Opting out of paying Daily Service Charge

[rkelly21]

Sorry for the the error. I had it reversed. That's what I get for trying to talk and type!

[rkelly21]

On 6/8/2019 at 10:17 AM, fshagan said:

 

Yep. Meanwhile, when we visited the UK last year, we did research and found they do indeed have a "tipping culture", albeit at a lower percentage than I'm used to in restaurants. At least in London. We routinely tip 20% here in California even though all servers are paid at least $10.50 an hour (about the same as the mythical "living wage" in the UK). And tour guides in Scotland definitely keep their hand out at the end of the tour.

 

 

[rkelly21]

On 6/8/2019 at 8:28 AM, SeaShark said:

 

Actually, if you go back and re-read the first post, you will see that there is not one single "?" in it...thus, no questions were asked.

 

You did, however, say that "Any help would be appreciated"...ANY...yet it seems you aren't appreciative of what help you've been given.

 

If you question is about ease, let me answer...NO, IT IS NOT EASY. Instead of just paying at the end (or pre-paying beforehand) and being done with it, this requires that you spend time going to guest services, standing in a long line, filling out a form, monitoring your account to ensure that everything happens properly, and...on top of that...carrying cash and going around and tipping everyone individually. So, NO...that isn't easy...just pay the DSC and stop worrying about it...THAT is easy.

 

Again...WHY would anyone want to go through all of that when you can just pay and be done?

 

[rkelly21]

On 6/8/2019 at 8:28 AM, SeaShark said:

 

Actually, if you go back and re-read the first post, you will see that there is not one single "?" in it...thus, no questions were asked.

 

You did, however, say that "Any help would be appreciated"...ANY...yet it seems you aren't appreciative of what help you've been given.

 

If you question is about ease, let me answer...NO, IT IS NOT EASY. Instead of just paying at the end (or pre-paying beforehand) and being done with it, this requires that you spend time going to guest services, standing in a long line, filling out a form, monitoring your account to ensure that everything happens properly, and...on top of that...carrying cash and going around and tipping everyone individually. So, NO...that isn't easy...just pay the DSC and stop worrying about it...THAT is easy.

 

Again...WHY would anyone want to go through all of that when you can just pay and be done?

 

[rkelly21]

Yes it is that easy. Just don't wait until the last night. I don't use envelopes. The folks that really did a great job deserve a nice big TIP ans they don't mind the envelope or not especially if there is a hundred dollar bill (usually much more) on top. I love to see their reaction and appreciation. That way I know EXACTLY who is getting the tip. It's worth the little extra work for me.

[fshagan]

On 6/15/2019 at 7:47 AM, liverpoollad said:

For those who think gratuities are not included in a cruise package.

NCL did include them until 7 weeks a go, hence confusion.

Celebrity include  gratuities on certain cruises  for  UK customers.

Three UK based companies have offers including gratuities.

Still feel that cruise lines should include them for UK customers , & then it would put all this

palaver to bed.

 

While I didn't do a scientific survey, for the year and a half or so that NCL included gratuities I didn't notice a decline in tipping threads. It would be interesting to see if there was less whining about it from the UK during that time.

 

The NCL forum on CC seems to have more arguments and nitpickers than other forums.

[rtkenmore]

11 hours ago, rkelly21 said:

It is customary in the U.S. to tip the waiter and bartender if they do their job right. The bartender normally kicks back a portion of his tips to the waiter/waitress  if drinks were ordered through them.  The bartender generally tips the bar helper if there is one a small amount also.The rest of the employees are considered in the cost of overhead and priced into the cost of the meal. It's that simple. General rule is 20% for good service however I always tip more if service is excellent. Unfortunately some restaurants, hotels and cruise lines use these tips to offset their labor costs which has nothing to do with serving the customer.

 

So you think what you tip the waiters and bartenders is also going to go to the maintenance e staff, the laundry facility staff, the crew that keeps the ship clean constantly and everyone else behind the scenes that you're never going to lay an eye on because they work behind the scenes?

