About being cheap

[miketingle]

We are from the uk and i find it amazing the amount of people on this site that are all for auto tipping if the service is good by all means tip but if you recieve bad service you have to remove the tips surely, i realise that staff are on low wages but also i certainly cannot afford to just give money away just because it is a given.

You would not tip a airline staff even if you have a free upgrade so why should this be any different, i realise this will upset a lot of people but this is a fact of life in the uk we pay if we recieve good service only, not because we are lemmings and just follow the crowd.

[Vettebuf]

We are from the uk and i find it amazing the amount of people on this site that are all for auto tipping if the service is good by all means tip but if you recieve bad service you have to remove the tips surely, i realise that staff are on low wages but also i certainly cannot afford to just give money away just because it is a given.

You would not tip a airline staff even if you have a free upgrade so why should this be any different, i realise this will upset a lot of people but this is a fact of life in the uk we pay if we recieve good service only, not because we are lemmings and just follow the crowd.

 

Mike, we're talking about cruise personnel here, Your first cruise? Wait and see how hard everyone works for you pleasure. We've been on many cruises and only in two instances did we not get exceptional service.

[miketingle]

Mike, we're talking about cruise personnel here, Your first cruise? Wait and see how hard everyone works for you pleasure. We've been on many cruises and only in two instances did we not get exceptional service.

 

No the point i am trying to get across is that if we get great service then no problem we will tip away, but why should you get incinerated on here if you recieve bad service and you dont tip, i have read many threads about removing autotips/tipping and all of the responses are the same. In my opinion there are allways two sides of the story and not everyone has the same cruise as everyone else.

[LHP]

We are from the uk and i find it amazing the amount of people on this site that are all for auto tipping if the service is good by all means tip but if you recieve bad service you have to remove the tips surely, i realise that staff are on low wages but also i certainly cannot afford to just give money away just because it is a given.

You would not tip a airline staff even if you have a free upgrade so why should this be any different, i realise this will upset a lot of people but this is a fact of life in the uk we pay if we recieve good service only, not because we are lemmings and just follow the crowd.

 

This is where a bit of a language barrier comes into play.

 

The word tip or gratuity brings to mind someone who makes a smaller salary and the tip "suppliments" their salary.

 

On cruise lines this is not the case. I don't know who started the practice but on the cruise lines...these "tips" ARE their salary. period....

 

They get $70-75 a MONTH as a base...but the "tips" ARE their salary.

 

Personally I think if the cruise lines are going to use this method to pay their crew...they should call it what it truly is...a service surcharge....not a tip.

 

Because any of us on our worst week at work....still got a paycheck even though that week was not our best performance.

[Sauer-kraut]

Yes, just think of it as a Daily Service Charge, doens't matter if it is a tip or not. Just like in Las Vegas when staying at a hotel, there is a charge for 'water usage' or some such term. Added everyday to the bill total.

 

Also for what it is worth, there are others whom you won't see but will be part of the service charge pool, think for instance the buffet servers, the towel/chair people on the deck and various others.

 

Tip above the daily service charge if you feel you've gotten great service from someone. But don't think the 'autotip' should be removed if you haven't been fussed and coddled over to what YOU expect.

[trailercruiser]

We are from the uk and i find it amazing the amount of people on this site that are all for auto tipping if the service is good by all means tip but if you recieve bad service you have to remove the tips surely, i realise that staff are on low wages but also i certainly cannot afford to just give money away just because it is a given.

You would not tip a airline staff even if you have a free upgrade so why should this be any different, i realise this will upset a lot of people but this is a fact of life in the uk we pay if we recieve good service only, not because we are lemmings and just follow the crowd.

