Important update on DSC

[Godiva830]

ARGHHHHH. But the bloody wonderful staff aren't getting it are they!!!!!!! Its going on the bottom line.

 

THE STAFF WILL GET LESS OVERALL AS PEOPLE THAT DONT READ THIS SITE WILL BELIEVE THE EMAIL THEY HAVE RECEIVED FROM NORWEGIAN. IT STATES THAT THE DIFFERENTIAL IS FOR THE BUTLER AND CONCIERGE!!! THEY WILL USE IT AS AN EXCUSE TO NOT TIP CASH WITH A CLEAR CONCIOUS !!!

 

I'll continue to look after everyone but don't feel Norwegian should take any more from me and not give it to the staff! Any adjustment I make down to the level of a normal cabin would immediately be accompanied by a transfer directly to the butler and concierge, on top of what I would normally give them.

 

Thats fairer and what Norwegian are already saying is happening. WHICH ACCORDING TO THE OP ISNT!!!.

 

and Breatheeee.

 

Get over yourself!! Your point came across very clear to everyone that you can't justify an extra $2 in the dsc when staying in a suite.

[littlelulu01]

Directly from NCL's website:

 

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, Pride of America has a service charge of 18% for all spa and salon services, and all other ships have an automatic gratuity of 18% for all spa and salon services and 18% for beverage service.

 

It clearly states the butler and concierge are NOT included in the DSC. The other DSC increase explanation is very poorly worded and I can see why some people would think the butler and concierge are now included but its not the case.

 

The service we've received in Haven breakfast, lunch and room steward was from some of their best staff. I'm sure the increase for suite passengers is to compensate those staff when they are working in your general areas. For example the cooks are making sure your breakfast is hot and right, the waiter is typically the same each day, the room steward has a lot of experience and is regarded as one of their better. Those guys participate in the DSC so it's only fair to give them more via the higher dsc charge. Of course you can always tip those guys more (see ncl explanation above) but you are not stiffing them if you don't.

 

Since the butler and concierge are not participating in the DSC, if you don't tip them separately and individually you are stiffing them.

[SissasMomE]

ooooooooooh get you! put you claws away, somebody having a grumpy day? Bless.

 

I don't think I asked for justification of peoples individual tipping, just curious as to peoples opinion why Norwegian believe that they can charge more for a suite using reasons that now appear inconsequential.

 

Ive just paid the $15000 for a cruise in January next year and $9000 for one in June. Do they really need to squeeze an extra $40/50 out of me??? Really???

 

My actual primary concern is the effect on the Butlers and Concierge, they WILL get less tips out of this (as someone pointed, with equal measure of charm and diplomacy.) Whilst I certainly won't change my habits, many people will use it as an excuse not to cash tip. Is it really worth the reduction in cash that the Butlers and Concierges will now witness??

 

So basically they have shafted the staff and put the additional revenue as profit on the bottom line. All this for guests that give additional tips to Butlers ands Concierges that are more than some people pay for the cruise.

 

Maybe I'm missing missing something, but I think it stinks. Im sure you'll correct me if i'm wrong. :D:D:D:D

 

Most have missed the point you were tying to make. :rolleyes:

[SissasMomE]

Get over yourself!! Your point came across very clear to everyone that you can't justify an extra $2 in the dsc when staying in a suite.

 

I didn't take it that way at all. People ARE assuming that the extra money covered the butler, et al. I have read it myself on these boards. Silly to assume that, but assume they are. He is right. The Butler and other non-tipped staff are going to get the shaft over this. Pretty sure that is all he was trying to say.

[triptolemus]

My actual primary concern is the effect on the Butlers and Concierge, they WILL get less tips out of this

 

I disagree. I think most folks who don't show up with a proclivity to stiff the staff will realize that the extra $2 per person, per day does not come close to covering a reasonable gratuity to the butler and concierge when their services are utilized.

 

Those who stiff... well, they're gonna stiff... they'll stiff on a cruise ship just as they stiff at home.

