Interesting...

[skrams]

6 days in a row, put out my thing for morning breakfast, no breakfast

You get a baked potato at dinner, no one came with sour cream or cheese for it

Waited over an hour for a drink waiter on deck.....

 

That's just top of mind....

 

I had the same issue with baked potatoes on the Splendor in July, which really galled, since the menu had the toppings as part of the item, so I wasn't asking for a deviation from the menu, just for them to follow it!

 

I've yet to find deck service good for ordering drinks on any of the ships.

[StolidCruiser]

6 days in a row, put out my thing for morning breakfast, no breakfast

You get a baked potato at dinner, no one came with sour cream or cheese for it

Waited over an hour for a drink waiter on deck.....

 

That's just top of mind....

 

I put out my thing and always get breakfast. :D

[BenjiRodney]

I always prepay, that's how I budget for it. And I have never removed them, and always leave more in cash when it is earned. The crew works too hard to get stiffed because people don't want to pay or have spent all of their money. I am just glad that they make you sign a paper at guest services to remove them. A lady on the last cruise was complaining that she had to sign a paper simply because she refused to tip.

[easy1969]

I have always paid the standard gratuities plus extra but based on my last 2 cruises I may opt to adjust my gratuities on my upcoming cruises.

I don't want to have a debate about tipping as we all have an opinion and I respect the view of others on this matter.

when we go on a cruise we spend a fair amount of $$ we always book a suite, eat at specialty restaurants, book excursions at each port, drink lots of alcohol, purchase jewelry onboard, and play blackjack til the wee hours.

we absolutely love cruising but over the past 2-3 years I have as many others have pointed out noticed that the quality of service in general has decreased at the same time as cruise fares and gratuities have increased.

As I stated above I see no need for debate on this subject everyone has the right to tip extra or decrease gratuities as they wish.

 

We are doing a b2b in 4 days and I will adjust my gratuities based on the overall service I receive. I truly do hope that I greatly increase the amount of gratuities as that will indicate that I had an exceptional cruise experience

[cruizergal70]

Pay the gratuities in full, reduce them, or remove them completely. See, we discussed.

[Coach Pedro]

Pay the gratuities in full, reduce them, or remove them completely. See, we discussed.

 

lol

[evandbob]

Pay the gratuities in full, reduce them, or remove them completely. See, we discussed.

 

Or just fold gratuities into the cruise fare rather than listing as a seperate item.

[Coach Pedro]

Worked for me on NCL in Sept. And the service was awesome.

[sparks1093]

Just saw in USA Today's article:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/12/29/biggest-cruise-stories-2016/95908650/

 

This paragraph near the bottom:

 

"Also raising eyebrows in 2016 were some hefty hikes to automatic gratuity charges on ships, with Princess raising its rates twice during the year to $13.50 per passenger per day. A nearly 8% hike in gratuity charges at Carnival in September -- its first since October 2014 -- was more than 20 times higher than the rate of inflation in the USA during the same period. A Celebrity Cruises hike in July pushed up gratuity rates by 4%."

 

I know a lot of you die-hards on here has no problem with this & will gladly pay any amount regardless & ruthlessly flame anyone who brings it up for discussion. But I think it's a worthwhile topic in this forum, esp when cruise lines continue to cut back service, food quality, etc.

On our next month's Carnival cruise for our family of 4, auto gratuities are $13/day. That's $364 total for the week. Again, chump change for most of you die hards, but it's something to note & budget for...

 

I had occasion to dine out twice in one day a couple of years ago and the tips came to $9.50 per person (and we aren't talking high-end eateries, either). $12.95 per person for three meals and cabin service is a bargain. While $364 isn't chump change it is something that should be budgeted for. I used to work for tips and like you have also served aboard ship so I know how difficult both ways of life are and can only imagine how it is combining them both.

