Auto Gratuity At Specialty Restaurant Implemented

[njhorseman]

Why would you think I don't know that. You are assuming many things here. I keep in touch with my friends and I know what they are doing. I don't want to argue with you over something like this, so you can stop assuming what I know and don't know.

 

If I'm wrong, I'm sorry about making the assumption.

 

It doesn't change the fact that NCL, hasn't provided a breakdown of the service charge distribution to its passengers for many years. The contract language addressing the service charge has been the same (or similar) for several years. This latest gratuity change hasn't changed that fact.

Edited March 18, 2015 by njhorseman

[CasinoCruzGirl]

What I hate most about this is....I go out of my way to make sure and bring lots of singles and fives on my cruise for tips and prepay my DSC so it's not on my bill at the end. I have the UDP from the promo and was planning on eating at a specialty restaurant every night so now I'm gonna have 18% bill added to my account at the end??????? I'm so not ok with this. This is exactly why I pay my DSC before my cruise I don't want it on my bill at the end.

[Jennyyl]

So far, it has not been confirmed either way if you will be charged this additional 18% for meals included in the UDP. My guess is that you will not be, but we'll have to wait for first-hand reports.

 

Even if they do charge you the 18%, that means that instead of getting a 100% discount with the free UDP, you are getting an 85% discount on specialty dining. That doesn't sound too bad to me, but if you are concerned about this free perk "costing you money", just don't use it. Eat somewhere else. Have another look at your booking, and if it no longer looks like a good deal without the free UDP that you will not be using, cancel it.

 

last time I checked, that would be an 82 percent discount, just sayin.... ;) maybe your math is so bad that's why you always end up tipping extra. :rolleyes:

[DaisyGoldberg]

I can see being irritated, or even angry, by NCL slipping in another charge, but I still don't get the "double dipping" accusation.

 

I think it's shady cost shifting on NCL's part, and I think they should just have increased the DSC or announced that they were taking specialty dining waitstaff off it and merely instituting this new compensation, freeing up the DSC for the main dining room servers, cabin stewards and other attendants.

 

For those who are going to reduce/eliminate their DSC based on this... on a 7 day land vacation, do you get daily maid service and 14 three course meals while tipping no more than $84, or however much the DSC is? There's no way that ever reasonably "tipped" the number of people it supposedly covered, which is why many of us tipped above and beyond that.

 

If you feel that NCL is nickle and diming you... why reduce the tip? Why not have a few extra sodas instead of cocktails and stick it to them that way? Buy one less photo? Play one less BINGO card? Stick it to their bottom line a different way than just stiffing the workers who are largely compensated through that revenue?

[SJ]

Penny wise pound foolish for NCL if this occurs fleetwide. No one will believe the waitstaff in specialty dining was not part of the dsc all these years. The best usually works there otherwise none of the waitstaff would asked to work in specialty dining if their tips are solely based on cash tips by those who dine there.

 

I don't understand why there are some who continues to defend a company for raising prices without giving anything back. Instead the company pretends its for the benefit of their employees. My fare should contribute at least in part to employees expenses, I shouldn't be asked to pay after I booked to compensate employee wages.

 

Frankly, this new system of auto gratuity or dsc leads to worse service. No one needs to go the extra mile if they're just going to pool all the money. I am sure the crew is aware of these increases, so if they don't see the same increase in their pay, I imagine they would look for other employment. Of course this would only leave the not so great staff behind.

 

Good luck NCL, you might see an increase in profit in the short run but I doubt it would last.

Ncl has been a trend setter for other cruiselines but lately it has setting the wrong trends.

[Granny DI]

I keep track of all costs that I incur on a cruise. I then break it down to cost per day. We always sailed in the lowest priced balcony. We also ate all meals in the dining room. We showed up the last night of the cruise to tip our waiters. We also tipped our cabin attendant. We now try to sail in suites and prefer to eat in the specialty restaurants. Guess what? My next cruise in an aft suite on NCL is a whole lot cheaper than my cruises in the balcony cabins on all the cruise lines we've sailed.

[hawkeyetlse]

What I hate most about this is....I go out of my way to make sure and bring lots of singles and fives on my cruise for tips and prepay my DSC so it's not on my bill at the end. I have the UDP from the promo and was planning on eating at a specialty restaurant every night so now I'm gonna have 18% bill added to my account at the end??????? I'm so not ok with this. This is exactly why I pay my DSC before my cruise I don't want it on my bill at the end.

Again, we don't know if the 18% is added to meals covered by the UDP. The one report in this thread involved a casino comp meal with an added $10 entrée upcharge, so that is not relevant.

 

Anyway, if you don't want a bill at the end, stop by the front desk with some of your singles and fives and pay it off. I have to say, of all the arguments people have come up with in this long thread, this one is the least compelling.

last time I checked, that would be an 82 percent discount, just sayin.... maybe your math is so bad that's why you always end up tipping extra.

Check again. Get back to me when you figure it out, if you ever do. JUST SAYIN Edited March 18, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[NLH Arizona]

Your assumptions are incorrect. When the DSC first started, the cruise line gave me a breakdown of how the money was distributed, and I was able to verify the correctness of it with my friends who work on the ships. That is the ONLY reason I agreed to participate.

 

Now those numbers are not available, and if I am going to be billed for something, I want to know whSo, you see, it is my money and my business. If that information is not forthcoming or is not correct, I can still remove the DSC and do what I feel is right.

 

You may accept the present situation without question, but I do not.

 

Can't your friends who work on the ships tell you what the breakdown is?

[njhorseman]

Again, anyone who doesn't want to pay this can just cross it off the restaurant bill and rewrite the total charge excluding the 18% charge. It's a very simple solution for those who are unhappy.

[NLH Arizona]

We are in agreement about good service being worthy of a better tip. It is just my policy that when management decides what the tip should be in advance I won't increase it. Is this unfair to a person that gives exceptional service? Sure, but this is my way of protesting this policy. And the fact that people generally hate this kind of being forced is why you see the kind of response you do on this thread. It is also why you almost never see a land restaurant force a gratuity (other than groups). And while it is POSSIBLE to have gratuities removed for bad service it is embarrassing and a hassle and almost no-one does even when service is bad.

 

Were we all to just pay the forced minimum and then happily pay more for exceptional service every restaurant on land would do this as well. Just another example of bean counters on a ship trying to slip one in on a captive audience.

 

Also, when you tip extra for great service on a ship restaurant it just goes into the pool and ends up helping the lousy waiter as much as the good one. So removing a gratuity for a terrible meal and doubling one for a great one just nets out and means nothing.

Like I said, no one is forced to pay the 18% gratuity; they can either not go to the specialty restaurants or ask the manager to take it off.

[NLH Arizona]

I

If you feel that NCL is nickle and diming you... why reduce the tip? Why not have a few extra sodas instead of cocktails and stick it to them that way? Buy one less photo? Play one less BINGO card? Stick it to their bottom line a different way than just stiffing the workers who are largely compensated through that revenue?

Or stop cruising with NCL!!

[denatravels]

It isn't true. We ate specialty EVERY night March 8-14. We were not charged a cent extra.

 

 

It has been stated multiple times on this thread that it began March 15

[Demonyte]

last time I checked, that would be an 82 percent discount, just sayin.... ;) maybe your math is so bad that's why you always end up tipping extra. :rolleyes:

 

 

No, they were completely right - your way is not the right way of calculating percentages of percentages, you can't just deduct one from another.

 

$30 + 18% = $35.40

 

$30 (part possibly covered by UDP) / $35.40 (total price) = 0.847 = 85% of the total

[littlelulu01]

NCL really needs to spell out these fees so that the passengers know what is expected of them. So very confusing!!

 

It pretty clearly states that the youth program staff, beverage servers, butler, concierge and spa gratuities are not included in the DSC and they should be tipped separately according to service. I get that. I think this also means that the gratuities for everyone else is included. It's up to me to decide if and who to give extra to.

 

It also clearly states that restaurant staff ARE included in the DSC. So what is the real answer?

 

Tipping? Well their explanation of tipping for those in the DSC is that it is not expected but that employees are encouraged to go the extra mile and can take a cash gratuity in addition to the DSC.

 

Gratuities for dining? Their explanation of this is that it's not included and you can add it to the tip service line provided in Specialty restaurants. So is this extra 18% charge their way of helping us out with what to leave? Ok I get that but please NCL outline it for us. To me this explanation is really conflicting with the DSC explanation. How about just making it simple. I thought that was what the DSC was supposed to do in the first place.

 

If in fact the restaurant staff are participating in the DSC, like NCL's website states, and we are to give them an 18% gratuity on top of the DSC, then NCL restaurant staff just got one heck of a raise. Their staff recruiting office is going to be a madhouse.

 

Last sailing we were on I was not too impressed with the food or service in the Italian restaurant. We even left before being served the main course. I did not feel the need to complain about the service or anything but it got comical waiting for over an hour for a pizza and no offer for a water refill or a drink during the wait. I want to have the choice not to give that kid an 18% tip. We simply got up and left and the server never even noticed. No need to ask to speak to a manager, have the tip adjusted... just simply walked away knowing I was not going to be charged a service charge automatically and so no need to wait for a bill... It was merely a tiny blip on the radar. Had I needed to explain my reasoning and complain to someone It would have been an incident and one that affected my cruise in a negative manner. The way things stood I assumed the kid got his share of the DSC which is fine with me. He's working and it's NCL's job to figure out what percentage of the DSC he gets. Now if he was ONLY getting paid on my gratuities I don't think I would have walked away giving him nothing. He was trying and just inexperienced. No need to get zero pay because he makes some mistakes. Is his salary dependent on my extra gratuity above the DSC? If so let me know so the poor kid can at least make something for the long hours he's working.

[jaja]

So far, it has not been confirmed either way if you will be charged this additional 18% for meals included in the UDP. My guess is that you will not be, but we'll have to wait for first-hand reports.

 

Even if they do charge you the 18%, that means that instead of getting a 100% discount with the free UDP, you are getting an 85% discount on specialty dining. That doesn't sound too bad to me, but if you are concerned about this free perk "costing you money", just don't use it. Eat somewhere else. Have another look at your booking, and if it no longer looks like a good deal without the free UDP that you will not be using, cancel it.

 

Ah...but when I booked....I did the calculations..to decide if booking with all the promo items..would be worth the cost of the fare..(which was higher than usual)...Also...I already booked and paid for insurance...so canceling the cruise..would then cost me another couple of hundred I paid for insurance

.

AND..again...as I have said before....it is the principal of the thing...! AND the way it is being done...did I get an email explaining the changes..NO..did something get posted on the NCL site NO...Over the last few years..NCL has REALLY failed with COMMUNICATION...in this computer world..there is NO reason that customers should not be updated of changes. That is the way good companies do business. It is called customer service.

[swedish weave]

Can't your friends who work on the ships tell you what the breakdown is?

 

No !! NCL has changed the wording. It started as a simple dollar formula, but is now pooled and "for the benefit of crew".

 

If you can find out what they are doing, please post to let us all know.

Edited March 18, 2015 by swedish weave

[backsbanny]

i am so disappointed with the new management of ncl

[ColinIllinois]

"Principle" ;)

 

I'm confused reading through this thread. Is it or is it not the new policy or are the confirmations still unconfirmed? :D

Edited March 18, 2015 by ColinIllinois

[cruizinwithkids]

I'm confused about a couple of things.

 

1. The person who is currently sailing and reported this, stated that they were charged the 18% on the lobster, not on the base bill. I know what they say about assume, but I ASS U ME that there would be no 18% on the already in place dining plan.

