Begging for Tips

But what if he was just having a bad day or was stressed out or whatever? Was just wondering if it is becoming more common and it seems like it isn't so let's just forget it. Tips threads never end well I suppose.

Fair enough, I will move on. I hope the reset of the cruise was enjoyable for you.

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So you aren't advocating telling cruise ship management?

 

 

You also said "I also agree that any staff member on a Carnival ship doing that would be on their last cruise. Totally agree on excursion crews also." and you also said in your deleted post that the OP should have stepped up to the plate and told management because he came on here and made CCL look bad without telling them. So I'm not sure what you are saying the best course of action is other keeping quiet and not posting about it on the internet.

I imagine CCL has a morals clause too. Do you work for CCL?

I do not work for Carnival, I think my point was clear, I will move on, happy cruising.

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You can't insure prompt service as you would ensure it.

TIPS Does not mean To Insure Proper Service. Someone told me that and I eventually looked up the history of TIPS, and that ain't it.

Cruised Princess (Caribbean) 10 day partial Panama Canal Transit. My gratuities were prepaid and I loved my Steward... cause we never crossed but he and others I saw servicing the cabins near my stateroom always spoke BECAUSE I always greeted them and sincerely asked how they were doing and that I appreciated their hard work. I left what was for me, a very large tip for my Steward and I left it on my pillow in an envelope with a thank you card. I didn't share a cabin, FYI

Because of the group sailed with, :mad:, I only showed up at the MDR three times. I did tip on the last day but I had forgotten my envelope but asked the group leader if I could place my tip in her envelope (Others in the group had had a 2hr discussion about how much to tip :rolleyes::eek:. When I walked out of MDR I was given two dirty looks because I didn't hand them an envelope.

Dunns Falls in Jamaica --- I can't, I just can't it was so bad I only left the tour guide $2, gave the driver $5 but he two guys who facilitated the Zip Line, I gave each $15 'cause they were great, personable and made the trip great, great fun.

Ramona

On the way out, the dining room staff kept saying “please help us, you are feeding our families.”

I know they work hard and everything but I think this crossed a line. It was very uncomfortable and honestly, felt like people begging on the street to the point that I don’t think Carnival is an option anymore as it wasn’t just them.

...it has really gotten out of control and I don’t see how anyone could think it is ok for dining staff to yes, beg, for more tips to feed their families as people are leaving. Thoughts?

This thread got "out of control" because of how we were all set up by the first post, that's what we read first and everyone knows about first impressions. But IF begging for tips onboard the ships really has gotten out of control then the cruise lines really need to take some kind of meaningful action to get it back under control. I totally disagree that it has gotten out of control but I'm just saying. How else would anyone expect us to respond?

I don't know if contracts between cruise lines and excursion vendors in port countries include a "do not beg for tips" clause (apparently not!! lol) but as for the ship itself they most certainly should be able to and are expected to require their own employees to follow certain protocols about how to relate to guests that pay a lot of money for the PLEASURES of cruising and expect just a minimum of annoyances. The ship environment is one thing and the otherworld ports are another thing. One is a floating pleasure paradise and the other is where people live. (Even Royal's Labadee 'private island' is the country of Haiti and so we should expect that things are different there...and I use Labadee as as example because the 'begging' for our money is as extreme there as anywhere that I can think of. But that's Haiti not Royal or Carnival.)

And the thing about this whole question of begging or demanding tips or any other less than pleasant behavior is that probably for every one needy person that has a job with a cruise line there are 5 or 10 other just as needy people that would absolutely love to have that job. And so who are we doing a favor by not responding appropriately and to the right people about unwelcome behavior? I am not trying to be cruel or over reactive or unreasonable but if there really is a problem with "one waiter" but especially if there was a larger trend developing.....a 'movement' of some kind among MDR or other staff on one ship or many ships?....then absolutely yes that kind of problem should be brought DIRECTLY to the cruise lines attention because they are the only ones that could do anything about it.

