NCL Service Charge Adjustment

[sparks1093]

Not sure how they could have removed them on the "second day".

 

The Daily Service Charge gets posted to your account daily. If they were to go on the second day the only charges on the account to be or that could be removed would be that of the first day.

 

Also that NCL's policy is to not remove them and require a form to be mailed is which there is plenty of testimony to the case.

European law will have nothing to do with and no control over such a policy.

 

Cruises in Europe have different rules and one indeed can have the service charges removed onboard.

[rochelle_s]

How do you know that it's not NCL's internal policy for employees that all tips be reported and pooled? Sure, an employee might decide to not follow the rule but who would risk their jobs over a few dollars? And their are way too many surveillance cameras around for management not to find that out.

 

Just for discussions sake why do you think that employees must pool their tips? If this were indeed the policy of NCL then I might as well stop tipping extra in cash.

 

When I give an extra cash tip on board the ship it is meant for the person I hand it to or leave it for, in recognition of my appreciation for their service in general or to reward exceptional service.

 

I do not give cash tips so that NCL can decide how much, if any, goes directly to the intended recipient. It is certainly not meant to be used for corporate incentive programs. I have no problem with NCL providing incentive programs but it should not be funded by my cash tips.

 

 

Would it be fair if only certain employees had to pool their cash tips?

 

Specialty restaurant staff, bartenders and drink servers have 18% automatically added for their services with no recourse available to the guests to reduce or remove these. Should they have to pool anything they receive in cash?

 

 

You place a lot of faith in the eyes in the sky in terms of security cameras. It would be next to impossible to monitor every camera angle. every minute of every day. Even then, how would they know that there was money passed from one palm to another in a good bye or thank you very much handshake? It is my custom to give a thank you card at the end of a cruise to my cabin steward. On my last cruise this was done on the second last day of the cruise and inside the cabin. How would big brother know this was done or how much cash was inside?

 

Many folks will say (incorrectly so) that the employees only have to turn in and pool tips from guests who remove or reduce their DSC. This is, especially now with the new system, another impossibility to monitor. -- If a guest opts to tip in cash on their cruise, once their cruise is over they have 30 days to email in a request for a refund to their DSC. From recent comments I have seen this process is taking six weeks. Do you really think they are going to go back 8-10 weeks and try and find who served who or where someone slept etc.? In the case of my Epic cabin steward he left the ship the same day we did ...would they have to track him all the way to India if I removed or adjusted my DSC ?

 

Also in terms of going back and tracing who ate where - I highly doubt they keep records for weeks on end after a cruise of who ate where and when and what server might have served them. What about those folks who eat at the buffet or at an outdoor BBQ or grill? How do you track them? In the case of my last cruise there were 4 cabins of us who ate dinner together regularly and I set up two Cruise Critic lunches and two dinners for 20+ people, in almost every case it was my key card that was given when we checked in. There would have been absolutely no record of any of those other people in those venues. Again impossible to keep track of who served who.

 

My comments are not meant to be argumentative but intended only to point how unlikely (not to mention how unfair) it would be that NCL would require cash tips to be pooled. The only position that could accurately be traced back would be the cabin steward and it would seem grossly unbalanced to single out one department. especially in light of the fact that the guest is not required to provide a reason, or at minimum any detail to the reasons of why they might want to adjust or remove their DSC

 

Just my thoughts,

 

 

Rochelle

[aussie cruzer]

Cruises in Europe have different rules and one indeed can have the service charges removed onboard.

The poster who said my friend is full of it.....has egg on their face now.☺

 

I wonder if a apology is coming my way.....some people should think before they post insults.

 

Thanks sparks1093 for confirmation.

 

Sent from my SM-T530 using Tapatalk

[QuickieGlenn]

Crazy posts here

Everyone is allowed to do whatever they want

For me, I leave tip or service charge or whatever name it goes by in place.

I give additional tips where needed

People just start these posts to stir the pot, over and over and over

People just love to complain, what's the fun in that

[SteveH2508]

Re handing in cash tips - what happened to the word "trust"?

 

NCL may make it a term of the employee contract (nobody on here knows) - however, there exists a trust between employer and employee that both sides will comply with the terms of said contract. An employer should not need to monitor every transaction unless there are reasonable grounds to suspect that there is a problem. Similarly, employees take it on trust that employers will follow the terms of the contract (paying them the correct amount on time; not shorting them on tips/gratuities/DSC (call it what you want) etc.).

 

A breakdown in this trust relationship may result in disciplinary action/dismissal or industrial action depending on the guilty party.

 

The thought that NCL watch the CCTV for for cash tips being passed is ridiculous. Staff are trusted to declare cash tips (if that is indeed a requirement) and there may be a sanction built into the contract if they don't - who knows?

Edited May 22, 2016 by SteveH2508

[rochelle_s]

Cruises in Europe have different rules and one indeed can have the service charges removed onboard.

 

Is this something new? Something only available for those who book through a European site?

