gratuity question.

[jb456]

Probabaly a silly question so I apologize in advance.

 

If you prepay your gratuity when booking then why do ships still add 15% on drinks?

[chengkp75]

Probabaly a silly question so I apologize in advance.

 

If you prepay your gratuity when booking then why do ships still add 15% on drinks?

 

The prepaid "gratuity" or "daily service charge" (what it's called is the subject of many, many inflammable threads here) only covers your cabin stewards, and restaurant wait staff (and perhaps some back of house folks, depends on the line). That's because you use them every day. But drinks are optional, so the gratuity for that is per drink.

[aces389]

Bar staff is not included in the prepaid/service charge pool.

[njhorseman]

Because the prepaid gratuities only go to dining room staff and room stewards (and on some cruise lines behind-the-scenes support staff). Bartenders are bar waiters don't receive a piece of the gratuities you've prepaid. (Or even if they aren't prepaid but charged to your on board account, the bar staf alsof doesn't receive anything from that money.0

[jb456]

Makes perfect sense thank you

[cb at sea]

On most ships, the gratuity covers your cabin attendant, waiter, ass't waiter and head waiter...that's it. Any drink you purchase will have 15% added to the cost.

 

On most ships, room service delivery is NOT covered by the pre-paid or suggested tips. Give the delivery person a couple bucks.

[Talisker92]

On most ships, the gratuity covers your cabin attendant, waiter, ass't waiter and head waiter...that's it. Any drink you purchase will have 15% added to the cost.

 

On most ships, room service delivery is NOT covered by the pre-paid or suggested tips. Give the delivery person a couple bucks.

 

Exactly- on a recent 31 day cruise, I brought a stack of singles for tipping the room service people They got more than $1 lol

[sunfunsun]

Will I be able to find out exactly what is covered in my prepaid tips so I can address what is not covered should I choose to? For example, if they say it covers waiters, would it be all waiters in MDR and specialty restaurants?

[MSN-Travelers]

Will I be able to find out exactly what is covered in my prepaid tips so I can address what is not covered should I choose to? For example, if they say it covers waiters, would it be all waiters in MDR and specialty restaurants?

 

As a passenger, you can assume the "auto-tip program" covers the wait staff in all of the regular food venues (ie: MDR, specialty restaurants, buffet, pizza, burger, etc.) The room service delivery person is not.

 

I really wish the cruise lines would just drop the "gratuity/tip" terminology and call it what it is . . . supplemental wage surcharge. It is best to consider the auto-tip system as part of the actual price of the cruise.

 

If you run into a member of the service staff that goes above and beyond, really exceeds your expectations, them consider an extra cash tip. What you really need to do is note the persons name and make sure you single them out as having made a difference in you cruise experience on the post-cruise survey. He/she will earn greater financial reward from that special mention.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Exactly- on a recent 31 day cruise, I brought a stack of singles for tipping the room service people They got more than $1 lol

 

Why haul a stack of ones? Take a large bill and get change at the front desk. That is what we do.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Will I be able to find out exactly what is covered in my prepaid tips so I can address what is not covered should I choose to? For example, if they say it covers waiters, would it be all waiters in MDR and specialty restaurants?

 

As a passenger, you can assume the "auto-tip program" covers the wait staff in all of the regular food venues (ie: MDR, specialty restaurants, buffet, pizza, burger, etc.) The room service delivery person is not.

 

I really wish the cruise lines would just drop the "gratuity/tip" terminology and call it what it is . . . supplemental wage surcharge. It is best to consider the auto-tip system as part of the actual price of the cruise.

 

If you run into a member of the service staff that goes above and beyond, really exceeds your expectations, them consider an extra cash tip. What you really need to do is note the persons name and make sure you single them out as having made a difference in you cruise experience on the post-cruise survey. He/she will earn greater financial reward from that special mention.

 

 

When we sailed on Cunard and prepaid our gratuities, we were told in advance that it covered our room steward and staff in the dining room.

It was also explained that an automatic gratuity would be added onto bar bills.

But we still tipped extra to those who serviced us very well.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Will I be able to find out exactly what is covered in my prepaid tips so I can address what is not covered should I choose to? For example, if they say it covers waiters, would it be all waiters in MDR and specialty restaurants?

 

It may be worth your while to go to the website for the cruise line you're going on. There's usually a FAQ or another area of the site that will answer questions about auto-gratuities and many other aspects.

 

I do this before every cruise we go on, even if we're repeating a ship and itinerary (which was the case for our last cruise).

[Jono 70]

The bigger question for me is this:

 

Why not cut all the bull**** with semi-forced gratuities; pay all the staff a more respectable wage and build that into the price?

