Prepaid Gratuities

[vegas82]

I have only done one cruise (wedding) and we did prepay to make our final payment less. We also had unlimited drink pkgs. the problem was that we felt pressure with every drink to "additionally tip". It was extremely frustrating to get a paper bill with the big empty tip line after every single drink. We felt guilty!! They really need to get rid of that. We would tip our fav bartenders extra, but not just passing through and grabbing a beer.

[Elaine5715]

On both Royal Caribbean and Carnival the Maitre d or the head waiter is part of the tip pool. It may be only 25¢ or 75¢ per person per day, but with 3000 people on the ship, even at 25¢ per day, that amounts to $750 / day or $5,250 per week or $273,000 per year.

 

As to convenience, since everyone establishes an on board account, having the tips added to the on board is very convenient, since you have to pay it anyway.

 

Maitres have not been part of the gratuities on Carnival for several years. They also do not suggest or solicit gratuities in any form. Your numbers are based upon pure speculation. If they were true, back when maitres were part of the group, there are at least 4 per ship if not 6, a good percentage of passengers pull their tips and the number vary each cruise...then let's add in the fact they each work 14+ hours a day, 7 days a week..now we are down to less than $15 an hour..if they have a short 14 hour day

Edited March 17, 2015 by Elaine5715

[jb456]

Maitres have not been part of the gratuities on Carnival for several years. They also do not suggest or solicit gratuities in any form. Your numbers are based upon pure speculation. If they were true, back when maitres were part of the group, there are at least 4 per ship if not 6, a good percentage of passengers pull their tips and the number vary each cruise...then let's add in the fact they each work 14+ hours a day, 7 days a week..now we are down to less than $15 an hour..if they have a short 14 hour day

 

So what about the cleaning staff? Lets use RCI Allure of the seas which has a passenger capacity of 6296, 2700 cabins at double occupancy is 5400 passengers.

 

Accordingly to another thread stateroom gratuity per person per day is $3.85

 

We'll keep the passenger amount lower for argument sake and people that remove auto tips so we will say 4800 passengers a day paying the $3.85

 

As for cleaning staff that cleans the cabins there is probably much less but lets say there is 150 staff (thats 18 cabins each to clean each day)

 

4800 passengers X $3.85 X 365 days = $6,745,200

 

Divide by 150 staff = $44,968 a year per person in tips.

 

WOW people that make the beds and vacuum must be making a killing each year. I think not! A gimmick to make the cruise line more money! No way that cleaning staff would be make 45k a year PLUS there base pay..

Edited March 17, 2015 by jb456

[luddite]

Brunch and dinner in port... Close to $50 in tips to turn down the bed, replace towels, quick room cleaning. As I said ridiculous! Even with a quick breakfast buffet on ship it's absurd. Not to mention those that don't use the MDR at all.

 

A gratuity is not obligatory, it's the consumers choice based on service rendered. How can you prepay tips without even receiving the service? In any company the person is hired to do their job, whatever job that may be, if they do a good job (above and beyond their job description) and the consumer is happy they might be rewarded with a gratuity. Prepaying is ridiculous.

 

It's a cruise line racket and they must love these forums. Hundreds of FREE secretaries for the cruise line telling people to prepay gratuities.

 

Big cruise ships that hold 3000 - 4000 passengers pulling in $36,000 to $48,000 a day for everyone to be off the ship in a port. LoL ya ok! :cool:

 

Edit - And don't forget to add $10,000 PLUS in gratuities a day on alcoholic drinks. Equals cruise ship laughing straight to the bank at all the consumer fools.

 

You are....misinformed.

[jb456]

You are....misinformed.

 

Misinformed on what? Do explain?

[Elaine5715]

So what about the cleaning staff? Lets use RCI Allure of the seas which has a passenger capacity of 6296, 2700 cabins at double occupancy is 5400 passengers.

 

Accordingly to another thread stateroom gratuity per person per day is $3.85

 

We'll keep the passenger amount lower for argument sake and people that remove auto tips so we will say 4800 passengers a day paying the $3.85

 

As for cleaning staff that cleans the cabins there is probably much less but lets say there is 150 staff (thats 18 cabins each to clean each day)

 

4800 passengers X $3.85 X 365 days = $6,745,200

 

Divide by 150 staff = $44,968 a year per person in tips.

 

WOW people that make the beds and vacuum must be making a killing each year. I think not! A gimmick to make the cruise line more money! No way that cleaning staff would be make 45k a year PLUS there base pay..

 

Your numbers are erroneous. Take it down to the basic..if I tip my room stewards, there are always two, $3.85 a day for cleaning my cabin twice a day including washing the bathroom floor, running the vacuum, cleaing the shower, toilet, shower, counters, fresh towels, straightening everything, making the bed, turning it down, creating my towel animal, taking and getting my laundry, removing my dishes, setting the night time scene and responding to any assorted requests...that's a bargain.

[luddite]

Misinformed on what? Do explain?

 

Uhh, everything that you think and post about the service charge/gratuity topic is....not correct.

[Elaine5715]

Interesting subject. We just booked our first cruise this past Saturday. We booked through United Vacations because I could earn 4 reward miles for every dollar spent for the cruise. We will be crushing on NCL. The United Cruise agent that I spoke to asked me if we wanted to prepay our gratuities or pay them at the conclusion of the trip "as you will not be allowed off the ship without paying them". I thought this was very odd, but we decided to prepay them. Since this was the one area I hadn't done research on, I didn't realize that what she said was false. To us it sounded like it must be done. Now, keep in mind, while I'm a good tipper and routinely tip at minimum 20%, my husband is an excellent tipper and more often tips at around 30%. So the tipping isn't an issue for us, but finding out now that I was lied to makes me a bit angry. Live and learn. I won't make the same mistake on our next cruise (which even though we haven't gone yet, there will be a next cruise!)

 

Take up the issue with your travel agent who misspoke. Since you haven't cruised yet, please know that the level of personal service you will receive is beyond what you can imagine. Many posters who rally against gratuities create for themselves such angst simply because their experiences with tipped wait staff is poor since they don't tip..imagine that.. These folks also really hate good tippers like yourselves because they believe it is unfair you get better service than they do. The crew on ship get paid very little and do rely on gratuities. It isn't the passengers place to argue why that is or that the crew can just go stick it for accepting it, or whatever justification the cheaps can make to not tip.

Trust me, you will be adding extra to your wait team and cabin stewards. And the whole prepaid thing is just a convenience set up for passengers at THEIR requests to have their vacation paid in full before stepping on board. Let's face it, who cares if I pay my gratuities in November four months before I sail, what difference does it make. I am going to pay them and I always get exceptional service ( probably because I'm not a cranky curmudgeon).

[jb456]

Your numbers are erroneous. Take it down to the basic..if I tip my room stewards, there are always two, $3.85 a day for cleaning my cabin twice a day including washing the bathroom floor, running the vacuum, cleaing the shower, toilet, shower, counters, fresh towels, straightening everything, making the bed, turning it down, creating my towel animal, taking and getting my laundry, removing my dishes, setting the night time scene and responding to any assorted requests...that's a bargain.

 

How are the numbers erroneous?

 

Don't matter if 5 people are cleaning your room - the numbers I gave were for each cleaning staff (150 of them) if the $3.85 was divided equally between all of them. 45k a year EACH cleaning staff 150 of them would make in that example.

 

Your list of all things they do - is what their job description is. Plan and simple that they were hired for.

[Cuizer2]

Maitres have not been part of the gratuities on Carnival for several years. They also do not suggest or solicit gratuities in any form. Your numbers are based upon pure speculation. If they were true, back when maitres were part of the group, there are at least 4 per ship if not 6, a good percentage of passengers pull their tips and the number vary each cruise...then let's add in the fact they each work 14+ hours a day, 7 days a week..now we are down to less than $15 an hour..if they have a short 14 hour day

 

Carnival's website disagrees with you ...

 

Your group can prepay gratuities so attendees don't have to worry about it when on board. The gratuities cover your dining room waiter and bus person, head waiter and Matrie d’ along with the room cleaning personnel.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Core/FAQ.aspx?faq=gratuities

[jb456]

Uhh, everything that you think and post about the service charge/gratuity topic is....not correct.

 

Explain whats not correct? twice now you said it but never gave a reason why?

 

North American tipping culture at it's best I know I am from here to, we tip, not in advance though.

[jb456]

Uhh, everything that you think and post about the service charge/gratuity topic is....not correct.

 

Explain to me how $48 in tips for a day for a family of 4 that is in port the entire time and uses NO ship amenities (No food, drinks, etc) is right? $48 for cleaning staff to come in your room to make the beds and put in fresh towels.

 

Do you agree that is a bit absurd?

Edited March 17, 2015 by jb456

[luddite]

Explain to me how $48 in tips for a day for a family of 4 that is in port the entire time and uses NO ship amenities (No food, drinks, etc) is right? $48 for cleaning staff to come in your room to make the beds and put in fresh towels.

 

Do you agree that is a bit absurd?

 

No.

You're from Europe?

[NMLady]

Explain to me how $48 in tips for a day for a family of 4 that is in port the entire time and uses NO ship amenities (No food, drinks, etc) is right? $48 for cleaning staff to come in your room to make the beds and put in fresh towels.

 

Do you agree that is a bit absurd?

 

Not absurd. You are looking at it one particular day at a time instead of total over-all for the entire cruise. Also that amount per day is not just for cabin steward but also for waiters, buffet workers, and behind the scene workers.

 

Cabin steward doesn't get the entire $48 but about $14 of it ($3.50x4) and does more than make beds and change towels. He cleans bathroom, vacuums/dusts cabin, fills ice bucket. He also services it in evening, changing towels used after your port day, refilling ice bucket, and doing other things.

 

If you look at total cruise, not individual days, and everyone it benefits you might have better idea of why the charges.

[Debala715]

Take up the issue with your travel agent who misspoke. Since you haven't cruised yet, please know that the level of personal service you will receive is beyond what you can imagine. Many posters who rally against gratuities create for themselves such angst simply because their experiences with tipped wait staff is poor since they don't tip..imagine that.. These folks also really hate good tippers like yourselves because they believe it is unfair you get better service than they do. The crew on ship get paid very little and do rely on gratuities. It isn't the passengers place to argue why that is or that the crew can just go stick it for accepting it, or whatever justification the cheaps can make to not tip.

Trust me, you will be adding extra to your wait team and cabin stewards. And the whole prepaid thing is just a convenience set up for passengers at THEIR requests to have their vacation paid in full before stepping on board. Let's face it, who cares if I pay my gratuities in November four months before I sail, what difference does it make. I am going to pay them and I always get exceptional service ( probably because I'm not a cranky curmudgeon).

 

Knowing my husband as I do, I'm sure he will want to change the amount. Even though we prepaid (and are happy we did), we will be able to increase the amount at the end of the trip, right? I'm reading that correctly?

[Crew News]

Knowing my husband as I do, I'm sure he will want to change the amount. Even though we prepaid (and are happy we did), we will be able to increase the amount at the end of the trip, right? I'm reading that correctly?

 

You can always increase the prepaid Hotel Service Charges BUT you can always hand an envelope with cash to any crew member who has served you well during your cruise.

 

The prepaid tips, at least on Holland America Lines, is split amongst all of those who make your cruise a success. This includes food service workers, laundry folks, maintenance workers, room stewards, waiters based on a formula that is heavily weighted towards room stewards and waiters.

[Debala715]

Perfect, thank you Crew News for answering.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cuizer2]

You can always increase the prepaid Hotel Service Charges BUT you can always hand an envelope with cash to any crew member who has served you well during your cruise.

 

The prepaid tips, at least on Holland America Lines, is split amongst all of those who make your cruise a success. This includes food service workers, laundry folks, maintenance workers, room stewards, waiters based on a formula that is heavily weighted towards room stewards and waiters.

 

What about the captain and cruise director. They help make the cruise a success (unless the captain zigs when he should have zaged).

[Troyer5]

I usually don't post. But as it has been [maybe not in this thread]. But does it matter :p, we don't have to do anything. At least on my 17 cruises, there has been good service but never standouts.

 

The CD sometimes joked the his tip is $100/person per day. This was b4 auto gratuities were the norm and they had a departure talk.

 

Doug

[redmud]

the whole prepaid thing is just a convenience set up for passengers at THEIR requests to have their vacation paid in full before stepping on board. Let's face it, who cares if I pay my gratuities in November four months before I sail, what difference does it make. I am going to pay them and I always get exceptional service ( probably because I'm not a cranky curmudgeon).

 

Yes, I agree with this. I'd much rather prepay gratuities, because it's one less thing for me to think about. I almost missed paying gratuities on one cruise because I thought I could pay them right before leaving the ship, but when I went to pay them, I was told that they were no longer taking gratuity transactions at that point, so I had to get cash to hand out. Now I always prepay.

[Cuizer2]

It is just as easy to have the tips charged to your on board account as it is to prepay the tips.

[donaldsc]

I have never figured out why people who would never think of paying the tip at a restaurant before the meal or paying a taxi driver when they got into the cab as opposed to when they get out of the cab feels that somehow tipping your ships crew months before you take the cruise makes any sense.

 

Yes - I understand that you may want to spread out your costs but other than that, I don't get it.

 

DON

[Danni3ll3]

I don't look at the Hotel Service Charge as a tip; I look at it as wages for the workers. We pay for our cruise ahead of time so it is just part and parcel of this. I also like to come home to little or no money owing so I prepay as much as I can. Whether I pay for it now, or pay for it later, it is still money that has to be "coughed up". I may lose a little bit in interest rates from my bank but it is worth the peace of mind to me. Basically, it comes down each to his or her own. There is no right or wrong to this one.

[allhamm]

USA are used to tipping every time. Japan and Australia never tip as do not tip their lawyer, the check out chick, hotel receptionist etc. as they are just doing their job. A waiter, hairdresser, barman etc. is doing the same. UK tip on good service. That is why they like to tip themselves at the end. USA culture does not encourage workers to do their best as getting a tip anyway? Also it has been exposed that cruise lines do not pass on the tips as tips, but as part salary. Better to put a price on and that is that. Then let people tip for good service if they want...,as in an hotel. I never sail on USA lines any more as the tipping culture got me down. An extra 15% to a barman for pouring a drink in front of me at the bar...,.and he said the tips were handed out on customer feedback..and there were not enough forms naming him as good. A scam?

[Dr.A]

USA are used to tipping every time. Japan and Australia never tip as do not tip their lawyer, the check out chick, hotel receptionist etc. as they are just doing their job. A waiter, hairdresser, barman etc. is doing the same. UK tip on good service. That is why they like to tip themselves at the end. USA culture does not encourage workers to do their best as getting a tip anyway? Also it has been exposed that cruise lines do not pass on the tips as tips, but as part salary. Better to put a price on and that is that. Then let people tip for good service if they want...,as in an hotel. I never sail on USA lines any more as the tipping culture got me down. An extra 15% to a barman for pouring a drink in front of me at the bar...,.and he said the tips were handed out on customer feedback..and there were not enough forms naming him as good. A scam?

 

You would never tip a barman, anyone working at a hotel or a hairdresser in the UK. You wouldn't tip a taxi driver either unless they did something truly exceptional. I only tip waiters if they provide very good service and then I tip between 5-10%. Very good service doesn't happen that often but the difference is that you'd be expected to pay a 10-15% tip for average service in the US but you wouldn't tip at all in the UK.

As Allhamm says, tipping culture is varies greatly between countries and an employee is considered doing their job if they're in the service sector in Europe and that doesn't warrant a reward in the form of a tip.

 

As far as cruises go, our UK TA only had the option to pre-pay the gratuities and we were happy to do that. We will pre-pay beverage packages too and won't have to worry about any extra tips as it's all been pre-paid. I think that's a very easy and convenient option for those who aren't familiar with the US tipping culture.