Gratuity breakdown?

[audcc77]

How are the tips broken down in terms of $$$ to wait staff, cabin steward, etc?

 

I’m happy to pay the April 2023 prices of $16 pp for a standard cabin but I just want to know how they’re broken down.  
 

[ninjacat123]

25 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

How are the tips broken down in terms of $$$ to wait staff, cabin steward, etc?

 

I’m happy to pay the April 2023 prices of $16 pp for a standard cabin but I just want to know how they’re broken down.  
 

All I found on Carnival site is underlined.  I thought it used to be broken down into percentages.🤷‍♀️

100% of your gratuities are distributed to the crew who you interact with, such as your stateroom attendants, dining and culinary services staff, as well as others who work behind the scenes to enhance your overall cruise experience. 

[audcc77]

Thanks Ninja.  That’s all I found as well. 
 

 

[Lee Cruiser]

It was broken down at one time.  I was looking for this same information last week and couldn't find it anywhere.

[asalligo]

This was the reported breakdown when it was 12.95. 

 

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites)

Dining Team: $6.40

Alternative Services: $2.50

 

Lots of rumors about Carnival taking a cut in this latest raise. Not that those rumors are new.

Edited February 1, 2023 by asalligo

[mz-s]

They should make the breakdown public. $16 a day per person is a lot, I think it's fair for guests to know where it's going. For a family of 4 on a 4 day cruise we're talking over $250 just in gratuities. $250 is more than I'm personally willing to just wave away.

[Schoifmom]

1 hour ago, SSGFYCC said:

Probably decided not to make it public becuase I remember back in the day hundreds of threads about people going to guest services to try to shift money from housekeeping to dining, other services to dining, pulling back gratutitues and handing out cash tips, etc.

 

I have to confess.  I am a huge proponent of the auto-gratuities (for selfish reasons, it's just easier for me).  There was one cruise, though, where I was in the line at GS moving grats from housekeeping to dining because our steward was simply awful.  

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

 

I have to confess.  I am a huge proponent of the auto-gratuities (for selfish reasons, it's just easier for me).  There was one cruise, though, where I was in the line at GS moving grats from housekeeping to dining because our steward was simply awful.  

 

As is your right.

[asalligo]

50 minutes ago, mz-s said:

$16 a day per person is a lot, I think it's fair for guests to know where it's going. For a family of 4 on a 4 day cruise we're talking over $250 just in gratuities. 

I have a problem with this lately also. Gratuity for my cruise last month was 23% of the fare. Service just did not achieve the standard that I would expect for 23%. Socks and Underwear left in the cabin from the previous cruise. Slow service at dinner and never delivering the coffee I ordered, just not a 23% standard. I know this is due to pressure Carnival is putting on them to do too much, but still. 

 

[audcc77]

I believe I read somewhere that you’re allowed to move your grats around from one destination to another.  
 

I told my cabin steward yesterday that I’ve never removed my tips ever but I was thinking of doing it this time, and which would she like best. I told her that in the past, I didn’t mind tipping people I didn’t see because the amount was nominal.  However, they keep raising tips and it’s no longer nominal.  I don’t have a problem with increasing my tips to the people I come into contact with.  
 

She said they’re not allowed to say which way they prefer.  

I’m thinking of going back to the old days and just spread the tips to the cabin steward and dining room and be done with it.  
 

 

[mz-s]

5 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

I believe I read somewhere that you’re allowed to move your grats around from one destination to another.  
 

I told my cabin steward yesterday that I’ve never removed my tips ever but I was thinking of doing it this time, and which would she like best. I told her that in the past, I didn’t mind tipping people I didn’t see because the amount was nominal.  However, they keep raising tips and it’s no longer nominal.  I don’t have a problem with increasing my tips to the people I come into contact with.  
 

She said they’re not allowed to say which way they prefer.  

I’m thinking of going back to the old days and just spread the tips to the cabin steward and dining room and be done with it.  

 

I know why they don't obviously (they want it to be painful), but I wish Carnival would allow us to just say we're going to do cash tips so don't automatically charge the gratuities. It saves waiting in line to have them removed.

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, SSGFYCC said:

 

Because the guests that travel Carnival tend to be the type that would say I/we do not want auto-gratuities because I/we will tip in cash during or at the end, and then never tip at all. If Carnival did what you propose, the staff would never get paid.

 

Right, they don't want too many guests to go through with it so they make them stand in line on the last night.

 

To me the system needs to be re-thought.

[audcc77]

7 minutes ago, SSGFYCC said:

If Carnival did what you propose, the staff would never get paid.

I’m not sure I agree with this.   
 

Before the cruise lines started the auto grats, I had never heard of people not tipping.  Maybe that’s because it was customary to do it on the last night and there were no other places to eat other than MDR.  

 

Some people eat specialty dining all week and tip on that.  They shouldn’t need to tip the dining room on top of that.  
 

I’ve always tipped both but it’s getting silly now. 

