johnnyboz Posted November 22, 2007 #201 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I paid for my cruise. No One ever said there was to be a mandatory $10 pp per day added on when I bought the cruise. These people work for the cruise line. Let them pay them appropriately. Im taking the money off immediately. These thieves rip you off every chance they get. The tours are ridiculously overrpriced as is any other service you want provided on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-Bac Posted November 23, 2007 #202 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I will start off by saying I'm perfectly fine with the auto-tipping. I did one cruise on RCCL and did not liek the whole 'envelope' thing. It kinda annoyed me that I was expected to hand an envelope to the head waiter as he did pretty much not a danged thing the whole week. Meanwhile, I would suggest a small change to the NCL way of doing things: prorate the $10 pp/pd based on cabin class. Class M lower deck interior stateroom that payed $499 pp for the cruise: They pay say $8 per person per day for the auto gratuity. high-class balcony cabin that paid $1099 pp for the cruise: They pay $25 per person per day for the auto gratuity. As it is now I feel it's unfair. Lower class cabins pay a higher percentage of what they for the cruise compared to the percentage paid by the upper-class cabins. Look at it this way: You're in a restaurant (not on a cruise) and you order soup and salad. Should you pay the same gratuity as someone else in the same restaurant that had a two pound steak and a bottle of wine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Charlie Posted November 23, 2007 #203 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I paid for my cruise. No One ever said there was to be a mandatory $10 pp per day added on when I bought the cruise. These people work for the cruise line. Let them pay them appropriately. Im taking the money off immediately. These thieves rip you off every chance they get. The tours are ridiculously overrpriced as is any other service you want provided on the ship. Please check your smoke alarm. I think I smell approaching flames. All kidding aside, what have you done on past cruises? Most or all of the mass cruise lines now have auto-tipping. There have been many discussions about it on the boards. By all means, if you feel that strongly about it, go to the purser and ask to have it removed. Let us know how it goes. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leafpeeper Posted November 23, 2007 #204 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Greetings everyone,We've sailed on Princess and Carnival. Can someone tell me if the Service Charge is mandatory? Meaning - I realize that tipping is optional in addition to the service charge.... but I prefer doing all this sort of thing on my own and in person. Do I have the right on NCL to ask to have the service charges removed from my account? I'd like to hear of the experience of others. Princess and Carnival allow me to have the entire amount removed. You do have the right to have these fees removed and you can tip in cash. It is much easier for most people to have the fees charged to their onboard account rather than handing out tips. You can always do both if you want to give extra to a waiter or cabin steward. It is your decision. You must go to the pursers desk before the end of the cruise to have your account adjusted. Don't forget that NCL is a freestyle cruiseline so you don't have the same waiter every day unless you request the same table and same waiter in the main dining room. The advantage of freestyle is eating at different restaurants. We found the service was superior on NCL Pearl last week. Only problem we had was people smoking outdoors on both sides of the ship on deck 7 and upper deck bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Rare CC Help Michell Posted November 23, 2007 Administrators #205 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I paid for my cruise. No One ever said there was to be a mandatory $10 pp per day added on when I bought the cruise. These people work for the cruise line. Let them pay them appropriately. Im taking the money off immediately. These thieves rip you off every chance they get. The tours are ridiculously overrpriced as is any other service you want provided on the ship. Hm... I give it a 6 for hitting most of the "hot buttons," a 8 for "inclusion of irrelevancies," but I'm afraid I can only give it a 5 overall because at post number 200, it's way too late in this overblown thread for maximum impact/flame-ignition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesweet Posted November 23, 2007 #206 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I will start off by saying I'm perfectly fine with the auto-tipping. I did one cruise on RCCL and did not liek the whole 'envelope' thing. It kinda annoyed me that I was expected to hand an envelope to the head waiter as he did pretty much not a danged thing the whole week. Meanwhile, I would suggest a small change to the NCL way of doing things: prorate the $10 pp/pd based on cabin class. Class M lower deck interior stateroom that payed $499 pp for the cruise: They pay say $8 per person per day for the auto gratuity. high-class balcony cabin that paid $1099 pp for the cruise: They pay $25 per person per day for the auto gratuity. As it is now I feel it's unfair. Lower class cabins pay a higher percentage of what they for the cruise compared to the percentage paid by the upper-class cabins. Look at it this way: You're in a restaurant (not on a cruise) and you order soup and salad. Should you pay the same gratuity as someone else in the same restaurant that had a two pound steak and a bottle of wine? Nice thought, but I really don't think that would