question on tipping policy

[cary1306]

never been on n. cruise usually do roc or carnival. Are tips mandatory? or can you take them off? and tip personally if want.

[zqvol]

Here we go again

[Two Wheels Only]

Finally, a new topic! 🤗

 

Before the usual war of the words begins.....

 

Tip vs. Gratuity vs. Service charge

Thrifty vs. Cheap vs. Niggardly (look it up)

Daily vs. Discretionary  

etc. 

 

....everyone should take a minute and think about how nobody on the forum is going to change anyone else's opinion on the subject. 

 

To answer the OP's questions...,

Tips are not mandatory. 

If you mean the DSC, you can remove/adjust it.

If you mean the 20% service charge on things purchased, you cannot remove/adjust it. 

Whether you adjust the DSC or not, you can personally tip whomever you want. 

Edited February 24 by Two Wheels Only

[dbrown84]

Please everyone, give me a few minutes to get my popcorn ready....🤣🤣🍿🍿🍿

[julig22]

50 minutes ago, cary1306 said:

never been on n. cruise usually do roc or carnival. Are tips mandatory? or can you take them off? and tip personally if want.

Here's a suggestion for you.  Take advantage of the search function on CC - to save yourself from getting blasted for asking a question that's controversial and/or been beat to death on this forum.

The little box at the top right of the page that says Search. Put in something like tipping  or DSC and you'll have enough reading material for at least a week.

[d9704011]

34 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Thrifty vs. Cheap vs. Niggardly (look it up)

I prefer parsimonious.

[pete_coach]

Everything you buy (food and drinks and rides etc) onboard will have a "gratuity" included.

Daily Service Charge for the cabin is also included but you can go to Guest Services and remove it,

[cheersforbeers]

51 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

Please everyone, give me a few minutes to get my popcorn ready....🤣🤣🍿🍿🍿

Could I get mine buttered and a cold beer

[BirdTravels]

1 minute ago, pete_coach said:

Everything you buy (food and drinks and rides etc) onboard will have a "gratuity" included.

Daily Service Charge for the cabin is also included but you can go to Guest Services and remove it,

 

1 hour ago, cary1306 said:

never been on n. cruise usually do roc or carnival. Are tips mandatory? or can you take them off? and tip personally if want.

The Daily Service Charge cover far far more than room steward. It covers the servers and kitchen staff in the complimentary restaurants. It also covers the front of the house and behind the scenes crew that help make your cruise memorable. 
 

If you remove the DSC and “tip personally”, you are stiffing all of the other hard working crew members that serve you indirectly. For example, if you tip a waiter directly, you stiff the assistant waiters, busboys, dishwashers, cooks and kitchen staff. 
 

Leave your DSC alone. Tip extra to others if you wish. (We normally give our room steward a generous tip). 

[Miss Ellsworth]

I have the same question. It's been awhile for me, and the only thing I remember is the $X/day DSC. I always paid that and then tipped more (cash) on board for cabin steward, bartenders, etc. I knew that the DSC was divided among a lot of people, including many behind the scenes, and I gave cash tips at point of service for bartenders and them end of cruise for cabin 

 

The cruise I booked this week had charges for "gratuities" on the packages for drinks and specialty dining. Now I'm stumped. Do those actually go to servers and bartenders? I'm thinking I'll still tip cash at the time for these, but now is 20% too much given that I've already paid 20%? I don't remember having these prepaid tips outside of the DSC last time

 

So my onboard cash tips won't be zero, but is there a convention for cash tips now with the prepaid 20% gratuities on the drink and dining packages?

[Two Wheels Only]

2 minutes ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

The cruise I booked this week had charges for "gratuities" on the packages for drinks and specialty dining. Now I'm stumped. Do those actually go to servers and bartenders? I'm thinking I'll still tip cash at the time for these, but now is 20% too much given that I've already paid 20%?

 

It's up to you if you want to tip at the restaurants and bars. Some guests do. Some guests don't.

 

 

[Miss Ellsworth]

I kind of figured that, but do you think it's still expected? When I went in the past, my observation was that cash tips at point of service were common, but we didn't have prepaid tips for drinks and dining bc the packages either didn't exist or were not very common

 

I'll still tip. I'm just wondering if people have adjusted the amounts of their cash tips downwards now that prepays are in place

 

 

[zqvol]

5 minutes ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

I kind of figured that, but do you think it's still expected? When I went in the past, my observation was that cash tips at point of service were common, but we didn't have prepaid tips for drinks and dining bc the packages either didn't exist or were not very common

 

I'll still tip. I'm just wondering if people have adjusted the amounts of their cash tips downwards now that prepays are in place

 

 

The vast majority of people do not tip, except maybe their cabin attendant. 

