NCL Mandatory Service Charge Fee

O

ozzy

Guest
Greetings NCL cruisers, In case you missed it a discussion on NCLs Resort Fee policy is on the Community Message Board. As NCL cruisers what do you think about it. <http://www.ncl.com/more/fp_mi_w2n.htm#18>

(the auto link feature soesn't seem to be working...cut & paste the link)



Post Edited (07-17-04 11:19)
 
I

itza my party

Guest
ozzy... i think that you can certainly dispute this at the pursers desk..
carnival did the same thing aboard the fascination...
i think its a nervy thing..and i don't agree with it at all...
they like to make you think they are doing you a favor in making it easier for you the last day.
believe me...if the service i get is bad..i will protest the tip..
p.s....i see that on the aloha...it is mandatory and not considered a tip...but an applicable service charge..
that stinks...



Post Edited (07-18-04 15:23)
 
O

ozzy

Guest
Itza, quoted from the NCL web site ""A service charge of $10.00 per person per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12 a $5.00 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of 3. This is a fixed service charge and is not a gratuity and therefore is not adjustable."

NOT A GRATUITY.

NOT ADJUSTABLE.
 
I

itza my party

Guest
Applicable to Norwegian Cruise Line Ships
Traditionally, gratuities for all the service you experienced aboard an NCL ship were paid at the end of the cruise. This often led to a last-night scramble as guests tried to find the correct amount of cash to place in each tip envelope. For your convenience, NCL now automatically applies a service charge to your shipboard account: $10 per guest per day for guests age 13 and above, $5 per day for children age 3-12 and no charge for children under the age of three. All of the service personnel on board receive gratuities from this service charge, and there is no need for you to think about additional tipping. Separately, a 15% gratuity is added for bar drinks and spa services.

Applicable to Pride of Aloha Effective June 2004*
A service charge of $10.00 per person per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12 a $5.00 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of 3. This is a fixed service charge and is not a gratuity and therefore is not adjustable.

see..i thought it was just the pride of aloha...where it was a service charge and not adjustable
 
L

ljeanbrown

Guest
itza my party,
It has been updated and will be done on ALL NCL ships in May2005.This is the link to the post on the Community board, scroll down until you get to Lisa63's post and it has a copy of what the new policy will be and when.


<http://www.cruise-addicts.com/forums/read.php?f=1&i=668969&t=668969>




Edited to add that in your post you copied most of the tipping policy, but at the bottom it has an * and that is where it states it will be on all NCL ships beginning May 2005. Look at the very last line for the info.



Applicable to Pride of Aloha Effective June 2004*
A service charge of $10.00 per person per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12 a $5.00 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of 3. This is a fixed service charge and is not a gratuity and therefore is not adjustable. Of course if you have any concerns about the service you receive while on board your cruise then please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any issues in a timely manner before the cruise is over. Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on Norwegian Cruise Line and NCL America ships. Our staff are paid salaries. They are encouraged in our S.T.Y.L.E. service program to "go the extra mile" and so they are permitted to accept supplementary cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional service. Certain staff positions provide services on a discretionary basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Specifically: guests purchasing spa treatments will find a service charge of 15% added to their bill; bar tabs will have an open space for guests to add a gratuity they consider appropriate (our recommendation is 15% of the tab); concierge and butler services are available to guests in suites and mini-suites and we recommend those guests to consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

* This policy will be effective May 2005 for all Norwegian Cruise Line Ships.



Post Edited (07-18-04 16:05)
 
N

newmexicoNita

Guest
As mentioned above: this is not the same as the resort tax which has been added to the POA sailings. The $10 a day, not adjustable replaces all gratuities. This is like dining in Europe as well as the Pacific rim; you pay a service and can tip on top if you like but are not under any obligation and should not feel guilty if you choose not to tip. My gut feeling is many lines will watch to see the reaction. HAL used to pride themselves in a no tip required policy but have now added an automatic $10.50 per day. Why this is happening is a combination of things, but it seems to be the wave of the future. NMNita
 
I

itza my party

Guest
wow...i didn't read all the way to the bottom...
i think that what needs to happen is the cruisers who do NOT get good service need to open their mouths...
truthfully...i have been on two cruises where the cabin stewards were NOT good...they did the bare minimum in my opinion..and it reflected in the tip i left..
 
L

Lisa63

Guest
One more thought I had regarding recourse in the rare event of poor service.

Since the fee is now mandatory, there's nothing that can be done monetarily. So, first, talk to the steward about your concerns while you are onboard. (He/she might honestly not be aware otherwise.) If that doesn't lead to improvement, take the few minutes to write a letter to the cruise line about the lackluster service you have received, being sure to mention the crewmember by name. Be concise and provide concerete examples. Resist the urge to let emotions influence the letter. Also, omit the small stuff. ("We didn't get towel animals," won't carry much weight.)

I am a manager in real life, and any "to-the-point" letters I receive from our clients about my staff go into their personnel files. This influences future raises, promotions, etc. I am also grateful for the feedback as it helps me determine how to best serve our customers.

JHMO.



Post Edited (07-19-04 09:38)
 
N

newmexicoNita

Guest
Lisa, I think we can all thank you for your professional advise, expecially about the way to write the letter. Once when I was still a TA I got a letter from a dissatified cliant, it was about 8 pages long, poorly writen and nit picked everything about her resort stay. Guess what, other than a brief, I'm sorry" responsens I let it die. There were too many complaints, most rediculous to even bother. This was absolutely the only time I ignored a cliant. Some complaints I handles (which really were not that many) got immediate attention. Often there wasn't much that could be done, but we did what we could.

Nita

ps one complaint I see on these boards: I never even met my cabin steward. This happened to us on a cruise a couple of years ago. It would have been nice to see him/her, but our room was always cleaned and everything in order and handled promptly, I could have cared less about who he/she was. It's like the towel animals. They are super fun, but have little to do with the overall efficentcy of the person responsible for keeping my cabin clean and well stocked with whatever. NMnita
 
I

itza my party

Guest
ps one complaint I see on these boards: I never even met my cabin steward. This happened to us on a cruise a couple of years ago. It would have been nice to see him/her, but our room was always cleaned and everything in order and handled promptly, I could have cared less about who he/she was. It's like the towel animals. They are super fun, but have little to do with the overall efficentcy of the person responsible for keeping my cabin clean and well stocked with whatever. NMnita


i agree NMnita...we were on a cruise where we didn't meet our steward for two days...
the problem i had with carnival: we checked in...and by 3 or 4pm our cabin was still untouched..
i had to call the pursers desk to get it made up.
in that instance i was really ticked...until i found out that the cabin stewarts were also assigned other jobs...ergo they were not available except during very short time spans during the day.
a phone call to obtain stewart service was unanswered several times..so i merely called the pursers desk.
my answer is to not sail carnival again...i was disappointed in the service..however...
the FOOD WAS AWESOME on the inspiration
 
N

newmexicoNita

Guest
itzy, I am certainly not a Carnival fan, but we had a great room steward so don't judge by one experience. We found the food to be outstanding at dinner, but not the rest of the time. Our waiter informed us he had just been a waiter for about 3 weeks: it showed. The bus boy (assistant waiter) was in his 50s. I had never seen a person that age as a wait staff member and I hate to see this (I am older) I hope I never do again. Overall I didn't like Carnival, but am not sure I would never sail the line again. Of course as most know who read more than one website I am a strong NCL loyalist.

nMNita
 
K

KLLund

Guest
We returned from NCL on 7/17/04 and we never saw our cabin steward either ... however he/she did a great job of cleaning and left towel animals several nights ... even putting my hubby's sunglasses on the aardvark. What a laugh. We actually like the $10.00 a night charge so we don't feel that we have to scrounge for money on the last night, but we did make sure some of our favorites were given a bit of extra cash in the hand to say thank you.

We had NO breakdown in service on this cruise !!!!!
kathy
 
B

bandman

Guest
We recently were on the Sun. We saw our stewards every morning making up other rooms. They greated me by name the first time I met them. They did a great job. I also like the NCL $10 tipping. I had a great cruise, the food and service were outstanding and felt good about the amount of the tipping.
 
L

ljeanbrown

Guest
bandman,
It isn't the $10.00 per person tipping that they add to your account now..... that we are talking about. .......That is fine........ We are talking about the new mandatory service charge that will be starting next May 2005. This will not be a tip and even if you had the worst service ever on any ship the charge cannot be removed or adjusted since it is mandatory. If you wish to tip it is in addition to the mandatory service charge. I don't mind the tipping, it is a mandatory service charge that I mind.
 
N

newmexicoNita

Guest
this is nothing different than most restaurants do in Europe and the Pacific rim as well as almost everyone does in the Bahamas. It is in leau of tipping. This does not mean you can't leave a few $$s to those who have served you well, but nothing will be expected. At least we hope not. HAL used to have a no tipping required policy, now they have gone with the $10 per day. If this works for NCL all lines will adopt the policy; if it doesn't NCL will either drop the idea or people will cruise other lines. At least we have 9 months notice.

NMNita
 
I

itza my party

Guest
this is nothing different than most restaurants do in Europe and the Pacific rim as well as almost everyone does in the Bahamas. It is in leau of tipping. This does not mean you can't leave a few $$s to those who have served you well, but nothing will be expected.

well nita...this is the usa...where tipping is a custom...not a mandatory service charge.
i resent being forced to pay a mandatory charge...simply because the cruise lines pocket ALL the profit and pay their staff next to nothing.
i have had marginal service on more than one cruise...and RESENT..being made to pay for it with a mandatory tip..
if they will guarantee me good service...hey..no problem...i will gladly and willingly pay this mandatory service charge.
in my mind..its nothing more than another attempt to forcibly nickel and dime me...
because..and i wonder....do you think the wait staff actually get all that money?
do you think the cruise lines actually hand over that mandatory 10 $ a day?
i don't
just myho
 
N

newmexicoNita

Guest
You aare right, it is America, but remember these ships are not American flaged so why do we think they will play by the American rules. What about the casinos? Do you think the slots are set to pay off the way they do in Laughlin, Vegas or any other gambling meca in this country? We are not talking now about the American flagged Hawaii ships, we are talking about ships registered in other places. Bad service, we have had both, well I would say, bad rarely and on those occassions we did leave slightly less than the receommended amount giving more for outstanding service which way out weighs any boarderline service we have received on our cruises. I understand what you are saying, but do you really beleive none of this money will go toward salaries? I don't. I think it's just another way of wording things. My gut feeling also is, many may be stiffing the crew or close to it. We have all seen it happen or we certainly have. I could be totally wrong on this one: I still maintain you can choose to cruise NCL or go elsewhere if the policy is not to your likeing. Do you think, when we choose an all inclusive resort where there is no tipping allowed the price you pay does not include extra for the help? They just choose not to put it that way.

NMnita
 
D

dalwhitt

Guest
Nita, this is just another reason for me not to cruise NCL. Wasn't the point of the service fee on POA that the crew had salaries good enough where they didn't need tips? So is NCL giving salary raises to crew on all their other shios? I think not.
 
I

itza my party

Guest
Nita, this is just another reason for me not to cruise NCL. Wasn't the point of the service fee on POA that the crew had salaries good enough where they didn't need tips? So is NCL giving salary raises to crew on all their other shios? I think not.

sad but true...
i think this is just ncl pocketing more money
 
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