[ColeThornton]

28 minutes ago, rtkenmore said:

 

So you think what you tip the waiters and bartenders is also going to go to the maintenance e staff, the laundry facility staff, the crew that keeps the ship clean constantly and everyone else behind the scenes that you're never going to lay an eye on because they work behind the scenes?

 

 

Do you tip your dry cleaner at home?  Do you tip the guy that cleans up the bar after closing time at home?  Do you tip the dishwasher at the local Red Lobster restaurant?

 

I don't understand why people worry about this on cruise ships.  I don't believe that cruise guests are responsible for worrying about what the ship workers get paid.

[mjkacmom]

3 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Do you tip your dry cleaner at home?  Do you tip the guy that cleans up the bar after closing time at home?  Do you tip the dishwasher at the local Red Lobster restaurant?

 

I don't understand why people worry about this on cruise ships.  I don't believe that cruise guests are responsible for worrying about what the ship workers get paid.

Of course not, the pay structure is completely different for these positions on land, which is why NCL tells passengers, in advance, their compensation structure. If too many opt out, NCL just raises the DSC, and the rest of us pay your way.

[PTC DAWG]

2 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Of course not, the pay structure is completely different for these positions on land, which is why NCL tells passengers, in advance, their compensation structure. If too many opt out, NCL just raises the DSC, and the rest of us pay your way.

+1

[rkelly21]

6 hours ago, rtkenmore said:

 

So you think what you tip the waiters and bartenders is also going to go to the maintenance e staff, the laundry facility staff, the crew that keeps the ship clean constantly and everyone else behind the scenes that you're never going to lay an eye on because they work behind the scenes?

Of course not. That, like any other business, is considered in it's overhead costs. When you tip a waiter in the restaurant do you expect the janitor to get a cut? I tip for personal service.

[rtkenmore]

1 minute ago, rkelly21 said:

Of course not. That, like any other business, is considered in it's overhead costs. When you tip a waiter in the restaurant do you expect the janitor to get a cut? I tip for personal service.

 

The behind the scenes crew participate in the pool from Daily Service Charges... So when you opt out of the DSC, you are opting out of thousands of crew members who share in that pool of money beyond just the waiters and bartenders that you actually meet in person.

 

That's what people like you (and anyone who opts out of DSC) don't understand.  The DSC doesn't go ONLY to waiters and bartenders...  

Edited June 17, 2019 by rtkenmore

[rkelly21]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Being at sea just gets Cruise companies away from Unions. Good or bad? Now if you take the NCL 7 day Hawaii cruise between the islands you will see you have to pay more because they have to pay a minimum wage to all workers. 

 

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

 

 

[NLH Arizona]

4 minutes ago, rkelly21 said:

Of course not. That, like any other business, is considered in it's overhead costs. When you tip a waiter in the restaurant do you expect the janitor to get a cut? I tip for personal service.

If they were set up like cruise ships are, yes.  What people, who always try to compare cruise ships to land businesses don't understand that they are two different business models, thus there can be no comparison.

[rkelly21]

That's because at sea the cruise lines can get around the labor laws. That's why most all cruise ships fly under a foreign flag. To make it extremely hard to bring litigation if there is a problem. Just ask a Maritime attorney.

[ECCruise]

These threads go round and round and round but they always reveal the same thing:

There are some cheap and greedy people who simply do not want to pay the gratuity because it lowers their total cruise cost and conveniently use the same hackneyed excuse of "it's not customary in MY country.'"

Well, then sail on cruise lines from your country.  Or travel only to places that tips are not customary.

 

And that ain't US cruise ship lines.  And that ain't the USA. 

Edited June 17, 2019 by ECCruise

[rkelly21]

Couldn't agree more. ALWAYS TIP FOE EXCELLENT PERSONAL SERVICE but not to support overhead costs. Be honest about it and increase the price of the ticket. Those who don't want to pay then stay home.

[Kingkonig]

2 hours ago, rkelly21 said:

Couldn't agree more. ALWAYS TIP FOE EXCELLENT PERSONAL SERVICE but not to support overhead costs. Be honest about it and increase the price of the ticket. Those who don't want to pay then stay home.

 

Thats fine, but until they change their business practices, you are not stiffing the cruise line - you’re stiffing all of the workers who are behind the scenes helping to make your vacation amazing.  

[rkelly21]

If the workers are willing to work for slave wages then there is little we can do about it. I am tired of seeing Corporations going to poor countries to enslave the people there. If people were paid a fair salary that they could simply live on it would be a better world. Until then we will always have conflict. These companies should be penalized for employing slave labor. Look at our (USA) southern border?

[luv2kroooz]

6 hours ago, rkelly21 said:

That's because at sea the cruise lines can get around the labor laws. That's why most all cruise ships fly under a foreign flag. To make it extremely hard to bring litigation if there is a problem. Just ask a Maritime attorney.

Great point. They skirt labor laws and then try to shift labor costs for their crew to me via some cryptic service charge? I think not. We adjust the service charge to twelve or thirteen bucks per person per day, which more closely resembles the value we place on the services we receive. If NCL can't take care of it's crew with that, then it can certainly adjust the base price of the cruise upward in the future.

Edited June 18, 2019 by blcruising

[K_e_short]

If we are so concerned about labour laws and taking care of the staff on cruise ships who do such an amazing job.. why are we willing to give a huge company a profit?

 

Aren't we part of the problem when we are willing to pay a HUGE amount of money to go on vacation, knowing that the staff that are allowing us a great vacation are underpaid, overworked employees from foreign countries.

 

Both sides are equally at fault. If you pay the DSC you think you are helping the staff when in fact they are still being paid a very low amount for the number of hours they work. If you choose not to pay the DSC and tip instead, you are still not realizing that your tips aren't helping them earn anywhere near to a decent wage.

 

Getting a little frustrated at the entitlement that seems to be present on this board. 

[smplybcause]

1 hour ago, blcruising said:

Great point. They skirt labor laws and then try to shift labor costs for their crew to me via some cryptic service charge? I think not. We adjust the service charge to twelve or thirteen bucks per person per day, which more closely resembles the value we place on the services we receive. If NCL can't take care of it's crew with that, then it can certainly adjust the base price of the cruise upward in the future.

 

The current setup isn't shifting any cost to you. Newsflash - revenue (ie money) from customers always pays employees wage. Whether it's $100 per day and then an additional $15 per day or $115 per day it's still all revenue from you going to pay employee expense - it's just different accounting methods. Since you yourself would be ok paying a higher base fare, you're just using their accounting method to justify letting employees make less.

 

The cruiseline obviously allows it, but you're also taking advantage of the setup to lower your cost at the expense of lower pay to employees. 

[fshagan]

7 hours ago, rkelly21 said:

Of course not. That, like any other business, is considered in it's overhead costs. When you tip a waiter in the restaurant do you expect the janitor to get a cut? I tip for personal service.

 

Most wait persons share their tips with the host or hostess, bartender and the busser. So yes, if you leave a tip for a waiter, it is shared by the waiter with the other workers.

[Kingofcool1947]

On 6/8/2019 at 4:27 AM, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

I have just booked on the Epic next month and booked through NCL UK. They asked me did I want to pre-pay the Daily Service Charge or sort it out on board. NCL however did say that the charge was discretionary and that you could go to guest services on the first day, complete a form and then there would be no charge on your account at the end. I believe that the idea is if you prefer to tip individuals yourself. This is not an attempt to not pay the hard working staff, but all I am trying to establish is if this practice actually works and if anybody has successfully had the discretionary DSC waived from their account. Any help would be appreciated

 

I have read on CC many of you from UK pull the pre pay gratuities, and leave nothing.  I don’t know if that is true or not, or what the thinking is behind that.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[rkelly21]

You are wrong my friend as Americans are very generous tippers for GOOD service. They however do not tip out of necessity which should be covered under USA accounting overhead regulations. That's why ships use foreign flags.