questions from an excited first time cruiser

[luvtogoplaces]

Hi. I've just booked my first cruise on the NCL Jewel to Florida and Bahamas (8/10). I'm REALLY looking forward to my first cruise and I have a few questions:

1) I will be traveling with my 2 sons (ages 9 and 12). Will my boys enjoy the kids club?

2) Should I tip the staff on the kids club everyday or at the end of the cruise? How much?

3) I plan to tip extra if I receive excellent dinning service. Should I tip if the service is simply good? I understand NCL charges a daily service fee per person anyway.

3) How long do the shows in the Stardust Theatre last?

4) Are all the shows in the Stardust Theatre appropriate for children. I'm afraid the comedian will tell dirty jokes.

5) What drinks are included in the meals? I know ice tea, coffee and water are free. What about milk for the kids?

6) Are unsweetened ice teas served on board (such as Nestea, Lipton or Raspberry icetea)?

7) Can anyone offer tips regarding pool use? Best time to use the pool?

8) Best places for breakfasts? I read that the Garden Buffet is very crowded in the morning.

9) I've booked a balcony room which has a couch that turns into a bed. What size bed will it be?

 

 

I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions later....Thanks in advance for those who will respond!!!!!:)

[SeaShark]

Hi. I've just booked my first cruise on the NCL Jewel to Florida and Bahamas (8/10). I'm REALLY looking forward to my first cruise and I have a few questions:

1) I will be traveling with my 2 sons (ages 9 and 12). Will my boys enjoy the kids club? This question is almost impossible to answer since I don't really know what your children like. Kids are different...different kids like different things.

2) Should I tip the staff on the kids club everyday or at the end of the cruise? How much? At the end of the cruise. The amount should be appropriate for the service rendered.

3) I plan to tip extra if I receive excellent dinning service. Should I tip if the service is simply good? I understand NCL charges a daily service fee per person anyway. Tipping is entirely optional. You should tip if you feel the service justifies the reward. Yes, there is a daily service charge...which should NOT be confused with tips. A service charge is not a gratuity.

3) How long do the shows in the Stardust Theatre last? Usually 60-90 minutes max.

4) Are all the shows in the Stardust Theatre appropriate for children. I'm afraid the comedian will tell dirty jokes. Your kids will be fine in the theatre. There will be seperate "adult only" shows held in the Spinnaker Lounge.

5) What drinks are included in the meals? I know ice tea, coffee and water are free. What about milk for the kids? Milk is included, but is generally only out at breakfast. However, if you ask, they will usually get some for you.

6) Are unsweetened ice teas served on board (such as Nestea, Lipton or Raspberry icetea)? All of the ice tea is unsweetened...and is not the name brands. It comes from a fountain type dispenser.

7) Can anyone offer tips regarding pool use? Best time to use the pool? Don't be a chair hog :eek: ! Again, hard to say what is "best"...do you consider "best" to be the least crowded or the "best" time of the day? To each their own on that one.

8) Best places for breakfasts? I read that the Garden Buffet is very crowded in the morning. The buffet is usually always busy. Great Outdoors is wonderful for breakfast...as is the Main Dining Room. Also, the Jewel was serving breakfast from the Blue Lagoon...not bad either.

9) I've booked a balcony room which has a couch that turns into a bed. What size bed will it be? The couch bed is a slightly wider version of the regular "twin" bed in the room...it is also "more firm".

 

I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions later....Thanks in advance for those who will respond!!!!!:)

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic....glad to have you.

 

 

Make sure you join your Roll Call and attend the Meet & Greet. You won't regret it.

[petesweet]

We "tip" our room stewards extra if we ask for extra favors or if they are "over the top" exceptional (which they many times are). Unlike some others, we don't care what the service charge is called. It is our tip. (And we are not cheap tippers.)

 

We just got off the lovely Jewel. You are in for a treat. When you go to the buffet for either breakfast or lunch, you can walk out the far door and turn right and go into Mama's restaurant, where the overflow can sit. Much quieter and nicer. We did that regularly. Also, as mentioned, the main dining room is open for breakfast, and that gives you a lovely sit-down meal.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Bring your questions, and you'll get all sorts of answers and opinions. Then you can choose which you like.:D

 

Kathy

[terrymtex01]

I really can't add to anything anyone has posted, but I did want to welcome you to CC and to the wonderful world of cruising. It is unlike any other experience. I honestly sometimes don't know which is more addictive... cruising or cruise critic... well.. yes I do know.. LOL. .but they are both fab.

 

It is a tiny bit dishearting when a first time cruiser finds CC. Now take this with the spirit I intend it. Your first cruise is unlike any other, IMHO. Sometimes I think it takes away from that if folks have found CC before their first cruise. Instead of it all being an amazement, a wonderment, so to speak, you kind of have an idea of what all to expect just from visiting CC. It is a double edged sword though in that it's a good thing in your expectations will be more properly set.

 

I guess I do have a tip for you and it is the best tip I could ever give anyone about to take a cruise, especially their first cruise. Take every thing on the cruise with a grain of salt. No cruise is perfect, just like no vacation, or life for that matter, is perfect. But I will tell you, there is nothing as close to perfection to me than being on a cruise ship. No matter what you read here on CC or no matter what anyone tells you anywhere, a cruise is what you make of it. My gut feeling about you just from your first posting is that you are the type that will have a great time aboard a cruise ship. I hope you have the most fantastic vacation ever and I hope you come back here when it is done and tell us all about it. 8-)

 

Any questions that come up don't hesitate to come here and ask.

[Jamisonke]

I really can't add to anything anyone has posted, but I did want to welcome you to CC and to the wonderful world of cruising. It is unlike any other experience. I honestly sometimes don't know which is more addictive... cruising or cruise critic... well.. yes I do know.. LOL. .but they are both fab.

 

It is a tiny bit dishearting when a first time cruiser finds CC. Now take this with the spirit I intend it. Your first cruise is unlike any other, IMHO. Sometimes I think it takes away from that if folks have found CC before their first cruise. Instead of it all being an amazement, a wonderment, so to speak, you kind of have an idea of what all to expect just from visiting CC. It is a double edged sword though in that it's a good thing in your expectations will be more properly set.

 

I guess I do have a tip for you and it is the best tip I could ever give anyone about to take a cruise, especially their first cruise. Take every thing on the cruise with a grain of salt. No cruise is perfect, just like no vacation, or life for that matter, is perfect. But I will tell you, there is nothing as close to perfection to me than being on a cruise ship. No matter what you read here on CC or no matter what anyone tells you anywhere, a cruise is what you make of it. My gut feeling about you just from your first posting is that you are the type that will have a great time aboard a cruise ship. I hope you have the most fantastic vacation ever and I hope you come back here when it is done and tell us all about it. 8-)

 

Any questions that come up don't hesitate to come here and ask.

 

 

My sentiments exactly! Forget you've found this site for your first cruise. Go on the cruise with low expectations, and you'll have a great time. If you focus too much on what advice people give you here, you may find your experience is different which may disappoint you. As Terry and Doug said, no vacation is perfect - so please go and enjoy your cruise!

[mrstrod]

I would assume that at ages 9 and 12 your boys are quite willing to have fun on their own, so I would say that yes, they will enjoy the kids club. One thing you will find is that they would be in different groups - at their ages I doubt they would mind being separated.

 

It is my understanding that the kids club staff is not included in the daily service fee pool. However, you should be aware that the staff in the kids club are NOT paid like the hotel/restaurant staff are. The kids club staff receive full salaries - just as day care staff on land do.

 

But yes, you can tip them but it is not expected not at all. I usually do this at the end of the cruise - like the last time I pick them up or drop them off. As for amounts, yours would differ from mine as mine are younger and need more attention. I will say that I usually give a bit more to any kids club staff member who my child seems to like more. And I also bring little thank you cards with envelopes for this purpose.

