Increase in tips and suite perks

[Thorncroft]

OMG tax on $6! oh the humanity! Seriously is this really a big deal? If you can't pay an extra $6 on a weeklong cruise...stay home!

 

Math is not your forte, I see. :p You wish gratuities for the week was only $6 per.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Thorncroft

[skidawg79]

Math is not your forte, I see. :p You wish gratuities for the week was only $6 per.

 

And additional $6 per week...that better? Giver or take ;)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

OMG tax on $6! oh the humanity! Seriously is this really a big deal? If you can't pay an extra $6 on a weeklong cruise...stay home!

 

You seem to have taken Thorncrofts post out of context. He was talking about adding the whole weeks cruises into the cruise fare, which he then said it would then be taxed.

 

Bill

[firemanbobswife]

Just make it what it really is - a Service Charge. Then it wouldn't be taxed, just added on like gratuities are now if you prepay. I'm honestly surprised it's not mandatory for ATD like it is on Celebrity.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just make it what it really is - a Service Charge. Then it wouldn't be taxed, just added on like gratuities are now if you prepay. I'm honestly surprised it's not mandatory for ATD like it is on Celebrity.

 

At what point do you pay taxes on gratuities?

 

I must be missing something since people keep mentioning paying taxes?

 

It's probably something obvious but right now it's registering for me where the taxes come in?

 

Bill

[shellsd]

Shellsd - here is the scoop. Do it before May 9 if you want to save the 95 cents a person per day more.

Gratuities are pre-arranged and can be added at the time of booking or anytime up to the sail date. If already booked, guests can contact their Travel Professional to add prepaid gratuities; if booked directly with Carnival, contact us at 800 764-7419.

 

Thank you!!!

[tidecat]

At what point do you pay taxes on gratuities?

 

 

 

I must be missing something since people keep mentioning paying taxes?

 

 

 

It's probably something obvious but right now it's registering for me where the taxes come in?

 

 

 

Bill

 

Depending on the laws of your state, prepaid gratuities may constitute a taxable sale.

 

My cruise isn't until February, but if I had to pay my home state's sales tax (which coincidentally is the same as Florida's) when prepaying, that 6% would wipe out most of the 7.9% increase, and I wouldn't bother doing that to save $0.23 per person per day.

 

If Carnival executes a transaction onboard a ship in international waters, no US state could claim nexus for the transaction.

[BigB0882]

Just make it what it really is - a Service Charge. Then it wouldn't be taxed, just added on like gratuities are now if you prepay. I'm honestly surprised it's not mandatory for ATD like it is on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity no longer requires prepaying for ATD. They did away with that not very long ago.

[firemanbobswife]

At what point do you pay taxes on gratuities?

 

 

 

I must be missing something since people keep mentioning paying taxes?

 

 

 

It's probably something obvious but right now it's registering for me where the taxes come in?

 

 

 

Bill

 

 

They aren't taxed now. I was stating that instead of adding it into the cruise fare itself, list it separate so it wouldn't be taxed. Just like the prepaid gratuities are now. My response was directed at the poster that was afraid of paying tax if it was included and not separated out.

Edited May 2, 2016 by firemanbobswife

[firemanbobswife]

Celebrity no longer requires prepaying for ATD. They did away with that not very long ago.

 

 

Surprising. I wish they would make them mandatory for all and be done with it. Then if you wanted to, you could tip above and beyond, but it wouldn't be expected. But that's a whole other discussion. Anyway, I see their bar gratuity is 18%! I don't remember it ever being that high. Maybe I didn't pay that close of attention.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

They aren't taxed now. I was stating that instead of adding it into the cruise fare itself, list it separate so it wouldn't be taxed. Just like the prepaid gratuities are now. My response was directed at the poster that was afraid of paying tax if it was included and not separated out.

 

Thanks for the reply FiremanBobswife. That is what I was referring to. If it is included in the fare where is it taxed.