 

This would take all the stigma / pressure away and still allow people (without any pressure) to tip extra should they so choose.

[navybankerteacher]

The bigger question for me is this:

 

Why not cut all the bull**** with semi-forced gratuities; pay all the staff a more respectable wage and build that into the price?

 

This would take all the stigma / pressure away and still allow people (without any pressure) to tip extra should they so choose.

 

One key reason is the fact that the gratuities are SEMI-forced. The fact that they are removable makes them part of an incentive pay concept.

 

Why not just live with the business model of the line you choose, look at the gratuities as part of your fare (adding extra, if so inclined) and be done with it? You have no obligation whatsoever to take advantage of the removability of the service charge.

 

The service on board is a significant portion of the reason people cruise - if the service is unsatisfactory, perhaps part of the cost should be capable of being reduced.

[cadien]

The bigger question for me is this:

 

Why not cut all the bull**** with semi-forced gratuities; pay all the staff a more respectable wage and build that into the price?

 

This would take all the stigma / pressure away and still allow people (without any pressure) to tip extra should they so choose.

 

I think it's come up that this method saves the cruise lines (and restaurants etc) on payroll taxes.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The bigger question for me is this:

 

Why not cut all the bull**** with semi-forced gratuities; pay all the staff a more respectable wage and build that into the price?

 

This would take all the stigma / pressure away and still allow people (without any pressure) to tip extra should they so choose.

 

There are some cruise lines that do build in the tips to the cruise fares. For me, I just mentally add in the tips and know that's what we're paying. No biggie.

[njhorseman]

I think it's come up that this method saves the cruise lines (and restaurants etc) on payroll taxes.

 

No...payroll taxes aren't an issue for cruise ships. A ship flagged in for example, the Bahamas (a very common flag of convenience) is subject to the labor laws of the Bahamas, not the US, even if they're based in the US and carry primarily US passengers. They don't have to pay US minimum wages, withhold US taxes or offer US-mandated benefits. It has nothing to do with how the crew is compensated, whether by straight salary, "tips" or some combination of the two, and everything to do with where the ship is flagged.

 

You're also wrong about restaurants avoiding payroll taxes. In the US, IRS regulations require restaurants to withhold the employee's portion payroll taxes from employee paychecks based on their report of tips received and their salary, and the restaurant must also pay the required employer payroll taxes. Here's the latest IRS Tax Topic publication explaining the process: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc761.html .

[qosmo8]

I prepay, but i have also taken the gratuity off 2 times. It is a supplemental wage not a gratuity/tip. People say that the staff makes lousy wages, but are we judging by american standards or the ones in the Philippines or another 3rd world country sorry but they make better wages then their countrymen....don't shoot me for saying it lol. They do work long hours etc etc(ok i tossed that in), guess i have to eat in MDR so i can make the waiters work for my supplement to their wages. I prepay because if they did roll it into the cruise price would the cruise staff get a raise? or would it go to corporate excess, so i prepay.

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine average monthly wage of $279 (roughly Php 11,700) is 19% of the world’s average as calculated by the International Labor Organization (ILO). The calculation placed the country at the bottom 3 of the 72 listed countries, just above Pakistan and Tajikistan.

[Talisker92]

Why haul a stack of ones? Take a large bill and get change at the front desk. That is what we do.

A stack of ones is not that thick, and it beats standing in line at the front desk.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I prepay, but i have also taken the gratuity off 2 times. It is a supplemental wage not a gratuity/tip. People say that the staff makes lousy wages, but are we judging by american standards or the ones in the Philippines or another 3rd world country sorry but they make better wages then their countrymen....don't shoot me for saying it lol. They do work long hours etc etc(ok i tossed that in), guess i have to eat in MDR so i can make the waiters work for my supplement to their wages. I prepay because if they did roll it into the cruise price would the cruise staff get a raise? or would it go to corporate excess, so i prepay.

 

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine average monthly wage of $279 (roughly Php 11,700) is 19% of the world’s average as calculated by the International Labor Organization (ILO). The calculation placed the country at the bottom 3 of the 72 listed countries, just above Pakistan and Tajikistan.

 

 

And yet, a new ford fusion costs the same if not more in Manila than in any US city.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[qosmo8]

And yet, a new ford fusion costs the same if not more in Manila than in any US city.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

umm ok, And the people who work at wally world get low wages and also provide customer service and live in a country with a higher standard of living, but no one tips them anything or the soldiers risk their lives but who get such low pay they are on food stamps etc etc, its a long list of minimum wage jobs here that provide a service that we don't feel obligated to tip for, because?? oh ya because it's their job and they are paid to do it, however crappy that pay is. The cruise ship staff is paid a salary which is better than in their country, thats why they do it, and yes its a crappy salary(by our standards) and long long hours etc etc, but it still must be better than in their country because they keep signing new contracts. But if people want to give them a raise or give a forced tip thats fine, but next time you ask a wally clerk can you get me this or where is that, make sure you tip. How many of you tip the support staff in hotels?

