Tips

[Katie Cruiser]

Its been a few years since we cruised. Have forgotten what the tip policy is. Could someone please help. Or show me where to find. Don't have a brochure.

Thank you

[garycarla]

There are a few active postings talking about just this, including one that was just below yours on this page.

 

But - it is $12 per person per day, plus auto add on any drinks. They call it a service charge.

[njhorseman]

From the FAQs on NCL's Web site:

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=FAQ#tipping

What about Tipping?

Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

 

What's the service charge?

Why is there a service charge?

The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports.

How much is the charge?

Onboard Service Charges are additional. A charge of $12 per person per day will automatically be added to your onboard account.

Are service charges across the board for all guests?

All guests 3 years or older.

How do I prepay my service charges?

Contact your travel professional and request that it be added to your cruise reservation. If you have not made final payment this will be included in your final payment amount or if final payment has already been made we will require full payment at the time it is added.

At what point in the booking process can the prepaid charges be added?

They can be added at anytime up to 24 hours prior to sailing.

Why would I prepay my service charges?

The convenience of pre-paying the service charges allows you to plan your budget prior to your cruise giving you additional freedom while on board.

If I cancel my cruise are the service charges refundable?

Yes! The service charges are 100% refundable.

If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?

Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board reception desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

[Katie Cruiser]

Thank you, I just found it myself. Boy seems kinda of high $12 per day per person. Especially on a 14 nite cruise. Don't remember it being so much when tipping yourself. Plus some received better tips for their good service. Will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge.

[njhorseman]

Thank you, I just found it myself. Boy seems kinda of high $12 per day per person. Especially on a 14 nite cruise. Don't remember it being so much when tipping yourself. Plus some received better tips for their good service. Will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge.

 

 

NCL raised the Daily Service Charge from $10 to $12 within the past year. also important to note is that now the full service charge is added to your account for children age 3 and older.

[uppitycats]

Thank you, I just found it myself. Boy seems kinda of high $12 per day per person. Especially on a 14 nite cruise. Don't remember it being so much when tipping yourself. Plus some received better tips for their good service. Will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge.

 

It probably wasn't so much when people tipped themselves -- because many people "forgot" to tip, or didn't tip the suggested amount, or didn't find everyone they were asked to tip, or...

 

so the cruise lines (not just NCL) instituted this system. NCL calls it a "service charge". Other lines offer you the "opportunity to pre-pay your tips", and so on.

 

On my first cruise, many years ago now, it was $10 per person per day that was recommended (on a tip-yourself plan), and it was just this last January that NCL increased the "service charge" from $10 to $12 per person per day.

 

You said, "...will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge..." You don't have to tip on top of the service charge! The service charge IS the tip! Some folks like to tip their cabin stewards additionally, and sometimes servers in the specialty (for fee) restaurants, but that isn't necessary, either. Besides, with the freestyle dining, it would be almost impossible to find every one of your servers to tip them the "old fashioned way", anyway.

 

Since it's been awhile since you've cruised, you might want to spend time on the NCL site to find out all the new things, like the specialty (for fee) restaurants, freestyle dining, and all the rest.

[sottovoce]

Thank you, I just found it myself. Boy seems kinda of high $12 per day per person. Especially on a 14 nite cruise. Don't remember it being so much when tipping yourself. Plus some received better tips for their good service. Will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge.

Actually, it's not "high" at all. If you eat three meals a day in the dining room, you're having at least $50 worth of food ($10 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, $25 for dinner). At 18% that's $9 right there. $3/day for your room steward makes $12 easily. That doesn't count service in the buffet or Blue Lagoon for snacks, afternoon tea, late night wings, etc.

[Don Haynes]

If you stayed in a nice hotel two weeks, and ate a ten dollar breakfast and lunch, along with a twenty dollar dinner, your meal tips could easily add up to $6 a day per person before the drinks were included. If one added a snack or a dessert the tip could easily be a dollar or two more. Also one usually tips at a hotel the bell hops, room service, cab drivers, and the housekeeping staff too. I wouldn't think $12 is all that unreasonable at a nice hotel. Maybe a bit high, but pretty much the same for nice cruise ships.

 

Another alternative to cruise line tipping could be to charge 15 percent of your cruise line fares and charges, food included. This would probably add up to over a hundred dollars per day, or fifteen dollars. Some hotels could be over two hundred dollars per day. Like the rest of us, ten dollars sounds better than twelve dollars, but twelve dollars isn't that unreasonable.

 

The problem is that we aren't paying for a day or two, its for the entire week or more.... The daily charges add up quickly.... One should plan and allot this amount over the week or two.... Cruise line workers and hotel workers shouldn't have to discount tips....

 

Most of us are paying more than a hundred dollars a day per passenger for a cruise.....

[Duff Man]

Yes, don't forget it covers room stewards and all dining persons.

 

It's not that far out of line with other cruise lines. Based upon their present guidelines, I think Carnival is $10 day pp, Princess is $10.50 day pp and RCCL adds up to $9.75 day pp. I would not be surprised if the "guidelines" at the other cruise lines go up in the near future.

[mypleasure]

Thank you, I just found it myself. Boy seems kinda of high $12 per day per person. Especially on a 14 nite cruise. Don't remember it being so much when tipping yourself. Plus some received better tips for their good service. Will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge.

 

What I would like to know is how much would you consider to be a reasonable amount to leave for each breakfast,lunch,dinner, snack, drink given that the freestyle concept means you will rarely get the samw waiter more than once and what you would leave for the steward on a 14 night cruise assuming no service charges were being levied?

[sottovoce]

What I would like to know is how much would you consider to be a reasonable amount to leave for each breakfast,lunch,dinner, snack, drink given that the freestyle concept means you will rarely get the samw waiter more than once and what you would leave for the steward on a 14 night cruise assuming no service charges were being levied?

If you choose RCCL's "My Time Dining," your service charge is required to be prepaid.

[nykaren_greg]

I think the service charge is reasonable. I actually think it might have been more expensive in the past. I remember having to tip the waiter, the assistant waiter, the bussers, the wine steward, cabin steward, the deckhand who turned your lounge chair toward the sun all day, etc, etc! However, I think it was a bit "nicer" to hand your waiter or your cabin steward his tip. This is harder, if not impossible, to do now because of anytime dining & specialty restaurants. You don't have the same waiter each night of the cruise. Like it or not, I think all cruise lines will go to the automatic system.

[cliodoc]

Please remember that the "tip" is divided among ALL the crew members. Previously we tipped the cabin steward, waiters, etc individually. The gys who prepared the meals, cleaned the ship, etc. got nothing. I like the present arrangement because the tip hits the entire crew.

[JohnIreland]

It wouldn't clean a cabin twice and serve 3/4 meals for $12.

 

So seems very fair to me.

[mypleasure]

If you choose RCCL's "My Time Dining," your service charge is required to be prepaid.

 

 

I am unlikely to finds myself on an RCCL cruise but I am interested that their charge is required. What I am getting at is that if the OP finds $12 per day to be kind of high what do they think they should tip for each person for all of the people covered if the charge wasn't levied and they had to tip at the time of each meal.

[Herb44]

Set, flat charge for all staff (in June, it was $12 per day per person). We did a B2B on the Jade in June, and gave each of our cabin attendants $20 extra. They showed their appreciation by a superbly kept cabin.

[Katie Cruiser]

To be honest I am someone who tips for a good job received. When out to a restuarant I usually leave a 20% tip for a good waitress. So its not like I don't like to tip. (Also my daughter is a hair dresser and lives on those tips.) Everyone has to make a living. But I feel that I am being made to tip someone who might not do a good job. Tips should be adjusted for how well someone performed. I also know that most cruiselines don't pay their employees very much money, so they depend on their tips, but if they know how much money they will be getting, they don't have to work as hard. Unless of course they are looking for and extra tip. I didn't ask for others to be judgemental on my asking. Just was giving my opinion. Makes someone not want to ask a question and make a comment afterward and listen to others being judgemental on what someone else says!

