Gratuities/Daily Service Charges increasing!!

[laudergayle]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I have a lot of future cruises booked.  I'm curious what will happen with the DSC if I reprice after Jan 1 2023.  I'll likely find out soon enough.

 

58 minutes ago, shof515 said:

it depends on how they do the price adjustment from what i noticed. i had price adjustments were they just adjusted the fare and i had others were it was a considering a cancel and rebook. a good way to tell if it is a cancel and rebook is look at the booking date on the confirmation 

 

my most recent reprice was last month and my booking date stayed the same with the adjusted fare. it was not a cancel and rebook 

I noticed if when repricing if any of the promos change, the new costs will kick in.  Recently repriced a cruise in May to get lower fare and double Lat Rewards.  Because the double lat rewards was new, it was a cancel/rebook and my beverage gratuities went up by $30.  

[julig22]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I have a lot of future cruises booked.  I'm curious what will happen with the DSC if I reprice after Jan 1 2023.  I'll likely find out soon enough.

I've got several cruises booked prior to the last cost increase (April 2022) and the DSC cost did not change when I repriced.  However, if you upgrade into a category with higher DSC charges (excluding bid upgrades) I suspect you would have the pay the increased amount.

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

A cancel/rebook would put you at the higher daily rate. 

That was what I expected.  That said, after I posted that I looked at my next cruise.  It still shows the pre-April 2022 DSC ($15.50) even though I repriced it after April 2022.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

 

I noticed if when repricing if any of the promos change, the new costs will kick in.  Recently repriced a cruise in May to get lower fare and double Lat Rewards.  Because the double lat rewards was new, it was a cancel/rebook and my beverage gratuities went up by $30.  

I believe that you are correct.

[RocketMan275]

6 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That was what I expected.  That said, after I posted that I looked at my next cruise.  It still shows the pre-April 2022 DSC ($15.50) even though I repriced it after April 2022.

I moved a cruise from Mar 2024 to Feb 2024 to get the military discount.  NCL website still shows original booking date and that I can prepay at the $18.5 rate for Haven.

[Two Wheels Only]

13 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That was what I expected.  That said, after I posted that I looked at my next cruise.  It still shows the pre-April 2022 DSC ($15.50) even though I repriced it after April 2022.

 

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

 

I noticed if when repricing if any of the promos change, the new costs will kick in.  Recently repriced a cruise in May to get lower fare and double Lat Rewards.  Because the double lat rewards was new, it was a cancel/rebook and my beverage gratuities went up by $30.  

 

Cool. I guess if nothing else such as promos, lat points, etc. changes, it's just a re-price with the same DSC conditions. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

22 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

The increase to the daily service charges (let's not call them gratuities because they don't go directly to the workers) in a ship like the Escape means an additional HALF A MILLION dollars going into their pockets each and every month. Absolutely ridiculous!

Why is it ridiculous?  They are a for profit company.  If people are willing to pay it, I ask again, why is it ridiculous?  

[DaCruiseBug]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Why is it ridiculous?  They are a for profit company.  If people are willing to pay it, I ask again, why is it ridiculous?  

Because if they wanted to make more money they should increase cruise fares. Not increase service charges which a majority of people think are going directly to workers as tips.

[luv2kroooz]

11 hours ago, njkate said:

Hike in DSC, no more free continental room service for breakfast and cruise pricing that's gone through the roof, I think Frank just shot himself in the foot as you will have cruisers looking at other lines.

Very true. We have actually abandoned cruising in exchange for land based vacations. We've done 7 land based vacations since Corona and only 1 cruise, which was not on NCL. We find very little value in cruising right now, and it seems to be getting worse with each passing day.

[luv2kroooz]

42 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

Because if they wanted to make more money they should increase cruise fares. Not increase service charges which a majority of people think are going directly to workers as tips.

NCL can't fill their ships at current pricing, so a further fare increase would reduce demand further. I think their last reported number was somewhere in the 80% range. NCL is collecting zero service charges from the missing 20%. Therefore, the DSC burden needs to be shared by fewer passengers, which results in a higher per passenger charge. It is excessive and unwarranted in my opinion as the service level is not changing. And I will say it here, there is no way I would pay $20 per day for services onboard any cruise line.  I would adjust them back to $16 which is a fair price for the services received.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, DaCruiseBug said:

Because if they wanted to make more money they should increase cruise fares. Not increase service charges which a majority of people think are going directly to workers as tips.

People have options. They can vote with their wallets. Plenty of other cruise lines out there not doing what NCL are doing. They will continue to do what the customer allows them to get away with. JMO. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

22 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

Very true. We have actually abandoned cruising in exchange for land based vacations. We've done 7 land based vacations since Corona and only 1 cruise, which was not on NCL. We find very little value in cruising right now, and it seems to be getting worse with each passing day.

Don’t disagree with you. We did three all inclusive vacays in Mexico during Covid. The only thing missing was the ports of call. Great food, service, and entertainment. I was so excited to get back to cruising that I overlooked the pricing. With my head coming out of the clouds now, it’s time to shop around. Inflation and rising cost of fuel will only see fares increase. 

[CruzinMel]

You know, this kind of feels like a year end accounting/cash thing - if a bunch of us prepay the DSC (which basically sounds like tip sharing), NCL gets cash on the BS (and in the bank) and reduces their receivables.  Or maybe the plan was always to increase the DSC, and this is a bonus?  I wonder how much they would get from this?

[julig22]

3 minutes ago, CruzinMel said:

You know, this kind of feels like a year end accounting/cash thing - if a bunch of us prepay the DSC (which basically sounds like tip sharing), NCL gets cash on the BS (and in the bank) and reduces their receivables.  Or maybe the plan was always to increase the DSC, and this is a bonus?  I wonder how much they would get from this?

While I don't disagree it could be a cash thing, only people who don't read the announcement carefully will rush to pay this month. As far as I know, if you try to prepay DSC before final payment it just adds the amount to your amount due, doesn't require payment. If you do make a payment it just goes to your deposit amount. So the early payment amount they get now might not be all that significant.

[CruzinMel]

5 minutes ago, julig22 said:

While I don't disagree it could be a cash thing, only people who don't read the announcement carefully will rush to pay this month. As far as I know, if you try to prepay DSC before final payment it just adds the amount to your amount due, doesn't require payment. If you do make a payment it just goes to your deposit amount. So the early payment amount they get now might not be all that significant.

I was leaning toward the idea that anything they might get early wouldn't be enough to make a dent, so...yeah.  I think you're right.  

[thehowlingroad]

Honestly, I put a deposit down on a '24 booking that I already felt was overpriced for 3 of us, but figured I wanted to hold the room and reprice later on... but this is making me re-consider the booking altogether, especially when other lines have similar itineraries at significantly lower fares. And with less than a month's notice before the fee increase? This isn't a good first impression for NCL, lol.

[julig22]

22 minutes ago, thehowlingroad said:

Honestly, I put a deposit down on a '24 booking that I already felt was overpriced for 3 of us, but figured I wanted to hold the room and reprice later on... but this is making me re-consider the booking altogether, especially when other lines have similar itineraries at significantly lower fares. And with less than a month's notice before the fee increase? This isn't a good first impression for NCL, lol.

As long as you pay the DSC charge before you sail the increase won't affect your booking.  Why does any company owe a notice of a future price increase that doesn't affect current customers?

[thehowlingroad]

10 minutes ago, julig22 said:

As long as you pay the DSC charge before you sail the increase won't affect your booking.  Why does any company owe a notice of a future price increase that doesn't affect current customers?

 

Considering that Princess has given booked customers a bit over 2 months' notice about an increase to "crew appreciation," I don't think it's too much to ask for more than 3 weeks' notice.

[julig22]

43 minutes ago, thehowlingroad said:

 

Considering that Princess has given booked customers a bit over 2 months' notice about an increase to "crew appreciation," I don't think it's too much to ask for more than 3 weeks' notice.

Booked customers do NOT have to pay the increase unless they wait to pay onboard. I don't understand why a booked customer needs any notice since they have the option to keep the current rate.

[vacation44]

11 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That was what I expected.  That said, after I posted that I looked at my next cruise.  It still shows the pre-April 2022 DSC ($15.50) even though I repriced it after April 2022.

I have repriced our next sailing many times since we booked it, and the DSC also remained the same.  

[Captain-John]

11 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Why is it ridiculous?  They are a for profit company.  If people are willing to pay it, I ask again, why is it ridiculous?  

It's an emotional manipulation  - people don't want to take money out of worker's pockets (even although it shouldn't be funding that in the first place!!) but may vote with their feet if the base fare went up.

 

Just look at how angry people get when others talk of removing the DSC. They don't get as angry when folks say they are looking at another line for their next cruise.

Edited December 8, 2022 by Captain-John

[njkate]

6 hours ago, julig22 said:

While I don't disagree it could be a cash thing, only people who don't read the announcement carefully will rush to pay this month. As far as I know, if you try to prepay DSC before final payment it just adds the amount to your amount due, doesn't require payment. If you do make a payment it just goes to your deposit amount. So the early payment amount they get now might not be all that significant.

Nope, I went in to prepay for a cruise in April 2024, it went into my cart and they wanted payment right then, had they just added to my total balance like they did in past I would have added it but wasn’t paying over $400 right then for a cruise 1.5 years out

[KeithJenner]

48 minutes ago, njkate said:

Nope, I went in to prepay for a cruise in April 2024, it went into my cart and they wanted payment right then, had they just added to my total balance like they did in past I would have added it but wasn’t paying over $400 right then for a cruise 1.5 years out

I believe that is correct if you pay it online. If you add it when booking then it is taken with final payment and I don’t know what happens if you were to phone to add it.

 

Regardless, if it isn’t already added to your booking then you certainly don’t want to pay it now for a cruise that far out. Just wait until March 2024 and pay it then.

[cruiseny4life]

9 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Very true. We have actually abandoned cruising in exchange for land based vacations. We've done 7 land based vacations since Corona and only 1 cruise, which was not on NCL. We find very little value in cruising right now, and it seems to be getting worse with each passing day.

 

As a couple we were new to cruising when we went on our first NCL cruise in April of this year. We then quickly booked a second cruise for August. In 23 or 24 days we're going on a third, and a fourth in March. Obviously, we'll gladly take your space on the boat! I'm glad you have found an alternative to cruising NCL though. Continue having a blast on your trips! 

 

During COVID we took several land-based vacations: Gettysburg, DC, Disney, Miami, and a couple short trips to New England. I know how much my husband appreciates going to one location for a few hours, then moving on. That's why cruising appeals to us. 

 

9 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Don’t disagree with you. We did three all inclusive vacays in Mexico during Covid. The only thing missing was the ports of call. Great food, service, and entertainment. I was so excited to get back to cruising that I overlooked the pricing. With my head coming out of the clouds now, it’s time to shop around. Inflation and rising cost of fuel will only see fares increase. 

 

In 2018, we went to Hawaii and stayed at an all-inclusive resort on Maui for the first time (was our late honeymoon). We stayed there three days, before skipping on to the Big Island. We ran into a couple people who told us they stay at this resort every year for 14 days. I cannot imagine staying in one place for so long when there's so much of the rest of the world to explore.

 

Cruising certainly doesn't hit my exploration boxes. Unlike my husband, I'd prefer to really get to know the place for a few days. Heck, when I was in Myrtle Beach, I went to Brookgreen Gardens two days in a row just to explore that fabulous human-created landscape. Cruising does make for a happy husband, which makes me a happy man. 

 

We have stayed at a lot of hotels in the last two years. Like you, COVID didn't really stop us from traveling. Almost every hotel was not all-inclusive and cost roughly the same, or more, than staying in the Haven which is the only accommodation acceptable to my husband on a NCL boat. 

 

If one wants to sail the ocean and visit the different ports of call for a few hours, then cruising is still a fantastic way of doing it. And, NCL is the only cruise line we will consider at this time, due to the lack of a formal dress code. 

 

I'm in the camp of just roll the Daily Service Charge into the base fare. I understand the fare will be slightly higher, but there won't be all this angst over the employee's pay (they deserve so much more than they are paid now, but that's a separate discussion). 

[tony s]

Hey why the debate? It is a DISCRETIONARY Service Charge which means what you pay is up to you. If you feel the service is worth it you pay the full price. If not then pay what you think it is worth. I know some folks will scream about the poor crew but many of us have to budget and scrimp for our holidays . We already get stuck with the beverage  surcharge. There is no reason to be rude to staff but at the same time I am not here to supplement NCL labor costs. If I am not getting what E paid for then I need some form of redress. When we had issues in past I found only way to get past guest relations and the chocolate covered strawberries they love to give despite noted allergies was to want to cut the DSC.