"automatic" gratuity added?

[awhcruiser]

Do you have a list?

You need to remember not all the people you spoke of work for tips. Some of them are salaried workers. I do not mind tipping but I will not tip salaried workers.

[jimbo5544]

Some will tell you that the $2 a day for alternative dining goes to the people that work in the lido.

 

 

And that would be correct amount others.

 

 

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[firemanbobswife]

But have you ever had really bad service in a restaurant and then had to complain to the manager to about that bad service? You may feel better that the manager was able accommodate you, but would you really still be okay about giving that server a full tip? After all, it wasn't them that made your experience better.

 

 

At our last local Cruise Critic get together this month, everyone received their order except me. She apologized, the manager came over, offered me additional sides, etc to hold me over. No I didn't need any of that. They brought it out quickly (helps that I like it rare). And it was a 6oz filet mignon not the 8oz I had ordered. She was new and we all make mistakes. I was only charged for the 6oz so I wasn't mad.

 

I was a waitress when I was in HS so can empathize.

 

It's not something she did on purpose so I wouldn't call it bad service. I still gave her a $5 tip on my $20 meal.

 

If she was mean and nasty or never came back with my order, then there would have been a problem. However, I have NEVER run into that type of service on a cruise ship. So removing tips (which really aren't tips - they are a service charge and the way the crew get paid) aren't warranted IMHO. I would still give the crew a chance to make it better.

[n6uqqq]

Not sure that's accurate (maybe though) but it sure is funny.

 

That comment was for entertainment purposes, although could possibly happen in an extremely rare situation. I would like to give proper credit to user Vols 159 who had mentioned the cable vs satellite commercial. Those are among the very few commercials I find truly funny and I expanded on their idea ;). We are almost at the mandated 10 pages of arguing tips :D. If this thread makes it to 20 pages then it will be among the heavy weights of tip debate.

Edited February 28, 2014 by n6uqqq

[alreadypacked]

That actually would be the waitresses problem if she took a job in a place where she had to share any part of her income.

 

Restaurant owners would LOVE to make their prices low and let the tipping system drive the pay in their establishments. All they need are people willing to do that.

 

The minute I was told I would be sharing tips, I would be sharing my back through the side door.

 

And certainly NONE of my problem as the patron.

 

That's really easy to say when you're not the person who really needs that awful tipped job with that cheapskate employer who requires you to tip out to (basically pay the salaries of) other staff. Service industry tipped employees make up a large percentage of workers in America today and in some towns, those types of jobs are about all there is. You wouldn't want them living off the public dole would you?

[twentypearls]

At our last local Cruise Critic get together this month, everyone received their order except me. She apologized, the manager came over, offered me additional sides, etc to hold me over. No I didn't need any of that. They brought it out quickly (helps that I like it rare). And it was a 6oz filet mignon not the 8oz I had ordered. She was new and we all make mistakes. I was only charged for the 6oz so I wasn't mad.

 

I was a waitress when I was in HS so can empathize.

 

It's not something she did on purpose so I wouldn't call it bad service. I still gave her a $5 tip on my $20 meal.

 

If she was mean and nasty or never came back with my order, then there would have been a problem. However, I have NEVER run into that type of service on a cruise ship. So removing tips (which really aren't tips - they are a service charge and the way the crew get paid) aren't warranted IMHO. I would still give the crew a chance to make it better.

 

That's a different case and not bad service. If she never apologized or made you feel that it was an honest mistake and did have a bad attitude, would you have tipped? One person's bad service is no big deal to another person. The point is, since it's "my" money, it's my opinion that counts if I'm the one tipping. Noone else's.

 

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[firemanbobswife]

That's a different case and not bad service. If she never apologized or made you feel that it was an honest mistake and did have a bad attitude, would you have tipped? One person's bad service is no big deal to another person. The point is, since it's "my" money, it's my opinion that counts if I'm the one tipping. Noone else's.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

 

 

I get what you're saying but you're missing the point. Tipping on a cruise ship isn't tipping in the sense as it is on land. That IS the crew's pay. It is in all actuality a service charge that should just be mandatory to make sure everyone gets paid fairly. I don't know why cruise lines do it like this and it is really messed up. They should just pay them what they are promised and be done with it. But until they do, they rely on the "tips" as their pay.

[alreadypacked]

Ok here it goes .

 

a while back i found out that , wait , first .

why should i tip the bar and servers as i do not drink from any bar.

i do not gamble , why tip them.

 

lets start , carvinal hires these servers for , lets say $1000 per cruise.

then carnival charges you (tip) for them to serve you and clean your room.

