

 

As platinium members, we dine in LeBistro twice each sailing and always/will tip as we see fit but this 18% auto is interesting - 18% for beverages is fine, many of the finer venue on land nowadays add/suggest 20% as a minimum, pre-calculated on the charge slip. A # of AYCE buffet are now up to 15% whereas it was 13% before, on top of overall price increases - so put all these into context - called it inflation despite lower fuel prices in the U.S. Our property tax, water & sewer charges went up again in 2015 too.

 

I worked my hard way thru college in the service industry and American tipping mindset is foreign to some, especially those from abroad as some are used to leaving nothing or just "loose" changes, really. When I hand a $10 or $20 to that steward or waiter/ess - s/he get its directly. But when NCL collects and distribute it among the pool or team, trust me on this one - there is an "administrative" expenses or "indirect costs" associated with it - the percentage varied but suffice to say, it is less than 99% going directly back to those you think you are "rewarding" (feel free to use whatever "labels" that's appropriate to you) Those in finance & do budgets for departments in a corporate institutionnal settings would understood some of this - my "cost center" is allocated or charged a 33% indirect of the operating net expenses - to support overheads (CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, SVP, AVP, JVP, etc. etc.) - not suggesting that's how NCL operate at all, but it is a possibility, that's all.

 

Perhaps, NCL is hoping that most cruisers won't notice it, and, majority probably won't and will just "let it go" - CC'ers is a select group of generally well-informed with varied expertise in everything, so I take nothing for granted nor will absolutely ruled out anything, yet - until the dust is settled or the charges finalized for posting. It could well be done for #accounting purposes and the cumulative amounts on that transaction "receipt" be zeroed out or offset. Afterall, the other CC'er currently on the BA also alerted us to "possible" problems with OBC not getting posted initially but remedied by day 2 - not to set off another panic flood alarm here :D :eek: - as there were long lines at Guest Services ...

Edited March 17, 2015 by mking8288

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

OP --

thanks for getting this discussion back on track. Entirely too much speculation being posted and many are ignoring your first hand knowledge. It has also been posted that the same info you gave us is on the UK website.

 

My question is if this is going system wide ???

 

I too saw all of the posters who thought it was just confusion or misunderstanding. Trust me I know how to read and know what I read. But in order to get clarification I just tried to contact the HD but for some reason was not able to get through his phone. Got the front desk and asked if they could connect me, they wanted to know what it was about and I told them. I was told that the 18% auto grat for specialties was just implemented beginning on 3/15/15 and it is fleetwide.

 

Now I cannot confirm that it is fleetwide because I do not believe everything the front desk says, but I am sure it is being implement on BA for this sailing.

 

Not sure how I feel about it one way or the other, I was just simply posting the info because I know that others would be interested. Please don't shoot the messenger!

[backsbanny]

if this happened then thats a totally wrong move by ncl.all the servers rotate on the dining rooms so each of them get their tips on the dsc!!!if i want to tip more then i can do so but i dont want to be obliged by ncl to do this!!!If this is true then i am terribly disappointed by this action...its not really about the money its that i feel as ncl thinks we are stupid

[tarheelmjfan]

No offense, but all you "big tippers" who are upset about this are hilarious.

Edited March 17, 2015 by tarheelmjfan

[backsbanny]

maybe you havent got the point..ncl and rcl for the last two months increase all the time prices dsc gratuities bar prices etc on the other hand they reduce staff a lot of crews have been sacked lately and service goes down...its not about tipping here..its worrying about losing a product that all ncl fans love..

[Granny DI]

I guess I'm in the minority here but it's fine with me to auto tip. I always worry about not tipping enough. We always tip in the specialty restaurants on any ship. We try not to eat in the MDR as we don't enjoy the experience anymore.

If you don't like the auto tip please don't take it out on your waiter...he/she has nothing to do with NCL policies. Contact NCL to let them know how you feel.