The New Tipping Rate ...it appears Carnival has there own tipping concept

[H82seaUgo]

But the drummer must split it with the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker (along with many others):D.

 

which would make mamma lobster even more confused why there's even a problem.

[iTouch]

the tip increase is only 50¢. no one is complaining about that.

 

it's the addition of the $1 to non service personel.

 

as a waitress, would you have complained that your tip went up 50¢, but a new dollar now goes to the drummer, who gets paid a full salary?

 

As a waitress I would thank my lucky stars I even got a raise. As far as what others in my company get.........none of my business

[sparks1093]

which would make mamma lobster even more confused why there's even a problem.

 

Ummmm, I don't think Lobster Mama is confused about anything other than not understanding why you and others are making such a big stink out of things especially when you look at it from the employee's perspective.

[H82seaUgo]

As a waitress I would thank my lucky stars I even got a raise. As far as what others in my company get.........none of my business

 

really? i groom myself for the high paying jobs.

[iTouch]

really? i groom myself for the high paying jobs.

 

What does that have to do with my post:confused:

[H82seaUgo]

What does that have to do with my post:confused:

 

i certainly like to know what others in my company make. <===READ SLOWLY

[iTouch]

i certainly like to know what others in my company make. <===READ SLOWLY

 

I'm sure you would.....has nothing to do with what I posted though......I can read fine btw.......as an employer it is nobody business how I distribute raises, bonuses etc.......but that employee who receives it.

[golfadj]

I'm probably getting myself in trouble here by giving my 2 cents but here goes anyway. I have just finished reading the last 3 pages of this thread & still have no idea why everyone is going so ballistic over the tip increase. Does anyone have any idea where these workers come from? Most are from very poor countries, they leave their families for months at a time just to send $$ home to support them. You say they have a choice about what work they'll do - many of them don't. And so here they are working on these cruise ships knowing that the money we're tossing around like water would feed their families for a year, and yet they suck it up, and smile & give us outstanding service every day we are in their care. I worked for over 20 years as a waitress in some very high end restaurants & you can imagine how it made me feel when they would have a check for $200 & leave me 20 bucks. I made $2.10/hour and was on my feet for sometimes 16 hours a day. Yes, it bothers me that you had to pay my wage, but that is the way it is if you are in this type of work. And that is the way it is if you choose to go out for a meal - not my rules, someone else's but if you don't want to abide by them, then stay home & cook your own meal or buy a plane ticket & fly to these different countries instead of taking an all-inclusive ship. Instead of thinking about the small impact it's going to have on us, let's think of these very hardworking people that day in and day out do nothing but wait on people (many who are crotchety & mean) and do it with a smile. Just my 2 cents anyway - no one has to agree or get on here and pick apart my whole post - just wanted you to know from a servers perspective how hard it is to smile & serve you coffee while you are being demanding or rude or snapping your fingers at me, when I want to spill said coffee on your lap!!!:D

 

My concern is how little they are giving to the waitstaff and room stewards w hile including front guest and entertainment staff for the first time. Should have given the entire increase to waitstaff and stewards.

[Cruise Organizer]

My concern is how little they are giving to the waitstaff and room stewards w hile including front guest and entertainment staff for the first time. Should have given the entire increase to waitstaff and stewards.

 

Carnival messed up

but only CCL knows exactly who is getting a piece of the "tip".

Everyone has an opinion of who, but that is their guess.

Would it have been better to give no breakout like some other cruiselines?

[livestocruisetoo]

really? i groom myself for the high paying jobs.

 

...most positions give a salary range. I've never seen one to give a specific number. There are lots of surveys out there that show the ranges. :)

[golfadj]

Carnival messed up

but only CCL knows exactly who is getting a piece of the "tip".

Everyone has an opinion of who, but that is their guess.

Would it have been better to give no breakout like some other cruiselines?

