Gratuities & tips are not obligatory

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

If you are not earning a living wage you should have zero tax liability. But if you still have someone claiming you as a dependent I am not sure if that skews things.

 

I know many people in the service industry and they prefer cash for the following reasons:

1. I have never met anyone in the service industry that reports all their cash tip income

2. With credit card tips I have learned some service staff are having a cut taken out by mangers for "administrative fees" "management fees"; that is called stealing. Management is not entitled to a portion of their staffs tips. A good friend of mine is a bar tender at a trendy microbrew and learned his management steals portions of CC tips, now I only pay w CC and tip in cash.

 

I know NCL can reserve part of their guest charge pool to use for administrative reasons; the amount is undisclosed. I wonder if other cruise lines do this as well. I would feel much more comfortable knowing that all monies paid are going to the deserving party and not being siphoned off as a bogus administrative fee. I suspect some people prefer cash for that very same reason.

My wording was off...I need to proofread. My point was intended to be more hypothetical, being that if restaurants paid wages higher than $2-3 an hour, we wouldn't have to depend so much on tips.

Edited August 15, 2017 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[dd likes to cruise]

Thanks, but no, I did not miss posts #8 or 15, and having just re-read those, too, I still find no mention of stiffing the staff, rather that the poster prefers to decide for himself/herself how much to tip.

 

But obviously if they think the 475 is outrageous, they are not going to be paying anywhere near that amount.

[LMaxwell]

I've also seen this list - twice, in fact, on two different ships.

 

I don't doubt a list exists, but I don't think it matters much or means anything. If you want to put a different spin on things an employee COULD assume that automatic tippers won't tip additional amounts, and those on the list could potentially tip more in cash if service is good. Reality is that until the guests all get off the ship on the final day what that list has on it or does not have on it is subject to change. Informational, but nothing much there to act on or be certain of. Just pointing out different perspectives based on same information.

[DCGuy64]

But obviously if they think the 485 is outrageous, they are going to be paying anywhere near that amount.

 

 

 

Read post #125, above. I would associate myself with that person's comments. I tip automatically and am fine with continuing to do so, but I don't shun or shame someone who chooses to do it his own way.

 

 

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[rjrpar]

Thanks for your comment nolesrules.

 

 

 

I get what you are saying, however staff wages should not be my concern.....there I have said it! Many will feel the exact same I am sure, but will not be brave enough say.

 

 

 

Having spent thousands on this cruise I do not feel it that I should automatically be forced to cough up almost $500 dollars.

 

 

 

That being said I always tip those I have had direct contact with that have given excellent service. Those behind the scenes will be missed, and that is something I honestly never thought about. Maybe I will offer something at the end to be shared, but most certainly not what that intend on adding.:(

 

 

 

You don't have to be brave to post something on an internet discussion board. Actually, even posting that comment makes me disregard most of what you say

 

 

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[Retired LEO]

I've seen the list that the stateroom attendant has that lists the guests who have removed auto tips.

 

I've also seen the list pinned to the bulletin board in the galley during a tour.

[DCGuy64]

What's funny is that I have a friend who is an entertainer on one of RCI's ships. She says that between free lodging and food, plus working and rehearsing all the time, she banks $1,000s of dollars a month working on a cruise ship. They're hardly the downtrodden wage slaves some on here are implying they are.

 

 

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[Pedro2400]

Nope, not going to be made to feel guilty.

 

Bottom line is if I have booked a land holiday in a hotel or apartment I would not be expected to pay almost $500 in tips. Yes, I would tip waiters, doormen, room service, room cleaners etc.... but this would not go towards the behind the scenes staff.

 

I assume mjkacmom, nolesrules & cruisinfanatic when staying at a hotel that you all are quite generous and leave a massive tip to be shared to all the behind the scenes staff? Can you confirm that is the case?

 

The comment about not affording the cruise if you cannot afford to tip is daft. We as a family have saved for 3 years for this cruise. We are not well off by any means, and can afford to tip. As stated in the OP this should be down to choice.

 

Don't always assume that cruisers are very wealthy people and that all staff are paid an absolute pittance and/or are living in poverty.

 

WOW! The stereotyping poverty police are out to play.

 

 

Well said agree 100%

[LMaxwell]

My wording was off...I need to proofread. My point was intended to be more hypothetical, being that if restaurants paid wages higher than $2-3 an hour, we wouldn't have to depend so much on tips.

 

Agreed.

[Ocean Dancer]

What's funny is that I have a friend who is an entertainer on one of RCI's ships. She says that between free lodging and food, plus working and rehearsing all the time, she banks $1,000s of dollars a month working on a cruise ship. They're hardly the downtrodden wage slaves some on here are implying they are.

 

 

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The entertainers are not tipped, they are salaried. We are talking about the waitstaff and stewards.

[Ski-Lady]

If I was posting something for informational reasons only I would not imply that I would be removing tips and/or tipping less than expected.

 

Again I may be assuming facts not in evidence but the OP does make it seem that is his intent.

 

I readily admit I may be and hope I am wrong. If so I apologize to the OP.

[DCGuy64]

The entertainers are not tipped, they are salaried. We are talking about the waitstaff and stewards.

 

 

 

Ah, then perhaps people on this thread who imply that the tips are shared by the entire crew instead of a smaller subset thereof might want to revise their remarks. It changed the calculus drastically.

 

 

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[wolfganghowell]

This thread reminds me of my workplace mantra - Everyone should have to wait tables and be a receptionist just once in their careers to see how these people are treated. Now I could add in Mr Wolf's that everyone should serve one tour in the military and everyone would be a lot more understanding of how the world really works.

[LMaxwell]

Ah, then perhaps people on this thread who imply that the tips are shared by the entire crew instead of a smaller subset thereof might want to revise their remarks. It changed the calculus drastically.

 

 

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The number of service staff in the tip pool is approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the total staff onboard. Basically if the staff is there as part of a guest facing hotel function (food service, room attendant) and associated back of house staff that support front of house service staff they are in tip pool.. I do believe dishwasher, laundry, and hotel housekeeping functions are in the tip pool (Back of house). I do not believe any ship maintenance staff, officers, youth staff, casino, guest services, spa, security, marine operations, engineering, IT, entertainment, or chefs are in the tip pool. If you see a staff member mingling at a guest party or eating in the WJ or a specialty restaurant, good chance they are NOT in the tip pool. You will never see room attendants or wait staff in guest areas.

 

Again, years ago when the back of house support functions for housekeeping were NOT in the automated tip pool (because none existed) how were these people paid if they never saw or interacted with a guest? I believe they had a much higher base wage. If anything was supposed to be pooled it was too difficult to manage with all cash tips.

 

I never pre-pay; I allow it to be drawn on my account due to having OBC. Does all the OBC get paid out and accounted for?

[spookyfudge]

Hi All,

 

I just wanted to share something with new cruisers (and old if they do not know this).

 

As I am sure you are aware each cruiser will have gratuities & tips added to their SeaPass account every day (unless you have paid these in advance with your booking).

 

I don't actually agree with these automatic tips, as I feel that I should decide who has earned this & most importantly how much I wish to tip.

 

As a family of 5 travelling the cost per day @ $13.50 for 7 days will be quite considerable at $472.50! Now I can honestly say that I would never tip this much during a weeks land holiday so will certainly not be forced to pay this at sea.

 

Now for those of you not in the know, please take note. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY. That's right, there is not obligation on your part to pay. The booking information and website will not highlight this as RC want you to pay. When reading their information is does make you feel like this is obligatory, however if you read the very, very small print you will note this is not the case. All you need to do is go to reception on Day 1 and ask that these gratuities & tips are removed from your account....and voila!

 

You can then reward the staff members that you want to reward.

 

Happy cruising.

 

Sounds like this type of vacation is too costly for you and you should just go to holiday in and area parks for a good time out with the family!

[bigque]

I have done pre-paid gratuities since my first cruise and still do today without taking into account a preconceived idea about how good or bad the service might be for the week of my cruise. Just as tipping a waiter at a restaurant, the service would have to be ridiculously awful for me not to want to give anything and I have never had service bad enough on land or sea to not want to give them something. I have never received less than stellar service because the staff knew I have already pre-paid. I do "TIP" extra above the pre-paid "GRATUITY" at the end of the cruise to waiter and assistant as well as the cabin steward. How much I hand them has been more or less for some than others depending on the quality of service for the week! I just think that most of them do a great job for working 7 days a week for a lot of hours each day. But hey....That's the way I roll! :cool:

[broberts]

Sounds like this type of vacation is too costly for you and you should just go to holiday in and area parks for a good time out with the family!

 

Why are you being so insulting? You know nothing about the OP and have definitely misread or not understood the post #1.

[taglovestocruise]

Fear not. Complainers and gratuity removers amount to nothing. A few hundred removing 10,000 or so in tips is a drop in the bucket. A ship like Oasis pulls in well over 80,000 in auto tips, 30,000 on bar tips, 15,000 on specialty dinning tips that are part of the meal charge, and many thousand more in extra tips left by the generous. One cruiser removing his 13.50 daily tip shorts the pool group by 0.0058 cents per day or 0.04 cents per week. And as a bonus tips are calculated occasionally and upped to make up the difference. Kudos to NCL for no longer allowing tips to be removed until the cruiser returns home and is forced to go through corporate

[taglovestocruise]

Fear not. Complainers and gratuity removers amount to nothing. A few hundred removing 10,000 or so in tips is a drop in the bucket. A ship like Oasis pulls in well over 80,000 in auto tips, 30,000 on bar tips, 15,000 on specialty dinning tips that are part of the meal charge, and many thousand more in extra tips left by the generous. One cruiser removing his 13.50 daily tip shorts the pool group by 0.0058 cents per day or 0.04 cents per week. And as a bonus tips are calculated occasionally and upped to make up the difference. Kudos to NCL for no longer allowing tips to be removed until the cruiser returns home and is forced to go through corporate

 

Small error.. Oasis pulls in $560,000.00 per week in auto tips...

