anyone ever stop to think..

[vols_159]

The reason the Service charge is 11.50 is to make up for the 15 to 20% thats gonna refuse to pay it for whatever reason.. Sorda like Big box stores have to mark up all products a certain % to make up for stolen items.. Just curious..

[Mutumbojimbo]

Interesting thought, I wonder if the percentage who won't tip is pretty steady? I'm sure Carnival has run the numbers.

[kansas kruiser]

The reason the Service charge is 11.50 is to make up for the 15 to 20% thats gonna refuse to pay it for whatever reason.. Sorda like Big box stores have to mark up all products a certain % to make up for stolen items.. Just curious..

:cool: Vols, I just posted on the tips thread, back before the auto tips we paid the tips on the last night of the cruise, the main dining room was half full!!:eek: You could see the look in the face of the workers they knew they was not going to be tipped!!:mad: But all those who say they "tip in cash" are the reason for the auto tips!

[vols_159]

I always leave the tip ON! And for excellent service i tip in cash beyond the auto tip I wouldn't like it if I worked all week and my boss said well I drank to much this week no pay check for you ..

 

 

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[Rena921]

I always leave the tip ON! And for excellent service i tip in cash beyond the auto tip I wouldn't like it if I worked all week and my boss said well I drank to much this week no pay check for you ..

 

 

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Thank you. The ones removing the pre-paid gratuities almost always never "pay in cash". I like to compare it to casinos, If you gamble and play table games, watch how many people tip the dealers....not many, but almost everyone will tip the bar servers. I am sure the ones that remove the auto tips have no problems tipping the bartenders or bar servers to keep the drinks flowing but have no problem cheating the ones that keep their rooms clean and food fresh.

[OCruisers]

We also always leave ours ON and give EXTRA in CA$H to some. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[snownyet]

I sort of think its $11.50 becuase the staff is underpaid. Even $11.50 is far too little for what we get in return

[Banditswife]

I agree that 11.50 isn't much to pay for the service we receive in return. We've been prepaying gratuities with our final payment or shortly before the cruise. I just consider it part of the cruise fee. This makes one less thing to worry about on your S&S card. Then if we receive better than average service, we tip extra in cash.

[kansas kruiser]

Thank you. The ones removing the pre-paid gratuities almost always never "pay in cash". I like to compare it to casinos, If you gamble and play table games, watch how many people tip the dealers....not many, but almost everyone will tip the bar servers. I am sure the ones that remove the auto tips have no problems tipping the bartenders or bar servers to keep the drinks flowing but have no problem cheating the ones that keep their rooms clean and food fresh.

:cool:Yep Rena!! Those who say "pay in cash":rolleyes: I play Black Jack and I tip very good when I'm up but not too many other people tip even when the table is winning!!:o

[Pom Lover]

We always leave the tips on and give extra at the end for exceptional service. I love the analogy of your boss deciding at the end of the week if you earned your paycheck or not or if he had enough money to pay you! Glad my job doesn't work like that

[bluemoon12]

I agree that 11.50 isn't much to pay for the service we receive in return. We've been prepaying gratuities with our final payment or shortly before the cruise. I just consider it part of the cruise fee. This makes one less thing to worry about on your S&S card. Then if we receive better than average service, we tip extra in cash.

 

Same here.... have to say I always tip more due to the excellent service! :)

[chasinraynbowz]

We consider our gratuities to be part of the price of the cruise and prepay them also. We also give extra at the end of the cruise to those who have made our cruise more memorable.

[Hinano]

We consider our gratuities to be part of the price of the cruise and prepay them also. We also give extra at the end of the cruise to those who have made our cruise more memorable.

 

That's what we do too. I just wish they would make it a service charge that could not be removed. I also remember back when the last night in the MDR was half full, when it was full the days before.

[OCruisers]

That's what we do too. I just wish they would make it a service charge that could not be removed. I also remember back when the last night in the MDR was half full, when it was full the days before.

 

I agree with you and wish it could NOT be removed like it can't for the 15% on drinks.

Yes, also remember when many would not show up in the MDR on the last night. :o

 

LuLu

~~~

[Disconnections]

I agree with you and wish it could NOT be removed like it can't for the 15% on drinks.

Yes, also remember when many would not show up in the MDR on the last night. :o

 

LuLu

~~~

 

Actually, you can remove the 15% gratuity from beverages...

[xitappers2bx]

I always leave the tip ON! And for excellent service i tip in cash beyond the auto tip I wouldn't like it if I worked all week and my boss said well I drank to much this week no pay check for you ..

 

 

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you're totally 150% wrong. and here is why.

 

first, when you go out to eat, do you tip the cooks, chefs, busboys, cashiers, hostesses, cleaning crew, accountants, deliverymen, servicemen, plumbers, and so forth and so on? of course not, you expect the business to take care of them, since they're not serving you and thus shouldn't be tipped.

 

so i've become very very very close to a room steward. best friend close. they don't expect tips. they get a salary. they get a salary that is better, far, far, far better than anything they could get at home. and at home, they'd work seven days a week and on top of those 10-12 hour days they'd have to help in the fields where they get the staple to their diet--rice.

 

they have living conditions that are far and away better than what they have at home (I've seen the pictures as proof. as in, most of them don't have pipes that can support taking a shower in a bathroom only water for a sink to cook over a fire in a 'traditional' kitchen). they get 3-4 meals a deal (eat as much as they want) whereas at home, they eat twice a day, if that, and the majority of it is rice because it's cheap and they can grow it.

 

meanwhile, the salary they make is what makes sure their families can have electric, water, ice, chickens or pigs for food or to make money from, education for children, roof's over their heads. where most of them are from, tipping isn't customary or done. these are people who that $11.50 would feed their family for more than a week.

 

perhaps instead of forcing people to "tip" to supplement what the cruiselines pay the workers, the cruiselines should just pay the workers a "fair" salary, and then tipping can be optional... like it is supposed to be.

 

you tip people who serve you. while the guy doing the laundry "serves" me indirectly, he's not making my bed, or fixing disasters in the room, cleaning my bathroom, or delivering my drinks, dealing my cards, or serving my food. if the cruiselines paid him a real wage then i could tip those who actually serve me what i feel they deserve. i take the tips off, and i've never tipped my room stewards less than $100. EACH. for the work they do.

[vols_159]

you're totally 150% wrong. and here is why.

 

 

 

first, when you go out to eat, do you tip the cooks, chefs, busboys, cashiers, hostesses, cleaning crew, accountants, deliverymen, servicemen, plumbers, and so forth and so on? of course not, you expect the business to take care of them, since they're not serving you and thus shouldn't be tipped.

 

 

 

so i've become very very very close to a room steward. best friend close. they don't expect tips. they get a salary. they get a salary that is better, far, far, far better than anything they could get at home. and at home, they'd work seven days a week and on top of those 10-12 hour days they'd have to help in the fields where they get the staple to their diet--rice.

 

 

 

they have living conditions that are far and away better than what they have at home (I've seen the pictures as proof. as in, most of them don't have pipes that can support taking a shower in a bathroom only water for a sink to cook over a fire in a 'traditional' kitchen). they get 3-4 meals a deal (eat as much as they want) whereas at home, they eat twice a day, if that, and the majority of it is rice because it's cheap and they can grow it.

 

 

 

meanwhile, the salary they make is what makes sure their families can have electric, water, ice, chickens or pigs for food or to make money from, education for children, roof's over their heads. where most of them are from, tipping isn't customary or done. these are people who that $11.50 would feed their family for more than a week.

 

 

 

perhaps instead of forcing people to "tip" to supplement what the cruiselines pay the workers, the cruiselines should just pay the workers a "fair" salary, and then tipping can be optional... like it is supposed to be.

 

 

 

you tip people who serve you. while the guy doing the laundry "serves" me indirectly, he's not making my bed, or fixing disasters in the room, cleaning my bathroom, or delivering my drinks, dealing my cards, or serving my food. if the cruiselines paid him a real wage then i could tip those who actually serve me what i feel they deserve. i take the tips off, and i've never tipped my room stewards less than $100. EACH. for the work they do.

 

 

They couldn't provide the service if they didn't have people in the back washing there towels and sheets stocking there carts and helping them out I don't know what a service crew member takes home but I'm sure it's less than most of us that can afford to take a cruise do you also tip your waiter 100 bucks each.. How about his helpers? The cooks in the back who prep your meal? How about the runners who bring the food from the galley ?

 

 

And when i eat out at home the cooks buss boy get a higher pay grade than the waiter or waitress so now I don't tip them but i have a lot of friends who have worked in that line and some places the servers share part of there tips with the kitchen staff

 

 

 

 

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[vols_159]

We consider our gratuities to be part of the price of the cruise and prepay them also. We also give extra at the end of the cruise to those who have made our cruise more memorable.

 

 

I have said many times I wish all cruise lines would up the base fare the 11.50 per day and just let you tip for above and beyond but hey that's my .02 cents

 

 

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[OCruisers]

QUOTE=Disconnections;41840405]Actually, you can remove the 15% gratuity from beverages...

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================================

 

Reply:

Have you ever done this? If so... how did you do it? :confused:

 

LuLu

~~~

[Sarah@Sea]

We consider our gratuities to be part of the price of the cruise and prepay them also. We also give extra at the end of the cruise to those who have made our cruise more memorable.

 

Same here, similar to taxes and port fees it's figured into the price of the cruise, and I do the same when traveling otherwise always like to have cash on hand for tips at airport for luggage assistance, for shuttles, taxis, etc. My very first cruise there were not auto-tips on RCL and my friend whom I was traveling with didn't tell me about the add to account option in time to actually have them added, no problem I had the cash it was then going and getting change so I could divide it up, she insisted we put our cabin # on the envelopes and give it to Guest Services...ok...then to my surprise/horror that night everyone was handing the envelops directly to the waiters, ugh.

 

Lesson learned! Next cruise I pre-paid and we got the coupon slips to give the staff. Now I notice no envelopes so I stop by GS and get some for when I want to give extra.

 

I forgot to tell PVP to add tips to my March cruise so I'll know that will already be on my S&S each day, and while I know it's not expected, since I'm sailing solo and with ZERO supplement I will tend to be more generous than normal for excellent service.

[Disconnections]

QUOTE=Disconnections;41840405]Actually, you can remove the 15% gratuity from beverages...

================================

================================

 

Reply:

Have you ever done this? If so... how did you do it? :confused:

 

LuLu

~~~

 

You cross it off on the receipt and re-total the bill. You sign it. The folio then gets updated.

 

If I sail on Carnival again, the only gratuity I wish could be removed is from the soda package. Waiting 30+ minutes is completely unreasonable, especially when it takes less than one minute (or five when waiting for a show in the theater) on Princess. That has consistently been my number one complaint about Carnival ever since I sailed on the Carnival Valor.

 

Tipping the bar hostess in the dining room the first night has resolved this on Carnival, in the dining room only. For the same $11.50 per day, I find that I'm getting a lot more on Princess.

 

Edit: I've only been against automatic gratuities since March of 2012. However, I am not against it on Princess.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Disconnections