Norwegian Cruise Line Raises Gratuities Twice in 5 Months

[LauraS]

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Norwegian Cruise Line Raises Gratuities Twice in 5 Months

[Cruising Golfer]

As long as the money is going to the workers, it's long over due!!! :cool:

[LoveyHowell]

As long as the money is going to the workers, it's long over due!!! :cool:

 

They get the lobsters that are gone too:rolleyes:

[davesgirl51]

Someone has to pay for all the people who stand in line at the Guest Services Desk the day before disembarkation to remove the gratuities from their bill, laugh and tell the next person in line how to do it. :rolleyes:

[happy0ne]

Really sad that people do that cuz it is hurting everyone. And the staff soooo deserve it and more!

[Maggs7312]

Ok got a question about grats...I have sailed 2 other times and I usually combine them with the cost of the cruise and just prepay them to get them out of the way, I usually leave extra tips for the room stewards as they do a really good job and we mainly eat at the buffet.

Anyways we got the Unlimited Drink Package and have already paid the grats for that. I was told by several people to wait til the end to pay the grats?? Why??

What makes the difference, these people are taking care of us and I have never had any issues with anything so why should I wait to pay this? Just wondering....I'm still learning things about cruising and would appreciate suggestions....thanks :)

[LMaxwell]

Ok got a question about grats...I have sailed 2 other times and I usually combine them with the cost of the cruise and just prepay them to get them out of the way, I usually leave extra tips for the room stewards as they do a really good job and we mainly eat at the buffet.

Anyways we got the Unlimited Drink Package and have already paid the grats for that. I was told by several people to wait til the end to pay the grats?? Why??

What makes the difference, these people are taking care of us and I have never had any issues with anything so why should I wait to pay this? Just wondering....I'm still learning things about cruising and would appreciate suggestions....thanks :)

 

Do whatever works best for you. You have many options to choose from.

[Maggs7312]

Thank you :) Just didn't know if I was missing something here lol

[tedwesterlyri]

Raising rates AFTER I paid in full for 11 people on a cruise leaving on Aug 1? Shame on NCL. Last time. I have 170 cruise days with 7 on NCL. NO MORE!!

[tedwesterlyri]

Reading the thread, it is less about the staff getting a raise but how NCL implements the plan. You pay in full and now they add a fee. That is bait and switch. NCL is committed to a much higher ROI this year, via the CEO and it's coming from added value gimmicks like the airlines. The cruise world is changing. And NCL will cheapen the product by raising rates at every opportunity. Maybe next cruise we will rent a pillow for the bed!! The fact it is going to staff is not the point. It is the way it was done.

[hpecorari]

Raising rates AFTER I paid in full for 11 people on a cruise leaving on Aug 1? Shame on NCL. Last time. I have 170 cruise days with 7 on NCL. NO MORE!!

 

Go online to MyNCL and prepay your DSC now. If you can't, call NCL. If you prepay you won't be charged the new rate but the rate at which you booked your cruise.

 

Harriet

[tedwesterlyri]

Go online to MyNCL and prepay your DSC now. If you can't, call NCL. If you prepay you won't be charged the new rate but the rate at which you booked your cruise.

 

 

 

Harriet

 

 

Thanks Harriet. I will do that, for sure. It was the point of it. Long range view is that cruise industry moving towards higher rates via an accumulation of incremental cost increases - the added value syndrome that airlines use. Future added fees for luggage, meals, blankets, pillows, restaurant choices, entertainment, pool chair rentals, sunning sanctuaries, and on and on. I am not a novice at cruising and see that feed like this will raise the base rate considerably. NCL should not have raised the rates on the Getaway if you already had booked. And paid in full. Enough ranting.

[Cruising Golfer]

Ok got a question about grats...I have sailed 2 other times and I usually combine them with the cost of the cruise and just prepay them to get them out of the way, I usually leave extra tips for the room stewards as they do a really good job and we mainly eat at the buffet.

Anyways we got the Unlimited Drink Package and have already paid the grats for that. I was told by several people to wait til the end to pay the grats?? Why??

What makes the difference, these people are taking care of us and I have never had any issues with anything so why should I wait to pay this? Just wondering....I'm still learning things about cruising and would appreciate suggestions....thanks :)

 

IMHO, pay it from the start, and it's done... Then you are tipping extra when it is earned by best of service... But what do I know... :cool:

[buzzygirl1]

we are booked for an August cruise on Breakaway, yes, we too, just got an e mail about the increase for gratuity from $12.00 we ORIGINALLY booked in January, seen two increases as mentioned now to $13.50 per day. Would think that booking almost 8 months earlier we would still have it be $12 still, but NOPE, so "shame on us" for not paying our DSC early, I guess is what NCL thinks ?? First time cruise for our son and grandson and not a very good impression I must say, and we encouraged them to go with NCL. Again, shame on us !!

[NLH Arizona]

we are booked for an August cruise on Breakaway, yes, we too, just got an e mail about the increase for gratuity from $12.00 we ORIGINALLY booked in January, seen two increases as mentioned now to $13.50 per day. Would think that booking almost 8 months earlier we would still have it be $12 still, but NOPE, so "shame on us" for not paying our DSC early, I guess is what NCL thinks ?? First time cruise for our son and grandson and not a very good impression I must say, and we encouraged them to go with NCL. Again, shame on us !!