 

It sounds to me like the person who said it would be taxerd is talking about a sales tax? AFAIK I didn't think there was any tax on the cruise itself. I know that they have the govt fees/port charges but I didn't thhink that had anything to do with a sales tax.:confused: (sorry if I'm being hard headed):o

 

Bill

[firemanbobswife]

Thanks for the reply FiremanBobswife. That is what I was referring to. If it is included in the fare where is it taxed.

 

 

 

It sounds to me like the person who said it would be taxerd is talking about a sales tax? AFAIK I didn't think there was any tax on the cruise itself. I know that they have the govt fees/port charges but I didn't thhink that had anything to do with a sales tax.:confused: (sorry if I'm being hard headed):o

 

 

 

Bill

 

 

I don't know the exact breakdown and it's always lumped together as "Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses". Maybe a TA would have a better idea of what is what.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I don't know the exact breakdown and it's always lumped together as "Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses". Maybe a TA would have a better idea of what is what.

 

Fair enough. Thank you for your replies and your patience.:)

 

Bill

[firemanbobswife]

Fair enough. Thank you for your replies and your patience.:)

 

 

 

Bill

 

 

You are very welcome. And I am very patient when trying to explain all things cruising. Especially to people that are nice to me and others. While not everyone gets along swimmingly at all times, I think there are more than a few of us that do. Even if we manage to get our feelings hurt once in awhile. Then we laugh about it, and move on. "It's the circle of life" *sung in my best Lion King voice*

[A&Jfamily]

I agree, you don't want to have to pay tax on gratuities. I am very much against adding gratuities into the price. I don't even like that they add them automatically. I wish they would go back to putting envelopes in your cabins and personally giving crew members that have served you a tip that is appropriate based on the service received.

 

To me, this is a horrible plan. Right now, let's round up and say with new tips, that we are talking $13 a day. What do you think the "average" cruiser would tip wait staff in the dining room? If you eat a 3 course meal for a family of 4 at your local american sit-down restaurant (where everyone has an appetizer, entree and dessert - not counting all the extras people often purchase on a cruise), your bill is going to total a MINIMUM of $120, or $30 pp. A 20% tip on that is $24 or $6 pp. And that's just dinner - we are not including breakfast and lunch. On a 7 day cruise for a family of 4, assuming the paradigm of the typical american dinner, you "should" be tipping the wait staff approximately $170 for the week for dinner alone. How many cruisers are going to do that???? Few to none. Because no one is going to stop and think about the value of the food they are receiving, and what it would cost on land.

 

Nor are we including even once daily room service, where your bed is made, sheets changed if necessary, you receive fresh bath towels as well as beach, the bathroom and toilet cleaned, and the whole room is tidied.

 

Nor are we including any of the people that work behind the scenes that share in those tips. This is in fact a category of people that we as cruisers can't reach with envelopes.

 

These people are working for peanuts by American standards and rely on these tips to make an acceptable living for the hard long hours they work away from their family. And I don't just mean to limit my post to Americans as there are plenty of Canadians and British that take these cruises too, among other nations. And all of us, no matter which nationality we are, by the mere act of cruising have demonstrated that we have lifestyles to which the rest of the world can only hope to aspire. Please, ladies and gentleman, before you get "upset" about the $13 a day, stop and think. It really IS a bargain given what you would pay at home, and more importantly, your affluence is allowing someone else to make a living for their family thousands of miles away. Instead of complaining about having to tip count your blessings that you CAN and be grateful.

[Je Souhaite]

To me, this is a horrible plan. Right now, let's round up and say with new tips, that we are talking $13 a day. What do you think the "average" cruiser would tip wait staff in the dining room? If you eat a 3 course meal for a family of 4 at your local american sit-down restaurant (where everyone has an appetizer, entree and dessert - not counting all the extras people often purchase on a cruise), your bill is going to total a MINIMUM of $120, or $30 pp. A 20% tip on that is $24 or $6 pp. And that's just dinner - we are not including breakfast and lunch. On a 7 day cruise for a family of 4, assuming the paradigm of the typical american dinner, you "should" be tipping the wait staff approximately $170 for the week for dinner alone. How many cruisers are going to do that???? Few to none. Because no one is going to stop and think about the value of the food they are receiving, and what it would cost on land.

