Gratuity Breakdown

[Flamencacha]

What's supposed to be the difference between a service fee and a tip, they are both meant to provide me a service, I should be paying one or the other not both.

 

 

 

I will try to explain, my opinion.

 

The service fee is part of your cruise fare, like shipping and handling on a mail order. It does go to your service personnel. It is after taxes.

 

The tipping or the additional is your option. You don't have to pay both. Heck you don't have to pay any ☹️. I started cruising in the last few years, know my experience does not account for much, however, one of my cruises, short of a good bartender or two, did not receive any additional tips. I did the Prepaid. Why,they did not meet above and beyond.

 

It's always your choice, nothing irks me more than having tips added to a restaurant tab. I have always tipped well having been in a tip based salary( years ago).

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

I will try to explain, my opinion.

 

The service fee is part of your cruise fare, like shipping and handling on a mail order. It does go to your service personnel. It is after taxes.

 

The tipping or the additional is your option. You don't have to pay both. Heck you don't have to pay any ☹️. I started cruising in the last few years, know my experience does not account for much, however, one of my cruises, short of a good bartender or two, did not receive any additional tips. I did the Prepaid. Why,they did not meet above and beyond.

 

It's always your choice, nothing irks me more than having tips added to a restaurant tab. I have always tipped well having been in a tip based salary( years ago).

 

 

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Some here don't want to even do the prepaid like you did....

[jimbo5544]

From what I understand, alternative services include those on Lido who fix your burgers, make your burritos, a pizza at midnight, a deli sandwich. Also, the staff member who is cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming the floors, etc. This is alternative staff. $2.00 a day per person isn't going to break our bank and these are hard working people.

 

Pat

 

 

Some posters here think any tips are wrong........

[LMaxwell]

From what I understand, alternative services include those on Lido who fix your burgers, make your burritos, a pizza at midnight, a deli sandwich.

 

Those staff are covered under food services, not alternative services.

[LMaxwell]

Some here don't want to even do the prepaid like you did....

 

I don't like to prepay. I prefer just to be charged at the end. At least that way if I have OBC it can help offset the final bill. Please don't act like paying at the end is "bad". That's Carnivals default setting; their game, their rules so there's really no issue with it at all.

[jimbo5544]

I don't care when you pay. The issue with at the end is it will offer many an easy reason not to pay and the people providing the service deserve to know during the cruise is people are pulling tips.

[LMaxwell]

I don't care when you pay. The issue with at the end is it will offer many an easy reason not to pay and the people providing the service deserve to know during the cruise is people are pulling tips.

 

It's Carnival's standard way, so it must work just fine. Maybe if they were to disallow the use of OBC to offset the charge I might think differently and decide earning points on my credit card is a better advantage ahead of time. Just look at Carnivals options and decide which works best for you.

[jimbo5544]

It's Carnival's standard way, so it must work just fine. Maybe if they were to disallow the use of OBC to offset the charge I might think differently and decide earning points on my credit card is a better advantage ahead of time. Just look at Carnivals options and decide which works best for you.

 

Lol, I'm good but thanks for the advice.

[Purvis1231]

Seems more like 20 in my experience.

 

I think 20 is about the right number. They spend about 30 minute per room. The auto-grad would be about $156.00 per day (two person cabin). Sure that is not a lot but it is better than many people earn even if split between two stewards= $78.00 per day. I know some people stiff the crew by removing the tips but hopefully others make-up for it by extra tipping.

[LMaxwell]

I think 20 is about the right number. They spend about 30 minute per room. The auto-grad would be about $156.00 per day (two person cabin). Sure that is not a lot but it is better than many people earn even if split between two stewards= $78.00 per day. I know some people stiff the crew by removing the tips but hopefully others make-up for it by extra tipping.

 

They are expected to service rooms in under 12 minutes. Some have been telling guests they have 35 rooms but I can't verify that. At that number to have any downtime they have to service in 8 minutes or less.

 

If they spent 30 minutes per room and only had 20 rooms that would be 10 hours non-stop work to service a room 1x daily...

[Saint Greg]

From what I understand, alternative services include those on Lido who fix your burgers, make your burritos, a pizza at midnight, a deli sandwich. Also, the staff member who is cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming the floors, etc. This is alternative staff. $2.00 a day per person isn't going to break our bank and these are hard working people.

