Carnival tips too high

[EarloftheSeas]

The Sail and Sign kiosks also make can break down larger bills to smaller.

[BallFour4]

Opinions are never wrong, so I won't attempt to dissuade you from yours.  

 

 I would like to see the term gratuities taken away and have a surcharge like resort hotels do. I recently had a company event in Henderson, Nevada and we were charged a resort fee for each nights' stay. 

 The cruise industry has bled cash since the start of the Covid pandemic. They all struggle to get adequate crew staffing and as a result the service levels (like cabin service twice a day) have not returned. 

 I've seen first hand people at Guest Services with a monster bill ask to have gratuities removed. In my opinion this alone is enough reason to make them part of the cruise fare. 
 

See you at sea.

 

.

[mz-s]

10 minutes ago, EarloftheSeas said:

The Sail and Sign kiosks also make can break down larger bills to smaller.

 

Indeed - They'll break a bill down to the next-lowest denomination, and you can do this multiple times if need be.

[Indytraveler83]

1 hour ago, wrendrummer said:

Just another point: When I see people talk about service, I see them complaining about things that are really more the cruise lines choices then are controlled by the workers..... Specifically - the mention of the table cloths (the workers don't purchase those) and the making up of the rooms (it is a Carnival choice to tell stewards it is okay to do it once- not multiple times a day and their choice to staff accordingly), and the policy of changing of the linens throughout your stay. I say this because by removing tips you are not hurting management who set these standards- you are hurting the people who abide by these policies....  Quite frankly, if you don't like the level of service set by the management of Carnival, you should go somewhere else.  Do I agree that Cruise lines shouldn't make their employees depend on the customers beliefs on tipping for a living wage? Absolutely- but this isn't the realty of the situation- tips are income that is needed to pay bills and for insurance. In the race for less cost, this is the business model that cruises rely on across most the industry   Yes, we can complain and argue about what tips are suppose to be (and what they actually are) - but denying someone a living wage because we disagree with the management/marketing choices that are not under the employees control, is quite frankly an horrible thing to do another human being.

 

I completely agree with this point.  Carnival employees work hard... Very hard.  And they do their best within the structure they are given.

 

Tip them based on how well they do, not the cruise line's policies.  If you don't like the line's policies, choose a line that better suits you.  But don't punish hard working folks for something beyond their control.  

[IslandHppy]

We enjoyed fabulous service for a silly low fare  on the Carnival Valor a few weeks back.   Someone needs to list in detail all the many service cutbacks particularly in the MDR.  I have writer's cramp from filling out Dear Hotel Director cards on other lines.  

[Bgcruising]

I agree with you OP.

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, EarloftheSeas said:

The Sail and Sign kiosks also make can break down larger bills to smaller.

In the good old days it was not uncommon for some to calculate to the penny how much to leave and you would always hear envelopes clinking.

[ctlyf]

6 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Off topic but if you'll indulge - When you go to Chili's, you step into the kitchen and slip the microwave operator a $5 bill or something? How do you tip the "behind the scenes" people?

My son works for a national (maybe international) restaurant chain as a line cook... his location pools all of the tips paid by customers in a two week period. Not sure the exact split, or how it works with the servers, but the kitchen staff get a portion of the tips based on the number of hours they worked in that two week period. I don't think it's unusual anymore... I talked to one server at another restaurant (different chain) and she said that the kitchen staff there get allocated 9% of total sales... so if someone tips her 10%, she ends up with 1%.

[MJSailors]

Carnival fares are much lower than other cruise lines-Princess,Celebrity,even NCL.come to mind.

Offering those low fares attracts customers,certainly. However, corners have to be cut to compensate for a loss between the cruise fare and the actual,amount of money it takes for the cruise line to accommodate the needs of a passenger for the length of the cruise.

Hence, Carnival passengers may experience  cutback in service- housekeeping once a day,no tablecloths,certain food items being cut from the MDR and buffet menus and so forth. To balance what the cruise line pays their employees with the low fares that is taken in ,”tips” or gratuities are applied to each passenger’s fare.

I MHO if someone feels that gratuities are too high for the type of service Carnival offers their passengers, it may be time for that person to look for other cruise lines for their vacations.

Such a customer may experience sticker shock at what other cruise lines are charging their customers. However, they might be pleased with the service and attention to detail that the other cruise lines offer.

You get what you pay for and bottom line... it’s all about the shekels.

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Carnival does it the same way Royal and the rest of the competition does. How traditional cruising has done it since the early days. Much of the staff depend on tips as part of their total compensation. Virgin just started - we'll see if they last a decade, much less 50 years. Meanwhile, Virgin has postponed the launch of their next ship. Not a great start. All I feel is sorry for the poor employees who get shafted.

I agree. I also feel bad for the staff and the pax who got canceled.

 

they were at least smart enough to realize with supply chain problems, staffing problems, etc that they didn’t want to put out an inferior product.

 

I know you touted Carnival for getting all their ships sailing again before every other line, but at what cost?

 

I’m sure Carnival hit a few speed bumps when they first got into the business.😀

[Roscoe13]

2 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

 

I’m sure Carnival hit a few speed bumps when they first got into the business.😀

Speed bumps or sand bars, what's the difference? 

[BlerkOne]

28 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

I agree. I also feel bad for the staff and the pax who got canceled.

 

I believe the canceled pax can get a 200% FCC + a free cruise if they use any part of the FCC this year. I know Carnival over compensates, but in what universe is the Virgin policy sustainable?

[BoozinCroozin]

Tips are no different than other lines, I get it. I only have two cruises to compare to. I can say that specific service staff paid equal attention to us, but not all. In general, we chose not to cruise the other line again because it is just not fun. Half of everything was not operating on the cruise, kids had nothing to do really but the arcade. On Carnival, there was something fun going on for everyone pretty much all day. I will only tip the standard tips from now on. Nothing more no matter how good the service. 