And my last point before I shut up for good on this subject....isn't the idea of promotion or salary bump and so on based on merit? And shouldn't that be a comparative measure of both positives and negatives? If one waiter's relative value to Carnival is measured only by a blank sheet or (WORSE) by only 5 star survey ratings or mentions that are so often encouraged....who is that being fair to?

Sorry for running on and on, I just think that fair is fair and you either perform properly in your job or you don't...and if you don't, well then....and if only one person is somehow doing a bad job, a whole company or industry should not get the rap for it. And probably I have said so much here just because I remember how much we ENJOYED our MDR experience on our April cruise on Magic....THANK YOU CHRISTIAN FROM ROMANIA!!....lol in case Carnival really is reading this thread...and that was exactly the opposite of the criticism that I have read here.

 

Not trying to disparage. Simply asking if others have heard similar things. So far, it seems to be out of the norm with only one other person having heard room stewards I think it was, mention having to send money home. This is not as big a deal as some are making it out to be. It was a simple question from an observation.

It did not come across as a "simple question", based on your first post;

"I know they work hard and everything but I think this crossed a line. It was very uncomfortable and honestly, felt like people begging on the street to the point that I don’t think Carnival is an option anymore as it wasn’t just them."

I also find it interesting that you will not answer the question which ship and/or sail date of your cruise. Particularly since a post by you May, 2018 in another thread, you stated you had not cruised Carnival for 20 years.:confused:

I have never had a staff member on any cruise or any cruise line say or even hint that they are expecting me to tip them. I have never removed gratuities and would not even think about it unless it was a problem that went unsolved after trying to correct it with the staff member and their supervisor if necessary. There may be an underlying issue, that I am unaware of or a problem with communication.

In my mind, there is a right way to handle issues that may arise during vacation or life in general. Going to a social media site and blaring the perceived injustice before talking with the perpetrator and/or their supervisor is unjust and unkind. You should always give the person that you "felt" slighted by, the chance to "clear the air". Most often their is some misunderstanding. As with this post I am just trying to understand the situation, based on very little information.

I love all the Carnival apologists and cheerleaders on here. I don’t doubt this happened one bit. They have been getting more and more pushy for years and it’s extremely unfortunate because it puts me in a very uncomfortable place.

I love all the Carnival apologists and cheerleaders on here. I don’t doubt this happened one bit. They have been getting more and more pushy for years and it’s extremely unfortunate because it puts me in a very uncomfortable place.

"more and more pushy"....I have no idea what you're talking about. It is not being apologist it is stating facts and personal perceptions and experiences. But if Carnival makes you so "very uncomfortable" there are so many other ways to spend your vacation money....just like we do, cruising is absolutely not the only way that we vacation at least every 3 or 4 months and Carnival is not the only Cruise line that we use or think about using. Now to go full out there are probably just as many Carnival bashers here as there are supposedly cheerleaders or whatever.

But what if he was just having a bad day or was stressed out or whatever? Was just wondering if it is becoming more common and it seems like it isn't so let's just forget it. Tips threads never end well I suppose.

no bad moods for front of house employees, I tell my servers, want to be in a bad mood, get a job in a doctors office not a restaurant.

I love all the Carnival apologists and cheerleaders on here. I don’t doubt this happened one bit. They have been getting more and more pushy for years and it’s extremely unfortunate because it puts me in a very uncomfortable place.

Cruise elsewhere then, we would def not want you to be uncomfortable. Totally disagree. Funny that bashing comes from someone who mentions cheerleaders. I do not doubt that for a minute either.

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Cruise elsewhere then, we would def not want you to be uncomfortable. Totally disagree. Funny that bashing comes from someone who mentions cheerleaders. I do not doubt that for a minute either.

 

 

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I thought you said you moved on! Since my other points have been ignored, I'll just mention that it's not bashing or cheerleading if it's objective and true!

I thought you said you moved on! Since my other points have been ignored, I'll just mention that it's not bashing or cheerleading if it's objective and true!

I moved on from the OP, I will ALWAYS be here for bashers. You can decide what you think a post is, I will do the same. I cruise Carnival, love to hear comments both positive and negative from cruisers. Funny that someone bashing carnival brings up cheerleading first. How about you, you have resurrected many threads lately, do you cruise Carnival?

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I love all the Carnival apologists and cheerleaders on here.

 

You must be referring to all the satisfied customers.

They have been getting more and more pushy for years and it’s extremely unfortunate because it puts me in a very uncomfortable place.

Must be referring to other cruisers who are entitled.

Happened last night, the last dinner of the cruise.

Gratuities were pre-paid.

On the way out, the dining room staff kept saying “please help us, you are feeding our families.”

I know they work hard and everything but I think this crossed a line. It was very uncomfortable and honestly, felt like people begging on the street to the point that I don’t think Carnival is an option anymore as it wasn’t just them.

The ship sponsored excursions were just as bad in this department. The guide and bus driver are one thing, although we don’t need to be reminded to tip as they did. But On one in Mexico, every time we entered a room, the guide would point out that the person standing in the room was also helping—who knows how—and that tips are “not expected but certainly appreciated.”

 

I can imagine the responses but I assure you I am a good tipper. But it has really gotten out of control and I don’t see how anyone could think it is ok for dining staff to yes, beg, for more tips to feed their families as people are leaving. Thoughts?

Never, not once, on any cruise line I've tried.

I'm not getting into the middle of this spat, but I do have a point and one question...

IN MY OPINION (note the all caps!) the 'begging' for tips has been pretty much eliminated by the auto-tips. In the early days if the employee didn't see that envelope by a certain time on the last night you were increasingly 'reminded' about the tipping policy! I've never been pressured or reminded since the new policy went into place, many years ago.

Second item is a question... I've been to Guest Services on the final night of a cruise on many different occasions, and I have to honestly say I've NEVER heard anyone removing their tips... either I'm oblivious to it or it's not quite as frequent as some people say. So my question is- how do any of you know how common it is for people to remove their tips? Other than hearsay (someone who told someone... I heard it from 1 staff member)… I'm not denying it happens, I'm just wondering how so many of you know it happens so frequently?

'Cause I've never removed tips, no one I've ever met on a cruise has removed them, and I've never witnessed it myself. So how is it quantified?

I moved on from the OP, I will ALWAYS be here for bashers. You can decide what you think a post is, I will do the same. I cruise Carnival, love to hear comments both positive and negative from cruisers. Funny that someone bashing carnival brings up cheerleading first. How about you, you have resurrected many threads lately, do you cruise Carnival?

 

 

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What is a basher though? Anyone who sees something negative and says something?

Yeah I'm platinum I've been on Carnival 7 times in the past year and a half or so. Carnival gives me and some of my friends and family members great casino offers and we always have a great time in general.

I love all the Carnival apologists and cheerleaders on here. I don’t doubt this happened one bit. They have been getting more and more pushy for years and it’s extremely unfortunate because it puts me in a very uncomfortable place.

LOLOL.

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It did not come across as a "simple question", based on your first post;

"I know they work hard and everything but I think this crossed a line. It was very uncomfortable and honestly, felt like people begging on the street to the point that I don’t think Carnival is an option anymore as it wasn’t just them."

I also find it interesting that you will not answer the question which ship and/or sail date of your cruise. Particularly since a post by you May, 2018 in another thread, you stated you had not cruised Carnival for 20 years.:confused:

I have never had a staff member on any cruise or any cruise line say or even hint that they are expecting me to tip them. I have never removed gratuities and would not even think about it unless it was a problem that went unsolved after trying to correct it with the staff member and their supervisor if necessary. There may be an underlying issue, that I am unaware of or a problem with communication.

In my mind, there is a right way to handle issues that may arise during vacation or life in general. Going to a social media site and blaring the perceived injustice before talking with the perpetrator and/or their supervisor is unjust and unkind. You should always give the person that you "felt" slighted by, the chance to "clear the air". Most often their is some misunderstanding. As with this post I am just trying to understand the situation, based on very little information.

They also changed their story about halfway through the thread. Started out with the claim the whole dining room staff was asking for tips, then later it was just one waiter and given you found the quite recent comment that they haven’t sailed Carnival in 20yrs I’d guess they are more troll than dissatisfied customer.

LOL! Sure you are.

 

 

 

Good day, Pal.

I sure am. You cruise NCL and Celebrity I believe. You’ve never posted about being on a carnival ship and said a few weeks ago you haven’t been on a Carnival cruise in 20 years because their security is lax.

So yea, I’m not buying your OP,

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What is a basher though? Anyone who sees something negative and says something?

 

 

 

Yeah I'm platinum I've been on Carnival 7 times in the past year and a half or so. Carnival gives me and some of my friends and family members great casino offers and we always have a great time in general.

Bashers are actually easy to recognize.

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Or, I can just ask in general, about an experience to see if it has been generally experienced by others.

You didn’t simply ask a general question. You made a rather dramatic claim about the behavior of the staff and refused to back it up with any facts. Then you shifted from the whole dining room staff begging for tips to later say it was one waiter. These are the types of things that lead many to call BS on your story and push you to back your claims to be taken seriously since it clearly isn’t something that happens with any regularity.

“Has anyone encountered Carnival staff soliciting cash tips?” Is a simple question. Your vague story and accusation with no details or facts of any kind to support it isn’t a simple question.

Bashers are actually easy to recognize.

 

 

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But what is a basher? I could care less how hard they are to spot. I think we have different definitions and therefore a failure to communicate.

I could care less how hard they are to spot.

For me it's more that I couldn't care less.

Two shocking accounts, but thanks for the update.

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So because one person asked for a tip you would deprive all the others on the ship that have been working hard behind the scenes day and night of a tip? Those prepaid gratuities cover a whole lot of people and aren’t really that generous to start with when you look at the breakdown.

The only people on the ship that I interact with face to face are the waiters in the MDR and the cabin steward on occasion. I don't order drinks, I don't play in the casino and I don't pay for any spa treatments. Why do I need to tip those behinds the scenes? When I go to a local restaurant, I tip the waiter/waitress. I don't tip the cook, the dishwasher, etc. When I play golf at the club, I tip the guy handling my bag and the cart girl if I buy something. I don't tip the guy who mows the greens, sets the pins or guy behind the counter taking my green fee. Now that you have made me think of this...perhaps I should remove the automatic gratuities and just tip at the end accordingly on all my future cruises. And if you want to argue that this is hurting other waiters...well...that guy begging for tips should think of how his begging impacts his "team". Flame away!

The only people on the ship that I interact with face to face are the waiters in the MDR and the cabin steward on occasion. I don't order drinks, I don't play in the casino and I don't pay for any spa treatments. Why do I need to tip those behinds the scenes? When I go to a local restaurant, I tip the waiter/waitress. I don't tip the cook, the dishwasher, etc. When I play golf at the club, I tip the guy handling my bag and the cart girl if I buy something. I don't tip the guy who mows the greens, sets the pins or guy behind the counter taking my green fee. Now that you have made me think of this...perhaps I should remove the automatic gratuities and just tip at the end accordingly on all my future cruises. And if you want to argue that this is hurting other waiters...well...that guy begging for tips should think of how his begging impacts his "team". Flame away!

Do a little reading on how that tip money gets spread around and then ask yourself how many of those people you interact with or receive service from. It’s far more than the wait staff in the MDR and your si for steward. Sounds like you’re just cheap or inconsiderate. I imagine you aren’t so in favor of group punishment when it is applied to you for the actions of others.