Removing auto gratuities

Is it possible for this to be posted as a sticky so we don't have to listen to all the same far fetched theories over and over again.

 

It really isn't rocket science.

 

David.

I don't really want to sticky this whole thread but if Bell Boy didn't mind I could probably copy his post into a new one and sticky that.

I probably won't be able to do anything until tomorrow evening now but let me know what you think.

We do tip room service, it's always gratefully received, it is our choice and have never felt under any pressure to do so

What then is an appropriate tip for room service? What currency to you tip with? We will only have NZ dollars and some Australian dollars.

What then is an appropriate tip for room service? What currency to you tip with? We will only have NZ dollars and some Australian dollars.

tipping is personal - very

if you wish to remove auto tip and would like to tip your room steward/dess then as a simple quide to offer is one USD dollar per person per day is reasonable

ie on a 10-14 day cruise then offer say around 20-30 US dollars per couple in a cabin or £20-£25 UK pounds (but you can give them any major currency equivalent)

same for your waiters (usually 2 at your table) the same applies unless you are really overwhelmed and wish to offer more but a US dollar a day pp is a starting point

if the maitre D gives you that nice table you want or puts you in your preferred sitting time when you were told no chance then again a gesture is nice IMHO 10-20 US dollars to have exactly what you want is a nice gesture at the end of the cruise to pop in an envelope

the head waiters also if you feel they deserve a small recognition for going that extra mile

just a suggestion

What then is an appropriate tip for room service? What currency to you tip with? We will only have NZ dollars and some Australian dollars.

They will take Aust/NZ dollars, they can change them to USD/Sterling. As for room service, very rarely have it, only perhaps if we have a 0800 shorex. I tip room service $5, AU or US, whatever I have, or if on P&O UK in Europe, a couple of pounds. The room service people seem more than happy with that amount.

IMO tipping is a personal thing, you can only give what you can afford to give, or what you think the service is worth, I find it abhorrent that a Cruise Line, any cruise line can tell you what to give, ok then, suggest what you give.

If you tip in AUD they will lose value when exchanging it for USD esp in small amounts. We grabbed a wad of 100 USD $1 notes a few years ago to use on cruises worldwide. Still working our way through them as we usually keep auto tips on and just leave a few for room service etc. and I factor in auto tip as part of the cost of the cruise. This removes the angst.

We are only on a very short cruise but perhaps we'll get a few US $$ to tipping. I remember we did tip on our other cruises... especially the housemaid who came to my rescue after me spilling a glass of red wine all over their divine white bedspread!!

But surely the biggest issue with the gratuities in the UK/US cultural attitude to tipping in general.

 

In the UK, whilst people generally do tip in restaurants (10% is normal), that's about it. For example, no one tips at a bar.

 

But in the US, if you don't tip (and the last time I was there a couple of years ago I was being presented with checks with 22% added on), they chase you down the road with a meat cleaver.

Toad, seriously - a 22% tip added on your bill - and chased down the road with a meat cleaver for those who don't tip??? Where in the US did this happen?

But what it comes down to is not what our local customs are - we are talking about gratuities on a ocean liner or cruise ship. The custom of tipping has long been established on passenger ships, so I really don't understand the current argument "it's not our custom at home"! Unless you're a fish, your home isn't the ocean!

TI really don't understand the current argument "it's not our custom at home"! Unless you're a fish, your home isn't the ocean!

For me personally, no, it's not our custom at home - but that is exactly the reason why I am asking as I know it is the custom on a ship :)

I spoke to Reception and asked them this question. They assured me that part of my auto gratuities go to room service already, so I do not need to give them a tip.

 

Diane

Of course you don't need to give them a tip. Do so only if you want to!

tipping is personal - very

 

if you wish to remove auto tip and would like to tip your room steward/dess then as a simple quide to offer is one USD dollar per person per day is reasonable

ie on a 10-14 day cruise then offer say around 20-30 US dollars per couple in a cabin or £20-£25 UK pounds (but you can give them any major currency equivalent)

 

same for your waiters (usually 2 at your table) the same applies unless you are really overwhelmed and wish to offer more but a US dollar a day pp is a starting point

 

if the maitre D gives you that nice table you want or puts you in your preferred sitting time when you were told no chance then again a gesture is nice IMHO 10-20 US dollars to have exactly what you want is a nice gesture at the end of the cruise to pop in an envelope

the head waiters also if you feel they deserve a small recognition for going that extra mile

 

just a suggestion

Rog, with all due respect, I seriously disagree with your tipping suggestions.

