Should Gratuity be based on total cost?

[Cuizer2]

I have been on one "no tipping" line. The level of service was no better and if anything worse than two of the lines where tipping was the suggested practice that I've sailed on.

 

I will also say that overall the worst service was on the line where I had the biggest, most expensive cabin on the ship, and the best was on the line where I had the smallest, least expensive cabin on the ship. So I don't believe that any of the theories hold true. I think that you get lucky or you don't in terms of who is assigned to your cabin and table.

 

I had a suite on the Freedom OTS and an oceanview ten months later on the Serenade OTS. The room steward on the Serenade OTS was much better than the room steward on the Freedom OTS. So yes, apparently room stewards are not assigned based on customer service scores on the survey cards (now email).

[pablo222]

My beef is - why dont the cruise companies pay a decent wage - instead of foisting part of the paroll

 

Why don't you start fighting this issue with nearly every resturant in the US?

 

There are many,many,many more resturant workers who could be 'helped'

than cruise ship employees.

[PrincessLuver]

Why don't you start fighting this issue with nearly every resturant in the US?

 

There are many,many,many more resturant workers who could be 'helped'

than cruise ship employees.

 

So you are OK with restaurants and hotels adding an automatic gratuity of 20%?

[ducklite]

So you are OK with restaurants and hotels adding an automatic gratuity of 20%?

 

 

That is ridiculous. Typically one would leave $2-5 for hotel housekeeping each day. There would be no reason to leave $20 per day when booked into $100 per day hotel room. Or imagine those times when you splurge in that $600 room. Holy mackerel, if housekeeping is getting $120 per room for a half hours work, I'm applying!

[pablo222]

So you are OK with restaurants and hotels adding an automatic gratuity of 20%?

 

I believe you are intentionally missing the point.

 

If you consider a pool of resturant workers, including land-based,

and ship based -- and believe there is a problem, why would one

start with solving the problem for some micro percentage of the

people involved?

 

For instance, one could have much more effect making a change

for all restuarant works in the state of california, than by make

a change for all cruise ship restuarant workers.

[Donray]

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

 

What less service do you expect since you booked a cheap fair?

 

Do you expect less dinning room service?

 

Room service only once a week?

 

What??????

[ducklite]

What less service do you expect since you booked a cheap fair?

 

 

 

Do you expect less dinning room service?

 

 

 

Room service only once a week?

 

 

 

What??????

 

 

I agree with you. I think the gratuity schemes on cruises are fine. Most charge more by a few bucks per day if you have a suite.

 

We have always given at least the suggested. We usually add more, or even double that amount. We had a great server on a non-tipping cruise who took care of us at breakfast each morning, and on the last day handed him $50. He deserved it.

 

That said, we also have had times where we felt the service warranted nothing more than the suggested, and that's what we tendered.