How much does the crew make (mainly dining). Gratuities and tips thread

[Dreamsofriveriamaya]

, I hope someone can explain to how or why the tips are done the way they are done. I guess Im wrestling with if Im tipping correctly. Im fine with the $12.95 a day. I usually just split it differently. To me it should be alternative zero, housekeeping, $2.95 and dining $10.

 

Well, I can tell everyone here.. that I actually have a Unique View point on this subject, because back in the early 90's I actually was a Cruise Ship Staff member.. ( all though I did not have a tip based position.. therefore.. my pay was salary..

When I worked on board for 2 years.. ( 1 ship, weekend bahamas Cruise, & the other 2 differnt 7 day cruises ( Panama Canal) out of Aruba.. so back to back 14 days.. I got very close to my fellow Ship mates, & we were like family.. Working on Ship is kind of like living in a small town, You know people Very well. so I got to know their stories.

Here are some facts based upon my experience in my 2 years on board..

1) ** Crew & Staff are NEVER paid hourly-- but monthly salary.

2) Crew & staff NEVER have a day off- ( unless they are sick, & have Dr. notes

3) If staff are sick too often, or for too many consecutive days they are SENT HOME.. & unpaid leave. So, most of the time they DON"T call in sick, in fear for being sent home!

4) Crew & Staff work 7 days a week, 14-16 hours + a day!!!.. ( Cabin stewards, house keeping, bartenders & waiters have VERY physically challenging jobs.. working VERY long hours with VERY little tie off.. some only getting a chance to get off ship 1- 2 times a week for a few hours ( If they are lucky & not too tired!

5) They often work odd hours like 5 Early in the morning work for several hours, have a few hours of rest, & have to go back for the night shift.. then often working very late.

6) Many Crew/ Staff come from VERY poor countries, Make VERY little money. & send most money home to their children, & spouses.

7) Crew & staff living conditions are usually separated.. kind of like 1st, 2nd class, 3rd class.. with different sections for crew.. ( 3rd class) often dark, down below ship, cramped quarters.. ( sometimes 4-6 in one room, with shared bathroom, staff; pursers, Cruise Director, Cruise staff.. Entertainment staff, Spa staff, Casino ( staff) 2nd class often have a bit better accomodations, but still share a room, & bathroon with at least 1 other staff & often are allowed in public areas & have more privledges, these are paid a higher wage. Officers Captain.. 1st class.. have their private quarters & the best privledges, but also work VERY hard, long days 7 days a week.. these are Salaried as well. ( ** of course they dont refer to them like that, but their accommodations & privileges are like that.. based on a unspoken hierarchy... 8) They give up so much.. often not going " home" for 1-2 years!

9) They work around the clock For you! Smiling.. working wether they are sick, happy, or sad!

10) ** My opinion.. " If you CAN afford to go on vacations, Take a Cruise, Go out to Eat,... you CAN afford to tip! Please.. these are human beings.. not robots.. Treat them the Best you can!! Thank you!

Edited October 25, 2017 by Dreamsofriveriamaya

[Dreamsofriveriamaya]

When you do the math it comes out about $5400 so are you saying that staff is not getting the full amount? The US crew has to pay taxes on there income but $4000 a month is a good wage. Not sure about your state but here in Michigan there’s lots of jobs that work 12 hour shifts & weekends/holidays for less pay.

Break down the amount of service/ tip based employees in the entire ship..

then take into fact the amount of hours worked ( you would be SHOCKED if you knew how many hours per week they work!

Now..Divide that hourly.. They make VERY little.. It is sad.. see my remarks below.

[chengkp75]

Break down the amount of service/ tip based employees in the entire ship..

then take into fact the amount of hours worked ( you would be SHOCKED if you knew how many hours per week they work!

Now..Divide that hourly.. They make VERY little.. It is sad.. see my remarks below.

