How does "gratuities included" impact the staff?

[Kruzin Karen]

When I get a deal that includes gratuities and OBC from Princess, how is the staff impacted? Will they receive the same amount from Princess that they would if I actually paid the tip? Does this exploit the staff or protect them from tip removers?

Edited March 3, 2016 by Kruzin Karen

[VTX-AL]

Actually, in the "Free Gratuities" promotions, once your cruise is booked, your cruise personalizer will show the gratuities as paid (the actual amount) which will eventually appear in full as a credit on your OBC account. After the cruise commences, each day the gratuity amount will appear as a debit on the OBC account. This will carry on daily until the cruise completion, so you will need to keep this in mind.

 

...VTX-Al

[hawkeyetlse]

delete

Edited March 3, 2016 by hawkeyetlse

[Steelers0854]

Actually, in the "Free Gratuities" promotions, once your cruise is booked, your cruise personalizer will show the gratuities as paid (the actual amount) which will eventually appear in full as a credit on your OBC account. After the cruise commences, each day the gratuity amount will appear as a debit on the OBC account. This will carry on daily until the cruise completion, so you will need to keep this in mind.

 

 

 

...VTX-Al

 

 

It works a little different than this. Got off the Royal today and booked on this promotion. The gratuities show up in the Cruise Personalizer as being "pre-paid", not by me but by Princess. The daily gratuity charges never hit my stateroom account with a charge or a credit.

 

I'm thinking that your original question was about the fact that the crew gets their share and it's my understanding that yes, they get your pre-paid gratuity, it's just on Princess' dime not yours.

 

Princess does this to keep the booking prices higher but "discount" the total cost of the cruise by offering these promotions.

[cruzsnooze]

When I get a deal that includes gratuities and OBC from Princess, how is the staff impacted? Will they receive the same amount from Princess that they would if I actually paid the tip? Does this exploit the staff or protect them from tip removers?

 

That's not our business, how Princess pays is their business. You got your gratuity paid for you so leave it at that.

[jenp123]

That's not our business, how Princess pays is their business. You got your gratuity paid for you so leave it at that.

 

I don't agree at all. It is a valid question and concern. I would want to make sure that the crew were still making the same amount from my tips whether or not they were paid by me or by princess as part of a promo.

[hawkeyetlse]

I don't agree at all. It is a valid question and concern.

It may be a valid concern, but no one here can put your mind at ease. It comes down to whether you trust Princess as a company.

[Colo Cruiser]

That's not our business, how Princess pays is their business. You got your gratuity paid for you so leave it at that.

 

 

Wow. :rolleyes:

[waltd]

That's not our business, how Princess pays is their business. You got your gratuity paid for you so leave it at that.

 

I guess there must be an approved list of questions we are allowed to ask.

[Pam in CA]

When gratuities are pre-paid or part of a promotion, there's no effect on the staff. They get their share of the tipping pool as usual. The only difference is how/when it's paid by either the passenger or Princess when part of a promotion.

[pablo222]

When gratuities are pre-paid or part of a promotion, there's no effect on the staff. They get their share of the tipping pool as usual. The only difference is how/when it's paid by either the passenger or Princess when part of a promotion.

 

No one posting here knows (or would say) whether the amount

added to the tip pool for princess-pre-paid gratuties is the same

as the amount added when the customer pays.

 

I asked a friend on board. She had no idea. All they know is

how much money they get at the end of a cruise, no detail

on the break down.

 

Interestingly, they call it 'salary'.

[rjg41]

I am a retired travel agent.

 

Princess pools the gratuities whether pre-paid, paid on you ship board account or paid in cash to the room attendant/waiter/etc. They are then dispersed to each service provider by a formula that the employees are aware of. Princess keeps none of the money. The money is dispersed to the employee's on board account where they can draw on it or send money home.

 

Now you ask how do they know the cash tips get into the pool money. As I have been told by personally by ship staff, they are a team live together for months. They don't cheat their friends.

 

By the way I recall the beverage folks have a separate pool.

 

Some cruise lines the money is not pooled unless things have changed recently.

[Tripper10]

No one posting here knows (or would say) whether the amount

added to the tip pool for princess-pre-paid gratuties is the same

as the amount added when the customer pays.

 

I asked a friend on board. She had no idea. All they know is

how much money they get at the end of a cruise, no detail

on the break down.

 

Interestingly, they call it 'salary'.

 

This is, more or less, how some staff members have explained it to me also.

