Crew Compensation, Auto-Tips, and Loyalty Status - An Honest discussion

[CRLess]

We remove the autotips because: 1) we object to having to pre-tip for service I may or may not receive - especially true if you use Anytime Dining; 2) we object to the manner in which Princess disburses the tips, especially with the new cross-fleet method; 3) we object to tipping people with whom I do not have any direct interaction, merely for doing their jobs.

 

 

We tip our cabin stewards very well - more than what the auto tip would be. We also tip everyone else who provides us service above and beyond what they "have to do". We also write extremely detailed recommendations on the post-cruise survey that goes directly to Princess, not to the ship's staff. One Deputy Cruise Director that we repeatedly lauded after sailing 4 cruises (just under 40 nights) with him was indeed promoted to Cruise Director last month.

 

I recognize superior service through my tips, not just mere existence.

 

You tip your cabin steward very well....despite the fact that he/she has to turn it back in to the pool since you remove auto-tips? The dining and housekeeping staffs are not allowed to keep a tip envelope if auto-tips are removed from the passenger's account. Watch the person next time you give them an envelope...they write down the cabin number on the envelope. Your good intentions are actually penalizing the person you are "rewarding".

[karatemom2]

I agree. And as another poster wrote, it is not right for the OP and others to be so judgmental of those who remove auto tips.

 

We remove the autotips because: 1) we object to having to pre-tip for service I may or may not receive - especially true if you use Anytime Dining; 2) we object to the manner in which Princess disburses the tips, especially with the new cross-fleet method; 3) we object to tipping people with whom I do not have any direct interaction, merely for doing their jobs.

 

Auto tips are a way for Princess to avoid paying their crew proper salaries. We refuse to participate in their scheme. I would be fine with paying a few more dollars per day (but not $11.50) for the crew to have a better salary and not be so reliant on tips.

 

The flaw in the argument that Princess should pay the crew a living salary and therefore you refuse to autotip misses the point that in order to pay that salary, Princess would be forced to raise cruise prices accordingly, meaning you would be probably paying the same cost or likely even more in order to cruise.

 

I long ago stopped looking at the daily auto tip as a gratuity. As far as I'm concerned it is simply a service charge and part of the overall cost of my cruise fare. I am glad to pay the price because even with the autotip, cruising is still a bargain and we have rarely received less than stellar service on any of our cruises. I love that it alleviates me of the awkwardness of having to hand out envelopes and figure out how much to give each different person but leaves me free to reward with a tip and/or glowing comment card those that truly do rise above and beyond in service to me and my family.

 

If people would just let go of the notion that this is a "tip" in the traditional sense and realize it is just part of the cost of your cruise like taxes and port fees, maybe people wouldn't get in such a twist about the whole idea.

[bdjam]

We tip our cabin stewards very well - more than what the auto tip would be. We also tip everyone else who provides us service above and beyond what they "have to do". We also write extremely detailed recommendations on the post-cruise survey that goes directly to Princess, not to the ship's staff. One Deputy Cruise Director that we repeatedly lauded after sailing 4 cruises (just under 40 nights) with him was indeed promoted to Cruise Director last month.

 

Wouldn't it be easier and more efficient just to leave the auto tip on?

[By The Bay]

Am I right in saying that there is no gratuity on drinks either on Oz cruises? If so, it would be interesting to see the price of drinks and if they distinguish between Oz and other passengers or at what point do they put the gratuity back on/reduce price - could play havoc with the admin of bar staff wages

There is no gratuity on drinks on OZ cruises and it applies to all passengers. It is included in the price. Examples, Draught beer $5.50, 330-375ml bottles $6-7 and Grolsch $8. Coke $2.55, cappuccino etc $3.25.

Edited April 24, 2014 by By The Bay

[Colo Cruiser]

I'll show them! :rolleyes:

[Wehwalt]

Actually, an argument could be made that this information makes canceling auto tip less drastic, since it has a minimal effect on what any one crew member makes. On a personal level, I feel better that my cabin attendant isn't being penalized (very much) because I sail alone in my cabin.

[TREEH505]

Chris, thanks for the info.:D Interesting reading. We would never think to remove any tips, and like most tip extra to those who we deal with personally for the cruise.

