Tips removed while onboard

[Wendy&Grumpy]

This is a definition from the Miriam Webster online dictionary.

 

plural gra·tu·ities

Full Definition of GRATUITY

 

: something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service; especially : tip

 

I think if they're going to make it mandatory, then it isn't a gratuity and they should be including it in the price of the fare. By making it mandatory they are basically guaranteeing a subsidy to the employees wages via grats. If the prepaid gratuities are a booking incentive then I agree that you shouldn't be able to claw back the amount while on board.

 

NCL has never considered this Daily Service Charge to be a gratuity.

 

The DSC FAQ does not say the DSC is gratuities and the Gratuities FAQ does not say grats are covered by the DSC.

 

"What's the service charge?

Why is there a service charge?

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 complimentary 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. How much is the charge? Onboard Service Charges are additional.

How much are the service charges:

For sailings prior to August 1, 2015 rates are as follows:

• $12.95 for guests staying in Studio, Inside, Oceanview, Balcony and Mini-Suite categories

• $14.95 for guests staying in Suite and The Haven categories

Effective August 1, 2015 rates for all sailings are as follows:

• $13.50 per person per day for guests staying in Studio, Inside, Oceanview, Balcony and Mini-Suite categories

• $15.50 per person per day for guests staying in Suite and The Haven categories

 

(This will be automatically added to your onboard account)" https://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

 

"What about Gratuities?

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 18% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 18% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining." https://www.ncl.com/faq#tipping

[RDC1]

Ironically, Carnival. They have flat rate cruise insurance.

 

I have not sailed Carnival, but I have some of their other lines such as Princess and HAL and I do know that their rates are a percentage. Celebrities is as well. With those lines when I have gotten a reduction in fare the insurance has dropped accordingly.

 

Now why do you say that Carnival is flat rate? I just did a mock booking and the insurance cost is certainly related to the booking fee. For example on one booking the room rate was $399 and insurance was $49, on another the room rate was $589 and the insurance was $79. Approximately 13% of the booking fee with some variation +- 1%. Actually pretty high percentage for insurance and certainly cost related to booking fare.

[donaldsc]

I disagree. Everybody's definition of acceptable service is different. Unless it is defined, you are going to give the guest Services Manager, who works for the cruise line, the final say? If you decided to lessen or eliminate the service charge (I refuse to call it a tip), the damage has been done. I have no problem talking to the Manager but I should have the final say on what the final outcome is, I'm the one paying. Again, I have never lessened or removed the service charge but I should have the right to do so if I see fit. Add it to the cruise price and this all goes away. They add the entertainment and food cost to it why not this?

 

I thought that I said that. My point was that instead of letting a problem fester for the entire cruise and then retaliating to the entire crew by taking off the tips, you should have to tell the Services Manager what the problem is and give them a chance to fix it or make it right. Then, if they fail to do it, you then remove the tip.

 

I felt that my plan would eliminate most of the cheapskates would have to discuss the reason for eliminating tips in person and most of them would not have the guts to do so.

 

So basically, we are in complete agreement.

 

DON

[Adidas4fun]

And how many posts have you read here about the deterioration of entertainment and food quality on these boards? Dozens, if not hundreds. THAT is what will happen if the gratuities are rolled into the fare cost.

I've just realised that this is the problem with the TSA! You should cut their salaries and instead tip the TSA agents according to the speed and quality of their service. Now that would really improve the traveling public's experience!

[RocketMan275]

I've just realised that this is the problem with the TSA! You should cut their salaries and instead tip the TSA agents according to the speed and quality of their service. Now that would really improve the traveling public's experience!

 

Interesting. How much should you tip the TSA agent who finds a pistol in your carryon?

[cle-guy]

Interesting. How much should you tip the TSA agent who finds a pistol in your carryon?

 

Given that recent studies show that 95% of contraband makes it thru TSA already, if they do nab a pistol, they should get a promotion to management.

[Cruizen Susan]

Originally Posted by Cruisen'Susan View Post

I have never asked to have tips removed, and I never will. IMO, the crew bend over backwards to give me a wonderful vacation, and I tip them! That being said, some others feel differently.

 

This thread is not meant to be a debate about tipping. There has been plenty of that in the past. I simply want to bring a news flash to your attention, which NCL just implemented. We sail on NCL when we embark from New York.

 

And yet, that is EXACTLY what it turned into! :eek: :confused:

Sigh.....

 

Yes, Julia, *sigh*. I was just giving an FYI about NCL's new policy, and the debate

begins once again. Tipping sure is a hot topic!

[AmazedByCruising]

There's no moral obligation to pay them now. The people that work on cruise ships are not slaves.

 

I totally agree, but...

 

and are also given statistics and data about how much they should expect on average

 

People stand in line to get a job on ships, based on how much they should expect on average. They might even bribe to be accepted, and after months of training and 5 years of contracts later NCL decides that their income might change a lot. I'm not sure if it would go up (people too lazy to ask their money back) or down (people in a less-than-happy mood deciding to find easy money by sending an email), but it could change a lot. While you scored 9.9/10 during 5 years, suddenly you are not sure of the promised expected pay.

 

Also, they can easily clawback grats if they are removed later. Ask a commissioned salesperson about clawbacks, it's the exact same scenario.

