Automatic gratuities guidelines

[pamrose228]

Planning on two TAs with many port stops.  Will be eating at least half my meals off the ship plus I paid for excursions that include lunches and probably will order many room service breakfasts.

 

Also I have 5 specialty restaurants dinners during the crossing and extra grats were added to this.

 

I dont want to stiff my cabin attendant so I will give him extra on the side.

 

I have never done this before but for so many missed meals I dont think I should pay full grats.  What do you say?

[DaCruiseBug]

6 minutes ago, pamrose228 said:

Planning on two TAs with many port stops.  Will be eating at least half my meals off the ship plus I paid for excursions that include lunches and probably will order many room service breakfasts.

 

Also I have 5 specialty restaurants dinners during the crossing and extra grats were added to this.

 

I dont want to stiff my cabin attendant so I will give him extra on the side.

 

I have never done this before but for so many missed meals I dont think I should pay full grats.  What do you say?

 

It doesn't work that way. Pay up the daily gratuities and then if you want to give your cabin attendant more that's fine.

[FLAHAM]

You would reduce the income of wait staff and behind-the-scenes ship workers who cannot replace you as a customer during your cruise.

[KateQ22003]

Only you can make the decision of what feels right to you. If you would rather directly tip those who have made your trip special, do so. It is common knowledge that the daily "service charge" does not make it's way to the staff as they would like you to believe.

[pamrose228]

5 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

It doesn't work that way. Pay up the daily gratuities and then if you want to give your cabin attendant more that's fine.

It used to work that way.

You tipped those who you felt should be tipped.

When did you start cruising?

[mjkacmom]

15 minutes ago, pamrose228 said:

It used to work that way.

You tipped those who you felt should be tipped.

When did you start cruising?

It did used to work that way, now the money goes to more than those who serve you directly. It’s more like a service charge so the cruiselines can advertise the lowest cost possible and be competitive. If you want to cruise old school, there are lines that include these costs into the price of the fare.

[fstuff1]

4 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

 It is common knowledge that the daily "service charge" does not make it's way to the staff as they would like you to believe.

link?

Edited December 22, 2018 by fstuff1

[DirtyDawg]

7 hours ago, pamrose228 said:

Planning on two TAs with many port stops.  Will be eating at least half my meals off the ship plus I paid for excursions that include lunches and probably will order many room service breakfasts.

 

Also I have 5 specialty restaurants dinners during the crossing and extra grats were added to this.

 

I dont want to stiff my cabin attendant so I will give him extra on the side.

 

I have never done this before but for so many missed meals I dont think I should pay full grats.  What do you say?

 

I believe you can apply for a refund of the DSC after your cruise. I'm not sure you have to go to guest services while on the cruise and inform them beforehand. 

 

I wouldn't bother to this if I were in your position. It is to much work on my part to tip everyone I would want to tip for providing the services that I actually used. The stateroom steward would be easy, but I wouldn't want to carry a wad of $1's around to the buffet to tip all the folks who I got service from there. Then, if I did use the MDR how much do I tip the waiter and assistant waiter each meal? What about the guy or gal at the towel station? Or the Washy Washy girls at the entrance to the buffet? Or....Or.....?

 

I could figure all this out eventually but why? Way too much work to save 100 or 200 bucks. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by DirtyDawg

[NLH Arizona]

4 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

 It is common knowledge that the daily "service charge" does not make it's way to the staff as they would like you to believe.

Posters might say this, but no one has every posted any proof that it does not go to the staff.  Do you have proof to post?

[ColeThornton]

Let your conscience be your guide.   It's your money.  Figure it out.

[KateQ22003]

1 hour ago, fstuff1 said:

link?

No link, have made friends with several cruise staff. They have the same tale to tell.

[KateQ22003]

31 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

Posters might say this, but no one has every posted any proof that it does not go to the staff.  Do you have proof to post?

Do you want names of my cruise friends? I would never do that, but enough cruise waiters have told me the same story that I tend to believe them.

[pisenor]

6 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

No link, have made friends with several cruise staff. They have the same tale to tell.

 

5 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

Do you want names of my cruise friends? I would never do that, but enough cruise waiters have told me the same story that I tend to believe them.

