Raising gratuities again!

[HistoryGirl4Ever]

I was just in the NCL website to see if they'd managed to update the gratuity info (I couldn't find that they had yet), when low and behold, the email everyone has been talking about finally dropped (about 15 minutes ago) regarding my 2016 4-day Pacific coastal cruise on the Sun.

 

Out of curiosity, I went into the Pre-Pay Service Charges area, and as others have already said "We are unable to display this option at this time." Can't WAIT [emoji19] to see what it says when their IT department finally catches up to the latest corporate nightmare.

[phantomII]

I just got the email.

Can I just change my DSC when onboard to 12.00 a day? This is a voluntary charge, right?

Edited July 16, 2015 by phantomII

[Bonobochick]

I just got an email about it.

 

All the news I'm seeing about NCL is about raising prices but not any benefits/rewards to take the sting out of it.

 

I miss O'Sheehan.

 

May be time for me to be less loyal to NCL when I choose my next cruise since they're too focused on squeezing more money from passengers and not anything else. :mad:

[Laszlo]

Dear ,

 

Norwegian Cruise Line is adjusting its daily service charges, effective for all sailings that depart on or after August 1, 2015.

 

The new rates are:

$13.50 per person per day for any category up to a mini-suite stateroom

$15.50 per person per day for any suite category

 

Any guest that has made a booking by July 31, 2015 will have the option of prepaying their service charges at the current rate if done prior to the final payment due date. Guests with existing cruise reservations who have already pre-paid their service charges at the current rate will not be affected.

 

Norwegian's daily service charges make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff. Guests who are sailing in Suite categories also receive the services of a concierge, butler and dedicated wait staff.

 

 

Sincerely,

Norwegian Cruise Line®

[jackson bernard]

I just got the email.

 

Can I just change my DSC when onboard to 12.00 a day? This is a voluntary charge, right?

 

 

Yes. Better yet, while doing so at the guest services desk, tell them to reduce it to zero and tip those who serve you directly with cash.

 

You can do it, no questions asked. It is completely discretionary.

[All-ready2cruise]

The bold text says you can prepay it does not set a time limit to do so, just before sailing.

 

6&8

 

Exactly correct. We've had our combined cruises booked for quite a while and I just paid our DSC and it was $12/pppd as it was when we originally booked. We are in a suite for the 2nd half of a b2b and it was still the same amount.

 

I received an email when this change first happened, stating exactly this: Passengers who have previously booked a cruise and are sailing after March 1, or who are planning to book a cruise now through the end of February can prepay their service charges at the current rate.

 

I'm surprised more pax didn't receive this email, although I guess it's been posted in several other places for your viewing pleasure/displeasure depending on your specific attitude. :D

[NLH Arizona]

The bold text says you can prepay it does not set a time limit to do so, just before sailing.

 

6&8

I guess we read differently. I took it to say that the end of February was when they had to be pre-paid. I also got an email from NCL stating February 28th was the day to pre-pay:

 

Norwegian Cruise Line is adjusting its daily service charges, effective for all sailings that begin on March 1, 2015. The new rates are:

 

$12.95 per guest per day for any category up to a Mini-Suite stateroom.

$14.95 per guest per day for any suite category.

Guests who have previously booked a cruise and are sailing after March 1, 2015, or who are planning to book a cruise now through February 28, 2015, can choose to pre–pay their service charges at the current rate by February 28, 2015. Guests with existing cruise reservations who have already pre–paid their service charges at the current rate will not be affected.

 

Norwegian’s daily service charges, which were last adjusted in 2009, make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind–the–scenes support staff. Guests who are sailing in Suite categories also receive the services of a concierge, butler and dedicated wait staff.

 

Thank you for your continued support,

 

Norwegian Cruise Line

[Demonyte]

I might be totally wrong, but I thought you had to pre-pay the $12 charge prior to March 1st, otherwise it went to $12.95.

 

You are totally wrong. :) Even the email sent directly from NCL to passengers did not state such limitation, just that DSC needs to be prepaid before the cruise and the original amount is honoured.

 

EDIT: Because of the reply above this (the email in that seems to be the one sent to TAs before one was sent to customers), here is the exact email I received:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line is adjusting its daily service charges, effective for all sailings that depart on or after March 1, 2015.

 

The new rates are:

$12.95 per person per day for any category up to a mini-suite stateroom

$14.95 per person per day for any suite category

 

You can choose to pre-pay your service charges at the current rate of $12 per person per day. If charged on board, the new rates will apply.