I am from the USA and you are 100% correct. These people need to look up the definition of a "tip". They will tell you "they have never had bad service and even if they did they would still tip", that is not a tip. If you feel bad for these people for CHOOSING that line of work then donate your money to them, to come on here and call people cheap that don't tip when they get horrible service is a joke. Nothing worse then people lined up telling everyone how much extra they tipped because these poor people work so hard. Absolute JOKE, a tip is for going above and beyond and it's personal, none of your nose in the air bleeding heart guilty rhetoric. I worked as a waiter all thru college and I knew when I was off and didn't expect tips for lousy service, geez should of had you charity givers at my table. A complete snob to call people cheap for not tipping bad service. Mind your own business.:mad:

[mompolo]

We don't like the prepaid tips because we really don't like to use our credit cards for any more than we have to. We are cash people (for just about everything), and prefer to budget out the tips with the money we take to travel with. We pay off our card at the end of the cruise with cash - not our credit card.

We still tip - just prefer to do it with cash.

[jmcancruise]

I may be wrong, but I do believe there would be some people who don't understand the process of auto tipping and don't realize the consequences when they remove them. I am sure there are some who truly do pay out of pocket for the service they recieve, and I believe they have every right to do that. That being said, yes I auto tip and yes I tip on top of it, but if I didn't know all that I do from reading here, perhaps I would choose to just tip on my own. Not everyone is cheap just because they remove auto tips.

[richstowe]

Who really cares what anyone else does? Just go and do what you do and enjoy your trip. That is the problem with this world, everyone worrying about what everyone else is doing.

 

And for the record(because I am sure on here someone will accuse me of it) we do autotip, we prepay gratuities before we leave.

 

Great question. I think it does matter. Carnival will adjust their prices for all

if enough people are scamming the system

BTW - Is taking home as souvenirs other peoples empty DOD glasses left on tables being cheap ? Guilty.:o

 

Yes, at least the Port Of Miami offers free parking with an official handicapped parking decal. I agree 100 % that a handicapped person deserves a premium parking spot to avoid a long walk, but I just can’t understand why a handicapped person should be allowed to park at the port free?

 

Don't get this. Isn't premium/ handicapped parking enough ?

[miketingle]

Just curious if for arguements sake you prepay gratuities and you have exceptionally poor service is there anyway of reclaiming these? I know that if you have probs on board go and speak to people to try and sort it out but apparently 99% of people have an awsome cruise but still there is that 1% who do not. I for one would not say that i am going to get excellent service on a holiday that i have not yet been on.:confused:

[mompolo]

I'm not trying to stir any pots - but this is one area where my friends who usually go to all inclusives, say they hate about cruise - the tipping.

 

Do they not have anything like the tipping at the all inclusives?? I have never been to one - since we love cruising.

[miketingle]

I'm not trying to stir any pots - but this is one area where my friends who usually go to all inclusives, say they hate about cruise - the tipping.

 

Do they not have anything like the tipping at the all inclusives?? I have never been to one - since we love cruising.

 

From experience yes they do but it is usually a couple of dollars a barmen at the start of the week not 10 dollars per person per night we have travelled all around the world and this is the first cruise we have been on in the usa we have been on many out of southampton and tips\gratuities are much better ie. if you get service above and beyond then you tip if you get standard service then that is what you have already paid for.

[bonniemari]

I'm not trying to stir any pots - but this is one area where my friends who usually go to all inclusives, say they hate about cruise - the tipping.

 

Do they not have anything like the tipping at the all inclusives?? I have never been to one - since we love cruising.

 

Depends on what kind of AI you are at. I have been to a few, that while tipping is not required, it never hurts to slip your bartender or waiter a few bucks and instead of getting a weak drink you get a little more alcohol it your drink. I have also been to more upscale AI's where tipping is considered crash and is discouraged.

[MissDiva1]

Yes, just think of it as a Daily Service Charge, doens't matter if it is a tip or not. Just like in Las Vegas when staying at a hotel, there is a charge for 'water usage' or some such term. Added everyday to the bill total.

