Tips

[mjkacmom]

I didn't see any cash at all in 10 days on board - unless those tipping the barmen had better slight of hand tricks than a magician. Can you imagine how many drinks they serve in an hour? If everyone tipped a $ a drink on top of the share they get of the 18% DSC applied to the drinks they'd be taking home more than the captain!

 

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I tipped in cash (in addition to the DSC), I’d put about 10 singles in my pocket for the day. At least on the Gem, they’d ring the bell with every tip at the pool bars, and I heard it ring a lot all day.

 

When we got Trader Joe’s here, I was wondering if the cashiers were getting tipped when they rang their bells (turns out that’s how they signal customer service).

[deliver42]

Why are you worried so much about how much they make? They work hard, and deserve all they can get.

[Paulras]

The DSC was set up to create a revenue stream for the cruise line.

They grabbed control of this rather large pool of moneythatwas,originally handled and distributed onboard each ship. Now, corporate controls it and distribute the funds "at managements discretion." They are very tight lipped about how they handle this pool of money, bUT it is now large enough to pay the contracted salaries in most cases.

Do the math and look at the union website if interested.

 

But the simple math is that 15 or 20 years ago, we (passengers) gave out tip envelopes - usually suggested at around $10/day in total. Today, we have the DSC replacing it. Yes, it's like $14/day now, that's just simple inflation. So we're not paying any more with the DSC vs the old tip envelopes. And the ship crew is still getting compensated; not sure if it's exactly the same as they were during the envelope years, but they're obviously still enticed to sign up. So if we're not paying any more and the staff is still being paid, why do you insist on arguing that the DSC falls to the cruiseline's bottom line?

 

You're just creating excuses for being a cheapo in my opinion.

[ray98]

But the simple math is that 15 or 20 years ago, we (passengers) gave out tip envelopes - usually suggested at around $10/day in total. Today, we have the DSC replacing it. Yes, it's like $14/day now, that's just simple inflation. So we're not paying any more with the DSC vs the old tip envelopes. And the ship crew is still getting compensated; not sure if it's exactly the same as they were during the envelope years, but they're obviously still enticed to sign up. So if we're not paying any more and the staff is still being paid, why do you insist on arguing that the DSC falls to the cruiseline's bottom line?

 

You're just creating excuses for being a cheapo in my opinion.

 

 

Pretty much.

 

DSC and the other similar policies throughout the industry were created out of necessity because the cruise model changed. 20 years ago it was simple, you were assigned a table for dinner in one of the dining rooms and you had the same wait team for the duration of the cruise. Since each passenger had a set wait team the income from tipping was pretty much distributed equally since the workload was evenly distributed.

 

Now the cruise world relies on multiple specialty restaurants and main dining rooms that have no assigned times or tables. Instead of one dedicated server team you will encounter different staff at each meal throughout the week. That means there is no longer one specific team for the passenger to tip. The only way to compensate them is to come up with a pool system unless you expect passengers to tip after each meal which no one does or wants to do (except for a mythical person on here apparently).

[Loonbeam]

For salaries that is correct. But incentives can make up a LARGE part of their pay and those are also driven from the DSC collected (unless they have changed their accounting system since I saw it). I have to be careful against NDA here, but basically a chunk of money collected from the DSC is allocated ABOVE salaries. If the DSC collection is lower, so is this pool. How this pool is divided I have no clue other than it goes to non-senior staff. I can't definitively speak to the current percentages.

 

 

 

Will one cabin taking off the DSC impact it much? No. Would a lot? Yes.

 

The crew salaries are fixed and clearly outlined in their unions website.

The cruise lines use the DSC to pay their salaries as per the ILO guidelines and union agreements, so reducing the DSC has the potential to cause the cruise line to supplement the DSC funds to meet the contracted salaries.

Can anyone furnish figures to support the claims that reducing or removing the DSC causes the crew to receive lower salaries???

[deliver42]

This is my last time on this thread. It's like talking to a wall.

[ColinIllinois]

This is my last time on this thread. It's like talking to a wall.

 

As it is every week when the same topic comes up and the same people argue and argue and never get anything accomplished. lol.

[BunnieBear]

Why are you worried so much about how much they make? They work hard, and deserve all they can get.

I work hard too. It takes a lot of saving up to go away so those that choose to guilt people into tipping in addition to the DSC annoy me. Service Charge = Tips. If you see "10% Service Charge Included" on a restaurant bill it's to let you know you don't need to tip.

 

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[swedish weave]

But the simple math is that 15 or 20 years ago, we (passengers) gave out tip envelopes - usually suggested at around $10/day in total. Today, we have the DSC replacing it. Yes, it's like $14/day now, that's just simple inflation. So we're not paying any more with the DSC vs the old tip envelopes. And the ship crew is still getting compensated; not sure if it's exactly the same as they were during the envelope years, but they're obviously still enticed to sign up. So if we're not paying any more and the staff is still being paid, why do you insist on arguing that the DSC falls to the cruiseline's bottom line?

 

You're just creating excuses for being a cheapo in my opinion.

Fifteen or twenty years ago, the cruise line paid the crew from our fares and we gave tips for good service in cash.

Now, the cruise lines bill us for the DSC in an amount they choose, and we pay for the crews contracted salaries.

If you can't accept the facts and numbers I have posted, I have no further reason to respond to your rhetoric.

The last line of your post is personal, insulting, and shows a lack of common courtesy. Or is it ignorance???

[Paulras]

Fifteen or twenty years ago, the cruise line paid the crew from our fares and we gave tips for good service in cash.

Now, the cruise lines bill us for the DSC in an amount they choose, and we pay for the crews contracted salaries.

If you can't accept the facts and numbers I have posted, I have no further reason to respond to your rhetoric.

The last line of your post is personal, insulting, and shows a lack of common courtesy. Or is it ignorance???

So you're basically just saying that 20 years ago, you didn't tip anywhere near the suggested amount. My point made

 

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[Paulras]

Rich people stay rich by being cheapos to poor people

 

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[ray98]

How can someone be so dense they can't understand base salary and salary + incentives are two totally different things? After all, the standard tip amount for passengers hasn't really went up over the years when compared to inflation.

[Paulras]

I have a base salary plus incentive bonus. If my bonus was zero, i would need to find a new job. My bonus is 35-60% of my base salary.

 

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[ray98]

I have a base salary plus incentive bonus. If my bonus was zero, i would need to find a new job. My bonus is 35-60% of my base salary.

 

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....and I have also worked many jobs in the past under a similar agreement.

 

I normally worked on a standard salary + commission that could be 50/50 at times. I also had a contracted minimum compensation amount or base salary. If the total income was below the negotiated amount the company would bring it to that level. It was more than my standard salary but less than what I earned with commission and was used when I was assigned other details.

[BunnieBear]

No one is saying you should tip any crew member any amount at any time. Even NCL says that tipping is 100% options. FYI I have NEVER seen at a restaurant "10% service charge" added but I have often seen something like "10% tip added for parties of # or more". It is irrelevant anyway what others say and hoe they use the terms fee. Again I am not at all saying you 'should' or 'have to' tip anyone also I am not saying anything at all to 'guilt trip you' into tipping. We should all tip (or not) as we please. It is, however, a very lame excuse for anyone to say that something along the lines of "I don't tip because the DSC covers that".

Vocabulary differences only. The terms Service Charge & Tips being interchangeable. My point being we have already tipped.

 

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[fshagan]

No one is saying you should tip any crew member any amount at any time. Even NCL says that tipping is 100% options. FYI I have NEVER seen at a restaurant "10% service charge" added but I have often seen something like "10% tip added for parties of # or more".

 

I have seen both terms in restaurants. In the US, according to the IRS, there is a significant difference between a "tip" and a "service charge". That may be why people are confused about what NCL is doing, but NCL isn't using the official, IRS sanctioned language, and they and other cruise lines don't have to. For the IRS, a tip must never be a fixed amount added to a bill; the customer must have the full discretion to determine if a tip is given and the amount of the tip. No matter what they call it, in the US, any amount added to the bill as a "tip" by the company or server is actually a service charge. That distinction is important for reporting of the tip or service charge income as explained in that second link.

 

If you see "An 18% gratuity is added for parties of six or more" the statement, while legal to use, is actually referring to what is legally a "service charge" in the US.

[BunnieBear]

I have seen both terms in restaurants. In the US, according to the IRS, there is a significant difference between a "tip" and a "service charge". That may be why people are confused about what NCL is doing, but NCL isn't using the official, IRS sanctioned language, and they and other cruise lines don't have to. For the IRS, a tip must never be a fixed amount added to a bill; the customer must have the full discretion to determine if a tip is given and the amount of the tip. No matter what they call it, in the US, any amount added to the bill as a "tip" by the company or server is actually a service charge. That distinction is important for reporting of the tip or service charge income as explained in that second link.

 

If you see "An 18% gratuity is added for parties of six or more" the statement, while legal to use, is actually referring to what is legally a "service charge" in the US.

Net result is the same though isn't it? Albeit staff would be taxed on their tips of they come through as a service charge. Or is that why NCL is registered in the Bahamas for different taxing maybe?

 

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[NLH Arizona]

How can someone be so dense they can't understand base salary and salary + incentives are two totally different things? After all, the standard tip amount for passengers hasn't really went up over the years when compared to inflation.

It was pretty much the same before the DSC or automatic gratuities. The crew got a much, much lower salary than they get today and they made most of their money from the tips that we (or most people, as some never showed up the last night) placed in the envelopes and gave them the last night. Today it is basically the same, they do have a higher salary, but still make most of their money (incentivies) off the DSC/automatic gratuities.

[ray98]

It was pretty much the same before the DSC or automatic gratuities. The crew got a much, much lower salary than they get today and they made most of their money from the tips that we (or most people, as some never showed up the last night) placed in the envelopes and gave them the last night. Today it is basically the same, they do have a higher salary, but still make most of their money (incentivies) off the DSC/automatic gratuities.

 

Exactly. It is amazing some on here really want people to believe the cruise line has set their salary level so that it is inclusive of all their potential tipping income and no harm is done if you don't tip because "NCL will just make it up for them".

 

 

 

"I'm not hurting the wait team or stewards who served me all week by canceling DSC, NCL will pay them." It is a bunch of BS and just an excuse to save face over their cheapness.

[Loonbeam]

Assuming NCL is using similar agencies, the last contracts I saw had the agency fees based on Salary plus any other service charges or fixed compensation excluding optional passenger gratuities).

 

So I am not sure about taxes (that may depend on the crew member's country more so than ship registry), but they will pay a higher cut in agency fees if something is classified as salary or compensation versus tips.

 

Net result is the same though isn't it? Albeit staff would be taxed on their tips of they come through as a service charge. Or is that why NCL is registered in the Bahamas for different taxing maybe?

 

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