Consensus on tipping

[BelAirMom]

In other words, you recognize that your question has already been answered hundreds of times on CC but you are too lazy to search for the answer so you want us to save you the trouble and work.

 

Forget it. Check it out yourself.

 

DON

 

 

Ouch!

[CruisinGerman]

With all of the hundreds of thousands of cruise line crew that sail the ships, don't you think that by now they have all the money transfer systems organized, etc.?

 

There are all kinds of systems in place where the crew gets their money loaded onto pre-paid debit cards that their family members use.

 

And for those Europeans who tip in cash, and in euros, the crew members actually prefer that because the euro is much stronger than the dollar right now, which means that when they send the money back to their families who live in dollar-based countries, they get more dollars.

 

And here in the EU you don't even need to go to a bank to send your family money. You can send up to 3,000 euros (4,400 dollars) per month in one of those instant remittance transfers that get received ten minutes later and cost 3 euros to send. And if you use a bank, you can send an unlimited amount.

 

What the crew members dislike about Europe is the cost of "having fun" on shore if they are paid in dollars, because everything in Europe costs a good deal more than in the United States, and the dollar is very weak right now.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[katiel53]

Several years ago, a good friend of mine was dating her now husband who was a waiter in Portofino, He told me that he was paid $1 for every person who dined in the restaurant whether he served the table or not. Every waiter was paid the same.

 

Each of the specialty restaurants only serve x many dinners and many times the waiters need to help each other. So while getting $1 per dinner served, if it were only for the ones personally served by the waiter, it wouldn't be much, but in the overall of all dinners served, it makes a big difference. That is why the best servers work in the specialty restaurants.

 

I don't know if things have changed or if the amount has been reduced to 75 cents, but he had no complaints on his salary while on the ship. I very seriously doubt that the waiters only get 75 cent per each customer served by them. If that's the case, why would any good waiter want to work there? (I do know most of us tip additionally, but many do not.)

[marci22]

I don't know if things have changed or if the amount has been reduced to 75 cents, but he had no complaints on his salary while on the ship. I very seriously doubt that the waiters only get 75 cent per each customer served by them. If that's the case, why would any good waiter want to work there? (I do know most of us tip additionally, but many do not.)

 

That makes sense.

[storm1of4]

Seems to effect me and be my business as much as jeans in the DR are yours. ;)

 

The waiter started a conversation with us. And I posted it here. You can choose to open or not to open a thread. Seems pretty simple to me.

 

 

Is this answer not a bit arrogant?!

Either agree with you or dont open the thread...GEEESH!

I have read some good points here pro and con.........both sides have merit.:)

Mama you dont always get to have the last word....:rolleyes:

[johneeo]

Is this answer not a bit arrogant?!

Either agree with you or dont open the thread...GEEESH!

 

I have read some good points here pro and con.........both sides have merit.:)

Mama you dont always get to have the last word....:rolleyes:

 

^^^^^

Another reason to love this board.:p

[ZoeyVictoria]

This is slightly off topic, but... what do the crew members physically do with the cash they receive? Is there a "banking" system on board for them to make deposits into?

[crusinmama06]

Is this answer not a bit arrogant?!

Either agree with you or dont open the thread...GEEESH!

 

I have read some good points here pro and con.........both sides have merit.:)

Mama you dont always get to have the last word....:rolleyes:

 

Very Simple...........Follow the tipping guidlines expressed by the cruise line.........That's it........No need for discussion!!!!!

 

Hi pot, meet kettle. :rolleyes: Read your own posts much?

[storm1of4]

Hi pot, meet kettle. :rolleyes: Read your own posts much?

 

No comparison at all..........

Simply directing the OP to RCI's literature.....not admonishing them for disagreeing with me.:)

[crusinmama06]

No comparison at all..........

Simply directing the OP to RCI's literature.....not admonishing them for disagreeing with me.:)

 

I "admonished" someone for calling me and my cruising companion "nosey" for carrying on a conversation with a crew member.

 

You have stated that there doesn't need to be a discussion. I like discussion. That's what makes this a discussion board ironically enough.

[johneeo]

........ there doesn't need to be a discussion. I like discussion. That's what makes this a discussion board ironically enough.

 

Very enlightening...... well, for some people it should be.:rolleyes:

[storm1of4]

I "admonished" someone for calling me and my cruising companion "nosey" for carrying on a conversation with a crew member.