[njhorseman]

umm ok, And the people who work at wally world get low wages and also provide customer service and live in a country with a higher standard of living, but no one tips them anything or the soldiers risk their lives but who get such low pay they are on food stamps etc etc, its a long list of minimum wage jobs here that provide a service that we don't feel obligated to tip for, because?? oh ya because it's their job and they are paid to do it, however crappy that pay is. The cruise ship staff is paid a salary which is better than in their country, thats why they do it, and yes its a crappy salary(by our standards) and long long hours etc etc, but it still must be better than in their country because they keep signing new contracts. But if people want to give them a raise or give a forced tip thats fine, but next time you ask a wally clerk can you get me this or where is that, make sure you tip. How many of you tip the support staff in hotels?

 

They renew because they know what their earning potential is including the tips/service charge income. In fact they know what their expected income is when they sign their first contract because the agencies that recruit cruise ship staff attract people precisely with the promise of an income beyond what they can earn at home. They're not attracted by a $100 or so monthly base salary paid by the cruise lines, they're attracted by the total income they can expect to earn.

 

I always tip hotel housekeepers as long as they've done a good job. And I'll always tip hotel room service delivery people as long as a gratuity isn't automatically added to the bill (it seems increasingly common for it to be automatically added). I can't tip behind the scenes support staff in a hotel because there's no mechanism or need to do so. You can't compare cruise ships and hotels because compensation schemes are structured differently. You've already paid the behind the scenes staff in a hotel...it's factored in your room rate...on many cruise lines it isn't factored into the base cruise fare and comes out of the service charge.

[qosmo8]

They renew because they know what their earning potential is including the tips/service charge income. In fact they know what their expected income is when they sign their first contract because the agencies that recruit cruise ship staff attract people precisely with the promise of an income beyond what they can earn at home. They're not attracted by a $100 or so monthly base salary paid by the cruise lines, they're attracted by the total income they can expect to earn.

 

I always tip hotel housekeepers as long as they've done a good job. And I'll always tip hotel room service delivery people as long as a gratuity isn't automatically added to the bill (it seems increasingly common for it to be automatically added). I can't tip behind the scenes support staff in a hotel because there's no mechanism or need to do so. You can't compare cruise ships and hotels because compensation schemes are structured differently. You've already paid the behind the scenes staff in a hotel...it's factored in your room rate...on many cruise lines it isn't factored into the base cruise fare and comes out of the service charge.

 

 

i've talked to many of the staff and they are NOT paid 100 bucks a month and gratuities can be taken off by all the guest because its voluntary so how is that factored in when its voluntary and some cruises in other countries dont even have gratuities. Their salary is also included in our fare, and yes i can compare, its a service industry just like in this country, i have worked min wage jobs and it was expected that i clean the toilets so i did i refilled your toilet paper cleaned up your crap for 7 bucks a hour it was a service crap job and nope no tips because it was my job i knew what i was getting into when i worked it(thank god only for summer) I was a casual at the post office helping you get your mail lifting big boxes and heavy sacks of mail so it can keep moving, another crap jop making low wages, but nope no tip.

There are thousand of behind the scenes people making low wages in this country, people who make things run and get minimum wage but you don't tip them oh ya because your not asked to, and why aren't you asked to? because we believe that its your job to do it your getting paid for it but as soon as we get on a cruise we boo hoo for support staff on the ship, well pick up todays daily news(nyc) airport support staff is fighting to get a 1.00 more a hour, so as your flying to your next cruise remember the support staff at the airport that's getting minimum wage and on food stamps

[navybankerteacher]

i've talked to many of the staff and they are NOT paid 100 bucks a month and gratuities can be taken off by all the guest because its voluntary so how is that factored in when its voluntary and some cruises in other countries dont even have gratuities. Their salary is also included in our fare, and yes i can compare, its a service industry just like in this country, i have worked min wage jobs and it was expected that i clean the toilets so i did i refilled your toilet paper cleaned up your crap for 7 bucks a hour it was a service crap job and nope no tips because it was my job i knew what i was getting into when i worked it(thank god only for summer) I was a casual at the post office helping you get your mail lifting big boxes and heavy sacks of mail so it can keep moving, another crap jop making low wages, but nope no tip.

There are thousand of behind the scenes people making low wages in this country, people who make things run and get minimum wage but you don't tip them oh ya because your not asked to, and why aren't you asked to? because we believe that its your job to do it your getting paid for it but as soon as we get on a cruise we boo hoo for support staff on the ship, well pick up todays daily news(nyc) airport support staff is fighting to get a 1.00 more a hour, so as your flying to your next cruise remember the support staff at the airport that's getting minimum wage and on food stamps

 

This is a truly pointless rant. Cruise ship staff ARE NOT paid anything near US minimum wage. They ARE, however performing specifically individual, personal service functions of the sort for which tips are traditionally given. When you talk about "airport support staff" are you talking about the unionized ramp personnel, or who? If you want to get a job where tips are part of the compensation, drive a taxi, carry luggage at a railroad station, work as a waiter in a restaurant. But, why come on a cruise discussion site to complain about the way workers in other employment areas are compensated?

[smeyer418]

I hate tipping/service charge threads mostly because there is so much misinformation(in some cases deliberately so by people who have an ax to grind or a particular view of the world).

 

The service people on most of the tipping cruise lines are paid a base salary of something around $100 per MONTH plus on board room and board and some on board medical care) here is a thread from someone who works/ed in the dining room that talks about this.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1107696

 

They do take home more because they get a draw against the tips and the tips themselves.

 

This method of paying the traditional tipped crew goes back to at least the early 1900's and was continued by Samuel Cunard who was born in Canada and emigrated to England.

 

In fact in the 1910-30 there was a movement in the US to do away with tipping-which obviously failed.

 

Because of the fare structure now the remuneration for the traditionally tipped crew is NOT included in the fare. Generally those cruise lines that do include it charge more than the difference between the cost of tipping non tipping(Azamara announced a 25% increase and included the "basic" tipping and some other items-none of which when added together could justify a 25% increase-but I don't know if the full increase has held this is an example I realize that your cruise line may not be Azamara or Seaborn or other of the luxury lines where in general you pay a premium to get the base tip included-do you really think that people no longer tip on these lines?).

 

Whether it’s in the fare or the expected tip, its you are paying it anyway. I really don't see why you may want to pay more to have it included in the fare.

 

On most cruise lines when you remove the auto -tip all or most of the cash tip is put back into the pool anyway so in fact you make it more difficult for those who you want to reward. The best way to reward these people is to either write a note to their supervisors explaining how they went over and above or giving them a little extra(at your discretion of course).

The auto tip takes care of what the employees were required to do anyway(called tipping out). The rooms stewards traditionally tipped out the laundry room supply room staff and asst head housekeeper(the name for this varies among cruise lines); and the waiters tipped out the bus boys, dishwashers, line cooks and asst head waiter/maitre d(also varies by cruise line).

Do the employees just pocket the cash? mostly no. If the auto-tip is removed and they don't turn it in(BTW I have been told by some staff they sometimes convert extra tips left by some which they don't have to turn in at all to pay for the cheapos/stiffers because they ARE marked down when people keep taking the auto-tip off and leave nothing or less than the suggested amount-rightfully or wrongfully its held against them). The employees live in close quarters 3-4 in a room and they don't want large amounts of cash lying around either. The employees know pretty quickly who are the slackers and pocketers and since the supervisor is one of the people being stiffed by the employees they get a. fired b. non renewed or c the worst assignments....and also have been known to be visited by their own countries of origin mafia on board.

Ships are clearly a different culture with somewhat different rules. The tipping culture is a tradition on board. I know some people dis like being told when in Rome....but you aren't in Kansas either.

If you don't like the auto-tip you are of course free to chose another cruise line that includes it but if you like the cruise line’s product and the service you really SHOULD follow the tradition.

 

There is also not one iota of evidence that the entire auto tip doesn't make it to the traditionally tipped and tipped out crew. The cruise lines even absorb the credit card charge although that is subject to change. Cruise employees sue cruise lines all the time and there is NOT one report of any crew member that the entire amount doesn't eventually get to them and not one reported lawsuit...yet(I monitor a number of cruise lawyers reports who would report any such lawsuit).

I also don’t believe that in most cases that tipping has anything to do with the service you-or even how much the employees get paid. It’s a function more of training, supervision and the individual’s employees work ethic more than anything else…as in a good McDonald’s.

 

BTW NCL reports about 90-95% compliance rates. If the rate drops down the home office wants to know why and that is why your steward and your assigned (unless you are on MTD or NCL where its anytime –there is no assigned dining room staff to question) will be questioned if the amounts are removed.

 

 

 

How do I know this for a fact. It’s a long story but I had made a friend of one of the heads of one of the cruise lines.

Now them is the facts. If you would like to discuss the facts please do but just like you may complain when someone on formal night wears shorts, traditions should be obeyed.