pre-paid gratuities

where on the carnival website do i prepaid the gratuities? i do not see anything in cruise manager.

They always ask if I want the pre paid gratuities when I book. Just call your PVP, they can add it.

When you initially book your cruise there's a place to do so then. However, if you didn't prepay at that time, you have to call to pay them.

I think prepaid gratuities are terrible. If you give cash, the staff get the money. If you give on your account, CCL gets most of the money.

I was visiting a large upscale resort in the Caribbean and was told by a staff member that if you charge gratuities to your room, 90% of it goes back to the corporate office in Delawar to your room, 90% of it goes back to the corporate office in the US and 10% went to the employees.

I am sure that CCL takes a huge chunk out of account paid gratuities. Consider how much more the staff will work and give you extra free perks if you give them cash. It cost the same to you.

I think prepaid gratuities are terrible. If you give cash, the staff get the money. If you give on your account, CCL gets.

You might want to include your proof that this is what CCL does.

Pay no attention to the conspiracy theorists. It's the same if you prepay vs having them added to your onboard account normally. However, they just announced an increase. So you are wise to prepay to save some money.

The answer to your question is if you didn't select it online initially, then just call Carnival or your TA and they can do it on the phone. Simple and easy.

I am sure that CCL takes a huge chunk out of account paid gratuities. Consider how much more the staff will work and give you extra free perks if you give them cash. It cost the same to you.

Do you have proof? I have never heard this from a CCL employee. If you hand out tips yourself you will surely be missing people included in the auto-pay tips.

I always give some extra to those I interact with.

There are a lot of people "behind the scenes" who you cannot tip in person. Those who wash your sheets, those who cook your food, etc.

Do you have proof? I have never heard this from a CCL employee. If you hand out tips yourself you will surely be missing people included in the auto-pay tips.

 

 

 

I always give some extra to those I interact with.

There is no proof for a good reason. It does not happen. The tipping program works well. Period.

I think prepaid gratuities are terrible. If you give cash, the staff get the money. If you give on your account, CCL gets most of the money.

 

I was visiting a large upscale resort in the Caribbean and was told by a staff member that if you charge gratuities to your room, 90% of it goes back to the corporate office in Delawar to your room, 90% of it goes back to the corporate office in the US and 10% went to the employees.

 

I am sure that CCL takes a huge chunk out of account paid gratuities. Consider how much more the staff will work and give you extra free perks if you give them cash. It cost the same to you.

TOTALLY ILLEGAL! Do you really think a company as large as carnival would risk such charges. I don't want to get into the accounting part of it, so please just think about it.

Okay.... Sorry for bringing this up.

1. You are 100% right that you miss tipping people who are behind the scenes. No ands, ifs or buts about that. You are 100% correct. My bad.

2. I will drop this topic all together. I cannot provide empirical evidence that will satisfy everyone's concerns, so I will discuss no further.

3. There is nothing illegal about businesses keeping portions of gratuities. For example, i know quite a few restaurants that say: "All cash tips go to the staff and all credit card tips go to the house."

[quote name=volcomstone821;4986171

3. There is nothing illegal about businesses keeping portions of gratuities. For example' date=' i know quite a few restaurants that say: "All cash tips go to the staff and all credit card tips go to the house."[/quote]

"From California Labor Code "Section 351 prohibits employers and their agents from sharing in or keeping any portion of a gratuity left for or given to one or more employees by a patron. Furthermore it is illegal for employers to make wage deductions from gratuities, or from using gratuities as direct or indirect credits against an employee’s wages. The law further states that gratuities are the sole property of the employee or employees to whom they are given. "Gratuity" is defined in the Labor Code as a tip, gratuity, or money that has been paid or given to or left for an employee by a patron of a business over and above the actual amount due for services rendered or for goods, food, drink, articles sold or served to patrons."

Other states have the same type of law.

Cruise lines are not US corporations that must follow California or US labor law.

Okay.... Sorry for bringing this up.

 

 

 

1. You are 100% right that you miss tipping people who are behind the scenes. No ands, ifs or buts about that. You are 100% correct. My bad.

 

 

 

2. I will drop this topic all together. I cannot provide empirical evidence that will satisfy everyone's concerns, so I will discuss no further.

 

 

 

3. There is nothing illegal about businesses keeping portions of gratuities. For example, i know quite a few restaurants that say: "All cash tips go to the staff and all credit card tips go to the house."

I believe the difference is that their policy is stated as to where the tips go such as your point number 3. Carnival breaks it down on their website who gets what. To flat out lie to the public would be very wrong, possibly illegal. I'm sure they would have been busted wide open for it by now. You know lawyers and the news loves a juicy story.

Here is a post from JH today on his FB. Sorry I cannot copy and paste as I am on my phone so I had to screenshot it as a pic.

He has said it many. Many times, yet there are some here who refuse to believe it.

"From California Labor Code "Section 351 prohibits employers and their agents from sharing in or keeping any portion of a gratuity left for or given to one or more employees by a patron. Furthermore it is illegal for employers to make wage deductions from gratuities, or from using gratuities as direct or indirect credits against an employee’s wages. The law further states that gratuities are the sole property of the employee or employees to whom they are given. "Gratuity" is defined in the Labor Code as a tip, gratuity, or money that has been paid or given to or left for an employee by a patron of a business over and above the actual amount due for services rendered or for goods, food, drink, articles sold or served to patrons."

 

Other states have the same type of law.

Sorry, but you are wrong.

When you sign your name on a restaurant bill/prepaid gratuity, guess who's name is on top.... The business. Therefore, the gratuity is going to the business to use as they see fit.

