Prepaid gratuities

[duegwb]

When I booked my cruise with carnival I didn't prepay the gratuities. Is there a way to pay them before we cruise in July? If so, how do I go about doing it?

 

 

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[SMSACE6]

You can prepay them now, just call Carnival, and you can do it now.

 

It will be one less charge on your sail and sign account later.

[TheCalicoCat]

When I booked my cruise with carnival I didn't prepay the gratuities. Is there a way to pay them before we cruise in July? If so, how do I go about doing it?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

You can call Carnival or your TA & get that taken care of now. We have it added to our cruise total from the beginning. Since we know that we will be paying it, we like to have it taken care of so that it isn't a "bill" at the end of our trip.

[duegwb]

Awesome, thank you both for your quick response!! :)

 

 

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[SAM527]

I always pay before the cruise like someone else said just to not have to pay it at the end. You can add it on any time.

 

I wonder how many people don't pay beforehand and then forget about it and get shocked when they have a charge for almost $200, $300, $400 on top of the rest of their charges.

[Dare2Believe]

I always pay before the cruise like someone else said just to not have to pay it at the end. You can add it on any time.

 

I wonder how many people don't pay beforehand and then forget about it and get shocked when they have a charge for almost $200, $300, $400 on top of the rest of their charges.

 

Probably more than a fair amount...I'm sure a lot of people who switch from all inclusives over to cruising don't even think about it, and assume that it's part of their cruise fare.

[sassy~one]

I have never pre paid my tips. I always give the tips to the ones that helped and served me the best.

 

Its just hard for me to understand that tips can be pre paid. How do you know who your tip is going to?

 

[firemanbobswife]

I have never pre paid my tips. I always give the tips to the ones that helped and served me the best.

 

 

 

Its just hard for me to understand that tips can be pre paid. How do you know who your tip is going to?

 

 

 

 

 

Here we go again. Carnival bases people's pay based on the fact that cruisers pay gratuities either before the cruise or during. There are people that you won't see that depend on them. You don't have to agree with it, but that's just the way it is.

 

I am so tired of this subject. Bottom line is people need to stop being so cheap and just pay them. If you get exceptional service, then pay the staff with additional cash if you so desire.

 

They need to just automatically tack it on as a "Service Charge" as opposed to "tips". Because that's what it really is.

[pbsteve]

I have never pre paid my tips. I always give the tips to the ones that helped and served me the best.

 

Its just hard for me to understand that tips can be pre paid. How do you know who your tip is going to?

 

 

 

From the numerous people who have asked on here, all tips are pooled, so even if you give the money to one person, they still must put it in the pool, or they will be fired. So it doesn't matter how you tip them, it all goes into a pot and split up.

 

 

Think of it this way, when you tip a waitress, they tip out the bartender, and busboy, both of whom provided you service that you didn't see. Carnival does the same thing, Think of the resturant busboys, the people who keep the ship clean by removing empties all over the place, etc.

 

and since someone will say well, it should be in their pay for non-service people, Just remember there are different cultures in tipping. For example, tipping in europe is rarely done, as they are paid by the resturant for good service, tipping in the US has become customary in resturants as our servers pretty much make nothing but tips after taxes. Cruises people are paid a wage, but rely on tips across the board as part of their income. it is the culture of the type of employment they have. you may think its stupid, but its just how it works onboard. Doing the math, it averages 26.62 per employee per day in total tips. The waitresses at dennys make more, you giving it to just some people, means you're probably trying to save a few bucks by not giving the 10 per person per day, but that just means you're tipping them less since it's shared.

 

 

 

Food for thought to hopefully shut people up about this.

who does carnival give the money to?

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services (steward)

 

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services (head waiter and assistant waiters)

 

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

 

Whats the biggest employee complaint? LONG HOURS, so long in fact that "sometimes there's no time to eat from early morning until late at night"

 

How much does carnival pay people on average? (from glassdoor.com database) (most included tips)

Team Waiter 2133/Month

cook 851/month

chef 2247/month

assistant cabin steward 1301/month

Bar waiter 1869/month

Edited February 16, 2014 by pbsteve

[SAM527]

 

Its just hard for me to understand that tips can be pre paid. How do you know who your tip is going to?

 

 

The prepaid tips get spread around to the others on the ship who do stuff you either see or don't see. I give EXTRA to the people that take care of me, not just to them only. What happens then to all of the other workers?

 

$3.70 Cabin Services (cabin stewards)

$5.80 (MDR) Main Dining Room Services (wait staff)

$2.00 Alternative Services (kitchen, entertainment, passenger services, other hotel staff members).

[sassy~one]

Here we go again. Carnival bases people's pay based on the fact that cruisers pay gratuities either before the cruise or during. There are people that you won't see that depend on them. You don't have to agree with it, but that's just the way it is.

 

I am so tired of this subject. Bottom line is people need to stop being so cheap and just pay them. If you get exceptional service, then pay the staff with additional cash if you so desire.

 

They need to just automatically tack it on as a "Service Charge" as opposed to "tips". Because that's what it really is.[/QUO

 

 

 

Here we go again? :eek: Nope this is my first post here about this.

 

Your tired of this subject? :rolleyes: why reply?

 

Being cheep? :rolleyes: Not me, i always tip, at the end, to the ones that i feel deserves a tip.

 

Talk about attacking!

 

Its a free cruise and nothing was said about paying any tips.

 

Edited February 16, 2014 by sassy~one

[sassy~one]

Thanks pbsteve. I understand what is happening, but just struggle about the pre paying.

 

Sam, thanks for the break down. Its helpful. :)

 

I can remember last time on Carnival a lady in the pool fussing about her bar bill. She was telling others she had to remove the tips, to help reduce the costs.

 

I always tip, but i do it my way. :D

[firemanbobswife]

Here we go again. Carnival bases people's pay based on the fact that cruisers pay gratuities either before the cruise or during. There are people that you won't see that depend on them. You don't have to agree with it, but that's just the way it is.

 

I am so tired of this subject. Bottom line is people need to stop being so cheap and just pay them. If you get exceptional service, then pay the staff with additional cash if you so desire.

 

They need to just automatically tack it on as a "Service Charge" as opposed to "tips". Because that's what it really is.[/QUO

 

Here we go again? :eek: Nope this is my first post here about this.

 

Your tired of this subject? :rolleyes: why reply?

 

Being cheep? :rolleyes: Not me, i always tip, at the end, to the ones that i feel deserves a tip.

 

Talk about attacking!

 

Its a free cruise and nothing was said about paying any tips.

 

 

Settle down, now. I wasn't attacking you. This is a subject that has been beat to death on these boards. If I had a dime for every time this came up, I could cruise free for the rest of my life.

 

I reply because it bothers me that people don't agree with Carnival's (and other cruise line's) way they pay people, so they remove auto tips and then the innocent crew members are left to suffer.

 

And a lot of people that remove tips ARE cheap. Again, I won't repeat what has been said over and over and over again.

 

Free cruise or not, the staff still need to get paid. If you remove tips, then you are only hurting the people that depend on them as part of their pay. One more time - it is simply the crew's pay. Not true gratuities. Continue to do as you have been and tip for service above and beyond. If not, then, well, that's just wrong.

 

It would make me and most people that feel the crew deserves decent pay very happy if they quit calling it "Gratuities" and make it mandatory as a "Service Charge". Then all this bickering and beating a dead horse would end once and for all.

[sassy0930]

As I've grown up, my opinion about this has changed (who'd have thunk it?!). If you go back in my post history there might be posts about my not supporting the tipping process. But in my wisened old age (har har) I've realized that while this cruise is a luxury for me, it is not for them. It is their job, their livelihood. And it's a hard job. What I would like to know, honestly, is how you decide which person it is who did an excellent job to earn your tips. (I'm even going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say you give the full 10 pp/pd.) If your room is clean and tidy and you have a nice little towel animal on your bed and clean towels and buckets of ice and anything else you might request, do you give your steward that tip? If the line did not make their employees pool tips, that would leave someone very important to the experience out of your tip. The Steward's assistant does a lot of the cleaning and tidying throughout the cruise. They empty the trash and scrub your toilet and pick up your stuff from the floor so they can vacuum the carpet. They work equally as hard, but would not get a penny from you, because you don't see them. Same as the servers at the buffet. They might not bring food to your table, but they are responsible for keeping a buffet stocked with all the delicious foods you love to eat. They keep the ice cream machine full and the toppings area clean and tidy (there are kids serving themselves from that area. It must be a full time job wiping those counters and getting clean scoops!) And if you only tip your Main Dining Room server, the hard workers who keep the rest of the food you like to eat coming are going without.

 

Thankfully, Carnival knows that people like you are out there and in order to compensate they require employees to pool all their tips. But from experience, I think people who say the things you say (and I could be wrong. I don't know you) will not be the ones who tip 10 pp/pd. They might tip a couple of dollars total. Maybe a 20 to their steward and a 20 to their dining room waiter. So those teams are forced to split those small sums among the whole team of people who work to create a fantastic service and work around the clock 7 days a week.

[cruisecraze96]

I always do the prepaid tips but then tip my room steward additional (usually at the start) and then this trip since the kids are coming I am putting aside money for the camp carnival room as well.

 

I try to put my tip money aside from my spending money that way it is there. The first and last day of any trip money just seems to go left and right with all the people making sure to assist you :)

[fishtaco]

From the numerous people who have asked on here, all tips are pooled, so even if you give the money to one person, they still must put it in the pool, or they will be fired. So it doesn't matter how you tip them, it all goes into a pot and split up.

 

 

Think of it this way, when you tip a waitress, they tip out the bartender, and busboy, both of whom provided you service that you didn't see. Carnival does the same thing, Think of the resturant busboys, the people who keep the ship clean by removing empties all over the place, etc.

 

and since someone will say well, it should be in their pay for non-service people, Just remember there are different cultures in tipping. For example, tipping in europe is rarely done, as they are paid by the resturant for good service, tipping in the US has become customary in resturants as our servers pretty much make nothing but tips after taxes. Cruises people are paid a wage, but rely on tips across the board as part of their income. it is the culture of the type of employment they have. you may think its stupid, but its just how it works onboard. Doing the math, it averages 26.62 per employee per day in total tips. The waitresses at dennys make more, you giving it to just some people, means you're probably trying to save a few bucks by not giving the 10 per person per day, but that just means you're tipping them less since it's shared.

 

 

 

Food for thought to hopefully shut people up about this.

who does carnival give the money to?

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services (steward)

 

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services (head waiter and assistant waiters)

 

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

 

Whats the biggest employee complaint? LONG HOURS, so long in fact that "sometimes there's no time to eat from early morning until late at night"

 

How much does carnival pay people on average? (from glassdoor.com database) (most included tips)

Team Waiter 2133/Month

cook 851/month

chef 2247/month

assistant cabin steward 1301/month

Bar waiter 1869/month

 

I am from Australia and there is no real tipping culture here, some tip now and again on land usually restaurants etc but not as much as 10 of 15% like in USA.

 

When I book a USA Carnival cruise from Australia I have no choice, I must pre pay the tips at booking stage.

 

I could have the pre paids removed by calling Carnival direct I suppose but I cannot uncheck the pre paid option online even though I use the USA website I think this is so there are no surprises for new cruisers from outside USA?

 

Carnival Australia now includes the grats in the initial price as do Princess and P&O so I am sure Carnival will one day do this in USA also.

 

RCCL do not have an Australian company as such with its own fleet like Carnival do but they have an Australian arm or office that sells RCCL visiting cruises and cruises from USA, we can only book RCCL cruises from the Australian arm or website.

 

RCCL Australia in T&C,s classes Gratuities as a "service charge" and not tips! because Australians are more used to paying a compulsory service charge.

 

The Australian system seems to be working very well where grats are included in the cruise price and you can just reward those that go above and beyond a bit extra if you choose:)

 

I just cant imagine cruisers who prefer to tip "individuals only" actually pay out the full recommended amount, some may but we all know the real truth behind it;)

[riclop]

When I booked my cruise with carnival I didn't prepay the gratuities. Is there a way to pay them before we cruise in July? If so, how do I go about doing it?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

A simple phone call away.

[NCTribeFan]

Can you do it online after you've booked? I don't see it anywhere. I see the option to add insurance (I purchase that online through a different site).

 

I've never pre-paid, but am thinking I might do that this time. Would prefer to do it online rather than call, but if that's the only way, I'll call.

 

Or can email my PVP and have him add it to the reservation, then I can pay when I make final payment in a couple of days?

Edited February 16, 2014 by NCTribeFan

[firemanbobswife]

Can you do it online after you've booked? I don't see it anywhere. I see the option to add insurance (I purchase that online through a different site).

 

I've never pre-paid, but am thinking I might do that this time. Would prefer to do it online rather than call, but if that's the only way, I'll call.

 

Or can email my PVP and have him add it to the reservation, then I can pay when I make final payment in a couple of days?

 

There's no place to do it online once you're booked. Just call the 1-800 number or get in touch with your PVP. Takes all of 30 seconds. I like it so much better this way as opposed to having a S&S balance due as soon as I step foot on the ship.

 

It will be added to the Taxes portion of your cruise and can be paid when you make final payment.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

From what I understand, companies will never change to a service charge, or anything else, as opposed to "optional" tips. The reason? Companies don't have to pay a payroll tax on tips their employees make. But, they would have to pay a tax on it if the "mandatory service charge" became part of the employee salaries.

[fishtaco]

From what I understand' date=' companies will never change to a service charge, or anything else, as opposed to "optional" tips. The reason? Companies don't have to pay a payroll tax on tips their employees make. But, they would have to pay a tax on it if the "mandatory service charge" became part of the employee salaries.[/quote']

 

There is no payroll tax for people who dont actually work for a US company or from a company thats country has no payroll tax:)

 

Carnival may be a US company but all the staff are on contract with companies not in US:)

[sassy~one]

Tips are now prepaid :D Apx 100.00 Easy peasy!

[sassy~one]

Tips are now prepaid :D Apx 100.00 Easy peasy!

[mikel24m]

Thanks pbsteve. I understand what is happening, but just struggle about the pre paying.

 

Sam, thanks for the break down. Its helpful. :)

 

I can remember last time on Carnival a lady in the pool fussing about her bar bill. She was telling others she had to remove the tips, to help reduce the costs.

 

I always tip, but i do it my way. :D

 

That's very nice to do it "your way" why not just follow whats suggested like 90% of the other passengers do ;) just make sure you thank all the people that you don't see that don't get paid that week because "you tip your way"

 

Make sure to bring a lot of dollar bills to tip the staff cleaning tables in the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner as they are doing their SECOND SHIFT ,they do not just work the dining rooms they work multiple shifts(and venues) and the auto tips cover their pay for all the shifts they work

[twindaddy]

Just when I think I have seen every excuse in the world for the tip-removing cheapsters....this thread presents a new one.

 

"It was a free cruise, nothing was said about tipping.."

 

Wow. These threads are like car wrecks, or the Olympic sport of curling...I just cant look away. The bickering, the moronic rationalizations...

 

 

Keep them coming people!