 

Carnival messed up. Would bet if they had to do it over again would not give a breakout and nobody would have a clue who was in the alternative 2 dollar tip.

 

Hey I am still waiting to find out how much of a tip the waitstaff gets in the steak house out of the $ 30 we pay.

[iTouch]

Carnival messed up. Would bet if they had to do it over again would not give a breakout and nobody would have a clue who was in the alternative 2 dollar tip.

 

Hey I am still waiting to find out how much of a tip the waitstaff gets in the steak house out of the $ 30 we pay.

 

Nobody has a clue now........I really don't think they are losing any sleep over a few vocal people on cc.......they are probably just shaking their heads.......like most people here...

[whodatis?]

I'm still trying to figure out why they want you to tip the maitre' de? He stopped at my table one time for about 5 secs. I'm supposed to tip for that? I would have much preferred to tip the young lady that sat us at every meal...she was a delightful person!

 

We spoke to our cabin steward who informed us that they don't even get a salary from Carnival...it's all in the 'tips'....$21 for our room during the 6 day trip. So your $10/day tip fee simply PAYS these ppls salaries. We still gave our guy a lil sum'em, sum'em for doing an outstanding job cleaning our room.

[golfadj]

I'm still trying to figure out why they want you to tip the maitre' de? He stopped at my table one time for about 5 secs. I'm supposed to tip for that? I would have much preferred to tip the young lady that sat us at every meal...she was a delightful person!

 

We spoke to our cabin steward who informed us that they don't even get a salary from Carnival...it's all in the 'tips'....$21 for our room during the 6 day trip. So your $10/day tip fee simply PAYS these ppls salaries. We still gave our guy a lil sum'em, sum'em for doing an outstanding job cleaning our room.

 

Actually the room steward does get a salary small that it is. Remember he is also getting room and board.

 

Now the MD is another story. Unless he does something tht directly enhances our dining experiences we do not tip him.

 

DW has some food allergies and the asst MD or hostess will come to our table every evening to work out the next nights dinner for DW. She gets a very nice tip for that.

[T. Advisor King]

Tipping was originally conceived as a way to acknowledge a personal face-to-face service over and above what was to be expected.

• A waiter should be tipped for things like thorough knowledge of the menu, the city, local attractions, etc.; not for bringing me the food or keeping my glass full, that is to be expected that is there job and should be adequately compensated through their salary.
  
• A cab driver should be tipped for his knowledge of the local area and suggestions that might help me in my travels; not for taking me to the address I told him to, that is there job and should be adequately compensated for in their fare.
  
• Room service should have never required a tip. I am ordering food which before hand you know needs to be delivered to my room. It should already be in the price and that should cover someones salary to deliver it. I should not be tipping someone I see for less than 30 seconds typically - it should never have been a tipped service.
  
• The pizza delivery guy should have never required a tip. I am ordering a pizza that you know needs to be delivered, the price should include delivery in it. I should not be tipping someone I see for less than 30 seconds typically - it should never have been a tipped service.
  

Yes, I understand that tipping in these situations above have now become the norm. I just bring them up to show the slippery path we started down. It is only going to get worse.

 

Tipping is getting totally out of control. We are paying for "tipping" because businesses are trying to keep their prices from appearing higher. The airlines got in on it with baggage service and restaurants and cruises are doing it with tipping. Pulling services that should be compensated for in the base prices and expecting us to pay for the service on the backend making their prices appear lower.

 

Does the $1.50 additional a day bother me at all? NO

 

Does it bother me that people complain about it? YES, in a way.

 

Why?

Because most of the ones that are complaining about it are complaining about THE WRONG THING. You shouldn't be complaining about the extra $1.50 a day it costs you (your cruise is very reasonably priced in most cases and some of this has to do with staff who are inadequately compensated to begin with). That $1.50 a day should have already been in the cruise price, and it should probably be a lot more than that. What you should be complaining about is that now the cruise is asking you to "tip" for many services that should not require a tip.

 

 

What has now become of "Tipping" on Carnival and shouldn't be....

 

The old tipping levels were broken down as follows (per day): $5.50 to the headwaiter/waiter, $1 to the assistant waiter/cooks and $3.50 to the cabin steward.

 

 

• Other that the cooks listed above, I believe the other people listed above should be "tipped" for service over and above there job.
  

The new guidelines allocate $5.80 to dining room services, $3.70 to cabin services and $2 per day for alternative services, which include kitchen, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members.

 

 

• Yeah, this whole thing has gotten convoluted. We should only be "tipping" for those people who we interact face-to-face with and who give us a service which is over and above what is expected by their job which should be adequately compensated by a salary.
  

"Tipping" even as obscured as it has gotten has always been for a face-to-face service. Yes, it has gotten away from just being a compensation for over and above service, now to a supplement for an inadequate salaries. But Carnival has now taken it a step further and now requesting tips for staff we may never even see and will most likely have no personal interaction with. Yes, I believe the laundry staff does a great job and I'm always appreciative of the clean sheets and towels, that does not mean I should tip them - this is there job. They should get an adequate salary for it. The entertainer on stage who performs for his job, yes he entertains me but also should be adequately compensated in his salary for this.

 

Do I blame Carnival for this? No. At least not completely.

 

• I do like the idea of not having to worry about paying tips continually throughout the day on my vacation and a reasonable daily flat rate is a great idea!!! I commend you for offering this service Carnival! ...I'm not going to give you a tip for it - so don't ask!
  
• My issue is with who they are going to! At a minimum if I don't interact with you face-to-face you should not be getting a tip. You should be getting adequately compensated for it in your base salary.
  
• Until people complain about it (and in the right way, for the right reasons) this will continue to happen and will only get worse.
  

 

Very well thought-out comments.

 

There are two problems, for which I see no solution. First, I'm guessing that few qualified workers would work on cruise ships for their actual salaries only. The expectation of tips is what gets them to work. If standardized tipping was suddenly eliminated, the cruise lines would have to raise their rates and compensate the staff directly.

 

I would be fine with this, although I don't care too much one way or another. It is the first-time passengers who see an advertized rate and don't realize that there is a near-mandatory tip that hasn't been advertized with the same prominence.

 

The second problem is that the North American cruise industry has managed to define itself as one of those services (like restaurants, cabs and hair cuts) where customers expect to slap on a standard tip regardless of the service (sure you may tip a little more or a little less, but never zero, unless the service was among the worst you ever had, and even then you might still tip).

 

There is no clear delineation as to which services "warrant" a tip and which don't. The check-in clerk at the hotel is paid a salary or hourly wage. I don't tip her. The bellman who stores and fetches my bags on my last day on vacation is paid a salary or hourly wage. I do tip him. The hostess at the restaurant who takes my name and seats me is paid an hourly wage. I don't tip her. The waitress who takes my order is paid an hourly wage. I do tip her. The servers who bring the food and clean off the tables are paid an hourly wage. I don't tip them. Some restaurants have a policy of dividing and sharing tips among all staff. In other restaurants, the tips go only to the waiters/waitresses. I know this from personal experience.

 

But I digress. My point is merely that there are some services for which tipping has become the convention and there are others where it is not the convention. I agree with the original poster that the list seems to be getting longer. I also agree with the original poster, whose main point seems to be, "pay your staff what you need to and charge me a fair rate". I would much rather see businesses run that model than charge a lowball rate to induce me, but then use social pressure to persuade me to supplement their staff's wages with what is effectively a standardized tip.

 

With customers already facing that pressure to tip, why would Carnival or any other cruise line decide to eliminate standardized tipping, which would require them to increase their employee wages and raise their advertized prices correspondingly? All they're doing is competing for the same dollar with a higher sticker price (albeit with the same total price). As long as some people are fooled by hidden nature of standardized tipping, it will always be in Carnival's advantage to maintain the status quo.

