Extra charges on board

[sloopsailor]

I think they stopped allowing people to remove the service charge to put more money into the crews pockets and possibly stop crew from leaving. A great portion of their pay is from the service charge. Now the crew know that they will be paid for their work. What a huge relief that must be. I would think that this should help with morale and staff retainment. I sure wouldn't be happy at work not knowing if I was going to receive 100 o/o of my wage that week or only 70 o/o. I don't believe that it would make me work harder because I truly feel that almost everyone who took their service charges off when they could had made that decision based on saving money and not based on the service that they received.

 

Argggg! Karysa, you made me see another of his rants!!!! ;)

 

And, as usual, he insults people, this time with that "stick their heads into the sand and not face the reality" comment. So predictable! :rolleyes:

 

BTW: I agree with you 100%. The crew will now have a better certainty that they will receive the maximum remuneration for their hard work. Like you, I doubt that the majority of people who remove the tips do it for service issues. It is only about keeping the money for themselves.

Edited October 8, 2015 by sloopsailor

[swedish weave]

I think they stopped allowing people to remove the service charge to put more money into the crews pockets and possibly stop crew from leaving. A great portion of their pay is from the service charge. Now the crew know that they will be paid for their work. What a huge relief that must be. I would think that this should help with morale and staff retainment. I sure wouldn't be happy at work not knowing if I was going to receive 100 o/o of my wage that week or only 70 o/o. I don't believe that it would make me work harder because I truly feel that almost everyone who took their service charges off when they could had made that decision based on saving money and not based on the service that they received.

 

Your opinions differ from the feedback I receive from some of the crew members.

 

First of all, not that many people who removed the DSC in the past failed to give cash tips to the crew.

 

The change made by NCL does not help the crew at all. It merely gives NCL total control of the funds in the DSC pool (which is a substantial amount of money). If you read what NCL says about the distribution of those funds, you can see what they are doing.

 

Contrary to what some of the "mouths" on CC say, I have many friends who work for NCL and some who did work there before the slash and burn takeover by the present management. Those who post opinions on this board and badmouth me are frustrated because I will not allow them to "cyber-bully" me into divulging my confidential information.

 

Believe what you choose, but I post factual and verifiable information but I will not furnish information to those who challenge my posts.

Edited October 8, 2015 by swedish weave

[swedish weave]

Argggg! Karysa, you made me see another of his rants!!!! ;)

 

And, as usual, he insults people, this time with that "stick their heads into the sand and not face the reality" comment. So predictable! :rolleyes:

 

BTW: I agree with you 100%. The crew will now have a better certainty that they will receive the maximum remuneration for their hard work. Like you, I doubt that the majority of people who remove the tips do it for service issues. It is only about keeping the money for themselves.

 

Your personal snide remarks and insults have about run their course. YOu have no facts to back up your comments.

[Karysa]

Your opinions differ from the feedback I receive from some of the crew members.

 

First of all, not that many people who removed the DSC in the past failed to give cash tips to the crew.

 

The change made by NCL does not help the crew at all. It merely gives NCL total control of the funds in the DSC pool (which is a substantial amount of money). If you read what NCL says about the distribution of those funds, you can see what they are doing.

 

Contrary to what some of the "mouths" on CC say, I have many friends who work for NCL and some who did work there before the slash and burn takeover by the present management. Those who post opinions on this board and badmouth me are frustrated because I will not allow them to "cyber-bully" me into divulging my confidential information.

 

Believe what you choose, but I post factual and verifiable information but I will not furnish information to those who challenge my posts.

 

 

If the company is ripping off the NCL crew members and you have factual and verifiable information I think that you should go to a reputable news industry and get the story out.

 

I want these hard working people to get the money they deserve. If anyone is ripping them off, shame on them!

[swedish weave]

If the company is ripping off the NCL crew members and you have factual and verifiable information I think that you should go to a reputable news industry and get the story out.

 

I want these hard working people to get the money they deserve. If anyone is ripping them off, shame on them!

 

I believe that is already being handled.

[SantaFeFan]

If the company is ripping off the NCL crew members and you have factual and verifiable information I think that you should go to a reputable news industry and get the story out.

 

I want these hard working people to get the money they deserve. If anyone is ripping them off, shame on them!

 

Karysa, going to the press with "the story" requires actual information to go to them with. That is something he has proven to be very short of. Oh, sorry, I forgot something. He has told us over and over again that he won't "do the homework" for us. It is up to us to find this illusive information on our own.

Edited October 8, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[dorisis]

Honestly, it's about time. I wish they'd even take it one step farther - add it to the fare and not even bother differentiating that it's a service charge or gratuity.

 

The same as they include port charges and government fees.

[dorisis]

There is a poster who occasionally posts here who has been involved with the cruise industry for quite some time. He detailed the main reason why most cruise lines do not roll up the gratuities into the fare. The gist of the explanation is about the taxes paid by the crew members in their home countries, and the fees paid to the agency that handles their employment applications.

 

If the fare was included, and the crew was paid a "living wage" (whatever that means), they would be taxed on their entire income earnings. Tips are typically not taxed in their home countries, especially countries that do not have a tipping culture. If a crew member makes $500 a month in wages, and $2,000 a month in tips, they only pay taxes on the $500. The $2,000 in tips is not taxed.

 

The same goes with agency fees. The fees are based on guaranteed earnings, their monthly wages, and not on variable income such as tips.

 

If gratuities were rolled into the fare, the large majority of their income would then be salary, and they now would have to pay taxes and agency fees on it all.

 

The way the system is structured today allows the crew to retain more of their income by reporting a lower guaranteed income, with fewer taxes and fees, which is a major benefit for them.

 

So, that's the "EXCUSE"???

[Aquahound]

So, that's the "EXCUSE"???

 

It's not an excuse. It's reality.

[PTMary]

It's not an excuse. It's reality.

 

Reality is difficult for some people to understand. They much prefer to believe in fantasies, lies, or conspiracy theories. They prefer to believe any non-reality idea, as long as it is in their favor.

[NLH Arizona]

Fine, but why does the cruising public have to be aware of how the staff is compensated? If it's just a line on the invoice (right under taxes and port fees), can't the cruise lines then disburse it however they want? We are culturally attuned to assume that a tip or gratuity is given voluntarily by a patron as a reward for service and everyone has a slightly different take on what service merits what tip. I must assume that's why so many people enquire about removing the auto-gratuities so they can tip as they please. A mandatory service charge does not allow for that so the semantics of it being a "gratuity" is problematic. Personally, I'm all for the crew being compensated and actually PREFER not to have to concern myself with "taking care" of everybody like in the old days with the cash envelopes.

It is a very easy answer, the cruising public does not have to be aware of how the staff is compensated, because that is between the cruise line and their crew, no one else. I believe that there are some that remove the auto-gratuities, because they want to tip in person, but, as has been reported by the NCL ship stationed in Europe, they have a lot of Daily Service Charges removed or no tips, because those passengers are doing what they do at home (not tipping). I might not like the customs in some of the countries I visit, but I abide by them, only because I think it is the right thing to do. And I'm with you 100%, I would rather not go back to the envelopes of yesteryears, because I remember the dining rooms being 1/2 full the last night, because people didn't want to tip the wait staff, even after they were given outstanding service.

 

BTW, there are some that would say that the crew tells them they would rather get tips than the DSC. Does anyone ever wonder why they are saying this. Because they are trolling for tips and I feel sorry for those that fall for it.

Edited October 9, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[mypleasure]

We are 1st time cruisers embarking on an all-inclusive cruise to the Canaries in December on Norwegian Epic. We are concerned about the potential extra costs that may be involved.

There is an automatic daily service charge-I understand this but would rather tip according to quality of service received. Is this possible?

There are surcharges for some entertainment such as Cirque but what about venues such as the jazz room, the tribute acts and the discos?

I have read that the shore excursions are very expensive. We are not ones for organised trips but would possibly like to explore the ports we are visiting. I presume the organised tours are not compulsory?

We have a balcony cabin and the cruise departs from Barcelona to Morocco and then the Canaries. Are there any tips for the best positioned cabins?

Any tips and general advice would be much appreciated.

 

 

My experience with NCL is that I always get good or great service and I am happy to pay the daily charge and the extra 18% on drinks. Tipping everyone individually is difficult because you won't often see the food servers more than once and bar servers can move from 1 bar to another too, but if that floats with you...

 

There is no charge for any entertainment other than Cirque and that is because it includes a meal which is what you are paying for.

 

For Morocco you will probably be best to buy a tour as this will be the best way to see everything there.

 

Are you going to Madeira on this cruise? If so you can walk into town in about 20 minutes. It is fine to wander for a couple of hours. The cable car station is there if you want to ride that and visit the gardens or take the toboggan back down.

 

Tenerife is a port where you can just travel into town or get an excursion.

 

In Lanzarote we loved the excursion to the volcanic park and the town is miles from the port but they do have a free bus. Nothing much to see and do in Arrecife though. Just a few shops and stuff like that

 

Lots to see in Malaga city, good shopping and cafes. Old quarter, museums and a nice cathedral. Good hospital next to the catherdral where I spent 9 nights with pneumonia.

 

As for the ship, well this is the 1st time in 4 years I haven't done this trip as the Spirit has been replaced by the Epic. Epic is OK, I have sailed on it twice although I am still wondering why I went a second time, but best to get a room near to elevators or you will find it a long walk to the elevator from your room and a long way from the elevator to your destination.

[Karysa]

Karysa, going to the press with "the story" requires actual information to go to them with. That is something he has proven to be very short of. Oh, sorry, I forgot something. He has told us over and over again that he won't "do the homework" for us. It is up to us to find this illusive information on our own.

 

That's what investigative journalists are for. I will buy the newspaper but to think that one will investigate every story that they are interested in is just silly.