[EngIceDave]

18 hours ago, rps2004 said:

I agree with your analysis. We remove the gratuities from our sign and sail and then tip the waiters and steward in cash

 

Richard

Doesn't it just go into the pool anyway? Can staff just keep their tips and not tell anyone?

 

I don't believe so, even if you tip in cash, it still goes into the pool I believe.

[ontheweb]

7 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

Doesn't it just go into the pool anyway? Can staff just keep their tips and not tell anyone?

 

I don't believe so, even if you tip in cash, it still goes into the pool I believe.

I believe the policy is that if the automatic gratuity is taken off, all tips in cash must be turned over to go into the pool. If the automatic gratuity is left, then the additional tips may be retained.

[silversneakers]

20 hours ago, timbom said:

Have recently taken cruises on RCL and Holland where tip structure is same as on Carnival but on these lines receive far better service. 

 

On both of these lines they change bed linen every three days and make up room twice a day.  Service staff in buffet serves you most of the food and brings you beverages and other items you may need. 

 

In main dining room they have table cloths and have far fewer tables to take care of.  In addition they have extra people to handle drink order so they can concentrate on serving.

 

I do not want to get in a argument on the suggested tip but it appears to me Carnivals suggestion should be less than these othe rlines.

 

 

You have got to be kidding!!

[Purvis1231]

20 hours ago, timbom said:

Have recently taken cruises on RCL and Holland where tip structure is same as on Carnival but on these lines receive far better service. 

 

On both of these lines they change bed linen every three days and make up room twice a day.  Service staff in buffet serves you most of the food and brings you beverages and other items you may need. 

 

In main dining room they have table cloths and have far fewer tables to take care of.  In addition they have extra people to handle drink order so they can concentrate on serving.

 

I do not want to get in a argument on the suggested tip but it appears to me Carnivals suggestion should be less than these othe rlines.

 

 

IF you are happy with the other lines, then why bother with Carnival? 

[Purvis1231]

35 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I believe the policy is that if the automatic gratuity is taken off, all tips in cash must be turned over to go into the pool. If the automatic gratuity is left, then the additional tips may be retained.

John Heald has said many times that cash tips are not pool and are retained by the employee. 

[lazydayz]

1 hour ago, Purvis1231 said:

John Heald has said many times that cash tips are not pool and are retained by the employee. 

 

On our recent Mardi Gras cruise, I  tipped an extra dollar per drink, as we had the "free" Drinks On Us Everywhere package.  I sometimes put it on the check, and sometimes in cash.  I was always thanked by the server when I left cash, and much less frequently acknowledged when I left it on the receipt.  So I do think they get to keep these cash tips, and will try to use cash for extra tipping in the future. 

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

Doesn't it just go into the pool anyway? Can staff just keep their tips and not tell anyone?

 

I don't believe so, even if you tip in cash, it still goes into the pool I believe.

 

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I believe the policy is that if the automatic gratuity is taken off, all tips in cash must be turned over to go into the pool. If the automatic gratuity is left, then the additional tips may be retained.

 

2 hours ago, Purvis1231 said:

John Heald has said many times that cash tips are not pool and are retained by the employee. 

John forgets to add the caveat...if the full gratuities amount is paid, crew keeps any additional tips.  Like any other place where tipped employees work, you know who is skimming.  When you live/work/play with the same people 24/7, you won't last long if you are holding out.  

[ontheweb]

3 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

 

John forgets to add the caveat...if the full gratuities amount is paid, crew keeps any additional tips.  Like any other place where tipped employees work, you know who is skimming.  When you live/work/play with the same people 24/7, you won't last long if you are holding out.  

Maybe John does not think passengers would be mean spirited enough to remove the auto-gratuities.

[Elaine5715]

8 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Maybe John does not think passengers would be mean spirited enough to remove the auto-gratuities.

He knows but pretends it doesn't happen. This is an article he wrote  https://crew-center.com/carnivals-senior-cruise-director-we-need-look-closely-removing-crew-gratuities

Edited June 13, 2022 by Elaine5715

[mumofsons]

DH and I got off the Conquest on Friday morning. For us it was a very cheap quick getaway that we absolutely enjoyed.  The staff although obviously short were hard working and never grumpy and the service was excellent.  I have always tipped extra to my room stewarts at the beginning of the cruise and our stewart probably knocked on our door two or three times a day to check if we needed anything. She filled our ice bucket twice a day and if we napped in the afternoon she would remake our bed.  I asked her how many rooms she and her partner were responsible for and she said 53 - absolutely insane.  Our favorite place to sit was lobby bar and our bartenders all were getting ready to go on vacation and told us that that Carnival was extending the contracts from 6 months to 8 months.  They weren't complaining but that is a long time to be without seeing your family. Like some previous posts alot of these hard working people have little kids that they are just trying to do the best for their families.  I have never thought the tips were too high and I have never removed my tips.  We do try to tip extra to the people that we have enjoyed talking to as they work hard behind the bar/in the dining room and for me the coffee shop as well as our room stewarts.  Its also important to fill out your carnival survey when you get home because these hard workers get recognition when mentioned.  I always take pictures with the staff so I correctly spell their names so that they get the recognition they deserve.  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

21 hours ago, slimknyzer said:

Do you remember the tip envelopes that were placed in your stateroom before the last cruise day?

We sure do. Wish it stayed that way.

[SwordBlazer Cruising]

Is there this much discussion when you go to a reasturant with a group of 5 or 6 and they automatically add 18% to your bill? Or when you get a coffee at the "bucks" or lunch counter and they flip that iPad around and you see boxes w tip amounts.