Choosing not to prepay gratuities.

[jimbo5544]

I agree with you 100%. I am sick and tired of people implying that if we don’t tip the way they do, that were cheap or doing something wrong. I’ll tip the way I choose to tip and you choose the way you want to tip.

Of course you can tip the way you want. Also of course is if you state it others can consider it being cheap. Everybody is entitled to an opinion.

[siestakeys04]

I used to add the amount to my S&S card when I boarded but soon realized it is easier to add when I book. Done don’t have to think about it. I definitely don’t want to walk around trying to remember who to tip just give it and be done.

[jimbo5544]

I used to add the amount to my S&S card when I boarded but soon realized it is easier to add when I book. Done don’t have to think about it. I definitely don’t want to walk around trying to remember who to tip just give it and be done.

I agree, I have yet to hear a compelling argument for doing anything other than what you describe.

[bingomamma19]

I haven’t seen this mentioned yet, but on most lines I’ve been on if you cancel the auto gratuities and give the crew cash they are required to give it to their supervisor and it goes into the pool for the crew anyway. So going that route actually does nothing for the individual crew you tip. Which is why we always leave the auto gratuities on and tip a little extra for great service so we know they get to keep the money.

 

I would be surprised if carnival’s policy was different since their sister brands do it that way as well.

 

 

John Heald has answered this several times...the crew keep 100% of the cash they are given, whether the tips were removed or not.

[jimbo5544]

John Heald has answered this several times...the crew keep 100% of the cash they are given, whether the tips were removed or not.

 

 

 

Many more than several

 

 

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[Elaine5715]

I do pre-pay my tips and I also tip extra to my room steward and the dining room staff. However I’m not gonna let you get away with saying that I have to do it because you do. Quit sticking your nose in everyone else’s business.

Aww, you must be new to the internet. You post, I get to respond however I choose.

[Cruising Jedi]

People are cheap and will continue to be so as long as the cruise lines continue to let them be that way. Cheapskates = people who remove auto gratuities.

 

How fascinating. Thank you for your opinion on that.

[Cruising Jedi]

Aww, you must be new to the internet. You post, I get to respond however I choose.

 

Aww, you must be new to cruising. People can choose to tip however (or even IF) they want.

[Steelers0854]

John Heald has answered this several times...the crew keep 100% of the cash they are given, whether the tips were removed or not.

 

 

 

That’s good to know! They don’t on Princess, would be nice if the industry standardized because if you didn’t know you could be penalizing the people you tip vs rewarding them.

[cruisin 07]

This is my understanding on tipping after 8 years on this board. Please feel free to correct if I'm wrong. Prepaid trips are split according to employee contacts. Anything after that the employee who it's given a trip gets to keep it. If you remove the automatic tip then any tips given to employees they are require to put it into the employee pool for all or face being terminated.

[Cruisin Trkrs]

People are cheap and will continue to be so as long as the cruise lines continue to let them be that way. Cheapskates = people who remove auto gratuities.

[emoji817]% agree!!!

Lol, my darling Hubs has other words for those that stiff all the hardworking staff. Suffice it to say that I'll refrain from mentioning his verbage...

 

[emoji924]️ Cruisin Trkrs [emoji597]

[Sawdec]

You talk about the dining staff but the reason we leave auto-tips on is to ensure the "behind the scenes" folks get their share. I've never seen a passenger tip the person who vacuums the carpet at 2:00AM and I've never seen anyone tip the guys who wash down the decks early every morning, the folks who do the laundry. There are a whole bunch of people who work toward making your cruise memorable but never see or interact with. Auto-tips take care of them.

 

When people claim they pay cash as they go they are essentially screwing a whole bunch of folks who deserve to be paid over and above what the cruise lines pay them.

That is their job. It’s not my responsibility to pay those that clean the deck that is carnivals job. I get paid to do my job but I don’t get tipped to do it. With that being said we remove the auto tips and pay as we go to those that deserve it.

[Saint Greg]

That is their job. It’s not my responsibility to pay those that clean the deck that is carnivals job. I get paid to do my job but I don’t get tipped to do it. With that being said we remove the auto tips and pay as we go to those that deserve it.

 

A bit of an exaggeration. I don’t think the people that clean the decks get a piece of the tips. Whether we agree with it or not these people count on that money as part of their salary and if I were that against going along with it, I would opt not to cruise.

 

“Employees such as stateroom stewards, assistant stewards, dining room waiters and assistant waiters. A small portion goes to a mix of other personnel who are in guest-facing customer service positions within areas such as culinary and hotel services, along with certain key positions in entertainment and guest services.

Here is the breakdown, per day:

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites)

Dining Team: $6.40

Alternative Services: $2.50”

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1123

[SkyPiglet]

When reading these threads, a topic that comes up a lot is the people who are "behind the scenes." Rather than starting a new thread on this topic (there are too many already), I will pose a question about who they are?

