Tip question

[big_duck]

Has anyone ever thought that is Carnival PAID their OWN PEOPLE better wages then maybe we would not even be having this conversation???

 

They paid their staff crapp and then make the guest feel like if we don't leave the amount CARNIVAL feels we need to it makes us look and feel

bad.

 

Tips are suppose to be to your discretion.

 

When you go out to eat and you get bad service you don't think twice about not giving 20% OR 15% OR EVEN 10%

 

But yet on a cruise your a rotten person if you fall short!!!!!

 

It all falls back to CARNIVAL. They know that its human nature to take care of the under dog!!!!!!!

 

And once again.. That is the person who cruises!!!!!

 

Why are you pointing your finger at Carnival? All cruise lines do it (except NCL in Hawaii)

[GoinCruisin]

It's not just Carnival. As far as I know, there is only one US Flagged cruise ship out there, and from what I understand, service STINKS. All cruiselines do this, and some have started calling this a service charge rather than gratuity. You can better believe the uprising there would be if Carnival started making this mandatory. Sure, we would all love to see it included I would imagine, but it's not. Because they are foreign flagged ships, they are not bound by US wage and labor laws. I don't mind tipping... I would do it if I were on a land vacation, so it's no different for me to do it on a cruise ship... i consider it part of the total cost of cruising (or vacationing for that matter)

[Deb&Bert]

Not pointing the finger at just Carnival. Its all the cruise lines.

 

My point was.. If they need another 70 bucks.. Then include it and make

it in your total. And then all tips are paid in advance.

 

Some of these stewarts work their butts off and I have seen others don't

 

If its a tipping service then all my point is you have the right to tip as you see it. Not what Carnival tells you have should do.

 

We were on the Victory in Jan. 2005 and had a group of 50 family and friends with us.

 

The dinning room staff was by far in 6 Carnival cruises where the WORST I have ever seen. All 7 days.

 

The room stewart was not much better. Did they derserve the 70 bucks..

NO they did not.

 

Now the people working next to them who was working hard to make things right deserve more.

 

I can't see having to tip someone who is not doing their jobs.

 

This cruise companies throw their people out to dry if you ask me.

 

They want you to feel like you HAVE to give this damn 70 tip. Then they can keep paying rotten pay and we make up the differnce.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

I don't understand why you keep saying $10 a day per person for the room steward is a lot on money. Numerous people have stated that the $420 total you will pay is not only going to our room steward. It goes to cover tips for all the different cruise staff who will be taking care of you and your family. Plus you act like you were surprised to learn of the tips. It in the Carnival's catalog, it's on their website, my TA talked about them. How are you surprised about it. When planning a vacation, one should check into it before booking, and when asking questions read all of someones answer.

[GoinCruisin]

I have been lucky to have great stewarDs.... and fabulous diNing teams, and have never thought twice about tipping above and beyond the suggested amount. Why don't restaurants pay waiters and waitresses more??? We supplement their income as well... it's all around us, it's just not that big of a deal to me. If it was added to the cruise fare, what would be different than the way it is now, other than the fact that you would not be able to adjust the tips like you can now? It's added to the S&S account, so essentially, if you don't touch it, it IS added to the cruise fare, just at a different time. So if they add $70 to your $1000 cruise fare, you are still paying $1070 either way you look at it... I just don't see how that would keep the people that gripe about it now, from griping about it at all...

[kari333]

I agree with Deb& Bert - I don't understand why everyone keeps saying and accepting that the paid passengers have to pay Carnival's staff - a tip is a tip and shouldn't just be expected. I paid over $1,000 per person for this cruise & I expect to be treated as I would in a fine resort regardless. I don't believe that if one person is in a room or 4 that there is SO much more work-the room steward still picks up the towels and sets the bed, vacuums and empties the garbage, cleans the sinks regardless of how many people are in that room. If you go to a fancy hotel I doubt that everyone tips their housekeeping staff $3.50 per person per day. Cruise lines are making profits and let them share some of those profits with their employees. THe blame for low pay should be put on the cruise lines not on the passengers. A tip is for excellent service and should not just be handed to everyone with their hand out. Tip what you feel is appropriate for the service your family received Tibbs and don't feel intimitated by others to pay for carnivals employees.

[GoinCruisin]

If there are those people that KNOW about the gratuity policy, yet don't feel they should be "paying the salaries" of the employees and want to rant and rave about it... why cruise??? :confused: This is how it is on all cruiselines, and the majority of people that cruise have no problem with it... Cruising on Carnival is a great value... way less, even with tips, then you could get a land vacation for including the meals, entertainment, etc... Cruising is NOT all inclusive, and all cruiselines have the passengers supplement the income of the staff, what is the big deal??? It's not something that is going to change by whining about it... if you don't want to tip and are so outraged about it, don't cruise... simple.

 

OP, again, it sounds like you have the right idea, and once it absorbs and you are on the cruise, I'm sure you will be happy with the service your family receives... have a great cruise!!!

[CrazyMums]

If there are those people that KNOW about the gratuity policy, yet don't feel they should be "paying the salaries" of the employees and want to rant and rave about it... why cruise??? :confused: ... Cruising is NOT all inclusive, and all cruiselines have the passengers supplement the income of the staff, what is the big deal???

 

GC,

 

That is my problem. If the passengers are supplementing the salaries of the employees, then they should not be referred to as "tips". Tips are clearly for services rendered - good or bad - and are not to be expected.

 

BUT, another way to look at it, if my cruise for 3 costs around $3,000, the standard 15% gratuity on that $3,000 comes to $450 which exceeds Carnival's "recommendations" by $180 based on 3 people for 7 days. So it appears that if we only tip the recommended amounts, the staff isn't even receiving the 15% that has come to be standard for average service. That would make it appear that another $180 in "extra" tipping would be necessary to bring them up to standard/average. At home, I tip 20% or above for service that exceeds my expectations. Carnival's recommended tipping doesn't even come close to 20% of the cost of the cruise and those who exceed expectations certainly deserve extra.

 

My problem isn't the tipping, it is the assumption that tipping is expected or required.

[peterv]

First let's clear up the mistaken impression that the staff receive only the $50 salary for the month. The cruiselines guarantee that they will make a minimum of around $750 per month. If their tips for the month do not exceed this amount, then the cruiselines will pay them the difference. So in effect they will receive at least $750 a month even if they receive zero in tips.

 

A tip is a tip, not a salary replacement for the guest to make up. They like to point out the miniscule salary part, but neglect to tell you of the guarantee and guilt you into tipping whether you receive good service or not.

 

For those that point to a service charge, to me that will go over like the port charge debacle a few years ago. If you are going to force me to pay something, then up the cost of the cruise. Like people are going to really notice the difference if the special price deal is $669 instead of $599.

 

The other thing I've noticed is that even if you decide not to eat in the main dining room, say you use alternate dining, or even the buffet, you should still tip the requested amount to the dining room team. What a load of bollocks. Not only do we need to tip if we get poor or average service, we now need to tip even if there is no service. What sense does that make. I see that there is in addition to the dining team tip, there is an item for the lido waiters, I guess that the $1 should be sufficient for them then.

 

You have to realise it is a tip, it is not REQUIRED, if you feel the amount is excessive, feel free to decrease it. If you think it is insufficient, then by all means increase it.

 

But stop the name calling and demands that they pay it up or don't cruise. This is their holiday, not yours, and they are the best to judge for themselves how much a tip should be.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[lil nemo]

:confused: i can't help but, wonder why this hits such a nerve for some people either for or against!

 

a comment that struck me funny is the % math, that 1 of the posters did on the cost of the cruise percentage for under norm tips..

if I pay $450.00 for my cruise that is

10% is 45.00

yet if you have a cabin of higher statue say $950 my tip would be higher?

 

Did they really service the higher room differently than the less paying passenger??

 

you can not do that kind of math for a cruise like you would a restaurant or bar.

 

and just a thought of hotel rooms vs cabins on a cruise.

they usually clean them after vacating.(cleaning of this room is very different than what is done on a cruise daily)

if you have an extended say in a hotel room you will usually leave a tip based on service you feel has been given, not expectations that you need to tip!

I never once have consider my tip based on the average salary of houskeeping staff in a hotel!!!

unliked many do on cruises, if these jobs are soooooooo undesirable I really don't think anyone would do them! ANYONE, not even underpriviledged folks from countries of economic depression.

 

and sidebar, not everyone in this country (U.S.)or other nations all tip based on the percent quotiant. in more rural areas of the states and some of the ecomonical challenged areas of the nations. tipping is not always the norm.

[big_duck]

if I pay $450.00 for my cruise that is

10% is 45.00

yet if you have a cabin of higher statue say $950 my tip would be higher?

 

Did they really service the higher room differently than the less paying passenger??

 

 

My restaurant meal was $40.00 yours was $30.00. We are at the same table being served by the same waiter yet my tip will be more.

[kujobie]

A tip is a tip. It is voluntary and is between you, the recipient, and God. The cruise lines give guidelines for tipping for the benefit of those who have no idea how much they should tip, if they choose to do so. Those guidelines are not meant to "guilt" anyone into tipping at least that amount. If you stiff those who serve you, you are not going to be flogged or publicly executed. They are not going to post your name on a bulletin board. Those who do not pre-pay tips, should be reminded by their TA that it is customary to tip service personnel on ships as it is on land and that they SHOULD consider this a cost of cruising. Most people expect to go on a cruise and have a good time and I think most people do. If you go to a restaraunt and enjoy your meal, it is customary to leave a tip. The same goes for cruising. If you have bad service at a restaraunt, you have the right to reduce your tip. The same goes for cruising. I have never felt the need to tip below the guidelines, but I would NOT, in any case, tip anyone who didn't deserve it.

[Kat1613]

I disagree w/ goincruisin that a cruise is cheaper than a land vacation -when all is said and done a cruise can be very expensive and it truly depends on where you go on land to compare so there is no comparison. I was just curious as to how Carnival came to this approrpiate tipping fee of $10 per day per person? Since it is called a "tip" it should be personal & for the quality of service each passenger received. There shouldn't be any dispute about it, it is up to the passenger as to what they feel they should leave so don't be pressured by Carnival's guidelines (we don't tell them how much profit they are allowed to make) or by other posters just do what you feel is humanly right. LOL.

[big_duck]

I disagree w/ goincruisin that a cruise is cheaper than a land vacation

 

Well I recently costed it out and it cheaper for the four of us to take a 5 day Sensation cruise (two OV Cabins) with a three day stay in NOLA Versus a 7 day all inclusive in coz at a four star. The cruise came out a few hundred (Cdn) cheaper.

[camreesmom]

We priced it out last year and it is WAAAAAAY cheaper for us to take our family (8 kids plus Grandma) on a 5 day Ecstasy cruise out of Galveston than to go to an all inclusive in Mexico for the same amount of time. You have to consider the fact that we don't have airfare to pay for also. And that is including our excursions and spending money! It is never cheap to go on a nice vacation but we feel like we get our moneys worth on a cruise.

 

Just my two cents ;) ,

Julie

[blwms]

tribbs..I understand the shock . Your TA should have pointed this out in the very beginning then it would not be such a shocker, but it seems you are the kind that will just "roll with the flow" and have a ball anyway. I certainly hope so, and I, for one, never thought you were complaining about the tips. Have fun..and as to the poster regarding the wages paid by Carnival..the tipping policy is the same on all other cruise lines I have sailed..in fact one or two of them is more..so it is not just Carnival who underpays...apparently they all do!

[GoinCruisin]

I disagree w/ goincruisin that a cruise is cheaper than a land vacation -when all is said and done a cruise can be very expensive and it truly depends on where you go on land to compare so there is no comparison. I was just curious as to how Carnival came to this approrpiate tipping fee of $10 per day per person? Since it is called a "tip" it should be personal & for the quality of service each passenger received. There shouldn't be any dispute about it, it is up to the passenger as to what they feel they should leave so don't be pressured by Carnival's guidelines (we don't tell them how much profit they are allowed to make) or by other posters just do what you feel is humanly right. LOL.

 

You can "disagree", but in my case, it's true. Okay, i'm not talking about a land vacation to Myrtle Beach or Tampa... I'm talking a resort vacation... I've been on 12 all inclusives outside the continental US, every single one of them have been far more expensive than a cruise... even when I factor in my drinks, etc. On a cruise, including my fare, drinks, and extras, I average around $180'ish per day... even if I DID just go to Myrtle Beach... if I chose say a 3 star hotel, 3 meals a day, one show, my drinks, etc. I'm looking at closer to $300 per day...

 

As for the tip, Carnival states plainly how they break it down... and it's really not that much... If I go on a land vacation and I break down my tips as such:

 

Housekeeping $3

Breakfast $2-$3

Lunch $3- $6

Dinner $6-$10

 

That is $14-$22, for me, for one day. Considering I would actually be paying more for this land vacation, I'm not going to squabble over the $10 a day Carnival suggests... cruising is a great value, and the tips are very small compared to what I would have to spend elsewhere...

[steveaaaa]

If you know ahead of time that your kids wont be eating in the dining room have your agent note this in your booking. That way chairs wont be reserved for them and the waiter can earn his tips. .

 

How is this done??? I can't seem to get it to work out. I am trying to book 3 cabins all next to each other thru 3 different agencies with NO dining room seating for all. All 3 agencies cannot seem to get no seating as an option. I do not want a waiter to get stuck.

I am using credit card points for all rooms thru icruise,Mbna,and Seamiles which is a disaster already. The reservation will not be taken unless a dining option is chosen.

Steve

[blackwing]

If you can't avoid being assigned to a seating, then as soon as you board, I would urge you to please go see the maitre d and tell him that you will not need your assigned tables. Then he can accomodate other guest's requests, move them to your spaces, and the waiter and staff doesn't get screwed by a week of no tips.

[jcanino]

I am trying to book 3 cabins all next to each other thru 3 different agencies with NO dining room seating for all. All 3 agencies cannot seem to get no seating as an option. I do not want a waiter to get stuck.

 

That is because there is no option of "NO DINING". It is not something that can be done, period. Let the Maitre 'D know upon arrival that your two teens will never be in the dining room. Even if they eat at alternative locations all week, someone will still be taking care of them and cleaning up after them so I hope that you do not dismiss the wait service tip altogether.

[luv2cruise99]

Remember that the $10.00 per day per person is just a guideline and you can adjust it either up or down at your discretion or take the tips off your account completely and tip in cash. We always do this because we do not eat in the dining room. By Carnival's own guidelines $5.50 per person per day goes to the Dining Room Service Team (waiter and headwaiter). Also according to Carnival's guidelines the Lido deck staff only get $1.00 per person per day in the automatic tips. We feel that this discrepancy is pretty unfair since we use the Lido buffet exclusively, so we take off the automatic tips and give the same amount (or more) in cash to the Lido personnel who served us during the week. You might consider doing this for your boys if they do not using the dining room.

 

As for your room steward, you can decide for yourself how much you think his service is worth based on the amount of work he has to do for your family. When I used to share a room with my sister and her two older children, we would sometimes reduce the tips for the children because we didn't feel that they added that much work. On my last two cruises, however, I took my twins who were 9 months and 18 months old at the time and I tipped much MORE than the recommended amount because I felt they added ALOT of work.

 

Just remember that the guidelines are just that, a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. Be fair in deciding whether a tip should be reduced, but don't feel that you have to tip the full amount just because the guideline says so.

[MAKAMOM13]

I Dont Understand. If They Are Guidelines They Should Not Be Charged Automatic

[oriolesfan22]

Well said, Deb.

 

I try not to get into the tip discussions too often, but it goes back to the argument that it is no longer a tip, it's a service charge. I sometimes wonder why it's such a HOT TOPIC here, but there is a lot of guilt directed towards cruisers who even mention that they might not tip the recommended amount if service is not up to par. We usually remove the automatic tips from the account shortly after boarding because we like to tip in cash. I've heard all the arguments about how it's easier on the crew to leave it on our account, but I prefer to tip in cash and adjust the tips as I see fit. There have been many times that we have had assistant waiters who run their tails off for us, and we like to tip them extra. Once we had a cabin steward who didn't clean our room on 2 separate nights (we tossed our wet towels on the bathroom floor so we were not happy to have to re-use them), didn't refill the ice bucket several times and we noticed the same sand and dirt on the floor for several days. After our second note to the steward, the area was finally vacuumed. That steward was most certainly the worst we ever had, and we didn't tip the recommended amount, but re-routed a portion of his tip to the outstanding wait staff. (In addition to the exta amount we'd already planned to give the assistant waiter.) This is where I have a problem with the tips being automatically charged to my account. This person did not meet my expectations. Unfortunately, the "tip" is no longer a tip, but a service charge to supplement wages, and I wish it would change.

[summerlove69]

Based on what I have seen in restaurants, if the tips weren't included, they may not get them at all. Service staff get paid less than the minimum wage, legally. In many restaurants they automatically add the tip to the check for parties larger than a set size. At the Olive Garden in Times Square, a tip is added to all checks, even a single diner, because all too often people don't leave tips at all. Carnival is very upfront about the tipping and isn't trying to rip anyone off, but in my opinion is trying to be sure that people don't "forget" to tip.

 

Bridget

[oriolesfan22]

Just a thought.....

 

Would we accept the suggested amount a little easier if they gave us a range as guidelines? For example...

 

Cabin Steward and Head Waiter $2.50 to $5.00 per person per day

Assistant Waiter $2 to 4.00 per person

Alternate wait staff $1 to $2 per day.

 

Now that I think about what I posted earlier and mentioned it to my husband, I think I am more affended by being told what to pay, versus if I were given a range, I would think of it more as a suggestion.