 

I don't think it's fair to compare a cook who got a mortgage based on a steady job with a cruiseline to a job as a salesperson. No cashier would accept a job with possible clawbacks that he'd have little or no impact on because the clawbacks are based on the performance of the greeters and the deals the buyers got. That's not the exact same scenario.

[Higgy64]

 

Would like to know where you get travel insurance and the fee is independent of trip cost.

 

An insurance company.... In the UK there are plenty of companies that offer Travel Insurance, some with specific Cruise cover. You can get multi-trip policies that cover the whole family. The price of the trips is not asked for (and may not be known if you are buying an annual multi-trip policy as you may not have booked all of your trips at the point of insurance purchase). I would never buy insurance from a Cruise line, my expectation is that they will be heavily overpriced.

[cle-guy]

An insurance company.... In the UK there are plenty of companies that offer Travel Insurance, some with specific Cruise cover. You can get multi-trip policies that cover the whole family. The price of the trips is not asked for (and may not be known if you are buying an annual multi-trip policy as you may not have booked all of your trips at the point of insurance purchase). I would never buy insurance from a Cruise line, my expectation is that they will be heavily overpriced.

 

I have looked many times to an annual policy. But I get so confused and worried about exclusions.

 

For example, I just found one with Allianz. $459/year coverage for 1 person. Includes all the cruise stuff, air etc. $250,000 med-evac coverage. But the claim limit for cancellations if $5,000. So longer trips or suites, may not find full coverage reimbursement if that's BIG deal to some. But it goes a long way to reimbursing. Even has Rental car collision coverage for $45,000.

 

Also, allows existing conditions.

 

For $249/year, medevac goes down to $100k and cancellation goes to $2,000.

Edited September 17, 2015 by cle-guy

[RDC1]

An insurance company.... In the UK there are plenty of companies that offer Travel Insurance, some with specific Cruise cover. You can get multi-trip policies that cover the whole family. The price of the trips is not asked for (and may not be known if you are buying an annual multi-trip policy as you may not have booked all of your trips at the point of insurance purchase). I would never buy insurance from a Cruise line, my expectation is that they will be heavily overpriced.

 

Let me rephrase my statement where can you buy single trip travel insurance, that will cover the cost of the trip, in the US, that does not take into account the cost of the trip?

 

Just out of curiosity what are the names of some of the companies that give the multi trip policies? I assume that even though they don't ask for the coverage for each trip, they have a coverage maximum for the policy, where the maximums for the various payout conditions are defined.

 

Technically even here some insurance policies don't ask the cost of the trip, they ask for the amount of coverage and the price is a percentage of that, basically the same thing.

Edited September 17, 2015 by RDC1

[cle-guy]

Let me rephrase my statement where can you buy single trip travel insurance, that will cover the cost of the trip, in the US, that does not take into account the cost of the trip?

 

Just out of curiosity what are the names of some of the companies that give the multi trip policies? I assume that even though they don't ask for the coverage for each trip, they have a coverage maximum for the policy.

 

Allianz does when buying an Annual Plan. All they wanted to know was age, number of people to cover and start date.

 

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com

 

If you select a single trip plan from Allianz then they do ask for trip value.

 

 

EDIT: OOPS, just realized you want single trip plan. That I do not know.

Edited September 17, 2015 by cle-guy

[RDC1]

I have looked many times to an annual policy. But I get so confused and worried about exclusions.

 

For example, I just found one with Allianz. $459/year coverage for 1 person. Includes all the cruise stuff, air etc. $250,000 med-evac coverage. But the claim limit for cancellations if $5,000. So longer trips or suites, may not find full coverage reimbursement if that's BIG deal to some. But it goes a long way to reimbursing. Even has Rental car collision coverage for $45,000.

 

Also, allows existing conditions.

 

For $249/year, medevac goes down to $100k and cancellation goes to $2,000.

 

That is about what I thought for the annual policies. Useful if you are on the road a lot, but not cheap and may not cover the full amount of any specific trip or for that matter multiple trips if you have to cancel more then one.

 

 

Bringing it back to topic the context for insurance was strictly pointing out the issue that including service charges in the fare will impact cruise line insurance policies and others because it changes the cruise cost levels and thus increases the dollar value needed of the coverage level and correspondingly the insurance costs. While that may not impact everyone, it would certainly have an impact upon a percentage of the lines passengers if such a change were made.

 

It was not a definitive comment about all possible insurance offerings, under or over insurance, etc.

Edited September 17, 2015 by RDC1

[RDC1]

duplicate post

Edited September 17, 2015 by RDC1

[RDC1]

Allianz does when buying an Annual Plan. All they wanted to know was age, number of people to cover and start date.

 

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com

 

If you select a single trip plan from Allianz then they do ask for trip value.

 

 

EDIT: OOPS, just realized you want single trip plan. That I do not know.

 

But even with the annual plan they don't ask the trip cost, but as you pointed out, they do have a limit on the coverage for cancellation, which may or may not cover the costs on a specific trip.

[george35]

I just asked the staff a question & they gave me their answer & I compelled with their wishes & got a BIG SMILE & THANK YOU.

 

george35

[RocketMan275]

But even with the annual plan they don't ask the trip cost, but as you pointed out, they do have a limit on the coverage for cancellation, which may or may not cover the costs on a specific trip.

 

In effect, the cancellation limit becomes the equivalent of the trip cost insured.

 

An insurance company always wants to know the maximum amount it could be liable for.