service charge question

[pieshops]

Paying extra to a billion dollar company so it can pay its employees is a sucker move. IMHO. LOL.

So you never go out to eat in as restaurant? If you do you know your tips are covering the servers salary ? Never gone to a bar and a drink, pretty much the same thing

[mjkacmom]

Straight from the horse's mouth:

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

Guest Ticket Contract

 

3.© Service Charges: 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.

structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about serviceor on-board product quickly and efficiently.... However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner.... Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

NCL states that if your service issues were not resolved, you can reduce them, not because you are just cheap.

[Moby0215]

*Yes there was a lot of "greasing the palms" as you call it going on with the front line workers. Waiters would pay the chefs to ensure they got the freshest and hottest foods out to their guests. Because we all know if food quality and service were great=happy customer which means more $$ from the tips and also higher ratings on the guest surveys. I forgot to mention that the surveys played a huge role affecting the waiters or room stewards salaries. Excellent ratings got you bigger tables or more rooms which means more tips. If your ratings were less than excellent, you were provided with small tables and less rooms. Food service is a tough job and it could be a cut throat position.

 

 

 

*Corporate is pocketing the money these hard working crew members used to make. Most of the crew members who worked under the old tipping system are long gone. Corporate saw an opportunity for making more money by making automatic gratuities even if some percentage of cruisers took away or lowered this charge. As I said before , waiters and room stewards used to make $3500-$5000+ a month tax free from tips with a $200 salary per month. Now the crew member is making $1500 per month but don't get the tip envelopes, so where is the rest of the money going to since the daily service charge has actually increased?

 

 

 

*As far as the bar servers and bartenders, they are still under the old system where they are receiving a low salary but receive the 15-20% gratuity included in the bill. This is why you see them going around the theaters and lounges hustling to get drink orders. The spa is actually a outside company contracted by the cruise line. So their tips are based on what the contracted company charges.

 

 

 

*The "bonuses" are not cash given to the actual crew member like the cruise line wants you to believe. It goes into a crew welfare which provides discounts on some tours, a crew party, maybe a free uniform (yes crew have to pay for their uniforms), etc.

 

 

 

*Trying to toss around what kind of degree you have doesn't really mean anything. Cruiselines are notorious for under paying their workers. This is why you don't see many Americans, Canadians, Western Europeans, etc. working for the cruise lines in the food service / hospitality areas. Most come from countries where the crew making American $ goes a long way. There are no unions to help these crew out.

 

 

 

It’s not “greasing palms”. This is how a traditional restaurant works. The server receives the tip and then tips out the bartenders, busboys, etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pieshops]

structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about serviceor on-board product quickly and efficiently.... However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner.... Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

NCL states that if your service issues were not resolved, you can reduce them, not because you are just cheap.

Yes but the problem is cheapskates like the ones who are posting on this thread who say they remove and then tip on their own more then the DSC ( i dont believe a word of that) all they have to do is complain and say an issue is not resolved to their liking and it is removed (whether they are lying or not) - I have seen this firsthand

[Moby0215]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but when you remove the DSC, the room stewards are given a list and they know you have removed them. Now, as it is has been discussed on CC, any cash they are given is turned over to the tip pool. So you believe you are being generous to those you 'see' helping you, but they get a lot less money for all the work they do.

 

 

 

Do we know this as fact? Can you provide a link where this is discussed? I am not sure this is true at all.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Moby0215]

structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about serviceor on-board product quickly and efficiently.... However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner.... Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

 

 

 

NCL states that if your service issues were not resolved, you can reduce them, not because you are just cheap.

 

 

 

From first hand experience, the DSC can be removed for ANY reason. Not just issues that were not resolved. I was on a cruise with my sister-in-law and they removed the DSC and the resin the guest services agent wrote on the form was “personal tipping”.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NLH Arizona]

Paying extra to a billion dollar company so it can pay its employees is a sucker move. IMHO. LOL.

You do realize that anytime you purchase something from a company, you are giving them money to pay their employees. Just like NCL, money to pay their employees doesn't grow on trees, it is paid by their customers.

