Increase in tips and suite perks

Just got this email

April 29, 2016

Dear Carnival Guest,

We'd like to take this opportunity to provide you some important information regarding a change to our gratuity guidelines.

Our gratuity guidelines will be increasing from $12.00 to $12.95 per person per day for guests sailing in standard staterooms and $13.95 per person per day for guests booked in suites with cruises departing September 1, 2016 and onward. In tandem with this change, in addition to priority embarkation and debarkation in all ports and confirmed main dining room preference, suite guests will now receive priority tender service, complimentary in-suite bottled water and one complimentary bag of laundry per voyage, as well as an enhanced turndown service. Guests who have pre-paid their gratuities as of May 9 will not be affected by the increase.

While gratuities are automatically added to your onboard Sail & Sign account as a convenience, tipping is always at your discretion. Please feel free to adjust, up or down, as you deem appropriate, by visiting Guest Services after the gratuities have been posted to your account.

Our shipboard team members work hard to provide exceptional service so we hope you will agree that this slight increase is well deserved.

We thank you for your understanding and we look forward to welcoming you aboard for a fun and memorable cruise!

Sincerely,

Arlene Marichal

Sr. Director, Guest Services - Contact Centers

I wonder what enhanced turn down service is?

I wonder what enhanced turn down service is?

A mint on your pillow :D

Its not really a perk if you pay for it with increased tips....lol

Maybe they tuck you in????

It's good to be a room steward. They're doing their darndest to cut back to once a day service while getting a raise at the same time. Who doesn't love making more for doing less?

Who will be getting the additional funds.? I hope it is not going to their salaried employees like the last increase did.

Who will be getting the additional funds.? I hope it is not going to their salaried employees like the last increase did.

Arnold and Christine.

Being booked in a Suite for our September cruise...ill take the free bag of laundry :)

Who will be getting the additional funds.? I hope it is not going to their salaried employees like the last increase did.

carnival corp needs more money to pay off the vista new ship debit

kinda strange how they release this news on just about the same day the vista got handed over to carnival.

It's good to be a room steward. They're doing their darndest to cut back to once a day service while getting a raise at the same time. Who doesn't love making more for doing less?

We see things a little different. While I agree with you that Carnival is moving toward once a day service I disagree with making more for doing less. The room stewards are now assigned more staterooms to service.

If one steward can do 10 rooms twice per day then if you cut to once per day steward could do 20 rooms thus eliminating an employee. One less person to feed and house.

I am aware room steward often have 20 or more staterooms. I used the 10 to 20 only as an example.

My guess is that non-suite rooms will be serviced once a day and suites will be serviced twice. Does bottled water mean a case of water I wonder. I wish they added the Guest Service perk to it.

The new suite perks were scheduled to come out with the launch of the Vista. I think they are just fine. We all cruise carnival for its value. The suite perks are never going to be the same as other lines. Coffee makers in suites on the Vista.

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If one steward can do 10 rooms twice per day then if you cut to once per day steward could do 20 rooms thus eliminating an employee. One less person to feed.

But that same steward now collects the tips from 20 rooms when they were previously only tipped for 10.

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Not happy about the tip increase. I know it isn't a lot but it is already pricey as it is. It probably isn't even going to the employees, several crew members have told me that Carnival takes some of your tips. As another poster said it is probably going to Arnold and Christine.

We see things a little different. While I agree with you that Carnival is moving toward once a day service I disagree with making more for doing less. The room stewards are now assigned more staterooms to service.

 

If one steward can do 10 rooms twice per day then if you cut to once per day steward could do 20 rooms thus eliminating an employee. One less person to feed and house.

 

I am aware room steward often have 20 or more staterooms. I used the 10 to 20 only as an example.

My thoughts are this. They were doing 20x2. Now if they go to once a day and they are doing 35x1, they have less work, but they collect the tips from 15 additional cabins. A huge raise and 5 less services.

Not happy about the tip increase. I know it isn't a lot but it is already pricey as it is. It probably isn't even going to the employees, several crew members have told me that Carnival takes some of your tips. As another poster said it is probably going to Arnold and Christine.

Of course the crew members are going to tell you that. They want to guilt-trip you into giving them extra tips.

Of course the crew members are going to tell you that. They want to guilt-trip you into giving them extra tips.

I can see your reasoning, but I don't think they are lying about it. Some of them have even contacted Jim Walker with proof.

I can see your reasoning, but I don't think they are lying about it. Some of them have even contacted Jim Walker with proof.

I love JW. Most people hate him because they don't like the bearer of bad news. LOL

My thoughts are this. They were doing 20x2. Now if they go to once a day and they are doing 35x1, they have less work, but they collect the tips from 15 additional cabins. A huge raise and 5 less services.

I don't think they have would have less work in that scenario because once a day isn't really half the work, but you're right that they would end up with a lot more money in tips. That is exactly what makes me question the idea that the entire amount specified by Carnival as being for "stateroom services" is actually going into the stewards' pockets. Edited to add -- I don't mean to limit this only to Carnival. I expect that all major cruiselines are the same.

I don't think they have would have less work in that scenario because once a day isn't really half the work, but you're right that they would end up with a lot more money in tips. That is exactly what makes me question the idea that the entire amount specified by Carnival as being for "stateroom services" is actually going into the stewards' pockets.

There might be an unspoken "administrative fee" for Carnival to manage the tip pool. That might explain the mysterious "alternate services" portion of the tips. ;)

Doesn't bother me.

#1. Doesn't affect any of my upcoming sailings straight through to 2018. All are already pre-paid and it doesn't go into effect for my August sailing.

#2. I would have given that much additional at least anyway. And I still will.

Alot of people really get up in arms over tips. But I don't sweat it in the least. I would be fine if they added them into the price of the fare with no ability to immediately remove them.

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Doesn't bother me.

 

#1. Doesn't affect any of my upcoming sailings straight through to 2018. All are already pre-paid and it doesn't go into effect for my August sailing.

 

#2. I would have given that much additional at least anyway. And I still will.

 

Alot of people really get up in arms over tips. But I don't sweat it in the least. I would be fine if they added them into the price of the fare with no ability to immediately remove them.

 

 

 

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If they added them into the fare, you'd have to pay tax on it. You really don't want that. And your sentiments are exactly what enables them to keep raising rates and making cuts. They'll keep jacking up prices and making cuts until they get some pushback. Then they'll know that they've reached the threshold of what their market will bear, and stop.

If they added them into the fare, you'd have to pay tax on it. You really don't want that. And your sentiments are exactly what enables them to keep raising rates and making cuts. They'll keep jacking up prices and making cuts until they get some pushback. Then they'll know that they've reached the threshold of what their market will bear, and stop.

Good point about the tax. But my opinion still stands otherwise. I know that won't go over well on this board. That's o.k. It's how I feel.

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I wonder what enhanced turn down service is?

The crappy chocolate that they cut a couple of years ago:D