 

I've also worked on cruise ships, and things have changed just a little since you were on them. While the crew salaries are as you say, a monthly salary, since the introduction of the Manila Labor Convention (MLC 2006) which regulates working conditions for mariners worldwide, there is actually an hourly calculation that goes into setting the monthly salary, as most mariners (on other than cruise ships) are paid hourly, and the law is set up that way. It is just set up so that "so many hours at base rate, and so many hours at overtime is so much per month". The contract also stipulates that certain crew's salary is made up of a combination of salary and DSC, and that the DSC can be adjusted by the passengers, and the cruise line only needs to make good any shortage up to the minimum salary, which nearly everyone exceeds anyway, since the minimum is based on a 40 hour work week.

 

And the unique POA does in fact pay their US crew hourly.

[Computer Nerd]

Im sure this has been covered in the past and I apologize. But Im curious if anyone knows the whys behind the way Carnival distributes tips. Id assume ships don't have to follow US rules? Because I hope the waitstaff makes more than 2 bucks an hour.

 

Don't know, don't care. I'm also not interested in any other business' pay habits either (except for the company I work for).

[Purvis1231]

I do not know how much the crew make but I am sure you have noticed the only Americans are entertainment staff and maybe a few others. I friend who is a tugboat captain told me that he made a lot more than a cruise ship captain.

[Elaine5715]

just shows you the vast difference just in the US alone. Here in Texas those positions aren't tipped.

Yes, they are tipped in Texas so my guess is you are too young to drink in a bar or are fond of sneezer specials.

[Pellaz]

I can't say for sure about other cruise lines, but I know that Carnival also pays the roundtrip airfare for crew members to return to their home countries in between their contracts. If a crew member opts not to take the trip -- which was the case with our tour guide, whose boyfriend lived in the States -- they get the equivalent amount as cash.

Judging from my experiences with their hard-working crew personnel, this is a well-deserved perk.

[Dreamsofriveriamaya]

 

 

 

I

 

If you’ve drawn other conclusions from this thread then you’re not learning very quickly.

 

No certainly no.. I just know that there ARE many people on here.. who just have no idea on how hard these guys work.. so when I get the opportunity to shed some light on how things are run.. I like to.. Also, there are many people who are not " a custom" to tip.. so I am explaining why..

but you did ask, if they made an hourly salary.. So I'm telling you how it works & why.. but also anyone else who comes across this thread to hopefully Change their generosity when they receive good service, or when the ones who decide to cut their expenses by cutting gratuity..

Because there are people from all nationalities, & backgrounds who think it's ok.. regardless of good service to cut out the gratuity.. It was in no way to mention you or to imply.. :hearteyes: Sorry for any misunderstanding.

[Dreamsofriveriamaya]

I can't say for sure about other cruise lines, but I know that Carnival also pays the roundtrip airfare for crew members to return to their home countries in between their contracts. If a crew member opts not to take the trip -- which was the case with our tour guide, whose boyfriend lived in the States -- they get the equivalent amount as cash.

Judging from my experiences with their hard-working crew personnel, this is a well-deserved perk.

yes, this is true.. but many times.. the crew can only return home every two years.. after the contract.. so that is 2 years of not seeing your kids, and your spouse.

[Dreamsofriveriamaya]

the $4000/month, is only for 8 months a year, so while it's not a poverty level job, it is still a minimum wage job,

Is that how much the waiters make? I doubt that they make that much.. probable no where near that, if I had to guess..( but I dont work for pay roll, never have.)

Seems very high..

of course it was many moons ago I worked on ships, but I do hope, & I am glad that that the pay is better regulated.. I would hate to think of 100% of the gratuity money not going exactly where it's intended. I'd like to think it is.

[CI66774]

Just tip them and go have a drink.

[chengkp75]

the $4000/month, is only for 8 months a year, so while it's not a poverty level job, it is still a minimum wage job,

Is that how much the waiters make? I doubt that they make that much.. probable no where near that, if I had to guess..( but I dont work for pay roll, never have.)