 

Nor are we including even once daily room service, where your bed is made, sheets changed if necessary, you receive fresh bath towels as well as beach, the bathroom and toilet cleaned, and the whole room is tidied.

 

Nor are we including any of the people that work behind the scenes that share in those tips. This is in fact a category of people that we as cruisers can't reach with envelopes.

 

These people are working for peanuts by American standards and rely on these tips to make an acceptable living for the hard long hours they work away from their family. And I don't just mean to limit my post to Americans as there are plenty of Canadians and British that take these cruises too, among other nations. And all of us, no matter which nationality we are, by the mere act of cruising have demonstrated that we have lifestyles to which the rest of the world can only hope to aspire. Please, ladies and gentleman, before you get "upset" about the $13 a day, stop and think. It really IS a bargain given what you would pay at home, and more importantly, your affluence is allowing someone else to make a living for their family thousands of miles away. Instead of complaining about having to tip count your blessings that you CAN and be grateful.

 

The only problem with you logic is the cruise lines still don't spend more than $10 per diem on each passenger for all three meals, unless you go specialty. Then they make you tip 7 times what you pay for your meal in the MDR to people that serve you the same exact way, on plates, from the right.

[StolidCruiser]

The only problem with you logic is the cruise lines still don't spend more than $10 per diem on each passenger for all three meals, unless you go specialty. Then they make you tip 7 times what you pay for your meal in the MDR to people that serve you the same exact way, on plates, from the right.

 

Do you tip on the food cost of your meal when on land? Oh, wait... you never tip.

 

Doesn't it get exhausting continuously blowing your own out-of-tune horn?

 

(FYI - I have always been served and cleared from the proper side while on a cruise... just like on land.)

Edited May 2, 2016 by StolidCruiser

[Je Souhaite]

Do you tip on the food cost of your meal when on land? Oh, wait... you never tip.

 

Doesn't it get exhausting continuously blowing your own out-of-tune horn?

 

(FYI - I have always been served and cleared from the proper side while on a cruise... just like on land.)

 

That's a pretty bad analogy. I've yet to ever be served a bill for food I have eaten on a ship.

[A&Jfamily]

The only problem with you logic is the cruise lines still don't spend more than $10 per diem on each passenger for all three meals, unless you go specialty. Then they make you tip 7 times what you pay for your meal in the MDR to people that serve you the same exact way, on plates, from the right.

 

It is not an issue of what CCL or any restaurant PAYS for the meal - I'm pretty certain that Outback doesn't spend $15.99 on my steak, potato and salad. But that is the value of the meal. OUR culture (I will be the first to concede it is changing with restaurants that pay a living wage and have included that in the cost of the meal and do not accept tips) primarily operates on wait staff being paid well below minimum wage, with the idea that tips make up the bulk of their income....tips which are shared with hosting staff, table bussers etc. It is common human decency to recognize this and tip your staff accordingly. Thus, my logic still stands.

 

If CCL would like to remove this entire debate from this board, however, I would be fine with a cruise that included the $13 a day in my fare - that way common, cheap people cannot skirt the system. If you receive excellent service, you could tip more. If you receive poor service, complain. Enough complaints will cause someone to be terminated. Problem solved. On all counts.

 

As for me, I am done feeding trolls today.

[nissach]

In any case, these stewards are not poor, destitute savages. They're making decent money, in spite of working long hours and not having days off. They know all that when they sign on.

 

Very true!

[woodman]

AJ Well put I'm with you. That way we all would know that the workers were getting their tips and it would not involve us. On point with the cheapies out there they would have to pay up or not cruise.

Edited July 3, 2016 by woodman