Can I remove the mandatory on board gratuity charge?

[parrotthead]

i absolutely see your point, too, and i agree 100% that the $10 per day is sooooo little.

 

I like your viewpoint---it really isn't conducive to individual tipping, is it? For example, i never gave the buffet staff a thought. We've never had it paid in advance before we sail, i'll have to give that one a try (at the very least, it saves one trip to the guest relations desk! Lol).

;)

:)

[SISer]

Yes, it makes total sense!

 

I guess DH and I are just "old school." I don't like giving donations to charities because I am skeptical about whether my donation makes it to those who need it, rather than to "administrative" costs; the same holds true for tipping (either when cruising or at a resort)---if I give it directly to them, I know they get it.

 

BUT---I DO realize that many people who remove the tips don't provide any gratuities, so I understand why it's an issue.

 

 

That's exactly why I started this thread. I do want the tip money to get the right people. A friend used to work in a restaurnat and never saw a dime of the auto tips the restaurant raked in (the particular restaurant was in a tourist area of town and none of the patrons would question the auto gratuity charge). All these tips went into the pockets of the owners NOT the people who served the patrons.

[MrPete]

That's exactly why I started this thread. I do want the tip money to get the right people. A friend used to work in a restaurnat and never saw a dime of the auto tips the restaurant raked in (the particular restaurant was in a tourist area of town and none of the patrons would question the auto gratuity charge). All these tips went into the pockets of the owners NOT the people who served the patrons.

 

Well, rest assure, your tips will go DIRECTLY to the people that serve you.

[parrotthead]

Well, rest assure, your tips will go DIRECTLY to the people that serve you.

What MrPete said.

The Cruiselines have the system worked out.

[dan40]

What MrPete said.

The Cruiselines have the system worked out.

 

 

I would STRONGLY disagree with this statement. Carnival has the system worked out and RCL does as well where the same people that serve me individually are the ones that receive MY tip money. That is NOT TRUE for "Cruiselines."

NCL is a blanket "service charge" divided among all servers.

MSC is a $12.00 auto-tip divided among every hotel worker on the ship including bartenders and bar waiters.

Princess pools their auto-tips for all room stewards and dining room servers.

So, "Cruiselines" is not the case, each line has its own method, some more fair than others.

[katiel53]

In all honesty, I didn't even think about them. :(

 

We had tipped the Maitre 'd $50.00 on night one, and we also tipped the ass't maitre 'd $50.00 on night one; we tipped our waiter and ass't waiter the last night. Obviously, we incorrectly thought that the other dining staff (those who bus tables, for example), received a portion of what we tipped the maitre 'd/ass. maitre 'd.

 

We didn't discover CC until we got back from our cruise in May. You can bet from now on we'll tip the staff as they provide service.

 

Wow, I am so impressed by you!!

[Cristallo]

I've got a question that I've wondered so maybe someone can help me. On our cruise we picked Your time dining. That means, I would assume, we'll have different servers in the dinning room. Who will get the tips from our gratuities?

[missdebi]

I have been told(by staff) that if you do open seating-each night your table assignment is marked to your S&S account and the automatic gratuities are divided among them.

[parrotthead]

I would STRONGLY disagree with this statement. Carnival has the system worked out and RCL does as well where the same people that serve me individually are the ones that receive MY tip money. That is NOT TRUE for "Cruiselines."

NCL is a blanket "service charge" divided among all servers.

MSC is a $12.00 auto-tip divided among every hotel worker on the ship including bartenders and bar waiters.

Princess pools their auto-tips for all room stewards and dining room servers.

So, "Cruiselines" is not the case, each line has its own method, some more fair than others.

uhhh, ok, dan.

I guess, I was referring to CCL and RCI, thats all I am familiar with, really.

(also, I was more responding to chicks concerns that sometimes when they give money to chairities etc that the owners were getting the money.)

[cuzzx]

you people have no clue,

when you tip through the cruise line it cuts the pay that each person gets.

 

ok, wardo gets $100 aday to wait your table from carnival.

then you tip the ten dollars, wardo gets $97 from carnival and $3 from that days tip to help him make his pay of $100. Carnival wins because that is $3 in there pocket. can you prove me wrong. I talked with a girl that waits tables.

 

again you order a beer and they add the tip to it. then you pay your $10 in tips that day through the cruise line. the bar/waiter gets another cut of that. double dip for them but Carnival wins twice again.

 

And it should not matter to anyone on this site how or if I tip.

 

You can call from your room the last night on the ship after supper and have your tips removed. I did this on one cruise where the dinning room staff was very very very bad , including the matrade. every time he talked it was about the last ship he was on. our waiter was always getting everything wrong. one night we never got our tea until desert was being served.

 

i can go on and on but i want bother you with this, yes I tip.

[parrotthead]

Land based resturants have a 'tip allocation' system, that yes, works similuar to what you are describing.

However, I do Not think that is the way it is on a Cruise ship.

REad up on the subject:

http://www.jobmonkey.com/cruise/html/earning_and_saving.html

http://www.cruiselinesjobs.com/wages/

[Tapi]

And it should not matter to anyone on this site how or if I tip.

 

It matters the moment that you decide to post in a public forum about your tipping opinions or habits. You're then subject to what other people have to say (or write) about them...:)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

you people have no clue,

when you tip through the cruise line it cuts the pay that each person gets.

 

ok, wardo gets $100 aday to wait your table from carnival.

then you tip the ten dollars, wardo gets $97 from carnival and $3 from that days tip to help him make his pay of $100. Carnival wins because that is $3 in there pocket. can you prove me wrong. I talked with a girl that waits tables.

 

again you order a beer and they add the tip to it. then you pay your $10 in tips that day through the cruise line. the bar/waiter gets another cut of that. double dip for them but Carnival wins twice again.

 

And it should not matter to anyone on this site how or if I tip.

 

You can call from your room the last night on the ship after supper and have your tips removed. I did this on one cruise where the dinning room staff was very very very bad , including the matrade. every time he talked it was about the last ship he was on. our waiter was always getting everything wrong. one night we never got our tea until desert was being served.

 

i can go on and on but i want bother you with this, yes I tip.

 

It sounds like you have no clue.

 

For one when you tip the $10 per day the bar/waiter gets nothing from the $10.

 

When you are in the dinning room is it really loud?

 

Bill

[BeeBeeCee]

We pay our tips when we pay the final payment....then we tip our steward and waiter/co-waiter extra at the end of the cruise.

 

I figure the 10/day is standard and the extra i give is based on their service which...lucky for us...has always been great :)

 

Not trying to impress anyone by leaving extra, just giving reward for what's diserved.

 

And...time is valuable on my cruise...why would I ever want to stand in a line waiting to remove tips :confused:, no matter how bad the service ...

 

I will use my time wisely ....having fun :D

[Cruisin'Allie]

On our last cruise I did the auto-tip when I booked and never saw any other reference to it on my account, but I was glad to have it out of the way. I didn't tip any more than the recommended amount.

 

I've read several books (recommended by members here) about the working conditions on ships and feel like the service employees deserve all of the tip money they are allocated (actually they deserve MORE - so on my next cruise I will tip appropriately for the service I receive).

 

If I worked 12 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8-10 months at a time, I'd like to get more than $1000 a month for my hard work. (Uh, that's roughly $2.75 an hour for a 12 hour day... and under those conditions, I doubt most people that do cruise would be willing to work that hard with a smile on their face)

 

Sure $30 a day might be a lot in the country the staff is from, but all we are "encouraged" to pay is $10 per day, so I don't think that is a lot to ask of someone who is already paying a few hundred or more for the vacation to begin with. Chances are, those people are working those long, horrible hours just to give their families (who they go months without seeing) a better future.

 

(Donning my flame-retardant polyester leisure-suit :D)

 

That's just my opinion...

[cruisincory]

Plan on booking open seating and would like to tip my cabin steward and teh staff who serve me directly. What is Carnivals policy regarding onboard gratuities? Can I/should I have these removed from my onboard account?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Its your money, what you do with it is your choice...you tip like YOU want to, not the way everyone else wants you to. Of course, to some on here , you will be the DEVIL for removing auto tips....

[parrotthead]

On our last cruise I did the auto-tip when I booked and never saw any other reference to it on my account' date=' but I was glad to have it out of the way. I didn't tip any more than the recommended amount.

 

I've read several books (recommended by members here) about the working conditions on ships and feel like the service employees deserve all of the tip money they are allocated (actually they deserve MORE - so on my next cruise I will tip appropriately for the service I receive).

 

If I worked 12 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8-10 months at a time, I'd like to get more than $1000 a month for my hard work. (Uh, that's roughly $2.75 an hour for a 12 hour day... and under those conditions, I doubt most people that do cruise would be willing to work that hard with a smile on their face)

 

Sure $30 a day might be a lot in the country the staff is from, but all we are "encouraged" to pay is $10 per day, so I don't think that is a lot to ask of someone who is already paying a few hundred or more for the vacation to begin with. Chances are, those people are working those long, horrible hours just to give their families (who they go months without seeing) a better future.

 

(Donning my flame-retardant polyester leisure-suit :D)

 

That's just my opinion...[/quote']~NOT flaming by any means~One thing to remember is that Room and Board (living quarters, living expensives, food, activites, etc) are included in their contracts.

Im not saying its the hightest paying job, esp for how hard cruise line employees work, but Im only saying that you really cant break it down into $/hours since their 'pay' includes living expenses too.

~you know I think they desreve more, but I dont think they are 'taken advantage of' as far as what they contact on for, now when people remove/stiff them on tips, then yes, they are being shortchanged and Thats not right~

[DEBnGAB]

you people have no clue,

when you tip through the cruise line it cuts the pay that each person gets.

 

ok, wardo gets $100 aday to wait your table from carnival.

then you tip the ten dollars, wardo gets $97 from carnival and $3 from that days tip to help him make his pay of $100. Carnival wins because that is $3 in there pocket. can you prove me wrong. I talked with a girl that waits tables.

 

again you order a beer and they add the tip to it. then you pay your $10 in tips that day through the cruise line. the bar/waiter gets another cut of that. double dip for them but Carnival wins twice again.

 

And it should not matter to anyone on this site how or if I tip.

 

You can call from your room the last night on the ship after supper and have your tips removed. I did this on one cruise where the dinning room staff was very very very bad , including the matrade. every time he talked it was about the last ship he was on. our waiter was always getting everything wrong. one night we never got our tea until desert was being served.

 

i can go on and on but i want bother you with this, yes I tip.

 

 

I assume you meant Maitre'D? How did you have his tips removed if they arent included in the $10per day??

[dan40]

you people have no clue,

when you tip through the cruise line it cuts the pay that each person gets.

 

This is incorrect on every cruiseline I know.

ok, wardo gets $100 aday to wait your table from carnival.

then you tip the ten dollars, wardo gets $97 from carnival and $3 from that days tip to help him make his pay of $100. Carnival wins because that is $3 in there pocket. can you prove me wrong. I talked with a girl that waits tables.

 

Where did you accumulate this pile of garbage? On Carnival, the workers base pay and their tips are not connected. And please don't say " cruise employment agencies. And the employees themselves are the worst source of information about tipping.

 

again you order a beer and they add the tip to it. then you pay your $10 in tips that day through the cruise line. the bar/waiter gets another cut of that. double dip for them but Carnival wins twice again.

 

Misinformation AGAIN. The bar workers, on Carnival are NOT part of the auto-tip. Room stewards, MDR waiters and assistant waiters, and bistro personnel are the only ones that receive auto-tip funds and they receive them from the people in the rooms they clean and the tables they serve.

ON CARNIVAL!

 

And it should not matter to anyone on this site how or if I tip.

 

You can call from your room the last night on the ship after supper and have your tips removed. I did this on one cruise where the dinning room staff was very very very bad , including the matrade. every time he talked it was about the last ship he was on. our waiter was always getting everything wrong. one night we never got our tea until desert was being served.

 

i can go on and on but i want bother you with this, yes I tip.

 

Removing the tip for poor service is your prerogative. You could not have removed the tip for the Maitre D' as there is no auto-tip for the MD' on Carnival.

 

Perhaps you'd like to re-think and try again?

[chachi]

In all honesty, I didn't even think about them. :(

 

We had tipped the Maitre 'd $50.00 on night one, and we also tipped the ass't maitre 'd $50.00 on night one; we tipped our waiter and ass't waiter the last night. Obviously, we incorrectly thought that the other dining staff (those who bus tables, for example), received a portion of what we tipped the maitre 'd/ass. maitre 'd.

 

We didn't discover CC until we got back from our cruise in May. You can bet from now on we'll tip the staff as they provide service.

 

That is why I don't understand why people take the tips off to tip yourself. You don't know everyone who is getting the money. You may be tipping some well while completely ignoring others. You are saying how well you tip, why not just tip on top of the $10 and maybe not tip as much extra.

The majority of people who take the automatic tips away are doing it to save money, not to tip extra. There are a lot of people who do not feel the kids need to tip. In my opinion, kids are a lot of work and everyone usually goes out of their way to make them happy.

[Kurbanfan]

On our last cruise I did the auto-tip when I booked and never saw any other reference to it on my account' date=' but I was glad to have it out of the way. I didn't tip any more than the recommended amount.

 

I've read several books (recommended by members here) about the working conditions on ships and feel like the service employees deserve all of the tip money they are allocated (actually they deserve MORE - so on my next cruise I will tip appropriately for the service I receive).

 

If I worked 12 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8-10 months at a time, I'd like to get more than $1000 a month for my hard work. (Uh, that's roughly $2.75 an hour for a 12 hour day... and under those conditions, I doubt most people that do cruise would be willing to work that hard with a smile on their face)

 

Sure $30 a day might be a lot in the country the staff is from, but all we are "encouraged" to pay is $10 per day, so I don't think that is a lot to ask of someone who is already paying a few hundred or more for the vacation to begin with. Chances are, those people are working those long, horrible hours just to give their families (who they go months without seeing) a better future.

 

(Donning my flame-retardant polyester leisure-suit :D)

 

That's just my opinion...[/quote']

 

Who hired you as their advocate:confused: The auto tips are all they expect and even receiving those.....it is sometimes worth 15 times the US dollar in their country........there is a reason people write those books;)

[sharecruises]

I thought that if you choose the "anytime" dining that the tips then are NOT removable??

[chickie_mite]

That is why I don't understand why people take the tips off to tip yourself. You don't know everyone who is getting the money. You may be tipping some well while completely ignoring others. You are saying how well you tip, why not just tip on top of the $10 and maybe not tip as much extra.

The majority of people who take the automatic tips away are doing it to save money, not to tip extra. There are a lot of people who do not feel the kids need to tip. In my opinion, kids are a lot of work and everyone usually goes out of their way to make them happy.

 

 

When was the last time anyone here tipped a bus boy/girl in a restaurant at home? I'm guessing that none of us do--because we assume that the wait staff shares their tips with the bus staff. Whether at home, at a resort, or on a cruise, we tip those we feel enhanced our experience and cared for our needs---while cruising, these are the crew with whom we interact. I mean, seriously, if we start tipping all of the invisible crew members who had a part in the vacation, there would be nothing left for me to play the slots! :p

 

And I agree with you 100% on a couple of your points---the majority do not tip if they remove the gratuities (but it's their choice). I wholeheartedly agree that kids are a LOT of work, and staff should be compensated appropriately.

 

Like so many other polarizing topics when it comes to cruising, DH and I do what makes us comfortable and enhances our vacation experience, and we give others permission to do the same. (but if your kid pees on me while I'm in the hot tub, then not so much) :D

[Cruisin'Allie]

Who hired you as their advocate:confused: The auto tips are all they expect and even receiving those.....it is sometimes worth 15 times the US dollar in their country........there is a reason people write those books;)

 

Nobody "hired" me... I worked in a retail store where many of the Port Canaveral Crew buses stopped and I became familiar with quite a few of the crew as I'd see them three or four times a month. A lot of them had families (either children & spouses or parents & siblings) that were beneficiaries of their pay on the ship because the value of our dollar. The crew still has to purchase personal items at US dollar prices. They made the sacrifice for their families. Sure some were single and doing it to see the world, so to speak. But speaking for myself, (regardless of whether room & board, etc. was provided) I would not work those long hours under those conditions for that rate of pay unless I felt it was my best option to provide for myself or my family. It is their choice to work on the ships just like it's my choice to compensate them as I see fit.

[Sailor2Cruiser]

When was the last time anyone here tipped a bus boy/girl in a restaurant at home? I'm guessing that none of us do--

 

I had never given this a thought until my son worked at a pizza buffet restaurant. He came home one night with a tip. From then on we started to tip the busboys/girls.

 

Is it better to pay the tips in advance or pay the tips at the end of the cruise? Or is that just a matter of "I have the money now, let me get it out of the way."? Does this really make a difference?