Removing Gratuity Charges?

[luv2kroooz]

35 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

 

@blcruisingThank you! I am amazed to get a straight answer. Do you know if this is still the current procedure. Some time ago, I read that there was a form but it had to be emailed to customer service once the cruise was over. Now, is it all done onboard before leaving? Again, not endorsing this. Just asking for the information. Thanks again!

I am not endorsing it either, I am answering your question. What I wrote is the process and, as stated before, it is all done onboard. 

[MoniMommy]

12 minutes ago, blcruising said:

I am not endorsing it either, I am answering your question. What I wrote is the process and, as stated before, it is all done onboard. 

 

Thank you so much for explaining the current process. 

[buckeyefrank]

On 2/28/2019 at 10:32 AM, Jachred said:

How they get paid is my buisness because I am the one paying them.....  ie if the DSC is removed and doesn't impact anyone why not remove it if you can?  That's the question..  does that money goto the crew or a money grab....

 

 

How they get paid is not any of your business any more than how someone at Walmart gets paid.  The person accepted a job at NCL (or walmart) and were offered compensation that they agreed to.  It doesn't matter to me in the least.

 

Secondly, the DSC I can guarantee you do NOT go to NCLs bottom line.  They will need to be used 100% for the employees benefit.  I am an accountant and go through audits all the time.  NCL has statements, corporate policies and accounting policies stating what the DSC are applied to, which is employee tips and programs.  DSC funds not used for that purpose would be (at a minimum) be exposed in the auditors report and / or management letter and possibly be identified as fraudulent reporting.  This is an easy thing for the auditors to check annually.

[luv2kroooz]

21 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

How they get paid is not any of your business any more than how someone at Walmart gets paid.  The person accepted a job at NCL (or walmart) and were offered compensation that they agreed to.  It doesn't matter to me in the least.

 

Secondly, the DSC I can guarantee you do NOT go to NCLs bottom line.  They will need to be used 100% for the employees benefit.  I am an accountant and go through audits all the time.  NCL has statements, corporate policies and accounting policies stating what the DSC are applied to, which is employee tips and programs.  DSC funds not used for that purpose would be (at a minimum) be exposed in the auditors report and / or management letter and possibly be identified as fraudulent reporting.  This is an easy thing for the auditors to check annually.

 

Wow, you seem to know a lot about how NCL handles this. So one of the things I have always wondered is whether or not the crew directly receives my DSC dollar for dollar OR if they receive it indirectly from NCL in the sense that NCL provides crew uniforms, crew parties, crew healthcare, etc. Thank you.

[buckeyefrank]

1 minute ago, blcruising said:

 

Wow, you seem to know a lot about how NCL handles this. So one of the things I have always wondered is whether or not the crew directly receives my DSC dollar for dollar OR if they receive it indirectly from NCL in the sense that NCL provides crew uniforms, crew parties, crew healthcare, etc. Thank you.

I know nothing specifically about NCL or other cruise lines.  I know how accounting works and audits work because I go through them for a massive sized multi-national company.  I haven't read NCL literature but Carnival states the DSC goes for tips and programs to benefit employees.  I can only assume NCL is similar in structure.  Most of the DSC would go towards tips and the remainder would go towards things such as employee parties, recognition awards, bonuses, etc.  None of the DSC is going to NCL bottom line.

[IrieBajan54]

On 10/10/2019 at 7:57 PM, phillyguy31 said:

First I want to apologize, I thought it was you who posted about removing the dsc and it wasn’t.  Why not take NCL at their word instead of taking the negative path. At least until it can be proven otherwise.

.

How would anyone be able to prove otherwise?

[luv2kroooz]

36 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

I know nothing specifically about NCL or other cruise lines.  I know how accounting works and audits work because I go through them for a massive sized multi-national company.  I haven't read NCL literature but Carnival states the DSC goes for tips and programs to benefit employees.  I can only assume NCL is similar in structure.  Most of the DSC would go towards tips and the remainder would go towards things such as employee parties, recognition awards, bonuses, etc.  None of the DSC is going to NCL bottom line.

So, if they take a portion of the DSC and use it to reduce a normal corporate operating cost like uniform expense, or employee benefits expense wouldn't that cause an increase to NCLs overall operating income and net profit?

[LaCal]

Don’t be a Cheapskate.  Leave the tips alone 

[Oakman58]

I have no idea how the DSC is distributed and I don't care.  It's part of the cost of cruising as far as I'm concerned.  If NCL kept all that money they probably wouldn't have people continually coming back to work for them after they finish a contract.

 

The DSC replaced the envelopes that were used in the past.  And here's a tidbit of info for everyone, even though the envelopes were marked Room Steward, Maitre'D, etc. that money was actually pooled and divided up among various crewmen on the ship depending on their job category.

 

I'd bet the ones who say they remove the DSC are the same ones who stiffed the crew in the old days of envelopes.

 

Tipping is part of the culture in the U.S. and probably always will be.  For tipping to disappear companies and businesses would have to start paying a living wage.  The current minimum wage by U.S. law is $7.25 an hour.  Many U.S. states pay a bit more but not enough to be considered a living wage.  The poverty line for a family of 4 in the U.S. is $24,600 so you do the math.  The minimum wage for a restaurant server is considerable less.  Tipping isn't going away anytime soon.

 

I too wish all cruise lines would show what the Daily Service Charge will be when the deposit for a cruise is paid.  I know for a fact that some who cruise for the first time are caught off guard by that charge on their bill.  And you know as well as I do, most folks don't read the fine print, terms and conditions, etc.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Oakman58