[mz-s]

I'll gladly sign an affidavit or bring a notarized promissory saying I promise I'll tip in cash if I don't have to stand in line at guest services the last night...

[Tiger0613]

3 hours ago, asalligo said:

This was the reported breakdown when it was 12.95. 

 

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites)

Dining Team: $6.40

Alternative Services: $2.50

 

Lots of rumors about Carnival taking a cut in this latest raise. Not that those rumors are new.

If the percentages stayed the same:

 

Housekeeping - $5.00($7.00 for suites)

Dining Team - $7.91

Alternative Services - $3.09

[rellersi]

6 minutes ago, Tiger0613 said:

If the percentages stayed the same:

 

Housekeeping - $5.00($7.00 for suites)

Dining Team - $7.91

Alternative Services - $3.09

how much of the dining team split does the Matre De get. Never thought they did anything for me that was worth a tip. Also how much of that does the staff at the lido buffet get, we hardly ever eat in the main dining room anymore

[asalligo]

33 minutes ago, SSGFYCC said:

 

Because the guests that travel Carnival tend to be the type that would say I/we do not want auto-gratuities because I/we will tip in cash during or at the end, and then never tip at all. If Carnival did what you propose, the staff would never get paid.

I believe people would tip, but not that high of an amount. Back in the old days I thought I was tipping well, but I certainly was not dropping $406 on the last night of a 7 day cruise as I do now with auto gratuities. I was tipping more like $200 at the end of a seven day cruise. I very much preferred that though and not because it was a lower amount. The family loved tipping the people who made our cruise great back then. 

[asalligo]

2 minutes ago, rellersi said:

how much of the dining team split does the Matre De get. Never thought they did anything for me that was worth a tip. Also how much of that does the staff at the lido buffet get, we hardly ever eat in the main dining room anymore

It is the same staff now. Look around in the Buffet and your evening meal waiter is there working in some fashion. We spoke to ours for some time in the buffet last month, he was serving desserts. 

 

 

[ShakyBeef]

5 minutes ago, asalligo said:

I very much preferred that though and not because it was a lower amount. The family loved tipping the people who made our cruise great back then. 

 

You know, you can still do this.  Leave your auto-grats in place and in addition, give out envelopes of cash on the last evening to those special crew members that make your cruise great.😉

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, asalligo said:

 

Lots of rumors about Carnival taking a cut in this latest raise. Not that those rumors are new.

and none of them are true, and never have been.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

They should make the breakdown public. $16 a day per person is a lot, I think it's fair for guests to know where it's going. For a family of 4 on a 4 day cruise we're talking over $250 just in gratuities. $250 is more than I'm personally willing to just wave away.

$16 may seem like a lot but there was one time we ate out for breakfast and then again for dinner and the tips worked out to something like $11 per person for just two meals. These weren't meals in upscale restaurants either. 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, audcc77 said:

I’m thinking of going back to the old days and just spread the tips to the cabin steward and dining room and be done with it.  
 

 

in the old days you had a fist full of envelopes and had to divide tips up yourself. Most people prefer not to be bothered with that. At least the people who actually tip.

[sparks1093]

3 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

You know, you can still do this.  Leave your auto-grats in place and in addition, give out envelopes of cash on the last evening to those special crew members that make your cruise great.😉

Agreed, we typically leave a little extra for the steward and the waitstaff. Usually grab envelopes from Guest Services.

[Top_of_the_Cube]

Auto-gratuities give me a rash, on the ship and on land.  The auto-gratuities on board have nothing to do with excellent and attentive service, in fact, nothing to do with "gratuity" at all!  It is actually just a supplemental source of income to Carnival that goes towards the wages and benefits of just certain employees.  And while I don't think the company takes any of that money for itself, it has to enter into the compensation package that Carnival offers its crew.

 

Ideally, auto-gratuities would just be merged into the cruise fare with all behind-the-scenes workers getting a competitive wage.  Crew members that directly serve passengers can be paid a sub-standard level, because they have the opportunity to "wow" the customer and rake in mega-tips by offering top shelf service.  I consider those types of crew members as entrepreneurs, their income is only limited by their effort.

 

Alas, this will never be.  So for the sake of my blood pressure, I just add the auto-gratuity to the ticket price and consider it all as just part of the cost to get on board.  If I truly want to reward the dining crew or bar staff or room attendants, it won't be through auto-gratuities (which I never adjust or remove).  It will be through praising them to management, which I hear goes a long way, and tipping them individually.

 

Now, got to get back to work.  Looks like Table 3 is griping because "apparently" I got their order wrong.  Those schmucks.

[mz-s]

32 minutes ago, SSGFYCC said:

 

Seems in-line when you compare to an on-land experience. I would never think $5/day now for housekeeping is "overpaying". Would hate to see what people are tipping on-land at a Marriott or on a $40 meal at Applebees to say this is high.

 

You tip at Marriott?