 

I just recently traveled in Europe with 4 cabins in our group. Each cabin paid differently. Those who booked in Canadian and American could pre-pay their DSC or have it added to their account daily on board. The cabin from Australia payed no DSC and it was their understanding that it was built into their price. The same was true for the cabin from Scotland who booked through the EU, there was no additional charge for them on their invoice for either the DSC or the 18% auto gratuity on the UBP or SDP that were either part of a promotion or were purchased prior to the cruise. Again these costs were assumed built into the original price paid.

 

I am certain of this as we had an in-depth discussion about it as it plays a significant part in looking at pricing for our cruise next year. It is for 35 days and the combined DSC and 18% of UBP and SDP works out to over $1000 US per person , so a large factor in comparing pricing.

 

I know in the case of my friends they were not being charged the DSC on a daily basis, so their would not have been anything to remove. I also know that the forms for removal were given out on the Epic, but perhaps that was only to those who booked in North America. Different rules for different folks as opposed to different rules for where the cruise sails from?

 

 

Rochelle

[sparks1093]

Is this something new? Something only available for those who book through a European site?

 

I just recently traveled in Europe with 4 cabins in our group. Each cabin paid differently. Those who booked in Canadian and American could pre-pay their DSC or have it added to their account daily on board. The cabin from Australia payed no DSC and it was their understanding that it was built into their price. The same was true for the cabin from Scotland who booked through the EU, there was no additional charge for them on their invoice for either the DSC or the 18% auto gratuity on the UBP or SDP that were either part of a promotion or were purchased prior to the cruise. Again these costs were assumed built into the original price paid.

 

I am certain of this as we had an in-depth discussion about it as it plays a significant part in looking at pricing for our cruise next year. It is for 35 days and the combined DSC and 18% of UBP and SDP works out to over $1000 US per person , so a large factor in comparing pricing.

 

I know in the case of my friends they were not being charged the DSC on a daily basis, so their would not have been anything to remove. I also know that the forms for removal were given out on the Epic, but perhaps that was only to those who booked in North America. Different rules for different folks as opposed to different rules for where the cruise sails from?

 

 

Rochelle

 

Very well could be. But this isn't the first thread where someone mentioned that they made the service charge adjustment onboard the Epic and didn't have to fill out the form post-cruise.

[rochelle_s]

Very well could be. But this isn't the first thread where someone mentioned that they made the service charge adjustment onboard the Epic and didn't have to fill out the form post-cruise.

 

You are correct and I know that NCL does not have a stellar reputation in terms of communication and/or consistency.

 

 

Rochelle

[sjbdtz]

Shark -- A gentle reminder --- The fares are mandatory but the DSC is discretionary. If you drop cash into a hand, you know who is being compensated for the service you received. With the DSC, you don't have a clue who NCL will give it to.

 

Actually, you have NO MORE of a clue what happens with that money, than you did when it was automated.

 

Also, why do you want to penalize all of the other staff whose hand you did not grace? Since you admit you have no clue who gets the DSC, would you at least acknowledge that by rewarding one person in cash, you may be messing with the incomes of 10 others who supported that one person? You know, the waiter drops the food off. On a cleaned & set table, with clean dishware, cooked by somebody, and the subsequently cleared and reset for the next guest. Oh, and he's assisted by a water & bread person and etc. Since you have no clue if these people are covered by the DSC - there's a chance they are and you just caused them to be underpaid.

 

 

After 45 cruises on NCL, I know a little about how they work. The crew members are not at any risk.

 

I agree. You seem to know little about how it works.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

.

[kathybelcher2433]

Actually, you have NO MORE of a clue what happens with that money, than you did when it was automated.

 

 

 

Also, why do you want to penalize all of the other staff whose hand you did not grace? Since you admit you have no clue who gets the DSC, would you at least acknowledge that by rewarding one person in cash, you may be messing with the incomes of 10 others who supported that one person? You know, the waiter drops the food off. On a cleaned & set table, with clean dishware, cooked by somebody, and the subsequently cleared and reset for the next guest. Oh, and he's assisted by a water & bread person and etc. Since you have no clue if these people are covered by the DSC - there's a chance they are and you just caused them to be underpaid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree. You seem to know little about how it works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

 

.

 

 

Agreed. Funny how removing that little "a" makes such a big difference. And "very little" works just as well!

[NLH Arizona]

I take crew members on tours, bring them gifts, and have even been allowed to buy them meals on the ship with full approval from their supervisors.

 

No wonder they tell you the information they tell you. I would as well to keep you buying me things and paying for things for me. Keep that purse string open and they will continue to give you the information you think is fact, unfortunately I think most know differently. Maybe you could buy some proof to post on here from them. Edited May 23, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[kathybelcher2433]

Just for discussions sake why do you think that employees must pool their tips? If this were indeed the policy of NCL then I might as well stop tipping extra in cash.

 

 

 

When I give an extra cash tip on board the ship it is meant for the person I hand it to or leave it for, in recognition of my appreciation for their service in general or to reward exceptional service.