 

Also for what it is worth, there are others whom you won't see but will be part of the service charge pool, think for instance the buffet servers, the towel/chair people on the deck and various others.

 

Tip above the daily service charge if you feel you've gotten great service from someone. But don't think the 'autotip' should be removed if you haven't been fussed and coddled over to what YOU expect.

 

They really do that? It doesn't show up on my compt receipt:D

[hoop4321]

wondering while you are skulking around the parking lots looking for people who cheat the system, and staking out customer service to hear/see the people removing auto tips when you have time to enjoy your cruise????

 

BTW, i tip...well....... i was in college once and had a job that relied on tips.

[MissDiva1]

To eliminate the "cheap" people why can't Carnival just charge a gratuity onto the price of your cruise thus eliminating the ability to remove it from your sign and sail. They auto charge gratuities at the bar, why not do a general auto charge gratuity and be done with it once and for all!

 

Then it would not be a tip. It would be a service charge. You do have the choice to take off the tip on your drink also. they do it this way for convenience just like the auto tips......how much easier can it get....yet people still complain about it.

[Kiln Wood]

Anyone can do what they want but a couple of things really irk me. In addition, I am not cheap but I am very frugal with money. Thus, the reason why we can afford pre-post hotels along with balcony cabins. To us, if one can't afford to fly down a day before from the Northeaster along with a nice cabin, then save your money and stay home until another year. That is just our opinions...know everyone is different. Many people bring booze on board (big pet peeve with us) and stay in an inside cabin and never spend a cent on anything else.

 

On two different Princess cruises (one was 24 days, the other was 14) I have encountered the same trio of very elderly English ladies who all live in "council flats" in a suburb of London. Not only does each bring a bottle of sherry onboard, they stay in the lowest priced inside cabin, and they take their meals in the Lido to save on the prepaid gratuities which they have removed from their onboard account at the beginning of the voyage. They "never spend a cent on anything else," but their cabin steward on the first voyage where I met them told me, "those English ladies are very generous to me;" I had an oceanview cabin across the hall from them, and we had the same steward. The ladies themselves told me at teatime one afternoon that each of them could never afford to cruise any other way, "and we're worth a nice cruise a year now that we're old."

Not all folks are so fortunate financially nor so well disciplined as you are, but I find your post very interesting, and I certainly will remember it next time I'm onboard--thanks for sharing.

[I cruise 4 cheap]

This is where a bit of a language barrier comes into play.

 

The word tip or gratuity brings to mind someone who makes a smaller salary and the tip "suppliments" their salary.

 

On cruise lines this is not the case. I don't know who started the practice but on the cruise lines...these "tips" ARE their salary. period....

 

They get $70-75 a MONTH as a base...but the "tips" ARE their salary.

 

Personally I think if the cruise lines are going to use this method to pay their crew...they should call it what it truly is...a service surcharge....not a tip.

 

Because any of us on our worst week at work....still got a paycheck even though that week was not our best performance.

 

 

 

Lets get a few fact straight here.

 

YES, cruise staff are often low paying jobs (not all).

 

No, they do not make a base wage of 70 - 75 a month. They make more then that. The amount depends on the position.

 

NOONE held a gun to their heads and said you must work on a cruise ship.

Even if they are making a small income compared to what many in North Ameriac or Europe make, they are still making MUCH more then they would staying in their home county (why do you think they come on the ship in the first place and then stay contact after contract)

 

As for the whole issue of the auto tipping on your account.

 

Tipping is a REWARD for good service. PERIOD!!!!!

 

I decide if the service I received was good or not.

 

Noone can tell me I must tip.

 

As for the comment from one poster that tips should just be added into the cruise fare.

 

Nice thought i guess, but it would not work. If it is barried in the main fare there is no way the cruise line would tell you the real amount they are taking from your fare and equally giving to all staff (or which staff are getting waht) And if they billed it on a seperate line like the taxes and port charges there still is no garantee it make it to the staff. Easy for the cruise line to tell staff it is now built in to their pay just like you want it built in to your fare.

 

 

Bottom line!

 

Cheap or not, people should tip what they want based on how they feel! PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!

 

p.s. I know staff get paid more then 75 bucks a month for two reasons. 1) there is a web sight that post what they make (can't remember the address as it was a few years back I viewed it) And 2) I have a friend who has worked on ships for over 15 years. He started at the bottom and has worked his way up. Hetalks to his co workers and has never once been told of pay anywhere close to that!

[I cruise 4 cheap]

I am from the USA and you are 100% correct. These people need to look up the definition of a "tip". They will tell you "they have never had bad service and even if they did they would still tip", that is not a tip. If you feel bad for these people for CHOOSING that line of work then donate your money to them, to come on here and call people cheap that don't tip when they get horrible service is a joke. Nothing worse then people lined up telling everyone how much extra they tipped because these poor people work so hard. Absolute JOKE, a tip is for going above and beyond and it's personal, none of your nose in the air bleeding heart guilty rhetoric. I worked as a waiter all thru college and I knew when I was off and didn't expect tips for lousy service, geez should of had you charity givers at my table. A complete snob to call people cheap for not tipping bad service. Mind your own business.:mad:

 

 

Glad I'm not alone!

[bodog402]

As I initially stated, there are many cheap cruisers out there who refuse to tip.

Perhaps I could suggest to Carnival in order to clarify the tipping dilemma, just increase the base fare of each passenger $ 10 per person per day, thus eliminating the need to tip and let these "cheap cruisers" think they are just getting away from tipping ! :)

[salty dingo]

What’s your experience involving the cheap cruiser ?

I have seen people who have a S&S account of Zero when they leave the ship. That's pretty cheap!

 

I may smuggle alcohol, but I would never even THINK of removing a hard-working person's tips.

 

There are people, particularly those from countries where tipping is not cusomary, who view tips with suspicion, and tend to always remove them. For that reason, I wish tips would be removable only by documenting a specific service problem, and naming names.

[I cruise 4 cheap]

As I initially stated, there are many cheap cruisers out there who refuse to tip.

Perhaps I could suggest to Carnival in order to clarify the tipping dilemma, just increase the base fare of each passenger $ 10 per person per day, thus eliminating the need to tip and let these "cheap cruisers" think they are just getting away from tipping ! :)

 

please read above and you might understand why your idea would not work!

[Ceece911]

I am from the USA and you are 100% correct. These people need to look up the definition of a "tip". They will tell you "they have never had bad service and even if they did they would still tip", that is not a tip. If you feel bad for these people for CHOOSING that line of work then donate your money to them, to come on here and call people cheap that don't tip when they get horrible service is a joke. Nothing worse then people lined up telling everyone how much extra they tipped because these poor people work so hard. Absolute JOKE, a tip is for going above and beyond and it's personal, none of your nose in the air bleeding heart guilty rhetoric. I worked as a waiter all thru college and I knew when I was off and didn't expect tips for lousy service, geez should of had you charity givers at my table. A complete snob to call people cheap for not tipping bad service. Mind your own business.:mad:

 

100% agree.

[windjammerB&C]

Iagree that tipping is something that you earn.

[bodog402]

I imagine in order to publish the lowest cruise rate possible in order to entice potential cruisers, the cruise industry has been notorious of publishing one low-ball price on their advertisement and have failed to properly inform the novice cruiser of fees such as auto-tipping, fees for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, fees for exclusive restaurants, fees for excursions, fees for babysitting services, fees for bingo, fees for parking, fees for changing / cancelling of cruises, fees for many onboard activities, fees for specialized coffee, fees for certain deserts, fees for pictures, fees for internet usage, fuel charge, ports charges, port taxes, etc.

Tipping is just another fee required by the cruise lines that is not part of the original base fee in order to advertise an initial lower fare !