Daily Service Fees

[hlk08003]

 Simple questions...Are the daily service fees mandatory? Would we be allowed to tip directly to whom we wish to, and how much we wish to tip?

How would we stop the automatic fees from appearing on our folio?

 

[bkrickles1]

Lmao 😂 

[RocketMan275]

2 minutes ago, hlk08003 said:

 Simple questions...Are the daily service fees mandatory? Would we be allowed to tip directly to whom we wish to, and how much we wish to tip?

How would we stop the automatic fees from appearing on our folio?

 

You can ask the DSC be removed.  And, yes, you can tip who and in what amount  you want.  However, the DSC is shared among a wide range of crew.  Do you intend on tiping the server who brings your cola in the buffet? Are you going to visit the ships laundry and pass out tips? 

 

 

It's so much simpler to leave it in place and then tip and additional amount to specific crew.

[Two Wheels Only]

52 minutes ago, hlk08003 said:

 Simple questions....

 

...which will lead to not so simple replies...

 

52 minutes ago, hlk08003 said:

Are the daily service fees mandatory?

 

The DSC is not mandatory.

 

52 minutes ago, hlk08003 said:

Would we be allowed to tip directly to whom we wish to, and how much we wish to tip?

 

You can do that with or without paying the DSC.

 

52 minutes ago, hlk08003 said:

How would we stop the automatic fees from appearing on our folio?

 

You would need to go to Guest Services and have the amount adjusted.

 

46 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's so much simpler to leave it in place and then tip and additional amount to specific crew.

 

True, but my suspicion is that tipping more is the antithesis of these types of threads.

Edited September 27, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[RocketMan275]

6 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

True, but my suspicion is that tipping more is the antithesis of these types of threads.

I believe your suspicion is correct.  The comment "tip who we want what we want"  is the key phrase.

[Capitan Obvious]

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like you'd expect a basic DSC question out of a newbie, NOT however, out of someone who has been on Cruise Critic for 15 years.

 

I guess that there are some cruisers out there who keep their attention focused on every nickel and every dime.

[UKstages]

yes, well...

 

ather than chastise the person who innocently asks a question (regardless of whether it has been asked and answered repeatedly) and rather than trying to guess some ulterior motive or divine the hidden motive of the question (sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, folks)... why not focus instead on the very real fact that NCL guests have no idea where the DSC goes and that people who provide service, whether they be cleaning your table at the buffet, preparing your laundry or cleaning your room may not be receiving any benefit at all from the DSC, or not receiving it in the way you'd like them to?

 

the way NCL's policy about DSC is written, the company can use the money collected any way they like across the fleet, provided it compensates or motivates employees, at NCL's sole discretion.  a certain percentage must indeed go to supplement the wages of employees in the "tip pool." but NCL can also use the DSC to fund pizza parties or award recognition trophies to the staff. they can give high performing individuals days off or an extra day of leave. they can paint the break room or buy new mattresses for staff cabins or fund wifi minutes for employees. they can even buy food with it, provided that food is served to staff members as part of an employee "incentive program."

 

most passengers assume that the DSC is awarded to staff in the form of cash payments or supplemental wages (bonuses), but that's not what NCL says it does with the money. it says the DSC (which is actually now called the "onboard service charge") goes to fund "a combination of salary and incentive programs." and those terms are not defined. and i'd be willing to bet that a substantial portion of the charge goes to fund what most people would consider ordinary business expenses. 

 

my experience has been that people who remove the DSC are not cheapskates and are not looking to stiff the staff, they are either people who have had some sort of outrageous service gaffe (amd so they misguidedly believe they should remove the DSC in protest) or they are actually quite generous tippers who tip far in excess of twenty dollars a day.... but they tip whom they want when they want in a manner and amount they deem appropriate.

 

as for whether or not they are stiffing the personnel who work behind the scenes... that's a legitimate question for debate. but this idea that there there is a direct correlation between the DSC and some sort of monetary benefit to staff is preposterous, as is the notion that all the money you pay will somehow magically benefit the staff of the ship you're sailing... that simply isn't true.

 

(for the record, i have never rescinded the DSC and I do also tip cabin attendants and bartenders and cocktail servers and others directly, but i have never gone to the laundry or kitchen to tip.)

[RocketMan275]

53 minutes ago, UKstages said:

... but this idea that there there is a direct correlation between the DSC and some sort of monetary benefit to staff is preposterous, as is the notion that all the money you pay will somehow magically benefit the staff of the ship you're sailing... that simply isn't true.

 

You just admitted that the DSC does go to benefit the crew.

[Guindalf]

[CruiseMH]

It doesn`t matter if they call it cruise fare,DSC or whatever.At the end the only thing that counts for NCL is the total income amount.

If from now on 80 % of the guest would request the DSC to be removed from their bill it would only take weeks until the cruise fares would go up by approx. the same amount that the guest are asking to be removed.

At the end you will pay the same amount.

 

[Ellis1138]

You could certainly have it removed at Guest Services. I don't know where the DSC goes, but just head canon it as "my fare is really $20 a day higher than advertised" and then hope NCL does give it to the crew who work in laundry and the ones in the astronaut outfits who have all the dirty jobs. 

 

I cash extra tip any crew who do outstanding stuff for me.

I bring 3 $20 bills with the idea of: If my cabin is set up as I like it, the cabin attendant gets a $20 the first day. If they do an adequate job, they get a $20 on the last day. If they are amazing, they get $40 the last day. 

 

But it's your money. DSC or don't DSC.

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

but this idea that there there is a direct correlation between the DSC and some sort of monetary benefit to staff is preposterous,

@chengkp75, a name many of us have to trust for his knowledge of the inner workings of the ships and NCL, has explained that there is in fact a direct correlation between the collected DSC and monetary benefit to the staff, per their contracts.  I believe him.  But the bottom line is, he's just another anonymous name on the internet so I certainly understand if others choose not to believe him.

 

[UKstages]

there is indeed a correlation in the sense that NCL collects money from the onboard service charge. and they use that to supplement salary and to fund employee incentive programs fleet wide. but it is a fantastic notion to believe:

 

• that all or most of the "DSC" goes to salary or bonus or "tips"

• or that the exact amount of money collected from the DSC for your specific sailing goes to employees on that ship for that specific sailing

• or that the tip money distributed to an employee varies based on passenger load for a specific sailing

 

what we do know from the way NCL has chosen to word what little they say about the onboard service charge is that they can use the "incentive program" money pretty much any way they like and that could mean anything from buying fuel to reroute a ship to pick up staff in another country to painting the break room to adding shrimp to the buffet one night in the employee mess hall. we just don't know. (we'd like to think they are doing the right thin, but they have proven themselves to be weasels time and time again.) as for how much is spent to supplement "salary," here again, we just don't know.

 

but to believe that a substantial portion goes to pay employees fistfuls of extra cash would be to place enormous faith in the very same people who eliminated smoked salmon from the buffet, reduced daily housekeeping to one visit, instituted upcharges for previously "free" menu items, removed veuve from the premium plus drink package, pushed bailey's above the $15 threshold so it is no longer "free" and who are cutting the observation lounge on the joy in half. we know NCL to be extremely cost conscious and if they have a slush fund of cash to use at their discretion for what many would consider to be employee operating expenses, they likely will.

 

look, i'm not advocating that guests opt out of the DSC (i don't, even when i've had a bad experience on a particular sailing)... i am simply saying that NCL can use the money at its sole discretion and that there is no direct correlation to the money you pay and the way NCL compensates the employees on your sailing. NCL wants you to think that there is... but there isn't.

[bobfoo]

1 hour ago, CruiseMH said:

It doesn`t matter if they call it cruise fare,DSC or whatever.At the end the only thing that counts for NCL is the total income amount.

If from now on 80 % of the guest would request the DSC to be removed from their bill it would only take weeks until the cruise fares would go up by approx. the same amount that the guest are asking to be removed.

At the end you will pay the same amount.

 

Not going to happen at that high level, though, is it.

 

And we know from history that when NCL tried to bundle the charge into the fare price in markets where some lines already do that they went on to revert that change. Clearly it made them more dosh outside of the fare than within it, even if people do opt out.

[razor7_us]

Considering the 'D' in DSC is discretionary then yes, you can remove them

[Capitan Obvious]

3 hours ago, UKstages said:

why not focus instead on the very real fact that NCL guests have no idea where the DSC goes and that people who provide service, whether they be cleaning your table at the buffet, preparing your laundry or cleaning your room may not be receiving any benefit at all from the DSC, or not receiving it in the way you'd like them to?

 

The reason not to focus on it is simply because our focus doesn't matter in this instance.

 

NCL collects the DSC. The also collect the fare, the taxes, the cost of an excursion, the cost of a specialty meal, the cost of a watch from the gift shop, the cost of a spa treatment, the cost of a go kart ride, etc...and none of us has any idea what-so-ever of exactly how the money collected for any of these items is distributed after we pay it. No idea at all.

 

Yet, we don't have endless threads about it like we do with the DSC. Why?

 

Why do we pontificate about it to the extreme? We spend far more money on other things with one iota of care about where that money goes, but for some reason we have to know how much the busboy gets everyday?

 

Our priorities are simply out of whack.

[Capitan Obvious]

4 minutes ago, razor7_us said:

Considering the 'D' in DSC is discretionary then yes, you can remove them

 

That point would only be valid in a world where "discretion" and "optional" were the same thing. Technically, going against the grain an removing the charge would be the exact opposite of being discreet.

[PATRLR]

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

there is indeed a correlation in the sense that NCL collects money from the onboard service charge. and they use that to supplement salary and to fund employee incentive programs fleet wide. but it is a fantastic notion to believe:

 

• that all or most of the "DSC" goes to salary or bonus or "tips"

• or that the exact amount of money collected from the DSC for your specific sailing goes to employees on that ship for that specific sailing

• or that the tip money distributed to an employee varies based on passenger load for a specific sailing

 

The first two I agree with, however it's just an accounting exercise to say that the revenue from DSC goes to those two points.  In other words, if they wanted to make that claim, they could.  

The third point I believe, based on @chengkp75s word and some other reading I've done, to be true.  As it was explained, the variable component of the crew's salary is based on passenger load and collected DSC.  If enough people withhold the DSC, the variable component of a certain crew's salary will go down for that sailing per their contract.  How far down it can go is limited by a minimum salary the crew is guaranteed.  that's how it's been explained and I choose to believe it to be correct.

 

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

but to believe that a substantial portion goes to pay employees fistfuls of extra cash

<snip>.

 i am simply saying that NCL can use the money at its sole discretion and that there is no direct correlation to the money you pay and the way NCL compensates the employees on your sailing. NCL wants you to think that there is... but there isn't.

 

Fistfuls of cash, no.  They get paid what their contracts say, and I believe their contracts include a variable component based on collected DSC.

They can do what they want with the money at their sole discretion, I 100% agree, but, they are also obligated to pay their crew certain amounts.  If they want to take the DSC and put it in their left pocket, and then pull money out of the right pocket to pay the crew, they can certainly do that. 

 

 

 

 

[cruiser2015]

43 minutes ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

The reason not to focus on it is simply because our focus doesn't matter in this instance.

 

NCL collects the DSC. The also collect the fare, the taxes, the cost of an excursion, the cost of a specialty meal, the cost of a watch from the gift shop, the cost of a spa treatment, the cost of a go kart ride, etc...and none of us has any idea what-so-ever of exactly how the money collected for any of these items is distributed after we pay it. No idea at all.

 

Yet, we don't have endless threads about it like we do with the DSC. Why?

 

Why do we pontificate about it to the extreme? We spend far more money on other things with one iota of care about where that money goes, but for some reason we have to know how much the busboy gets everyday?

 

Our priorities are simply out of whack.

It should be obvious that you have those endless threads because those charges are totally different, other than the basic cruise fare from the rest. All the others you mentioned are for specific goods or services that you purchase or request - or don't. The DSC is just put on your tab, with the implication that it, in some form or other, goes to the benefit of some crew members. How that is actually accomplished has been speculated on already at length. It is certainly not comparable to ordering drink, a massage a go kart ride or a new watch.

[razor7_us]

1 hour ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

That point would only be valid in a world where "discretion" and "optional" were the same thing. Technically, going against the grain an removing the charge would be the exact opposite of being discreet.

What does being discreet have to do with discretionary? Where I come from discretionary means optional, voluntary or elective. In other words, the same thing. 

[RD64]

6 hours ago, Capitan Obvious said:

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like you'd expect a basic DSC question out of a newbie, NOT however, out of someone who has been on Cruise Critic for 15 years.

 

I guess that there are some cruisers out there who keep their attention focused on every nickel and every dime.

Agreed - not a question I would expect from someone who knows what a “folio” is.

 

How many tipping threads can we expect next week?

Edited September 27, 2023 by RD64
Additional

[CruiseMH]

1 hour ago, bobfoo said:

Not going to happen at that high level, though, is it.

 

And we know from history that when NCL tried to bundle the charge into the fare price in markets where some lines already do that they went on to revert that change. Clearly it made them more dosh outside of the fare than within it, even if people do opt out.

 

I didn`t mean that they will include it.I just meant they will increase the fare price and keep the DSC as it is.

If the average DSC paid per guest is not 20 USD/day but only e.g. 14 USD, then they will raise the cruise fare by these 6 USD/day = approx. 40 USD/week.

The ones that opt out the DSC will pay the same price at the end.And the ones that pay the DSC will pay more at the end.

 

What i want to say is that requesting to waive the DSC might mean that you pay less at that moment but sooner or later you will pay for it anyway....

[IAcruising]

9 hours ago, hlk08003 said:

 Simple questions...Are the daily service fees mandatory? Would we be allowed to tip directly to whom we wish to, and how much we wish to tip?

How would we stop the automatic fees from appearing on our folio?

 

 

Hello wolf. Stalking the villagers, are we?  You messed up with your date, and "folio".

 

😆😆😆

 

[BirdTravels]

10 hours ago, hlk08003 said:

 Simple questions...Are the daily service fees mandatory? Would we be allowed to tip directly to whom we wish to, and how much we wish to tip?

How would we stop the automatic fees from appearing on our folio?

 

If there is an issue, you can have the Daily Service Charges removed. The Daily Service Charge goes to all of the crew that work to make your cruise wonderful and memorable. Those include the behind the scenes crew members who work 7-days a week, tirelessly to serve you. 

 

By removing the DSC, you are stiffing those hard working employees. Like walking out of a restaurant without leaving a tip. It is really uncool to do. 

[dbrown84]

18 hours ago, UKstages said:

yes, well...

 

ather than chastise the person who innocently asks a question (regardless of whether it has been asked and answered repeatedly) and rather than trying to guess some ulterior motive or divine the hidden motive of the question (sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, folks)... why not focus instead on the very real fact that NCL guests have no idea where the DSC goes and that people who provide service, whether they be cleaning your table at the buffet, preparing your laundry or cleaning your room may not be receiving any benefit at all from the DSC, or not receiving it in the way you'd like them to?

 

the way NCL's policy about DSC is written, the company can use the money collected any way they like across the fleet, provided it compensates or motivates employees, at NCL's sole discretion.  a certain percentage must indeed go to supplement the wages of employees in the "tip pool." but NCL can also use the DSC to fund pizza parties or award recognition trophies to the staff. they can give high performing individuals days off or an extra day of leave. they can paint the break room or buy new mattresses for staff cabins or fund wifi minutes for employees. they can even buy food with it, provided that food is served to staff members as part of an employee "incentive program."

 

most passengers assume that the DSC is awarded to staff in the form of cash payments or supplemental wages (bonuses), but that's not what NCL says it does with the money. it says the DSC (which is actually now called the "onboard service charge") goes to fund "a combination of salary and incentive programs." and those terms are not defined. and i'd be willing to bet that a substantial portion of the charge goes to fund what most people would consider ordinary business expenses. 

 

my experience has been that people who remove the DSC are not cheapskates and are not looking to stiff the staff, they are either people who have had some sort of outrageous service gaffe (amd so they misguidedly believe they should remove the DSC in protest) or they are actually quite generous tippers who tip far in excess of twenty dollars a day.... but they tip whom they want when they want in a manner and amount they deem appropriate.

 

as for whether or not they are stiffing the personnel who work behind the scenes... that's a legitimate question for debate. but this idea that there there is a direct correlation between the DSC and some sort of monetary benefit to staff is preposterous, as is the notion that all the money you pay will somehow magically benefit the staff of the ship you're sailing... that simply isn't true.

 

(for the record, i have never rescinded the DSC and I do also tip cabin attendants and bartenders and cocktail servers and others directly, but i have never gone to the laundry or kitchen to tip.)

This is the most amazing post I've seen on the subject here on CC!!!!  I know folks will respond and totally ignore the very valid points here.  Most on here simply want the DSC to be gratuities, no matter how much evidence is presented to the contrary