Gratuities

[Hey Tina]

That is not true at all. I worked as a waiter. The minimum wage is 60% of the regular minimum wage, and then they take taxes out of your check equal to 10% of your sales, so if you don't get much tips, you are making even less. The employer simply has to pay you your lowered minimum wage.

 

You are wrong.

 

http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm

[ChinaShrek]

While I could see an argument for that ending, stiffing the worker (whether that is a room steward, a waiter, whatever) does not further that argument, it only punishes that worker.

 

Not if all workers refuse to work in that industry until they receive a decent pay from their corporate overlords.

[ChinaShrek]

I think it is perfectly acceptable to remove gratuities. Provided of course that you explain face-to-face to the crew members impacted that while you will not be paying for their services, you expect quality service none the less.

 

Again, what if I haven't received any service? What if I eat off the ship for a lot of meals? What if the service is poor in the WJ or MDR? What is the purpose of gratuities if I am not truly grateful for the (lack of) service given. Gratuities should be sincerely given for good service. The fact that people would still pay gratuities on a ship when they complain about the service is shocking to me.

[rukkian]

Again, what if I haven't received any service? What if I eat off the ship for a lot of meals? What if the service is poor in the WJ or MDR? What is the purpose of gratuities if I am not truly grateful for the (lack of) service given. Gratuities should be sincerely given for good service. The fact that people would still pay gratuities on a ship when they complain about the service is shocking to me.

That is completely different, and not what is being discussed. There are some that say they want to remove them whether they get service or not just to screw over the workers.

 

If somebody received bad service, and wants to remove them, that is why they are able to be removed. If they were baked into the cruise fare, that would not be a possibility.

 

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[FloridaCrazy]

I didn't read this from start to finish. I'll go ahead and add my take on the automatic gratuities. Before our first cruise I wondered about the automatic gratuities and why they weren't just added as a line item like taxes and port fees when you first priced up the cruise. We paid them but didn't tip extra on the cruise. Over the course of the next few cruises we began spending more time talking to the staff and learning just how hard they work to serve all of the passengers. They learn as much English as they can, go through many rounds of interviews, and leave their loved ones behind to take a job that most in this country would certainly not even consider doing. They get a chance to see some of the world, meet a lot of new people, and earn more than they can in their homeland. Some hope to one day immigrate to the US. They aren't looking for charity or pity. They are happy you are interested in them rather than looking past them. They make you really appreciate the opportunities we all have in the US and how most of our "problems" are "first world problems" and not that important at all. We still pay the auto gratuities and also tip additional. We also do the surveys and mention the names of the people that provide exceptional service. If you don't take the time to truly talk to some staff do yourself a favor and try it out.

[juju2454]

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So you didnt clean up after every meal? A member of the staff had to do it.

 

what if I did?

 

Yes your room was clean when you arrived. Since you implied the staff didnt deserve the tip because you had to do the work, shouldn't you clean up after you have used the room? So you put the do not disturb sign up and did not need the steward the whole 10 night cruise?

 

 

I did clean up my room as I am not one to leave a mess there or at hotels.... I could have left the do not disturb sign up in fact several times I did, sometimes it didn't matter they came in anyways, is that my fault?

PS I also leave a tip for housekeeping at land based hotels.

 

Do you tip the kitchen and the manager at the desk?? Do they auto charge you on your bill for those tips???

[juju2454]

I think it is perfectly acceptable to remove gratuities. Provided of course that you explain face-to-face to the crew members impacted that while you will not be paying for their services, you expect quality service none the less.

 

do you do that when you are unhappy at a land based business do you tell them face to face in a restaurant when you leave a tip that may or may not be acceptable? What a silly thing to say. I leave tips as I see fit, it really isn't your business and it certainly isn't something I need to explain to anyone I left or didn't leave it for. I have done the whole service thing, for a lot less than they make a hour, like $0.73/hr, if I didn't do a good job I got no tip, if I did I got a good one, if they didn't tip it was really their right. period.

:rolleyes: so tired of the cruiser who think it is okay to call people cheap and tightwads, maybe I think you're a cheapskate or tightwad for dressing like you are going to jack in the box then complaining about the quality of food that matched your clothes...