 

3) I plan to tip extra if I receive excellent dinning service. Should I tip if the service is simply good? I understand NCL charges a daily service fee per person anyway. This is right from the NCL website: "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."

 

Right there in the first sentence is your answer - you do not need to tip for normally good service. Exceptional service is at your discretion. Some people will try to tell you that the daily service fees are not tips - However they are wrong. This is the exact same charge that the other cruise lines charge except the other cruise lines are more straight forward and call it gratuities.

FYI:

NCL Service fee: $12.00 Per person per day

RCCL Prepaid Gratuities $15.00 per person per day

Carnival Prepaid Gratuities $10.00 per person per day

Princess Prepaid gratuities $10.50 or $11.00 (depending on category) per person per day

 

BTW - welcome to CC

[SeaShark]

I would assume that at ages 9 and 12 your boys are quite willing to have fun on their own, so I would say that yes, they will enjoy the kids club. One thing you will find is that they would be in different groups - at their ages I doubt they would mind being separated.

 

It is my understanding that the kids club staff is not included in the daily service fee pool. However, you should be aware that the staff in the kids club are NOT paid like the hotel/restaurant staff are. The kids club staff receive full salaries - just as day care staff on land do.

 

But yes, you can tip them but it is not expected not at all. I usually do this at the end of the cruise - like the last time I pick them up or drop them off. As for amounts, yours would differ from mine as mine are younger and need more attention. I will say that I usually give a bit more to any kids club staff member who my child seems to like more. And I also bring little thank you cards with envelopes for this purpose.

 

3) I plan to tip extra if I receive excellent dinning service. Should I tip if the service is simply good? I understand NCL charges a daily service fee per person anyway. This is right from the NCL website: "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."

 

Right there in the first sentence is your answer - you do not need to tip for normally good service. Exceptional service is at your discretion. Some people will try to tell you that the daily service fees are not tips - However they are wrong. This is the exact same charge that the other cruise lines charge except the other cruise lines are more straight forward and call it gratuities.

FYI:

NCL Service fee: $12.00 Per person per day

RCCL Prepaid Gratuities $15.00 per person per day

Carnival Prepaid Gratuities $10.00 per person per day

Princess Prepaid gratuities $10.50 or $11.00 (depending on category) per person per day

 

BTW - welcome to CC

 

I will have to disagree with you on the service charge issue. On my recent Jewel cruise, I spent a good amount of time speaking with the HD on various issues...including this one.

 

Many people think that the service charges collected are divided up and handed out to the crew as "tips". This is NOT the case.

 

Service charges are legally the property of the company (NCL) not the employee. Tips, on the other hand, are the property of the employee.

 

As NCL says on their website:

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.

 

Nowhere does it say that the service charge is given directly to employees.

 

The service charge is income to the cruise line...just like the cruise fare is. They give it to the employees in the form of a portion of their salaries, and as part of incentive programs (i.e. employee of the month). It is also used to fund activities geared toward crew morale such as parties, tours, and phone calls home.

 

Money paid to employees through this program is taxed as income. Money given directly to employees by guests are taxed (when claimed) as tips.

[cruiseat50]

 

Welcome to CC and I know you are going to love cruisging (hopefully as much as DH and I found out we do last January). Your boys are truly lucky to be going on their first cruise at such a young age. We don't have kids so can't give you any help there. You will probably want to tip the stewards as they do a wonderful job keeping your room clean and tidy among other things. You may want to tip others if they go the extra mile to make your cruise special but it is not necessary to tip besides that.

 

It is a tiny bit dishearting when a first time cruiser finds CC. Now take this with the spirit I intend it. Your first cruise is unlike any other' date=' IMHO. Sometimes I think it takes away from that if folks have found CC before their first cruise. Instead of it all being an amazement, a wonderment, so to speak, you kind of have an idea of what all to expect just from visiting CC. It is a double edged sword though in that it's a good thing in your expectations will be more properly set. Terry is a great person to give great advise but and I very rarely disagree with him but I will say in this case he is wrong.:eek: oops... oh yes I did just say that. :eek: lol...

I guess I do have a tip for you and it is the best tip I could ever give anyone about to take a cruise, especially their first cruise. Take every thing on the cruise with a grain of salt. No cruise is perfect, just like no vacation, or life for that matter, is perfect. But I will tell you, there is nothing as close to perfection to me than being on a cruise ship. No matter what you read here on CC or no matter what anyone tells you anywhere, a cruise is what you make of it. (he's got that right!)My gut feeling about you just from your first posting is that you are the type that will have a great time aboard a cruise ship. I hope you have the most fantastic vacation ever and I hope you come back here when it is done and tell us all about it. 8-)

.

 

My sentiments exactly! Forget you've found this site for your first cruise. Again, I'm sure they mean well but don't listen to them... lol ;)Go on the cruise with low expectations, and you'll have a great time. If you focus too much on what advice people give you here, you may find your experience is different which may disappoint you. As Terry and Doug said, no vacation is perfect - so please go and enjoy your cruise!

 

Sorry Terry and Jamison I respectfully disagree as DH and I took our 1st cruise last year and I don't think I would have enjoyed our vacation nearly as much if I had not found this site. Actually quite truthfully I doubt I would have even booked a cruise had I not found CC. I started looking at cruising as an option for my 50th celebration because of a friend who told me about this place. I learned so much before I went about things to look for and to bring and a wealth of information which helped prepare us. But believe me that OP and sons will still have a wonderful time as nothing completely prepares you until you are on the boat and being spoiled rotten! I will admit a lot of what I had thought I was going to do before I got on the ship kinda went out the porthole or in our case the aft balcony because I just loved being there and just chillin' so I missed some things...oh well:D say laveee (I know, not how it's spelled)lol...

 

One of the biggest things that I can offer as advise to the OP is to join the Roll Call for your cruise. You can meet a lot of nice people before you even step foot on board. They will probably also have veteran cruisers there that can help you out with some of your questions that relate directly to your sailing.

 

Happy sailing!

[mrstrod]

I will have to disagree with you on the service charge issue. On my recent Jewel cruise, I spent a good amount of time speaking with the HD on various issues...including this one.

 

Many people think that the service charges collected are divided up and handed out to the crew as "tips". This is NOT the case.

 

Service charges are legally the property of the company (NCL) not the employee. Tips, on the other hand, are the property of the employee.

 

As NCL says on their website:

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.

Nowhere does it say that the service charge is given directly to employees.

 

The service charge is income to the cruise line...just like the cruise fare is. They give it to the employees in the form of a portion of their salaries, and as part of incentive programs (i.e. employee of the month). It is also used to fund activities geared toward crew morale such as parties, tours, and phone calls home.

 

Money paid to employees through this program is taxed as income. Money given directly to employees by guests are taxed (when claimed) as tips.

 

NCL can spin it any way they wish - the fact of the matter is that the fee IS a supplement to the staffs income. It doesn't matter what the government is taxing them for - income is income.

 

BTW - the other cruise lines do distribute the tips they collect in quite the same way. My husband who is Filipino always seems to form a extra special friendship with the Filipinos that work on the ships (many of the cruise staff come from the Philippines). When we have spoken with them on this in the past, they have always said that just because you charge your tips to your account does not mean that they see it all in actual tips. Some goes into their checks and some goes into programs which benefits all employees.

 

This is one reason why we usually do not allow our tips to go onto our cabin account - but when we have no choice like with NCL - we just give additional envelopes to the staff that go the extra mile.

[BarbRN]

Just home from my first NCL 12 day cruise on the Jade. I lowered my expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Couldn't ask for more! Breakfast was busy but more chaotic, people running around from section to section. We never were in line, got food in five minutes or less and always had wonderful selections. On a day at sea we tried sit down MDR dining but it was slow.

 

We didn't like the tea (instant tasting) so when we wanted some, I made a cup of strong hot tea and got two glasses of ice, ta da! Perfect. I had latte's every day, I'm so spoiled now. The fresh fruits were so wonderful!

 

I read someplace that the bar staff was not included in the tip pool. Still learning.

[sottovoce]

I can't believe people are still posting misleading information here about NCL's service charge. This service charge is in lieu of the normal tipping envelopes, because with freestyle dining it's impossible to tip everyone who serves you in the dining rooms and buffet. There is absolutely NO requirement to tip the dining room staff or the room stewards in addition to this service charge. If you feel you had something extra special in your service, you should feel free to acknowledge that with an additional cash tip, but the $12/day/person is in lieu of what you would normally do on a cruise ship that still hands out envelopes so that you can run around the ship on your last night hoping to find the staff members you want to tip.

[Jamisonke]

I can't believe people are still posting misleading information here about NCL's service charge. This service charge is in lieu of the normal tipping envelopes, because with freestyle dining it's impossible to tip everyone who serves you in the dining rooms and buffet. There is absolutely NO requirement to tip the dining room staff or the room stewards in addition to this service charge. If you feel you had something extra special in your service, you should feel free to acknowledge that with an additional cash tip, but the $12/day/person is in lieu of what you would normally do on a cruise ship that still hands out envelopes so that you can run around the ship on your last night hoping to find the staff members you want to tip.

 

I agree with Sottovoce. It is clear in the Welcome Aboard handbook that gratuities are not required, as the service charge is "shared among those staff members, including the restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and other behind-the-scenes staff, who provide services that enhance your overall cruise experience." In the very next section in the handbook, gratuities are discussed, stating "certain staff positions 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."

 

It is unfortunate that NCL seems to, as this thread implies, fail to provide the entire service charge to their employees. In the years prior to the implementation of "service charges" on many cruise lines, we would tip directly to those who we desired to tip. The practice of using the "service charge" for employee programs should not come at the expense of the customer, but rather should be part of NCL's overhead. Just because NCL does not do what they tell their customers they do with the service charge, should not (by any means) be a burden on the customer and we should not have to feel obligated to give additional tips to employees who should be getting tip monies from the service charge program.

 

With that said, I often provide additional tips to those who go above and beyond to enhance MY cruise experience (e.g. cabin stewards, dining staff, etc).

[sottovoce]

It is unfortunate that NCL seems to, as this thread implies, fail to provide the entire service charge to their employees.

I haven't seen a shred of evidence to support this assertion. From everything I've seen or heard from sources I believe, the service charge is passed on to employees. Those who are fundamentally opposed to the service charge (I'll refrain from saying "cheap") speculate about this but I've seen nothing to support that speculation.

 

Perhaps James, our Cruise Critic regular who has served on both NCL and NCLA ships, can give us a definitive answer--again.

[mrstrod]

 

It is unfortunate that NCL seems to, as this thread implies, fail to provide the entire service charge to their employees. In the years prior to the implementation of "service charges" on many cruise lines, we would tip directly to those who we desired to tip. The practice of using the "service charge" for employee programs should not come at the expense of the customer, but rather should be part of NCL's overhead. Just because NCL does not do what they tell their customers they do with the service charge, should not (by any means) be a burden on the customer and we should not have to feel obligated to give additional tips to employees who should be getting tip monies from the service charge program.

 

 

I don't believe anyone is implying that NCL does not give the money to the employees, they just give it in non-traditional methods which don't necessarily equate to what we think "tips" should be. I think we all for the most part think that when we give money then the staff should get money. Instead in some instances NCL states that they create programs which make life on board better for the staff.

 

While this may not be the average persons idea of tipping, that doesn't mean it's not better for the staff and possibly the staff thinks so too.

 

Some of the programs that NCL puts the money toward (like phone calls home) are things that the employees would do for them selves anyway. So it is possible that (I'm not stating this for sure) it actually saves the employee money since the employee would be using after tax dollars. Even if not, the convenience may also be better for the employee.

[njhorseman]

Just home from my first NCL 12 day cruise on the Jade. I lowered my expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Couldn't ask for more! Breakfast was busy but more chaotic, people running around from section to section. We never were in line, got food in five minutes or less and always had wonderful selections. On a day at sea we tried sit down MDR dining but it was slow.

 

We didn't like the tea (instant tasting) so when we wanted some, I made a cup of strong hot tea and got two glasses of ice, ta da! Perfect. I had latte's every day, I'm so spoiled now. The fresh fruits were so wonderful!

 

I read someplace that the bar staff was not included in the tip pool. Still learning.

 

 

That is correct, and it is why there is a 15% gratuity added to every bar check.

The spa staff is also not included in the pool, and an 18% gratuity is added to all spa services.

If you are in a suite, your concierge and butler are not part of the pool and should be tipped in the amount you deem appropriate.

Kids Club staff members also do not participate in the service charge pool.

[jaja]

To the OP...WELCOME to CC :)

 

You will learn a lot here(NCL board) and on the ports of call board and roll call thread for your date...

[blindrid]

 

Many people think that the service charges collected are divided up and handed out to the crew as "tips". This is NOT the case.

 

Service charges are legally the property of the company (NCL) not the employee. Tips, on the other hand, are the property of the employee.

 

As NCL says on their website:

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.

Nowhere does it say that the service charge is given directly to employees.

 

Money paid to employees through this program is taxed as income. Money given directly to employees by guests are taxed (when claimed) as tips.

 

I think you are dealing with semantics. In talking with plenty of cruise staff, I know the pre-paids are tips that are allocated to certain staff members. For example, servers are one included, whereas bartenders are not. What do you think that "incentive programs" mean when used in the same sentence with salary. Of course, the service charge are distributed to the appropriate employees.

 

As to the "tips" you are talking about. Any cash tips given directly are to be given to the tip pool and distributed among the particular department i.e. bartenders, servers, whomever. Whether it happens, who knows?

 

On your first cruise, IMHO it is typical to throw a lot of money around not knowing it's not necessary. I do tip those that go above what I consider typical service but not for the giggles of it.

 

Also, another first timers mistake is not noticing that 15% is automatically added to drinks. There will be another "additiona' tip line" on the receipt you sign and if you don't pay attention, it's easy to fill in an additional tip just like when we're at home.

 

I believe that the first cruise is the best cruise, so enjoy and don't worry about anything.

[SeaShark]

I think you are dealing with semantics. In talking with plenty of cruise staff, I know the pre-paids are tips that are allocated to certain staff members. For example, servers are one included, whereas bartenders are not. What do you think that "incentive programs" mean when used in the same sentence with salary. Of course, the service charge are distributed to the appropriate employees.

 

As to the "tips" you are talking about. Any cash tips given directly are to be given to the tip pool and distributed among the particular department i.e. bartenders, servers, whomever. Whether it happens, who knows?

 

On your first cruise, IMHO it is typical to throw a lot of money around not knowing it's not necessary. I do tip those that go above what I consider typical service but not for the giggles of it.

 

Also, another first timers mistake is not noticing that 15% is automatically added to drinks. There will be another "additiona' tip line" on the receipt you sign and if you don't pay attention, it's easy to fill in an additional tip just like when we're at home.

 

I believe that the first cruise is the best cruise, so enjoy and don't worry about anything.

 

 

If you're going to quote me...then quote me. You specifically left out the part where I stated that this information came directly from the Jewel's Hotel Director. The rest came from NCL's website.

 

As for incentive programs...some of those were specifically mentioned.

 

All I'm saying here is that those who think the service charge is just split up and handed out to certain crew members as "tips" are mistaken. Very mistaken.

