Possible answer to cash tipping

This is from a crew contract..................you decide if crew gets to keep cash even if you leave the auto gratuity intact.

It has been the Company’s experience that passengers often wish to recognize and

reward shipboard staff for working successfully and as a cohesive team to make the cruise

experience enjoyable. Accordingly, during each voyage of each vessel a voluntary

contribution by each passenger will be suggested for that purpose. Passengers are not

obligated to make a contribution or to adhere to the Company’s suggested guidelines for

such a contribution. Nonetheless, to the extent passengers follow the suggested

contribution guidelines in whole , or deliver their contribution to the Company or

directly to any crew member(s), each and every crew member agrees that any such

contribution is not his personal wage, but rather a contribution to the Discretionary Hotel

and Dining Charge Pool (the “Pool”). Each and every crew member also agrees to deliver

any such voluntary passenger contribution he or she receives from any passenger under

any circumstances to the Pool immediately upon receipt of the contribution from the

passenger. Other than as stated below, the Company is in no way liable to make up any

difference between the total of the suggested contributions to the Pool and the actual

contributions for any given vessel voyage. The solicitation of compensation of any kind by

crew members from passengers is strictly prohibited.

Interesting?

That's not my read of the contract. It explicitly says that any money delivered to a crew member is not a wage, but a contribution to the pool, and the crew member must deliver that money to the pool immediately.

If this is accurate and there are no other clarifying documents, it means that all tips are pooled, regardless of passenger intent or auto-gratuities.

Okay, I am multi-tasking at the moment and maybe not paying full attention -- but this language seems to contradict the prevailing wisdom on this Board in that it seems to say that even if auto-grats are left ON, any additional cash tips must be surrendered to the Pool.

I had understood from prior discussions that additional cash tips could be kept by the recipient crew member so long as the passenger paid the auto gratuity.

So does that mean ....If I leave the daily tips in place and then give my room steward , waiter and assistant waiter and room service person an extra cash gratuity , they must pool it ?

So does that mean ....If I leave the daily tips in place and then give my room steward , waiter and assistant waiter and room service person an extra cash gratuity , they must pool it ?

Yes

I had understood from prior discussions that additional cash tips could be kept by the recipient crew member so long as the passenger paid the auto gratuity.

What I have been told is the crew member must turn in any cash tip he or she receives from a passenger along with the name of the passenger. The tip is recorded and will be returned to the crew member once it has been verified that the passenger paid the full automatic gratuity. If not, the cash tip remains in the pool.

What I have been told is the crew member must turn in any cash tip he or she receives from a passenger along with the name of the passenger. The tip is recorded and will be returned to the crew member once it has been verified that the passenger paid the full automatic gratuity. If not, the cash tip remains in the pool.

Seconded

I think Nukesubsailor is correct.

When I read the contract, my take is...it doesn't say anything about tips over and above the auto grats. It seems to say, if you leave the auto grats in place or give the auto grats to Princess (i.e. take it to Passenger Services) OR hand the total of the auto grats to your room steward, it goes into the pool regardless of how you do it.

It doesn't mention extra tips.

If all tips including additional cash tips are put in the pool then why are pax required to put their name and cabin number on the cash tip envelope?

Just asking.

I see nothing to bear out the "conventional wisdom" that, if auto-gratuities are left in place, the crew member will get back the private tips they turn in. We have always been told that the crew had to turn in extra tips but got them back if the auto-gratuities were left in place. I see no such language in the above post.

What I have been told is the crew member must turn in any cash tip he or she receives from a passenger along with the name of the passenger. The tip is recorded and will be returned to the crew member once it has been verified that the passenger paid the full automatic gratuity. If not, the cash tip remains in the pool.

The beverage/bar service staff have a different system since every drink is automatically charged 15%. All extra tips are pooled since some bars/lounges are much busier than others.

What I have been told is the crew member must turn in any cash tip he or she receives from a passenger along with the name of the passenger. The tip is recorded and will be returned to the crew member once it has been verified that the passenger paid the full automatic gratuity. If not, the cash tip remains in the pool.

This is correct. I’ve spoken to Captains, Staff Captains, Hotel Managers, etc.

 

The beverage/bar service staff have a different system since every drink is automatically charged 15%. All extra tips are pooled since some bars/lounges are much busier than others.

Pam, thank you for that confirmation. We always put the extra tip in an envelope with our last name, cabin number, and the crew member's name on it. I'm glad to know that the info we had previously received is correct as I have no particular interest in simply adding more to the pool. It's also interesting to hear that the bar staff can't keep tips. I thought they got to keep them. I went through a good $100 in $1 bills on our last cruise (14 days). I thought the servers got to keep those tips.

Pam, thank you for that confirmation. We always put the extra tip in an envelope with our last name, cabin number, and the crew member's name on it. I'm glad to know that the info we had previously received is correct as I have no particular interest in simply adding more to the pool. It's also interesting to hear that the bar staff can't keep tips. I thought they got to keep them. I went through a good $100 in $1 bills on our last cruise (14 days). I thought the servers got to keep those tips.

I’m not thrilled to hear that the bartenders don’t get to keep the tips. I always give a nice tip at the end of the cruise to the bartenders that we have used daily, like those in Crooners. And I always tip each of them. I thought they got to keep them.

I see nothing to bear out the "conventional wisdom" that, if auto-gratuities are left in place, the crew member will get back the private tips they turn in. We have always been told that the crew had to turn in extra tips but got them back if the auto-gratuities were left in place. I see no such language in the above post.

But, we have no idea if the posted excerpt is complete and accurate.

Okay, I am multi-tasking at the moment and maybe not paying full attention -- but this language seems to contradict the prevailing wisdom on this Board in that it seems to say that even if auto-grats are left ON, any additional cash tips must be surrendered to the Pool.

 

I had understood from prior discussions that additional cash tips could be kept by the recipient crew member so long as the passenger paid the auto gratuity.

That is just a portion of the contract and it only deals with incoming money. There is nothing about what happens next with the Pool, and there is nothing in this that contradicts the general understanding that after the accounting is done the crew member gets credited with the cash tips he turned in from passengers who left the auto-grats on. It just says, if you get cash you must turn it in - nothing else. To infer more than this makes no sense.

It says "to the extent passengers follow the suggested contribution guidelines" which I take to mean anything beyond the guidelines belongs to the staff member.

I see nothing to bear out the "conventional wisdom" that, if auto-gratuities are left in place, the crew member will get back the private tips they turn in. We have always been told that the crew had to turn in extra tips but got them back if the auto-gratuities were left in place. I see no such language in the above post.

I see no language addressing a lot of things. This section of the contract deals with the crew members obligation to turn money in. It says nothing about the subsequent distribution, which undoubtedly is in a completely different part of the contract. I do not believe that Chengpk75 and CHPurself have been lying to us.

This is classic taking out of context to infer that extras get pooled.

But, we have no idea if the posted excerpt is complete and accurate.

Well, we know it isn't complete, because complete would be the whole contract, not one little snippet.

This looks to be an excerpt of a 10+ year old Terms & Conditions of Employment doc from Princess, I think I may have posted the link at one time or another but in any case it's here: http://www.inozemstvo-posao.com/forumattachments/02-Terms_&_Conditions_of_Employment.pdf

I doubt much has changed in 10 years, but who knows for sure. Anyhow the part about tips (aka discretionary charges) starts on the bottom of page 5. I do see where its mentioned that " Each and every crew member also agrees to deliver any such voluntary passenger contribution he or she receives from any passenger under any circumstances to the Pool immediately upon receipt of the contribution from the passenger" but no mention of getting back the tip if the person it came from kept their auto tips in place. This may be addressed elsewhere as Thrak and others pointed out, such as in the actual crew contract or a discretionary charge distribution document. Hard to tell without knowing everything the crew members sign and agree to, and even harder to believe that "those in the know" would have been lying to us all these years.

So what about room service? I order coffee and tomato juice every morning and always give the deliverer $2.00. Do you think they get to keep it or have to turn it in?

I'm see Princess doing random shakedown checks of the crew cabins...

not looking for rock hammers, pot, etc. ... but looking for unexplained cash !!;p

Seeing that theft is considered gross misconduct and "discharge from the ship will be considered appropriate" I would think that would be appropriate deterrent. That and the peer pressure (and possible reporting to their superiors) from your coworkers whose income you're impacting by not turning in gratuities.

I think Nukesubsailor is correct.

When I read the contract, my take is...it doesn't say anything about tips over and above the auto grats. It seems to say, if you leave the auto grats in place or give the auto grats to Princess (i.e. take it to Passenger Services) OR hand the total of the auto grats to your room steward, it goes into the pool regardless of how you do it.

It doesn't mention extra tips.

I totally disagree, as do other posters above. "any such contribution" is pretty far-reaching. "Each and every crew member also agrees to deliver any such voluntary passenger contribution he or she receives from any passenger under any circumstances to the Pool immediately upon receipt." Seems very clear to me.

Well, we know it isn't complete, because complete would be the whole contract, not one little snippet.

But, as we have seen so far, if the one little snippet supports one's position,

it is the word of god.