Did you look at the cost of your gratuities on your MYNCL. Some are saying that their's say $12.

[travelady65]

Did you look at the cost of your gratuities on your MYNCL. Some are saying that their's say $12.

 

I also received an email about the increase of the gratituties...I am sailing this coming December on the Breakaway...As long as you prepay your gratituties before your final payment, you can still pay at the old rate of $12 per day...I confirmed this with NCL....and that is all that they are getting from me...nothing more, or nothing less...

[sixesandeights]

I also received an email about the increase of the gratituties...I am sailing this coming December on the Breakaway...As long as you prepay your gratituties before your final payment, you can still pay at the old rate of $12 per day...I confirmed this with NCL....and that is all that they are getting from me...nothing more, or nothing less...

 

Prepaying now is what NCL wants to happen. From the look of things it seems that NCL is cash poor. These raises in DSC and the offer to take your money months maybe even a year or more in advance are nothing more then a free loan to NCL. You can easily reduce your DSC to $12 a day on board and pay for the services after they are delivered as is customary. This will also preserve your money and not allow NCL to use you as a 0% loan.

 

6&8

[buzzygirl1]

YES, we thought of doing just that, waiting to see what the " service" received is worthy of. We tip at restaurants, our son used to bar tend and knows tips are important for good service. We are already past final payment, coincidentally, we received the e mail message about the DSC increase 30 days prior to sailing. tried contacting the rep we were working with directly with NCL, but as usual, he did not respond.

[MAMATAMA]

This is what I rec for and email….

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.

 

I posted a thread and they took it down….

 

That a huge increase and if in a suite does it cover the concierge and butler too….

[capsoncc]

Is everybody sure that 100% of this money is going to the staff? If it is then that is great, but when i see the words "Service Charge" i am skeptical that some, if not all, of these increase are going to NCL's bottom line.

[punkincc]

Is everybody sure that 100% of this money is going to the staff? If it is then that is great, but when i see the words "Service Charge" i am skeptical that some, if not all, of these increase are going to NCL's bottom line.

 

No, no one is sure that 100% of the money is going to the staff. I doubt that it is, otherwise they would call it a "gratuity" and not a "service charge" or in the case of the specialty dining rooms, a "Gratuity and Service Charge".

 

If it were strictly for the employees, and NCL had decided that it was due time for an increase in pay, would they not figure out how much of an increase in DSC would cover the amount needed and then institute the increase as they did only 5 months ago? It seems very odd that the staff, after just getting an increase only 5 months ago, ( presumably, we don't know that they did ) are now presumably getting another one? I don't know about you, but in a lifetime of work, I got only Annual increases aside from the occassional bonus or increase in salary due to promotion, etc. I certainly did not get one 5 months after the last.

 

So are we to assume that NCL's Accounting Department is now equally as incompetent as their PR Department, and they just didn't get it right 5 months ago and now have to increase it again?:rolleyes:. Or do we just assume that NCL wanted more money in their coffers and this is a convenient way of getting it? Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the increase was seen as too substantial for the average cruiser to swallow whole at one time, so they decided to break it up into two smaller bites;). Bad move IMO, if so. Just makes them look greedy. If they had a competent PR department, they could have smoothed it over somewhat.

 

But, no. No way I believe the staff is getting it all, deserving as they are.

Edited July 18, 2015 by punkincc

[CPT Trips]

Go online to MyNCL and prepay your DSC now. If you can't, call NCL. If you prepay you won't be charged the new rate but the rate at which you booked your cruise.

 

Harriet

 

Not quite accurate. I was able to prepay at today's price. Today's price is higher higher than the price of the DSC when I booked. One can only wonder what the DSC will be when my Feb '16 cruise rolls around.

 

"Bait and Switch" is an appropriate term. States' AG and or the class action bar have a real opportunity here.

[buzzygirl1]

Agreed that maybe better to wait to see how things go as far as DSC, we are beyond final payment as mentioned for this upcoming cruise. Last year went on Gem, and paid the DSC, and tipped the steward separately. this time trying Breakaway. We may just see once we are on board, may just let the DSC go on account daily as is the case, and see at the end of the week if satisfied with services or decide to tip individually upon services received. But to " up the DSC" 30 days before the cruise, and for the second time, just seems to me to be very " not passenger friendly". We are aware from others there ARE options .

[Cruise4Real]

Not quite accurate. I was able to prepay at today's price. Today's price is higher higher than the price of the DSC when I booked. One can only wonder what the DSC will be when my Feb '16 cruise rolls around.

 

"Bait and Switch" is an appropriate term. States' AG and or the class action bar have a real opportunity here.

 

As much as I think NCL has basically been doing a lot of "bait and switch" over the past six months, on this issue I don't think NCL has ANY problems because DSC is a completely discretionary charge. If you don't want to pay it, you don't have to. If you want to reduce the final $13.50 pppd charge down to $12.00 pppd (or lower, or to nothing), you have complete freedom to do so.

[Shawnino]

Is everybody sure that 100% of this money is going to the staff? If it is then that is great, but when i see the words "Service Charge" i am skeptical that some, if not all, of these increase are going to NCL's bottom line.

 

Nobody's sure that as much as 1% is going to staff.