You made your own point, the cruise lines have billions. Why am I responsible to pay wages for the employees??? The fact that people fall for this is amazing. I dont get tips at my job for the services we provided. Should we now tip the pilot and flight attandants? Grocery store cashier? Bus driver? Where does it end??? Company should pay wages for the work performed and STOP pushing the cost onto the passengers.
I’m from Downunder and I rarely tip. The USA is the richest country in the world. Pay your staff. Cruise lines are making huge profits. The people I tip on a cruise ship are the cleaners in the public toilets. They spend their day cleaning some disgusting messes. I also tip my cabin steward, keep my cabin tidy and insist they don’t clean daily and never turn down my bed, still a service on some lines. I know how to get into bed and at home I don’t use a fresh towel daily. This makes cabin stewards nervous and usually takes a few days for them to realise I mean it. I tip them for other supports they provide, pillows, removing dishes, help navigating the ship and their cheery disposition….
I just returned from an NCL cruise. They charged $25 per day on top of all else. I saw a lot less tipping on this cruise which I believe might be due to this charge. We didn't tip much. I did leave the room steward a nice tip.
Utterly ridiculous. Pay your employees NCL! I just came back, $700 for my husband and kids for stewarts and others, over $600 for drink pkg, $700 for our butler, which was not a private butler. It was a bunch of BS. I was one of fourteen people he took care of. $80 for tips for the free dinners. So, how many and whose salaries did I pay for a week? No more NCL for me. Stop encouraging people to give extra. I'm an adult, I think I can tip who and how much a gratuity calls for. A tip for for going beyond a regular service.
This is of course a hot topic. NCL says it does, but I have seen people's paystubs with no evidence of it. Does NCL charge it know most people will pay and then just calculate it into people's salaries? I don't know.
Money, money, money. We will be doing our first cruise on NCL and I don't think we will cruise on NCL again. Too many extra charges. They make it sound like you are getting such a deal with the "Free at Sea" deal. But it's all just a rip off. Should have stayed Loyal to Royal.
About the only cruise line I have been on that doesn't nickel-and-dime you is Virgin Voyages... check out my video where I gave them a try. As for Royal, I don't think they're going to be happy until they have a ship with 50,000 people on board. LOL.
I did check with NCL today and they told us we have already paid all gratuities and should not owe any more after we board, unless we choose to pay an additional amount. Yaaay! I was worried for a while.
How do you know if the daily service charges ($20/person) is actually going to the crew members? I know several people who worked as crusie ship crew members, one of them for 10 years, and he told me he was only paid what was in his contract. I ask if he ever got a bonus or gratuity check after each cruise or contract period and he said "NO". So how do you know where that money is going to? You can say just trust them, but is this just a way for cruise lines to make up for the pandemic shutdown? Is this just another scam playing on making you feel guilty if you don't?
Well, they were doing the daily service charges for ages before covid so it's not to make-up for that. As for your friend, I don't know about his situation. That being said, I agree it should just be included in the price to begin with.
@@cruisingwitheric On NCL, you do not know who gets the money from the daily service charge. SOME lines are totally transparent (X to your dining room server, Y to the assistant server, Z to the cabin host) and I have confirmed with those people that they Do get the money. I also was told that when NCL raised the daily service charge, the crew did not see an increase.
Drinks are free, but tips are not free. Same for tips for the "free" specialty dining. Then you have your "daily service charge of $20 to $25. I plan to not prepay that before the cruise, because if one of my excursions is cancelled, it will be deducted from that service fee. If you prepay service charges and you get a cancelled excursion, you don't get your money back. you get future cruise credit.
You said "I plan to not prepay that before the cruise, because if one of my excursions is cancelled, it will be deducted from that service fee." I actually give that exact example in the video.