Pat

 

So the food service people on the Lido deck don't get any of the dining tips?

[LMaxwell]

So the food service people on the Lido deck don't get any of the dining tips?

 

They DO get the dining tips. John Heald specifically said so a few weeks back when the latest gratuity increase was announced.

 

Alternative services are listed on the Carnival FAQ.

[Saint Greg]

They DO get the dining tips. John Heald specifically said so a few weeks back when the latest gratuity increase was announced.

 

 

 

Alternative services are listed on the Carnival FAQ.

 

 

Where?

 

 

 

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[figdu]

Where?

 

 

 

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Copied from the gratituities FAQ

 

A small portion goes to a mix of other personnel who are in guest-facing customer service positions within areas such as culinary and hotel services, along with certain key positions in entertainment and guest services.

Edited June 5, 2016 by figdu

[LMaxwell]

Where?

 

 

 

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Go to this link and do a Control-F search for "alternative" and it pops right up

 

http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/

 

Alternative services team* $2.00 per day

(*galley, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members)

Edited June 5, 2016 by LMaxwell

[Saint Greg]

Go to this link and do a Control-F search for "alternative" and it pops right up

 

http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/

 

Alternative services team* $2.00 per day

(*galley, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members)

 

It's shocking the search feature doesn't work on the carnival website.

[tonit964]

We just leave the auto tips alone.

It couldn't be easier, we know we have covered everyone that should be covered. I also don't think/care about how it is distributed.

 

There is no way I am spending my vacation time figuring how much cash to give and for whom, then to put in separate envelopes and start hunting down the staff. IMO, that's just nuts.

I also don't need the "feel good" feeling of handing it to them.

If our steward or dining staff have really gone above and beyond, then we give them more but that's rare.

[DirtyDawg]

We just leave the auto tips alone.

It couldn't be easier, we know we have covered everyone that should be covered. I also don't think/care about how it is distributed.

 

There is no way I am spending my vacation time figuring how much cash to give and for whom, then to put in separate envelopes and start hunting down the staff. IMO, that's just nuts.

I also don't need the "feel good" feeling of handing it to them.

If our steward or dining staff have really gone above and beyond, then we give them more but that's rare.

 

Couldn't agree more. I won't waist my time reinventing the wheel as it were. The system is not perfect but it works fine. Carnival can bill me $12 ($12.95) a day and split it up however they please. I have more important things to not think about on a cruise.

 

Now if Carnival want to pay me lots of cash to figure out a better system I would be glad to put some brain power into it.

Edited June 5, 2016 by DirtyDawg

[smurfm69]

We always pre pay our tips and add a little extra to staff members that have done an exceptional job.

[Purvis1231]

They are expected to service rooms in under 12 minutes. Some have been telling guests they have 35 rooms but I can't verify that. At that number to have any downtime they have to service in 8 minutes or less.

 

If they spent 30 minutes per room and only had 20 rooms that would be 10 hours non-stop work to service a room 1x daily...

 

I think the work day of the stewards is about 10 hours.

[LMaxwell]

I think the work day of the stewards is about 10 hours.

 

It has been around 10-12 hours over two shifts so that they could service rooms 2x daily. I'm just saying the math above would be 10 hours straight to service rooms only once. Does not add up.

[mondello]

And why do you think the rest of us put up with endless hours??

 

Do you send part of your paycheck to your parents and siblings every month?

[Cushing985]

No one has ever answered. Do you know?

 

Just taking a SWAG I would think the people in the laundry room, the guys up at the crack of dawn cleaning up the outside decks and the people you see wiping everything down constantly inside.

[Sitzmark]

Do you send part of your paycheck to your parents and siblings every month?

 

Yes.

[tea4ular]

I wonder often why the dining team gets so much when the room stewards work just as hard? Why not divide it equally?

 

My thought on this...we (the collective "we") often "see" and get to "KNOW" our stewards and often slip them a little something extra, before or after the trip (to ensure filled ice, extra towels, whatever), however, as many of us drift to ATD and Lido or other eating choices, "we" don't have a "personal" relationship with the "dining team" anymore, so we (the collective "we") likely aren't slipping a few bucks into their hand at the end of the cruise anymore like "we" did in the "old days" -