One dollar per day per passenger to each your cabin steward and waiters after removing the Hotel and Dining Charge is well below the custom. Of course, no passenger is required to tip any crew member. (See what happens if that becomes the norm!)

It's time to change the norm and make the cruise lines stop viewing passengers as there to be milked for every dollar possible. Staff should be paid out of operating costs and tips offered only as a gesture for exceptional service

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The repeated suggestions to include the servicecharge in the fare don't keep in mind, that this will result in much higher rates (and not only for the servicecharge) in the end*

If you like it or not - and it's only a guess - the current status enables the Cruise lines to declare the servicecharge as a "Tip".

That means that the line and the employee won't be subject to taxes and other fees for the amount of the servicecharge.

That may be a reason why the cruise lines have to make the servicecharge mandatory - otherwise the tax office will automatically assume that it's a hidden wage and add up taxes and insurances to the grand total of the crew member's pay.

Some may correctly object that that modus withdraws necessary funds from the corresponiding social systems - and they are right - but the with the current status we as clients benefit with lower fare prices on every voyage.

* example: average servicecharge with 2000 passengers = US$ 15/day/passenger. Crew benfiting from ASC = 500

Means that over 30 days, the ASC = 900.000/month or $ 1.800/ crew member.

Assuming that the crew is paid ca. 100$/month fixed, Cunard pays taxes and insurances on that amount.

If the full amount is declared, Cunard and the crew member have to pay for US$ 1.900/month which means more spendings for Cunard and less money at the end of the month for the crew member.

The repeated suggestions to include the servicecharge in the fare don't keep in mind, that this will result in much higher rates (and not only for the servicecharge).

 

If you like it or not - and it's only a guess - the current status enables the Cruise lines to declare the servicecharge as a "Tip".

 

That means that the line and the employee won't be subject to taxes and other fees for the amount of the servicecharge.

 

That may be a reason why the cruise lines have to make the servicecharge mandatory - otherwise the tax office will automatically assume that it's a hidden wage and add up taxes and insurances to the grand total of the crew member's pay.

 

Some may correctly object that that modus withdraws necessary funds from the corresponiding social systems - and they are right - but the with the current status we as clients benefit with lower fare prices on every voyage.

Cannot understand why everyone paying it as part of the fare rather than some removing it would cost more.

The tax implications will vary by where the income is taxable so to many crew will make no difference.

Funny that none of these so called objections stop it working just fine to simply bundle it in the fare.

Believe it or not without the whole industry imploding.

I don't really want to sticky this whole thread but if Bell Boy didn't mind I could probably copy his post into a new one and sticky that.

 

I probably won't be able to do anything until tomorrow evening now but let me know what you think.

No problems Hattie, if it will help.

No problems Hattie, if it will help.

Thanks, we can only hope!

Cannot understand why everyone paying it as part of the fare rather than some removing it would cost more.

 

The tax implications will vary by where the income is taxable so to many crew will make no difference.

 

Funny that none of these so called objections stop it working just fine to simply bundle it in the fare.

 

Believe it or not without the whole industry imploding.

I went a long way to explain, that it'll make a significant difference with my example.

If we stick with my fictional numbers, it will make a significant difference for the fare, if Cunard (and others) would declare and pay for a 1.900 wage/each or 100.

And that extra money will influence the final fare significantly.

As for the crew, I am pretty sure that their local tax offices would see a big deal in this as well - so it will influence them significantly.

Toad, seriously - a 22% tip added on your bill - and chased down the road with a meat cleaver for those who don't tip??? Where in the US did this happen?

 

But what it comes down to is not what our local customs are - we are talking about gratuities on a ocean liner or cruise ship. The custom of tipping has long been established on passenger ships, so I really don't understand the current argument "it's not our custom at home"! Unless you're a fish, your home isn't the ocean!

Yes, 22.5% on a hotel breakfast check in New Orleans about 2 years ago. I was regularly seeing 20% being added to checks on holiday 2 years ago on a tour of the Southern states.

The meat clever comment was a joke.

Because in the UK we don't tip very much/often (and even less so in NZ for example), then people don't see why they should. The view in the UK and NZ is that people should be paid properly by their employer. But in the US, it's accepted that employers in the service industry do not pay their employees an acceptable wage. That's what I mean when I say it's cultural.

I don't really want to sticky this whole thread but if Bell Boy didn't mind I could probably copy his post into a new one and sticky that.

 

I probably won't be able to do anything until tomorrow evening now but let me know what you think.

Yes I think that would be excellent if Bell Boy was willing.

I think this subject comes up so often with the usual result and I think most would respect Bell Boy as a prominent member rather than relying on the many outlandish theories we constantly get on this overworked subject.

Regards

David.

The repeated suggestions to include the servicecharge in the fare don't keep in mind, that this will result in much higher rates (and not only for the servicecharge) in the end*

 

If you like it or not - and it's only a guess - the current status enables the Cruise lines to declare the servicecharge as a "Tip".

 

That means that the line and the employee won't be subject to taxes and other fees for the amount of the service charge.

 

That may be a reason why the cruise lines have to make the servicecharge mandatory - otherwise the tax office will automatically assume that it's a hidden wage and add up taxes and insurances to the grand total of the crew member's pay.

 

Some may correctly object that that modus withdraws necessary funds from the corresponiding social systems - and they are right - but the with the current status we as clients benefit with lower fare prices on every voyage.

 

* example: average servicecharge with 2000 passengers = US$ 15/day/passenger. Crew benfiting from ASC = 500

Means that over 30 days, the ASC = 900.000/month or $ 1.800/ crew member.

 

Assuming that the crew is paid ca. 100$/month fixed, Cunard pays taxes and insurances on that amount.

 

If the full amount is declared, Cunard and the crew member have to pay for US$ 1.900/month which means more spendings for Cunard and less money at the end of the month for the crew member.

You're summed it up very well. According to BruceMuzz (whom some here don't believe, but that's another topic) his ship has to send a percentage of the tipped crew's salary (not their tips) back to their home country - through the manning agent - for tax purposes, especially in Asian countries.

"...If the gratuities become part of the fare, they also become part of the crew salary. That forces the cruise lines to send a much higher percentage of the crew earnings back to their government, who then takes a much deeper cut of those earnings.

In the process, the manning agent who is handling those funds, fiddles with the exchange rates and skims a nice percentage off for himself..." (Note: his words, not mine.)

I live in New York, a city which taxes those who work in the city but don't live here. As one example a baseball player on the Boston Red Sox, who comes in to play the New York Yankees for a three day game series, is taxed on that pro-rated portion of his salary. The paperwork is handled by the visiting team's accounting office. Now imagine if crew ship salaries made it worth the taxing authority's time and effort to do the same. And every large city port believed they were legally entitled to do the same. Your fares would increase substantially due to a cruise line having to meet this legal compliance at just about every port.

I'm sure BruceMuzz is very knowledgeable but as far as I can tell his experiences are mostly on HAL and US based lines rather than Cunard.

Things are not necessarily the same on all lines.

Ship salaries are tax exempt aren't they? The staff are working in international waters. Cruise industry is so profitable because they are tax exempt

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Ship salaries are tax exempt aren't they? The staff are working in international waters. Cruise industry is so profitable because they are tax exempt

No problems Hattie, if it will help.

Yes I think that would be excellent if Bell Boy was willing.

 

I think this subject comes up so often with the usual result and I think most would respect Bell Boy as a prominent member rather than relying on the many outlandish theories we constantly get on this overworked subject.

 

Regards

 

David.

Sticky is done - drop me an email if you think it needs any changes. I didn't want to change people's words.

I've closed it as it's for information rather than starting another debate.