 

For NCL to even call it a service charge means that NCL is responsible for paying tax on that money...just use Google to learn how the IRS sees service charges as different from tips. If NCL was going to just give ALL of that money directly to employees, they would call it tips...NOT a service charge.

[MrLee]

As to the "tips" you are talking about. Any cash tips given directly are to be given to the tip pool and distributed among the particular department i.e. bartenders, servers, whomever. Whether it happens, who knows?

 

 

That's only true if you have removed the service charge. If you leave the service charge alone they are free to put any additional tips in their pocket.

[garycarla]

Wow.

 

The OP just came to ask some questions, and a long winded "discussion" over service charges and how much gets to the crew.

 

Whew.

 

Hope they read past all that garbage and got answers to some tips. More information in my link below.

[cruiseat50]

Wow.

 

The OP just came to ask some questions, and a long winded "discussion" over service charges and how much gets to the crew.

 

Whew.

 

Hope they read past all that garbage and got answers to some tips. More information in my link below.

 

I was thinking the same thing... how about touching on other subjects that she wants to know about.

 

OP - do check out Gary's link as it is helpful

[njhorseman]

If you're going to quote me...then quote me. You specifically left out the part where I stated that this information came directly from the Jewel's Hotel Director. The rest came from NCL's website.

 

As for incentive programs...some of those were specifically mentioned.

 

All I'm saying here is that those who think the service charge is just split up and handed out to certain crew members as "tips" are mistaken. Very mistaken.

 

For NCL to even call it a service charge means that NCL is responsible for paying tax on that money...just use Google to learn how the IRS sees service charges as different from tips. If NCL was going to just give ALL of that money directly to employees, they would call it tips...NOT a service charge.

 

Corporations pay tax on profits, not gross revenue. If 100% of the service charge is spent on legitimate expenditures such as salary, incentive bonuses, benefits, and employee welfare progarms, then the service charges will contribute exactly $0 to NCL's corporate profits and generate $0 taxable income. In other words, every dollar of service charge income is offset by a dollar of expenses. Further, NCL actually loses money in the

process, because most passenger accounts are paid by credit card, and the credit card companies charge NCL a percentage of that money. So, if NCL takes in $100 of service charge income, pays out $100 in employee salary, benefits, etc., and pays the credit card company $2 for their end, the net effect of that $100 in gross income on NCL's bottom line is a $2 loss, which then goes to offset other corporate profits.

[garycarla]

thanks Horseman for some basic tax education.

 

I believe most people would reach a grade of D- if quizzed on taxes. Actually, that is based on how they tend to talk about taxes. If you really made them THINK, they would probably get to a C+ or even a B.

 

Taxes are actually quite simple.

 

Total income, less deductions equals taxable income. In the business world, expenses are generally equal to the term deductions. Lots of small print, but the principle holds true most of the time. Not sure why so many people try to make it so complicated.

 

 

As to the service charge, tips thing and how the staff gets paid. That is between the cruiseline and the staff. All I need to know is what I should be doing - tip the person or not. Nobody here seems to worry much about how the clerk at the store gets paid, or the meter reader, or the (enter whatever you want here).

[luvtogoplaces]

Thank you for all of the advice. As for the issue regarding tips, I think I'll simply bring extra cash/change and tip according to how I feel during the cruise. I am soooooo looking forward to this trip.

 

I'm indeed very happy to have found this website. If I'd come across it years earlier, I probably would have taken my first cruise then.

[petesweet]

Thank you for all of the advice. As for the issue regarding tips, I think I'll simply bring extra cash/change and tip according to how I feel during the cruise. I am soooooo looking forward to this trip.

 

I'm indeed very happy to have found this website. If I'd come across it years earlier, I probably would have taken my first cruise then.

 

Watch out! You'll probably be hooked after this one.:D

Oh, and you will want to use some of your $1 bills to tip for room service (which is free) if you use it.

Happy sails!

Kathy