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

[CanadianTwosome]

[quote name='momofmeg']Nope, not me taking things personally. I have no problem with well behaved older children. You seemed to feel some might.[/quote]

Okay, I'm going to try to make this more clear for you, because you still seem to be misunderstanding me.

This is what you said that I responded to:

[QUOTE]Now we see people bring their children with them into nice restuarants.[/QUOTE]

My response was:

[QUOTE]We're some of those people who you'll see bring our daughter to nice restaurants. She'd be heartbroken if we went without her... and it's our own fault, really - we're the ones that cultivated her palate and introduced her to things like escargot! [/QUOTE]

So, I'm not sure how you interpret me saying I take my daughter to nice restaurants because she enjoys good food to mean that I think you or anyone else has a problem with well behaved children. I think you must have read something into it that simply wasn't intended. It wasn't an 'Oh yeah? Well I'm one of those parents, so there!' It was just a 'Yup, I do that.' I'm not sure you can tell what I mean by just the text, but hopefully you can read the difference I'm going for. :)

As I explained earlier, the next part of my post was just me participating in the conversation - which I believed to be open to everyone on the board and which was started much earlier by someone other than Terry, I believe. I used her good manners as a segue into my comment about ill-mannered adults, but it was in no way part of my answer to you. Clearly I should have made two completely separate posts; it just never occurred to me that it would be a problem. I hope I've cleared up the misunderstanding now. :)

[cruiser12]

When we first cruised we did not give tipping a second thought. I think it was because we worked in a field where tipping was involved, we tipped to the extreme.The ten dollars a day is a lot less then we ever tipped. I was on another cruise line this year and I liked what they did. Same concept except we handed in a slip of paper with either our room number and dinner table with the name of person/persons who took care of us. They in turn, turned it in to get their tip. I like this because I knew they would get their tip.

I have also have taken the service charges off and tipped accordingly.

Tipping is a matter of preference. (should not be mandatory) In some countries it is considered an insult.

Good topic.

[momofmeg]

[quote name='CanadianTwosome']Okay, I'm going to try to make this more clear for you, because you still seem to be misunderstanding me.

This is what you said that I responded to:



My response was:



So, I'm not sure how you interpret me saying I take my daughter to nice restaurants because she enjoys good food to mean that I think you or anyone else has a problem with well behaved children. I think you must have read something into it that simply wasn't intended. It wasn't an 'Oh yeah? Well I'm one of those parents, so there!' It was just a 'Yup, I do that.' I'm not sure you can tell what I mean by just the text, but hopefully you can read the difference I'm going for. :)

As I explained earlier, the next part of my post was just me participating in the conversation - which I believed to be open to everyone on the board and which was started much earlier by someone other than Terry, I believe. I used her good manners as a segue into my comment about ill-mannered adults, but it was in no way part of my answer to you. Clearly I should have made two completely separate posts; it just never occurred to me that it would be a problem. I hope I've cleared up the misunderstanding now. :)[/QUOTE]

Honey, I keep telling you I am not upset with you. I would love to have dinner with your well behaved daughter, okay? Please drop this. You keep saying you are not upset, but the fact that you keep replying to me, makes it hard for me to believe you. If you really do not have a problem with me, you will not reply, okay.

Let's try to get back to the subject of this thread-or else let it die.

[rudeman]

We just got back from our first Freestyle cruise - the Jade in the Western Med. It was wonderful, but go read the review - this is about tipping.

The $10 per day per person added to our onboard bill was a) expected because we read the website and other info ahead of time and b) we've cruised many times before and know full well about tipping.

I liked the add-on, and, on our April RCCL bill, we did the auto-tip thing only it was added to the pre-board bill. You know it's coming, you know it's part of the cruise - I don't see how it matters if it's added before or during the cruise!

I am appalled at the number of people who say they take the charge off their bill - for whatever reason. (Fortunately, I believe it to be a small percentage.) On our cruise, the hotel director made it VERY clear that if anyone has an issue, let him know IMMEDIATELY and his staff will work to make it right. I know of a couple who did just that and the issue was resolved on the spot. The crew deserves that chance to fix something quickly.

Not reporting a problem immediately and then punishing the entire crew by taking the service charge off your bill because you didn't have the wherewithall to report it is just unconscionable, in my opinion.

We readily accepted the auto service charge and tipped in addition where warranted. They earned every penny - even those in the buffet where they have to go around and clean up after us.

And one final comment, we had some of the BEST service ever on this cruise, our first freestyle, which kinda seems contrary to those who think personal tipping gets better service than auto-tipping.

[bmwman]

[quote name='rudeman']We just got back from our first Freestyle cruise - the Jade in the Western Med. It was wonderful, but go read the review - this is about tipping.

The $10 per day per person added to our onboard bill was a) expected because we read the website and other info ahead of time and b) we've cruised many times before and know full well about tipping.

I liked the add-on, and, on our April RCCL bill, we did the auto-tip thing only it was added to the pre-board bill. You know it's coming, you know it's part of the cruise - I don't see how it matters if it's added before or during the cruise!

I am appalled at the number of people who say they take the charge off their bill - for whatever reason. (Fortunately, I believe it to be a small percentage.) On our cruise, the hotel director made it VERY clear that if anyone has an issue, let him know IMMEDIATELY and his staff will work to make it right. I know of a couple who did just that and the issue was resolved on the spot. The crew deserves that chance to fix something quickly.

Not reporting a problem immediately and then punishing the entire crew by taking the service charge off your bill because you didn't have the wherewithall to report it is just unconscionable, in my opinion.

We readily accepted the auto service charge and tipped in addition where warranted. They earned every penny - even those in the buffet where they have to go around and clean up after us.

And one final comment, we had some of the BEST service ever on this cruise, our first freestyle, which kinda seems contrary to those who think personal tipping gets better service than auto-tipping.[/quote]

I wish you were right but unfortunalty the percentage in the summer with brits and europeans is high. It is simply not in our culture and the you rarely see any additional tip to the auotip. We have been on a lot of NCL cruises and the brits are known for it. It is a fact we genrally do not tip beyond 10% and generally the cruise lines are aware of this issue. Let me tell you the queues I have seen to remove SC are this is not a small percentage.

You are right in all that you say regarding the crew but this argument falls on deaf ears in the summer. we met people who were not paying the SC after day 1 They were told by friends and well the rest is history.

Glad you had a great time

[Paul_76]

[quote name='bmwman']I wish you were right but unfortunalty the percentage in the summer with brits and europeans is high. It is simply not in our culture and the you rarely see any additional tip to the auotip. We have been on a lot of NCL cruises and the brits are known for it. It is a fact we genrally do not tip beyond 10% and generally the cruise lines are aware of this issue. Let me tell you the queues I have seen to remove SC are this is not a small percentage.

You are right in all that you say regarding the crew but this argument falls on deaf ears in the summer. we met people who were not paying the SC after day 1 They were told by friends and well the rest is history.

Glad you had a great time[/quote]

I'm not sure about the % of total passengers, but the queue to have the SC removed (or dispute other charges, I suppose) seemed extremely lengthy on the final day of our cruise this past summer.

I'll try to avoid making normative judgements about cultural differences. But, I was a little surprised by this turn of events, especially 1) since the dollar was especially weak vs. the pound and euro this past summer (thus making the service charge--and all other onboard purchases--relatively cheap for those from Europe) and 2) that this was an American cruise line (and thus, I'd have expected a higher percentage of passengers to conform to American social conventions, much as I attempt to do when visiting other cultures).

In any case, we too had a great time and thought the service (overall) above average.

[smeyer418]

while the line may be long its hard to determine why people are on line many times there is a charge they don't understand and its not to just remove it. There is one thing(among many actual) I don't understand. When you remove the autoservice charge the employee you wish to "reward" must turn in everything you give to them- not merely the extra tip- they can only keep the extra when you don't remove the auto tip so infact when you are doing this to reward that extra special employee you are making it harder for them not easier so you don't only not accomplish what you want to do you make that employees life much harder- and BTW the penalty for not turning it in under thses circumstances is a firing without the company paying their way back to whence they came---- a very severe penalty- so most don't take the risk that you are a plant and turn it in.

[iheartbda]

[quote name='smeyer418']while the line may be long[COLOR=red] its hard to determine why people are on line[/COLOR] many times there is a charge they don't understand and its not to just remove it. [/quote]

Exactly.
Anytime I've been line and overheard what was going on, it was always someone questioning their bar bills. Seems like they had no recollection of how much they actually drank during the week.:p

[bmwman]

[quote name='Paul_76']I'm not sure about the % of total passengers, but the queue to have the SC removed (or dispute other charges, I suppose) seemed extremely lengthy on the final day of our cruise this past summer.

I'll try to avoid making normative judgements about cultural differences. But, I was a little surprised by this turn of events, especially 1) since the dollar was especially weak vs. the pound and euro this past summer (thus making the service charge--and all other onboard purchases--relatively cheap for those from Europe) and 2) that this was an American cruise line (and thus, I'd have expected a higher percentage of passengers to conform to American social conventions, much as I attempt to do when visiting other cultures).

In any case, we too had a great time and thought the service (overall) above average.[/quote]

I take your point that the queues may be for other matters other than servcie charges. however the pile of forms on our cruise to remove the charges that were being filled in says otherwise.

I agree also that you should not generalise but my own observation of brits on vacation and I do not only include cruising is that " we will bring britain to you". If you want to see examples of this try the typical spanish resort with its "British Pub" and "happy hour". When we leave our shores we take our culture with us and the fact remains that we book from the UK and travellers expect UK rules to apply to whatever. You are right in "when in rome do as the Romans" but read the other posts both on this and other threads the culture problem is noted. The fact that NCL now putthe SC on the cruise price ie prepay says it all They acknowledge the issue exsits.


I have seen in a table remove the service charge and tell the owner thier rights. He had no choice but to accept it. yes I know its wrong but ...........

The proof will be in ther pudding and only time will tell this year with the increases. But I suggest on the 14 day cruises out of Southampton the final two sea days will be busy for the refunds.(Family of 4 $672 - if thisi s right OMG will there be long lines) Lets follow the posts then.

[bplazo]

Leave the tips alone!

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]
too tired tonight to read the responses to this, but the info has been out there for a couple of months and the subject discussed over and over. Check the other cruise lines, they are all doing the same. NCL kept the price down longer than anyone and until now was the only line to offer a lower rate for kids than adults. I don't know abut Denmark, but the few complaints that appear seem to be from cruisers who live in countries where tipping is not the custom. Those of us who are used to tipping do not think the increase is out of line.

Nita

[bmwman]

[quote name='newmexicoNita']too tired tonight to read the responses to this, but the info has been out there for a couple of months and the subject discussed over and over. Check the other cruise lines, they are all doing the same. NCL kept the price down longer than anyone and until now was the only line to offer a lower rate for kids than adults. I don't know abut Denmark, but the few complaints that appear seem to be from cruisers who live in countries where tipping is not the custom. Those of us who are used to tipping do not think the increase is out of line.

Nita[/quote]

My point exactly - thanks Nita.

As I said the problem of tip removal is not an NCL issue only and relates to all cruises lines so it makes no difference what you charge. If the perception is that it is over the top then it wull be adjusted. I appreciate that you recognise that there are different cultures. It is not the SC that is the problem but the culture.

[insidecabin]

[quote name='bmwman']When we cruised during the summer months and prepaid our service charges I have just checked my account and it was not shown on the account nor was there on board credit.

This is obviously good as there is nothing to take off, not that I would.

[/QUOTE]

Good that that's been fixed, with a lot of UK agents doing the pre pay as part of the incentives to book should cut back on the numbers taking the service off for no reason.

[SukaCruise]

This might have been discussed before (sorry, I can't read all 9 pages of discussion :p), but do we get a summary of daily charges? If so, will the service charge be in it? Unless the service charge is only listed at the end of the cruise, then I don't see a reason why people line up to dispute it.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

[quote name='SukaCruise']This might have been discussed before (sorry, I can't read all 9 pages of discussion :p), but do we get a summary of daily charges? If so, will the service charge be in it? Unless the service charge is only listed at the end of the cruise, then I don't see a reason why people line up to dispute it.[/quote]

Yes they show up as "service charge" and every night they add that days charge.

[smeyer418]

[quote name='SukaCruise']This might have been discussed before (sorry, I can't read all 9 pages of discussion :p), but do we get a summary of daily charges? If so, will the service charge be in it? Unless the service charge is only listed at the end of the cruise, then I don't see a reason why people line up to dispute it.[/quote]


The service charge is added daily. You can get a copy of your current changes any time at the front desk but normally they don't send you a copy until the last night. That is why everyone runs down the last morning. personally I check a couple of times a cruise. There have been minor errors which they always happily fix.