On my last NCL cruise a couple of weeks ago, the port call to George Town Grand Cayman was cancelled due to rough seas (6 to 10 foot waves) I did get a credit to my on board statement of $25 which reduced my final bill by that much. I am assuming that was for the cancelled port fee which is always prepaid when purchasing the cruise.
ruclips.net/video/mpUC_rqNUvI/видео.html These is the second part of my video. These one is my payslip. Proving that theres no service charge is going to our salary
Tips on top of tips on top of tips. Getting to the point that ncl will just ask to look in our wallets at disembarkation, and take whatever may be left. And you have no idea who gets anything beyond what you directly hand to staff. I love giving tips directly to all staff who help me with things, but mandatory fees that likely get ncl out of giving staff raises is ridiculous
So If you pay your prepaids. who else should I be tipping? Cabin Steward? How much per day $2.50 - $5. I don't drink just Soda's/fountain drinks. (my first cruise ever and want to ensure I do right back the staff but also don't break the bank) and made it to the end.
Personally, I give the cabin steward about $10 per day as a minimum. For example, I recently did a nine-day cruise in Europe and gave the guy $40 and 50 Euros. That's about it. If you're a solo cruiser and participating in the solo meetups and you think the solo host did a good job then give them a tip. If you have kids in the kids activities then you should tip the kid wranglers. thanks for watching!
Money money money. I agree with the tipping. The crewmembers I've seen all work hard for not much money, and what is a cheapskate doing on a cruise ship anyway? I don't (can't) waste money but I do believe in fair treatment for those people who work so hard for their guests.
Ok, do the “service charges” really go to the staff? And how much? I hate to under tip, but also don’t want to go overboard. Asked this question on so many vlogs, no one seems to know. Thx so so much for your transparency here! Clear as mud, but v helpful :) Money money money lol
This is of course a hot topic. NCL says it does, but I have seen people's paystubs with no evidence of it. Does NCL charge it know most people will pay and then just calculate it into people's salaries? I don't know. Thanks for watching.
They want me to pay $700 for gratuities?! I paid for my entire cruise for 5 people up front and I’m still expected to drop extra for gratuities? Can’t I just tip everybody in tax-free cash?
yes why arent basic excursions included in fare? nobody wants to go to : livorno(florence), genova(milano), civitavecchia(rome), le havre(paris), southampton(london), malaga(cordoba\granada), cadiz(seville), warnemuende(berlin), kiel(hamburg), rotterdam(hague\amsterdam), zeebrugge(brussels), grenock(glasgow), leith(edinburgh), piraeus(athens), tarragona(barcelona), trieste(venice or slovenia) @@cruisingwitheric
NCL doesn't do the envelopes. You can always hand a crew member an envelope if you wish. For the cabin steward I usually leave the cash on the mirror with a post-it that says "thanks!" If I am doing cash in person I usually fold it up into a square, put it in my palm, and shake their hand. They will feel it and proper etiquette for them at that moment is to say "thank you", pull the money with their hand, and put it in their pocket without looking at it. Note: do NOT do this in the casino.
"without issue" is the operative phrase there. Can you? Yes. Will they ask you for specific information on what went wrong? Most likely. Thanks for watching.
When you get the beverage package that comes with "Free at Sea" you pay gratuities for that when you pay for the cruise. They do not add anything per drink. Note that this is different than the service charge of $20 per person per day that is added on when you're on the ship.
No per drink additional fee if you have the drink package, but you are charged 20% of what NCL says is the value of the package as tips to the bartenders. If you drink about 7 drinks per day at $15 each, that does come out to 20% of the claimed value. If you drink less or cheaper stuff, you are actually tipping more.
I don’t believe that the staff are materially impacted by people taking off their charges. The cruise line knows what percentage of people won’t pay service charges and what amount they want passengers to subsidize employee wages and adjust overall prices accordingly. Until they incorporate the fees into the prices to stop hiding them they will keep increasing the prices unfairly on the passengers who do pay so that they ca. advertise lower prices. When I take off the service fees the crew is fine it’s the other travelers who are paying fractionally more in service fees to make it up.
Cruise lines should just pay their staff properly
No argument there.
You made your own point, the cruise lines have billions. Why am I responsible to pay wages for the employees??? The fact that people fall for this is amazing. I dont get tips at my job for the services we provided. Should we now tip the pilot and flight attandants? Grocery store cashier? Bus driver? Where does it end??? Company should pay wages for the work performed and STOP pushing the cost onto the passengers.
I’m from Downunder and I rarely tip. The USA is the richest country in the world. Pay your staff. Cruise lines are making huge profits. The people I tip on a cruise ship are the cleaners in the public toilets. They spend their day cleaning some disgusting messes. I also tip my cabin steward, keep my cabin tidy and insist they don’t clean daily and never turn down my bed, still a service on some lines. I know how to get into bed and at home I don’t use a fresh towel daily. This makes cabin stewards nervous and usually takes a few days for them to realise I mean it. I tip them for other supports they provide, pillows, removing dishes, help navigating the ship and their cheery disposition….
Money, money, money! Nice video. Yours was very informative and explained the tipping/gratuity the best.
Thanks a lot! Glad it was helpful!
I just returned from an NCL cruise. They charged $25 per day on top of all else. I saw a lot less tipping on this cruise which I believe might be due to this charge. We didn't tip much. I did leave the room steward a nice tip.
In Australia the service charge is included in the upfront cost, no matter where you are cruising. Itavoids unfair pricing.
Money, money, money. Nice video with a comprehensive discussion of those extra charges.
thanks for watching
Utterly ridiculous. Pay your employees NCL! I just came back, $700 for my husband and kids for stewarts and others, over $600 for drink pkg, $700 for our butler, which was not a private butler. It was a bunch of BS. I was one of fourteen people he took care of. $80 for tips for the free dinners. So, how many and whose salaries did I pay for a week? No more NCL for me. Stop encouraging people to give extra. I'm an adult, I think I can tip who and how much a gratuity calls for. A tip for for going beyond a regular service.
Thank you helped Answer a lot about tipping and charges on bill money money money Good job fast and to the point.
thanks a lot!
Where is the proof the money goes to the staff?
This is of course a hot topic. NCL says it does, but I have seen people's paystubs with no evidence of it. Does NCL charge it know most people will pay and then just calculate it into people's salaries? I don't know.
Money, money, money. We will be doing our first cruise on NCL and I don't think we will cruise on NCL again. Too many extra charges. They make it sound like you are getting such a deal with the "Free at Sea" deal. But it's all just a rip off. Should have stayed Loyal to Royal.
About the only cruise line I have been on that doesn't nickel-and-dime you is Virgin Voyages... check out my video where I gave them a try. As for Royal, I don't think they're going to be happy until they have a ship with 50,000 people on board. LOL.
I did check with NCL today and they told us we have already paid all gratuities and should not owe any more after we board, unless we choose to pay an additional amount. Yaaay! I was worried for a while.
@@lindahays1157 have you prepaid the service charges? The $20 per person per day?
@@cruisingwitheric We did pay the $20 PPPD. Yes. Through our TA when we booked.
How do you know if the daily service charges ($20/person) is actually going to the crew members? I know several people who worked as crusie ship crew members, one of them for 10 years, and he told me he was only paid what was in his contract. I ask if he ever got a bonus or gratuity check after each cruise or contract period and he said "NO". So how do you know where that money is going to? You can say just trust them, but is this just a way for cruise lines to make up for the pandemic shutdown? Is this just another scam playing on making you feel guilty if you don't?
Well, they were doing the daily service charges for ages before covid so it's not to make-up for that. As for your friend, I don't know about his situation. That being said, I agree it should just be included in the price to begin with.
@@cruisingwitheric On NCL, you do not know who gets the money from the daily service charge. SOME lines are totally transparent (X to your dining room server, Y to the assistant server, Z to the cabin host) and I have confirmed with those people that they Do get the money. I also was told that when NCL raised the daily service charge, the crew did not see an increase.
Drinks are free, but tips are not free. Same for tips for the "free" specialty dining.
Then you have your "daily service charge of $20 to $25. I plan to not prepay that before the cruise, because if one of my excursions is cancelled, it will be deducted from that service fee.
If you prepay service charges and you get a cancelled excursion, you don't get your money back. you get future cruise credit.
You said "I plan to not prepay that before the cruise, because if one of my excursions is cancelled, it will be deducted from that service fee." I actually give that exact example in the video.
@@cruisingwitheric I posted that before I finished the video.
On my last NCL cruise a couple of weeks ago, the port call to George Town Grand Cayman was cancelled due to rough seas (6 to 10 foot waves) I did get a credit to my on board statement of $25 which reduced my final bill by that much. I am assuming that was for the cancelled port fee which is always prepaid when purchasing the cruise.
ruclips.net/video/mpUC_rqNUvI/видео.html
These is the second part of my video. These one is my payslip. Proving that theres no service charge is going to our salary
Some of the forced gratuities go to help pay for the CEO etc mega mansions. Companies need to pay Thier employees.
money money money - thank you very informative
Money, money, money. Great video. Explained a lot. Thank you!
thanks
video great.
Thank you Eric! Happy Cruising!
thanks!
money, money, money! I appreciated your comments
thanks for watching!
Money Money Money!! Thank you for the great explanation!
Thanks for the compliment!
Money money Money you explain very well
thanks!
Money, money, money. Thank you for the video, it helps quite a bit.
Glad it helped!
I just pre paid, We are taking our first Cruise in Sept. Sure i'll tip, but not as much as I regularly do. Since I Pre paid already.
Tips on top of tips on top of tips. Getting to the point that ncl will just ask to look in our wallets at disembarkation, and take whatever may be left. And you have no idea who gets anything beyond what you directly hand to staff. I love giving tips directly to all staff who help me with things, but mandatory fees that likely get ncl out of giving staff raises is ridiculous
Money money money. Thanks Eric. Very helpful video! 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Money, Money, Money. Good Video, very helpful. Going on my first cruise in April on NCL Joy
Glad it was helpful!
So If you pay your prepaids. who else should I be tipping? Cabin Steward? How much per day $2.50 - $5. I don't drink just Soda's/fountain drinks. (my first cruise ever and want to ensure I do right back the staff but also don't break the bank) and made it to the end.
Personally, I give the cabin steward about $10 per day as a minimum. For example, I recently did a nine-day cruise in Europe and gave the guy $40 and 50 Euros. That's about it. If you're a solo cruiser and participating in the solo meetups and you think the solo host did a good job then give them a tip. If you have kids in the kids activities then you should tip the kid wranglers.
thanks for watching!
Money money money. I agree with the tipping. The crewmembers I've seen all work hard for not much money, and what is a cheapskate doing on a cruise ship anyway? I don't (can't) waste money but I do believe in fair treatment for those people who work so hard for their guests.
Agreed. Thanks for watching!
Money ,money,money. Just what I needed to know. Well done
thanks for watching
Money, Money, money. Good explanation
Thanks for watching!
Money, money, money-great job Eric
thanks!
Money Money Money.....thanks for the explanation!
You bet!
Ok, do the “service charges” really go to the staff? And how much? I hate to under tip, but also don’t want to go overboard. Asked this question on so many vlogs, no one seems to know.
Thx so so much for your transparency here! Clear as mud, but v helpful :)
Money money money lol
This is of course a hot topic. NCL says it does, but I have seen people's paystubs with no evidence of it. Does NCL charge it know most people will pay and then just calculate it into people's salaries? I don't know. Thanks for watching.
@@cruisingwitheric fascinating! They should really be more transparent…
Ty for replying!
Thank you for the heads up. Money, money, money
thanks for watching
All of this “nickel and dimming” doesn’t seem to denture anyone! Ships are all at capacity for as far in advance as possible.
free as in time to choose
More like free to choose where to go for dinner AND when.
Money, money, money!
Money money money. Thanks for the explanation.
thanks for watching!
money money money! Good explanation.
Thanks for watching!
They want me to pay $700 for gratuities?! I paid for my entire cruise for 5 people up front and I’m still expected to drop extra for gratuities? Can’t I just tip everybody in tax-free cash?
not so free
Yea it gets confusing. Just put it in the price of the cruise already!
yes why arent basic excursions included in fare? nobody wants to go to : livorno(florence), genova(milano), civitavecchia(rome), le havre(paris), southampton(london), malaga(cordoba\granada), cadiz(seville), warnemuende(berlin), kiel(hamburg), rotterdam(hague\amsterdam), zeebrugge(brussels), grenock(glasgow), leith(edinburgh), piraeus(athens), tarragona(barcelona), trieste(venice or slovenia) @@cruisingwitheric
Money money money, very helpful to know as I'm cruising with them in May
Glad you found it helpful.
Money money money, very helpful
thanks for watching!
money money money. very helpful. thank you
thanks!
$$$ I enjoyed your video amd I agree with you wholeheartedly.
thanks a lot!
Money money money.
thanks for watching
How do you tip, in an envelope, at the service desk or just hand them cash? Doing my first cruise soon.
NCL doesn't do the envelopes. You can always hand a crew member an envelope if you wish. For the cabin steward I usually leave the cash on the mirror with a post-it that says "thanks!"
If I am doing cash in person I usually fold it up into a square, put it in my palm, and shake their hand. They will feel it and proper etiquette for them at that moment is to say "thank you", pull the money with their hand, and put it in their pocket without looking at it. Note: do NOT do this in the casino.
money money money Thanks
Money money money. Thanks
thanks for watching
Thankyou
You’re welcome 😊
Money Money Money...Thanks Eric
thanks for watching
money money money thank you
thanks for watching!
why are excursions Soooo expensive?
I think I'll make a video on that subject.
I thought you were not allowed to remove the charge on ncl? Will they allow you to adjust the amount without issue?
"without issue" is the operative phrase there. Can you? Yes. Will they ask you for specific information on what went wrong? Most likely. Thanks for watching.
at least cruise lines tell you how much unlike american restaurants salons the list is never ending
Do you mean how much to leave as a gratuity?
Money Money,Money,.,.,.
Money,money, money!!
cha-ching!
Money, money, money.
Thanks!
Money money money 🎉
thanks for watching!
Money 💰 money 💰 money 💰
Thanks for watching!
Money, Money, Money
Thanks a lot!
Didn't know you were on RUclips 😮.
hi!
So if I have the free at sea beverage package is there an added gratuity charge per drink that I order? Or when I pay for the cruise is that included?
When you get the beverage package that comes with "Free at Sea" you pay gratuities for that when you pay for the cruise. They do not add anything per drink. Note that this is different than the service charge of $20 per person per day that is added on when you're on the ship.
rip off
@@cruisingwitheric
@@dino21tx eh, not a rip off, but it would be less confusing if they just included it in the purchase price of the cruise.
Yea, come into my business and I will add on fees and see how that goes over.
@@cruisingwitheric
No per drink additional fee if you have the drink package, but you are charged 20% of what NCL says is the value of the package as tips to the bartenders. If you drink about 7 drinks per day at $15 each, that does come out to 20% of the claimed value. If you drink less or cheaper stuff, you are actually tipping more.
I don’t believe that the staff are materially impacted by people taking off their charges. The cruise line knows what percentage of people won’t pay service charges and what amount they want passengers to subsidize employee wages and adjust overall prices accordingly.
Until they incorporate the fees into the prices to stop hiding them they will keep increasing the prices unfairly on the passengers who do pay so that they ca. advertise lower prices.
When I take off the service fees the crew is fine it’s the other travelers who are paying fractionally more in service fees to make it up.
Money, money, money
Thank you for watching!
you are always able to prepay
Pretty sure I said that. Thanks.
money, money, money
Cha-ching!
my NCL has this "2 x FREE PREPAID SERVICE CHARGES" what is this?
Sounds like your daily service charges have been pre-paid... probably a deal your travel agent got for you. Thanks for watching!
Money money money
thanks for watching!
money money money
thanks for watching!
I’m going to pay the “resort “ fee for myself not my 10 year old son. So 140.00 is all they are getting in cash.
Money money monet
Thanks for watching!
I’m never going to see these people again not tipping extra
ABSOLUTELY NO TIPPING AFTER PREPAYING!!! NOT ONE CENT!!!!
money money money...i don't drink alcohol, I wonder how they will bill me.
Money money m😅ney
Thanks for watching!
You should listen to youre self sometime ...
??
You have more money than sense to give £100 bills and others $40 50 bucks! I could not afford a cruise let alone any extras!!!!
A disgrace to charge extras
Looters .. just cash grab .. why don’t pay their employees .. or else advertise price with those charges added .. just making fool of customers
No way pay!
Wrong information. You can say no to beverage package.
Did I say you can't say no to it? But if you get the beverage package you have to pay the gratuities on it.
Money, money, money!
thanks for watching!
Money money money
thanks for watching!
money money money
thanks for watching
Money money money
thanks for watching!
Money money money
Thanks for watching
money money money
Thanks for watching
Money money money
thanks!