[MoCruiseFan]

1 hour ago, cary1306 said:

never been on n. cruise usually do roc or carnival. Are tips mandatory? or can you take them off? and tip personally if want.

There are no tis to take off.  The only tips you are charegd are on the FAS packages that you elect to accept for free.  Other than that (if you read the FAQ on ncl.com), tipping is 100% optional.  Most. or as far as I have seen. many people do tip,  There is no suggested,  typical, customary, or usual amount to tip.  Simply tip whoever you want any amount you want any time you want.  Enjoy your cruise!

[cincicruisers]

•  

[Travelling2Some]

24 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

The Daily Service Charge cover far far more than room steward. It covers the servers and kitchen staff in the complimentary restaurants. It also covers the front of the house and behind the scenes crew that help make your cruise memorable. 
 

If you remove the DSC and “tip personally”, you are stiffing all of the other hard working crew members that serve you indirectly. For example, if you tip a waiter directly, you stiff the assistant waiters, busboys, dishwashers, cooks and kitchen staff. 
 

Leave your DSC alone. Tip extra to others if you wish. (We normally give our room steward a generous tip). 

Perfectly said!

[MoCruiseFan]

2 minutes ago, zqvol said:

The vast majority of people do not tip, except maybe their cabin attendant. 

I disagree,  I see many popel top barkeeps, waiters, cabin stewards, etc on a frequent basis.  Most cheap people do not tip but that it is because it is in tehir nature,

[cruiser2015]

6 minutes ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

I kind of figured that, but do you think it's still expected? When I went in the past, my observation was that cash tips at point of service were common, but we didn't have prepaid tips for drinks and dining bc the packages either didn't exist or were not very common

 

I'll still tip. I'm just wondering if people have adjusted the amounts of their cash tips downwards now that prepays are in place

 

 

"Prepays" have been in place for cabin stewards and MDR staff foe decades.

With NCL adding 20% onto everything else, even though those servers are not necessarily getting all of that in direct value, I believe that that is sufficient for gratuities in most cases. There would have to be something truly exceptional to warrant anything extra (what's enough - 30%, 40%, 50%? - it's not like those %'s are being added to cheap pricing).

For my cruise last month I tipped my steward an extra $50 cash; all else was at the standards automatically charged. We had few drinks (20% there anyway), no wine (bottles) with multiple pours, no special requests - no extra tips.

[MoCruiseFan]

While some like to use the DSC as an excuse to not tip, the DSC is descried fully on ncl.com under the FAQ for money matters.  Nowhere does it indicates that the DSC is a tip.  While each person can make hsi own personl decision about tipping, using the DSC as an excuse is raher lame.

" The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports."

[pete_coach]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

 

The Daily Service Charge cover far far more than room steward.........

.......

.....

Point was that you can go to Guest Services and have it removed.

[seemoreroyals]

Has this thread been closed yet? If not give me a minute.  I need to go dig out my old football pads and helmet.  I will be right back.

[pete_coach]

4 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

Has this thread been closed yet? If not give me a minute.  I need to go dig out my old football pads and helmet.  I will be right back.

You may know it all but the OP said "never been on n. cruise ", so they asked.

No need to belittle or mock the question or OP.

Edited February 24 by pete_coach

[d9704011]

10 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

You may know it all but the OP said "never been on n. cruise ", so they asked

I believe the OP said they usually do Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  Same question was posted on an MSC thread just for fun I'd guess.

[pete_coach]

6 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

I believe the OP said they usually do Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  Same question was posted on an MSC thread just for fun I'd guess.

Key is, the OP said "never been on n. cruise ", meaning they have never been on NCL.

Perhaps they were never on MSC either.

The threads on Cruise Critic are full of repeated questions, still not necessary to belittle or mock the person posing the questions. Not everyone on the forum is as computer savvy as you may be.

 

[d9704011]

7 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

Key is, the OP said "never been on n. cruise ", meaning they have never been on NCL.

Perhaps they were never on MSC either.

The threads on Cruise Critic are full of repeated questions, still not necessary to belittle or mock the person posing the questions. Not everyone on the forum is as computer savvy as you may be.

 

No need to insult me coach.