Holiday staff gift

[Gonzo70]

I opine it is Cel X's responsibility to care for their staff - not mine. We do treat the staff with respect and friendly dialogue. The remuneration of the staff is a matter between employer & employees so I do not subscribe to this tipping malarkey. Others are entitled to tip staff if they wish.

 

 

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Sickening. So you turn the hard working staff into your unpaid slaves? The daily gratuities are a service charge - that is how they ARE paid. Hopefully your comments were just a poor joke and you are not truly mistreating the staff like that.

[Project_gal]

I opine it is Cel X's responsibility to care for their staff - not mine. We do treat the staff with respect and friendly dialogue. The remuneration of the staff is a matter between employer & employees so I do not subscribe to this tipping malarkey. Others are entitled to tip staff if they wish.

 

This thread is about Christmas Gifts not gratuities/crew remuneration.

 

I guess that Scrooge still lives. Bah, humbug.

[Alakegirl]

Please do not cruise if you are not prepared to participate in the gratuities, at least dont cruise on a line which employs such a system. Choose anoher type of vacation. You are only hurting the staff.

[Paulras]

That's why the cruise lines raise their drink prices 18% on UK cruises. British are notorious for not understanding or accepting the concept of gratuities/service fees

 

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[Slugsta]

That's why the cruise lines raise their drink prices 18% on UK cruises. British are notorious for not understanding or accepting the concept of gratuities/service fees

 

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No, that is not the case. The drink prices are raised by 18% as it is mandatory under law for the total cost to be displayed. That is why the DSC has to remain 'voluntary' too.

[Paulras]

No, that is not the case. The drink prices are raised by 18% as it is mandatory under law for the total cost to be displayed. That is why the DSC has to remain 'voluntary' too.

That's what I'm saying. They make it mandatory by raising the price because many Brits hate anything to do with tipping.

 

Sad part is that in my many cruises, the only times I've ever seen ship crew being berated was by folks from the UK. More than a few times. Wait staff, bar staff, casino staff, pool staff. Every time was over-reaction or drunkenness, in my opinion. Never seen it done for good reason. Sad to know that after getting berated, the crew won't get a few bucks from these people because the jerks don't believe in gratuities.

 

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[DYKWIA]

That's what I'm saying. They make it mandatory by raising the price because many Brits hate anything to do with tipping.

 

Sad part is that in my many cruises, the only times I've ever seen ship crew being berated was by folks from the UK. More than a few times. Wait staff, bar staff, casino staff, pool staff. Every time was over-reaction or drunkenness, in my opinion. Never seen it done for good reason. Sad to know that after getting berated, the crew won't get a few bucks from these people because the jerks don't believe in gratuities.

 

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No, that's not what your saying. It is mandatory on US Cruises as well - try telling Celebrity you don't want to pay the 18% on your drinks on your US based cruise and see how far you get.. Celebrity include the service within the price on drinks ex UK because they are required to. UK law does not permit hidden compulsory fees. You pay exactly the same for your drinks as we do you. It's no different to Tax, in the US you are accustomed to paying tax on top of the price displayed, it isn't optional, you don't pay it out of largess, lest someone thinks you a jerk. In the UK Tax is included in the price, by law. The +18% is an artificial concept to make the drink price seem lower that it is.

 

Less of the "Brits hate this and Brits hate that" please - I doubt very much your an expert on British culture anymore than I'm an expert on the culture of the indigenous tribes of Upper Volta. Some Brits pay their gratuities without grumbling, it may not be in our culture but some of us accept that when in Rome....do you drop the tips when you come to the UK?

 

As for the supposed fact that the only people you've seen berating ship crew on your "many cruises" were folks from the UK. How do you know these people were from the UK and not elsewhere - English living in the US for example, ex pats, and so on. Many Americans I've met have thought my wife and I were from Australia or New Zealand, perhaps because we don't talk like Hugh Grant or know your Uncle David who lives in Troon. I'm also surprised that you're able to conclude that "Every time" was an over reaction or drunkenness" - you must keep a very accurate travel diary to record all these conversations, facts and statistics. Either that or you're making it up to try to prove a point.

