How much of those gratuities does each group get? Carnival confesses!

[VentureMan_2000]

4 hours ago, MURCOTT said:

Our last two cruises I asked the cabin steward how many rooms he had to do. The answer from both was 33. This may be since they went to once a day cleaning.

Sounds correct.  Saw a youtube featuring turn-around day.  The stewards have 18 rooms to turn around -- only 15 minutes per room, need to be done by 1ish.

[Stick93]

16 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

If you remove gratuities for any reason, any cash given to room attendants or wait staff must  be turned in.  Crew still get the contracted amount from the gratuities pool.  They only keep the extra when auto grats are paid.  Carnival also doesn't let guest punish crew for perceived slights. 

If they do they do - if they don’t they don’t. But people can feel they gave to the person they wanted. 
 

When you hand cash to the crew in your room with no cameras around - it’s scouts honor what they do and I know what scouts usually do! 

[lazydayz]

17 hours ago, Linsuesue said:

On our last cruise our room steward said he had 35 rooms and he had a part time assistant for a few hours in the morning. 

we have talked to cabin stewards about assistants and were told they have to recruit their assistants from the crew and the cabin stewards directly compensate their assistants. That makes sense to me, since some stewards don’t have them and others have them occasionally but not every day. Just off the Pride today and our steward did not have an assistant.  Juan has been with Carnival for 31 years, and hopes to retire at 35 years. 

[Haljo1935]

56 minutes ago, lazydayz said:

we have talked to cabin stewards about assistants and were told they have to recruit their assistants from the crew and the cabin stewards directly compensate their assistants. That makes sense to me, since some stewards don’t have them and others have them occasionally but not every day. Just off the Pride today and our steward did not have an assistant.  Juan has been with Carnival for 31 years, and hopes to retire at 35 years. 

Never heard that before.

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, Stick93 said:

If they do they do - if they don’t they don’t. But people can feel they gave to the person they wanted. 
 

When you hand cash to the crew in your room with no cameras around - it’s scouts honor what they do and I know what scouts usually do! 

Crew don't hose other crew and stay onboard.  Even on land restaurants, servers know who holds out.  

[Drew B 58]

19 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Why not use a kiosk for that and avoid the guest services line?

Eh.  The lines have never been particularly long.  I go after I leave the casino on the last night before I go to bed, so it’s generally between 11:00 & 2:00…

[Cushing985]

Hopefully, this is the last tipping thread for 2023.

[Stick93]

3 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Crew don't hose other crew and stay onboard.  Even on land restaurants, servers know who holds out.  

I’ve been on a few cruises. It’s funny what staff does for extra $$$$. I think in a perfect world you are correct. But in an imperfect situation and where people can opt out and pay nothing and screw the staff - $$$ stays where it’s put.

[Elaine5715]

56 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

I’ve been on a few cruises. It’s funny what staff does for extra $$$$. I think in a perfect world you are correct. But in an imperfect situation and where people can opt out and pay nothing and screw the staff - $$$ stays where it’s put.

That is just it.  If guest cancel their tips, the crew still gets the allotment.  Their paycheck is not reduced.  

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, Stick93 said:

It’s funny what staff does for extra $$$$.

There's a below-deck economy of crew members with side hustles providing services for other crew members, e.g. haircuts and laundry, in addition to stewards paying their paisanos to help them as assistants.

[BlerkOne]

5 hours ago, Drew B 58 said:

Eh.  The lines have never been particularly long.  I go after I leave the casino on the last night before I go to bed, so it’s generally between 11:00 & 2:00…

Clearly you are not in the majority.

[sparks1093]

5 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

That is just it.  If guest cancel their tips, the crew still gets the allotment.  Their paycheck is not reduced.  

(Elaine I am using your post as a springboard.) Only up to a point. The cruise line is obligated to pay a minimum amount even if tips are removed, but the amount that they get if all of the tips are kept in place is much higher. Similar to what happens in most restaurants ashore- servers receive less than minimum wage with tips making up most of their compensation. However if they don't earn enough in tips then the restaurant has to make up the difference so they get full minimum wage.

 

As for removing tips and only giving it to staff that directly serves you it's great in theory, but when tips are pooled it just doesn't work that way. Again, to use a land establishment as a guide if you're eating in a restaurant where tips are pooled (which you probably won't know) you can't slip your server $100 and a tricky wink and say "this is just for you, don't share it". The money will still end up in a pool. Yes, there are some that might keep it, but they typically don't last long.