[pieshops]

You do realize that anytime you purchase something from a company, you are giving them money to pay their employees. Just like NCL, money to pay their employees doesn't grow on trees, it is paid by their customers.

best post of the thread

[Sam Ting]

You do realize that anytime you purchase something from a company, you are giving them money to pay their employees. Just like NCL, money to pay their employees doesn't grow on trees, it is paid by their customers.

 

Got it, I just don’t dont donate extra money to the billion dollar company so they can pay their employees.

 

The shareholders and execs are laughing at you........

[Two Wheels Only]

The shareholders and execs are laughing at you........

 

They will be laughing even more when the DSC amount (plus a little extra) is rolled into the fare to make up for the frequent removal of the DSC and the cruise line goes "all-inclusive"......which has already happened to some.

[NLH Arizona]

They will be laughing even more when the DSC amount (plus a little extra) is rolled into the fare to make up for the frequent removal of the DSC and the cruise line goes "all-inclusive"......which has already happened to some.

If I remember, now folks, where the change happened, are complaining that it is costing more than if they would have paid the DSC and the service charges for the UBP and SDP on top of their fare. Oh well, I guess they got what they wanted and more.

[KeithJenner]

They will be laughing even more when the DSC amount (plus a little extra) is rolled into the fare to make up for the frequent removal of the DSC and the cruise line goes "all-inclusive"......which has already happened to some.

 

 

Absolutely.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pieshops]

They will be laughing even more when the DSC amount (plus a little extra) is rolled into the fare to make up for the frequent removal of the DSC and the cruise line goes "all-inclusive"......which has already happened to some.

Although I wish this would happen to shut all the cheap people up but it wont as if they roll it into the fare then then it becomes revenue and they are taxed on the revenue, this way they have less of a tax liability.

[ElaineKeagy]

Sorry, you are wrong. We do tip instead of paying the DSC.

 

 

 

Yes but you are not tipping everyone who contributes to your service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[KeithJenner]

Although I wish this would happen to shut all the cheap people up but it wont as if they roll it into the fare then then it becomes revenue and they are taxed on the revenue, this way they have less of a tax liability.

 

 

 

It has happened already for many of us.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pieshops]

It has happened already for many of us.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How so? Not here in the US

[Two Wheels Only]

It has happened already for many of us

.

...and the "extra" was more than enough to make up for any added liability.

[KeithJenner]

How so? Not here in the US

 

 

 

There is life outside the US

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Two Wheels Only]

How so? Not here in the US

...not yet...

[KeithJenner]

...and the "extra" was more than enough to make up for any added liability.

 

 

 

Oh yes. Way more than enough.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ElaineKeagy]

What do you think is the cruise lines motivation is in getting involved at all in this whole scheme?

 

 

 

I’m guessing there are enough people out there who didn’t tip fairly, or at all. I don’t consider it a scheme, and the fact you called it that, speaks volumes to me.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[All-ready2cruise]

How so? Not here in the US

 

 

They now offer the "Premium All Inclusive"... think that's what it's called in the UK and Europe... some say the prices have gone up quite a bit but there are no additional charges.

 

Correct Keith?

[CruiseGal999]

Got it, I just don’t dont donate extra money to the billion dollar company so they can pay their employees.

 

The shareholders and execs are laughing at you........

 

And the black helicopters are following you ....

[Sam Ting]

Yes but you are not tipping everyone who contributes to your service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

And you are contributing to a fund that benefits people fleet wide, so a part of your donation goes to people that dont even work on the ship you are on! LOL

[KeithJenner]

They now offer the "Premium All Inclusive"... think that's what it's called in the UK and Europe... some say the prices have gone up quite a bit but there are no additional charges.

 

 

 

Correct Keith?

 

 

 

Yes, that’s correct.

 

Prices have certainly gone up. About 20-25% by my calculations.

 

Some of that is down to exchange rate movements I’m sure, but as I have said many times round here, never ask a supplier to change the terms they charge you by. Unless they are crazy they will take the opportunity to increase the prices.