 

2. I'm not convinced that this is double dipping. Is paying extra for a specialty dining double dipping. In a way it is. "You've" already paid for food, now you are paying extra for specialty dining. When dining in a more expensive restaurant on land I would pay a higher tip because the cost of the meal would be higher. A 20% tip on a $100 meal is higher than a 20% tip on a $40 meal.

 

Now, do I think this money is all going to the crew. Nope, just like I don't think the additional 95 cents is or even the preexisting $12.00 tip.

[PokerDave]

Like I said, no one is forced to pay the 18% gratuity; they can either not go to the specialty restaurants or ask the manager to take it off.

 

Did you even read my posts? I said:

 

while it is POSSIBLE to have gratuities removed for bad service it is embarrassing and a hassle and almost no-one does even when service is bad.

 

And furthermore, as I ALSO said, they should just charge $30 instead of $25 as the fee and I will either go or not go based on that. In my case I'll go. $5 isn't enough for me to miss Le Bistro or Cagney's.

 

But my point isn't trying to quibble about the extra cost, but the WAY in which NCL is adding it. It is inconsistent to say I should pay a gratuity in a specialty restaurant for someone to take my order and serve me when I have already paid for someone to do that as a part of my DSC.

 

Do you disagree?

[LMaxwell]

 

When you go into a restaurant, do you know how much of the tip you leave for the waiter/waitress gets tipped out to the bus staff, bartender, hostess? Of course you don't, and you don't really care.

The difference here is I give money to a restaurant server, they keep that money and divide in the back of the house to a previously agreed to share to support people like busboys and bartenders.

 

What NCL is saying is the money goes to them and they then award it to employees based on their own internal metrics and evaluations. It's very different and it simply doesn't pass my sniff test. How are they determining the service I received?

[hpecorari]

I'm confused about a couple of things.

 

1. The person who is currently sailing and reported this, stated that they were charged the 18% on the lobster, not on the base bill. I know what they say about assume, but I ASS U ME that there would be no 18% on the already in place dining plan.

 

That's because it was a free dinner from CAS so they were only charged for their 'additional' order of lobster tail and only had the 18% gratuity on the additional order of lobster tail as CAS took care of the actual meal.

 

2. I'm not convinced that this is double dipping. Is paying extra for a specialty dining double dipping. In a way it is. "You've" already paid for food, now you are paying extra for specialty dining. When dining in a more expensive restaurant on land I would pay a higher tip because the cost of the meal would be higher. A 20% tip on a $100 meal is higher than a 20% tip on a $40 meal.

 

The waitstaff all get and are included in the DSC. Why should one get more than another?

 

Now, do I think this money is all going to the crew. Nope, just like I don't think the additional 95 cents is or even the preexisting $12.00 tip.

 

Harriet

[njhorseman]

No !! NCL has changed the wording. It started as a simple dollar formula, but is now pooled and "for the benefit of crew".

 

If you can find out what they are doing, please post to let us all know.

 

As already stated, the pooling "for the benefit of the crew" wording is not new to the contract or FAQs. It's been that way for quite some time. Why you continue to insist that this is new is beyond me. It's particularly puzzling since you're a "veteran" poster on this board, and the wording has been discussed and dissected here repeatedly.

 

By the way...I'm in no way trying to defend, justify or explain away the new 18% specialty restaurant gratuity, because it seems just as inexplicable to me as it does to most of those who have posted on this thread.

[njhorseman]

The difference here is I give money to a restaurant server, they keep that money and divide in the back of the house to a previously agreed to share to support people like busboys and bartenders.

 

What NCL is saying is the money goes to them and they then award it to employees based on their own internal metrics and evaluations. It's very different and it simply doesn't pass my sniff test. How are they determining the service I received?

 

You're trying to create a difference that doesn't exist. In the restaurant you have no say in how that tip is distributed...restaurant management is in 100% control of that process. Similarly on the ship you have no say how the 18% is going to be distributed by NCL...they're in 100% control of the process.

[cruizinwithkids]

Harriet

 

Why should one get more than the other? For the same reason the server at Ruth Chris gets more than the server at the Olive Garden.