Forced gratuities

[jaybird from SC]

This tipping/gratuity subject can sure get out of hand quickly!

Bottom line is: Everyone who does their cruise homework knows that tipping is a part of the total cost of the cruise as is your insurance, or that's the way we look at it. We don't have a problem paying it up front and actually prefer it that way. If service is horrible (which it has never been), then we can have part of it removed. If service is over and above, then we can add to it. Can't see what the problem is. I can't imagine anyone thinking that these workers don't deserve gratuity from us who receive their services. Same with any restaurant in town...They also pay very low wages and workers there depend on tips and gratuities. Seems like the same situation...

[arush5268d]

NO WAY!!!!!!!! It can't be $11-$12 per person, per cruise!!!!!

 

 

You didn't read through the thread, did you?

[mariemorgan]

No, I'm using the term stuck up because of the "if you can't afford the tip, then don't sail" comments. It's not about being able to afford the tip. It's about letting me know ahead of time that it's coming.

 

Well it's true.. if you cannot afford to tip you shouldn't cruise period.

 

When you booked you have the option of prepaying tips.. Were you not asked if you wanted prepaid tips? Its also on their website and about a million tip threads on this board a year. If you had that option when booking or searched their website or even searched this board, it would be obvious.

[tpajet]

No, we were not given the option to pay ahead when we called in and booked. If we were we would have. Also you are assuming I found the board prior to gong on our cruise.....not the case. Again, no mention of this ahead of time except apparently the 27 page contract. And excuse me for this being our first cruise and not knowing to expect this.

[arush5268d]

No, we were not given the option to pay ahead when we called in and booked. If we were we would have. Also you are assuming I found the board prior to gong on our cruise.....not the case. Again, no mention of this ahead of time except apparently the 27 page contract. And excuse me for this being our first cruise and not knowing to expect this.

 

 

I lost track - did you book with a travel agent or directly with Carnival?

[Cruzin2paradise09]

No, we were not given the option to pay ahead when we called in and booked. If we were we would have. Also you are assuming I found the board prior to gong on our cruise.....not the case. Again, no mention of this ahead of time except apparently the 27 page contract. And excuse me for this being our first cruise and not knowing to expect this.

 

You're absolutely right. You should not have been held responsible to read any of YOUR cruise documents! Carnival is the one to blame. I LOVE this attitude from people, the "I didn't do anything wrong." Whatever.

 

Regardless if you came to CC before your cruise or not, it is YOUR responsibility to read your cruise documents and UNDERSTAND what you are getting into.

 

Carnival DID NOT dupe you! I am not a Carnival cheerleader, I've sailed other lines and frankly NONE of them were responsible for telling me anything other than "your cruise fare is $xxxx, your cabin is xxx," etc.

 

So, suck it up and get over it. Now you KNOW for next time and quit blaming everyone else for your lack of knowledge and take responsibility for your own actions. Sheesh!

[babyblue78]

You're absolutely right. You should not have been held responsible to read any of YOUR cruise documents! Carnival is the one to blame. I LOVE this attitude from people, the "I didn't do anything wrong." Whatever.

 

Regardless if you came to CC before your cruise or not, it is YOUR responsibility to read your cruise documents and UNDERSTAND what you are getting into.

 

Carnival DID NOT dupe you! I am not a Carnival cheerleader, I've sailed other lines and frankly NONE of them were responsible for telling me anything other than "your cruise fare is $xxxx, your cabin is xxx," etc.

 

So, suck it up and get over it. Now you KNOW for next time and quit blaming everyone else for your lack of knowledge and take responsibility for your own actions. Sheesh!

 

Bravo! :cool:

[BlueJacketsFan1]

I don't see how you call them forced tips. Our TA told us about them when we booked our first cruise. They are talked about in the Carnival brochures, and if I rememeber correctly there is an option on their website to pay them when booking. When you recieve your documents it is also talked about in there too. The staff on the ships treat you great, and you are made to feel very special. They earn their pay and the tips they recieve and more. I am sorry that you feel you were mislead, but I also don't see how you don't know about the tipping policy.

[Sargent_Schultz]

So far we have established that tips are not forced. The allegation is false.

 

I wonder what the excuse will be used next time? All mass market cruise lines have tipping of some sort and Carnival is the certainly not one of the price leaders there. Where you gonna go?

[bonsai3s]

tpajet...you won't get any symphaty. On our first cruise, one of the very first things we asked and learned about was...tipping. Now you know. It is a small amount to pay; be generous;...what you'll get back is priceliess. :)

[jbanana1]

OP, first I want to say I don't understand why people have to respond to your question in a nasty tone.

 

Second, you asked if you were reading the other cruise lines tipping policies incorrectly and with the example of Disney Cruiselines you gave the answer is Yes are reading it incorrectly. As others have stated Disney broke down their suggested tip amounts so you could see how the tips are distributed. When you add up all the amounts it comes out to $12 per day which is $2 more than Carnival's $10 per day. Carnival's website FAQ's on tipping also has the breakdown of distribution amounts.

 

Yes, you should have been told when booking that tips were added automatically. Perhaps the agent thought they had already mentioned this when you asked about any other fees. And even though you didn't know about this ahead of time, you said you don't mind tipping appropriately for good service so the end result is the same. I don't remember how I found out about the tips being added automatically on our first cruise in 08 but I did know about it before we sailed. My husband thought it was too much until we actually were on the cruise and experienced the mdr and stateroom service.

 

So to put everything into perspective...it sounds like the other cruiselines may not add the tips automatically but do suggest an amount that is equal or higher to Carnival's $10 pp per day. And although Carnival adds it automatically, you can adjust the amount downward for bad service.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Tipping has been a part of cruising a lot longer than the Internet has. :cool:

[blondietink]

We are a family of 4, so our tip is $40.00 per day for our cabin. If we went to Disney World, we would be required to tip this much or more for ONE table service dinner for our family. Disney automatically adds an 18% tip to all it's table service meals, which in my opinion, are overpriced anyway. I am getting a lot more for my money with the so-called "mandatory" tip required on the cruise. I can get 3 table service meals per day if I want and stateroom service 2 or 3 times per day. We went on our very first cruise in February and knew about the tip right when we booked online. It was in the documents that were on the screen and printed out. Actually we knew beforehand as I had gone to the website before booking to check things out. So, the claim that tipping was a surprise on the first cruise is bogus, IMHO.

[firefly333]

This tipping/gratuity subject can sure get out of hand quickly!

Bottom line is: Everyone who does their cruise homework knows that tipping is a part of the total cost of the cruise as is your insurance, or that's the way we look at it. We don't have a problem paying it up front and actually prefer it that way. If service is horrible (which it has never been), then we can have part of it removed. If service is over and above, then we can add to it. Can't see what the problem is. I can't imagine anyone thinking that these workers don't deserve gratuity from us who receive their services. Same with any restaurant in town...They also pay very low wages and workers there depend on tips and gratuities. Seems like the same situation...

 

I was told it was all or nothing, that you cannot have part removed.

 

Are you sure of this .. curious.

 

I had a really horrible cabin steward on just one carnival cruise .. enough I thought about reducing tips.

[firefly333]

Yes, you should have been told when booking that tips were added automatically. Perhaps the agent thought they had already mentioned this when you asked about any other fees.

 

I disagree. If I was a TA and someone asked me about FEES. I would be thinking, booking fees, change fees. Something that is extra at the time or booking or upfront.

 

FEES do not equal tips. I would have said the same thing as the TA if asked about fees.

 

If the question was about costs to cruise, then I would have mentioned tips. If you ask the wrong question, then you are apt to get a answer that isnt what you want. A TA isnt a mind reader what you really meant.

[H82seaUgo]

why dont the cruise line include the tips in there prices?

 

for the same reason land restaurants don't.

[H82seaUgo]

I disagree. If I was a TA and someone asked me about FEES. I would be thinking, booking fees, change fees. Something that is extra at the time or booking or upfront.

 

FEES do not equal tips. I would have said the same thing as the TA if asked about fees.

 

If the question was about costs to cruise, then I would have mentioned tips. If you ask the wrong question, then you are apt to get a answer that isnt what you want. A TA isnt a mind reader what you really meant.

 

reminds me of car rentals....

 

"gas?!" "no one told me that would be extra!"

[usafchick1980]

Inless you have horrible service And i mean horrible service no one should remove the daily tip charge.. and if you have that horrible of service guest service or hotel manager should have record of it... and if you have the daily charges removed because you are cheap.. the cruise line should ban you from future cruises.. 10 to 12 dollars a day is cheap especially if you eat in the mdr 2 or 3 times aday

 

I completely agree..even if you only eat in the MDR 1 time a day I think that it is still cheap.

 

I remember my first cruise I was with experienced cruisers..I didn't know about the $10 a day..so when I saw the $70 charge I thought they had charged me for something on accident..once it was explained I was good with it..

[H82seaUgo]

Isn't math fun? :D

 

Maybe the OP will realize this is a losing battle

 

math? let's start with basic reading comprehension.

[near the beach]

All cruise lines have per day for tips. I don’t see how anyone would not know about tips. Carnival tells you on the phone when you book that way. It is all over the Carnival web site alone with many threads here on Cruise Critic. You can put cash on your sail and sign account in any amount you want to.

The waiters and room stewards are the only employees that work for tips. They do not know how much they are going to receive each pay day because they don’t know if all of the passengers are going to tip or not.

[debster11]

I read what the OP said, but I do think he/she doesn't want to pay them as he thinks it's too much money. I think he/she needs to learn to read as others have posted and I also believe the posters on here advising he/she can remove them is giving him/her all the ammunition he/she needs to do so.

 

This poster would surprise me if he/she paid the full amount. Sorry, just my opinion. If I am wrong, I apologize, but I do believe this person is traveling on less than a shoe string.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

[friedshrimp]

I disagree. If I was a TA and someone asked me about FEES. I would be thinking, booking fees, change fees. Something that is extra at the time or booking or upfront.

 

FEES do not equal tips. I would have said the same thing as the TA if asked about fees.

 

If the question was about costs to cruise, then I would have mentioned tips. If you ask the wrong question, then you are apt to get a answer that isnt what you want. A TA isnt a mind reader what you really meant.

 

But a good TA should understand if someone asks about FEES, they are asking "What is this going to cost me?" and a good TA will tell them everything that costs money so they buyer can be fully aware. That said, the very first thing under the Manage Your Cruise tab for Newbies (New to Cruising) is "Prepaid Gratuities/Tips", so there is no reason why anyone who took five minutes to understand what they were getting into wouldn't know about tips. Granted, I guess you have to want to know what you are doing and maybe some people prefer walking around in the dark?

 

 

 

[elcuchio24]

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faqs/onboard-services/gratuities/

 

 

Take a look here at Disney's tipping that says per person PER CRUISE.

 

Did you even read this before posting?:rolleyes:

[Crusing Nut]

No, we were not given the option to pay ahead when we called in and booked. If we were we would have. Also you are assuming I found the board prior to gong on our cruise.....not the case. Again, no mention of this ahead of time except apparently the 27 page contract. And excuse me for this being our first cruise and not knowing to expect this.

 

 

With my first cruise I read everything at Carnival.com that I could read. I did the same when we cruised the different line. And I am even doing that with the Celebrity line that we are cruising on in Nov.

 

Royal Carribean:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Gratuities&faqId=263&faqSubjectId=415&faqType=faq

 

Carnival:

http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=prepaid+gratuities

 

For Cruises-To-Nowhere, gratuities of $10 per guest, per day must be prepaid.

Our Staff is totally committed to exceed your expectations in every way possible. If you are not satisfied with the service you receive, we encourage you to contact the Guest Services desk while onboard. This will allow us to address your concerns in a timely and appropriate fashion. At your discretion, you may adjust the gratuities at any time while onboard. Gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship

 

Celebrity:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do?faqSubjectName=Payments&faqId=551&pagename=faq_answers

 

Well you get the idea. Check out all the info that is available.

[firefly333]

But a good TA should understand if someone asks about FEES, they are asking "What is this going to cost me?" and a good TA will tell them everything that costs money so they buyer can be fully aware.

 

Like I said if someone asked specifically about FEES I would not think it means tell me everything that costs money. I would assume they meant what they said and not that dumb to think fees meant tell me everything that costs money.