[LMaxwell]

Kudos to NCL for no longer allowing tips to be removed until the cruiser returns home and is forced to go through corporate

 

They reversed that again.

 

This is actually a nice discussion, people are for the most part conversing nicely, and I think everyone is learning something here. It's kind of a shame you get the regulars with nothing to contribute just doing their cute little drive bys on everyone else, but that's par for the site.

[taglovestocruise]

Why are you being so insulting? You know nothing about the OP and have definitely misread or not understood the post #1.

 

You also no nothing about the first poster.. It is a safe bet he is just plain cheap and jealous of those getting tips.

[spookwife]

The OP Diddybubby did NOT say thet he was not going to pay any tips (neither did I in my post) Just that they were going to pay who ever they wanted whenever they wanted.

 

 

and ultimately that will HURT the very people he is so magnanimously tipping personally, since all that money must now be pooled. instead of the staff getting a guaranteed income with the stated daily charges, they could very easily end up getting paid less overall.

 

FTR, ever since the inception of prepaid, I have never get the need to pay more and that has saved us money in the long run. Furthermore, the people who I NEVER SEE yet are instrumental in making my stay on board a pleasant one are getting their just due

 

I am of the crowd that think the louder and more vehemently you scream about removing the prepaid tips, the more likely you are to not pay at the every least the minimum daily rate., which again, means the staff is being shortchanged.

[grapau27]

I have done pre-paid gratuities since my first cruise and still do today without taking into account a preconceived idea about how good or bad the service might be for the week of my cruise. Just as tipping a waiter at a restaurant, the service would have to be ridiculously awful for me not to want to give anything and I have never had service bad enough on land or sea to not want to give them something. I have never received less than stellar service because the staff knew I have already pre-paid. I do "TIP" extra above the pre-paid "GRATUITY" at the end of the cruise to waiter and assistant as well as the cabin steward. How much I hand them has been more or less for some than others depending on the quality of service for the week! I just think that most of them do a great job for working 7 days a week for a lot of hours each day. But hey....That's the way I roll! :cool:

And roll perfectly IMO.

You have described us too as we pre pay tips and always give extra cash tips too.

We all know the crew depend on our tips for the bulk of their salary and i find people who stiff the crew offensive.

 

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[WeighAnchor]

Okay, my 2 cents (or 2 pence, if you live in the UK):

 

Being that my mom was born in the UK and understanding the tipping culture there, I get where the OP is coming from as no one tips that much for service in the UK and a lot of Europe. Typically, the UK/Euro tip is no more than 10%.

 

However, since the OP is going on an American cruise ship, you have to make an adjustment to the culture of the ship you are traveling on (the USA). Many American companies typically pay certain service workers a token amount instead of a reasonable wage and have the guests make up the difference in gratuities. On a cruise ship, these people work anywhere from 12-17 hours a day, seven days a week for maybe around $100 per week. I would personally rather that the cruise line pay these people better wages and increase the prices of the cruise accordingly instead of leaving them at the mercy of the guests. It is doubtful this will happen because of the competition in the cruise line industry and every company wanting to appear like they are the least expensive. I implore the OP to have a little mercy on these people and pay them their due!

 

My wife and I will be going on a back-to-back cruise next month and will be sailing for 29 days. We have already prepaid our tips totaling $783 and if we are happy with the staff, we will be passing out envelopes at the end each cruise with a little extra. We have always seen the suggested gratuities as just a part of the cruise fare. I think of the families of these people who are trying to support them with honest work and I am happy to do my part and be a blessing to them.

 

There are cruise lines that are all inclusive such as Azamara (owned by Royal) and Paul Gauguin, but you will pay a premium for cruising with them and would probably be better off with staying with Royal Caribbean and just paying the gratuities.

[DirtyDawg]

The OP got the click bait title just about right to stir up the CC crowd.

 

Biker, who has yet to see something different in this thread that has not been mentioned in all the previous tipping threads.

 

I agree, the OP has done a wonderful job! He deserves a tip!

 

I think CC should institute a new tipping policy for the threads that get the CC crowd all riled up. Have all members sign up and deposit $100 per year in pre-paid tipping accounts and then allocate $.10 per post on these threads. So by 6pm Eastern tonight the OP could have earned $20 in tips (200 posts X $.10).

 

I just wonder how many of our fellow CCers would be down at the virtual CC service desk trying to remove those tips?:confused:

 

;)

 

P.S. The way things are picking up we might get to 200 by 5pm eastern.