 

what was told to me is carnival uses this to help pay the $1000 that they agreeded to pay said person , how do you really no what happens with these tips unless you give it to each person that servered you ?

 

think first then reply.

 

I could be wrong but, I don't think this is exactly how it works.

[twentypearls]

I agree. If in fact that's their pay, then it should not be based on or called "tips". But right now it is called tips(gratuity). Just like on land, servers receive a very small pay and depend on tips to make a living. But they know that if they provide bad service their tips will suffer. It's the incentive for good service. Which is why we wait until after that service to tip. There is nothing wrong with people who feel this way.

 

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[firemanbobswife]

I agree. If in fact that's their pay, then it should not be based on or called "tips". But right now it is called tips(gratuity). Just like on land, servers receive a very small pay and depend on tips to make a living. But they know that if they provide bad service their tips will suffer. It's the incentive for good service. Which is why we wait until after that service to tip. There is nothing wrong with people who feel this way.

 

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I do agree to a certain extent. However, if you remove the "tips" and only tip the people you see, the others that also rely on the "tips" aren't getting paid what they were promised.

 

It is a pretty sucky way the cruise lines do it and I'm sure it's to circumvent some taxes or something. They should just call a spade a spade and have it be a mandatory "service charge" like the "resort fees" at a hotel. Still no idea what those really are! Then go back to the true tipping for excellent service like the majority of us think it should be.

 

That's why right now, the only way to make sure the crew members are being truly taken care of like they should be is to leave the auto "tips" in place and give extra to whom you feel deserve it.

[Disconnections]

I do agree to a certain extent. However, if you remove the "tips" and only tip the people you see, the others that also rely on the "tips" aren't getting paid what they were promised.

 

It is a pretty sucky way the cruise lines do it and I'm sure it's to circumvent some taxes or something. They should just call a spade a spade and have it be a mandatory "service charge" like the "resort fees" at a hotel. Still no idea what those really are! Then go back to the true tipping for excellent service like the majority of us think it should be.

 

That's why right now, the only way to make sure the crew members are being truly taken care of like they should be is to leave the auto "tips" in place and give extra to whom you feel deserve it.

 

They aren't promised or guaranteed these gratuities. They are only guaranteed their base salary. Anything else is at the discretion of their guests and will vary based on the level of service they provide. On land, they may be guaranteed the minimum wage if the tips do not fully supplement their hourly pay where required by law.

 

NCL considers it a service charge and it is supposedly extremely difficult (but possible) to remove them. However, resort fees are not mandatory depending on the property or status you have with a hotel chain. As a Platinum member with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, I have had about 80% of my resort fees waived due to having Platinum status. When the resort fee includes complimentary Internet (a Platinum benefit,) the hotel is required to provide an alternative amenity similar to value of "high speed wireless Internet access" if they do not waive the fee and charge you for one of your earned benefits. I have only come across one property that actually understood what they were required to provide, based on their franchise contracts. At all other properties that do not waive the resort fee or provide an alternative amenity, I have always called up Starwood Corporate Customer Care and opened a Corporate File Complaint. Every single time, I have had the resort fee refunded in full, as well as 500-2,500 Starpoints issued as a goodwill gesture. Whether it is a small resort fee at a domestic Westin resort or even resort fees in the $60-$150 per night range at some St. Regis resorts and W Retreat properties, it has always been waived/refunded, in my experience, once Corporate's Takeover Team got involved or the General Manager was informed of their franchise agreements and pointed out where exactly they can find the policies. When a guest opens a Corporate File Complaint against a hotel in Starwood, the hotel's owners end up getting fined much more than what they would be missing by waiving the resort fee.

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-starwood-preferred-guest/1130920-resort-fees-plats-pls-post-how-properties-handling-alternative-amenities.html

Edited February 28, 2014 by Disconnections

[fishtaco]

Most people that remove them give some BS reason like "I tip MORE but only for good service blah blah blah". Just leave it. IF some portion of service really stinks then remove it and tip the others. But I doubt that will happen. You can also pre-pay it.

 

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I agree with you! Too many BS reasons that make no sense whatsoever!

 

Personally I dont care if people I dont know tip or not, its their choice but the BS stories here on CC make me laugh everytime! lol

 

I cant imagine "any" person who removes their tips actually pay the correct cabin pax amount let alone "Over and above" as some profess!

 

You can see this in the price drop joy " woot I just saved $20 woot woot" and am so over the moon, but of course I will tip over the odds with cash tipping onboard! lol and lol again

 

So many liars I am not sure how they live with themselves:confused: