question on tipping policy

[pete_coach]

Just now, d9704011 said:

No need to insult me coach.  

Forgive me. No insult intended.

Just defending someone new to NCL.

[seemoreroyals]

25 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

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.

 

Sometimes I wonder if they take the time to go to NCL's website and see for themselves.  Or call someone that works for NCL.  The problem with coming here  is if you ask 10 different people what NCL's tipping policy is,  you will get 10 different answers.  Who knows who is right and who is wrong. 

 

The OP has cruised before and has a pretty good idea what a tip is.  I do not need or did I ask for a lesson on keyboard etiquette from you.  So you do you and I will do me.

[pete_coach]

7 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

 

Sometimes I wonder if they take the time to go to NCL's website and see for themselves.  Or call someone that works for NCL.  The problem with coming here  is if you ask 10 different people what NCL's tipping policy is,  you will get 10 different answers.  Who knows who is right and who is wrong. 

 

The OP has cruised before and has a pretty good idea what a tip is.  I do not need or did I ask for a lesson on keyboard etiquette from you.  So you do you and I will do me.

I wonder how many of the almost 50 million posts on Cruise Critic are repeated questions.

They all could call the cruise line directly and get answers but, sometimes people can give experiential answers as opposed to corporate scripted answers? We have cruised often and have asked questions here to confirm or to validate what the corporate websites indicate.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Edited February 24 by pete_coach

[seemoreroyals]

6 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

I wonder how many of the almost 50 million posts on Cruise Critic are repeated questions.

They all could call the cruise line directly and get answers but, sometimes people can give experiential answers as opposed to corporate scripted answers? We have cruised often and have asked questions here to confirm or to validate what the corporate websites indicate.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings.

 

You did not hurt my feelings.  I guess it should be considered a compliment to call me or anyone else on here a know it all?   The subject of tipping has been rehashed here tirelessly on end.  All you have to do is scroll back no more than 10 pages you will find endless discussion on tipping and people's differing opinion on what DSC is or is not etc. etc. etc.

[julig22]

2 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

 

You did not hurt my feelings.  I guess it should be considered a compliment to call me or anyone else on here a know it all?   The subject of tipping has been rehashed here tirelessly on end.  All you have to do is scroll back no more than 10 pages you will find endless discussion on tipping and people's differing opinion on what DSC is or is not etc. etc. etc.

Or use the search function. IMHO, advising a "newbie" that there is such a feature is way more helpful than repeating opinions...  But then I taught computer science at one point and always went by the "teach a man to fish...." philosophy.

[graphicguy]

And another thing....where are all the hashbrowns?

 

OP...if you're familiar with Royal's tipping policies since yo've sailed them, they are not that different than NCL's....

 

From Royal's WEB site...

 

As of November 11, 2023*, the automatic service gratuity of $18.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms and Junior Suite, or $20.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest’s SeaPass account on a daily basis. The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. As a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience.

In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure. Guests who have pre-paid their gratuity will not see a daily charge during their cruise.

The automatic daily gratuity is based on customary industry standards. Applying this charge automatically helps streamline the recognition process for the crew members who work to enhance your cruise. We hope you find the gratuity to be an accurate reflection of your satisfaction and thank you for your generous recognition of our staff.

A 18% gratuity is automatically added to all beverages and mini bar items.

A 20% gratuity is automatically added to all spa & salon purchases.

 

Edited February 24 by graphicguy

[Two Wheels Only]

28 minutes ago, julig22 said:

But then I taught computer science at one point and always went by the "teach a man to fish...." philosophy.

 

When it comes to bait threads, a fishing analogy is appropriate. 😜

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours 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

 

 

We still tip the room steward, bar staff, restaurant servers, musicians, butler/concierge when in a suite or Haven, Splash Academy staff when we bring our granddaughter, and at times the maitre d’ when we are in a suite or the Haven and tend to see them often.  We know others choose not to tip at all and it is a personal decision and I respect that choice.  
 

Some will remove the daily service charge for all kinds of reasons they make up in their head to try to justify why they shouldn’t have to pay it. 

[destar]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

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

Bird is 1000% on point.

 

If you get good service and feel like tipping a little extra, why not.

[G-DawgMN]

3 hours 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

 

 

Not expected. 

[cheersforbeers]

13 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

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

We have increased our tips!  

[RocketMan275]

Amazing how the service improves when you start tipping extra.

[icft]

Count me as one of those "cheap" guys. I see no need to pay for self-esteem. I'm perfectly comfortable with myself.

 

When they put a 20% service charge on anything and everything why would one feel the need to tip more?

 

Anticipating folks will claim the bartenders are getting shorted I will point out that we paid a $305 service charge on our free drinks package on our last 7 day cruise. We average 6 drinks a day each, or 84 drinks for the two of us for the week. Assuming drinks are $15 each (a bit higher than my bourbon and coke runs) then we are paying 24% in tips.

 

Is there any reason to tip more than 24%?

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, pete_coach said:

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.

But,,, the OP has also asked this same question on multiple cruise line boards... so they may only be interested in starting multiple tipping threads. 

[G-DawgMN]

1 hour ago, cheersforbeers said:

We have increased our tips!  

But it isn’t expected. I also tip extra when I have good bar service and usually hand my favorite bartenders some bigger bills at the end of the week. 
 

It is totally a personal choice. 

[G-DawgMN]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Amazing how the service improves when you start tipping extra.

 I like to frequent the bars that give me good service before I tip. Then I’m generous. 

[dbrown84]

23 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 I like to frequent the bars that give me good service before I tip. Then I’m generous. 

I never take the FAS drink package, and only go to the casino bar.  There are no pre-paid gratuities for the casino drinks so I tip as I go.  And yes, I find that the service is amazing since I'm tipping.  they are so fast to get my drink when they see me coming that I have to be quick and stop them if I'm switching up drinks

[G-DawgMN]

32 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

I never take the FAS drink package, and only go to the casino bar.  There are no pre-paid gratuities for the casino drinks so I tip as I go.  And yes, I find that the service is amazing since I'm tipping.  they are so fast to get my drink when they see me coming that I have to be quick and stop them if I'm switching up drinks

 But I would expect to tip if no gratuities were included.  

[FPMoosally]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

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

 

Of course. But are we expected to tip more? Is that a thing we should do?

 

 

[cheersforbeers]

1 hour ago, KSSS2013 said:

But it isn’t expected. I also tip extra when I have good bar service and usually hand my favorite bartenders some bigger bills at the end of the week. 
 

It is totally a personal choice. 

Exactly, a personal choice. 

[BirdTravels]

44 minutes ago, FPMoosally said:

 

Of course. But are we expected to tip more? Is that a thing we should do?

 

 

That is a personal choice. 
 

NCL’s advice: Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 20% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 20% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 20% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

 

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-about-gratuities

Edited February 25 by BirdTravels

[FPMoosally]

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

That is a personal choice. 

 

That's not an answer. What is expected by the crew? Am I doing it wrong?

 

[Two Wheels Only]

8 minutes ago, FPMoosally said:

 

That's not an answer. What is expected by the crew? Am I doing it wrong?

 

 

Tips are not expected but they are appreciated. 

 

You cannot tip wrong if you give (or don't give) what you feel is right. 

[FPMoosally]

9 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

You cannot tip wrong if you give (or don't give) what you feel is right. 

 

???  Wonderful. Everything is perfectly clear now.

 

 

[MoCruiseFan]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

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

There is no such thing as tipping "extra".  WHat you tip is what you choose to tip.  If you increase your tip it is still just the amount you choose to tip.