Mostly I get tired of the frequent cruisers thinking they are judge and jury on any question here on the boards to begin to be salty and high horsed. AGAIN itn's this suppose to be a helpful board not a beat the poster board???

[frank808]

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So you didnt clean up after every meal? A member of the staff had to do it.

 

what if I did?

 

Yes your room was clean when you arrived. Since you implied the staff didnt deserve the tip because you had to do the work, shouldn't you clean up after you have used the room? So you put the do not disturb sign up and did not need the steward the whole 10 night cruise?

 

 

I did clean up my room as I am not one to leave a mess there or at hotels.... I could have left the do not disturb sign up in fact several times I did, sometimes it didn't matter they came in anyways, is that my fault?

PS I also leave a tip for housekeeping at land based hotels.

 

Do you tip the kitchen and the manager at the desk?? Do they auto charge you on your bill for those tips???

Did you bus your own table, bring all the dishes and silverware to the washing station in the back? Then wipe down the table you just vacated with disinfectant?

 

You could have left the sign up but you did not at least a few times. Did you need the steward to change towels, empty your trash, etc possibly? Is it your fault you wanted some service from the steward but stiff them their tip? Or did you go to your steward and tell them "I will not need any of your services on this 10 day cruise since i keep a clean cabin. Since i will not need your services I will be taking off the daily gratuities?" Then follow through and not have them do anything for you?

 

Sorry I dont tip the manager as they make a livable wage. I do tip those that are paid under minimum and have to rely on tips to make up their salary. I am lucky enough to be able to cruise and not so cheap as to begrudge $30 a day tips that supplement their salary.

 

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[frank808]

do you do that when you are unhappy at a land based business do you tell them face to face in a restaurant when you leave a tip that may or may not be acceptable? What a silly thing to say. I leave tips as I see fit, it really isn't your business and it certainly isn't something I need to explain to anyone I left or didn't leave it for. I have done the whole service thing, for a lot less than they make a hour, like $0.73/hr, if I didn't do a good job I got no tip, if I did I got a good one, if they didn't tip it was really their right. period.

:rolleyes: so tired of the cruiser who think it is okay to call people cheap and tightwads, maybe I think you're a cheapskate or tightwad for dressing like you are going to jack in the box then complaining about the quality of food that matched your clothes...

Mostly I get tired of the frequent cruisers thinking they are judge and jury on any question here on the boards to begin to be salty and high horsed. AGAIN itn's this suppose to be a helpful board not a beat the poster board???

 

Yes i do tell them when i have had sub par service.

 

You are the person coming on here getting all high uppity about this. Why is this such a touchy subject for you that you are so defensive? We are having a pretty civilized discussion. Talk about hitting a nerve. ;p

 

Does dressing up make your food taste better? Have never seen anyone post that the food was bad but they dressed nicely. Maybe you should calm down and relax with all the rants that you are imagining. :o

[yuvraj]

I don't understand what point you're trying to make. If I sign a contract saying my rate of pay is $50 per month plus tips, if I get paid $50 on month.....where's the problem? I knew that my base rate is $50 a month. It doesn't make sense that I would have formulated my budget or decided to take the job based on extra money I'm "supposed" to receive. Listen, I pay my auto-gratuities and sometimes tip extra but I don't think it makes sense to say that the workers should be paid the auto-gratuities because of a contract. They should be paid their base rate because of their contract, but their contract never guaranteed anything above that base rate.

 

Not a guarantee but in the service industry, it is an expectation that the income will be supplemented by tips by a certain percentage. Personally, I believe that the service industry has muddled all this by creating confusion over who benefits from the "service" charge while removing incentives for individuals to excel or outperform.

 

I am not from the US and I don't get emotionally involved in how much people earn or hard they work. I do however respect that certain roles rely on salary plus a supplement based on gratuities. For that reason I would not want to deprive anyone of the income they expect to receive from tips. I therefore keep my auto-gratuities in place and pay extra in appreciation for exceptional service.

