Daily "service charges" going up... wayyyy up

[CruisinEurope]

So I'm not complaing about the actual practice of the mandatory service charge... in fact I'm actually really OK with it.

 

But...

 

to go from $10 per day per adult to $12 ....

 

AND

 

to go from $5 per day per child to $12 (unless they're under 3)

 

is a BIT MUCH IMHO.

 

Wow.

[uppitycats]

This is essentially "old news". This was announced maybe 6 months ago, perhaps longer.

 

I don't have children...but don't see why there should be a difference in a service charge. Children can make at least as much a mess..if not more..than many adults! Have you ever looked under the chair of a kid in a restaurant, for example? And whether they eat off the kid's menu or the adult menu, someone still has to take their order, prepare their food, bring it to them. And then, if you hung around long enough, you could document what she had for dinner. They use towels, sleep in a bed, throw stuff on the floor, mess in the bathroom, just as adults do, and require the same amount (if not more) of cleaning-up-after.

 

Sure, they're small. So should the cruise line then charge by height? They're charging by work that is expected, and I don't see much difference.

 

As for the increase...what HASN'T gone up in price these days??

[Rockwife]

$12 per day seems fair to me. Kids make as many messes as adults, if not more and should be charged the same.

[knjfaith]

when does it go into effect(or did it already)?

[CruisinEurope]

I do see your point - - especially since I manage restaurants for a living....

 

(there isn't much that I haven't seen under chairs in restaurants).

 

What I was surprised about was the amount of the increase.

 

It just seems... well, excessive.

 

 

Just out of curiosity - does anyone know if other lines messing with their 'service charge' amounts? We're now looking from NCL to other lines since the new rules will amount to almost $600 that we hadn't banked on previously....

[Urban trekker]

All sailings after Jan 1, 2009

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Arwenmark]

I agree I have never understood not charging the same service charge for children who as you say make more mess, and I don't want to hear how NEAT "YOUR" child is. I raised five children of my own.

I don't see the increase as much at all and well deserved I just wish people would stop trying to get out of paying it.

As has been stated here before if people were to tip the amounts they should for each and every meal, and daily housekeeping, not counting anything else, the Tip bill would be WAY higher than anything any line is doing in service charges.

Why can't people just accept it as part of the price of cruising? it is still a bargain over many other vacation types.

[knjfaith]

are the daily charges included in the price i paid...or is this additional after the fact?

[mylesf]

are the daily charges included in the price i paid...or is this additional after the fact?

 

It is in addition to your cruise fare, and will be added to your onboard account, daily.

[Marlissa]

are the daily charges included in the price i paid...or is this additional after the fact?

 

It's additional and added to your onboard account which is paid at the end of the cruise.

[DMH15]

THEY DESERVE EVERY PENNY.

 

In fact, I plan to take even more to reward exemplary service when received.

[mbisson]

How long was it pegged at $10?

[calmac]

 

What I was surprised about was the amount of the increase.

 

It just seems... well, excessive.

 

 

It may seem "excessive" in percentage terms but it was $10 in 2005 so has stayed the same for at least for 4 years. However, I don't know when it started as $10.

[Greymeowsr]

One of the ways that I think of the service charge is $12 X 2 people = $24 (you knew that). If I would tip at a 15% rate, $24 would = expenses of $160 per day. If we were on a land-based vacation for two breakfast at Bob Evans or Denny's would be around $18, lunch about the same $18, dinner at a decent restaurant would be about $70, snacks/non-alcohol drinks (coffee/tea/lemonade/etc) about $20 and about $5 for housekeeping at the hotel. So, our total for these things would be around $131. So, that leaves $29 (of my $160 per day) to cover the "free" entertainment that also comes with my cruise.

 

This doesn't even include that I will be going to a number of locations and only unpacking once. I won't begin to try and equate the base cost of the cruise versus hotel/rental car (or my own)/gasoline/wasted vacation time doing traditional traveling, etc.

 

I think the service fees are a real bargain for what we get on a cruise. I wouldn't complain if it were more than $12/person/day (please cruise lines don't look at this! LOL).

[time2cruise1]

It may seem "excessive" in percentage terms but it was $10 in 2005 so has stayed the same for at least for 4 years. However, I don't know when it started as $10.