be an equitable solution. Being an "inside person" myself, I would enjoy the lower price, but since I would be receiving the same good service in the dining room and the same wonderful care by my cabin steward, I couldn't justify paying less in tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaiilvr Posted November 23, 2007 #207 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I paid for my cruise. No One ever said there was to be a mandatory $10 pp per day added on when I bought the cruise. These people work for the cruise line. Let them pay them appropriately. Im taking the money off immediately. These thieves rip you off every chance they get. The tours are ridiculously overrpriced as is any other service you want provided on the ship. I guess you didn't read your cruise documents. It isn't hidden that there is a $10 pp per day addition for tipping. I guess when you go to a restaurant in town you don't tip either? No one you know has ever worked in the service industry, I guess. If you think cruise companies are "thieves" then DON'T CRUISE! Sheesh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-Bac Posted November 23, 2007 #208 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I guess you didn't read your cruise documents. It isn't hidden that there is a $10 pp per day addition for tipping. I guess when you go to a restaurant in town you don't tip either? No one you know has ever worked in the service industry, I guess. If you think cruise companies are "thieves" then DON'T CRUISE! Sheesh! You are saying 'read your cruise docs' to this person, yet you don't get those until 30 days prior to sailing... often long after final payment is made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawaiilvr Posted November 23, 2007 #209 Share Posted November 23, 2007 You are saying 'read your cruise docs' to this person, yet you don't get those until 30 days prior to sailing... often long after final payment is made. Read the brochure - Norwegian Cruise Line Freestyle Cruising 2007-2008, page 95 in the FAQ section, While You Cruise section - "Is There a Service Charge?" I read this FAQ section before I booked a cruise. If you don't research before you pay, then the problem is yours and you have no one to blame but yourself. Also, if your travel agent doesn't tell you about the auto-tipping (service charge) they are doing you a terrible disservice. I found the auto-tipping an easy way to tip. Since I never had the same waiter twice, it would have been next to impossible to tip appropriately. When I cruised the first time, I paid the people directly, and paid approximately the same amount for the same service. I don't feel ripped off at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted November 23, 2007 #210 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Hm... I give it a 6 for hitting most of the "hot buttons," a 8 for "inclusion of irrelevancies," but I'm afraid I can only give it a 5 overall because at post number 200, it's way too late in this overblown thread for maximum impact/flame-ignition. I fail to see why It's too late to change. This post was to as & why The Brits remove/change autotips not about the pro's & con's of tipping. El-Bac does have a fair point though, relate it to normal life, does a window cleaner pay the same IR as the Chairman of Rolls Royce. Back to my post 200, most of you say this argument will go round & round. I disagree. The issue will grow bigger as time goes on. 35 years ago on my first visit to the US, tipping was regarded as 8-10%........then10% became the norm & 15% for 'Good' service. Then It's 15% the norm & 20% for 'Good' service, & so the figures go on 20/25/30%. Where do you draw the line, If there is one to be drawn? I think I speak for the majority of Brits here, they have already drawn the line on how far they are prepared to go, see UKCHRIS's last post. As for the 'Gap' widening, your tipping percentage is growing with time, whereas I feel the New Younger UK Generation will fail to tip at all whichever country they are visiting, as it becoming less & less a part of British custom. If there are any UK cab drivers out there maybe they could comment on how the younger generation tip. Of course I missed the most important point of all! If cruise lines hide their 'charges' in the original cost, & everybody's happy, what the Hell are we going to find to argue about? ...............Flower Arranging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ohioNCLcruiser Posted November 23, 2007 #211 Share Posted November 23, 2007 having the auto tip service = 7 day cruise $599 no tips with cruise line paying full salary to all crew = 7 day cruise $2500. I think everyone should be a waiter for a month, heck even a week! People don't realize how hard it is and your tips can mean the difference between making rent or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted November 23, 2007 #212 Share Posted November 23, 2007 having the auto tip service = 7 day cruise $599 no tips with cruise line paying full salary to all crew = 7 day cruise $2500. Who made the point of paying a Full Salary? All the cruise lines are asking for is about $10 a day & then everything will be hunky dory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ohioNCLcruiser Posted November 23, 2007 #213 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Some people said they shouldn't have to pay the workers the bulk of their salary (with the auto tip), but if that became true the cruise lines would still pass the costs onto them with higher cruise prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ohioNCLcruiser Posted November 23, 2007 #214 Share Posted November 23, 2007 double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ohioNCLcruiser Posted November 23, 2007 #215 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I