Service Charge for children

[georgiajersey]

We were on the Dawn 5 years ago to Bermuda and the steward who took care of the room with our 9 month old grandson was fabulous - he seemed to have stationed himself outside the room during naptimes to make sure people in the corridor were quiet. Just taking care of a small room packed with stroller, pack n' play, toys, etc. was a major task. It seemed as tho all the ship staff knew the baby's name. It was a wonderful experience.

[terrymtex01]

As a first time NCL cruiser, I was not surprised by the $12 per person per day service charge. MY DH & I traveled on the Star on 8/15 with our 8-year old son. I had no problem with the full charge service charge for him. The cabin steward made up & put away his pull out couch every night.

 

Regarding the smaller service issues, we did encounter some. I was not aware that a children's menu was even available in the MDR. None of the waiters offered us one or even mentioned that one was available. It's not a major issue that should alter the service charge, but it is one of the "little things" that you miss. Another instance I can point out was in the second of the two MDRs on the Star. That night was a particular disaster. All of the wait staff seemed very harried & distracted. Our waiter was missing for most of the meal. We did not even get beverage service after asking repeatedly. The wine list just never appeared and the bar server never did either. The restaurant manager never made it over to our table so we could not voice our concerns. We spoke to the Hotel Staff regarding this, but I'm not sure if they cared or not.

 

On a lot of cruises today, I feel that the "little things" are missing. It is not something that use to occur when cruise ships were smaller. I'm not sure what the answer is, because cruise lines are sure not going to make smaller ships! Maybe they need to add more staff?

 

I love cruising & have been doing so since I was 17 years old. These issues won't prevent me from cruising in the future, but it does make me think more fondly of the type of cruising I experienced 15 or 20 years ago.

 

As much as I still love cruising, I have to agree with you that pretty much across the board with all cruiselines this is a true statement. For the mass market cruiselines at least. Love the service we get on NCL for sure, but it's not what it was industry wide, even ten or 12 years ago.

 

You know.. I some how feel that we, the public, are to blame. I compare this to the same issue we have in the US with customer service in our stores now days. The only store I really do believe exhibits TRUE customer service on a regular and ongoing basis is Nieman Marcus. We all have decided that we would rather have lower prices than good and true customer service and sales people/store staff that really do care about the customer. The employees in general have no incentative to be helpful or to care. Now of course that is a blanket statement and of course you can find great sales people and those that care about the customer here and there. Thats why when we do run across those people I always try to make the effort to point them out to their manager and let the manager know it is employees like that who keep me coming back to their place of business. Do that with servers in restaurants as well. Alas, it is the world we now live in.

[CC Help Michell]

As much as I still love cruising, I have to agree with you that pretty much across the board with all cruiselines this is a true statement. For the mass market cruiselines at least. Love the service we get on NCL for sure, but it's not what it was industry wide, even ten or 12 years ago.

 

You know.. I some how feel that we, the public, are to blame. I compare this to the same issue we have in the US with customer service in our stores now days. The only store I really do believe exhibits TRUE customer service on a regular and ongoing basis is Nieman Marcus. We all have decided that we would rather have lower prices than good and true customer service and sales people/store staff that really do care about the customer. The employees in general have no incentative to be helpful or to care. Now of course that is a blanket statement and of course you can find great sales people and those that care about the customer here and there. Thats why when we do run across those people I always try to make the effort to point them out to their manager and let the manager know it is employees like that who keep me coming back to their place of business. Do that with servers in restaurants as well. Alas, it is the world we now live in.

 

We pay less (in real dollars, never mind inflation-adjusted ones) for cruises today than we did in the 80's. That has to be made up somewhere, and I think for most cruiselines a big part of it is cutting down on staff numbers. They still try to offer the same kinds of service, but the passenger/crew ratios seem to have increased rather significantly. I could be wrong about that, though -- I haven't done a scientific study. Maybe one day soon I'll go dig up my Cruise Travel magazine files from 15+ years ago and see what kinds of ratios were reported for the ships sailing then, compared to today. It would be interesting.

[nykaren_greg]

Thats why when we do run across those people I always try to make the effort to point them out to their manager and let the manager know it is employees like that who keep me coming back to their place of business. Do that with servers in restaurants as well. Alas, it is the world we now live in.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. When I do run across exceptional service I do try to go out of my way to give that person kudos to the management. We did run across spots of excellent and outstanding service on this cruise on the Star. There was a barman who was exceptional & even found seats for us in crowded shows. You better believe that we compensated him monetarily for his above & beyond service, but we also were sure to point it out to the bar manager & the hotel manager. I just feel a bit sad that this type of service use to be the norm instead of the exception. But, it is the way of the industry now and unless they hire more crew things will not change. I doubt any cruise line is going to take away passenger space for crew space!

[nykaren_greg]

Thats why when we do run across those people I always try to make the effort to point them out to their manager and let the manager know it is employees like that who keep me coming back to their place of business. Do that with servers in restaurants as well. Alas, it is the world we now live in.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. When I do run across exceptional service I do try to go out of my way to give that person kudos to the management. We did run across spots of excellent and outstanding service on this cruise on the Star. There was a barman who was exceptional & even found seats for us in crowded shows. You better believe that we compensated him monetarily for his above & beyond service, but we also were sure to point it out to the bar manager & the hotel manager. I just feel a bit sad that this type of service use to be the norm instead of the exception. But, it is the way of the industry now and unless they hire more crew things will not change. I doubt any cruise line is going to take away passenger space for crew space!

 

Still love cruising though!

[sottovoce]

Just noticed on the Royal Caribbean web site that if you choose "My Time Dining" (their optional variant on freestyle) prepaid gratuities are required.

[nykaren_greg]

I don't have a problem with the prepaid gratuities, especially with the freestyle. I do feel that this might have some effect on the customer service received since the crew is not totally working for the tips. It just might take away some of the incentive. Not fo the exceptional workers, but for those others. Knowing you are going to get your gratuity no matter what can be a demotivator for some. Trying not to sound too cynical here!

[chapichapo]

As a first time NCL cruiser, I was not surprised by the $12 per person per day service charge. MY DH & I traveled on the Star on 8/15 with our 8-year old son. I had no problem with the full charge service charge for him. The cabin steward made up & put away his pull out couch every night.

 

Regarding the smaller service issues, we did encounter some. I was not aware that a children's menu was even available in the MDR. None of the waiters offered us one or even mentioned that one was available. It's not a major issue that should alter the service charge, but it is one of the "little things" that you miss. Another instance I can point out was in the second of the two MDRs on the Star. That night was a particular disaster. All of the wait staff seemed very harried & distracted. Our waiter was missing for most of the meal. We did not even get beverage service after asking repeatedly. The wine list just never appeared and the bar server never did either. The restaurant manager never made it over to our table so we could not voice our concerns. We spoke to the Hotel Staff regarding this, but I'm not sure if they cared or not.

 

On a lot of cruises today, I feel that the "little things" are missing. It is not something that use to occur when cruise ships were smaller. I'm not sure what the answer is, because cruise lines are sure not going to make smaller ships! Maybe they need to add more staff?

 

I love cruising & have been doing so since I was 17 years old. These issues won't prevent me from cruising in the future, but it does make me think more fondly of the type of cruising I experienced 15 or 20 years ago.

I have to say that I have cruised as a child with my parents and I have cruised last year as an adult. With Celebrity cruises. I thought the service was a lot better, and everything was just perfect. The cabin steward also made up & put away his pull out couch every night and with such kindness, he was invisible yet always there (and with a smile and a yes to whatever we asked). The staff on the restaurant were allways friendly and helpfull and did their best to serve us - from the first day we were offered the kid's menu and explained we could also ask whatever we wanted from the normal menu for my child (the maître d' even explained that deserts were sometimes better on the grown ups menu). The staff was just amazing, always there, always smiling, making you feel at home... I think we probably get what we pay for. It's true Celebrity is a bit more expensive than NCL. :cool: Well, of course in the end, we payed the service charge per day as 3 adults and not 2 adults and one child. We also wrote an excellent review in the last day in the evaluation cards, specifically mentioning all the staff we thought was really competent.

[lilcruzr]

We sailed on the Dawn with our 10 DS in March. The staff were wonderful to him. We had a wondferul server in Aqua, Simona. She brought my son two scoops of chocolate ice cream for dessert one night. I think he fell in love. Another server cut his prime rib for him in Venetian and made a fuss over him. Our stewards were wonderful and made him special towell "works of art" and brought him fruit. We made sure that we told the hotel director how they went the extra mile for us. We also filled out STYLE cards for them. We knew that they had children's menus in the MDR's, but my son ate from the adult menus except for the last night when he was given a children's menu from a different server. He stated to us, "You never told me they had children's menus!" We told him that he probably would not have chosen to eat a variety of different foods. I did not mind paying the service charge for him as they treated him so well.