[frank808]

Not a guarantee but in the service industry, it is an expectation that the income will be supplemented by tips by a certain percentage. Personally, I believe that the service industry has muddled all this by creating confusion over who benefits from the "service" charge while removing incentives for individuals to excel or outperform.

 

I am not from the US and I don't get emotionally involved in how much people earn or hard they work. I do however respect that certain roles rely on salary plus a supplement based on gratuities. For that reason I would not want to deprive anyone of the income they expect to receive from tips. I therefore keep my auto-gratuities in place and pay extra in appreciation for exceptional service.

Totally agree with your post.

 

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[abbflex]

After listening to the useful advice I will probably be leaving it on both rooms. So my next question is would you tip each day, I'm thinking you will have a lot of interaction with your room attendant so would you tip him/her extra each day, at the end?

 

 

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I`d give the room attendent a tenner on day 2 or 3.. Then the bigger tip on the last day. (no correct answer on witch amount, some can afford 30 some can afford 100+).

 

Also used to tip the waiters in MDR on the last dinner. In pubs/bars I tip daily small amonuts.

 

We always prepay gratitudes. The staff deserves it anyway. 1 or 2 grumpy members of the staff shouldnt ruin for the rest. Always name the staff members who made Our cruise special in the survey.

[grapau27]

Not a guarantee but in the service industry, it is an expectation that the income will be supplemented by tips by a certain percentage. Personally, I believe that the service industry has muddled all this by creating confusion over who benefits from the "service" charge while removing incentives for individuals to excel or outperform.

 

I am not from the US and I don't get emotionally involved in how much people earn or hard they work. I do however respect that certain roles rely on salary plus a supplement based on gratuities. For that reason I would not want to deprive anyone of the income they expect to receive from tips. I therefore keep my auto-gratuities in place and pay extra in appreciation for exceptional service.

Seems a reasonable thing to do.

 

RCI D+. Princess Elite.P&O Atlantic.

[grapau27]

I`d give the room attendent a tenner on day 2 or 3.. Then the bigger tip on the last day. (no correct answer on witch amount, some can afford 30 some can afford 100+).

 

Also used to tip the waiters in MDR on the last dinner. In pubs/bars I tip daily small amonuts.

 

We always prepay gratitudes. The staff deserves it anyway. 1 or 2 grumpy members of the staff shouldnt ruin for the rest. Always name the staff members who made Our cruise special in the survey.

That is something they prefer above everything.

 

RCI D+. Princess Elite.P&O Atlantic.

[Scarlett Cruises]

do you do that when you are unhappy at a land based business do you tell them face to face in a restaurant when you leave a tip that may or may not be acceptable? What a silly thing to say. I leave tips as I see fit, it really isn't your business and it certainly isn't something I need to explain to anyone I left or didn't leave it for. I have done the whole service thing, for a lot less than they make a hour, like $0.73/hr, if I didn't do a good job I got no tip, if I did I got a good one, if they didn't tip it was really their right. period.

:rolleyes: so tired of the cruiser who think it is okay to call people cheap and tightwads, maybe I think you're a cheapskate or tightwad for dressing like you are going to jack in the box then complaining about the quality of food that matched your clothes...

Mostly I get tired of the frequent cruisers thinking they are judge and jury on any question here on the boards to begin to be salty and high horsed. AGAIN itn's this suppose to be a helpful board not a beat the poster board???

 

I wish there was an APPLAUSE icon. I completely agree with you about posters telling you your business and being judgmental.

[katiel53]

i totally agree. i removed the auto tips for my children and tip individually. Also, i have tipped the room attendant $40-$60 on day one and have received zero for the "extra" tip. so do as you wish. i truly believe those that are generous in tipping offsets those who tip wisely. Speaking from an "insiders" perspective, these employees make decent/good money/salary in relations to where they live/cost of living. yes, i know how hard some of them work and how long their hours are.

 

So word to the wise, don't over-tip, unless you can afford it & it doesn't hurt your budget.

 

I'm sure that when you removed the tips for your children, you advised your cabin steward, waiter etc. that you were doing so, so that they could devote their attention to the ones who were overtipping and not tipping wisely as you did, right? Otherwise, the crew may have assumed they would get their full amount for providing you with good service. I am also sure that when you told them you weren't tipping the full amount for the kids, you told them to ignore the kids too and not fuss over them, because you were tipping wisely.

