NEWS: Norwegian Cruise Line Changes Policy, No Removing Tips Onboard

Hardball34. Good idea to contact your credit card company. It does not look like the NCL e-mail system to refund trips to unhappy customers is working. It also looks like NCL is not concerned once your off the ship and they have your $$$. I would include the e-mail saying they will get back to you in 2 weeks as documentation that they have filed to respond in the time frame that they set. I have a feeling that NCL is not set up proper for this new procedure of refunding tips (I bet they are getting slammed with request and under staffed for it). Seams they are quick to take your $ and very slow to refund it when you follow the directions that they give you for a refund.

Please do a review of your cruise giving examples of the issues so other travelers can read it and take into consideration before booking that ship.

BS? If you don't think that what David Edmunds is correct, why don't you contact him to put your views over to him. Then maybe we could have a different view to yours.

Welcome to the forum. As mentioned previously, most of us are quite friendly

and laid back. Look forward to hearing more from you.

This is BS they will not let you do it on the ship they give you a letter and tell you to do it when you get off. Then when you send the email requesting to make changes they send you a email with a case number and it says it will take no longer then 2 WEEKS to REFUND my money. I waited 3 weeks no refund sent another email to the service charge email address wanting to know what was going on with my case # and it auto sent me back a new case # and a note saying it would be another 2 WEEKS. Of course there is no phone # to contact anybody. Now I had to contact my CC company to dispute the charges. Was not happy with service on boat and really not happy with service after off the boat. Quit trying to rip people off and do what you say you are going to do. THE FIRST TIME.

The way I understand it, it provides a tax dodge either for the company or the employee.

Moneys received as gratuities are taxed differently than moneys received/disbursed as salary. If the employee receives a larger salary rather than the "gratuity", then he will have to pay more taxes. Likewise, since the line is simply consolidating and disbursing the "gratuity", it is not taxable. However if they raise the cost of the ticket to cover the "gratuity", then the amount would be taxable.

If the line goes with the idea as above, it would not raise the ticket price a corresponding amount, but would increase the fare above that to cover the new taxes (instead of a $12 per day per person raise in fare to cover the current gratuity, it would cost the passenger $15 per person per day in order to provide the employee the $12 per passenger per day pay they are currently getting. (Likewise, if the line mandates the fee instead of allowing the passenger to opt out, then it becomes a fare rather than a gratuity.)

Shoguyer Welcome to Cruiseline.com we are over all a nice friendly and helpful bunch even if we stray off topic from time to time. We look forward to your contributions in the form and your reviews of cruises.

I happen to agree with you. Stop calling them tips if it is automatically charged to my account and I have to send a letter to have them refunded after the cruise is over. If it is not up to me of who and how much it is not a voluntary tip. Just put the 12.50 a day onto the price of the cruise and say no tipping required.

yessss Im the same person. I just submitted to a couple different sites is all. Boring day today.

Interesting first post.This is downright plagiarism. The exact post was on Trip advisor i hour ago today by Tennboy 1981 from Myrtle Beach, California. Are you that same person? I think not

Personally, I think the cruise lines should stop being cheap, and just pay their staff more instead of relying on guests to pay their salary. They should just incorporate staff pay into the cruise fare. I can understand gratuities for bar staff when you buy a drink, but as far as your stateroom steward, and dining staff, it should all be automatically included in the price, and just allow guests to tip cash if they feel their steward/dining staff deserve a tip above what they are already paid. it makes it impossible for guests to remove any charges, and gives the staff a reason to work harder for an extra cash tip. I feel auto gratuities make some staff members become lazy since they already know they are getting their tip. You dont pay to have your hotel room cleaned, so why should we pay our steward? As far as dining, you are not paying for your meals, so why should we have to pay gratuity? Id much rather have the ruise staff paid a salary, and allow guests to tip on top of their salary, if they feel they did a good job. Just my 2 cents.

Just curious as to if anybody on NCL over the past month has had cause to request Guest Services to remove the Discretionary Service Charge, bearing in mind the confusion as to if this can be done on board or if you have to E-mail guestservices@ncl.com. There has certainly been more than one unhappy NCL customer recently reading the reviews