Seems very high..

of course it was many moons ago I worked on ships, but I do hope, & I am glad that that the pay is better regulated.. I would hate to think of 100% of the gratuity money not going exactly where it's intended. I'd like to think it is.

 

That figure is for US crew on the POA. International crew, as I stated earlier in the thread, are more in the $1200-1500/month range.

[nealstuber]

 

 

 

I'm not a fan of the DSC, nor the stick and carrot approach to teamwork that it engenders. With an increase in DSC, the crew does not necessarily get "more money", but their wage shifts more to the DSC and less to the fixed wage. Again, it is simply a way of keeping the advertised fare down. Instead of raising the DSC to cover increased costs, they could just raise the fare, and it all comes out of the passengers' pockets anyway. Let's face it, whether you pay a DSC, or the cruise line does away with it and includes it in the cruise fare, you are still paying the crew's salary, so I don't see why it makes much difference. I just look at the total price of a cruise, fare and DSC, and determine whether it is acceptable to me or not, or whether another line is cheaper or not.

 

 

 

I don't dispute that the front line troops are getting fewer, but as I said in previous post, you don't know how many pieces your DSC is cut into for each "team". On international ships, the deck and engine crew were desirable positions because their pay was higher than hotel staff. Our entry level jobs, "ordinary seamen" and "engine boys" got a whopping $.65/hr overtime rate, so if that was a "preferred job" what were the other jobs paying? (Admittedly, this was a few years ago, and before the MLC set a minimum wage, but it hasn't changed too much).

 

 

 

Agree with everything you’re saying. It’s just when people say cruise prices are the same as they were 10 years ago, they are not factoring in the increases in DSC. And when DSCs are raised, most on these boards happily accept it because they assume that it means the people who serve them directly are getting it, and then they might cut back on their extra tips.

 

When I’ve filled out the once a day twice a day card for service, I never felt bad about asking for twice because I assumed my steward was getting more Tips for servicing more cabins.

 

I’d think you’d be more concerned about it; If the current trend continues, next thing you know Ship’s Officers will be paid out of the DSC pool.

 

With respect to passenger to crew ratio, the Destiny/Sunshine is the best example. When they sunshined the Destiny, they increased her passenger capacity by 400, and left the crew size the same...

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Sunshine

 

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Edited October 26, 2017 by nealstuber

[firemanbobswife]

I can't say for sure about other cruise lines, but I know that Carnival also pays the roundtrip airfare for crew members to return to their home countries in between their contracts. If a crew member opts not to take the trip -- which was the case with our tour guide, whose boyfriend lived in the States -- they get the equivalent amount as cash.

Judging from my experiences with their hard-working crew personnel, this is a well-deserved perk.

 

That used to be the case, but now they take out a percentage of their pay to cover that expense.

[chengkp75]

 

 

 

Agree with everything you’re saying. It’s just when people say cruise prices are the same as they were 10 years ago, they are not factoring in the increases in DSC. And when DSCs are raised, most on these boards happily accept it because they assume that it means the people who serve them directly are getting it, and then they might cut back on their extra tips.

 

When I’ve filled out the once a day twice a day card for service, I never felt bad about asking for twice because I assumed my steward was getting more Tips for servicing more cabins.

 

I’d think you’d be more concerned about it; If the current trend continues, next thing you know Ship’s Officers will be paid out of the DSC pool.

 

With respect to passenger to crew ratio, the Destiny/Sunshine is the best example. When they sunshined the Destiny, they increased her passenger capacity by 400, and left the crew size the same...

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Sunshine

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I would have to agree with others that, even adding in the DSC today, compared to 10 years ago, or even longer, cruise prices have dropped, in constant dollars, or at the very least remained flat. I know I paid $1300-1500/person for a QEII crossing in 1976, which equates to $5700-6600/person today. While comparing advertised price to advertised price may show a much greater variance over time, even with the additions of DSC, I still think prices have at the very least remained constant, in current dollars, which means a drop in constant dollars.