[bhopal21]

When we go on a cruise, the furthest thing from our minds is how the crew gets compensated or how the hotel charge is distributed. I don't really understand why there is so much discussion about it.

 

I agree.

 

I wonder how many on here would like to discuss the suitability of their wages.

 

What the crew gets paid is between them and their employer.

 

Mike:)

[Cruisin' Chick]

...

It seems that whenever someone posts about removing the autotips' date=' many of us will give the info that you put in the first two paragraphs. Amazingly there'll be some who insist that we are just making that up. Even though some posting the info about the tip pools are veteran Princess cruisers. I think either they want to believe their way (assuming they're telling the truth about tipping directly in cash) is better or they simply want to get away with out paying the money.[/quote']

 

More Cruises wrote: I personally don't like this policy, I prefer my gratuities go to the people who actually provide me the service.

... We have Anytime dining so we don't generally give our waiters an additional tip. I feel like they give us average service at best. Maybe if we had Traditional Dining and had a chance to build a relationship with the wait staff I would feel differently.

 

 

I agree. And as another poster wrote, it is not right for the OP and others to be so judgmental of those who remove auto tips.

 

We remove the autotips because: 1) we object to having to pre-tip for service I may or may not receive - especially true if you use Anytime Dining; 2) we object to the manner in which Princess disburses the tips, especially with the new cross-fleet method; 3) we object to tipping people with whom I do not have any direct interaction, merely for doing their jobs.

 

Auto tips are a way for Princess to avoid paying their crew proper salaries. We refuse to participate in their scheme. I would be fine with paying a few more dollars per day (but not $11.50) for the crew to have a better salary and not be so reliant on tips.

 

We tip our cabin stewards very well - more than what the auto tip would be. We also tip everyone else who provides us service above and beyond what they "have to do". We also write extremely detailed recommendations on the post-cruise survey that goes directly to Princess, not to the ship's staff. One Deputy Cruise Director that we repeatedly lauded after sailing 4 cruises (just under 40 nights) with him was indeed promoted to Cruise Director last month.

 

Yes, the crew members work hard. But so do we all. They are not indentured slaves. They have a choice as to whether or not they wish to work in this industry. I recognize superior service through my tips, not just mere existence.

 

Ah, I knew someone would pipe in with the "I will tip the crew anyway I damn well please no matter" spiel. Even when it's pointed out that any money given directly to a crew member -- when given by someone who had removed their autotips -- will be put into the pool.

[roysue]

On our last cruise (Emerald Princess 10 day in March), we tipped extra cash on the last night to a lovely server from Peru that we had interaction with in Club Fusion & the International Cafe. She accepted graciously, but said what would really help would be if we recognized her service in our comments to Princess which we made sure we did.

It seems this may be important for the crew also.

 

We cruise between Princess and Celebrity. On our last Celebrity cruise, it was made clear to us that the positive comments are very important and indicated that it was more important than a small additional side tip. I think it must translate into those points that somehow transfer into money from the cruise line.

As for auto-tips, there is no circumstance that I would remove them. These guys work hard for us. I consider it part of the cruise fare.

[Thrak]

I just consider it part of the cost of the cruise and feel that it makes things very simple for me. If I want to tip extra I can do so and know that the money will go where I wanted it to go. If I don't tip extra I know that staff is still getting tipped without the hassle of having to decide how much to give to the various people.

[pablo222]

I did not say that!

 

Actually, you did.

 

"We tip our cabin stewards very well - more than what the auto tip would be. We also tip everyone else who provides us service above and beyond what they "have to do"."

 

If someone does a competent job, that does not mean they go

"above and beyond"

[HappyTexanKnits]

My first and only cruise was many years ago and we were given envelopes.

 

With the way it's done now, is there a difference between auto tips and prepaid gratuities - other than when they are paid for?

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[LMaxwell]

Just curious, what do you all do when you get subpar service and onboard management doesn't fix it? You still leave your auto-tip in place happily? I don't believe that for a second.

 

Average service = auto-tip as is

Great service = auto-tip + additional in cash directly to person

Subpar service = speak to management; next step reduction in tips

 

Subpar service is NOT the norm and NOT expected, but when encountered you must "voice" your displeasure with the appropriate staff and ultimately with your wallet if not rectified. Leaving full tip for bad service condones the bad service and makes it acceptable as the new normal.