paid for my cruise. No One ever said there was to be a mandatory $10 pp per day added on when I bought the cruise. These people work for the cruise line. Let them pay them appropriately. Im taking the money off immediately. These thieves rip you off every chance they get. The tours are ridiculously overrpriced as is any other service you want provided on the ship. This doesnt mean anything to the actual Company, all it will do is rip off the crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huh Posted November 23, 2007 #216 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I have no problem with the automatic tip/service charge. It's an easy way to deal with it and I avoid spending the last night of the cruise gathering up small bills and stuffing them into various envelopes. Let's face it, $10.00 a day isn't bad. I can easily tip that much for a dinner alone. That being said, if you want to remover the auto tip, knock yourself out. But as you wander around the ship, be sure you take some cash for tipping and/or a notebook to write down the name of staff members who you think desreve a tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty dingo Posted November 23, 2007 #217 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I paid for my cruise. No One ever said there was to be a mandatory $10 pp per day added on when I bought the cruise. These people work for the cruise line. Let them pay them appropriately. Im taking the money off immediately. These thieves rip you off every chance they get. The tours are ridiculously overrpriced as is any other service you want provided on the ship. :rolleyes: some people just do not belong on a cruise ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboz Posted November 23, 2007 #218 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Before you start saying how much cruises would go up I would ask you to google these cruise lines and see how much they make each year. Theres a reason why ships keep coming out each year they are making billions of dollars. They should be paying their employees. Holland America have competitive rates with all other cruise lines. How are they able to include tipping in their rates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise4kicks Posted November 23, 2007 #219 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Before you start saying how much cruises would go up I would ask you to google these cruise lines and see how much they make each year. Theres a reason why ships keep coming out each year they are making billions of dollars. They should be paying their employees. Holland America have competitive rates with all other cruise lines. How are they able to include tipping in their rates? They do not. They charge a "Hotel Service Charge" of $10/pax/day. http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests/category.do?category=money&topic=tipping "To ensure that the efforts of all of our crewmembers are recognized and rewarded, a Hotel Service Charge of $10 per passenger is automatically added to each guest's shipboard account on a daily basis. If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of the cruise. The Hotel Service Charge is paid entirely to Holland America Line crewmembers, and represents an important part of their compensation. " Guess you won't be cruising HAL anytime soon, either? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLee Posted November 23, 2007 #220 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Before you start saying how much cruises would go up I would ask you to google these cruise lines and see how much they make each year. Okay. NCL Corporation Reports Third Quarter Results for 2007 MIAMI NCL Corporation Ltd. (“NCL” or the “Company”) reported a net loss of $8.6 million on total revenues of $631.4 million for its third quarter ended September 30, 2007. This compares to net income of $49.0 million on total revenues of $597.5 million for the third quarter of 2006. Net loss for the third quarter of 2007 included a non-cash foreign exchange translation loss of $42.9 million primarily related to marking-to-market of the Company’s Euro-denominated debt. Net income for the third quarter of 2006 included $7.3 million in connection with a settlement agreement for the remaining portion of our claims against the builder of Pride of America, as well as a $2.5 million non-cash foreign exchange translation gain primarily related to the marking-to-market of the Company’s Euro-denominated debt. Revenues for the third quarter of 2007 increased 5.7% compared to the third quarter of 2006, driven primarily by a 6.3% increase in Net Yields and a 2.8% increase in Capacity Days. Net Yields improved primarily as result of an increase in passenger ticket prices due to an increase in consumer demand. Gross Yields increased 2.8% from the third quarter of 2006. “Pricing in the Caribbean has stabilized and is improving,” said Colin Veitch, president and chief executive officer of NCL Corporation Ltd. “We are also encouraged that the measures we have taken with respect to our Hawaii operations seem to be having a positive impact. These improvements have contributed to our overall fourth quarter booking levels and ticket prices being up versus levels achieved at the same time last year. As a result, we expect that the change in net yields for the full year 2007 will be positive.” Net Cruise Costs per Capacity Day for the third quarter of 2007 increased 6.6% compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily attributable to higher other operating expenses (due primarily to the timing of maintenance and repairs expenses), and higher marketing, general and administrative expenses mainly due to additional professional fees primarily in connection with information technology projects. Gross Cruise Costs per Capacity Day increased 2.3% from the third quarter of 2006. In addition, average fuel prices for the third quarter, including the impact of fuel hedges, increased 10% to $405 per metric ton from $368 per metric ton in the third quarter of 2006. This increase in price contributed to a year-over-year increase in fuel costs of $3.5 million. As a result of an increase in average outstanding borrowings, interest expense (net of interest income) increased approximately 25.1% to $42.6 million in the third quarter of 2007 from $34.0 million in the third quarter of 2006. The Company took delivery of Norwegian Gem, a 2,400-berth ship, on October 1, 2007. After a series of voyages in the Mediterranean, the ship will sail to the Bahamas from its homeport of New York City. On November 5, 2007, Norwegian Crown, a 1,080-berth ship built in 1988 that was on charter to NCL, left the NCL fleet and was delivered to its owner. “With the delivery of Norwegian Gem and the return of Norwegian Crown, NCL now has the youngest fleet of the major operators in the industry,” said Veitch. “In addition, as our next ships are delivered, the F3 One and F3 Two, we not only strengthen this distinction, but expand on the highly successful “Freestyle Cruising” concept that is unique to NCL. We look forward to the completion of the previously announced $1 billion equity investment from Apollo, which we believe will take place this quarter, allowing us to continue with this exciting growth program.” :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinj Posted November 24, 2007 #221 Share Posted November 24, 2007 I think everyone should be a waiter for a month, heck even a week! People don't realize how hard it is and your tips can mean the difference between making rent or not. I think everyone who goes into a career where they depend on the bulk of their pay coming from guests giving a subjective gratuity first read and sign a document which states that, and that if they want to go around carrying a chip on their shoulder thinking that the customers are screwing the crew, then maybe such a career really isn't for them. I really couldn't care if making rent is a problem for you or anyone else - that is not my problem. You have a gripe with the amount of money you make, take that up with your employer. I am the customer, not your employer. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinj Posted November 24, 2007 #222 Share Posted November 24, 2007 having the auto tip service = 7 day cruise $599 no tips with cruise line paying full salary to all crew = 7 day cruise $2500. Full salary to all crew? Exactly how much is that? If you want to come crying and moaning that I'm not paying you enough, then how about you show me how much you all make so I can make a fair judgement on what a reasonable salary is for you? Also, let's not forget to include the free room, board and travel you're getting - what's that worth, maybe $1000 or $1500 a month tax free? Oh yes, and, how much exactly are you paying in income taxes on your salary and tips? The bottom line - I really don't care how much you make, nor should I be concerned with it. I pay for my cruise, I give a reasonable gratuity based on what I value the services at, and that's the end of it. If the cruiselines want to collect auto-tips, fine, let them, less work for me. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinj Posted November 24, 2007 #223 Share Posted November 24, 2007 having the auto tip service = 7 day cruise $599 no tips with cruise line paying full salary to all crew = 7 day cruise $2500. That is so silly - could dream up some more numbers James? Seriously - $1900/week if the cruise line paid the "full salary" with no tips? Exactly how did you come up with that James? If people are "only" being hit up for $10/person/day ($70 for 7 days) how are you coming up with $1900 without that? Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ohioNCLcruiser Posted November 24, 2007 #224 Share Posted November 24, 2007 That is so silly - could dream up some more numbers James? Seriously - $1900/week if the cruise line paid the "full salary" with no tips? Exactly how did you come up with that James? If people are "only" being hit up for $10/person/day ($70 for 7 days) how are you coming up with $1900 without that? Howard Just look up the prices of some sailings from cruise lines where its included. And from your other comment, I also don't care if you care if someone can make rent money or not but when people book a cruise on NCL they agree to the terms and conditions and one of those is the auto tip so I do feel that when people agree to this then take it off within 5 min of boarding the ship are taking away from the crew. This is just my views on it and I honestly don't really care about tips, I do this job because I like the job and I love working on a cruise ship but most people here are here because of the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ohioNCLcruiser Posted November 24, 2007 #225 Share Posted November 24, 2007 That is so silly - could dream up some more numbers James? Seriously - $1900/week if the cruise line paid the "full salary" with no tips? Exactly how did you come up with that James? If people are "only" being hit up for $10/person/day ($70 for 7 days) how are you coming up with $1900 without that? Howard If you take housekeepers and waiters who can make as little as $50 a week (before tips) and then change it to pay them $10 an hour, plus $15/hr over 40 hours thats going from $50 a week to $400 regular, $600 in overtime thats costing cruise lines an extra $1,150 more a week per crew and then times that the amount of hundreds of waiters and housekeepers. It all adds up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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