NCL raises gratuity but why is suite higher

Last September I called NCL and asked them specifically if the Butler and Room Steward received any of the gratuities if you were booked in a suite.

NCL indicated staff who attend to the suites are not part of the pool. We had a wonderful trip and gave $400 amongst the 2 individuals who took care of us and our room. Now NCL has increased gratuity to $12.95 pp/day for cabins and $14.95 for suites. We are going away in May so I called

NCL and asked if they've changed their policy to now include the suite butler and suite steward since the price is different. They informed me it hasn't changed and the suite butler & steward are not part of the pool. Does this make sense to anyone? If the gratuity price is higher for suite guests shouldn't the special suite staff get part of it? (You can still always tip extra if you want)

Last September I called NCL and asked them specifically if the Butler and Room Steward received any of the gratuities if you were booked in a suite.

NCL indicated staff who attend to the suites are not part of the pool. We had a wonderful trip and gave $400 amongst the 2 individuals who took care of us and our room. Now NCL has increased gratuity to $12.95 pp/day for cabins and $14.95 for suites. We are going away in May so I called

NCL and asked if they've changed their policy to now include the suite butler and suite steward since the price is different. They informed me it hasn't changed and the suite butler & steward are not part of the pool. Does this make sense to anyone? If the gratuity price is higher for suite guests shouldn't the special suite staff get part of it? (You can still always tip extra if you want)

Perhaps those statements were designed to extract those extra tips.;)

If a cruise line is charging a daily gratuity I will assume the staff I deal with are part of the pool. If they are not it's none of my business.

Thank you DirtyDawg. I'm skeptical that the cruise line actually pays out all that they take in for gratuities so I just want to make sure staff who do a great job get compensated. I guess I'll tip extra cash when service is very good.

Perhaps those statements were designed to extract those extra tips.;)

 

If a cruise line is charging a daily gratuity I will assume the staff I deal with are part of the pool. If they are not it's none of my business.

No, it's pretty well understood if you are traveling in a suite on NCL that your butler and concierge do not receive any if the DSC.

OP, are you sure they said room steward not concierge? I could guess a couple reasons, one I'd that suites are larger and perhaps require more time from the cabin steward to clean the suite, etc. (asuming the room steward is included in DSC). They also need to give some suite DSC to servers in the suite only restaurant. The other is that NCL assumes if you are booked in a suite you can afford the extra 2 bucks pp per day.

ETA: You might want to post this on NCL board, plenty of NCL suite cruisers there.

According to the NCL website the room steward is part of the DSC I copied and pasted the information from the website below, (This information could change at any moment) I know this doesn't answer your question on why the difference in the DSC most likely because they can. It could be because suites get to eat in Cagney's for breakfast and lunch and it covers the extra help? This is a guess at best. The Butler and the Concierge are not part of the DSC, maybe someone can help me. There is a suggested rate of $5.00 to $10.00 per person per day for the Butler and between $3.00 to $5.00 per person per day for the Concierge depending on how much you use the services. Is this about right?

I will need to know this for a cruise next year.

What about Gratuities? FROM THE NCL SITE.

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 18% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 18% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

http://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

NCL's website says cabin stewards are included in DSC. No distinction between suites and regular cabins.

No, it's pretty well understood if you are traveling in a suite on NCL that your butler and concierge do not receive any if the DSC.

I thought the OP was talking about the room steward and the butler. So the steward is in and the butler and the concierge are not? Good to know. Do the folks in customer service at NCL know this?

Wonder if this is being discussed on the NCL board, where there is likely to be more info.

FYI, most cruise lines do charge ore on the HSC for suites.

 

What about Gratuities? FROM THE NCL SITE.

 

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 18% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 18% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

So which is true? Beverage staff are getting 18% on each drink. That seems par for the course on a drink.

It has been years since we sailed on NCL and I am getting a lot of information here of the changes over the years.

A suite is much larger than a standard cabin, hence the higher tips. The tips DO cover the steward..they have never covered the butler or concierge, since not everyone uses their services. If you use them, tip them. If you don't use their services, no tip needed.

So which is true? Beverage staff are getting 18% on each drink. That seems par for the course on a drink.

They're saying that beverage staff aren't part of the $12 daily service charge pool because instead they're compensated by part of the 18% per drink.

Last September I called NCL and asked them specifically if the Butler and Room Steward received any of the gratuities if you were booked in a suite.

NCL indicated staff who attend to the suites are not part of the pool. We had a wonderful trip and gave $400 amongst the 2 individuals who took care of us and our room. Now NCL has increased gratuity to $12.95 pp/day for cabins and $14.95 for suites. We are going away in May so I called

NCL and asked if they've changed their policy to now include the suite butler and suite steward since the price is different. They informed me it hasn't changed and the suite butler & steward are not part of the pool. Does this make sense to anyone? If the gratuity price is higher for suite guests shouldn't the special suite staff get part of it? (You can still always tip extra if you want)

There are literally hundreds of pages of discussions debating this issue on the NCL boards. That is the best place to go for information on this issue.

Thank you DirtyDawg. I'm skeptical that the cruise line actually pays out all that they take in for gratuities so I just want to make sure staff who do a great job get compensated. I guess I'll tip extra cash when service is very good.

Just as an FYI, NCL does not collect gratuities. It is a daily service charge and it is different. You do not need to worry how staff is compensated, that is not your concern (you don't worry about how office workers at home are compensated do you?).

If you want to give a staff member a gratuity by all means do so, but don't be concerned with how they are paid, just pay the mandatory service charge.

http://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

 

NCL's website says cabin stewards are included in DSC. No distinction between suites and regular cabins.

If you had read a little further you have seen...

Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities.

Suite staff, concierge and butler are not included in the pool..

Just as an FYI, NCL does not collect gratuities. It is a daily service charge and it is different. You do not need to worry how staff is compensated, that is not your concern (you don't worry about how office workers at home are compensated do you?).

 

If you want to give a staff member a gratuity by all means do so, but don't be concerned with how they are paid, just pay the mandatory service charge.

The charge is identified as a discretionary service charge and can be adjusted as the guest sees fit. People paying the charge have the right to be concerned how their money is distributed. Otherwise, they may have the entire DSC deleted and distribute the tips as they see fit to be sure the tips get to the right people.

It is the same on HAL ships. Concierge is not included in the share of Hotel Service Charge and those of us who use their services tip individually. Suites also pay a slightly higher automatic charged Hotel Service Charge than smaller cabins. Our cabin is that much larger they have more work to do to clean and maintain it. My late DH and I always tipped additional at the end of every cruise.

Wouldn't stewards who service suites have fewer suites than stewards who service cabins to make up for the difference in size?

Wouldn't stewards who service suites have fewer suites than stewards who service cabins to make up for the difference in size?

Most cruise lines have cut back on crew and the stewards have to service more cabins. I have sailed the same ships for a great many years always in same category suite.... Often on my favorite ships, the actual same cabin. I have watched as there has been a reduction in the number off stewards servicing the same number of cabins go down to such low numbers. The stewards servicing suites not only have more square footage to take care of but often a number of 'entitled' attitudes. Some folks can be ( IMO ) quite unreasonable in the expectations.

Same for MDR. I have sat at the exact same table on same ships dozens of times and have an exact comparison, apples to apples, of the number of stewards serving the same tables. The crew numbers are drastically down and some service stations that were busily active during dinner service, are not even used now.

They EARN those tips and more.