service charge question

[Wannacruise81]

Well, I've met Canadians on most of my cruises, so I'm not sure what you mean. I wasn't intending to 'toss around' my degree, just to provide some perspective. I've studied this stuff (on paper, at least), so I'm not completely talking out of my left ear.

 

Yes, cruise lines are arbitraging salary differences between various cultures, exploiting those who come from low-wage environments who are willing to work onerous hours in order to exact a higher standard of living for themselves and their families. Anybody who cruises needs to know & be 'okay' with that. From my perspective, they are offering opportunity to many people from an environment where opportunity is hard to come by. Same coin, different side.

 

As for the $3500 / $1500 question, it's impossible to know how much of the $3500 they were tipping-out to get the best food, cleanest towels/sheets, most timely silverware. If they were NETTING $1500 back in the day, and they're NETTING $1500 now...the missing money has been located. It had been being (sorry for the complex tense) paid to the back-of-house people - the people we now advocate are protected under the DSC, and the very people that the OP might be wondering why they should be concerned about.

 

That was the entire point of my post.... what used to be, involved machinations the end-user wasn't privy to. The new way removes those machinations, and ensures everybody is covered. They NEED to be, or the ship can't operate.

 

If the laundry crew quits? The busboys? The dishwasher?

 

CHAOS!

 

 

The DSC removes that concern, and is apparently effective, as the ships appear to function reasonably well.

 

 

So I'm still not convinced by your fear-mongering, that corporate is pocketing the money. They may not be distributing is "as before", but they're distributing it in a way that has an equivalency which satisfies all of the proponents. They are fully staffed front & back.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

 

*I have never met a Canadian who work in the food service department. In the entertainment department yes, but def not in the food service or room steward department.

 

*Money exchanged for "greasing the palms" would not be half of what these waiters got from tips. That would be ridiculous and not worth it. The DSC does not mean the back of the house are getting the money as if they were getting paid under the table. Chefs, laundry crew, repair men, always had a salary position. What the cruise lines want you to think is that these people in the back of the house are getting extra money from the DSC on top of their salaries. This is not the case. The guest is now paying the salary that the cruise company used to pay but now does not have to.

 

*Think what you want -- I dont gain anything from changing people's opinions. I'm just stating what is really happening, believe it or not.

[CruiseGal999]

Has anyone opted out of paying the service charge and just tipped on your own? and if not who does the service charge cover for tips?

 

Are you seriously asking this? There are 9 million threads/posts on this topic. And people are going to get very vocal about their answers to you.

 

NO, you 'shouldn't' remove the gratuities/service charges/DSC/whatever each cruise line wants to call them.

 

These gratuities get distributed to people you don't see as well as your room steward, dining room server, etc.

 

You certainly are allowed to remove them and tip as you wish. It IS a free country.

[558]

Why do people on Cruise Critic get so worked up every single time this topic comes up? Some of us tip, some of us don't tip. Some of us leave the DSC intact, some of us remove the DSC.

On NCL the DSC is a discretionary charge so it should be nobody's business what one does with this. Now if NCL would follow Costa's policy and make the DSC mandatory, than that would be a different situation.

Just sayin' people.

Some of you need to take a chill pill, or two!

[havanadaydreaming]

I pay the DSC.

 

I prepay gratuities on OBP.

 

and my wife and I both bring 50+ singles per 7 day cruise.

 

then I sleep like a baby knowing we did our bestest to be at least fair, if not generous.

[C cruise]

Are you seriously asking this? There are 9 million threads/posts on this topic.

.

 

Sorry but I was seriously asking this question - I have never cruised before... I also am new here and although I searched, I couldn't find a thread with this topic.

[CruiseGal999]

I really appreciate all these answers - hubby and I are from both schools of thought - I'd like to pay the service charge and then tip cash here and there as deserved ... he doesn't want to pay the service charge and wants to tip cash as deserved...

 

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but when you remove the DSC, the room stewards are given a list and they know you have removed them. Now, as it is has been discussed on CC, any cash they are given is turned over to the tip pool. So you believe you are being generous to those you 'see' helping you, but they get a lot less money for all the work they do.

[CruiseGal999]

Have you been on a cruise before? Sounds to me like he doesn’t want the extra charges adding up throughout the week. Just pay the DSC and tip above and beyond if you want. All the employees work their asses off all week, you see them late at night and right back at it first thing in the morning.

 

You can prepay the gratuities and then you don't have to worry about the charges adding up each day. It's done & over with before you even board the ship.

[Shineson]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but when you remove the DSC, the room stewards are given a list and they know you have removed them. Now, as it is has been discussed on CC, any cash they are given is turned over to the tip pool. So you believe you are being generous to those you 'see' helping you, but they get a lot less money for all the work they do.

 

Correct - and can I just add another dimension to the issue. From what I've been told, your cabin stewards are allocated "x" amount of cabins to clean. They receive a % of the DSC for each cabin/passenger. If anyone removes their DSC, the steward loses out. He/She can claw back some of the shortfall from any 'cash' tips they are personally given. However, they first have to make up the shortfall caused by those who remove the DSC by handing that amount of cash over to the 'Pot'. They can then keep any remaining tips for themselves. I've been given to understand that the same applies to dining / waiting staff too.

