EMBARRASSING Tip Question

[cio541]

Please no one flame me for this question. But you can flame the family member all you want! I usually cruise with my best friend, but this year our vacations were off by a few weeks, and now I am glad! He booked four rooms for 8 family members and like always, prepaid tips. The cruise is in less then two weeks and one family member finally decided to read the FAQ on Carnivals website. He calls and says "Whats this about tips? I have to come up with more money before we leave?". He was assured that all are already paid but then my BF mentioned that there is also a 15% gratuity added to your bar orders. Well he calls back and says that he read were you can remove tips if you want to and he wants to know how to remove it from his bar orders also. We told him it couldnt be done and my BF knows he is going to make a fuss once onboard. Anyone heard of someone even trying to do this? For the record I think this is absolutely ridiculous.

 

Sounds like he will also remove all tips, just a cheapie at heart, sad as the tip money is the majority of what the workers make.

[Shelbyjane56]

This guy who asked the question about getting bar tips off, I believe he did say he was not sailing with his friend as he normally does, so he wont be on the same sailing as his friend who is cheap, lucky for him!

[5waldos]

Sounds to me like someone who has been forced into the cruise and is determined to not have fun. Perhaps he will change his mind and loosen up when he gets onboard.

[tracyanns]

I've personally never done it, but was reading on another thread a while back where someone indicated that all you have to do to remove a bar tip is change the receipt before signing it.

 

I would think that if someone did that though they wouldn't get good bar service after that.

 

This may depend on the line or something has changed but last year we had a friend that was adamant about tipping an even dollar amount, he tried to remove the tip and for additional tips he wrote in an even amount...they looked at the slip and told him he cannot adjust them down...if the tip was $.80 he would have to put $.20 on the additional line to make it $1.00...they said they are pre-added and not able to be removed. He did ask guest services about it also and they said the same thing...the drinks include a pre-paid gratuity...if you want a drink, you pay it...make sense to me, this way no one gets stiffed.

 

By the way, I also don't think that anyone should be able to remove tips at all, I don't care how bad your service is, they are still serving you and cleaning your room and giving you towels...if you don't like it, don't tip extra...

[funinthesun1964]

Are you sure it's the "family member" that wants to know? ;)

 

lol Gran, that's what I was thinking as I read the story :)

Now surely, it must be the "family member"! :p

[funinthesun1964]

no kidding! If there is anyone on board i would want to tip heavily, it's the bartender. Those long pours are well worth a couple of bucks.

 

"like"

[tak81288]

This may depend on the line or something has changed but last year we had a friend that was adamant about tipping an even dollar amount, he tried to remove the tip and for additional tips he wrote in an even amount...they looked at the slip and told him he cannot adjust them down...if the tip was $.80 he would have to put $.20 on the additional line to make it $1.00...they said they are pre-added and not able to be removed. He did ask guest services about it also and they said the same thing...the drinks include a pre-paid gratuity...if you want a drink, you pay it...make sense to me, this way no one gets stiffed.

 

By the way, I also don't think that anyone should be able to remove tips at all, I don't care how bad your service is, they are still serving you and cleaning your room and giving you towels...if you don't like it, don't tip extra...

 

Possibly. Not something I tried or ever would try. It was just something I read on here but don't have first hand experience.

 

Fortunately, I haven't had bad enough service to want to remove a tip. I think if I did, I would just not accept the drink and go to a different bartender where the service was better.

[Jasalth]

One suggestion I have is try and tell him it's just like paying tax on something in the US.

 

Also I will admit I am in the dark with this one... but I am not 100% sure how pre-paid tips work, as I generally put OBC on for tips before sailing instead of including them in the up front cost because of how I budget for paying things. I technically include tips in my "spending money" category.

 

I just want to make sure there is also no way he can remove the pre-paid tips your friend paid for his cabin and take them as OBC or something! If this relative is going to get upset over pennies, he strikes me as the type of person who would happily take an extra $70 or whatever for what HE wants instead of where it was meant to be in the tips.

[DocF]

The best way to remove bar tips is to drink nothing but the free beverages from the Lido deck facilities.

 

What a total putz that person is!

 

Doc:mad:

[dear23]

During my very first cruise on the Triumph in 2008, I befriended a cocktail waitress who was also on her first cruise, very nice lady. Ran into her one day at the Guest Services desk, where she excitedly exclaimed "Oh my god, did you know you can remove all the tips off your bill? Even your bar tips? I'm pulling off all of mine right now!". Again, she was a COCKTAIL WAITRESS. Yeah. I told her I was paying mine in full. She didn't bat an eye.

 

Some people....

[kroozers]

Sounds like a classy guy. I'd have a hard time keeping my mouth shut around him. Good luck!

[BeachChik]

By the way, I also don't think that anyone should be able to remove tips at all, I don't care how bad your service is, they are still serving you and cleaning your room and giving you towels...if you don't like it, don't tip extra...

 

So you tip even if the service is horrible? Defeats the whole purpose of tips.

 

I can only remember once or twice where I have left a restaurant and have not tipped the server. However I am not going to reward someone for not doing their job. To say you don't care how bad the service is they should still get tipped is asinine.

[kmilanes]

how do you think the crew gets paid? the same way. the majority of their salary comes from tips.

 

Well if your room goes uncleaned or turned over for 3 days would you tip? I just didnt tip for those 3 days. Its like not going to work for 3 days. Would you tip a Maître d’ that does nothing for you? Doesnt even open a bottle of wine or even ask how you how you doing? Would you tip someone that brings you cold food and when you ask for it to be sent back they told you to hold on and never come back or replace your plate the entire dinner so you go not eating the whole night? Its like not showing up to work and not doing anything. I tip those who deserve to be tipped. Im not going to pre-tip and then not get the service I deserve. Maybe I just one of those people that give credit when credit is do.

 

Like I said never ever in my cruise history had a problem with bartenders giving me a drink or making a drink stronger on request. I even extra tip the bartenders sometimes.

[PurpleDog]

* puts on my flameproof suit *

 

From Carnivals website:

 

For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $10.00 per guest, per day (our recommended guideline) as follows:

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services

$ 1.00 Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to other kitchen and hotel service staff

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.

 

What I object to is Carnival charging your sign and sail account the day you get on the ship BEFORE most of the services are even performed. A tip is - according to Dictionary.com: " a small present of money given directly to someone for performing a service or menial task."

 

Carnival assumes that you will be pleased with the service you receive and wants to make it "convenient" for you. I object to the prepaid aspect.

 

I understand the "the crew relies on the tips as income" premise and have always tipped more than the "recommended" amount. I do that in cash on the last night of the cruise.

 

There is no way to convince me that a tip should be mandatory. If it is made mandatory, then it should no longer be called a tip and should be rolled into the price of the cruise itself.

[cruising3times]

On one cruise I was on, I was in line at the purser's desk and the person in front of me was trying to get his bar tips removed. I couldn't believe it. If you can't afford to tip you should not go on a cruise...the people work hard on the ship and this is how they get the majority of their pay.

[cruizinwoman]

When he signs for the drink...He just agreed to pay the bill and pay the tip!

 

Good Luck to him!!! Ain't gonna happen!!!! I want to be standing at the Purser's Desk when he gets told NO.

 

 

Not me. He's going to rant and rave, and throw a big temper tantrum. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near all that negative energy. What a loser!!

[carhopsrock]

Just wanted to assure everyone that I am not the "friend" who wants the tips removed :) Until the last 6-7 years all of my jobs involved working for tips and I just couldnt imagine someone wanting to remove all tips for no good reason. Called my BF and read him all the comments. He said if it is brought up again he will just change the subject. We didnt want to know how he could do it, cause we would never pass that kind of info on to him. The sad part is that is guy could be classified as a "professional drinker", so Carnival will make plenty of money off of him. :confused:

[tcw92]

i have heard that if you have your tips removed for whatever reason, that your name is on a list in the kitchen of the dining room you are assigned to, so that your waiter knows that you have had them removed. i wouldn't recommend it. Sorry, you have to travel with this person and i hope he doesn't ruin your vacation.

[doconner]

Tell your friend to buy drink vouchers from Bon Voyage and it will cover the tip for the first $5.75 of the drink.

[madelinerose]

.. remove it from his bar orders also. We told him it couldnt be done and my BF knows he is going to make a fuss once onboard.

 

Tell him it's on him and his baby to deal with and walk away from it. Let him find out how he can remove his tips. ;)

 

You can't control what he does onboard, but you can avoid him. ;)

[MissDiva1]

i have heard that if you have your tips removed for whatever reason, that your name is on a list in the kitchen of the dining room you are assigned to, so that your waiter knows that you have had them removed. i wouldn't recommend it. Sorry, you have to travel with this person and i hope he doesn't ruin your vacation.

 

They had a list on the Splendor during the swine flu incident in which many passengers were upset and took off the tips. They felt they were being held hostage because Carnival refused to let them off the ship in Long Beach........this was a one time incident and this does not happen on regular scheduled cruises....even John Heald verified this. In the end Carnival did the right thing and let those people off in Long Beach before heading up the rainy coast to San Francisco their only port.......one little incident like this is how rumors start.......

It would be counterproductive for Carnival to do such a thing or any business for that matter.....

[Donh44]

Please no one flame me for this question. But you can flame the family member all you want! I usually cruise with my best friend, but this year our vacations were off by a few weeks, and now I am glad! He booked four rooms for 8 family members and like always, prepaid tips. The cruise is in less then two weeks and one family member finally decided to read the FAQ on Carnivals website. He calls and says "Whats this about tips? I have to come up with more money before we leave?". He was assured that all are already paid but then my BF mentioned that there is also a 15% gratuity added to your bar orders. Well he calls back and says that he read were you can remove tips if you want to and he wants to know how to remove it from his bar orders also. We told him it couldnt be done and my BF knows he is going to make a fuss once onboard. Anyone heard of someone even trying to do this? For the record I think this is absolutely ridiculous.

Sounds like this guy is just a plain old tightwad and is this way wherever he goes. He probably stiffs wait staff all of the time. CHEAPSKATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[theneals4]

Oh lord! That is about the dumbiest thing i have heard. The 15 % goes towards house keeping and such. Not for drinks. Me and my husband had no problem paying it. Tell your "friend" that the tax and duty free for whatever he buys at the ships stores and out in port, will make up for it!

[PAcop141]

Sounds like this guy squeaks when he walks he's so tight..................

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

that is how thay get paid