 

Finally, the tipping system works for the cruise lines and the employees. The amounts paid are the minimum amount, like a 15 or 18 percent gratuity ashore. If someone has an issue with the service they received then the amount can be reduced (hopefully after complaining to a supervisor first). If someone really enjoyed the service they can leave more. Regardless of how any of us feel this it is how many of the staff earn their compensation and they earn every penny.

[Stick93]

41 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

(Elaine I am using your post as a springboard.) Only up to a point. The cruise line is obligated to pay a minimum amount even if tips are removed, but the amount that they get if all of the tips are kept in place is much higher. Similar to what happens in most restaurants ashore- servers receive less than minimum wage with tips making up most of their compensation. However if they don't earn enough in tips then the restaurant has to make up the difference so they get full minimum wage.

 

As for removing tips and only giving it to staff that directly serves you it's great in theory, but when tips are pooled it just doesn't work that way. Again, to use a land establishment as a guide if you're eating in a restaurant where tips are pooled (which you probably won't know) you can't slip your server $100 and a tricky wink and say "this is just for you, don't share it". The money will still end up in a pool. Yes, there are some that might keep it, but they typically don't last long.

 

Finally, the tipping system works for the cruise lines and the employees. The amounts paid are the minimum amount, like a 15 or 18 percent gratuity ashore. If someone has an issue with the service they received then the amount can be reduced (hopefully after complaining to a supervisor first). If someone really enjoyed the service they can leave more. Regardless of how any of us feel this it is how many of the staff earn their compensation and they earn every penny.

So what you’re saying is if the entire ship cancel their tips, the staff will be paid the minimum amount anyways?

 

[sparks1093]

12 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

So what you’re saying is if the entire ship cancel their tips, the staff will be paid the minimum amount anyways?

 

That's how it's supposed to work as I understand it. Fortunately for the crew that's not likely to happen.

[Stick93]

Just now, sparks1093 said:

That's how it's supposed to work as I understand it. Fortunately for the crew that's not likely to happen.

So the point is - we all don’t know where any money goes to, how it’s divided and when you give tips separately they can be pooled but it’s scout’s honor. 
 

Examples of cases where it’s grey…

 

If one tips the room attendant day one and then remove tips on the last day…. Or when one give the maitre d’ a 50 and then remove tips … Who can be sure it’s above, extra or the tip that was removed.  
 

People will do what they like and these threads will continue.  

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

So the point is - we all don’t know where any money goes to, how it’s divided and when you give tips separately they can be pooled but it’s scout’s honor. 
 

Examples of cases where it’s grey…

 

If one tips the room attendant day one and then remove tips on the last day…. Or when one give the maitre d’ a 50 and then remove tips … Who can be sure it’s above, extra or the tip that was removed.  
 

People will do what they like and these threads will continue.  

You first sentence is exactly on point, none of us knows for sure. Therefore the best course of action (in my mind, obviously others will have a different opinion) is to leave things the way that they are because then the crew gets exactly what they agreed to when they signed on. It's not our job to re-invent the wheel. As for the maitre'd it was announced some years ago that they were removed from receiving any portion of the tips. It is my understanding that when a passenger removes the tips the main crew members are questioned about it, since the implication is they weren't doing their job. At the least they are notified when passengers remove the tips. Yes, it is the honor system for them to turn in what they get and I think this is mostly done for the same reason the waitress in my previous example turns in that $100 tricky wink tip- that's how the system works and the staff knows it. 

[jimbo5544]

43 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

You first sentence is exactly on point, none of us knows for sure. Therefore the best course of action (in my mind, obviously others will have a different opinion) is to leave things the way that they are because then the crew gets exactly what they agreed to when they signed on. It's not our job to re-invent the wheel. As for the maitre'd it was announced some years ago that they were removed from receiving any portion of the tips. It is my understanding that when a passenger removes the tips the main crew members are questioned about it, since the implication is they weren't doing their job. At the least they are notified when passengers remove the tips. Yes, it is the honor system for them to turn in what they get and I think this is mostly done for the same reason the waitress in my previous example turns in that $100 tricky wink tip- that's how the system works and the staff knows it. 

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