Edited September 9, 2017 by DYKWIA

[Paulras]

We remember when people cause scenes. I'm fairly certain the disorderly guys in the kilts who said they were from Scotland were from Scotland; and the family who said they were from Belfast before insulting my other half and getting thrown out of the casino for cursing at the dealers and several bars when they were refused service were from Belfast. But you're right, I'm not sure if the mother with the three 20-somethings that I saw berating the omelet maker for running out of tomatoes and several wait people over several days for things like their drink not tasting like it should or forgetting to bring something, we're from England. They did have an English accent but you're correct, they could have moved to another country recently. I do stand corrected though. I remember an obnoxious American (not me) who berated the casino cashier for doing what she's supposed to do.

 

Point was that removing auto-gratuities is a bad thing and even worse if you're a jerk to the crew.

 

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[miched]

We all know that cash is king but I can tell you many instancies where giving someone something other than cash means more that the money. Here are two.

 

Our doctor was dying of cancer. My MIL made a simple pot of bacon and beans, and cornbread and something told her to take some to the doctor. She took it there and said see had something for the doctor and needed to see him. She was let into an examination room and the doctor was happy to see her and was in tears because someone was thinking about him. He sat there and ate the bacon and beans, and cornbread and basically liked the bowl and told her how he really needed that and couldn't thank her enough and they spent some time reflexing on life. Ironic thing is he was a Muslin ( don't think they eat pork but he knew what it was) and she is a Deep South Baptist. I don't think she did it on purpose, just a old lady in her 90's. He died a few weeks later.

 

Another is we both bought watches from Goldfinger in St Maarten. The manager is Lucky. Every time we stop at St Maarten we stop in to see him and his wife. He told us how he liked green tea but it was difficult to get. We bought some at Costco and took it to him the next time we went there. He told us that that meant more to him than selling a watch as we were thinking about him and his family and couldn't thank us enough. He said that we didn't know how that makes him feel that we think about him as more than someone trying to make a sale and as a friend.

 

Yes cash is king but sometimes little things mean a lot.

 

Give your wife a rose, and then a week later or so give her the cost of the rose and see what gives her more joy.

 

 

We plan on taking some green tea on our cruise in Oct just in case we stop in St Maarten. Don't know if we will because of the hurricane or if he will be there but if he is I am sure that he would appreciate something simple as green tea.

 

If it makes you feel good do it, each of you will have a little joy and happiness for a short time even if the gift gets tossed, and so will the rose.

 

I am not saying that everyone should do it but a few little tidbits doesn't hurt.

 

It is the thought behind it.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

Edited September 10, 2017 by miched

[Texed]

Give your wife a rose, and then a week later or so give her the cost of the rose and see what gives her more joy.

 

Great Post. :)

[NLH Arizona]

Give your wife a rose, and then a week later or so give her the cost of the rose and see what gives her more joy.

 

Not sure how giving your wife a rose is a good analogy for giving a crew member a gift, but on your next cruise, why not give a crew member a gift and then the next day give them the cost of the gift and see what gives them more joy.

[digital_curator]

We were on a holiday cruise last year and each night I gave a "12 days of Christmas gift"- some cash with a little treat. Most were chocolate, packaged shortbread cookies, etc. but I gave a few small things like holiday Kleenex packs and candy cane Chapstick.

 

I learned my lesson. They LOVED the treats (I heard about the Harribo gummy bears for DAYS from my Eastern European servers and our favorite Russian bartender told everyone she could how much she loved the shortbread and wanted to know how to make it) but they were noticeably unimpressed with non-yummy things.

 

So this year I'm bringing more $ and more treats :D We had 100 little bags of Hershey kisses and gave them out to every staff member we met that day and we had people running over to get one when a friend would show them. Sometimes little things do make a difference.

[GUT2407]

Wonder if trinket givers would prefer that from their boss?

 

Two things the crewlive, cash and mentions to supervisors (in surveys or a note while on the ship, preferably both).

[Ladesign]

Sickening. So you turn the hard working staff into your unpaid slaves? The daily gratuities are a service charge - that is how they ARE paid. Hopefully your comments were just a poor joke and you are not truly mistreating the staff like that.

 

 

 

The gratuities are voluntary -according to Celebrity. As a customer I do not treat the staff of a supplier as slaves - I treat the staff with more respect than many other passengers. I have seen members of the tipping brigade barking orders and clicking fingers to get 'extra ' attention they feel their bribes deserve.

 

The remuneration of staff is of no concern to me when I am in a shop , on a train or aeroplane or on a cruise. I

I exercise my rights , with Celebrity's approval to remove the 'Auto Grats'. Not suggesting others should or should not.

 

 

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[Ladesign]

Please do not cruise if you are not prepared to participate in the gratuities, at least dont cruise on a line which employs such a system. Choose anoher type of vacation. You are only hurting the staff.

 

 

 

Celebrity system is that passengers are free to remove the ' Auto Gratuities'. What gives a poster the right to request a passenger not to cruise for following an procedure approved by the Cruise line ? If and when Celebrity change their policy I will reconsider whether to cruise with them or not.

 

When I look for a cruise it is the product that is on offer that decides whether I book or not. I am afraid the opinion of a poster on this forum as to my suitability to embark on a cruise is hilarious and mildly risible.

 

Strange that on our cruise in January 2 members of staff separately approached our group with a very enthusiastic welcome ( they saw us first). Their service was , as usual outstanding. Perhaps they simply liked the joviality and politeness of our group.

 

 

 

 

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[DYKWIA]

I suspect the current arrangement arrangements open to all guests to remove the auto gratuities if they wish still meets the needs of Celebrity otherwise they would change it - advertise higher prices and include gratuities. Did I read somewhere they have now done this in Australia ?

[GUT2407]

I suspect the current arrangement arrangements open to all guests to remove the auto gratuities if they wish still meets the needs of Celebrity otherwise they would change it - advertise higher prices and include gratuities. Did I read somewhere they have now done this in Australia ?

 

 

 

Yes they have, Princess did it years ago, and guess what? The world didn't end and the cruise industry didn't fold.

[Iamcruzin]

I agree with cash as a gift. However I'm not overly concerned with offending anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. Having worked in retail for 35 years I have witnessed the meshing of all holidays into one season. Nobody wishes anyone Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah unless they know which holiday is celebrated and even with that there are so many interfaith families that celebrate more than one holiday. I'm so conditioned to wishing my customers a Happy Holiday that I find myself doing the same with my friends and family. The ship is decorated for the holidays so my guess is the crew has adjusted to the season and have accepted the season as a Winter Solstice Celebration.

[Gonzo70]

The gratuities are voluntary -according to Celebrity. As a customer I do not treat the staff of a supplier as slaves - I treat the staff with more respect than many other passengers. I have seen members of the tipping brigade barking orders and clicking fingers to get 'extra ' attention they feel their bribes deserve.

 

The remuneration of staff is of no concern to me when I am in a shop , on a train or aeroplane or on a cruise. I

I exercise my rights , with Celebrity's approval to remove the 'Auto Grats'. Not suggesting others should or should not.

 

 

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Pathetic, sickening, despicable behavior. Yes, if one receives horrible service one can have gratuities removed - hopefully only after first speaking with a supervisor to try and resolve the issues before it comes to that. Otherwise you have made the hard working staff your unpaid slaves. Maybe where you live gratuities are not expected, but on Celebrity ships the gratuities is the crew's pay. You can't always act like you do at home when traveling - at least not without harming others and acting like a buffoon. What you are doing is atrocious.

[oceanlover07]

We always give extra cash tips in an envelope to stateroom attendant, dining staff, bar staff and anyone else who we feel deserves it..