 

This fleet wide pool stuff is nonsense, a bunch of garbage. It compensates those that do the least at an average level. It punishes the best performers by making them average.

Edited April 25, 2014 by LMaxwell

[habita]

We always tip and will definitely leave the auto-tip and reward extra those who do a nice job. But this is why I would love to see restaurants and cruise lines just add the tip into the cost (since it technically is anyway) and just pay the staff more. Less hassle, less bookkeeping, and overall happier employees who will probably stay longer.

Well said. Hope Princess agrees .:D

[bdjam]

The flaw in the argument that Princess should pay the crew a living salary and therefore you refuse to autotip misses the point that in order to pay that salary, Princess would be forced to raise cruise prices accordingly, meaning you would be probably paying the same cost or likely even more in order to cruise.

 

I long ago stopped looking at the daily auto tip as a gratuity. As far as I'm concerned it is simply a service charge and part of the overall cost of my cruise fare. I am glad to pay the price because even with the autotip, cruising is still a bargain and we have rarely received less than stellar service on any of our cruises. I love that it alleviates me of the awkwardness of having to hand out envelopes and figure out how much to give each different person but leaves me free to reward with a tip and/or glowing comment card those that truly do rise above and beyond in service to me and my family.

 

If people would just let go of the notion that this is a "tip" in the traditional sense and realize it is just part of the cost of your cruise like taxes and port fees, maybe people wouldn't get in such a twist about the whole idea.

 

what you said!

[jagmanss1]

Ah' date=' I knew someone would pipe in with the "I will tip the crew anyway I damn well please no matter" spiel. Even when it's pointed out that any money given directly to a crew member -- when given by someone who had removed their autotips -- will be put into the pool.[/quote']

 

I was waiting and am surprised it took this long to tell you the truth, Some will never change their mind even though it's pointed out they are doing more harm then good.... Yep! he'll show us all he's right and this whole thread is wrong:rolleyes:.... My God Man! Wake up!

[shredie]

 

I long ago stopped looking at the daily auto tip as a gratuity. As far as I'm concerned it is simply a service charge and part of the overall cost of my cruise fare...

If people would just let go of the notion that this is a "tip" in the traditional sense and realize it is just part of the cost of your cruise like taxes and port fees, maybe people wouldn't get in such a twist about the whole idea.

 

That's the sensible way to look at it, IMO. It's all part of the crew's wages, so to speak.

[caribill]

What I don't like is they way the service people hang around the last night of the cruise looking for an additional tip. Don't get me wrong, we always leave the auto tip in place and usually tip our cabin steward extra (because we ask for extra things), I just don't like that they expect it.

 

 

Back before the auto-tip was put in place, the last night was the time to pass out those envelopes to the dining room staff.

 

It was also the night that many people skipped eating in the dining rooms in order to not give any gratuity at all.

[RichNY]

You tip your cabin steward very well....despite the fact that he/she has to turn it back in to the pool since you remove auto-tips? The dining and housekeeping staffs are not allowed to keep a tip envelope if auto-tips are removed from the passenger's account. Watch the person next time you give them an envelope...they write down the cabin number on the envelope. Your good intentions are actually penalizing the person you are "rewarding".

 

Chris thanks for the info..

Question..???...If a dining group decide to tip the dining room staff extra, what would happen to the tip is someone in the group removed the auto tip ??

[derdejoh]

"We refuse to participate in their scheme." -- But as has been pointed out, by handing your steward (or whoever) a cash tip, you are necessarily participating in the "scheme." The only way to avoid this system as it currently exists is to never tip anybody.

 

As for those people who say they don't care/shouldn't know how the crew are compensated -- that it is between the crew and Princess -- I guess to each their own. But I think that an important part of being an informed consumer is understanding the product you are buying, how it was produced, and whether it was provided in a way you find acceptable. Plenty of people won't shop at a particular store because of the way the employees are treated there. Others always look for "Fair Trade" items, seeking an assurance that the people who made the products were treated fairly. And lots of companies have faced a backlash from consumers for paying employees in foreign countries a substandard wage (at least by Western standards).

