Should Gratuity be based on total cost?

[aprilshowers2016]

Total cruise booking is only $300 per person, Princess charges $12.95 pp, then the total tips will be $91 p, about 33%, sounds pretty high.

 

Do people normally reduce it? Or is the $12.95 pp required minimum?

 

Thanks

[pusywillow]

Total cruise booking is only $300 per person, Princess charges $12.95 pp, then the total tips will be $91 p, about 33%, sounds pretty high.

 

Do people normally reduce it? Or is the $12.95 pp required minimum?

 

Thanks

 

I never reduce the tips for ANY reason, certainly not because I was lucky enough to book a cheap cruise.

 

The crew works hard every day no matter what you paid for your cruise.

[RocketMan275]

Total cruise booking is only $300 per person, Princess charges $12.95 pp, then the total tips will be $91 p, about 33%, sounds pretty high.

 

Do people normally reduce it? Or is the $12.95 pp required minimum?

 

Thanks

 

The gratuities are used to pay for those who clean your room, serve your meals and perform other services. You're focusing on the percentage rather than the absolute value of the services performed. Your room will take as long to clean as any other. Your meals will require the same effort as others. The people serving you will work just as hard and long as they will for rooms costing much more than yours. BTW, suites do pay a higher rate.

[Tiggertastic]

Great answers, lovely to see some common sense. It doesn't matter how much we have paid for a cruise, it still takes as much work to clean the room.

[GUT2407]

Yippee another tipping thread.

[GUT2407]

Great answers, lovely to see some common sense. It doesn't matter how much we have paid for a cruise, it still takes as much work to clean the room.

 

Well why doesn't that same rule apply in restaurants, takes the same effort to bring out a a burger a $5 as a lobster at $50?

[floridalover5623]

If my steward goes out of his way to do something extra we tip accordingly. We make it known to him on the first day our likes & dislikes.

Edited March 1, 2016 by floridalover5623

[fishywood]

The gratuities are broken out from the cruise fare to show that everyone in the same cabin class is responsible for the same amount. Would you also propose that those who get a better deal also pay a lower amount for the government taxes and fees which are also broken out of the cruise fare for the same reason?

 

Does it really make getting a great deal on a low rate less of a deal when one realizes that technically the added fees and gratuities constitute a higher percentage of final net payments than those with a higher base fare? Only to very inexperienced cruisers who hopefully realize that their logic is backwards once they understand that they are still paying the same amount less than whoever they are comparing their fare to, whether comparing gross fare before fees or net total spend.

 

Hopefully this discussion will end right here with the acknowledged sensible answers above. Please.

Edited March 1, 2016 by fishywood

[SadieN]

No, They should stay where they are. Prices fluctuate to be a percentage of a fare.

Actually took a cruise where gratuities were more than the cruise fare.

[fishywood]

Well why doesn't that same rule apply in restaurants, takes the same effort to bring out a a burger a $5 as a lobster at $50?

 

...but I will add that when I am dining alone at a casual restaurant I always leave at least $4 to $5 even when all I order is a lunch or early-dinner special for $10 or less. Would be too embarrassed to be seen leaving the handful of coins that would constitute the "customary" 15-20%. (I guess our OP thinks otherwise).

[aprilshowers2016]

What did you pay? Why not $100 pp? No drama queen

[Colo Cruiser]

Total cruise booking is only $300 per person, Princess charges $12.95 pp, then the total tips will be $91 p, about 33%, sounds pretty high.

 

Do people normally reduce it? Or is the $12.95 pp required minimum?

 

Thanks

 

 

Has nothing to do with the fare you paid.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Total cruise booking is only $300 per person, Princess charges $12.95 pp, then the total tips will be $91 p, about 33%, sounds pretty high.

 

Do people normally reduce it? Or is the $12.95 pp required minimum?

 

Thanks

 

Can you please share which sailing is $300 for a 7-night cruise? Thanks.

[memoak]

The gratuities (or daily service charge if you prefer) have nothing to do with the price of the cruise - they are paid for services per day (regardless of cruise the same amount of work has to be done.

[shredie]

Great answers, lovely to see some common sense. It doesn't matter how much we have paid for a cruise, it still takes as much work to clean the room.

 

 

The cheap will always find a reason for it. But gratuity as a percentage of the total fare is a new one for me.

[iriemon]

Well why doesn't that same rule apply in restaurants, takes the same effort to bring out a a burger a $5 as a lobster at $50?

 

And when was the last time your waiter who served you that hamburger made your bed and gave you fresh towels? If you tip each group as an individual like you would if you were doing each of the services individually you are getting a bargain

[Cruise Junky]

As a gratuity it actually makes perfect sense that it should be based on cost. I'd certainly never thought about it that way, interesting concept. I think for cruising purposes it's better to look at it as a mandatory service charge. Kind of like a resort fee

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Been a fair bit of chat this side of the pond about low entry pricing then adding a daily hotel charge, not found any media coverage that thought it was a good idea, most told cruisers to remove the charge.

 

The main issue being low prices are attracting lots of new cruisers on tight budgets, who can not afford ships excursions, or private ones for that matter, daily hotel charge or fancy dining or any extra costs. These first time cruisers are often looking at a 14 day all inclusive beach holiday compared to a cruise.

 

yours Shogun

[Colo Cruiser]

The cheap will always find a reason for it. But gratuity as a percentage of the total fare is a new one for me.

 

 

 

Word........

Even from the other side of the world you still got it. :p

[Colo Cruiser]

Hi All

 

Been a fair bit of chat this side of the pond about low entry pricing then adding a daily hotel charge, not found any media coverage that thought it was a good idea, most told cruisers to remove the charge.

 

The main issue being low prices are attracting lots of new cruisers on tight budgets, who can not afford ships excursions, or private ones for that matter, daily hotel charge or fancy dining or any extra costs. These first time cruisers are often looking at a 14 day all inclusive beach holiday compared to a cruise.

 

yours Shogun

 

Tight budget...screw the crew. Great analogy.

 

They should stay with their 14 day all inclusive beach holiday.

[Shogun]

Hi colo cruiser,

 

The point is these first time cruisers if from a non tipping culture and going to

 

get a shock when they come across the auto tip, we may understand how

 

the cruise industry works, these folks do not, and if you try and explain

 

that you are expected to make up the crews wages, you are going to get asked

 

why does the cruise company not pay a fair wage, we are used to living in a

 

country were minimum wage is being increased to be a living wage, there is no

 

reason for first time cruisers not to expect cruise crew get well paid.

 

I have booked many cruisers and I am still waiting to be told about the hotel

 

charge I have been told that tipping is all taken care of it happens

 

automatically so no reason to expect any extra cost above my cruise fare.

 

yours Shogun

[TNTLAMB]

Its funny how folks want a "different experience but demand" that is meets their own experience no matter how little that experience may be.

 

First of all it is a GRATUITY not a TIP. I realize that the two are used interchangeably in the US but their is a big difference that even the IRS recognizes as does the rest of the world (California and Washington State disagree as to the meaning, but then they don't agree on much of anything anyway):

 

The IRS views a tip as a discretionary amount given to a worker by a patron, whereas a gratuity is an amount, typically specified by the establishment, of which all or a portion may be conveyed to the employee. Furthermore, the IRS has specified that gratuities are to be paid to the employee as wages on a paycheck.

 

http://www.tipcompliance.com/polLearningCenter.cfm?doc_id=2

 

I'm trying to remember the last time I travelled Europe that I didn't have a gratuity charge on a a tab. BTW try and have the 15% gratuity removed from a bar tab on Cruise ship......

Edited March 1, 2016 by TNTLAMB

[cb at sea]

Tipping on a cruise is based on standard tip amounts...It's about $3-4 pp per day for the cabin attendant...that's what you'd pay to a housekeeper in a hotel...you DO tip in hotels, don't you?

 

The tips for the waiters is for the entire day..and covers ALL who serve you in any venue. It's really quite a deal!

[tserface]

Thank you very much for this link and explanation. I think that makes a lot of sense. In my brain, I've just learned to translate "gratuity" to "service charge" and just consider it part of the cost of the cruise. But, your explanation makes a lot of sense and the amount anyone might give as cash for some services, during the cruise, or as a thank you, at the end of hte cruise, could be considered the actual "Tip".

 

It's pretty clear from the explanation of "Gratuities", given by the cruise line, that not all it goes to any one individual. So, it's not done in the traditional sense like at the end of a meal in a restaurant.

 

I enjoyed reading that link.

 

Tom

 

Its funny how folks want a "different experience but demand" that is meets their own experience no matter how little that experience may be.

 

First of all it is a GRATUITY not a TIP. I realize that the two are used interchangeably in the US but their is a big difference that even the IRS recognizes as does the rest of the world (California and Washington State disagree as to the meaning, but then they don't agree on much of anything anyway):

 

The IRS views a tip as a discretionary amount given to a worker by a patron, whereas a gratuity is an amount, typically specified by the establishment, of which all or a portion may be conveyed to the employee. Furthermore, the IRS has specified that gratuities are to be paid to the employee as wages on a paycheck.

 

http://www.tipcompliance.com/polLearningCenter.cfm?doc_id=2

 

I'm trying to remember the last time I travelled Europe that I didn't have a gratuity charge on a a tab. BTW try and have the 15% gratuity removed from a bar tab on Cruise ship......

[VTX-AL]

Total cruise booking is only $300 per person, Princess charges $12.95 pp, then the total tips will be $91 p, about 33%, sounds pretty high.

 

Do people normally reduce it? Or is the $12.95 pp required minimum?

 

Thanks

 

Here's a look at it from the other end (i.e. not an el cheapo cruise). Our next booked cruise, spring of 2017, is a 21 day mini suite class cruise - total cost about $14,000 . Using a 15% of total booking cost comes to $2100.00 gratuity versus the daily rate totals about $273.00 per person. YIKES !!!!!!!!:eek:

 

...VTX-Al