However, if cash is given to the staff, that is a situation where the employer is not supposed to take a portion.

You cannot legally take away wages to offset gratuity. The are just taking a portion of the gratuity. Scenario: Employee is paid $10 an hour and the employee sees $6 in credit card gratuities come in that hour. The employer CANNOT deduct $6 from their pay so they maintain the $10 an hour. This is what is illegal.

It can get MUCH more complicated than that, even if Carnival was a US corp. However, if you were a labor law expert, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Just trust me. It is legal and it happens more than you think.

Okay.... Sorry for bringing this up.

 

 

2. I will drop this topic all together.

Great idea.

I believe the difference is that their policy is stated as to where the tips go such as your point number 3. Carnival breaks it down on their website who gets what. To flat out lie to the public would be very wrong, possibly illegal. I'm sure they would have been busted wide open for it by now. You know lawyers and the news loves a juicy story.

 

Here is a post from JH today on his FB. Sorry I cannot copy and paste as I am on my phone so I had to screenshot it as a pic.

 

Thank you posting JH remarks regarding tipping.

He has said it many. Many times, yet there are some here who refuse to believe it.

Totally agree..........

I think prepaid gratuities are terrible. If you give cash, the staff get the money. If you give on your account, CCL gets most of the money.

SMH. Sigh...not true AT ALL. Currently the $12 is split as follows: $6.10 to the wait staff, $3.90 to the stewards, and the remaining $2.00 goes to the rest of the staff.

And PS-if you are basing your theory on something that one of the staff members told you, wake up and smell the coffee. They were making this up so that you would feel sorry for them and tip them more in cash. Anyone who would believe this is a sucker.

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Sorry, but you are wrong.

 

When you sign your name on a restaurant bill/prepaid gratuity, guess who's name is on top.... The business. Therefore, the gratuity is going to the business to use as they see fit.

 

However, if cash is given to the staff, that is a situation where the employer is not supposed to take a portion.

 

You cannot legally take away wages to offset gratuity. The are just taking a portion of the gratuity. Scenario: Employee is paid $10 an hour and the employee sees $6 in credit card gratuities come in that hour. The employer CANNOT deduct $6 from their pay so they maintain the $10 an hour. This is what is illegal.

 

It can get MUCH more complicated than that, even if Carnival was a US corp. However, if you were a labor law expert, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Just trust me. It is legal and it happens more than you think.

Actually, the Federal FLSA act requires that tips belong to the employee period. The only difference with a credit card tip is that, if the restaurant pays a fee to the cc company for each transaction (3%), they can deduct that percentage of the tip because theoretically, they are still passing along all of the funds they rec'd. The only other portion of the tips that they can keep or take back is a difference between the tipped min wage and the federal min wage that they had to pay. In no event more than about $5/hr. I know this doesn't apply to Carnival - just don't want people afraid to tip in US restaurants with a credit card! Wait staff may prefer cash tips for other reasons (they have it immediately, less tracking for taxes, higher tip to round up, etc), but they will get the tip you leave on a credit card.

As for Carnival, they say that they give it to the staff! If I believed that was an outright lie, I wouldn't 'tip in cash'... I wouldn't cruise with them at all! If they would outright lie and say all of it goes to those staff members, what would they lie about in food, safety, etc..

3. There is nothing illegal about businesses keeping portions of gratuities. For example, i know quite a few restaurants that say: "All cash tips go to the staff and all credit card tips go to the house."

Not that this is the scenario, but you're distorting that statement. Tips going to the house means that they go into a generic pool and then are split up evenly between the employees that seekers tipped. Not that it goes to corporate or the the bosses.

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where on the carnival website do i prepaid the gratuities? i do not see anything in cruise manager.

Just email them with your booking info and they can add them to your billing or call.

There, question answered and not one bit of editorializing. :p

I've asked this before, and I'll ask it again...

Why doesn't CCL just raise the price of a cruise by the $12.95 per person per day and leave any tipping to be done by the customers, to the customers discretion?

IMHO that would solve a multitude of problems...

I've asked this before, and I'll ask it again...

 

 

 

Why doesn't CCL just raise the price of a cruise by the $12.95 per person per day and leave any tipping to be done by the customers, to the customers discretion?

 

 

 

IMHO that would solve a multitude of problems...

Some are concerned that if it's added into the cruise fare itself, it would get taxed. So I suggest they make it a separate, mandatory charge and call it a "Service Charge" because really that's what it is and be done with it. Just like the Taxes/Port Fees. Then nothing more is expected from the guest. However, should you wish to give additional, then you absolutely can but it's totally up to you.

Actually, the Federal FLSA act requires that tips belong to the employee period. The only difference with a credit card tip is that, if the restaurant pays a fee to the cc company for each transaction (3%), they can deduct that percentage of the tip because theoretically, they are still passing along all of the funds they rec'd.[/i] The only other portion of the tips that they can keep or take back is a difference between the tipped min wage and the federal min wage that they had to pay. In no event more than about $5/hr. I know this doesn't apply to Carnival - just don't want people afraid to tip in US restaurants with a credit card! Wait staff may prefer cash tips for other reasons (they have it immediately, less tracking for taxes, higher tip to round up, etc), but they will get the tip you leave on a credit card.

 

As for Carnival, they say that they give it to the staff! If I believed that was an outright lie, I wouldn't 'tip in cash'... I wouldn't cruise with them at all! If they would outright lie and say all of it goes to those staff members, what would they lie about in food, safety, etc..

That's why we tip in cash & mark on CC slip that we left cash for tip.