[cb at sea]

Yes..the same folks you used to hand cash to, get the amount they always did...it's simply on their paycheck, instead of in cash.

[LACruiser88]

That's not our business, how Princess pays is their business. You got your gratuity paid for you so leave it at that.

 

That's harsh!

[pablo222]

Princess keeps none of the money.

 

But, princess keeps adding non-customer-facing people to the pool.

 

As for not cheating their friends -- money is involved -- there are

some percentage of people in any situation who can not be trusted.

[rjg41]

 

As for not cheating their friends -- money is involved -- there are

some percentage of people in any situation who can not be trusted.

 

There are bad apples everywhere BUT keep in mind these folks live together and share close living quarters for 6-9 months at a time. There a few secrets.

[cruzsnooze]

That's harsh!

 

It's not at all. Do you go around asking your servers at home how much they get paid? If tips are included which is starting to get accepted and implemented in New York would you ask your server did they really get the tip? You met your obligation by tipping so why beat it to death. Enjoy your vacation knowing you it was all taken of by Princess and stop trying to get information you will never get from any cruiseline, how they pay their employees.

People seem obsessed with how the crew gets paid, what people are wearing to the dining room, how formal or informal people are dressed on formal night, how much people eat in the buffet , how long the line at guest services is on the last night and the list goes on.....Why not enjoy what you have and be happy.

Edited March 5, 2016 by cruzsnooze

[Tripper10]

It's not at all. Do you go around asking your servers at home how much they get paid? If tips are included which is starting to get accepted and implemented in New York would you ask your server did they really get the tip? You met your obligation by tipping so why beat it to death. Enjoy your vacation knowing you it was all taken of by Princess and stop trying to get information you will never get from any cruiseline, how they pay their employees.

People seem obsessed with how the crew gets paid, what people are wearing to the dining room, how formal or informal people are dressed on formal night, how much people eat in the buffet , how long the line at guest services is on the last night and the list goes on.....Why not enjoy what you have and be happy.

 

So we should cancel this message board and not discuss anything, ok.

[cruzsnooze]

 

So we should cancel this message board and not discuss anything, ok.

 

We should stop second guessing tips, we will never get an answer. We should discuss things that are relevant or can be discussed but this tipping business has been discussed ad nauseum and there is never going to be a disclosure by the cruise line how the money is distributed. People obsess over something that can't be resolved.

[swedish weave]

We should stop second guessing tips, we will never get an answer. We should discuss things that are relevant or can be discussed but this tipping business has been discussed ad nauseum and there is never going to be a disclosure by the cruise line how the money is distributed. People obsess over something that can't be resolved.

 

If this subject bothers you so much, I suggest skipping this thread and open something you like. Some of us find the subject worth discussing.

[Colo Cruiser]

If this subject bothers you so much, I suggest skipping this thread and open something you like. Some of us find the subject worth discussing.

 

 

Ha good point. That would go for most threads.

[chamima]

It's not at all. Do you go around asking your servers at home how much they get paid? If tips are included which is starting to get accepted and implemented in New York would you ask your server did they really get the tip? You met your obligation by tipping so why beat it to death. Enjoy your vacation knowing you it was all taken of by Princess and stop trying to get information you will never get from any cruiseline, how they pay their employees.

People seem obsessed with how the crew gets paid, what people are wearing to the dining room, how formal or informal people are dressed on formal night, how much people eat in the buffet , how long the line at guest services is on the last night and the list goes on.....Why not enjoy what you have and be happy.

 

The big difference is that when you go out to a restaurant at home you usually eat there for one night and never see the server again.

On a cruise ship we usually have the same server for the 10,15, 20 or more days and see him or her multiple times a day and develop somewhat of a personal relationship with them so we actually CARE that they get to keep their tips.

I have never asked a waiter in a land-based restaurant about their family or their future plans but it's a common conversation (at least for us) on a ship.

[Tripper10]

We should stop second guessing tips, we will never get an answer. We should discuss things that are relevant or can be discussed but this tipping business has been discussed ad nauseum and there is never going to be a disclosure by the cruise line how the money is distributed. People obsess over something that can't be resolved.

 

The popularity of a thread or topic is determined by peoples interest in it. Not your personal rational. Perhaps you should skip over these threads?

[iceleven]

Some topics, and I agree, seem to be hashed over ad nauseum but not everyone is here all of the time and/or have been members for many years. For some people the information is new and/or interesting to them. Let's just move on if it's a topic too familiar or not interesting.