 

IMHO, I think it is a good thing to actually understand Princess's tipping system, the good and the bad. Now we all can make an informed decision about whether we like the system, want to advocate for change from Princess, or take our vacation money elsewhere. And for that we should all thank the OP for gathering this information.

[more cruises]

I personally don't like this policy, I prefer my gratuities go to the people who actually provide me the service. On the other hand, I totally understand the reasoning for this - why should a US based cabin attendant make more than a European or Australian cabin attendant simply based on the tipping culture of where their ship is cruising?

 

What I don't like is they way the service people hang around the last night of the cruise looking for an additional tip. Don't get me wrong, we always leave the auto tip in place and usually tip our cabin steward extra (because we ask for extra things), I just don't like that they expect it.

 

We have Anytime dining so we don't generally give our waiters an additional tip. I feel like they give us average service at best. Maybe if we had Traditional Dining and had a chance to build a relationship with the wait staff I would feel differently.

 

More Cruises wrote: I personally don't like this policy, I prefer my gratuities go to the people who actually provide me the service.

... We have Anytime dining so we don't generally give our waiters an additional tip. I feel like they give us average service at best. Maybe if we had Traditional Dining and had a chance to build a relationship with the wait staff I would feel differently.

 

 

I agree. And as another poster wrote, it is not right for the OP and others to be so judgmental of those who remove auto tips.

 

We remove the autotips because: 1) we object to having to pre-tip for service I may or may not receive - especially true if you use Anytime Dining; 2) we object to the manner in which Princess disburses the tips, especially with the new cross-fleet method; 3) we object to tipping people with whom I do not have any direct interaction, merely for doing their jobs.

 

Auto tips are a way for Princess to avoid paying their crew proper salaries. We refuse to participate in their scheme. I would be fine with paying a few more dollars per day (but not $11.50) for the crew to have a better salary and not be so reliant on tips.

 

We tip our cabin stewards very well - more than what the auto tip would be. We also tip everyone else who provides us service above and beyond what they "have to do". We also write extremely detailed recommendations on the post-cruise survey that goes directly to Princess, not to the ship's staff. One Deputy Cruise Director that we repeatedly lauded after sailing 4 cruises (just under 40 nights) with him was indeed promoted to Cruise Director last month.

 

Yes, the crew members work hard. But so do we all. They are not indentured slaves. They have a choice as to whether or not they wish to work in this industry. I recognize superior service through my tips, not just mere existence.

 

For clarity's sake I feel tothemall&beyond has edited my post to to the point it no longer says what I intended and by using copy and paste and not the quote feature tothemall's version of my post has been repeated many times.

 

What I originally said was: I don't like my gratuity being shared across the fleet but I totally understand it. I also said I leave the auto tip in place. (In fact, in all of my cruises I have never removed so much as a penny). I tip extra if I think it's appropriate.

 

I am disappointed that my words were turned around and appear to support removing auto tip because I most certainly do not.

[lovesublime]

To be clear, the subject came up as part of a normal conversation with one of the staff. I would never ask a total stranger "How much money do you make". That is simply tacky. I always ask the staff how many contracts they have completed and how far into their current contract they are. It is simply an ice breaker to get them to open up and talk. In the particular conversation I was having, this staff member was telling me about how he moved through the ranks over his many contracts and he told me about how he was compensated...not how much money he makes, but rather how he earned his points. It was during this conversation that I was told the comment cards are far more important than anything.

 

As for your comment Sublime...I agree we all work hard. However, I seriously doubt that any of us work 10 months straight, every day of the week, 12+ hours a day, before we get a day off. It's all about perspective...

 

 

 

Really? Try telling that to the many small business owners in this country who do exactly that.

[Ship's Wake]

CRLess, great information you are sharing. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

I can see why positive comments written about a crew member and passed up the chain of command are more valuable than an extra cash tip.

 

The cash tip is a one-time event. The positive comments result in an increased share of tips for the crew member over the course of their contract.

 

If you really want to be a big spender, tip extra cash AND write positive comments about deserving crew members. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Chris thanks for the info..

Question..???...If a dining group decide to tip the dining room staff extra, what would happen to the tip is someone in the group removed the auto tip ??

 

I would say it would depend if that person was the one who tipped as they take down a cabin number or numbers.