[*Wink*]

... I did not mind paying the service charge for him as they treated him so well.

 

And it sounds like the reverse was also true. It's all about showing respect. Glad your family had such great service.

 

From a KC Gal.. originally. ;)

[justcake]

Just want everyone to know that I have no problem paying the service charge for my kids but I would like to make a point about the $12/day. Normally I tip 20% for services on the total price of the meal, service etc. When my kids were small they spent a great deal less than I did. eg. there meals were a lot less expensive. Therefore, to me it makes sense that they pay less; 20% of $10 is a lot less than 20% of $20. Again, I personally have no problem paying the full amount for them but I can understand why some people would.

[MrLee]

I think the point is that it's not just a tip for your waiter.waitress. It's also for the room steward and to help some of the folks who normally don't get a tip. The cooks, buffet attendants, even the guy who is always polishing wherever you go (how does he know where I'm going and get ahead of me to polish things anyway ;)). I'm not really sure who is included but it's more than most of us think about.

[Don Haynes]

Turn the situation around for children. If a child is mowing your lawn you don't pay half the price of an adult mowing your lawn. Why should a child pay less for the same service as an adult? Notice I didn't say the price of a cruise fare or meals. I said service....

[njhorseman]

Turn the situation around for children. If a child is mowing your lawn you don't pay half the price of an adult mowing your lawn. Why should a child pay less for the same service as an adult? Notice I didn't say the price of a cruise fare or meals. I said service....

 

 

Actually, many years ago when we would have neighborhood children mow our lawn or shovel snow from our driveway, we would pay them far less than you would have to pay an adult to do the same jobs. That was the big advantage to having those chores done by the neighborhood kids rather than professional lawn services and snow plowing services.

[newmexicoNita]

I don't have a problem with the prepaid gratuities, especially with the freestyle. I do feel that this might have some effect on the customer service received since the crew is not totally working for the tips. It just might take away some of the incentive. Not fo the exceptional workers, but for those others. Knowing you are going to get your gratuity no matter what can be a demotivator for some. Trying not to sound too cynical here!

 

I think you do have a point, and I think service has gone down a little since the policy started and since freestyle has been in effect, but I still prefer the auto tipping and freestyle to any other type of cruising. I think we have to give a little to get a little. One thing to remember, if service is too bad and the crew member gets complaints, there contract will not be renewed. Believe me there is a weight list for positions on cruise ships. This alone should make the crew stay on their toes.

 

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I have to say that I have cruised as a child with my parents and I have cruised last year as an adult. With Celebrity cruises. I thought the service was a lot better, and everything was just perfect. The cabin steward also made up & put away his pull out couch every night and with such kindness, he was invisible yet always there (and with a smile and a yes to whatever we asked). The staff on the restaurant were allways friendly and helpfull and did their best to serve us - from the first day we were offered the kid's menu and explained we could also ask whatever we wanted from the normal menu for my child (the maître d' even explained that deserts were sometimes better on the grown ups menu). The staff was just amazing, always there, always smiling, making you feel at home... I think we probably get what we pay for. It's true Celebrity is a bit more expensive than NCL. :cool: Well, of course in the end, we payed the service charge per day as 3 adults and not 2 adults and one child. We also wrote an excellent review in the last day in the evaluation cards, specifically mentioning all the staff we thought was really competent.

 

Sorry, still a matter of opinion and a particular sailing. The worst service we have had was on Princess, next was Celebrity, but we have had good on both as well. It is simply a matter of the draw.. I am glad you had such good service. I guess my next question would be what NCL ship were you on that didn't give you as good service as Celebrity or were you on an NCL ship? We have had great service on Celebrity but as I said, poor as well.

 

Nita

[hat776]

Mr Lee = I just asked on another thread if the chap who spends his day polishing away and still manages to smile at everyone gets a share of the DSC ?

[sottovoce]

Sorry, still a matter of opinion and a particular sailing. The worst service we have had was on Princess, next was Celebrity, but we have had good on both as well. It is simply a matter of the draw.. I am glad you had such good service. I guess my next question would be what NCL ship were you on that didn't give you as good service as Celebrity or were you on an NCL ship? We have had great service on Celebrity but as I said, poor as well.