[winddawn]

Just saw in USA Today's article:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/12/29/biggest-cruise-stories-2016/95908650/

 

This paragraph near the bottom:

 

"Also raising eyebrows in 2016 were some hefty hikes to automatic gratuity charges on ships, with Princess raising its rates twice during the year to $13.50 per passenger per day. A nearly 8% hike in gratuity charges at Carnival in September -- its first since October 2014 -- was more than 20 times higher than the rate of inflation in the USA during the same period. A Celebrity Cruises hike in July pushed up gratuity rates by 4%."

 

I know a lot of you die-hards on here has no problem with this & will gladly pay any amount regardless & ruthlessly flame anyone who brings it up for discussion. But I think it's a worthwhile topic in this forum, esp when cruise lines continue to cut back service, food quality, etc.

On our next month's Carnival cruise for our family of 4, auto gratuities are $13/day. That's $364 total for the week. Again, chump change for most of you die hards, but it's something to note & budget for...

This is a good point about how much gratuities were raised. Considering most workers in the U.S. have been getting tiny if any raises since the 2008 financial crisis, it is interesting to note that Carnival workers got an 8% hike in 2 years. We would all enjoy decent raises every year, at least enough to keep us on pace with inflation where we don't lose money annually. It would be nice to get a 4% pay raise per year!

 

I'm curious how many of us have been getting a 4% pay raise each year.

 

I've noticed service has declined in the past couple of years. That decline seemed to exacerbate on my last cruise. On my last cruise, I could not even get anyone to take my food order for sea day brunch, much less even get a glass of water without asking. I finally just got up and left and went to the buffet. I had to ask my cabin steward 3 times for ice each day before I got it daily without having to keep asking. At the Red Frog Rum Bar, I asked for some ice and was told no. I had ordered a bottle of rum from Fun Shop prior to my cruise, and felt it was ridiculous to not be able to enjoy my $80 bottle of rum without jumping through hoops. All of that was on Conquest in November.

 

I told myself that was just a fluke and likely wouldn't happen again. I will see in April on my next cruise.

Edited January 3, 2017 by winddawn

[cruizergal70]

Or just fold gratuities into the cruise fare rather than listing as a seperate item.

 

I agree but it's the same difference. While passengers still have the option to pay or not pay, I don't see a need for endless complaints. Remove them and move on. Tip the individuals that you want.

[Athankfulheart]

I am okay with the amount of grats in general. I am not wild about grats going to workers that aren't usually tipped, but its a small percentage of the auto grats.

 

The potato thing is super annoying. I wish that the toppings came from the kitchen with the toppings on the side. The waiters having to dole out toppings is why it is delayed or forgotten. Carnival waiters have way too many guests to take care of, leaving little time for things like refilling beverages, tidying tables and serving condiments :( I do wish they would improve the ratio.

[jimbo5544]

good way of viewing it..... Although service was so bad on the Vista last week, I didn't pay the full amount.

 

Care to give us the details and rationale?

[Beave8920]

I get both sides of the argument so I won't respond to that....but what I will respond to is that we Americans have become so brainwashed to "tipping" that we are expected to give them no matter what. Yeah, I agree that the personnel who earn them work hard....but so do I and no one tips me at my work. That is their job!

 

The term gratuity is defined as " something given without claim or obligation". It's a reward you, the consumer, provide for extra effort. When you force it on me, it's expected. I personally resent this. I consider myself an excellent tipper and enjoy tipping someone who enjoys making my experience a better one. That's what it's all about.

 

But our corporate society has assumed we suckers will be shamed into automatic gratuities (and not just cruise lines, i.e automatic 18-20% for parties of 6 or more) that we just fall into line.

 

IMHO, the tipping in our country has just plan gotten out of control, and I think that's why guys like me have become frustrated with the topic.

 

Now off my soapbox! :rolleyes:

[rlkubi]

Sparks, I agree! We give at least 20% unless the service is awful in restaurants. Waiters and waitresses get paid a very low wage! If you can't afford the tips then go to fast food. I count it as part of the cruise cost also and always leave on the tips and give extra on the last night to the wait crew and room stewards. But we haven't had bad service except one time on the Dream. It was only a few weeks old and nothing was working well as yet but we had a table next to us of very crabby and picky people. Our wait staff went out of their way to please them and we had to wait longer. I don't think anything would have pleased them though. But this wasn't their fault at all - I just think some people would never be happy. I figure I'm on vacation.... I don't have to cook, clean, etc. - I'm happy!

[evandbob]

I agree but it's the same difference. While passengers still have the option to pay or not pay, I don't see a need for endless complaints. Remove them and move on. Tip the individuals that you want.

 

Many passengers will then pay just a few dollars to staff they felt they got good service directly from, like a bartender and possibly a cabin steward. That leaves 90% of the behind the scenes crew tipless. And I'll guess that many passengers won't tip at all.

 

The cruise line pay scale is predicated upon the tip expected from the passengers. Fix that by including tipping in the fare price and the problem is solved. Removing tips and making them totally discretionary only exacerbates the inequities in the cruise line pay scale.

[cruizergal70]

Many passengers will then pay just a few dollars to staff they felt they got good service directly from, like a bartender and possibly a cabin steward. That leaves 90% of the behind the scenes crew tipless. And I'll guess that many passengers won't tip at all.

 

The cruise line pay scale is predicated upon the tip expected from the passengers. Fix that by including tipping in the fare price and the problem is solved. Removing tips and making them totally discretionary only exacerbates the inequities in the cruise line pay scale.

 

Currently, the gratuity is 100% discretionary. Sure, they automatically add it to the booking but it can easily be removed online or on the ship. Personally, I'd rather they just add it to the ticket price.

[Coach Pedro]

Care to give us the details and rationale?

 

I did later on........

[autofan]

I often wonder if the increase came about to make up for those that do remove the gratuities? To me, the lines should just put this line item in the up front cost. It should be less for those that do pay.

[NavyCruiser]

I often wonder if the increase came about to make up for those that do remove the gratuities? To me, the lines should just put this line item in the up front cost. It should be less for those that do pay.

 

I agree with upfront cost & included with the cruise fare.

 

But then again, the cruise lines can't advertise all the great "fun" for such a low price. (Just like car commercials: Lease for only 99 cents a month for 36 months!!! Fine print: $9,999 down payment required + TTL...)

[Crusin5252]

Today, someone asked a question about tips on JH page after he was done answering questions. She said she knew a person that worked for Carnival and that Carnival employee said the workers in tipped positions no longer receive a base wage, plus tips - that 100% of wages now came from tips. The writer wanted to know if that was true. If so that would explain why such a large percentage of increase was needed.

[jimbo5544]

Today, someone asked a question about tips on JH page after he was done answering questions. She said she knew a person that worked for Carnival and that Carnival employee said the workers in tipped positions no longer receive a base wage, plus tips - that 100% of wages now came from tips. The writer wanted to know if that was true. If so that would explain why such a large percentage of increase was needed.

 

 

I have never seen or heard that and it has been disputed many times by Carnival saying it is not so.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[Bandman]

We have always at a minimum tipped the recommended amount even back in the pre-auto tip era. I have no problem with the concept of auto-tips as long as I can remove or adjust for poor service(have never done this). I do have a huge problem with tipping employees with whom I don't personally come in contact.

 

While we have always tipped at least the recommended amount, should the cabin service on my next cruise be only once a day I will have to think long and hard about whether or not I adjust my auto tip.

 

I really prefer the old days where we tipped on our own. Just wish there weren't so many cheapskates who stiffed the staff.

[coevan]

Today, someone asked a question about tips on JH page after he was done answering questions. She said she knew a person that worked for Carnival and that Carnival employee said the workers in tipped positions no longer receive a base wage, plus tips - that 100% of wages now came from tips. The writer wanted to know if that was true. If so that would explain why such a large percentage of increase was needed.

 

 

 

 

This is simply not true. so she knew someone, who knew someone who? where is there a large percentage of increase?

[Live to Dream]

I saw that you could remove tips on line...how do you do that? I thought you had to go to customer service.

 

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