[flattop223]

I didn't ask for others to be judgemental on my asking. Just was giving my opinion. Makes someone not want to ask a question and make a comment afterward and listen to others being judgemental on what someone else says!

 

what I have noticed is that there are several topics here that if you mention one way or the other there are several people that will jump on it and give you what for... tipping is one of those subjects.

[discjoker]

I also know that most cruiselines don't pay their employees very much money, so they depend on their tips, but if they know how much money they will be getting, they don't have to work as hard. Unless of course they are looking for and extra tip.

 

I totally disagree with that way of thinking. It is an insult to the hard working crew to think that they work less hard or are less attentive because they "know how much mone they will be getting". And the fact that you imply that if they are in fact working "as hard" they are doing so because "they are looking for an extra tip" is quite insulting. The vast majority of those who work on a cruise ship (and most places actually) have work ethic and pride.

[flattop223]

People aren't reacting to your question. The question was fine. The follow-up is where the reactions are aiming.

 

you are right about where the people are reacting from but if anyone says they are too high it is automatically that some people will flame and tell you why they are not... and same goes the other way...

 

do I think $12 is too high will have to wait and see how the service is... but even if I decide that it should be higher I would like to see a break down of what % goes where and have an option of adjusting the % of the whole as I see fit based on the service I recieved.

[njhorseman]

you are right about where the people are reacting from but if anyone says they are too high it is automatically that some people will flame and tell you why they are not... and same goes the other way...

 

do I think $12 is too high will have to wait and see how the service is... but even if I decide that it should be higher I would like to see a break down of what % goes where and have an option of adjusting the % of the whole as I see fit based on the service I recieved.

 

You're not going to see a breakdown. That is a private matter between the cruise line and its employees.

[Don Haynes]

The simple truth of the matter is that so, so many refused to dine in the main dining rooms the last night of a cruise when tipping was optional or suggested on the last night. Up to half of the passengers failed to tip properly. Its no wonder the cruise lines have now gone to automatic daily surcharges. They had to to keep their employees, not so much as to nickel and dime us.

 

And for those who suggest the cruise lines add the costs of their employees fully upon the fares, keep in mind the cruise fares would increase along with paying an increased state included sales tax. I would rather pay the daily surcharge than pay an increased sales tax for the extra fare price reflecting the daily surcharge....

[mypleasure]

If you are not prepared to pay the DSC you should not cruise NCL but should choose another cruiseline.

 

2inTul, both you and sbjdtz are right on the money!

 

The service charge to me is a cost of cruising and added into the budget right at the start. We also budget to give extra tips when appropriate, excursions, drinks, speciality dining and port expenses and souvenirs. If it busts the budget we either take time to discuss it or decline it. However, I do not consider the service charge to be optional and even if someone did give bad service I wouldn't be at the front desk asking for it to be removed as that would punish hundreds for what 1 person did to cause me some displeasure for a few moments.

[flattop223]

You're not going to see a breakdown. That is a private matter between the cruise line and its employees.

 

why would MY tip be a private matter between people other then me and the person/people I am giving the tips to... carnival gives a breakdown, I didn't like the way it went and while not reducing the amount I was tipping I made a couple changes based on what I did, where I ate, services I used

[Kancruze]

Thank you, I just found it myself. Boy seems kinda of high $12 per day per person. Especially on a 14 nite cruise. Don't remember it being so much when tipping yourself. Plus some received better tips for their good service. Will find it hard to tip on top of the service charge.

 

I figure the current service charge is a bargain. If I ate 3 meals a day in restaurants it would easily be $12-15 for tips. And that would only be for the waiters not the stewards, the maitre d's, and all the people behind the scenes making sure I have a great cruise. And great cruises I have done (4 and counting) thanks to the great crews onboard.

BTW, I tip extra over and above the DSC. I appreciate what these people do and the vast majority of them do it with an honest smile. They certainly have my admiration cause I couldn't deal with catering to the likes of some people.