 

Nita

As usual, Nita, you're right on. The service we experienced on HAL and Celebrity was no better than we've had on NCL. Some people are snowed by the bowing and scraping and fawning and rental tuxedos, but the bottom-line was no different in terms of service quality.

[chapichapo]

I'm hoping you are right, Nita. My first cruiseon NCL will start next sunday. I was actually answering the question about the poor service on NCL. Nothing like this ever happened on our cruises...

I definitely agree that good service/great service, etc deserves the appropriate service charge....however, what about when the service is POOR? As on the DAWN...in my opinion....travelling with children in my party...NEVER being offered a children's menu....never being offered a high chair [as i carried my 16-month old]...guess they thought he was going on a chair....little things, i know...but little things that shouldn't be issues, in my opinion...ncl makes too few people handle too many tasks, and because of it, something is lacking....service to the people...a picture [from the art auction] fell ON MY SISTER IN LAWS HEAD....the "doctor" laughed, scratched her head, said, "i'm messing up your hair"....handed her a plastic bag and said call room service for ice...the plastic bag had a hole in it....can't make this stuff up...gotta love the lawlessness of maritime law....

Someone was saying the service is worst now then it was some years ago... well, I did sail as a child and I think the service we got last year was of the same kind perhaps even better.

[chapichapo]

As a first time NCL cruiser, I was not surprised by the $12 per person per day service charge. MY DH & I traveled on the Star on 8/15 with our 8-year old son. I had no problem with the full charge service charge for him. The cabin steward made up & put away his pull out couch every night.

 

Regarding the smaller service issues, we did encounter some. I was not aware that a children's menu was even available in the MDR. None of the waiters offered us one or even mentioned that one was available. It's not a major issue that should alter the service charge, but it is one of the "little things" that you miss. Another instance I can point out was in the second of the two MDRs on the Star. That night was a particular disaster. All of the wait staff seemed very harried & distracted. Our waiter was missing for most of the meal. We did not even get beverage service after asking repeatedly. The wine list just never appeared and the bar server never did either. The restaurant manager never made it over to our table so we could not voice our concerns. We spoke to the Hotel Staff regarding this, but I'm not sure if they cared or not.

 

On a lot of cruises today, I feel that the "little things" are missing. It is not something that use to occur when cruise ships were smaller. I'm not sure what the answer is, because cruise lines are sure not going to make smaller ships! Maybe they need to add more staff?

 

I love cruising & have been doing so since I was 17 years old. These issues won't prevent me from cruising in the future, but it does make me think more fondly of the type of cruising I experienced 15 or 20 years ago.

Here is the other post I was answering... If there are so many problems with NCL service I don't know but I didn't find any of this in Celebrity although we did pay more for the cruise...

[nykaren_greg]

What I was saying was that as a whole, service is a bit worse than it was 15 years ago. This is for across all cruise lines, not just NCL. I have received good, great, and bad service on Celebrity, Carnival, etc. I think that industry wide this is most likely caused by large ship with a lower passenger to crew ratio. It is not the result of freestyle. It is the result of more passengers and less crew - freestyle or traditional. It is only my (& my DH's) perception.

[MrLee]

It is only my (& my DH's) perception.

 

 

Did you by any chance give him his opinion?

 

(Sorry...couldn't resist) ;)

[CruisnGram]

There is no way I could afford that!!! :D

 

I can't believe no one commented on this earlier. LOL Good one! :)

 

CG

[nykaren_greg]

Did you by any chance give him his opinion?

 

(Sorry...couldn't resist) ;)

 

 

No. He actually use to work in the service industry, so he is pickier than I am. :D

 

Cruising is different now than in the past. That's just the way it is & that's not going to change. With the advent of specialty restaurants, your waiter will not have the chance to build a rapport with you & get to know your likes & dislikes. But, ships are bigger and more beautiful. You have to take the good with the bad!

[sottovoce]

With the advent of specialty restaurants, your waiter will not have the chance to build a rapport with you & get to know your likes & dislikes.

One assumes that the passenger "knows his or her likes and dislikes." Why is it necessary for anyone else to know them? In case you forget? And what's the big deal with building rapport with your waiter while on vacation?

 

Some of this nonsense just amazes me. One person wants to withhold the service charge because they weren't handed a children's menu. Got a voice? Ask for one. But I guess it's more important to run to the internet and make a big deal out of nothing. World is full of whiners, and too many frequent Cruise Critic, I regret to say. Wah, wah, wah.