 

Norwegian's daily discretionary service charges, which were last adjusted in 2009, make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff. Guests who are sailing in Suite categories also receive the services of a concierge, butler and dedicated wait staff.

 

 

Sincerely,

Norwegian Cruise Line®"

Edited July 16, 2015 by Demonyte

[jb456]

Small increases every few months is the smart move rather then one big one. Gives NCL time to analyze numbers to ensure there is not a big increase of guests going to guest services to adjust or remove DSC all together.

 

Only a 55 cent increase this time but with 3900 passengers on one ship that's 15k extra they make on a 7 night cruise, 780k a year on one ship. They will keep pushing the envelope little buy little till a certain percentage of complaints/adjustments/removing dsc is reached.

 

Makes you wonder who really pockets this money? When NCL or any other cruise line for that matter offers "free" prepaid gratuity promos do they really dip into their pocket and pay out the money or do they just push zero on the computer? lol -- if one 7 night cruise of 3900 people got free prepaid gratuities you really believe the cruise line goes into their pocket and pays out $368550? hahaha what a gimmick!

 

Probably increased it to offset the cost a bit on all the free drink packages they have been giving away lately.

[JuneauMe]

I don't believe that's what it means.....but I believe that's how lots of people are taking it. NCL worded it wrong, imho.

 

Harriet

 

I agree, I don't think it means that either, but I really wish that NCL would let some people on the streets read their communications before they send them out and then NCL could ask them what it meant. I'm sure that most times, they will find that the are not saying what most are understanding.

 

I'm curios then why the difference in price for each category other than the addition of butler & concierge services. You're right that NCL should make things clear. Could it be they are wording this to justify the extra cost, because I can't see any reason for it?

My dinky room & the OS are being cleaned each day by the room steward, the "behind the scene" staff is the same, etc. I don't understand why that DSC should be higher for those pax.

[jackson bernard]

As I've previously stated, NCL can do this if allowed to get away with it. I will remove the auto tips and use cash at each meal and cash for the cabin steward. I don't care to supplement NCL"S pockets at the expense of the crew that actually serve me.

 

 

I wish more people would agree to stop contributing to their charity.

 

Who even knows where the money is going.

 

Let them pay their own employees. I will tip in cash to the people who serve me directly. I couldn't care less about how much the behind scenes crew is being paid. They are not my employees.

[Snowrose]

Yes. Better yet, while doing so at the guest services desk, tell them to reduce it to zero and tip those who serve you directly with cash.

 

You can do it, no questions asked. It is completely discretionary.

 

No questions asked? I've seen posts from folks who spent 10-15 minutes being harangued by service desk personnel who are quoted as saying 'We expect you to pay our staff' or something to that effect.

[Nola26]

Didn't they just raise it from $12.00 to $12.95 and from $12.00 to $14.95 for suites/Haven not long ago??

 

I sail in October and haven't received a mailing....although my cruise already includes the DSC as one of the promos.

 

Harriet

 

Yup, in March those increases took effect.

[NLH Arizona]

You are totally wrong. :) Even the email sent directly from NCL to passengers did not state such limitation, just that DSC needs to be prepaid before the cruise and the original amount is honoured.

 

EDIT: Because of the reply above this (the email in that seems to be the one sent to TAs before one was sent to customers), here is the exact email I received:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line is adjusting its daily service charges, effective for all sailings that depart on or after March 1, 2015.

 

The new rates are:

$12.95 per person per day for any category up to a mini-suite stateroom

$14.95 per person per day for any suite category

 

You can choose to pre-pay your service charges at the current rate of $12 per person per day. If charged on board, the new rates will apply.

 

Norwegian's daily discretionary service charges, which were last adjusted in 2009, make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff. Guests who are sailing in Suite categories also receive the services of a concierge, butler and dedicated wait staff.

 

 

Sincerely,

Norwegian Cruise Line®"

Well, your email reads totally different then the one I got. Also, if you look at a lot of publications, they say the same thing. Edited July 16, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[time2cruise1]

All of these recent changes I think can only mean one thing. NCL is really cash-poor right now and possibly going under. Maybe they over-extended themselves on all these new builds and now have insurmountable hidden debt, who knows. But every single one of the recent changes has the effect of quickly raising cash at the expense of losing customers down the line. Raising gratuities a very small amount (twice) but giving passengers the option to lock in the old rate by prepaying right now raises a lot of cash very quickly, because it will cause a lot of passengers to prepay. Expanding the future cruise credit program raises a lot of cash because it causes customers to put more deposits down. All the new charges on the ship (room service, gratuities, a la carte pricing) raises a lot of cash. Even all the great recent promotions go towards this. NCL has been giving away the farm as far as UBP, UDP, onboard credit, etc. just to get people to book now, to increase deposits and increase cash flow right now, at the expense of losing money (in the form of lost revenue from lost onboard spending) down the line.

 

Maybe this is why O'Sheehan left. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall and the company is going under, who knows. But these quick changes like this make no other real sense. There's no reason to raise gratuities twice like this at all by such incrementally small amounts, but for the desire to get people to prepay and raise cash quickly. Anyone who thinks all these gratuities are going to the staff as opposed to NCL's bottom line at this point are deluding themselves. At best, and this is at best, NCL is cutting staff compensation on the back end but making up for it with the increased gratuities on the front end.

 

If I was a stockholder in NCL right now I'd sell sell sell.

 

You could not be more wrong. Look at their last earnings statement and their stock up over 65% in the last year. They don't hold gratuities it can not be shown as revenue or earnings.

That said I think FDR is a mad man and actions of late make no sense to the guests or the industry.

[dna529]

Bye NCL. I'm done after my two booked cruises. Either that or I will tip on my own.

[CruisinMaterial]

Maybe Undercover Boss can film a sequel with FDR and Andy Stuart working the Guest Services desk on NCL ships the first week of August.

 

Ha ha... especially FDR. I don't think Andy has a say in any of this unfortunately. It screams that money hungry FDR all over it. Since he's come to power, NCLH has been in worse chaos then the ex-Darden CEO guy ever did to it. :mad:

[Nola26]

I'm curios then why the difference in price for each category other than the addition of butler & concierge services. You're right that NCL should make things clear. Could it be they are wording this to justify the extra cost, because I can't see any reason for it?

My dinky room & the OS are being cleaned each day by the room steward, the "behind the scene" staff is the same, etc. I don't understand why that DSC should be higher for those pax.

 

Bigger spaces, common space and higher service level. A suite is multiple rooms. I can see more time/effort/labor required to maintain a suite cabin and cater to requests than my balcony. They've been consistent in marking it at $2/day/pp more.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Nola26

[dna529]

As I've previously stated, NCL can do this if allowed to get away with it. I will remove the auto tips and use cash at each meal and cash for the cabin steward. I don't care to supplement NCL"S pockets at the expense of the crew that actually serve me.

 

Well said. My feelings exactly.

[Snowrose]

Makes you wonder who really pockets this money?.

 

If you give them the money before the end of your cruise you've just loaned them the money interest-free until the end of the cruise.

[time2cruise1]

You are totally wrong. :) Even the email sent directly from NCL to passengers did not state such limitation, just that DSC needs to be prepaid before the cruise and the original amount is honoured.

 

EDIT: Because of the reply above this (the email in that seems to be the one sent to TAs before one was sent to customers), here is the exact email I received:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line is adjusting its daily service charges, effective for all sailings that depart on or after March 1, 2015.

 

The new rates are:

$12.95 per person per day for any category up to a mini-suite stateroom

$14.95 per person per day for any suite category

 

You can choose to pre-pay your service charges at the current rate of $12 per person per day. If charged on board, the new rates will apply.

 

Norwegian's daily discretionary service charges, which were last adjusted in 2009, make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff. Guests who are sailing in Suite categories also receive the services of a concierge, butler and dedicated wait staff.

 

 

Sincerely,

Norwegian Cruise Line®"

 

That is the email sent out last February not the new one.

[jchris1230]

I just got my email about our Oct cruise. Didn't they just raise the rates a few months back

[MrJoeBlack]

I for one will speak with my wallet, I've had enough of playing the guessing game of what I will actually receive at time of embarkation, when the execs finally stop messing up what was a wonderful line I will have a look at where it landed, plenty of other lines out there.

[NLH Arizona]

I'm curios then why the difference in price for each category other than the addition of butler & concierge services. You're right that NCL should make things clear. Could it be they are wording this to justify the extra cost, because I can't see any reason for it?

My dinky room & the OS are being cleaned each day by the room steward, the "behind the scene" staff is the same, etc. I don't understand why that DSC should be higher for those pax.

I think it is because they suites are bigger (consider the size of an inside cabin versus the Owner's Suite), thus more cleaning and possibly the Room Stewards assigned to suites get more requests.

[hypercafe]

The rates on Oceania are 16 and 22$, FDR problem wants to get to this on NCL so they can use personal across all brands. At some point NCL will price itself out of the game unless they get a lot better.

 

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