 

The recommend tips on NCL in 1989 were about 10 pp pd. 20 years and a $2 increase not bad at all.

[BikerAl]

I have always been a very good tipper, usually well more than 20% for a well served diner, but I am totally against mandatory service charges. I believe they breed poor service, and a lack of motivation by the person providing the service. Below is the quote from NCL's web site at the point where a fare is quoted, and the next click is my booking a cruise. It does not tell me that for a family of two adults and two 3 to ? kids, I am on the hook for $48 per day, which is a healthy chunk of money, for a young couple, in these trying times.

 

"Fares shown are in U.S. dollars and are per person. Government taxes, fees, and fuel supplement are included. Guests booked on sailings that depart in 2009 may qualify for a refund of fuel supplement paid in form of an on-board credit. Fuel supplement will no longer apply to bookings for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010. Click here for details about the Fuel Supplement. Onboard service charges are additional and will be automatically added to your onboard account, and are subject to your discretion. Offers are for new reservations only, based on availability, capacity controlled, not combinable with other offers, subject to change or cancellation without notice, and may be withdrawn at any time. Other restrictions apply."

 

I wish the cruise lines would include the mandatory gratuity/service charge into the quoted fare, pay their employees a proper salary, and let us decide if an employee deserves something extra. I would venture to say, more than 80% of new cruisers have total sticker shock when they get on board and learn the extra cost of their cruise. Using my example, that couple would have a start point, on their on board account at $336, for a 7 day cruise. Then, those of us on CC say, throw the waiter a couple of bucks if the service is good, so there is another $8 per meal.

 

I am old, my kids are grown, but I can tell you, I would probably have been in serious debt if I discovered these big outlays, after I had booked my cruise, and perhaps at final bill time.

 

Al

[JohnIreland]

They earn every dollar and a few more.

[theshireshihtzu]

I think the increase is long over due! They work very hard. We always leave more for the ones who are exceptional.;)

[martinchem]

$10, $12, next stop $15.

I won't say they don't deserve it, and it is easier than bringing extra cash, but I can't help but feel going through the cruise operators hands first, that some gets lost before it hits the empolyees.

I also feel that the service in the restaurants was better before the before the mandatory pre-cruise charge, but still awesome in the staterooms.

I know it's hard on some folks who have lost jobs and savings, they deserve vacations too, and this is tough on them. Luckily the cruise prices have come down as to offset the extra fees like the fuel surcharge

[cruizinwithkids]

We're now looking from NCL to other lines since the new rules will amount to almost $600 that we hadn't banked on previously....

 

A $600 increase?:eek: I think you are doing a 10 day European cruise? So an additional 60 per day? That means either an increase of $2 per day for 30 people or perhaps you kids who are an additional $7 per day. Maybe you are paying tips for 2 adults and 8 kids for 10 days.

 

OR, did you perhaps not count on tipping at all?

[kosoffj]

does anyone know if they will be tipping the kids crew out of these new charges? they didn't in the past and i always tipped seperately....

[time2cruise1]

does anyone know if they will be tipping the kids crew out of these new charges? they didn't in the past and i always tipped seperately....

 

They are still separate. Like butlers, concierge, they are folks used by a few and outside the tip pool.

[Rockwife]

I have always been a very good tipper, usually well more than 20% for a well served diner, but I am totally against mandatory service charges. I believe they breed poor service, and a lack of motivation by the person providing the service.

 

Al

 

If your logic held water then the service on most cruise lines would be *horrible* because almost all lines place the suggested amount on your account automatically. In my experience the crew on board offers fantastic service, across the board and over the years. The automatic tipping had done nothing to diminish that.

[BikerAl]

If your logic held water then the service on most cruise lines would be *horrible* because almost all lines place the suggested amount on your account automatically. In my experience the crew on board offers fantastic service, across the board and over the years. The automatic tipping had done nothing to diminish that.

 

We disagree.That's what makes America great.

 

Al

[rskalko]

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying the crew doesn't deserve the tips.

 

Now, with that said, I too wish the charges were already in your fare.

 

I don't like add-on or hidden charges... just put them into the fare, tell us they are there, and that would be fine.

 

This goes for all forms of service and related fees... be they travel or otherwise.... I simply don't like hidden fees and I am sure many feel the same.