 

So we will go through the charade of paying "tips", which some will remove as a matter of principle ("tell me what you're going to charge me and make sure it is a fair amount, but don't expect me to supplement your staff salaries if you choose not to pay them an adequate and fair amount"). Others will just continue to pay it because they figure that they'd be paying exactly the same amount anyway if Carnival more honestly built the "tips" and offsetting crew salaries into their advertized prices.

 

And others will continue to pay the tips because it is such a small amount and the crew are so poor and they work so hard, blah, blah, blah, which is all entirely beside the point.

[katiel53]

the tip increase is only 50¢. no one is complaining about that.

 

it's the addition of the $1 to non service personel.

 

as a waitress, would you have complained that your tip went up 50¢, but a new dollar now goes to the drummer, who gets paid a full salary?

 

I totally disagree with most things you post, and I have posted you are probably the most negative poster on here, but that was the point I tried to make many posts ago. Why do people not understand?

 

Before this change, I was a big proponent of making tips a non-removable service charge. I don't like seeing those that serve us, waiters, assistant waiters, cabin stewards, buffet workers not getting part of the tips, but adding guest services and entertainment staff makes me want to change my mind.

 

The guest services and entertainment staff took jobs NOT expecting tips except for those who work with the kids club I guess and those whose kids go there are the ones who should tip, not the rest of us, so why are those same people now expecting all passengers to tip them???????

[lmen579]

We just got off the Dream..asked one of the wait staff about the new tipping increase. He had no idea what was going on. Informed all of us that they were not getting any pay raises or tip increases.

[DFW Airwolf]

The tipped staff on a cruise ship earns a small base salary (I have heard as little as $75 per month) and rely on tips for the remainder. I doubt that the cruise line "guarentees" anything but gives a range of what may reasonably be earned.

 

If this is the rate they accepted when they signed their contract, that is what they should expect. If they bought the BS about tips, well that is their problem.

 

 

golfadj was clearly not judging you. He said what he does is right for him and what you do is your business.

 

NO he stated and I quote "...but to give nothing is not right." By this stateement, he is making a JUDGEMENT against me. I take offense at that. We can agree to disagree, but I will not be Judged.

 

But let me ask you this, if what you are doing is so right why are you so defensive?;) I don't care what you do either, but you should know how tipped employees are paid (but if you aren't open to the facts, well, I don't really care about that, either. Other people are reading this thread and maybe this will help them).

 

I have my values, others have theres. Others like to argue & tell everyone here "We have to tip or else" I just want to defend those of us who disagree with this CONTROL MENTALITY.

[DFW Airwolf]

pretty underhanded way to give out a raise, eh? make your customer pay for it outside the fare, so the fare can continue to look low.

 

 

And this is the real thing I am revolting against. I have no problem paying more for a Cruise. Like I said, I think many more people would rather have a $ 570.00 cruise fare (Everything included) instead of a $ 500.00 cruise far + $ 70.00 tips. Unfortunately it is just like Government, they dont want to pass a TAX increase, so they pass FEE increases.

 

I say if it walks like a Duck & quacks like a Duck, then it is a DUCK. Dont call it a Hamster.

[steveNcindy]

It certainly would be nice if the Big Buddha of Carnival Brand Ambassadorship answered the questions that were posed to him a couple weeks ago about this.

 

The longer it goes without an answer, the more I almost think they are hiding something.

 

I will just leave the auto tips as is but that is just me.

 

The silence though can be deafening...

[golfadj]

Originally Posted by sparks1093

golfadj was clearly not judging you. He said what he does is right for him and what you do is your business.

NO he stated and I quote "...but to give nothing is not right." By this stateement, he is making a JUDGEMENT against me. I take offense at that. We can agree to disagree, but I will not be Judged.

 

 

 

 

.

 

I think you are wrong in not tipping anything at all. If you call that judging you, ok so be it.

[DFW Airwolf]

The Simple Solution I think everyone could embrace is this;

 

1. Raise Fare to whatever is needed to pay these people a Fair Wage.

 

2. Let us make the CHOICE if we want to give these people anything extra for something special.

 

3. If Carnival feels there Fares are too high, then they need to learn how to better manage their business & deliver their product at a affordable rate. And this isnt done at the expense of the Front line Employees.

 

A Business Consultant I worked with many years ago explained it to me like a pyramid. The people at the Bottom, do the most work for the least amount. (Not really fair maybe, but that is reality) And we need to remember that they are also the ones that screw up the product faster than anyone else. And this was in a MFG Business. Same thing here, if they deliver a BAD service, we wont come back. So they need to be compensated fairly so they are glad to have their jobs to earn their paycheck. If not, then the business can hire someone else who will be glad to do the work for that paycheck.

 

One of the biggest LIES we have put over on ourselves is allowing for people to work for Sub-Par wages. Farmers are facing this now since states are cracking down on immigration & Americans dont want to do the Hard work it entails. This says to me that these Illegal Immigrants have been exploited because of their willingness to work for lower wages because of their Legal Status. NOT RIGHT. But we have turned a blind eye to it because of our desire for CHEAP PRICES.

 

The big difference I feel with Cruise Employees is they dont have LEGAL STATUS hanging over them. They are FREE to accept or not the pay offered. If they feel it isnt enough or they can do better elsewhere, they have a choice. But I believe when you agree to something, you need to SHUT UP & ACCEPT IT.

[M&MGirl1]

I have to preface what I say by saying we have always tipped the minimum and tipped those we felt deserved more additionally. I also have to say that the dollar value of the increase itself, doesn't bother us.

 

I do have to say that I don't feel that the ones who really serve us, ie, the waitstaff, the cabin stewards receive a tiny bit of the increase. Carnival has now decided that additional staff needs to be tipped and that's why I disagree with the new tipping policy.

 

I don't feel that the entertainment staff needs a tip, nor do I feel guest relations needs a tip. To us, we paid for entertainment on the ship and I have never heard that customer relations people get tipped. As far as entertainment staff goes, I am guessing, and I say guessing as I asked John Heald and he said he had never heard of it and I wrote to Gerry Cahill and haven't received a response, that that includes the Carnival program for kids. If that is true, why do we, who don't use the program, have to pay for this? If it is for those who run karaoke, trivia etc. why is that not part of the cruise fare?

 

As far as guest relations people, and I have gotten my info from the Carnival website, why should we/anyone pay to have questions answered or problems straightened out? We have never had to pay for that in any other business.

 

We have never, ever removed the auto-tips, but we resent having to pay for these services. Won't it be embarrassing to walk up to guest services and tell them we want tips removed? It will be when we ask why and we say it's because we feel the new tipping policy is tipping for people we feel don't serve us or shouldn't be tipped in the first place. But, we still might do it. The one thing that makes us feel sad about doing the above is that people that work in the buffet or other services might not get their fair share, and I don't know if Carnival will allow us to remove entertainment staff and guest services only.

 

This just seems to me another way for Carnival to cut back and make us feel guilty when in fact they could still pay the staff make a profit as they do now. The people who really work hard and deserve an increase, are getting the short end of the stick. JMO.

 

Could not agree with you more! I do not mind tipping my cabin steward, wait staff, etc. Tipping guest relations and the entertainment staff goes way too far. I certainly don't tip the performers after I see a Broadway show, nor did I tip the customer service representative from Geek Squad who took my phone call regarding getting my blown TV speakers repaired under their warranty, so why I should tip comprable positions on board a cruise ship is beyond me.

 

I've never had guest services remove a tip before, but must say I'll be awfully tempted the next time I'm on a Carnival ship to put up with standing in line to remove the recommended tip for those employees and then turn around and give the difference in cash to my cabin steward and waiters.

[bzpilot]

Very well thought-out comments.

 

There are two problems, for which I see no solution. First, I'm guessing that few qualified workers would work on cruise ships for their actual salaries only. The expectation of tips is what gets them to work. If standardized tipping was suddenly eliminated, the cruise lines would have to raise their rates and compensate the staff directly.

 

I would be fine with this, although I don't care too much one way or another. It is the first-time passengers who see an advertized rate and don't realize that there is a near-mandatory tip that hasn't been advertized with the same prominence.

 

The second problem is that the North American cruise industry has managed to define itself as one of those services (like restaurants, cabs and hair cuts) where customers expect to slap on a standard tip regardless of the service (sure you may tip a little more or a little less, but never zero, unless the service was among the worst you ever had, and even then you might still tip).

 

There is no clear delineation as to which services "warrant" a tip and which don't. The check-in clerk at the hotel is paid a salary or hourly wage. I don't tip her. The bellman who stores and fetches my bags on my last day on vacation is paid a salary or hourly wage. I do tip him. The hostess at the restaurant who takes my name and seats me is paid an hourly wage. I don't tip her. The waitress who takes my order is paid an hourly wage. I do tip her. The servers who bring the food and clean off the tables are paid an hourly wage. I don't tip them. Some restaurants have a policy of dividing and sharing tips among all staff. In other restaurants, the tips go only to the waiters/waitresses. I know this from personal experience.

 

But I digress. My point is merely that there are some services for which tipping has become the convention and there are others where it is not the convention. I agree with the original poster that the list seems to be getting longer. I also agree with the original poster, whose main point seems to be, "pay your staff what you need to and charge me a fair rate". I would much rather see businesses run that model than charge a lowball rate to induce me, but then use social pressure to persuade me to supplement their staff's wages with what is effectively a standardized tip.

 

With customers already facing that pressure to tip, why would Carnival or any other cruise line decide to eliminate standardized tipping, which would require them to increase their employee wages and raise their advertized prices correspondingly? All they're doing is competing for the same dollar with a higher sticker price (albeit with the same total price). As long as some people are fooled by hidden nature of standardized tipping, it will always be in Carnival's advantage to maintain the status quo.

 

So we will go through the charade of paying "tips", which some will remove as a matter of principle ("tell me what you're going to charge me and make sure it is a fair amount, but don't expect me to supplement your staff salaries if you choose not to pay them an adequate and fair amount"). Others will just continue to pay it because they figure that they'd be paying exactly the same amount anyway if Carnival more honestly built the "tips" and offsetting crew salaries into their advertized prices.

 

And others will continue to pay the tips because it is such a small amount and the crew are so poor and they work so hard, blah, blah, blah, which is all entirely beside the point.

 

We're definitely on the same page, thanks for taking the time and posting!

[bzpilot]

We just got off the Dream..asked one of the wait staff about the new tipping increase. He had no idea what was going on. Informed all of us that they were not getting any pay raises or tip increases.

 

This is pretty much what I expected. We have a "tipping" increase and those who truly should benefit from it aren't getting it and don't even know about it.

 

 

The Simple Solution I think everyone could embrace is this;

 

1. Raise Fare to whatever is needed to pay these people a Fair Wage.

 

2. Let us make the CHOICE if we want to give these people anything extra for something special...

 

Exactly! Charge me a fare rate, even if it's considerably higher, that pays your staff adequately. Then offer me the option of a flat rate tipping service, that goes to those who really should be "tipped".

 

I know the appearance of low fares is a lot of what it's about in the industry - especially in this economy. When all the cruise lines do it, it's hard to be the one to step up and do what is right - principle doesn't pay the bills and I understand that. Somebody has to call them out on it before it gets worse though.

 

I'm glad to see so many people on here who understand it has nothing to do with spending a few more dollars in tips, but about getting the "tips" to the right people. Which kind of opens up the bag to addressing salary issues on board.