Or....They're fishing for a bigger tips.

[senseib]

9 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

No link, have made friends with several cruise staff. They have the same tale to tell.

So the cruise staff keep the books and therefore know how the gratuities and service charges are distributed?

[KateQ22003]

7 minutes ago, pisenor said:

 

Or....They're fishing for a bigger tips.

Or... they know what they make each week.

[KateQ22003]

4 minutes ago, senseib said:

So the cruise staff keep the books and therefore know how the gratuities and service charges are distributed?

Do you know how the gratuities and service charges are distributed? The cruise lines certainly don't share that information, do they? No, because they don't want that known. They count on passengers thinking their money is going completely to the staff. If they have nothing to hide, they would publish the percent that goes to each level of staff. They don't. I trust what an employee tells me a heck of a lot more that what a corporation refuses to tell me.

[NLH Arizona]

27 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

Do you want names of my cruise friends? I would never do that, but enough cruise waiters have told me the same story that I tend to believe them.

So the crew does the calculations and books on the DSC; didn't know they had all that extra time.  The crew only knows that they get a paycheck and nothing more.  Hope you gave your "cruise friends" and extra tip, because I'm sure that is what they were fishing for.  Here is something posted by someone who acctually worked as an officer on NCL.  BTW, just because a cruise line doesn't tell you how their automatic gratuities/DSC are distributed doesn't mean they are hiding anything.  It just means that they feel it is no one's business except for the company and their employees.  

 

No, as noted, their compensation is a combination of wages and "incentive" program, which is the DSC. The reason that all cruise lines use the "service charge" method is two fold: it tries to engender a "team concept" for the hospitality staff, so that failure of one person, resulting in reduction of DSC, affects everyone (to a small extent) in the "team". It also allows the cruise line to shift the onus for reducing a crew member's compensation from the cruise line to the passengers.
 

Edited December 22, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[KateQ22003]

10 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

So the crew does the calculations and books on the DSC; didn't know they had all that extra time.  The crew only knows that they get a paycheck and nothing more.  Hope you gave your "cruise friends" and extra tip, because I'm sure that is what they were fishing for.  Here is something posted by someone who acctually worked as an officer on NCL.  BTW, just because a cruise line doesn't tell you how their automatic gratuities/DSC are distributed doesn't mean they are hiding anything.  It just means that they feel it is no one's business except for the company and their employees.  

 

No, as noted, their compensation is a combination of wages and "incentive" program, which is the DSC. The reason that all cruise lines use the "service charge" method is two fold: it tries to engender a "team concept" for the hospitality staff, so that failure of one person, resulting in reduction of DSC, affects everyone (to a small extent) in the "team". It also allows the cruise line to shift the onus for reducing a crew member's compensation from the cruise line to the passengers.
 

Ok, then show me on the NCL website where the % are broken down and shows that all the money collected is actually distributed to the staff. Not as an incentive, not as a bonus, but that the money is collected from us passengers and given to the staff, as we want it to. If they collect $240,000 a week in DSC, and give out $100,000 in "incentives", is that ok? Show me where the $240,000 is distributed 100%.

 

Just to be clear, I have never reduced or eliminated the DSC; that's not my style and I'm glad to pay it. I tip extra cash to those that make my trip special. That being said, I'm not naïve to think that my DSC is distributed 100% to the hard working staff. If it is, NCL would be crowing that from the rooftops.

[senseib]

5 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

Just to be clear, I have never reduced or eliminated the DSC; that's not my style and I'm glad to pay it. I tip extra cash to those that make my trip special. That being said, I'm not naïve to think that my DSC is distributed 100% to the hard working staff. If it is, NCL would be crowing that from the rooftops.

 

Actually since the DSC can be adjusted it has to be accounted for as gratuities and distributed 100% to the staff.  That is GAAP.

[jkrislc]

I always pay the daily gratuity that's added to the onboard account, but it does seem as if cruise lines are starting to double dip by adding gratuities to specialty dining packages since you're presumably paying a gratuity for the MDR staff and also paying a gratuity to the specialty restaurant for the same service. 

[NLH Arizona]

2 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

Ok, then show me on the NCL website where the % are broken down and shows that all the money collected is actually distributed to the staff. Not as an incentive, not as a bonus, but that the money is collected from us passengers and given to the staff, as we want it to. If they collect $240,000 a week in DSC, and give out $100,000 in "incentives", is that ok? Show me where the $240,000 is distributed 100%.

 

Just to be clear, I have never reduced or eliminated the DSC; that's not my style and I'm glad to pay it. I tip extra cash to those that make my trip special. That being said, I'm not naïve to think that my DSC is distributed 100% to the hard working staff. If it is, NCL would be crowing that from the rooftops.

NCL doesn't release that information, because it is actually none of our business.  Do you ask every business you purchase things from how they distribute their money to pay their employees and do they give you an answer?  Show me facts that they are collecting $240,000 a week and giving out $100,000 and I'll be more than happy to comment on that.  Believe what you want and others will believe what they want.

 

 

[SeaShark]

8 minutes ago, senseib said:

 

Actually since the DSC can be adjusted it has to be accounted for as gratuities and distributed 100% to the staff.  That is GAAP.

 

That is totally incorrect. That the guest can adjust the amount is only ONE of FOUR requirements that differentiate a tip/gratuity from a service charge. To explain, 

 

What is a tip or gratuity?

 

These are the general characteristics of a tip/gratuity:

 

• The payment must be made free from compulsion AND
• The customer must have the unrestricted right to determine the amount AND
• The payment should not be the subject of negotiation or dictated by employer policy AND
• Generally, the customer has the right to determine who receives the payment.
   

What is a Service Charge?

 

Service charges will usually be clearly indicated as such. If any of the above listed traits for a tip are missing, however, then it is usually a service charge. In other words, a service charge is, when:

 

• The payment is mandatory OR
• The customer does not possess the unrestricted right to determine the amount OR
• The payment is the subject of negotiation or dictated by employer policy OR
• Generally, the customer does not hold the right to determine who receives the payment.
   

 

In short, if ALL four characteristics are present, then it is a tip. If one or more are not present, then it is a service charge.

 

 

 

When an employer keeps a portion of service charges, they are treated as revenue for the business and the dollars distributed to staff are treated as non-tip wages.

 

 

With NCL's DSC, the guest has no ability to say specifically to whom the payment goes...therefore, it will ALWAYS be a Service Charge since all four attributes of a tip/gratuity can not be met.

[KateQ22003]

11 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

NCL doesn't release that information, because it is actually none of our business.  Do you ask every business you purchase things from how they distribute their money to pay their employees and do they give you an answer?  Show me facts that they are collecting $240,000 a week and giving out $100,000 and I'll be more than happy to comment on that.  Believe what you want and others will believe what they want.

 

 

If the money is being taken from me, and I am told it is for a specific reason, you are darned right I would ask where my money is going!! Would you be cool going to a restaurant, leaving the waiter a $20 tip, and then finding out that he actually got $10 and the rest he doesn't get because he didn't earn his "incentive"?

[PTC DAWG]

8 hours ago, pamrose228 said:

Planning on two TAs with many port stops.  Will be eating at least half my meals off the ship plus I paid for excursions that include lunches and probably will order many room service breakfasts.

 

Also I have 5 specialty restaurants dinners during the crossing and extra grats were added to this.

 

I dont want to stiff my cabin attendant so I will give him extra on the side.

 

I have never done this before but for so many missed meals I dont think I should pay full grats.  What do you say?

I disagree...

[NLH Arizona]

4 minutes ago, KateQ22003 said:

If the money is being taken from me, and I am told it is for a specific reason, you are darned right I would ask where my money is going!! Would you be cool going to a restaurant, leaving the waiter a $20 tip, and then finding out that he actually got $10 and the rest he doesn't get because he didn't earn his "incentive"?

Apples to oranges.  Does it upset you that out of the $20 tip you give your waiter, he has to tip out the bus boy and possibly other employees.  Also, in many restaurants if you give no tip, the server still has to tip out others with their own money.  Maybe you should ask restaurants their policies.  Have a great day and Merry Christmas.

Edited December 22, 2018 by NLH Arizona