The truth about cruise staff working conditions and pay?

[Waihekean]

But please remember, they have families at home that DO have to pay housing, food and utilities. Just a comment, not complaining about your post.

 

Anne

 

Fair point!

 

Had a super friendly cabin steward (Jose from Columbia) on my recent cruise and when asked him how long he had been a steward he answered; done it for ten years. Just another point.

[Sinppu]

Fair point!

 

Had a super friendly cabin steward (Jose from Columbia) on my recent cruise and when asked him how long he had been a steward he answered; done it for ten years. Just another point.

 

And a great point it is too. If the job is really horrible and terrible and awful, they will not return after one contract.

If they do, they deserve their misery. There is always something else to do.

[Islandgirl4242]

Thanks to everyone for the informative postings. Yes, we have all become cross-culture cruisers and many of us (me included) still have

much to learn. Living in the states and cruising with Aussie friends we learned the difference in our cultures for waitstaff wages and tipping. I found it all very interesting and informing...also a little confusing. I, too, wish the cruise lines had a policy that we all could understand and was across the board for each and every cruiser on every cruise. The internet has certainly made this information much more accessible, but policies change with cruise lines and it's a continual learning experience. There is a difference in "service charge" and "tip". And I'm just now beginning to realize that we are being expected to subsidize the wages of every level of a ship's employees. If this is the way it is then I can make an informed decision and plan accordingly. Coming from the US we live in a culture where there is now a jar on every counter for tipping...no matter how much/little service we are given and what the employee's wages are. I'm not in agreement about this type of gratuity. But in our travels we do tip as a thank you for exemplary service and it seems to abound in so many countries. I don't remember anyone ever saying no to receiving a gratuity from us, but in Singapore we did have a taxi driver tell us we were giving him too much...actually we weren't. His level of service was beyond belief and I'm sure he missed dinner with his family...another story!

 

Again, thank you all for sharing thoughts and comments!!

~~Judy

[Orator]

I really enjoy seeing staff I've know over the years advance. One current HD started as an Asst. Waiter. Another worked in the Gift Shop. Almost all Restaurant managers worked their way up from the bottom. One Captain started his career as a Deckhand. The story doesn't even mention the possibility of advancement.

[boogs]

Thanks to everyone for the informative postings. Yes, we have all become cross-culture cruisers and many of us (me included) still have

much to learn. Living in the states and cruising with Aussie friends we learned the difference in our cultures for waitstaff wages and tipping. I found it all very interesting and informing...also a little confusing. I, too, wish the cruise lines had a policy that we all could understand and was across the board for each and every cruiser on every cruise. The internet has certainly made this information much more accessible, but policies change with cruise lines and it's a continual learning experience. There is a difference in "service charge" and "tip". And I'm just now beginning to realize that we are being expected to subsidize the wages of every level of a ship's employees. If this is the way it is then I can make an informed decision and plan accordingly. Coming from the US we live in a culture where there is now a jar on every counter for tipping...no matter how much/little service we are given and what the employee's wages are. I'm not in agreement about this type of gratuity. But in our travels we do tip as a thank you for exemplary service and it seems to abound in so many countries. I don't remember anyone ever saying no to receiving a gratuity from us, but in Singapore we did have a taxi driver tell us we were giving him too much...actually we weren't. His level of service was beyond belief and I'm sure he missed dinner with his family...another story!

 

Again, thank you all for sharing thoughts and comments!!

~~Judy

 

I don't disagree with what you have said here, but one point I would like to expand on is the "we are being expected to subsidize the wages of every level of a ship's employees" comment.

 

By purchasing a cruise, no matter how the crew is being paid, WE ARE subsidizing their wages. Even if they got a decent wage and didn't need tips to supplement their pay, those wages would come from income the cruise line makes from our booking dollars. In fact, it is with those booking dollars that the cruise line pays ALL of their expenses. So, we pay those wages no matter how they are paid. Bottom line, whether it is included in the original fare, or we pay through tipping, the passengers pay those wages.

[Waihekean]

I really enjoy seeing staff I've know over the years advance. One current HD started as an Asst. Waiter. Another worked in the Gift Shop. Almost all Restaurant managers worked their way up from the bottom. One Captain started his career as a Deckhand. The story doesn't even mention the possibility of advancement.

 

This is also a great point:)

[Ephraim]

...By purchasing a cruise, no matter how the crew is being paid, WE ARE subsidizing their wages. Even if they got a decent wage and didn't need tips to supplement their pay, those wages would come from income the cruise line makes from our booking dollars. In fact, it is with those booking dollars that the cruise line pays ALL of their expenses. So, we pay those wages no matter how they are paid. Bottom line, whether it is included in the original fare, or we pay through tipping, the passengers pay those wages.

 

Absolutely, but all I have to say about that is simply this... and this is simply one couple that is well known and have been discusses extensively on the Princess boards:

 

From my understanding, from several discussions on CC, they win at on-board games, remove their standard tips and leave their prizes as the crews tips.

 

Even if it isn't true, we all know from discussions that there are many people who don't leave tips. We know it, we hear it, we even see how many people skip the last meal just to avoid paying them. It would be much fairer to pay the employee his promised wage as part of an included service fee (completely detailed to the passenger, but not subject to removal, just like in any restaurant in Europe) and then any tipping is above and beyond for exemplary service, rather than simply a way of subsidizing the wages that he or she should be earning.

 

The next argument is always the argument of their not providing good service if they aren't personally tipped. That's the point and job of management, they are supposed to ensure that employees are doing their job and the more people who want these jobs that pay well, the easier it is to find someone to do the job and do it well, knowing that they are paid well and that those who don't do the job well, will be dismissed.

 

I'm sure that I'm not the only person on earth that has been dismissed from a job because they weren't suitable for the job and likewise, I'm also not the only person on earth who quit a job because they realize that they were suitable for the job either.

[helpthejuggler]

...

Even if it isn't true, we all know from discussions that there are many people who don't leave tips. We know it, we hear it, we even see how many people skip the last meal just to avoid paying them.

...

 

many people skip the last meal in the MDR having pre-paid or had service charged to their account.

 

It seems unreasonable to infer anything from MDR no-shows on the last evening other than they made other plans.

[Jenna109]

Watched a tv prog. last night about life in India. A family man worked each month for £28. He had two days off in that time but only managed to go back to see his family, who lived in a northern village, every six months. One child he had not yet seen. He lived in the hut where he made pots for about 14 hours per day and washed in the Ganges. Such a life is totally alien to us and it is no wonder the cruise staff are happy to work for $600 a month with all found. Believe me the living conditions on ship were palaces in comparison.

 

Let us all enjoy our cruises, pay tips that we individually feel happy with, stop worrying about what others do or do not pay REMEMBER just by going on a cruise we are providing work for those who would be living in shocking conditions.

[parallax]

I always find the truth to be somewhere in the middle on these sorts of things. There are outliers that distort the true picture. I think that we need to be careful to equate that our tipping, which is part of the economic structure in cruising unless you are involved in all exclusive cruises, is some sort of benevolent act on behalf of the cruiser that is helping a staff member and its family. We are not saviors. Instead, we are tipping because it is the economic model that allows us to take inexpensive vacations while receiving good service. When we tip a waiter or waitress, do we draw the same conclusion?

[momofmeg]

I always find the truth to be somewhere in the middle on these sorts of things. There are outliers that distort the true picture. I think that we need to be careful to equate that our tipping, which is part of the economic structure in cruising unless you are involved in all exclusive cruises, is some sort of benevolent act on behalf of the cruiser that is helping a staff member and its family. We are not saviors. Instead, we are tipping because it is the economic model that allows us to take inexpensive vacations while receiving good service. When we tip a waiter or waitress, do we draw the same conclusion?

 

Well I talked to an older gal who works at Waffle House and she told me many do not tip her. That place is so cheap that 20% of a bill there would not be much at all. This same woman needs partial dentures-she lost several teeth from gingivitis and not going to the dentist because she could not really afford it. She told me she had been saving for some time for it. I think she told me because she was very self conscious about her missing teeth. And no she did not do it to get us to give more money-hubby loves their breakfasts and we go there often on weekends-we are regular customers of hers and we always tip her 20%.

 

Other restaurants like the upscale Italian hubby loves, is mostly college students working to pay their way through college. At a Mexican we frequent our usual waitress is PG with baby # 4. So yes, all I feel need and deserves our tips. No we do not support them by a long shot with our 20% added to the bill-but yes if enough of us do that it does make a difference in their lives.

 

I do admit there have been times when we left only 10 % because of lousy service but we still tip-we would never not tip or leave a penny to show dissatisfaction as I find that insulting to the server-the lower tip carries the same message and even a bad server deserves something in my mind.

[neverbeenhere]

If you have BAD service, but the food was very good. I suggest that you tip the cooks with your regular percentage. You won't look cheap, and the cooks will appreciate it a lot more than the wait staff.