 

Yes, there are instances where adding cabins while not increasing crew cabin availability has resulted in lower crew/pax ratios, but not knowing the ship, I can't say how much the changes to the ship resulted in increased productivity per crew. And, whether that increase productivity resulted in a higher ratio of front line crew than previously.

 

Again, my philosophy is that the fare and the service charges are the cost of the cruise, and I make my decisions based on this. So, to me, a raise in the DSC is merely a raise in the cruise cost, which as I've said, basically has not kept up with inflation.

[srlafleur]

Seriously. Another tipping thread?

If only the cruise lines knew how much time and energy some of their passengers wasted on even thinking about it!

Good grief!

The autotipping/service charge was put in place to simplify things; at least, that's how I look at it, because figuring it all out, stuffing the envelopes, and chasing down the right people was a royal pain.

The cruise lines should just hide the auto-tip in the price and say "no tipping required." Would people still get their panties in a bunch, I wonder?

[ultrafighter]

The cruise lines should just hide the auto-tip in the price and say "no tipping required." Would people still get their panties in a bunch, I wonder?

I bet they would because then they couldn't remove them and "tip personally and 'better'" as they claim they will do.

[mikel24m]

I bet they would because then they couldn't remove them and "tip personally and 'better'" as they claim they will do.

Or just raise the prices of the cruise and pay their staff a good wage.

 

That way the cheap people who I'm guessing can't afford to cruise in the first place can go camping instead

 

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[BoDidly]

Stressful stuff. Me , I just never ask what anyone makes and could care less.

[Thorncroft]

Try reading comprehension. I was talking about the alternative services. Still have no clue what that is.

 

Arnold and Christine's year end bonus.

[Corby114]

In thirty five plus cruises since May 1983 I personally have never removed tips from any of my sailings. Normally I give an extra cash tip to my cabin steward, dining room waiter, and assistant dining room waiter for there service.

[Computer Nerd]

yes, this is true.. but many times.. the crew can only return home every two years.. after the contract.. so that is 2 years of not seeing your kids, and your spouse.

 

Most cruise ship contracts are 6-8 months long. Not 2 years.

[cfr70]

I hope I don't get devoured for innocently asking this but i'm genuinely curious:

 

I DON'T plan on eating at all in the MDR for my upcoming 4 night cruise. I'm always strictly buffet. Now I WON'T do it if it's advised against here, but that $6.20/day could go towards cash tipping for drinks (yes I have Cheers) and more for the room steward.

Is it ok to remove the MDR tips if you don't go there and personally give the cash to other workers for services i'm using? Or should I just leave it as is?

And does any of that $6.40/dining go towards lido buffet workers? If so, i'll just leave it, but I am genuinely curious.

[Sebleo]

I hope I don't get devoured for innocently asking this but i'm genuinely curious:

 

I DON'T plan on eating at all in the MDR for my upcoming 4 night cruise. I'm always strictly buffet. Now I WON'T do it if it's advised against here, but that $6.20/day could go towards cash tipping for drinks (yes I have Cheers) and more for the room steward.

Is it ok to remove the MDR tips if you don't go there and personally give the cash to other workers for services i'm using? Or should I just leave it as is?

And does any of that $6.40/dining go towards lido buffet workers? If so, i'll just leave it, but I am genuinely curious.

 

Yes, the auto grat for dining goes to the pool for all servers on the ship, not just the mdr. Lido buffet, brunch, etc.

[LH25]

I hope I don't get devoured for innocently asking this but i'm genuinely curious:

 

I DON'T plan on eating at all in the MDR for my upcoming 4 night cruise. I'm always strictly buffet. Now I WON'T do it if it's advised against here, but that $6.20/day could go towards cash tipping for drinks (yes I have Cheers) and more for the room steward.

Is it ok to remove the MDR tips if you don't go there and personally give the cash to other workers for services i'm using? Or should I just leave it as is?

And does any of that $6.40/dining go towards lido buffet workers? If so, i'll just leave it, but I am genuinely curious.

 

I also have heard the the MDR servers also work the buffet.