 

Why is the concept that tipping is evil so difficult for you to understand?. That sounds like you want me to feel shame or guilt.

Believe me, we all know you have no shame! It just sounds like you are cheap!

[ChinaShrek]

 

I 100% agree that stiffing cruise staff punishes the worker, but I still don't understand the point about the contract you were trying to make.

 

There is nothing wrong with punishing the worker by withholding tips then if I receive poor or no service. This is what I have been arguing for throughout this entire thread. Children are punished when they do something wrong. Withholding tips let the workers know when they have been bad as well. Furthermore, it is ridiculous that I can be shamed because I elect not to tip but the workers can't be shamed or "punished." That's not logical.

[rukkian]

There is nothing wrong with punishing the worker by withholding tips then if I receive poor or no service. This is what I have been arguing for throughout this entire thread. Children are punished when they do something wrong. Withholding tips let the workers know when they have been bad as well. Furthermore, it is ridiculous that I can be shamed because I elect not to tip but the workers can't be shamed or "punished." That's not logical.

 

There is a big difference between removing tips for poor service, and those that say they are just going to remove them no matter what because they want to punish RCI, when in reality, they are only punishing the hardworking individuals that served them.

[ECCruise]

Furthermore, it is ridiculous that I can be shamed because I elect not to tip but the workers can't be shamed or "punished." That's not logical.

 

I think this is the crux of the problem. You say you don't tip. Period. It seems to have absolutely zero to do with service or lack of same. Lots of excuses--bussing your own table, cleaning your own room, eating meals outside.

 

1000+ days on cruise ships and never have experienced what you tout. Wonder why.

 

 

 

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[spunks]

There is no value in quoting USA regulations about the wage laws. The ships are not USA territory...all foreign flagged. The workers work 7 days a week for 6-9 months, They do not get a day off. The room stewards work 12 to 15 hours a day split shift 7days a week. Go ahead and get all up in the air about poor service.

 

And dont worry.....I will be judgemental

 

Doug

[frank808]

I think this is the crux of the problem. You say you don't tip. Period. It seems to have absolutely zero to do with service or lack of same. Lots of excuses--bussing your own table, cleaning your own room, eating meals outside.

 

1000+ days on cruise ships and never have experienced what you tout. Wonder why.

 

 

 

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Agree with you completely.

 

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[ChinaShrek]

I think this is the crux of the problem. You say you don't tip. Period. It seems to have absolutely zero to do with service or lack of same. Lots of excuses--bussing your own table, cleaning your own room, eating meals outside.

 

1000+ days on cruise ships and never have experienced what you tout. Wonder why.

 

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Yes, I hate tipping and think it should be abolished. It is immoral. Therefore, I look for reasons to reduce my tip burden (or not to tip at all) throughout my life (cruising, eating out, taking a taxi, etc). You should too.

[cjdixon4]

Thanks, that's probably what I will do but I'm worried it will be frowned upon if I'm not individually tipping too.

 

 

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Hey Ginny, don't worry about what the employees will think. Since they don't know you personally, do what makes you most comfortable and is within your budget. Prepay your grats, or remove them and pay cash. It's all acceptable. As someone previously stated, treat the employees respectfully and thank them for their services. Enjoy your vacation! ;)

[ECCruise]

Yes, I hate tipping and think it should be abolished. It is immoral. Therefore, I look for reasons to reduce my tip burden (or not to tip at all) throughout my life (cruising, eating out, taking a taxi, etc). You should too.

Sorry my friend. Stiffing hard working employees is what is immoral. Not sure how you sleep at night. But then, probably doesn't even impact you sensibility.

No problem showering personal thoughts your way.

 

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[payitforward]

Yes, I hate tipping and think it should be abolished. It is immoral. Therefore, I look for reasons to reduce my tip burden (or not to tip at all) throughout my life (cruising, eating out, taking a taxi, etc). You should too.

 

Wow! TIPPING is immoral, but stiffing hard working individuals is perfectly moral? Just wow. :eek::eek::eek: