gratuities on Norwegian cruise line

[SinbadThePorter]

Or you can just pay them, make sure you have budgeted for it when booking. You can save yourself a lot of stress and hassle if not the money.

 

Or the cruise lines could just include them in the fare and save even more hassle and stress.

[MicCanberra]

Or the cruise lines could just include them in the fare and save even more hassle and stress.

True, either way would work.

[springaussie]

The reason for my question on the gratuities still in Oz on NCL is because so many people say Royal Caribbean include them now because of consumer law.

How come NCL are still charging tips on a daily method?

Plus I believe also NCL add the tips on a drink at purchase time.

Doesn’t make sense to me.

(My question is based on the operations of the NCL system not if people pay them or not.)

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[sofmall]

It's easy to have them removed. If you haven't pre-paid the service charges (I don't regard them as tips and doubt that much of it goes to the staff, but rather goes into NCL's coffers) just go to the front desk and ask for them to be removed. Usually they tell you to come back on the second last day and it will be done. We go back then, make the request, and it's fine. No stress. Easy.

 

And yes, service charges are charged over and above the cost of a drink. But that doesn't affect us as we always have the unlimited beverage "Free at Sea" perk, and for Australians there's no service charge added. Americans who have the "Free at Sea" are still charged service charges on their drinks.

[SinbadThePorter]

The reason for my question on the gratuities still in Oz on NCL is because so many people say Royal Caribbean include them now because of consumer law.

How come NCL are still charging tips on a daily method?

Plus I believe also NCL add the tips on a drink at purchase time.

Doesn’t make sense to me.

(My question is based on the operations of the NCL system not if people pay them or not.)

 

I am not a lawyer, but I believe that if any tipping system is truly voluntary then it is OK under Australian law. If it is not, such as some sort of auto-tipping system, then it would be illegal. You can advertise a cruise fare that includes the tipping component, but not add it on later.

 

I suspect that NCL are still doing it because nobody has yet referred them to a Fair Trade Dept and they still think that they can carry on like they are in the U.S.

 

There are allowances for service charges for food and drinks in consumer law. I expect that would apply to cruise ships.

[Comi.uy]

I did 3 cruises with NCL and this is my experience.

I live in south america and the service charges NCL has are way too much $ for us.

I had them removed on all cruises with no problem. First make sure to NOT pre-pay for them, in that case I dont know how it works, they may refund them but it makes the whole thing more complicated.

On one of the first days of the cruise just go to the front desk and ask them to remove them. In my experience whoever talks to you will first ask why and if he can solve the problem. I always told them that I rather pay the tips myself, that there was no problem. Then they will give you a form you need to fill to say why, here you just put again as reason that you rather pay yourself. In the form it asks directly for you to lists any problems you may had, there just put that you dont agree with this tipping system and that you rather tip yourself.

Supposedly this form can be rejected, but I dont think that ever happens in this case.

Only had an uncomfortable time once doing this but its minor compared to the huge service charges they pretend to charge.

 

The service we got after filling this form was not altered at all, good experiences always. They also genuinely seem to appreciate cash tips and I think even in the weird case that they might have to give these cash tips in, they can just not do that easily...

 

On the last day of the cruise, when you go and close your account, you are just not charged any service charges at all.

[Scyl]

4 hours ago, Comi.uy said:

service charges they pretend to charge.

Not sure where you get that information from. From my understanding, service charges are better than tipping manually because there are many people working hard to make you experience great, but you don't see most of them. So by giving tip manually, everyone in the "back stage" misses out.

 

Just including service charges into the fare is so much simpler...