 

Absolutely no one is going to change their ways because of yet another tipping thread on Cruise Critic. Period.

[stoneman56]

Our last 2 cruises (Epic,Pearl) we gave the butlers zip. They were both useless. Maybe because we had British accents they thought we might not tip, (in fact we have been to Vegas more than 30 times and know that the Dollar is the way to a servers heart) so did minimal for us.

Our room stewards were on both occasions really good so we tipped them accordingly. Nothing for the concierge because we never use them.

Edited March 7, 2015 by stoneman56

[andrewjb1]

Most have missed the point you were tying to make. :rolleyes:

 

 

Tell me about it, I give up!

 

 

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[andrewjb1]

I didn't take it that way at all. People ARE assuming that the extra money covered the butler, et al. I have read it myself on these boards. Silly to assume that, but assume they are. He is right. The Butler and other non-tipped staff are going to get the shaft over this. Pretty sure that is all he was trying to say.

 

 

Thank you, I respect your opinion, knowledge and previous posts.

 

I just spoke to a well respected concierge I have known for years and still communicate with. ( We met before they were a concierge and allowed to have fun with guests. Lol. ) My fears are shared by them. I'm not trying to be a dousche; I wanted to open a debate that ended with people realising that Norwegian were shafting the staff, accidentally maybe, but still shafting. I gave people too much credit for intelligence it seems.

 

Humans are simple creatures; on the whole if you give them a legitimate excuse to save money and drive value they will. Norwegian have just done that and reduced an income stream for some of the most important people within the customer service function. To now find they have done it without sharing the additional income generated grates frustrates me.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

THE STAFF WILL GET LESS OVERALL AS PEOPLE THAT DONT READ THIS SITE WILL BELIEVE THE EMAIL THEY HAVE RECEIVED FROM NORWEGIAN.

I agree that the e-mail was misleading, but relatively few people received that e-mail, and they are not sending it to anyone booking now.

[andrewjb1]

Get over yourself!! Your point came across very clear to everyone that you can't justify an extra $2 in the dsc when staying in a suite.

 

 

Your correct, I can't justify Norwegian charging an extra $2 per day on the basis that it's for the concierge and the butler when they won't see it.

 

It WILL reduce their income and potentially have an impact on the service they give guests. If they psychologically believe that guests have a perception that the DSC covers them they will have no incentive to go the extra mile.

 

 

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[andrewjb1]

I agree that the e-mail was misleading, but relatively few people received that e-mail, and they are not sending it to anyone booking now.

 

 

I received it yesterday for a booking January next year. Plus it was in the press release.

 

 

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Edited March 8, 2015 by andrewjb1

[KeithJenner]

I wanted to open a debate that ended with people realising that Norwegian were shafting the staff, accidentally maybe, but still shafting.

 

 

You may have wanted to start a debate which ended with people agreeing with you, but that's a fairly unrealistic aim.

 

Some people will disagree with you, and they may well be right.

Edited March 8, 2015 by KeithJenner

[andrewjb1]

You may have wanted to start a debate which ended with people agreeing with you, but that's a fairly unrealistic aim.

 

Some people will disagree with you, and they may well be right.

 

 

Then I stand corrected Keith and apologise, you have a great knowledge of Norwegian and I stand corrected. Clearly I'm the only person that sees Norwegian taking extra for the suites but not passing it onto the staff they they have used to justify it as a bad thing.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

I received it yesterday for a booking January next year. Plus it was in the press release.

When did you book this cruise, just this week? Seems like people booking after March 1 don't need to be informed that the DSC went up recently…

 

I don't think I saw the press release (for example here). Do you have a link? But I think anyone booking today who wants to find out more about the DSC can quickly learn from the NCL website (FAQ) that the butler and concierge are not included. Or if they come here and search (or better yet, open a new thread that beings with "I tried searching but nothing came up…"). Or if they talk to other suite guests during their cruise.

[KeithJenner]

Then I stand corrected Keith and apologise, you have a great knowledge of Norwegian and I stand corrected.

 

 

I'm not sure what my knowledge of NCL (or lack of it) has to do with what I said.

[kdzkatz]

A small paragraph explaining why there will be a difference in the DSC when there never has before between suites and non suites would sure go a long ways to quash rumors and assumptions. F- grade to NCL on their explanation of the DSC price increase.

 

If NCL's front office was half as competent as those that run the show on the ship they would be the top dog of cruise lines. I think it is pretty much the same for all/most cruise lines. The front office is the polar opposite of the people on the ship. If the ships were run like the front offices there would be no cruise industry.

[Love my butler]

The GV, for instance has 3 bedrooms and is over 5,000 sq. feet. More to clean.

 

The 2-bedroom and OS are larger and more to clean.

 

Many times there can be 4, 6, or 8 people in the suites. They are larger and do require more time per cabin.

 

That would be my guess.

 

Two problems with your explanation. The garden villas are a tiny, tiny percentage of the suites NCL sells. The more to clean argument would apply to only a very small number of room stewards. The extra floor space in most suites would only require about 30 extra seconds to vacuum and dust. The suites that have 4-8 guests in them do require a bit more cleaning, though not much. The steward also benefits from 2-4 times the Discretionary Service Charge from those rooms. That more than makes up the difference for the little extra cleaning involved.

 

Assuming the butler/concierge are not getting a cut of the increased DSC on suite guests, I really cannot fathom any reasonable explanation for the increase.

[raymondreddington]

Two problems with your explanation. The garden villas are a tiny, tiny percentage of the suites NCL sells. The more to clean argument would apply to only a very small number of room stewards. The extra floor space in most suites would only require about 30 extra seconds to vacuum and dust. The suites that have 4-8 guests in them do require a bit more cleaning, though not much. The steward also benefits from 2-4 times the Discretionary Service Charge from those rooms. That more than makes up the difference for the little extra cleaning involved.

 

Assuming the butler/concierge are not getting a cut of the increased DSC on suite guests, I really cannot fathom any reasonable explanation for the increase.

 

Not sure which NCL insider told you that the suite stewards make 2 to 4 times the cut as the other stewards...but let us assume it is true. Perhaps in efforts to keep their cut down to just double the cut instead of triple. or quad....NCL has decided to simply increase the charge for suites. And I must humbly disagree that suites won't take longer or have more work involved than a regular cabin.

There are many , many little touches that you won't see in the standard cabins.

 

Also- if the suites are not more work......why do the suite stewards get fewer to cover..and why DO they get a bigger cut? I doubt that a perk of staying with the company for 10 years is that you get less work and a receive a higher wage all while remaining a steward.

If they do get a bigger cut now, it is because they have waaaaaay fewer rooms , suites which take more TIME thus decreasing the number of rooms a steward is assigned and leaving him with less pay that the non- suite stewards.

 

 

 

Your arguments actually prove our point.

Edited March 8, 2015 by raymondreddington

[raymondreddington]

I disagree. I think most folks who don't show up with a proclivity to stiff the staff will realize that the extra $2 per person, per day does not come close to covering a reasonable gratuity to the butler and concierge when their services are utilized.

 

Those who stiff... well, they're gonna stiff... they'll stiff on a cruise ship just as they stiff at home.

 

Absolutely no one is going to change their ways because of yet another tipping thread on Cruise Critic. Period.

 

 

Amen!

[KeithJenner]

The suites that have 4-8 guests in them do require a bit more cleaning, though not much. The steward also benefits from 2-4 times the Discretionary Service Charge from those rooms.

 

 

Not sure which NCL insider told you that the suite stewards make 2 to 4 times the cut as the other stewards.

 

 

I'm pretty sure the point was that a room with 4-8 people will pay 2-4 times the DSC compared to a standard room where there are a lot less people.