 

You have stated that there doesn't need to be a discussion. I like discussion. That's what makes this a discussion board ironically enough.

 

 

Ok youre right.... discussion is good. I too get tired of people trying to justify not tipping.

Discussion and adversity make for good reading and I have enjoyed your responses:)

[cruzincurt]

First of all, I tip, or whatever you want to call it, as that is what I feel is right for me to do. I don't need someone to prepare a financial spreadsheet of how the wages and tips are distributed and do the calculations of steward's and waiter's income. I run into people who are underpaid every day of my life.

 

For those fighting to right the "injustice" of low wages, perhaps you should consider stopping cruising as you are then perpetuating the injustice by your continued patronage of the cruise industry. I assume you leave them all a big one to make up for those who don't. Some people are just plain cheap.

 

I would never strike up a conversation with someone then ask how much money they make.

[pcur]

I run into people who are underpaid every day of my life.

 

For those fighting to right the "injustice" of low wages, perhaps you should consider stopping cruising as you are then perpetuating the injustice by your continued patronage of the cruise industry. I assume you leave them all a big one to make up for those who don't. Some people are just plain cheap.

 

And, here I thought I was actually SUPPORTING the crew members I gave tips to all these 38.5 years. My bad............:confused:

 

Yes, I run into underpaid people all the time, too, and I try to help them if I can. I told my cheapskate MIL when we took her on a Caribbean cruise with us that I try to contribute to the local economy wherever I stop on a cruise. Be it a tour, a souvenir, a tip, something to eat, whatever. Every little bit helps, and for places that tourism is their main industry, it means even more.

 

The guy that served me my delicious cannoli in Taormina, Sicily, was very happy for his tip, too. :D

[The-Dude]

In other words, you recognize that your question has already been answered hundreds of times on CC but you are too lazy to search for the answer so you want us to save you the trouble and work.

 

Forget it. Check it out yourself.

 

DON

 

Hahaha! Great comeback.

[thomasale]

I just got off Enchantment and I am going to put this in my review but we talked to a waiter who said this

 

-- RCI pays them $25 every 2 weeks, that's it

-- They prefer cash tips because they can get off the ship and send it directly back to their family without waiting 2 weeks to get it back from RCI.

-- They start work at 7am and work till midnight - 1 hour break after breakfast, 2 hour break after lunch - less when you count the time it takes to get ready for those shifts.

-- If you throw cash on the table in Windjammer, Chops or at breakfast in DR, it doesn't go into a pool, the waiters/assistant waiters who served you split it.

-- Out of the $25 cost of Chops per person, the waiters split .75 cents of the amount as tip.

 

Tip Calculator Here... http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

 

 

Nice link on the calculator thank you

[patseacruiser]

Wow I can't believe I missed this thread completely. Michele you are taking quite a blasting because we innocently got a crew member who was bored to death because we were the only ones left in the dining room at closing time and he just wanted to chat and we are interested in all subjects cruising. If you call that nosy then so be it. What I find intriguing is that people who climb up one side and down the other asking what a travel agent makes and why they can't give them back all of their commission will tell you it's a crime to ask what some one makes. We reported what we learned and if you don't agree then we can't help that. It's a discussion and I didn't come here to get flamed or beaten up. In fact, if you think our facts are wrong I'm going to go on another cruise next month then just to get the facts again. I hope you keep disputing our info so I can keep going back.

[cruzincurt]

Interesting discussion. Now everyone should go back and read post #1. The resulting discussion of wages has nothing to do with the original question. Post #2 sent us off in that direction.

 

In that regards, we pre-pay our gratuities (service charges) sometime during the week then add additional cash if we want when we hand out the envelopes with the vouchers at the end of the week.

[storm1of4]

Interesting discussion. Now everyone should go back and read post #1. The resulting discussion of wages has nothing to do with the original question. Post #2 sent us off in that direction.

 

In that regards, we pre-pay our gratuities (service charges) sometime during the week then add additional cash if we want when we hand out the envelopes with the vouchers at the end of the week.

 

 

Well it appears you are indeed correct. Post #2 took us down that path.

We tip the same way....sometime during the trip add to pre-pay (to be able to use the RCI Visa) then add cash in the envelopes.. Always give cash though to the CL people.