Prepaid Gratuities

[swmichigan cruiser]

18 minutes ago, dandelpino said:

I never prepay. There is no tangible benefit or financial incentive for me to do so. You don't owe the service charges until the end of the cruise so paying early would just be floating NCL a few hundred dollars for free and I'm not a bank.

I usually do not but on our upcoming 21 night Encore cruise I have because it helps pushes up from $500 cash back from our  TA to $750.  And I was going to pay it eventually anyway.

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, btc1951 said:

I prepaid my service charge for both of us, but how do you prepay the gratuities? I can't for the life of me figure that out. I don't see any way to do it. And I don't want any surprises when I get the final bill on the last day of the cruise. 

There is no way to pre-pay true gratuities.  You pay those in case as you wish.

The problem is, many people including some NCL marketing and many TA marketing folks consider the DSC to be the gratuities.  It used to be that we were given envelopes to put our gratuities in to hand to the steward, waiter and head waiter.  Those envelopes started to disappear around the same time as the DSC showed up (roughly speaking).  The DSC can also be removed in case of bad service, furthering supporting the relationship between DSC and gratuity. 

Since the conversion from weekly tips to DSC, some people have felt the desire to tip their stewards (or whomever) in addition to the DSC.  That's a personal decision and unlike the old days where your steward and waiter expected a weekly tip, additional tips are not expected.   I'm not sure how many people do this additional tipping, but, I suspect it's a small percentage of cruisers (it's a very high percentage of passionate folks here on CC as will be evidenced by the people who reply to this note telling me how wrong I am).  

[PATRLR]

49 minutes ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

I usually do not but on our upcoming 21 night Encore cruise I have because it helps pushes up from $500 cash back from our  TA to $750.  And I was going to pay it eventually anyway.

If my math is correct, DSC for two people for 21 days is $630.  So for paying $630 early, you get $250 back?  40% return?  I'd do that for sure!

As a matter of fact, I want to know who your TA is 🙂   (JK - I know CC rules forbid such information sharing)

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by PATRLR

[swmichigan cruiser]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

If my math is correct, DSC for two people for 21 days is $630.  So for paying $630 early, you get $250 back?  40% return?  I'd do that for sure!

As a matter of fact, I want to know who your TA is 🙂   (JK - I know CC rules forbid such information sharing)

 

Actually was $651. Works out to $15.50 pp per day.  I always get a $100 onboard credit from them besides the cash back. 

[julig22]

4 hours ago, dandelpino said:

I never prepay. There is no tangible benefit or financial incentive for me to do so. You don't owe the service charges until the end of the cruise so paying early would just be floating NCL a few hundred dollars for free and I'm not a bank.

I just paid mine - thanks to the person who resurrected an old post as a reminder!

Not huge, but if you booked your cruise before the annual increase, you pay the old rate if you pre-pay, the new rate if you pay onboard. And I cruise in 2 days, so not much of a loan to NCL.  It will all be on the same CC statement at this point. You can always wait until just before you sail if you want it paid before you board, you don't have to pay it at final payment.

[cruiseny4life]

3 hours ago, PATRLR said:

The problem is, many people including some NCL marketing and many TA marketing folks consider the DSC to be the gratuities.  It used to be that we were given envelopes to put our gratuities in to hand to the steward, waiter and head waiter.  Those envelopes started to disappear around the same time as the DSC showed up (roughly speaking).  The DSC can also be removed in case of bad service, furthering supporting the relationship between DSC and gratuity. 

After my last cruise I have even less faith that the staff actually see the daily service charge. I was told by multiple bartenders not to tip them on the receipt I signed for my drinks (didn't purchase a drinks package). They said they don't see that money and right on the slip it says "gratuity" so one would expect the server does receive the gratuity left, but alas, they do not. Thus, I went the old fashioned way and gave them cash. 

 

The cruise companies are too opaque to figure out if the daily service charge actually goes to staff. Is it a bonus? Incentive? Does it purchase a new pool table for the crew? I don't know...I'll pay it, but I'll also know NCL likely just everything, but give split it proportionally to those that provide service to me. 

[Beach Life 1]

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

I just paid mine - thanks to the person who resurrected an old post as a reminder!

Not huge, but if you booked your cruise before the annual increase, you pay the old rate if you pre-pay, the new rate if you pay onboard. And I cruise in 2 days, so not much of a loan to NCL.  It will all be on the same CC statement at this point. You can always wait until just before you sail if you want it paid before you board, you don't have to pay it at final payment.

We always do the same, about 5-7 days before we cruise.  It gets it out of the way,  and it makes  keeping track of your onboard charges much easier. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 minutes ago, jezabel80 said:

It gets it out of the way

I could pay my next 12 mortgage/rent payments and "get them out of the way."  I could also do the same with a lot of known expenses.  I don't, and I also don't prepay DSCs.  They'll get their money eventually.  I can use if for other things in the meantime.  😎

[Cruiser1862]

We do the same. Just a week or 2 out I pay. One less thing I have to monitor while onboard

[spanishguy1970]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

After my last cruise I have even less faith that the staff actually see the daily service charge. I was told by multiple bartenders not to tip them on the receipt I signed for my drinks (didn't purchase a drinks package). They said they don't see that money and right on the slip it says "gratuity" so one would expect the server does receive the gratuity left, but alas, they do not. Thus, I went the old fashioned way and gave them cash. 

 

The cruise companies are too opaque to figure out if the daily service charge actually goes to staff. Is it a bonus? Incentive? Does it purchase a new pool table for the crew? I don't know...I'll pay it, but I'll also know NCL likely just everything, but give split it proportionally to those that provide service to me. 

not the first time i have heard this about the service charge not going to them.

[Travelling2Some]

On 6/22/2021 at 12:56 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

That makes two of us (and I believe based upon this thread that we are in a very small minority).  The only time I prepaid is when there was an imminent price increase between final payment date and sail date.

Make it three.  I never pre-pay anything.  Just don't see any advantage at all in it.  My normal habit is to keep my money in my own pocket until a bill is due.  I don't want to have to chase after a refund if we cancel for some reason.  This is just a small amount but with larger amounts (like paying for the whole cruise way in advance) why would I go around giving out interest free loans???

[Travelling2Some]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

After my last cruise I have even less faith that the staff actually see the daily service charge. I was told by multiple bartenders not to tip them on the receipt I signed for my drinks (didn't purchase a drinks package). They said they don't see that money and right on the slip it says "gratuity" so one would expect the server does receive the gratuity left, but alas, they do not. Thus, I went the old fashioned way and gave them cash. 

 

Interesting.  We always have the "free" drink package on NCL but we also tip the bartenders $1 a drink in cash.  Even on land, anyplace I suspect the management confiscates tips I palm it to the worker inconspicuously just in case.

[MotownVoice]

I knocked mine out a year in advance.   I got news for ya.   If you think a cruise is taking you prepay and running straight his stock broker, you should have become oddly paranoid about that when you sent them your deposit.  

[deliver42]

I always get the drink package, but still tip the bartender or the server $1.00 per drink.

[DensolandMouthy]

8 hours ago, PATRLR said:

There is no way to pre-pay true gratuities.  You pay those in case as you wish.

The problem is, many people including some NCL marketing and many TA marketing folks consider the DSC to be the gratuities.  It used to be that we were given envelopes to put our gratuities in to hand to the steward, waiter and head waiter.  Those envelopes started to disappear around the same time as the DSC showed up (roughly speaking).  The DSC can also be removed in case of bad service, furthering supporting the relationship between DSC and gratuity. 

Since the conversion from weekly tips to DSC, some people have felt the desire to tip their stewards (or whomever) in addition to the DSC.  That's a personal decision and unlike the old days where your steward and waiter expected a weekly tip, additional tips are not expected.   I'm not sure how many people do this additional tipping, but, I suspect it's a small percentage of cruisers (it's a very high percentage of passionate folks here on CC as will be evidenced by the people who reply to this note telling me how wrong I am).  

I suspect its a very small percentage too considering the amount of people on this thread anxious to prepay tips to avoid a negligible yearly increase and get away with paying the old rate 

[julig22]

41 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

Make it three.  I never pre-pay anything.  Just don't see any advantage at all in it.  My normal habit is to keep my money in my own pocket until a bill is due.  I don't want to have to chase after a refund if we cancel for some reason.  This is just a small amount but with larger amounts (like paying for the whole cruise way in advance) why would I go around giving out interest free loans???

I prepay a few days before the cruise, just to keep it simple once onboard. So not a loan.  If I cancel at that point, I've got way bigger issues.

With their totally wacky onboard accounting system, I like to keep it as simple as possible, as there is also no advantage to paying onboard since I have no intention of removing those charges.

[Travelling2Some]

3 hours ago, julig22 said:

I prepay a few days before the cruise, just to keep it simple once onboard. So not a loan.  If I cancel at that point, I've got way bigger issues.

With their totally wacky onboard accounting system, I like to keep it as simple as possible, as there is also no advantage to paying onboard since I have no intention of removing those charges.

Yup.  I could agree with that and might even do it 🙂  RCI's accounting and IT are even worse, lol!  What I don't get is why anyone would pay the entire cost of the cruise at the time of booking when the cruise is many months or even years away.  Now that's an interest free loan.