Can I remove the mandatory on board gratuity charge?

[pnjkeith]

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.

 

 

Yes, go guest services. BTW tipping is not mandatory. Many on CC will berate you for even thinking about. Your money, not CC posters. I believe many posters say they are BIG tippers, when in reality they tip very little. Why else do they feel the need to brag.

[sharecruises]

OK>>>> I am asking again...

I thought that the "anytime dining" required prepayment of tips non removable??

 

and that the regular/assigned time dining one could remove tips if needed/desired?? that is what I thought...please post facts ok?

 

*btw....my head waiter was pretty bad on Liberty and I didn't tip a dime extra but left the $10 a day on

[pnjkeith]

 

Usually people that "wish to remove the tips" with the excuse of "wanting to tip directly", end up undertipping. Not only is it wrong, it's also cheap and trashy

 

Proof?

[Kurbanfan]

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.

 

Think about it..........if you had a chance to make 15 times what you are making now here in the U.S by working on a ship........you would not sign a 8 month contract to work on a cruise ship:confused: Say you were making $70,000 a year......now times that by 15:D I find that really hard to believe......

[toby #1]

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?

 

Why not just leave it on and tip the people you like extra like most of the rest of us do? Just mho. :rolleyes:

[LHP]

Yes, leaving the tips on the Sail and Sign card is the correct thing to do.

 

No matter how well "intentioned"....Carnival knows EVERYONE that serves you.....you do not. They have the system to get the money to the correct hands....you do not.

 

If people try to do it themselves, there will be people that they miss....BECAUSE they don't know the entire system.

 

Also I wish Travel Agents and PVPs would educate the passengers that this is how cruiselines (not just Carnival) pay their employees. This is not a "tip" in the true sense of the word. They are not like a waitress in the US where they make $2 "something" an hour plus tips.

 

They are paid $70 a MONTH here plus tips...so these tips are their salary.

 

Personally, I wish they would call them what they truly are....a service surcharge and make it where they can not be removed.

 

More and more uneducated bus riders are cruising these days and as the numbers increase, these hard working individuals are getting stiffed more and more.

[Kurbanfan]

Auto tips are gratuities not service charges......it really doesn't take a masters degree to understand this.........

[blindrid]

To remove the tips from your Sign & Sail card, go to the Guest Relations desk; if you are married, bring your spouse with you. Don't wait until the last evening of the cruise (the line is very long)---do it sometime during the day or in the morning of your last day.

 

They will print out a receipt that these have been removed from your S&S account--one receipt for you, one for your spouse (on the Dream in May, they initially would not remove my husband's b/c he wasn't with me---they said that since he was the primary card holder, they had to have his permission to remove the tips. I exchanged a few words with them about that, as I sure didn't need his permission to charge 100s of dollars on the card throughout the week...why did I need his permission to remove charges? LOL). Do not feel intimidated or guilty or ashamed; this is an individual's choice.

 

We remove gratuities and tip privately, both throughout the week (heck, I tipped a drink server and additional $5.00 b/c he brought me french fries from the grill) and on the last night. We received exceptional service throughout the week.....and no one slammed a door on our fingers when were were leaving b/c we canceled our tips. :)

 

.....and I'm guessing that you ultimately stiffed some of the people that privided you service that you don't see or don't think of. I don't think a $5 tip to a server (oh my!) makes up for a whole lot.

[Aknot]

That is why I don't understand why people take the tips off to tip yourself.

 

Because it is optional? Because they can?

 

Why does it matter?

 

It is not like they are taking the charge off and they are not permitted to.

[startpacking]

~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~

 

What you neglect to mention is that often the living conditions onboard are far better than the living conditions in the countries from where the staff are from. These people are not well to do in their country which is why they choose these types of jobs.

[sailaway anyday]

you can take them off but should not there is no way for you to tip everyone who serves you. if it is a matter of not being able to afford it you should not be sailing and take care of your other obligations.

[chachi]

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

 

I have waitressed at many restaurants during my college years. The nicer ones the waitstaff did have to split tips. The family friendly ones we did not, however in that case the busboys made minimum wage and had no expectations of receiving tips. When you remove tips from the bus boys, Carnival is not going to pay them more because you removed them.

While it is nice to give money to those who you personally interact with, there are many more who do things for you. That is why I leave the tips alone and tip the steward more. If I have the same waiter a lot I tip extra, but now that I cruise anytime I get several different waiters.

Everyone has a right to do what they want, but most people who do it do it because they are cheap. If you cannot afford an extra $70, you can't afford cruising. (and I don't mean you personally, people in general)

[chachi]

What you neglect to mention is that often the living conditions onboard are far better than the living conditions in the countries from where the staff are from. These people are not well to do in their country which is why they choose these types of jobs.

 

So because they are from poor countries it is okay to take tips away?

[chachi]

Because it is optional? Because they can?

 

Why does it matter?

 

It is not like they are taking the charge off and they are not permitted to.

 

It matters because these people bust their butt for people you all week. They deserve to get paid for the work they do.

[pnjkeith]

Auto tips are gratuities not service charges......it really doesn't take a masters degree to understand this.........

 

It does on Cruise Critic!

[SBAnt]

Just to add gasoline to this discussion, I want to add that when you look at a waiter/waitress's hourly wage, that's the minimum (legally) the restaurant can pay a person. What most people don't understand is that when you add taxes, the $2.13/hour that servers make disappears. Most break even with the establishment they work at, so they literally live on tips alone, with no tangible income from the restaurant whatsoever. In fact, many servers end up owing their place of employment money from every paycheck because of the way taxes are calculated. Waiters/Waitresses are assumed to be tipped equal to a percentage of their customers' totals, and this is in turn taxed. When somebody gives a small or no tip, they're still going to owe taxes on the tip they should have received. How many of us pay taxes on money we never see?

 

Finally, and this is of course my opinion: people need to stop being cold-hearted. Leave the auto tip in place and tip on top. We all wish that tipping weren't a part of the cruise employee's salary, but it's not changing any time soon, and the 75 dollars a week you save by stiffing somebody means much less to you than it does to them. Pay the money up front, then tip more if you really like the service. I like that NCL doesn't allow you to remove the service charges. In fact, I think that amount should just be part of the cruise fare in the beginning and get rid of auto-gratuities as well. Then if you receive exemplary service, you tip. You receive good service, everybody gets paid, and you're not stiffing people who work incredibly long hours for months at a time.

 

Thank you for reading all of this.

(Puts on fire retardant clothing)

[Aknot]

It matters because these people bust their butt for people you all week. They deserve to get paid for the work they do.

 

Understandable. However and since you were a waitress you can relate.

 

1. Dont they get paid a wage above and beyond tips not including room and board?

 

2. The "tip" is for services rendered above and beyond what one would normally expect correct?

 

3. Tips are not mandatory (parties of 6 or more etc understood but that is still up to the venue) to the best of my knowledge correct?

 

So in answer to your statement of "They deserve to get paid for the work they do." They are already compensated are they not? Maybe not at CEO levels but the job must pay something or people would not be doing it.

 

When I worked the line they just started "tip pools". Im sure you know what that is. Its a pool that portions of everyones tips go into so people can get a "fair share".

 

What doesn't seem fair is if I got a 10$ tip for busting my hump why I should have to share a portion of it with another server/provider that may not have anything to do with the service.

 

Now you may say "Bill" is behind the scenes working and I didnt see him but he helped. Guess what... Carnival (or the resturant, etc ) should compensate Bill accordingly.

 

Please dont assume I will take off the "auto" tip. Im not going to. I also know I will as will my wife be compensating above and beyond. However what I will do is support people in their ability to do something well within their rights and not judge them in any way shape or form.

 

Now if they had ways of removing it and they were not suppsoed to.... well thats a different tune.

 

A wait staff person in the US compared to a person from another country on a cruise ship is completely different also.

[Kurbanfan]

It does on Cruise Critic!

 

LOL! Some are just either confused or they think they can run the way Carnival does business better themselves.....

[Kurbanfan]

I like that NCL doesn't allow you to remove the service charges.

 

 

Because it is called A SERVICE CHARGE........now back to the discussion of tipping:D

[Schoifmom]

Understandable. However and since you were a waitress you can relate.

 

1. Dont they get paid a wage above and beyond tips not including room and board? -- a wage that is extraordinarily small, as the cruise line expects that the tip system (much like servers at restaurants in the US) will encourage better service

 

2. The "tip" is for services rendered above and beyond what one would normally expect correct? -- Do you only tip in a restaurant for exceptional service?

 

3. Tips are not mandatory (parties of 6 or more etc understood but that is still up to the venue) to the best of my knowledge correct?

 

So in answer to your statement of "They deserve to get paid for the work they do." They are already compensated are they not? Maybe not at CEO levels but the job must pay something or people would not be doing it. --- hmmm ... I'm sure that YOU always get what YOU pay for.

 

When I worked the line they just started "tip pools". Im sure you know what that is. Its a pool that portions of everyones tips go into so people can get a "fair share".

 

What doesn't seem fair is if I got a 10$ tip for busting my hump why I should have to share a portion of it with another server/provider that may not have anything to do with the service.

 

Now you may say "Bill" is behind the scenes working and I didnt see him but he helped. Guess what... Carnival (or the resturant, etc ) should compensate Bill accordingly.

 

Please dont assume I will take off the "auto" tip. Im not going to. I also know I will as will my wife be compensating above and beyond. However what I will do is support people in their ability to do something well within their rights and not judge them in any way shape or form.

 

Now if they had ways of removing it and they were not suppsoed to.... well thats a different tune.

 

A wait staff person in the US compared to a person from another country on a cruise ship is completely different also.

 

see above

[Aknot]

see above

 

1. a wage that is extraordinarily small, as the cruise line expects that the tip system (much like servers at restaurants in the US) will encourage better service Then why not make the "tip" mandatory? Does that work? Encourage better service? If it does then you have proven my point in number 2.

 

2. -- Do you only tip in a restaurant for exceptional service? You are asking me personally correct? No I do not. I tip and then tip more for above and beyond I also tip less for poorer service. What I dont tip for is the assistant cook, Hobart operator, garnisher, etc. Again though THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME... It is about the right people have to tip or not to tip.

3. --- hmmm ... I'm sure that YOU always get what YOU pay for. I dont understand this. The person said "They deserve to get paid for the work they do."And they do and then some more if it is above and beyond. As you stated in 1 above TIPPING encourages better service if that service is not better why tip? You kind of prove my point.

[04cruises]

I think the confusion is that it really isn't tipping but a surcharge.When the line gets down to sharing the tips with laundry personel etc it is no longer what most people think of tipping.The lines should call it what it is,a way for you to help them with their payroll.

[Kurbanfan]

I think the confusion is that it really isn't tipping but a surcharge.When the line gets down to sharing the tips with laundry personel etc it is no longer what most people think of tipping.The lines should call it what it is,a way for you to help them with their payroll.

 

It is not shared with laundry personel........it is broken down on the carnival website......take a looky;) You are confused;)

[parrotthead]

 

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?

For us its a matter of "get it paid and out of the way, not to be thougth of again"

We also buy Onboard Credit in advance, just one more thing that is paid for when I step foot on that Ship!

[duchessuta]

So because they are from poor countries it is okay to take tips away?

 

I'm glad someone else wrote what I was thinking... :cool: