Please help me understand gratuities

[beachlvn]

I've been on 5 Princess cruises which we have thoroughly enjoyed. Never had any problem in any way, and we were treated very nicely by entire staff. We automatically had the gratuities deducted each day. We gave additional to our room steward and wait staff.

 

Can someone explain where the tips go and percentage? Do the buffet employees get a percentage? Or is it just the dining room staff? And stewards?

 

Also, someone said they don't do the automatic deduction but leave their own. Well, then, who do you tip??

 

Thank you for clarifying.

[caribill]

 

The buffet waitstaff do share in the daily gratuity charge (many of them are also your dining room waitstaff) as do the waitstaff in the specialty restaurants and room service personnel.

 

For those who do not do the automatic deduction and hand out their tips personally, any tips given to dining room waitstaff and cabin stewards will not be allowed to be kept by them if the automatic deduction has been removed. Instead, those tips will be put into the overall tipping pool.

[beachlvn]

Ahhhh...I now understand better. I LOVE the pizza at the pool and unless I tip them personally, they wouldn't get anything if I opt out. So, I will stick to the auto grautuities and tip additional to steward and anyone else that goes over and above. We also go once on the cruise to the high tea. They wouldn't be getting any tip either unless I personally gave them something. I can't keep track of all of these so I will just keep things the way they are!!!

[emmak8]

We always have the automatic gratuities added. Then if room steward or waitstaff

help us more than expected, we give them extra. It has worked for many Princess cruises. At least with the automatic tips, we don't worry about neglecting someone.

[melody hounddog]

Ahhhh...I now understand better. I LOVE the pizza at the pool and unless I tip them personally, they wouldn't get anything if I opt out. So, I will stick to the auto grautuities and tip additional to steward and anyone else that goes over and above. We also go once on the cruise to the high tea. They wouldn't be getting any tip either unless I personally gave them something. I can't keep track of all of these so I will just keep things the way they are!!!

 

Exactly. We leave the auto tips on and then give extra to those who go above and beyond.

[Yensidlove]

Can the staff keep the "extra" tips we give them personally in addition to the auto tipping we leave in place? Or do they have to add the extra to the general pot as well?

[cr8tiv1]

I won't go into detail about who gets the auto-gratuity because there are too numerous to mention. I tried it once in my early days. Would carry one dollar bills around with me. That did not last very long. I still carry a few ones with me (either for the casino or). I once made such a mess in the Horizon Court that I was so embarrassed. Pulled out a couple of ones.

 

On the other hand, if you do leave or don't leave auto-gratuities on AND hand a tip to someone at the end of the cruise, it is highly recommended that you add your cabin number to the envelope. Takes the guessing out of can/can not keep the tip.

[denmarks]

I have to assume that all tips are initially turned in and accounted for. Once the cruise ends it can be determined if you left the automatic tip on and did not cancel the last day.

 

If you turned off the tip or did not tip the recommended amount then any manual tips would be adjusted or not returned at all.

[Fofalola]

I'm just interested... but how on earth would 'they' know if you tipped your steward or waiter?

[Shogun]

Hi

 

No crew member is going to risk his job pocketing a few dollars from a passenger, who may be a plant from head office.

 

yours Shogun

[Pierlesscruisers]

I'm just interested... but how on earth would 'they' know if you tipped your steward or waiter?

 

For cases where a room steward might be tipped, there probably is no way of knowing, I'd think. For dining room wait staff, it might be seen by the maître d' or someone else. But I suspect that it's probably pretty much on the honor system. Heck, if you want to come at the question from a conspiracy angle, maybe there are "spies" watching! :eek:;) Your guess is as good as mine, and maybe even better! I suspect that there might even be a bit of fear of losing a job, especially if you're talking about someone who might be looking at the job as a career and/or a promotion. Remember, some of the personnel come from area where a comparatively high-paying job might very well be hard to come by. There might even be, as Shogun just mentioned, "plants" from the home office in the passenger contingent, although I suspect that that would be a stretch, even in the conspiracy field as anybody who works for Princess and is on a cruise is there for the same reason everybody else is-to get away from work and just relax and enjoy themselves!:p:p

 

In the end, who knows how, or if, the system really works.

 

Tom

Edited August 3, 2015 by Pierlesscruisers

[deborahjo]

This is my first Princess Cruise. I am coming over from Carnival. We have always done auto tipping. Two years ago, 3 cruises, Carnival changed who gets part of your tips. They added some of the staff that are salaried. It was to give them raises. I was extremely mad. My tips do not and should not got to the Officers. All of my tips should go to those like the waiters, room stewards, entertainment staff. This is what it was meant to be. Not to give the higher up raises at our expense.

 

Sorry for the rant but tips should never go to salaried employees.

[Colo Cruiser]

 

Also, someone said they don't do the automatic deduction but leave their own. Well, then, who do you tip??

 

Thank you for clarifying.

 

You cannot reach the crew members behind the scenes to tip them if someone removes the auto tip.

[Cruisin' Chick]

This is my first Princess Cruise. I am coming over from Carnival. We have always done auto tipping. Two years ago, 3 cruises, Carnival changed who gets part of your tips. They added some of the staff that are salaried. It was to give them raises. I was extremely mad. My tips do not and should not got to the Officers. All of my tips should go to those like the waiters, room stewards, entertainment staff. This is what it was meant to be. Not to give the higher up raises at our expense.

 

Sorry for the rant but tips should never go to salaried employees.

 

I don't believe officers on Princess get any part of the tipping pool. I don't think entertainers do either (the entertainment staff are either with the CD staff or the Golden singers/dancer).

[jrblach]

this is a racket. they should include tips in the fare. we have worked on cruise ships so we know. the tip pool includes so many people - food & beverage officers & staff, MD, cooks, everyone. same with rooms. not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping like your table and room stewards. so many hands reaching into the pot. we are paying the bonus program. include it in the fare. we adjust and pay what we think is a smaller but reasonable amount per day.

[RocketMan275]

this is a racket. they should include tips in the fare. we have worked on cruise ships so we know. the tip pool includes so many people - food & beverage officers & staff, MD, cooks, everyone. same with rooms. not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping like your table and room stewards. so many hands reaching into the pot. we are paying the bonus program. include it in the fare. we adjust and pay what we think is a smaller but reasonable amount per day.

 

If "not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping...", why do you "adjust and pay a smaller amount..."? Doesn't that mean that those you think should get more, get less? Is there something here that I'm missing?

[shredie]

If "not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping...", why do you "adjust and pay a smaller amount..."? Doesn't that mean that those you think should get more, get less? Is there something here that I'm missing?

 

I think if he can see them doing something, they are then somehow more "deserving" in his view. That seems to be common attitude.

[custompcsys]

this is a racket. they should include tips in the fare. we have worked on cruise ships so we know. the tip pool includes so many people - food & beverage officers & staff, MD, cooks, everyone. same with rooms. not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping like your table and room stewards. so many hands reaching into the pot. we are paying the bonus program. include it in the fare. we adjust and pay what we think is a smaller but reasonable amount per day.

 

While i completely understand the point here, the only drawback I see is that if you build the tips into the cruise fare, it becomes totally automatic and there is no way for the passenger to remove it. This, in turn, means that they will get the tip no matter what kind of service they deliver. I've never run into a situation where I've wanted to remove it, but I wonder if that would stay the same if the crew knew there was nothing the passenger could do to not tip them. Just a thought!

[MGAfhc]

this is a racket. they should include tips in the fare. we have worked on cruise ships so we know. the tip pool includes so many people - food & beverage officers & staff, MD, cooks, everyone. same with rooms. not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping like your table and room stewards. so many hands reaching into the pot. we are paying the bonus program. include it in the fare. we adjust and pay what we think is a smaller but reasonable amount per day.

 

I don't see how building it into the fare would ensure that it is distributed more fairly. I would think that the same sum would be shared by the same people and most likely using the same formula.

[Shelly97060]

I am not sure how tips are divided. I always just leave the auto tip in place and let Princess figure that out. :)

 

For those who suggest the Princess just add tips to the cruise fare, in a way Princess has given you that option by allowing you to pre-pay tips before you sail in the Personalizer.

[dchinski]

I always have auto tipping in place. If I have outstanding service, I have thank-you cards made up with the following statement " auto tipping " is in place and this is for only you. By doing this what I place in the card does not go into the pool.

[Colo Cruiser]

If "not enough goes to the people that we think we are tipping...", why do you "adjust and pay a smaller amount..."? Doesn't that mean that those you think should get more, get less? Is there something here that I'm missing?

 

 

It justs hurts the crew more.

More of a $$ saving move imo. :(

[awesome girl]

w e don't have auto tipping

[shredie]

w e don't have auto tipping

 

My understanding is that the tips are included as part of the fare in that case.

[awesome girl]

We don't have auto tipping on the Australian based Princess ships,

it's built into our fares, it seems to work here, we still tip our cabin

steward and wait staff though.