how does carnival get away with.........

[nbsjcruiser]

I agree with you that its crazy. Thats why I go out of my way to thank these people that make my cruise great. I'm sure a couple bucks here and there isn't alot to people but to the staff, I think it makes a huge difference. I just cant get over why people cant tip. I was reading one of the other threads that said they wanted to remove the tips. This is how these people survive and by taking that away from them is just crappy.

 

I saw a show once about CEOs who switched places with one of their employees for a week. They did a Hotel Owner who switched with the cleaning staff but they also did the CEO of Carnival (I think) who switched with a number of his staff throughout a week long cruise. On the last day he switched with a room steward. They explained her salary and working hours and how she gets paid from tips. On that last day she was cleaning the room of someone who had not yet tipped her. She opened the envelope and it was empty. Man if you could have seen that - she broke down in tears. Anyone who has not tipped should have seen that show. After that, we have always tried to give at least 15% more to the steward and our waiters (slipped to them on the sly) to make up for the scumbags that are undoubtedly trying to figure out a way not to tip them.

 

What goes around comes around........

[WAcruisers]

Being a small business owner I have had to bust mine alot over the years. And in the present economy it is very tough, but I'm trying to slow down and enjoy my later years. So even though I no longer have to bust my rear anymore it still has a big crack in it so I never forget! :D

 

This is the reason I always treat the cruse line employees with such respect, they do work very hard to help me have a great vacation. A smile a few kind words and extra tips along the way are a small price to pay for all they do!

Boy do I agree! They are always working very hard for all of us on vacation. I have spoken to many of the personnel on the ships and they all say the same thing.........They can NOT make money in their country so they choose to work on the cruise ships for a better life for their family's. They don't have to pay for room and board so their money goes to their family's to support them. They work 9 months and then get a month off and that is when they go home to the wife and kids. I always tip extra for the service they give me to make my vacation much more enjoyable! :D

[dan40]

This is always an interesting outrage. We lament the hours and pay that the cruise ship employees receive yet we only see half the problem. We only focus on those who work in the dining rooms and clean our staterooms. There are many people who work in other areas of the ship - cleaning, painting, maintenance, ships electrical, propulsion, PLUMBING, LAUNDRY, FOOD PREPARATION, etc. that never even get honorable mention yet these people work the same arduous hours and don't even have the chance to receive tips.

 

Here's yet another wake up call for some of you. Life at sea is hard work. It's not just restricted to the cruise line industry. What do you think our young sailors in the Navy go through. By the way, no tips there either. As a young sailor in 1973, my take home pay was $155.70 every 2 weeks. My gross pay was $377.70 per month at that time. In 2007 dollars, I was being paid the equivalent of $10.06 an hour or just slightly more than minimum wage. But this is based upon a 40 hour week. Take that same young sailor, put him on an aircraft carrier working in a squadron on jet aircraft and the situation becomes even better. Aviation sailors work a minimum 12 hour shift, every day, 7 days a week for 6-9 months at a time during a deployment. Take out maybe 3 weeks off time during port visits and that sailor will still work over 161 days (12 hr shifts minimum) on a 6 month deployment. Hourly pay during that time (84 work hours per week minimum, not 40)? $4.79 an hour in 2007 dollars. Of course, that young sailor does get full medical/dental benefits and well as quality berthing accommodations and truly gourmet dining options (and no tips).

 

So like I said, life at sea is hard work. Those who choose this difficult yet rewarding work environment deserve as much praise and financial support as we can give them.

 

 

Lets not be spreading the plight of the hotel staff throughout the ship. The "Seamen" on board, in charge of the maintenance and operation of the vessel. Are paid according to Maritime wages. A deck hand on a container ship with the same experience makes the same as a deck hand on a cruise ship. Ships officers fall in the same guidelines, an Engineering Officer on a Bulk Carrier makes a decent pay same as an equally ranking Engineering Officer on a cruise ship.

 

Dan

[Princessbride3]

I talked to one of the women that did my massage, she said that she works on the ship to provide for her dd. Her dd lives with her mother and she works i believe 6 months on ship and then has some time off to go home and then comes back and puts in another 6 months. I believe that they have a little time off here and there but they are mainly working for the most part. It is hard work...i believe prob kitchen staff prob has it the hardest because of dining rooms, buffets and such, they have only so many people and they have to work more.

[dan40]

I talked to one of the women that did my massage, she said that she works on the ship to provide for her dd. Her dd lives with her mother and she works i believe 6 months on ship and then has some time off to go home and then comes back and puts in another 6 months. I believe that they have a little time off here and there but they are mainly working for the most part. It is hard work...i believe prob kitchen staff prob has it the hardest because of dining rooms, buffets and such, they have only so many people and they have to work more.

 

Spa staff work for and are paid by the spa vendor. They have no connection with Carnival Corp. Steiner, I think, is the name of the Spa co. and they are on many cruise lines.

 

Also, the LEAST reliable source of info about the "PLIGHT" of workers, IS the workers. They ARE going to tell you what will extract the biggest tip. And they KNOW which tales of woe work best.

 

Dan

[Kurbanfan]

They ARE going to tell you what will extract the biggest tip. And they KNOW which tales of woe work best.

 

Dan

 

Judging by all the tipping threads it is working:p

[Maraprince]

I was just wondering how carnival gets away with making their employees work so many hours and days in a row? Isn't there a law against that or does it not apply since they are not working on land? Just curious........because we saw the same people working the midnight buffet as we saw the next morning serving us breakfast. Doesn't seem fair!

 

 

ALL the cruise lines do it! Doesn't make it right. But that is the industry standard. The lines will justify their position by stating that the workers are making more money than they could ever earn in their home countries. All the workers have some family members that they are supporting back home. US Labor laws do not apply since all the lines have their ships registered in a foreign port.

 

NCL tried to have only US workers on their ships in Hawaii and the first year it failed miserably for any number of reasons.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[tedjazz]

Also, the LEAST reliable source of info about the "PLIGHT" of workers, IS the workers. They ARE going to tell you what will extract the biggest tip. And they KNOW which tales of woe work best.

 

Dan

 

Dan, I know you can't hear me, or read me as it were, but I agree with you about the "Tales of Woe". Maybe if there hasn't already been one we could start a thread about the "Best Tales of Woe" heard on a Cruise Ship. ;)

[mudpievelour]

Dan, I know you can't hear me, or read me as it were, but I agree with you about the "Tales of Woe". Maybe if there hasn't already been one we could start a thread about the "Best Tales of Woe" heard on a Cruise Ship. ;)

 

Please do! That might make some good reading. And some of us might be embarassed that we fell for some of those tales. (Me included:eek:)