 

If a room steward is covering less rooms because they are suites then it's a fair assumption that the share of the DSC that they receive per room is higher than those who cover a larger number of standard rooms.

[Love my butler]

Not sure which NCL insider told you that the suite stewards make 2 to 4 times the cut as the other stewards...but let us assume it is true. Perhaps in efforts to keep their cut down to just double the cut instead of triple. or quad....NCL has decided to simply increase the charge for suites. And I must humbly disagree that suites won't take longer or have more work involved than a regular cabin.

There are many , many little touches that you won't see in the standard cabins.

 

NCL claims they collect the DSC and distribute it to the crew. If a steward is servicing a room with eight guests it's a logical belief they get a bigger cut of the DSC. It's not a fact because NCL purposely does not publish factual information about who/where/how the DSC is distributed.

 

You can humbly disagree but I didn't state suites won't take longer or have more work than a regular cabin. I stated they have a little more work, but not much. Reading comprehension my friend.

 

I have stayed in many, many suites and there are not many 'little touches' and the ones that do exist don't take much time or effort.

[AEckhardt]

If a room steward is covering less rooms because they are suites then it's a fair assumption that the share of the DSC that they receive per room is higher than those who cover a larger number of standard rooms.

 

 

This may be the logical explanation we are all looking for. The suite stewards have less cabins, which require slightly more attention.

 

On my next trip, the BF and I will be in a rather large DOS that can hold several others, but there will be just the two of us, so there are only 2 DSC portions going to our steward, not 4 or more. I'm not certain, but what if that steward is only responsible for the 4 DOS? What if each of those cabins only contained 2 pax? Yes, there would be less beds to make up, less towels to pick up, but the room and bathrooms are still quite large. One would think the pax staying in these cabins would tip rather well, on top of the DSC. Ik we do/will. Still, I would be happy for that steward to receive the extra $2 pp.

[AEckhardt]

A small paragraph explaining why there will be a difference in the DSC when there never has before between suites and non suites would sure go a long ways to quash rumors and assumptions.

 

 

I agree. A little transparency goes a long way.

[KeithJenner]

This may be the logical explanation we are all looking for. The suite stewards have less cabins, which require slightly more attention.

 

On my next trip, the BF and I will be in a rather large DOS that can hold several others, but there will be just the two of us, so there are only 2 DSC portions going to our steward, not 4 or more. I'm not certain, but what if that steward is only responsible for the 4 DOS? What if each of those cabins only contained 2 pax? Yes, there would be less beds to make up, less towels to pick up, but the room and bathrooms are still quite large. One would think the pax staying in these cabins would tip rather well, on top of the DSC. Ik we do/will. Still, I would be happy for that steward to receive the extra $2 pp.

 

 

It's nice of you to credit my argument with having some logic, but I don't think that the conclusion you draw is actually correct. :)

 

Of course there are some suites which have less people in them, but I'd be very surprised if the effect is very significant. The average number of people per room is probably a bit higher than a normal cabin, and I agree with the point made earlier that the extra time needed is not going to be a lot. Overall, my feeling is that the two probably cancel each other out, but of course that could be wrong.

 

I would be very surprised if the amount that a cabin steward receives is actually related to the amount received from the cabins they cover. That would penalise or reward people based on the luck of who happened to book each room, or whether they are allocated rooms described as "family".

 

I'd guess it is all pooled and distributed on another basis (possibly related to vacation hero forms etc).

[AEckhardt]

The thought regarding pooling the DSC crossed my mind after posting. That would negate most of our "logic" lol. I'm sure NCL has a reasonable way of handling it, I just wish we knew HOW!

 

Oh well... I did prepay the DSC for my upcoming trip, as I always do. I'll admit I did so earlier than usual to avoid the change. I felt it was "changing the rules in the middle of the game" without putting much thought into why, before reacting. However, now knowing prior to a next booking, it will not sway us. We will still book what we like, and pay accordingly, as well as continue to tip our favorite crew members over and above.