 

 

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[NLH Arizona]

I have seen members of the tipping brigade barking orders and clicking fingers to get 'extra ' attention they feel their bribes deserve.

 

How do you know that those barking orders and clicking fingers are from the tipping brigade? Just as you don't tip, I'm sure that you are not the only one, so not sure how you distinguished the tippers from the non tippers.

 

I wish Celebrity would follow NCL in that they now include their Daily Service Charge in the fare for UK and other European countries.

[Paulras]

 

The remuneration of staff is of no concern to me when I am in a shop , on a train or aeroplane or on a cruise. I

I exercise my rights , with Celebrity's approval to remove the 'Auto Grats'. Not suggesting others should or should not.

 

 

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The problem is when you're in a shop, the system that was built is not one that uses gratuities. You know full well that your cruise fare is lower than it would be because the cruise lines, like other industries in parts of the world, use a payment system that encourages better service by having the customers "reward" it through gratuities. To simply compare a cruise to a shop in your country and blaming the cruise lines for doing it that way is directly hurting those workers, not the lines. And quite honestly, it's cheap, obnoxious and selfish.

 

Next cruise, beforehand try telling all the people that serve you that you're removing the gratuities because you don't believe in them. See how enthusiastic your service is after that.

 

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[DYKWIA]

T... the cruise lines, like other industries in parts of the world, use a payment system that encourages better service by having the customers "reward" it through gratuities. ....

 

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No, this is not true and a myth, the primary reason is to lower costs, increase profits, pass staff wages responsibility directly to the customer, and offer what at first blush seems a lower cruise price. It is clear most passengers believe they now have direct responsibility for staff wages from the responses here when someone admits they don't pay the gratuity.

 

Proof of this service myth can be seen if you look at the luxury cruise lines and you will see they are able to get their staff to provide exemplary service with no additional service charge needed to encourage staff.

 

I've also noticed that one or two cruise lines are starting to get a little more opaque when defining what the auto gratuity is for. I was looking on the UK Celebrity site and could find very little. I suppose if they explicit in what the money is for the money has to go there otherwise it could be fraud. If they're less clear the cruise line has more latitude to spend the money how it sees fit.

 

Hands down best service in the world I have ever experienced - Hong Kong hotels (Thailand hotels a close second) and no hands out for tips.

[Paulras]

No, this is not true and a myth, the primary reason is to lower costs, increase profits, pass staff wages responsibility directly to the customer, and offer what at first blush seems a lower cruise price. It is clear most passengers believe they now have direct responsibility for staff wages from the responses here when someone admits they don't pay the gratuity.

 

Proof of this service myth can be seen if you look at the luxury cruise lines and you will see they are able to get their staff to provide exemplary service with no additional service charge needed to encourage staff.

 

I've also noticed that one or two cruise lines are starting to get a little more opaque when defining what the auto gratuity is for. I was looking on the UK Celebrity site and could find very little. I suppose if they explicit in what the money is for the money has to go there otherwise it could be fraud. If they're less clear the cruise line has more latitude to spend the money how it sees fit.

 

Hands down best service in the world I have ever experienced - Hong Kong hotels (Thailand hotels a close second) and no hands out for tips.

 

Incorrect. In the US, restaurants pay wait staff only about $2-3 per hour which is closer to zero than their real pay. The bulk of the staff's earnings come from tips. And the good ones love doing a good job to get more tips. Same with the cruise lines. But unfortunately, they don't know which pax are the cheap turds who remove gratuities so they always try to provide good service.

 

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[wato1963]

That's why the cruise lines raise their drink prices 18% on UK cruises. British are notorious for not understanding or accepting the concept of gratuities/service fees

 

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I'm sorry but I find your comment appalling,British people do tip when in the USA what the British people don't understand is why they have to,the company that you work for should pay their employees a living wage instead of hoping the cruise customers will pay it for them.

I find American companies are just exploiting their employees by not paying a living wage.

On a side note American tourists never tip anybody in the UK,because we pay our workers a living wage

 

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