 

When I mention them, I refer to dining staff that might often get overlooked, as well as the housekeepers that assist the steward (housekeeping team in auto-grats).

 

When I read the daily breakdown of the gratuities on Carnivals Website, I see "Alternative Services: $2.50." Does anyone know if those refer to non-MDR dining options (Guys, Tandoor, Pizzeria del Capitano), or are those covered in "Dining Team: $6.40?" Or are they something completely different?

 

At any rate, that is my assumption that auto-gratuities take care of all of these people,which is why I leave the autos intact. I don't need to think about it. I am pretty sure none of those, according to Carnival's breakdown go to the folks who wash the deck. i would be curious about "Alternative Services" however.

[Saint Greg]

When reading these threads, a topic that comes up a lot is the people who are "behind the scenes." Rather than starting a new thread on this topic (there are too many already), I will pose a question about who they are?

 

When I mention them, I refer to dining staff that might often get overlooked, as well as the housekeepers that assist the steward (housekeeping team in auto-grats).

 

When I read the daily breakdown of the gratuities on Carnivals Website, I see "Alternative Services: $2.50." Does anyone know if those refer to non-MDR dining options (Guys, Tandoor, Pizzeria del Capitano), or are those covered in "Dining Team: $6.40?" Or are they something completely different?

 

At any rate, that is my assumption that auto-gratuities take care of all of these people,which is why I leave the autos intact. I don't need to think about it. I am pretty sure none of those, according to Carnival's breakdown go to the folks who wash the deck. i would be curious about "Alternative Services" however.

 

I assume this is the alternative services part

 

“A small portion goes to a mix of other personnel who are in guest-facing customer service positions within areas such as culinary and hotel services, along with certain key positions in entertainment and guest services”

[bnorris10]

That is their job. It’s not my responsibility to pay those that clean the deck that is carnivals job. I get paid to do my job but I don’t get tipped to do it. With that being said we remove the auto tips and pay as we go to those that deserve it.

 

And you are the reason why some of these people are not getting everything they deserve because there are people contrary to your popular belief that deserve to be tipped that you NEVER see and because you removed your tips they are now not getting what is due to them

 

IMO anyone who removes tips for anything other than bad service is just being cheap and trying to get out of paying what they should be paying

[jimbo5544]

That is their job. It’s not my responsibility to pay those that clean the deck that is carnivals job. I get paid to do my job but I don’t get tipped to do it. With that being said we remove the auto tips and pay as we go to those that deserve it.

 

 

 

Which I bet are few and far between. Basing logic for being cheap on mis truths that one makes up is a very clever idea....(maybe not so much). You can justify it any way you want. Happy sailing...

 

 

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[mrbiggbrain]

You can't tip "as you go" on a cruise. It just is not possible. Nobody is going to tip a waiter at each meal, or the room steward each day.

 

Either prepay, or let them charge your account and pay at the end of the cruise. Both methods cost the same.

 

I usually give my waiter about $20 on night 1 and then another $10 on the final night.

 

Room steward gets $10 night one with a request for a specific towel animal, and $5 each day he continues to provide the requested (Or another cool) towel animal. Then we usually leave something at the end of the cruise.

 

But I agree, there are dozens of people I never see who get some of that tip and deserve it. The guy at Guys will make me a dozen burgers, I don;t pull out cash to tip him.

[Sawdec]

And you are the reason why some of these people are not getting everything they deserve because there are people contrary to your popular belief that deserve to be tipped that you NEVER see and because you removed your tips they are now not getting what is due to them

 

IMO anyone who removes tips for anything other than bad service is just being cheap and trying to get out of paying what they should be paying

I am not being cheap but I am not these peoples employer carnival is. Carnival should be paying their wages especially if all they are doing is cleaning the deck or washing windows. When I go to a hotel or even resort I don’t tip the front desk clerk so why should I on a cruise. I do tip the waiters in the MDR and the room stewards. I also tip the counselors in camp carnival that watch my children. When I eat at a buffet I don’t tip the people who put food on my plate. I tip my server.

[mrbiggbrain]

And you are the reason why some of these people are not getting everything they deserve because there are people contrary to your popular belief that deserve to be tipped that you NEVER see and because you removed your tips they are now not getting what is due to them

 

IMO anyone who removes tips for anything other than bad service is just being cheap and trying to get out of paying what they should be paying

 

And even bad service should be a visit to guest services, or the Matre'D... Because who wants to get bad service when you could just tell someone and get good service.

 

To be honest, carnival does an amazing job of hiring wonderful staff. Always a smile, always kind, go the extra mile every night. The tips are like $13 a day, peanuts compared to what I spend, and I am getting to help these hard working people make a better life.

 

On our last cruise our head waiter was talking about his family, he was away from his wife 6 out of every 8 months, but he was so happy because the money he got from the ship was enough to put his kids through school and have a 2 bedroom house, the biggest on his block. I'm gonna complain about $13 when this guy is happy? Yeah, no thanks.

[bnorris10]

I am not being cheap but I am not these peoples employer carnival is. Carnival should be paying their wages especially if all they are doing is cleaning the deck or washing windows. When I go to a hotel or even resort I don’t tip the front desk clerk so why should I on a cruise. I do tip the waiters in the MDR and the room stewards. I also tip the counselors in camp carnival that watch my children. When I eat at a buffet I don’t tip the people who put food on my plate. I tip my server.

 

You are cheap .... everybody here can see that you are just trying to justify it - if your gonna be cheap at least be honest about it

 

I have yet to be at a buffet that the servers did not pull tips and it get split amongst other's including bus boys and cooks

[bnorris10]

And even bad service should be a visit to guest services, or the Matre'D... Because who wants to get bad service when you could just tell someone and get good service.

 

To be honest, carnival does an amazing job of hiring wonderful staff. Always a smile, always kind, go the extra mile every night. The tips are like $13 a day, peanuts compared to what I spend, and I am getting to help these hard working people make a better life.

 

On our last cruise our head waiter was talking about his family, he was away from his wife 6 out of every 8 months, but he was so happy because the money he got from the ship was enough to put his kids through school and have a 2 bedroom house, the biggest on his block. I'm gonna complain about $13 when this guy is happy? Yeah, no thanks.

 

Yup I had one server we talked to who had not even been able to meet his daughter yet because she was born during his contract

 

I could not stand this lady on the last cruise I went on she was going on and on about that these cruise workers were scammers and just trying to scam extra money out of us - We at the table were like they work hard for their money staying away from families for months and months at a time and then she went on a tirad about horrible these people were for leaving there families to work and it's like get a grip lady it's not like in the US or Canada - Here the poorest of the poor are sometimes better off than some of these families in other countries - And she just kept going on and on we were so thankful for this dinner to be over and we made darn sure the next night she was not at our table - here is the real kicker she revealed to us she was social worker :oand all I was thinking was I pray she never has to work on a case for anyone I know

[mrbiggbrain]

Yup I had one server we talked to who had not even been able to meet his daughter yet because she was born during his contract

 

I could not stand this lady on the last cruise I went on she was going on and on about that these cruise workers were scammers and just trying to scam extra money out of us - We at the table were like they work hard for their money staying away from families for months and months at a time and then she went on a tirad about horrible these people were for leaving there families to work and it's like get a grip lady it's not like in the US or Canada - Here the poorest of the poor are sometimes better off than some of these families in other countries - And she just kept going on and on we were so thankful for this dinner to be over and we made darn sure the next night she was not at our table - here is the real kicker she revealed to us she was social worker :oand all I was thinking was I pray she never has to work on a case for anyone I know

 

Yeah, some people. I do recommend people look up the highly compensated employees (Officers and such) as no real need to tip any of them (Other then maybe the Matre'D if they go above and beyond). But these people work long hours. Dining room staff no only serve you dinner, but often breakfast, lunch in the lido, wrap the silverware, clean, and many other tasks. Above all that they still smile.

[E@syPe@zy]

I've been cruising for a while and remember well the outstanding service and tipping in envelopes at the end of the cruise. Dinner each night was an event not to be missed and the service around the ship was stellar. Since the implementation of auto-tipping, they have reduced staff and the service has suffered.

 

I've gone along with the auto tipping - Have tipped above and beyond, but have been seriously considering going back to tipping for superb service again.

 

Why do the per day tipping fees continue to go up and the rate of service continue to go down? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. And now several lines have failed inspections, and Carnival has been caught stowing restaurant food and supplies in employee cabins during inspections! I love Carnival, but am not so hot about this new culture of "service".

 

I've worked for tips in my earlier years and have busted my butt to get good ones. I've been stiffed many times, as well. It is not MY fault that Carnival, among other lines, have decided to cut staff and degrade service and food safety. The cabin cleanliness on my last few Carnival cruises was not up to par, either. Dust on shelves, very little vacuuming done, etc. I've had to clean the bathroom myself a time or two due to sub par work being done.

 

My next cruise is on Pride and I am really looking forward to it, but I am no longer feeling good about auto-tipping and am certainly not going to pre-pay them before I step foot in my cabin to see if it is clean.

I think you are confusing that incident with "Silver Wind". See this post by Cruise Law News:

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2018/05/articles/disease-1/silver-wind-flunks-usph-sanitation-inspection/

Or if you have a link to Carnival being sited for this same violation, please post it.

Thanks

[v3cruiser]

If we choose not to prepay gratuities when booking our cabin, do we get charged later into the cruise or would we just be able to tip in cash as we go without having to remove the gratuity charges later?

 

You pay gratuities on everything you buy then. Prepaid is a one time payment and that's all regardless off number of drinks and services you buy. You can always remove tips later but I wish I would have done prepay on prior cruises.