[pieshops]

rumor

Having worked on ships I can tell you firsthand this is 100mperecnt true

[Beer Belly]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but when you remove the DSC, the room stewards are given a list and they know you have removed them. Now, as it is has been discussed on CC, any cash they are given is turned over to the tip pool. So you believe you are being generous to those you 'see' helping you, but they get a lot less money for all the work they do.

Remove the DSC last day of the cruise if you are worried about sub service during the cruise.

[pieshops]

Remove the DSC last day of the cruise if you are worried about sub service during the cruise.

Wow, that a real A-hole move

[Beer Belly]

Wow, that a real A-hole move

Thank You

[Sam Ting]

Remove the DSC last day of the cruise if you are worried about sub service during the cruise.

 

We tip as we go instead of contributing to the DSC and service has never been a problem. In fact it may even be a little better.

 

We prefer to tip directly to the waiters and cabin steward rather than have it “trickle down” from the billion dollar corporation. Just our preference.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Sam Ting]

Again you do not tip INSTEAD of paying the DSC. The two are 100% unrelated. No one really cares if someone choose to drop the DSC but please do not use the lame invalid EXCUSE that you tipped so it is justified.

 

Sorry, you are wrong. We do tip instead of paying the DSC.

[Peachypooh]

I think that this is one of the reasons I am re-considering sailing in the Haven all the time. I leave the service charge in place and then tip those who do not receive part of it (butler and concierge) plus extra for the hard working room steward. Most of the time we give the bartender $1 per drink and then I leave $5-$10 at dinner unless in a specialty restaurant where the tip is included. Last cruise all that extra tipping added up to $500. Yes they deserve it but the Haven prices have gone up so much that adding even more on top is forcing me to consider a balcony cabin which I know is still very nice.

[pieshops]

What part of your several rumors do you think are true? The list is folk lure only. The cash being handing MIGHT be partially true. BTW which ship, cruise line, and when?

I was on the Jade from December 2015 - April 2016 and the list is 100 percent true as well as the cash part

[fshagan]

Yes any cash given by a guest who removed the tips needs to be turned in. However, sometimes the crew member may say they never received anything and just pocket the money. If caught-yes termination.

 

Not on NCL. Read the "money matters" faq where NCL says you can certainly tip people who have done extra for you. They get to keep the extra and are not terminated.

 

Some lines may have that policy, but not NCL.

[KeithJenner]

Not on NCL. Read the "money matters" faq where NCL says you can certainly tip people who have done extra for you. They get to keep the extra and are not terminated.

 

 

 

Some lines may have that policy, but not NCL.

 

 

 

I’ve got no position in this argument, but would just point out that the post you quoted is referring to the situation where someone has removed the DSC, not where they are tipping extra on top of that.

 

 

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[ColeThornton]

Having worked on ships I can tell you firsthand this is 100mperecnt true

 

 

Well, if a stranger on the internet says the urban myth about the infamous DSC removal list is true then who are we to argue? Thanks. ;p

[fshagan]

There are no unions to help these crew out.

 

Every crew member is a member of the ITF Seafarers union and every NCL ship is signatory to the union.

 

[Shineson]

Not on NCL. Read the "money matters" faq where NCL says you can certainly tip people who have done extra for you. They get to keep the extra and are not terminated.

 

Some lines may have that policy, but not NCL.

 

They only get to keep the full 'tip' if all their allocated cabin / table guests have left their DSC's in place.

[ElaineKeagy]

I’d like to understand the motivation in opting out of the DSC. I’m under the impression this would just be an attempt at cost-saving.

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

I’d like to understand the motivation in opting out of the DSC. I’m under the impression this would just be an attempt at cost-saving.

 

Certainly, for some it is that.

 

But I'm sure that many people are doing it for legitimate reasons. Some are wary of what the line is doing with the DSC, and others just like to tip directly because they do so at home. Some seem to be very worried about the bar staff's motivation to work if there isn't someone waving a wad of cash at them, and others just want to be Mr Big passing money down to the minions.

 

Personally, I don't agree with these reasons (and in some cases think they are fairly offensive), but I believe they are often views that are held with good intentions.

[Shineson]

I’d like to understand the motivation in opting out of the DSC. I’m under the impression this would just be an attempt at cost-saving.

 

 

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I agree, it is pointless unless your motive is to save yourself some money, and then try and make yourself feel good about it by handing out tips. As I've said previously, the individual member of staff does not retain any of the cash tips until the original DSC Pot is brought up level again. I would guess that 9 times out of 10, the 'cash' tips fall short of making up the DSC Pot, and the losers will be the staff themselves, and not the billion dollar corporation as has been intimated.

[Sam Ting]

I’d like to understand the motivation in opting out of the DSC. I’m under the impression this would just be an attempt at cost-saving.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

What do you think is the cruise lines motivation is in getting involved at all in this whole scheme?