 

 

 

I do not give cash tips so that NCL can decide how much, if any, goes directly to the intended recipient. It is certainly not meant to be used for corporate incentive programs. I have no problem with NCL providing incentive programs but it should not be funded by my cash tips.

 

 

 

 

 

Would it be fair if only certain employees had to pool their cash tips?

 

 

 

Specialty restaurant staff, bartenders and drink servers have 18% automatically added for their services with no recourse available to the guests to reduce or remove these. Should they have to pool anything they receive in cash?

 

 

 

 

 

You place a lot of faith in the eyes in the sky in terms of security cameras. It would be next to impossible to monitor every camera angle. every minute of every day. Even then, how would they know that there was money passed from one palm to another in a good bye or thank you very much handshake? It is my custom to give a thank you card at the end of a cruise to my cabin steward. On my last cruise this was done on the second last day of the cruise and inside the cabin. How would big brother know this was done or how much cash was inside?

 

 

 

Many folks will say (incorrectly so) that the employees only have to turn in and pool tips from guests who remove or reduce their DSC. This is, especially now with the new system, another impossibility to monitor. -- If a guest opts to tip in cash on their cruise, once their cruise is over they have 30 days to email in a request for a refund to their DSC. From recent comments I have seen this process is taking six weeks. Do you really think they are going to go back 8-10 weeks and try and find who served who or where someone slept etc.? In the case of my Epic cabin steward he left the ship the same day we did ...would they have to track him all the way to India if I removed or adjusted my DSC ?

 

 

 

Also in terms of going back and tracing who ate where - I highly doubt they keep records for weeks on end after a cruise of who ate where and when and what server might have served them. What about those folks who eat at the buffet or at an outdoor BBQ or grill? How do you track them? In the case of my last cruise there were 4 cabins of us who ate dinner together regularly and I set up two Cruise Critic lunches and two dinners for 20+ people, in almost every case it was my key card that was given when we checked in. There would have been absolutely no record of any of those other people in those venues. Again impossible to keep track of who served who.

 

 

 

My comments are not meant to be argumentative but intended only to point how unlikely (not to mention how unfair) it would be that NCL would require cash tips to be pooled. The only position that could accurately be traced back would be the cabin steward and it would seem grossly unbalanced to single out one department. especially in light of the fact that the guest is not required to provide a reason, or at minimum any detail to the reasons of why they might want to adjust or remove their DSC

 

 

 

Just my thoughts,

 

 

 

 

 

Rochelle

 

 

My point is that I don't know if tips are pooled and neither does anyone else. The practice of pooling tips is not uncommon in the service industry.

[NLH Arizona]

I'm curious . . . what would you accept as "proof" without dismissing it outright?

 

OTOH...since, as you say, most know differently, why not just post the proof that SW is wrong and be done with it? Wouldn't that be simpler than this constant game of "yes I do", "no you don't"??

Well, I'm certainly not going to take the word of a crew member that is being bought items, etc. who would benefit by saying they don't get a fare share, etc. I would have to see the proof to know whether it I would accept it or not...maybe a contract or two from the friendly crew members.

 

I've said over and over that it is all just opinions and I believe that most know that their opinions are more correct than those that say they have the facts. I don't believe there is one person on here who has the facts, all just opinions and thoughts and what their friends who they purchase things for tell them.

[NLH Arizona]

Yeah...but I asked for what you would accept, not for an outline of how you basically disregard anything you disagree with.

 

Not to mention you overlooked the "proof" you have for what you claim as fact...

Well, I'm certainly not going to take the word of a crew member that is being bought items, etc. who would benefit by saying they don't get a fare share, etc. I would have to see the proof to know whether it I would accept it or not...maybe a contract or two from the friendly crew members.

 

I've said over and over that it is all just opinions and I believe that most know that their opinions are more correct than those that say they have the facts. I don't believe there is one person on here who has the facts, all just opinions and thoughts and what their friends who they purchase things for tell them.

 

Not to mention that no one has shown any proof that NCL is not telling the truth when they say on their website or that NCL takes any money off the top for profit:

 

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.

Edited May 23, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[kathybelcher2433]

Yeah...but I asked for what you would accept, not for an outline of how you basically disregard anything you disagree with.

 

Not to mention you overlooked the "proof" you have for what you claim as fact...

 

 

Please enlighten me. Why would those on this thread who are basically toeing the NCL company line taking them at their word with their stated policies regarding tipping be asked to provide evidence to the contrary? I feel like Alice in the Looking Glass where everything is opposite common sense and reasonable has to be explained to unreasonable.

[kathybelcher2433]

It's simple...people are being dismissed with a childish "prove it" mentality when the very people who are being so dismissive provide absolutely no proof of their own.

 

What is wrong with taking a company at their word based on their stated policies? Now...if you had some hard evidence that the policies are incorrect, I'm all ears....

 

 

I actually think we are arguing the same point. Forgive me for disagreeing with your agreement. I think a quick poll might be helpful to get us all aligned[emoji3]. Or perhaps another glass of wine would help the cause[emoji485]