Interesting...

[coevan]

Please don't

[easyboy]

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.

Good point.

[tvlworm]

I'm not one to adjust tips because spending my vacation time in a guest services line is not my idea of fun however I do really wish they would adjust based on services used. When you read the tip allocations for who gets what it, it does kind of irk me to automatically provide a gratuity to an area not used.

 

Main dining room is a good example. On port heavy cruises or when we are cruising with kids (which has been all but 1 cruise) we rarely eat at the main dining room, one or two nights max plus Dr Seuss breakfast, yet we're tipping that staff.

 

I understand that part of the dining tip breakout amount goes to workers at the lido and other casual options but it does say that the majority goes towards the dining room waiters and assistant waiters.

 

 

 

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[Coach Pedro]

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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just go to guest svcs at an odd hour.

[happy cruzin]

I'm not one to adjust tips because spending my vacation time in a guest services line is not my idea of fun however I do really wish they would adjust based on services used. When you read the tip allocations for who gets what it, it does kind of irk me to automatically provide a gratuity to an area not used.

 

Main dining room is a good example. On port heavy cruises or when we are cruising with kids (which has been all but 1 cruise) we rarely eat at the main dining room, one or two nights max plus Dr Seuss breakfast, yet we're tipping that staff.

 

I understand that part of the dining tip breakout amount goes to workers at the lido and other casual options but it does say that the majority goes towards the dining room waiters and assistant waiters.

 

 

 

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The waitstaff for the MDR are often on the Lido during the morning and afternoon hours. So your tip is still probably going to the staff serving you - if that helps.

 

 

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[Jdfireman]

Good for the workers.. They should get every dollar of the tips..

 

I always tip extra.

 

Bad service so we adjusted our gratuity SMH

 

How would you feel if you boss walked in at the end of the week and said you know I feel you had a bad week and was not happy with your work and took part of your Salary away for the week. In the USA you would be outraged for sure

 

We all have bad weeks we all know that work loads have increased in every job with less staffing not Just the cruise lines.

 

Workers rely on tips to support their families who they don't get to see months at a time. Next time you adjust a tip think of the workers family who may be living in a poor county not seeing their family for months

 

End of Rant

 

Happy sailing

[tvlworm]

The waitstaff for the MDR are often on the Lido during the morning and afternoon hours. So your tip is still probably going to the staff serving you - if that helps.

 

 

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Yes it does :)

 

 

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[Computer Nerd]

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...)

 

Instead of increasing the base fare, just make it a non-removable addon like port charges and taxes. If you miss the cruise it gets returned the same as the other two charges.

[deborahjo]

This Service Charge needs to be added to the cruise price. It is not a TIP. Why won't they call it what it is.

 

 

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[sc4125]

Good for the workers.. They should get every dollar of the tips..

 

I always tip extra.

 

Bad service so we adjusted our gratuity SMH

 

How would you feel if you boss walked in at the end of the week and said you know I feel you had a bad week and was not happy with your work and took part of your Salary away for the week. In the USA you would be outraged for sure

 

We all have bad weeks we all know that work loads have increased in every job with less staffing not Just the cruise lines.

 

Workers rely on tips to support their families who they don't get to see months at a time. Next time you adjust a tip think of the workers family who may be living in a poor county not seeing their family for months

 

End of Rant

 

Happy sailing

 

 

Very nicely said. I do wish they would make the tips mandatory - just like many restaurants add 15 -20% for tips on the bill. If you tipped separately every time you eat onboard - whether it's $5 when eating at the MDR like you would at a restaurant, or a couple of bucks at the Lido like you would at a buffet - plus a couple of bucks for maid service - you'd see that the tips are not unreasonable.

 

I hate hearing younger adults bragging on Lido about removing their tips at GS. Inevitably someone near by will say - "you can do that? How do you do it?" These are normally the same people that are slobs and their steward spends double the amount of time cleaning up their messes.

 

If you honestly received bad service, it should be reported and dealt with - the same way you report it at a restaurant with automatic tips.

 

Maybe you wouldn't think of removing or adjusting tips unless it's called for - but, I can assure you that many young people remove tips once they learn that they can. Not saying that only young people do this by the way, I'm just saying that many young people aren't mature enough to think of others - they think the way I probably would have when I was 20- hey that's $$ that I could use.

 

I too budget for the automatic tips and almost always give the cabin steward and wait staff (if I'm at the same table all week) extra at the end of the cruise if I feel that they did a good job. I don't feel obligated to leave extra, it's just something I do - just like I always give a $1 tip to bartenders and to the guys that make my omelet or Mongolian. I certainly don't expect others to do this - it's just something that I've gotten into a habit of doing. Maybe because I use to work onboard CCL ships back in the 80's, I just think differently than others.

[evandbob]

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'll agree that Carnival prices the tips at a higher rate than necessary factoring in the deadbeats who will not pay or remove tips on the last night.

 

Those of us who do prepaid gratuities or have them posted unhindered to their S&S card maybe pay 20% more than necessary if fares had tips folded into the pricing.

[sparks1093]

I'll agree that Carnival prices the tips at a higher rate than necessary factoring in the deadbeats who will not pay or remove tips on the last night.

 

Those of us who do prepaid gratuities or have them posted unhindered to their S&S card maybe pay 20% more than necessary if fares had tips folded into the pricing.

 

I know someone that makes at least $50k a year working as a bellhop in a resort hotel. Want to guess how much more the guests would pay for their room if the hotel paid bellhops that much?

 

Fact is as long as the crew is happy with the status quo it won't change and since it works for them I'm not going to waste time trying to come up with a different system, I'll just pay the recommended amount.

[evandbob]

I know someone that makes at least $50k a year working as a bellhop in a resort hotel. Want to guess how much more the guests would pay for their room if the hotel paid bellhops that much?

 

Fact is as long as the crew is happy with the status quo it won't change and since it works for them I'm not going to waste time trying to come up with a different system, I'll just pay the recommended amount.

 

Hotels do not ask me for a set pre paid gratuity for their help, although many do tack on an annoying "resort fee" charge.

 

Cruise lines specifically and strongly claim that their gratuities go towards paying their crews salaries, so why not lower the present amount of tips by 20% and have every cruiser pay it by including it in the cabin fare? No one gets to dead beat the tips that way and the per cruiser share is more equitable.

 

I don't mind paying the tips at all, I do mind paying for a deadbeats share.

 

For every bell hop making $50K outside of NY, Chicago, Vegas and San Fran, there are 20 single Moms making $15-25K as waitresses, so I'm not sure that your apples to oranges comparisions work. And these waitresses probably make more than your average cruise crew earns.

[Coach Pedro]

This Service Charge needs to be added to the cruise price. It is not a TIP. Why won't they call it what it is.

 

 

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Once they make it mandatory, if all lines don't follow suit, the pricing will appear out of range with competitors.

[sparks1093]

Hotels do not ask me for a set pre paid gratuity for their help, although many do tack on an annoying "resort fee" charge.

 

Cruise lines specifically and strongly claim that their gratuities go towards paying their crews salaries, so why not lower the present amount of tips by 20% and have every cruiser pay it by including it in the cabin fare? No one gets to dead beat the tips that way and the per cruiser share is more equitable.

 

I don't mind paying the tips at all, I do mind paying for a deadbeats share.

 

For every bell hop making $50K outside of NY, Chicago, Vegas and San Fran, there are 20 single Moms making $15-25K as waitresses, so I'm not sure that your apples to oranges comparisions work. And these waitresses probably make more than your average cruise crew earns.

 

They may not have a set fee but you are certainly asked to pay for their help as those who earn tips receive (in most cases) less than the minimum wage. As I mentioned up thread eating in restaurants twice in one day amounted to $9.50 per person in tips and in comparison $12.95 per day per person seems like a bargain since it covers so much, even if some portion of it is added because of people that remove tips (which I don't believe is happening).

[Computer Nerd]

Once they make it mandatory, if all lines don't follow suit, the pricing will appear out of range with competitors.

 

That's why you make it an addon like port charges......so the base price looks the same as most people only compare the base price when searching for a cruise.

[Coach Pedro]

all cruise lines would have to add it to base fare. And frankly, the market is working the way it is set up, so why would lines agree to sweeping changes in how they price cruises?

[jimbo5544]

It will never happen.....

[Coach Pedro]

agreed.

[NavyCruiser]

I sorta agree with adding Tips/Gratuities to the base fare just like port charges & taxes (like All Inclusive hotels).

 

But then again, it'll no longer be TIPS for good service, just another profit center for the company, then they'll come up with another way to charge us.

 

The orig intent of this post is not about tipping, or the merits of rewarding the hardworking crew, but about the excessive increases in those amounts over time. Again, some Die-Hards will gladly pay any amount, & they're continue to increase to maybe one day we'll see them advertise: Cruise for only $49 a day.... (Fine print: Port charges, taxes & auto gratuities: $50 a day)

[Coach Pedro]

I sorta agree with adding Tips/Gratuities to the base fare just like port charges & taxes (like All Inclusive hotels).

 

But then again, it'll no longer be TIPS for good service, just another profit center for the company, then they'll come up with another way to charge us.

 

The orig intent of this post is not about tipping, or the merits of rewarding the hardworking crew, but about the excessive increases in those amounts over time. Again, some Die-Hards will gladly pay any amount, & they're continue to increase to maybe one day we'll see them advertise: Cruise for only $49 a day.... (Fine print: Port charges, taxes & auto gratuities: $50 a day)

No, it wont be a tip and svc will suffer.

 

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[Computer Nerd]

all cruise lines would have to add it to base fare. And frankly, the market is working the way it is set up, so why would lines agree to sweeping changes in how they price cruises?

 

But why add it to the base price? If you have to cancel should you be expected to forfeit the tips as well? Only safe way to make it mandatory is as an addon. If you have to cancel, or miss a cruise, even though you lose the part or all of the base price, you always get port charges and taxes back. Mandatory gratuities would work the same way.

 

But I agree with Jimbo. No matter how smart it would be the cruise lines will never go for it.

[Computer Nerd]

I sorta agree with adding Tips/Gratuities to the base fare just like port charges & taxes (like All Inclusive hotels).

 

But then again, it'll no longer be TIPS for good service, just another profit center for the company, then they'll come up with another way to charge us.

 

The orig intent of this post is not about tipping, or the merits of rewarding the hardworking crew, but about the excessive increases in those amounts over time. Again, some Die-Hards will gladly pay any amount, & they're continue to increase to maybe one day we'll see them advertise: Cruise for only $49 a day.... (Fine print: Port charges, taxes & auto gratuities: $50 a day)

 

True, it would be a Service Charge, not a tip and tipping could go back to what it's supposed to be used for, exceptional service. Some cruise lines have already changed the wording to not call it a tip (such as NCL's DSC) but their's is still adjustable.

[Computer Nerd]

No, it wont be a tip and svc will suffer.

 

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I disagree. I lived in Europe for 13 years and their's is not a tipping culture. I rarely had a service problem there and find more service problems here in a tipping culture. Most people I think want to do a good job and bad eggs can be found anywhere. Overall, service would not change IMO.

[Coach Pedro]

The system is working fine. They have no need to change anything.

 

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