Drink / Meal packages and gratuities

[FoggyEthan]

Do I understand correctly that gratuities on the drink and meal packages are based upon the price of the package rather than being calculated on the price you would otherwise have paid for your actual food and drink?

 

I'm asking because I'm wondering if this can have a negative impact on the gratuities received by the servers, i.e. someone on a package generates less money for the server than someone ordering a la carte. Is it appropriate to tip something extra directly to the servers?

 

I guess I'm just nervous because I've read about recent NCL cutbacks and pay cuts.

 

Thanks!

-- Ethan

 

[morrowz]

I don’t really understand this whole thing .so how do I know what the drinks package is worth ,and how is this payment different to the daily gratuity 🤷‍♀️having paid in Australia I have already paid $340 Aud for  service fee.why do I have to pay again 🤔is this normal for NCL Thankyou for any insight 

[carohs]

It's $22 pppd. I mean how much are you drinking normally that you would tip more than $22 in your normal bar tab? That's your math. My math is maybe a drink at lunch and maybe a couple glasses at wine with dinner. Enough to get value from FAS but still $6 "tip" per drink. 

In reality bartenders wages and gratuities are part of their compensation which is part of their contract. How much extra you wish to contribute to that is up to you. 

[BirdTravels]

11 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

Do I understand correctly that gratuities on the drink and meal packages are based upon the price of the package rather than being calculated on the price you would otherwise have paid for your actual food and drink? I'm asking because I'm wondering if this can have a negative impact on the gratuities received by the servers, i.e. someone on a package generates less money for the server than someone ordering a la carte. Is it appropriate to tip something extra directly to the servers? I guess I'm just nervous because I've read about recent NCL cutbacks and pay cuts.

We still tip our bartenders and waiters a buck a drink for service. Yup, you have already paid gratuity on the package. 

[Seas2mountains]

We also tip the servers/bartenders $1/drink. We know it isn't required but by day 2, they get to know us and when they see us walk into the lounge or by the pool, they will quickly come over to confirm our drink order.  They also are so quick to come back before our drinks are empty to provide refills. We drink a lot of San Pellegrino with the P+/FAS+ packages so it's not just for alcoholic drinks for us. 

[FoggyEthan]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

We also tip the servers/bartenders $1/drink. We know it isn't required but by day 2, they get to know us and when they see us walk into the lounge or by the pool, they will quickly come over to confirm our drink order.  They also are so quick to come back before our drinks are empty to provide refills. We drink a lot of San Pellegrino with the P+/FAS+ packages so it's not just for alcoholic drinks for us. 

 

This is also what I was wondering -- whether tipping cash (you tipped cash or on account?) gets you a bit more attention.There's no point in having an unlimited drink package but not being able to get more drinks.

[FoggyEthan]

2 hours ago, carohs said:

It's $22 pppd. I mean how much are you drinking normally that you would tip more than $22 in your normal bar tab? That's your math. My math is maybe a drink at lunch and maybe a couple glasses at wine with dinner. Enough to get value from FAS but still $6 "tip" per drink. 

In reality bartenders wages and gratuities are part of their compensation which is part of their contract. How much extra you wish to contribute to that is up to you. 

 

Two problems why I'm unsure of the above. One is that the 20% surcharge you pay on the drink package does not entirely go to tips. It is split with "specialty service charge" which basically means an unknown amount of the 20% is stolen by NCL even though they could have included it in the base price.

 

The other thing is that my $22 pppd may not go to the person who is actually serving me. It may just be pooled and spread around. So from the server's perspective, other tables are tipping them personally for every drink served, whereas it makes no difference to the server whether they even serve me. An unlimited drink package without frequent refills is very hard to justify -- I don't have any status with NCL to get discounts.

 

Normally I don't like to have to think in this way, but reports of pay cuts and lackluster service, and the way NCL steals an unknown fraction of what we think is the tip, force me to ask questions.

[mjkacmom]

13 minutes ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

Two problems why I'm unsure of the above. One is that the 20% surcharge you pay on the drink package does not entirely go to tips. It is split with "specialty service charge" which basically means an unknown amount of the 20% is stolen by NCL even though they could have included it in the base price.

 

The other thing is that my $22 pppd may not go to the person who is actually serving me. It may just be pooled and spread around. So from the server's perspective, other tables are tipping them personally for every drink served, whereas it makes no difference to the server whether they even serve me. An unlimited drink package without frequent refills is very hard to justify -- I don't have any status with NCL to get discounts.

 

Normally I don't like to have to think in this way, but reports of pay cuts and lackluster service, and the way NCL steals an unknown fraction of what we think is the tip, force me to ask questions.

No need to feel that way, just tip a dollar or two if you think you will get better service, we always do and never had any issue getting service.

[FoggyEthan]

13 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

No need to feel that way, just tip a dollar or two if you think you will get better service, we always do and never had any issue getting service.

 

That's the plan! Do you tip cash (and so need to keep small bills with you at all times) or do you put it on the $0 bill?

[BirdTravels]

39 minutes ago, FoggyEthan said:

Normally I don't like to have to think in this way, but reports of pay cuts and lackluster service, and the way NCL steals an unknown fraction of what we think is the tip, force me to ask questions.

No money is "stolen" by NCL. 

 

The $22 pppd does not go to the person serving you. It is pooled and goes to the beverage department (which are more than the waiter dishing out drinks).  

 

I cruise all the time and have not seen any pay cuts, lackluster service and stealing. 

 

We tip the server and bartender serving us for drinks. 

[BirdTravels]

49 minutes ago, FoggyEthan said:

This is also what I was wondering -- whether tipping cash (you tipped cash or on account?)

There are no paper receipts to add tips to "your account". Cash is king. Tip in cash. 

[FoggyEthan]

37 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

No money is "stolen" by NCL. 

 

The $22 pppd does not go to the person serving you. It is pooled and goes to the beverage department (which are more than the waiter dishing out drinks).  

 

I cruise all the time and have not seen any pay cuts, lackluster service and stealing. 

 

We tip the server and bartender serving us for drinks. 

 

I don't know what actually happens, but this is not what NCL says on their website. The 20% on the package is for "gratuity and beverage service charge". The gratuity goes to the servers. I have no idea what a beverage service charge is, but it sounds like marketing speak to make you think it's a tip but is kept by NCL. And the split between gratuity and beverage service charge is not specified.

 

As to pay cuts, they just dropped from 2 cleanings per stateroom per day to 1. They also used to have a senior and junior stateroom attendant covering the cabins, but they just eliminated the junior position, and dropped the pay for the remaining stateroom attendants to somewhere in the middle of the two prior pay ranges. I've read this in several places now. I can find sources if you'd like.

 

[debenson0723]

@FoggyEthanit's really very simple...if you don't like the way NCL runs their business then don't sail with them.  I don't go to land base restaurants and ask them how they deal with their tips, or if their employees are overworked...I base my impressions on the service I receive while I am there, not what I read in several places.  If I don't like my experience, I will go to a competitor.

I have been on NCLs competition and always find myself coming back. As @BirdTravelssays, I have not received any lackluster service but maybe it is because of my positive attitude towards the staff when I am cruising (and a few extra dollars directly to those I do encounter). 

 

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

This is also what I was wondering -- whether tipping cash (you tipped cash or on account?) gets you a bit more attention.There's no point in having an unlimited drink package but not being able to get more drinks.

Yes, we tip with cash.  I don’t think the staff get tips left when we fill out the paper receipts after dining at a specialty dining restaurant or if paying for drinks not covered by a drink package.  
 

We have also had some nice servers get us wine from other bars/restaurants  when ordering wine on the P+ plan. 
 

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, FoggyEthan said:

I don't know what actually happens, but this is not what NCL says on their website. The 20% on the package is for "gratuity and beverage service charge". The gratuity goes to the servers. I have no idea what a beverage service charge is, but it sounds like marketing speak to make you think it's a tip but is kept by NCL. And the split between gratuity and beverage service charge is not specified.

 

As to pay cuts, they just dropped from 2 cleanings per stateroom per day to 1. They also used to have a senior and junior stateroom attendant covering the cabins, but they just eliminated the junior position, and dropped the pay for the remaining stateroom attendants to somewhere in the middle of the two prior pay ranges. I've read this in several places now. I can find sources if you'd like.

 

As far as I can tell, you have no basis for the assertions here. You appear to be complaining about something that you think may happen when you cruise in April. You are buying into the main stream media depiction of cruise line operations. It is Fake News. 

 

When you talk about putting $0 tip on your beverage check, I can tell that you have not cruised recently because there are no beverage checks. 

 

I have cruised for a long time and never had two room stewards cleaning my rooms (other than when we cruise on RCCL in loft suites where we have an upstairs room steward and downstairs room steward). 

 

For the room stewards, they have been given a few additional rooms, but now they just do a single pass and they are done. In the past, they would clean from morning to afternoon, go have lunch, change uniforms, and come back for second service working late into the evening. Now they do not have to do a 8 am - 9 pm split shift. 

 

If you are so unhappy about a cruise that you have not taken, then cancel it. If you are so unhappy about the 20% gratuity on the beverage package, cancel it and drink complimentary drinks. Easy. 

 

But coming here and complaining, repeatedly, about something you read on the internet, which has no basis of truth, is only making you upset about fake news. 

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by BirdTravels

[FoggyEthan]

37 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

As far as I can tell, you have no basis for the assertions here. You appear to be complaining about something that you think may happen when you cruise in April. You are buying into the main stream media depiction of cruise line operations. It is Fake News. 

 

 

https://www.travelandleisure.com/norwegian-cruise-line-decrease-turndown-service-7091895

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/norwegian-cruise-line-trimming-stateroom-cleaning-cutting-crew-roles/

 

Hopefully cruisecritic doesn't eliminate all links. Travel & Leisure is highly respected. Cruise Industry News goes into more detail about the staffing changes. It is not fake news, you just don't want to believe it. It's not my goal to convince you, though. We can believe different things, and that's OK.

 

Also in my comment about gratuities I gave the basis of my assertion -- it's NCL's own wording which specifies only some of the 20% is for gratuities. 

 

I can't get my money back. But I don't really want to. I'm trying to figure out how to make the best of the onboard experience.

[RD64]

The NCL board boggles my mind. There are a dozen threads per week regarding tipping / gratuities where people are dead set against it - yet there is still that $2 tipping thread where everyone claims to lavishly throw around $2 bills to every person on the ship a la Oprah on those pre-Christmas episodes.